'Ditched'

Dear Dr. P,

Two days ago, my boyfriend of three years told me that he couldn't love me anymore. Surely I was and still am devastated. I just lost my job and now I am losing the only person I love. I think he's having an affair with another lady, but I can't seem to prove it. What should I do because I know I can't live without him. Help!

Dear sender, I am very sorry that you had to hear these words from your boyfriend. I am sure that hearing these words from the one and only person you love and having lost your job at the same time have put you in a state of tremendous shock. The most important matter in this situation is to maintain your physical and mental health; and then, you can start to understand how he came to such a decision. If his decision is simply due to another woman, it would be best for you to try to have an open and honest discussion with him about this specific matter. There is nothing more fickle than the human heart. If you discover that your boyfriend no longer has the same feeling for you and this cannot be reversed any more, the only option that you have for yourself is to accept his decision and go your separate ways. Do not let yourself sink into despair as a result of the situation. You must rise above the present and do all that you can to get on with your life. For example, put your energy into looking for another job and if you think you need professional help, then seek out this assistance. Time can heal. But in the meantime, you must hold on and do all that you can to get through this difficult emotional time. Once back into the swing of your life, you might come upon someone else to love. I sincerely hope that you see this situation through.

I am currently an undergraduate freshman in engineering, thinking of doing biochemical engineering. I’m a second generation Indian American and I need a scholarship. My dream is to work in a research lab in Korea. But I can't seem to find any reputable news source that focuses solely on the scientific and engineering community in Korea. Are there any such resources? And what is the job market currently like and projected to be like for the next ten years?

Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it!

Dear future engineer I think it is a great idea for you to work in a research lab in Korea. As you know, Korea is one of the fastest developing countries in the world and particularly famous in fields such as lithium batteries and alternative energy including solar energy, which is growing quickly and has bright prospects. The leading universities in Korea recently started to recognize the importance of internationalization and opened the door to foreign students, offering scholarships to excellent students. They sometimes even supply some living expenses, too, but these benefits are mostly given to graduate students more than the undergraduate ones. The National Institute for International Education has been running the English-language website for foreign students (https://www.niied.go.kr/eng/index.do), and you will get some practical help from it. There is also another website for international students run by the Korean government (www.studyinkorea.go.kr). I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Park Jin-seng is a psychiatrist who runs a clinic for foreigners in Seoul and operates the personal therapist forums on www.lifeinkorea.com. Please submit questions for Park to mdoctor@korea.com or call the hotline at 02-563-0678.