Can you guess where this tone comes from?

Let me give you a hint: all debaters should recognize this writing style.

That’s right! It resembles a debate motion, and today I'm going to introduce you to the first ever student club I joined— the Debate Association of Ewha (DAE).

Just like any other international students, my first semester at Ewha had its challenges.

Moving to Korea with just a year and a half of learning the language? Let’s just say my Korean skills barely got me through a casual conversation 😂. Making friends was tricky, and to top it off, my first student club application got rejected. What a bumpy start to my freshman year.

I remember worrying that I might miss out on university life in South Korea. This fear came from my experiences back in Malaysia, where my days were filled with club activities, competitions, and hanging out with friends. Not being able to experience those things effortlessly in a new country was a real shock to me, as I didn't anticipate for it to be tough.

Or maybe, it was never that tough. You just need to find the right place!

The story begins when I asked my College English professor (shout out to Professor Jean Paquette!) if there's any English debate club on campus, and he actually took the time to look into it and introduced me to DAE.

After going through the application process and an interview, I was sooo excited when I receive a message saying that I am now officially a DAE member! 🎉 As a former debater in Malaysia, it's a thrill for me to rejoin the debate scene, especially participating in debate competitions again.

Here in South Korea, there’s a representative organization for university debate societies called the Korea Intervarsity Debate Association (KIDA), and they’re incredibly active in organizing workshops and competitions every year. Some of the major events include the Rookie Tournament (RT) held at the start of both the spring and fall semesters, as well as the KIDA National Championship (KNC) at the end of each semester.