2022 Summer Student Exchange Programme Experience
Olivier Zheng (ANEPF_France)
In 2020, I was already wiling to participate in the Summer Student Exchange Program but due to the COVID-19 and the fact that I was behind the dead line I could not apply to the program.
2022 was a pivotal year for my education. Why ? In France, your 4th years of the pharmaceutical studies is the beginning of your specialization in the fields : industry, hospital or community pharmacy. I choose to pursue my studies in the field of industry, so it was very important, at least in my university, to do an internship during my last summer vacation to gain experience and become more interested in future jobs and masters.
The visiting program was the best choice for me to combine work and vacation : company and factory tour in the morning and cultural activities for the rest of the day. This made me feel less guilty to be in another country. As a pharmacy student who is of Asian descent, I have always been interested in discovering the health system of an Asian countries. So the opportunity to look deeper into the Korean pharmaceutical industry was perfect for me.
Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about the program. Regretting two weeks I have spent in the program is the last thing I would do in my life. All of the visits we made were really interesting. Everyone in the factories and companies were amazing, and the amount of gift I got was overwhelming.
The best visit was at Chong Kun Dang (CKD), one of a few Korean companies named after their founder. The tour guide showed us the history of the company, the memory hall and the collection of bell, the symbol of the company, representing the awakening of the pharmaceutical industry. The company also prepared the traditional incense making class where we learned how to make incense sticks and cones from spices like cinnamon or star anise. We had a chance to take what we made home. Mine had a subtle cinnamon scent with a hint of pine wood, which made me think of this summer. Also we got more gifts afterward : traditional drink, pictures, incense holder, …
The other one is the community pharmacy. It was one of the first visit we done. Sharing our experiencies and asking questions not only to the pharmacist but to all the others Exchage student is a moment I will cherish ; not only because I saw the differecies between the community pharmacies in the world, I feel like we all grew closer by talking and get to know each other.
After the schedules, we got to experience the Korean cultures : karaoke, foods, museums, monuments, cafe, photo booths and the list can go on forever. The amazing KNAPS staff were always down to party and take us to popular places for eating or just hanging out. I was really sweet of them to prepare a lot of activities for us. We saw how hard they worked to organize the visits and the cultural experiences. Being able to spend time with them was the cherry on the cake.
In conclusion, the precious memories, and the friendships I made aloung the way will never be forgotten. Writing this put an end to this living dream. I will finish this by thanking all the staff and exchange students who made this summer magical.
Thank you guys,
I miss you all,
Olivier.