Dragging their tired bodies and minds to the nearest plush couch, fingers dripping with popcorn butter, today"s college students stare blankly into TV sets, shifting through the dozens of channels. College life was meant to be something more exciting and jubilant for each batch of freshmen as they first set foot on campus. Going to campuses where a John Lennon follower would play the guitar and singing the Beatles while sitting around a hearty campfire were what many high school students had in mind as an ideal college life.

Campus life at Ewha is ideal for those who belong to a club or an academic organization. However, for those who never came across the chance to join or were even rejected from certain clubs, outdoor excitement had to remain only an unfulfilled fancy. The good news is that a place for these exhausted minds and bodies still dreaming of a haven for fulfilling their wishes for new experiences has finally been made reality last winter.

Since then, there has been a motley gathering of Ewhaians every month, all sharing a keen interest in trying out something out of the ordinary. Colorful posters hollering "Unique Experience" have been taking aim at the students walking by on campus.

The founder of Unique Experience (yi-sek-chae-hum), a club that organizes various exciting trips to exotic locations, is Park Jin-hee ("96, Exercise, Sport & Leisure Science). "Last winter, I suddenly realized that I wanted to experience something different from everyday college life before I graduated," says Park. "It all got started with just a couple of my close colleagues. We wanted to share this experience with others." Knowing that many other college students were looking to try a refreshing form of entertainment before settling in a fixed career life, Park started to recruit more people to share the fun. Posters were put up around campus inviting more Ewhaians to join them in the new experience.

The organization started with a first trip to the Alps Ski Resort last winter. It was followed by a horseback riding trip to Shingal in April, then rafting and banana boating on Naerinchon in May, and water skiing at Chongpyong in June. "I met so many new friends during the horseback riding trip," says Choi Woo-hee (Natural Science, 1).

Unique Experience consists of six staff members who organize each trip. They hold meetings to discuss their next expedition, then they announce it on the Ewhaian website and posters for about five days. They contact the members who have participated in former trips by email and inform each and every one of them of the upcoming event.

There are no restrictions as to who may participate in the trip, which is one of the best merits of this organization. "I usually contact the travel agencies and take advantage of my personal relations to get a fair discount for each of these trips," says Park.

The members have grown steadily, as former participants decide to bring their friends along on the next trip. About 30 students joined the first official trip, the ski trip last winter, and more than 40 students joined the water skiing expedition last June.

As a non-registered club, the school does not support this organization in any way. With membership steadily growing and the organization starting to establish a reputation, Unique Experience works hard to satisfy the dreams of a rewarding college life. "We are planning to organize a trip either around the country or even a trip abroad sometime in the near future," says Park.
저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지