Europe Honestly. BOOKK, 2025.
<aside> 📢
</aside>
To all subscribers reading my Brunch: I’m finally able to share the publication news of “Honest Stories of Europe.” I’ve been posting steadily about life in Germany, but I don’t think I’ve ever really talked about why I wrote these pieces. I was dispatched to Frankfurt, Germany as an exchange student. Back in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I spent anxious days wondering whether the exchange program would be canceled. In the end, I had to postpone my exchange for two semesters—even taking a leave of absence—and after a long wait, I finally headed to Germany. The reason I didn’t give up during that long stretch was because I knew what I could gain there.
At my alma mater, students returning from exchange programs are required to write and upload a report. There were about a hundred reports written by students who had gone to Germany, and I read every single one. For someone like me who had never lived abroad for an extended period, those accounts were both exciting and encouraging. That’s why I was able to endure the waiting with the resolve, “I will go to Germany, no matter what.” I earned money in various ways and studied German.
Places in Europe I visited that were extremely hot or extremely cold.
The opportunity I earned after all that waiting was exhilarating. I found a freedom I’d never experienced before, and I had new experiences I could never have had without being an exchange student. I traveled to 22 countries and 54 regions, and I saw the aurora for the first time in my life. I was able to talk with friends from many countries—Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, Slovakia, Hungary, and more. In Germany, especially Frankfurt, international trade fairs and Hallyu events are frequent; by interpreting for government agencies and companies there, I could personally grasp Hallyu’s presence in Europe.
A year passed, and I didn’t want to go home. I felt there was still a mountain of things in Frankfurt I hadn’t experienced. After much thought, I decided to take another leave of absence. Through an acquaintance, I learned that if I registered at a university language center I could obtain a visa and student status. I narrowly passed the placement test for the preparatory course for the DSH (German language university entrance exam), and a year later I earned the highest grade on that exam. Looking back, I was truly fortunate to have had such a valuable opportunity.
But was this process easy? It wasn’t. The photos of Europe on Instagram look breathtaking. You imagine that walking down the street will feel like stepping into a romantic film, and that time spent in Europe will be pure happiness without a trace of disappointment. These were the illusions I had before going—but the reality was different. Living in Europe as an outsider brings its own emotions; the fear of having to do everything alone without anyone’s active help; the difficulties of visa renewals and finding housing with an unstable status—all of these were far from easy.
During this period, what I devoted myself to was recording my life. I set a goal to complete one piece each week for two years—six paragraphs of 200 characters each—and I ended up with 100 pieces. I wanted to document my personal feelings and thoughts, but above all I believed those records could give someone else courage; that was my biggest reason for writing. I adapted those completed pieces and bound them into a book. Because it contains candid emotions and practical information useful in Europe, I wanted to call it “Honest Stories of Europe.”
The book is organized into three chapters that collect the experiences and thoughts I gained over two years: “Europe, Life, and Record” (p.13), an essay; “Me and Europe” (p.167), which offers European travel information and living tips; and “Europe, Money, Freedom” (p.251), which recounts how I earned money and lived as a student in Germany. For each chapter, I sorted through 7,800 photos I took myself and inserted those most favored by my Instagram followers. I also included practical guidance for prospective exchange students in Germany, such as how to study German with ChatGPT, ways to legally remain in Germany even after the exchange term, and how I earned money while freely pursuing a variety of experiences.
So what am I trying to say? It’s not easy, but I want to encourage you to take the leap. I meet people who are afraid to leave. Living alone in a foreign place is hard and full of worries, but there are things you can only feel once you step beyond your boundaries. I hope this book becomes a layer of courage for those people.
âś“ Those interested in student exchange or studying in Germany âś“ Those who wish to remain in Germany more legally after an exchange program âś“ Those curious about long-term stays and life in Europe