Hello Dilek. Please introduce yourself to our audience.

My name is Dilek AVCI, and I am from Türkiye. I am a Fall 2022 MPM student. Before coming to Korea, I have been working as a government official in the Ministry of Finance since 2015. It is hard to accept, but this is my last semester, and I am leaving soon. I am excited to go back to my family and house, and at the same time, I feel gloomy. I will miss my school, which provided me a lovely environment to engage with people from different cultures. I can easily say that I enjoyed this high diversity and learned a lot from every single one of my friends in school.

Getting back to work life is just 2 months away after almost one year of student life. After completing my program in Korea, I will go back to my country and my previous job. I am happy to serve my country as a government official, and I believe that I will support my country better with the knowledge and experience I gained here in KDI School and Korea.

You are departing soon from KDIS. How did you find the school and life in Korea in general?

There are many opportunities for international students in Korea and KDI School, including great professors, interesting lectures that cannot be filled for 3 semesters, inspiring field trips, and deep discussions, which are fed by the diverse cultures of the students.

Let me say more about the diversity in KDI School, which I believe that no other school can offer. Because there is no close convenient accommodation nearby the school, almost 100 percent of international students stay in dorms, which creates a very multi-cultural environment. As an example, I have seen many countries all around the world before Korea. However, I have never been to African countries and even had an African friend. Luckily, KDI School gave this opportunity to make African friends and learn more about this region.

Another great opportunity is traveling. So far, I have visited many cities such as Busan, Daegu, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Cheongju, Pohang, Gongju, Iksan, Suwon, Ulsan, Gangwondo, Ullengdo-Dokdo, Seoul, and Daejeon (for sure!). Among these cities, my favorite one is Busan. The sea in Busan makes me relaxed and reminds me of my hometown Mersin in Türkiye.

When it comes to Sejong, I can describe this city with 2 words: peaceful and caring... You can easily guess my favorite activity here, which also helped me to win a Living Sustainability Event of the school: cycling around with the Sejong bike app. I really enjoyed my time with those bikes which I will miss! You can see me in Sejong Lake Park or in the Government Complex area anytime!

About Korean foods, I can say I am still getting used to it. But, I am doing my best to try as much Korean food and snacks as possible! Korean snacks are delicious and come in a wide range of variety. Well, my favorite Korean meals are samgyetang and bulgogi!

Overall, I am very grateful to Korea and KDI for all these opportunities.

Besides cycling, what are the other measures you use to live more sustainably?

I believe that Korea and KDI School offer us many opportunities to contribute to a sustainable environment. I find school cafes' reusable cup policy supportive. And I always carry my water bottle with me to make sure that I consume fewer plastic products. Even if Korea has a well-designed garbage disposal and recycling system, I firmly believe that these individual steps by every single one of us help contribute to the protection of our planet and sustainability.

What experiences have you found interesting about Korea in regard to sustainability and environmentalism? And which experiences have you adopted while in Korea?

The garbage disposal system and recycling here are great and inspiring in the way how this is accepted and implemented by all! At the same time, it is hard to follow fully because there are often times you cannot find any single garbage bin or disposal area, and you end up carrying all garbage back with you to the dormitory.

How Türkiye differs from Korea in relation to sustainability?

Türkiye is also making utmost efforts for a more sustainable environment. I cannot say we have that deep garbage disposal system like Korea has, but you can find garbage bins everywhere. Recently, Türkiye has not only signed major climate agreements but also has led efforts to diversify energy sources for our region. In light of the Ukraine war, Türkiye's efforts to bring Central Asian natural gas resources to Europe will make the country an energy hub. This will contribute to energy security in our region and help move us towards more sustainable resources. We also have a nationwide 'zero waste project' which is quite on track. Some of our public and private institutions have reached their zero-waste goals in a short amount of time. Many of our municipalities are recognized by European institutions for their waste management and composting projects. The rationale behind the 'zero waste project', which is also aligned with our culture, is that eliminating waste at the level of consumption is relatively easier than trying to recycle the plastic or other chemical wastes produced as a result of our activities.

Please share your recommendations on how to make KDI School more sustainable?

I have one suggestion, which is already being implemented in some places in Türkiye and Korea, is paid-plastic recycling centers. I have first seen this at my university in Türkiye and recently in some subways in Korea. I consider this idea considerably innovative. Human beings are rational by nature, and money is the best incentive to help them move!