Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine I February 2018 #192 I Seo Il-Gweon: Gwangju’s Public Service Activist
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Healing you and your family away from your daily routine! What is the Gwangju Medi Tour Center? 1. We support online/offline consultation and reservation services regarding medical tourism. 2. We provide medical examination programs tailored to individual conditions and needs. 3. We introduce medical tourism products and courses. 4. We provide various services, including support for interpretation, immigration, and accommodation. 5. We take full responsibility for providing further services for our international patients after medical treatment.
25 Korea’s rTop traction t A ou T s Wellnes
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Songjeong Mar ket
February 2018
Gwangju Wo rld Kimchi Festi val
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Gwangju Medi Tour Center Photo Source : KTO(김치축제)
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From the Editor
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February 2018, Issue No. 192 Published: February 1, 2018 Cover Photo: Seo Il-Gweon Gwangju’s public service activist Photograph courtesy of Seo Il-Gweon
THE EDITORIAL TEAM
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Online Editorial Team Layout Editor Photo Editor Creative Advisor Copy Editors
Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer Eden Jones, Anastasia Traynin Nguyen Huong, Karina Prananto Karina Prananto Lorryn Smit Joe Wabe Brian Fitzroy, Alvina Joanna, Joseph Nunez Gabrielle Nygaard, Andrew Vlasblom Kristyna Zaharek
t’s February. We are already entering the second twelfth of the year and hope that you have had a good start to 2018. We hope that February will be a continuation to that good start. If you are not in Pyeongchang taking in the Winter Olympic Games, you are most likely at home, sheltering yourself from the winter cold. To engage you, we bring you the warmth of the February issue of the Gwangju News. This issue offers three feature articles. The first is a Gwangju News interview with Seo Il-Gweon, a Gwangju activist of the past whose activism has taken on a whole new form in the present. Read how his philosophy has led to a Gwangju Clinic in Cambodia and an afterschool program for village children. Our second feature takes a look at the all-too-often overlooked subject of alternate schooling. Alternative schools serve a special need, but they find themselves having to make difficult choices. Our feature exemplifies the situation by focusing on one school: Gwangju’s Oreum education space.
Gwangju News is the first public English monthly magazine in Korea, first published in 2001. Each monthly issue covers local and regional issues, with a focus on the roles and activities of the international residents and local English-speaking communities.
Feature three is about another oft-overlooked space: the expansive Gwangju Culture and Arts Center. Whether you have been there already or not, you will likely be surprised at how large the complex is, and very happily surprised to know that its 2018 schedule is the fullest ever!
Copyright by Gwangju International Center. All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the written consent of the publisher.
Gwangju, “Bitgoeul,” is the City of Light. Our From Abroad piece is by a group of young adults who are making big plans for brightening up the city. For inspiration, they travel to Osaka to take in that city’s festival of lights, and bring back suggestions that will make Gwangju much more than the “City of Light” in name only.
Gwangju News is published by Gwangju International Center Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733~34 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731 Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com E-mail: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr
We have more. Read about North and South Korea uniting for the Olympic Games. Read about how the teacher can best face that new class of students as the new school begins. Read about Airbnb. What’s that? Accommodations and activities scheduling for the air traveler – accommodations that could lead you to a jungle treehouse. Read also about the profits they’re making.
Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Join Adcom 조인애드컴 (+82)-62-367-7702 GwangjuNews
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For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the Editor at: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr For advertising and subscription inquiries, please contact karina@gic.or.kr
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Special thanks to the City of Gwangju and all of our sponsors.
And, oh, there’s so much more… One person’s take on the rapid transformation of Tel Aviv. Another person’s look inward to prepare a set of “reminders” rather than New Year’s resolutions. An interview with the new yogaPilates instructor in town. Photography, poetry, previews, reviews… But don’t just take my word for it. Read for yourself. Enjoy February.
David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News
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Contents February 2018 #192
GWANGJU NEWS 04. Gwangju City News 06. Upcoming Events: February 08. GIC Talk Preview: A Fresh Start – Observing Stereotypes About and Inhibitors of Domestic Adoption in Korea 10. Gwangju Theater Schedule 52. Community Board FEATURES 12. Seo Il-Gweon: Gwangju’s Public Service Activist 16. A School Outside of School: Gwangju’s Oreum Education Space 20. A Hidden Jewel in Gwangju’s Performance Arts Spaces
12 Seo Il-Gweon
SPORTS & ACTIVITIES 22. Valentin Nerding: An Interview with the New Yoga/ Pilates Instructor TRAVEL 24. Airbnb 26. From Abroad: From Osaka to Gwangju – Embracing the Moniker, “City of Light” FOOD & DRINKS 30. Where to Eat: Viviana Cake 32. Kitchen Stories: Seafood Soup
OPINION 48. Israel, Korea, and the Future 50. Dear Self
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February 2018
ARTS & CULTURE 37. Korea Culture: North and South Korea to Be United for the 2018 Winter Olympics 38. Photo Essay: Becoming Home 42. Photo of the Month 44. Book Review: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg – Finding Love in the Digital Age 45. Movie Review: Looking Back at The X-Files 46. Gwangju Writes: i sit with glasses 47. Gwangju Writes: Every Book Is Romantic
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EDUCATION 34. KOTESOL: New School Year, New Students – What to Do? 36. Everyday Korean: Episode 2 – Winter in Korea
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Gwangju City News Reprinted with permission from Gwangju City Hall
GWANGJU NEWS
Photographs courtesy of Gwangju City
From left: Haeyang City Gas Co. Ltd CEO Kim Hyung-soon, Gwangju Mayor Yoon, and GIST President Moon Seung-hyun.
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February 2018
Gwangju City Implementing Expanded Child Care Services Reported by the Women, Youth, and Family Policy Division.
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n the audience chamber of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall on December 12, Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun signed a mutualcooperation agreement for the Collaborative Execution of Learning Program of GIST’s Social Contribution Corp. with Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) President Moon Seung-hyun and Haeyang City Gas CEO Kim Hyung-soon on December 12. This agreement was initiated in an effort to expand the Learning Program of the Social Contribution Corp., which has been implemented by GIST. Signing
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of the agreement enables childcare services to be operated under the wing of private and public school cooperation. First, Haeyang City Gas Co. will put in a total of 100 million won for two years beginning in 2018. GIST will provide learning guidance and career counseling to about 400 children through 16 local childcare centers and two child-welfare institutions. Since 2010, the students of GIST have helped children learn and counseled them as part of their training and
volunteer work experience. So far, a total of about 3,400 children have been helped to find their career paths. Mayor Yoon said of the young students, “We should be aware that it is our duty to protect and support them so they can have a sound dream and grow strong.” He also added, “Both private and public sectors should join hands to establish a safe social environment in which children in need can be taken care of and thus grow healthily.”
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Gwangju City Cooperates with China’s Chilwee Group for Electric Vehicle Parts
Mayor Yoon (left) meets with Chilwee President Yang Xinxin.
Gwangju City Cooperates with China’s Chilwee Group for Electric Vehicle Parts Written by Hong Seong-jang
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On December 19, Chilwee president Mr. Yang Xinxin, visited Gwangju City and was greeted by Mayor Yoon Janghyun. Yang confirmed his intention to cooperate on environmentally friendly automobile industry, energy industry, and smart city projects.
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Gwangju’s electric vehicle parts industry will join Chilwee to establish a joint R&D center for joint planning, design development, design, testing, certification, and trial production. The parts that will be made in Gwangju by participating companies will be exported to China in semi-completed condition. This will be the business model of the joint cooperation. The initial model is expected to be confirmed as a concrete business model through cooperation with Gwangju City and the feasibility study with Gwangju’s regional component companies.
Related officials from Gwangju City also visited the headquarters of Chilwee Company in Zhejiang Province at the end of November. An official said, “We see many potentials for Gwangju City to cooperate with Chilwee in the process of becoming a leading green-car city.” The official further spoke of the reason for the cooperation: a move “responding to the rapidly changing fourth industrial revolution era and helping to strengthen mutual global competitiveness.” Mayor Yoon commented, “I proposed that we work together on a small project at the earlier meeting, but Chilwee responded very positively and gratefully to us. So Gwangju will do their best to be their partner.”
February 2018
Established in 1998 and headquartered in Zhejiang Province, China, Chilwee is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of primary and secondary batteries for electric vehicles, solar and wind energy
storage batteries, and 4.5-ton electric trucks for logistics.
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hina’s world-leading battery company, Chilwee, is cooperating with Gwangju City in the electric vehicle parts industry, which will hopefully lead to additional feasible investment.
Originally published in the Jeonnam Ilbo on December 19, 2017.
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february 2018 GWANGJU NEWS
Upcoming Events
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
Baraebong Namwon Jirisan Snowflake Festival 2018
▲ Gwangju Museum of Arts Archive Project 3: Art, Life, and Woman ▲ Chungjangro Life Photography Exhibition 2018
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7 Gwangju Museum of Arts Archive Project 3: Art, Life, and Woman 광주시립미술관 아카이브 프로젝트 3: 삶과 예술 그리고 여성 The Gwangju Museum of Art Archive Project 3: Art, Life, and Woman invites female senior artists, such as sculptress Park Yang-sun (1937- ), Western-style painter Kang Sook-ja (1941- ) and calligrapher Ryu Bong-ja (1946- ), to the museum. These female artists pursued art during a time when women had rare opportunities to study the subject and were active in the specifically patriarchal social conditions of Korea. Date: Time: Location: Admission: Telephone: Website:
Open now through February 10, 2018. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Wed.: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.) Space 6, Asia Culture Center, 38 Main Main Hall 3 & 4, Gwangju Museum of Arts, 52 Haseo-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju Free 062-613-7100 http://artmuse.gwangju.go.kr
Baraebong Namwon Jirisan Snowflake Festival 2018 지리산 남원 바래봉 눈꽃축제 2018 Experience snow sledding down a 120-meter slide, snowball fighting, snow sculpturing, and kite flying. Such activities will delight kids and adults alike. You can also enjoy roasting sweet potatoes and experience making items from herbs from their 600-square-meter herb valley. Date: Location: Admission:
Chungjangro Life Photography Exhibition 2018 충장로_인생사진관 2018
Date: Time: Location:
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Open now through March 4, 2018. 11 a.m - 8 p.m. (last admission 6:30 p.m.) Chungjang-ro Convention Center (Wiz Park 4F) 72 Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju
Tattooed Asia 아시아의 타투 This exhibition is a multi-angle review of Asia’s tattoo culture and its history through exhibits collected through local surveys in Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. The pictures are not presented as mere exotic attractions but as gateways to understanding Asian culture in general. The exhibition brings together numerous photographs, illustrations, and videos of traditional tattoos, as well as a wide variety of exhibits, including the tools used for tattooing. Date: Open now through June 24, 2018. Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Location: Special Hall 3, Asia Culture Center, 38 Munhwajeondang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju Admission: Free Telephone: 061-530-5309 Website: https://www.acc.go.kr/en/board/ schedule/exhibition/1807
Mountain Fox Light Festival 산속여우빛축제 Celebrating under the theme of “The Little Prince,” this light festival covers an area of 10,000 pyeong (about 33,000 sq.m.) in this herb park. The park is decorated with colorful LED lights that combine nature and art. There will be numerous performances, and every Saturday at 8 p.m., there will be fireworks. Date: Time: Location: Admission: Telephone: Website:
Open now through December 31, 2018. 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. (November to April). Closed on Mondays. 235-38 Cheonho-ro, Bibong-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do Weekends 5,000 won Weekdays 4,000 won 1899-5852 http://www.healjo.co.kr
February 2018
Chungjangro Convention Center provides a space for youth to appreciate a culture exhibition. Enjoy this exhibition where photography and life stories are the main themes. There will be photo printing, wood photo printing, and souvenir-making. The travel cafe provides free admission. It is cold outside, so why don’t you enjoy culture and an exhibition indoors in downtown Gwangju?
Telephone: Website:
On-site 15,000 won Internet Purchase 9,000 won 062-234-3300 https://goo.gl/Qd2oU2
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Telephone: Website:
Open now through February 11, 2018. 214 Baraebong-gil, Unbong-eup, Namwon, Jeollabuk-do Free (separate fees for experience programs) 063-635-0301 http://www.namwon.go.kr/tour/
Admission:
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GIC Talk Preview
A Fresh Start
Observing Stereotypes About and Inhibitors of Domestic Adoption in Korea Written by Madeline Miller
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
GWANGJU NEWS
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omestic adoption in South Korea is uncommon relative to other developed countries with similar GDPs and other “developed country” indicators. Following World War II and the Korean War, a huge number of orphans were adopted internationally. This was strongly encouraged by the Korean government and supported by many international organizations. Additionally, the past decade has shown a decrease in the Korean birthrate (KOSTAT 2017), primarily due to factors such as women pursuing a career rather than having a family; the increased cost of living, education, and raising a child; and the increased age of marriage. Because of these and other factors, fewer married couples want children at all, making the chances of adoption even slimmer than they would be due to cultural mindset alone. Soon after arriving in Gwangju over two years ago, I watched The Twinsters, a documentary about a set of Korean twins. Their story sparked my interest in intercountry adoption issues in Korea – one of the twins was adopted by an American family the other by a French family, and they were only able to discover each other and met by chance via an online encounter. Curiosity prompted me to then watch The Baby Box, a film about a Seoul-based pastor who made a way for parents to safely abandon their neglected or unwanted infants. In an attempt to prevent infants from being abandoned on the street, particularly during the winter, he has circumvented a legal registration process and waiting period required by the country as of 2012, making his mission controversial. The loss of life is a very real problem, but it is not being met with an equal solution in the process of policy-making and enforcement.
As an American and outsider in both culture and circumstance, I am often laughed at or laughed off when broaching the subject of adoption with Koreans. Typically, people assume that I am joking with them and then are baffled as they realize I expect serious responses to my questions – often Koreans, especially young people, have rarely thought about adoption or its related struggles as a tangible topic. Because there is a major lack of knowledge and awareness within the Korean populace, it can be hard to gather anecdotal evidence. I recognize that I cannot fully understand the undercurrents of Korean culture that dictate people’s stereotypes, expectations, and beliefs concerning adoption, and that the Western idea of adoption is neither more right nor more effective than Korea’s. This is merely an attempt to uncover what that idea may be, both for myself and for others who may know little about the topic and to share my findings in a useful and practical way. Come to Madeline Miller’s GIC Talk February 3 at 4:00 p.m. at the Gwangju International Center. (Excerpted from 2017 Asia Culture Forum presentation abstract.) THE AUTHOR Maddy lives a grandma’s lifestyle in a 23-year-old’s body. She has too many hobbies, most prevalent of which are reading, exploring, and chasing the children off her lawn (if only she had one). Her favorite food is anything that isn’t spicy or olives.
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in February 2018 Saturdays @ 4 p.m. 9
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A Fresh Start: Observing Stereotypes About and Inhibitors of Domestic Adoption in Korea by CNU Korean Language Student Madeline Miller (from USA)
Child Welfare System in Korea by MDream Garden Children’s Home Executive Director Eunkang Chung
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No Talk & Happy Seollal!
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Baekdu Daegan North Korea by Hike Korea Owner Roger Shepherd (from New Zealand)
February 2018
5, Jungang-ro, 196beon-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju｜062-226-2733｜gic.or.kr 2018�2��.indd 9
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Gwangju Theater 62 Chungjang-no 5-ga, Dong-gu, Gwangju (two blocks behind NC WAVE) TICKETS: 8,000 won CONTACT: 062-224-5858 For more information, please visit: http://cafe.naver.com/cinemagwangju * Synopses excerpted from Wikipedia, IMDb, and Hancinema
WONDER WHEEL 원더 휠 Genre: Drama Director: Woody Allen Film Length: 101 minutes Starring: Jim Belushi, Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake
GWANGJU NEWS
Summary: On Coney Island in the 1950s, a lifeguard tells the story of a middle-aged carousel operator and his beleaguered wife.
TANGERINE 탠저린 Genres: Comedy, Drama Director: Sean Baker Film Length: 88 minutes Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian
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February 2018
Summary: A hooker tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.
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GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING 진주귀걸이를 한 소녀 Genres: Drama, Romance Director: Peter Webber Film Length: 98 minutes Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson Summary: A young peasant maid working in the house of painter Johannes Vermeer becomes his talented assistant and the model for one of his most famous works.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT 플로리다 프로젝트 Genre: Drama Director: Sean Baker Film Length: 111 minutes Starring: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite Summary: Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World.
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Since 2000
(former Body&Soul Clinic)
The International Clinic in Gwangju Family Medicine, Health Screening, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Minor Surgery, Travel Medicine, Vaccination, Complementary Medicine, Pre-employment Health Screening, Laboratory Test (Blood, Urine, Pap, STD), X-ray & Ultrasound, Prescription Refill, Nutrition (Intravenous Vitamins & Minerals), Detox (Chelation & Fasting), Anti Aging, Immune Booster, Weight Management.
For More Info: Phone: 062-525-0606 www.geomedclinic.com ** The best landmark for our clinic is “Buk-gu District Office” ** On the 1st Floor of our building, there is a “Paris Baguette”. Our clinic is located on the 5th Floor.
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February 2018
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Seo Il-Gweon
Gwangju’s Public Service Activist
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
FEATURE
Written by Wilson Melbostad Photographs courtesy of Seo Il-Gweon Translation and interpretation by Han Young-lee, Yang Jun-ho, and Anastasia Traynin
Volunteering in Mongolia.
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estled up with a cozy adult beverage and some peanuts in the rather unassuming Imagine, a collaborative art and recreation space situated across the street from the Asia Culture Center, I struggle to find the words to even begin to interview this month’s Gwangju News feature subject. I begin our conversation scrupulously: “I’m not even sure how to address you. I’ve never met someone with so many job titles.” Mr. Seo Il-Gweon, the aforementioned man with seemingly innumerable titles, grins at the question. He thinks for a second and then casually replies, “These days I am just introducing myself as a public service activist.” Though “public service activist” would certainly be far from an incorrect way of addressing Seo Il-Gweon, the title barely scratches the surface of the work he has thus far undertaken. Working with the Gwangju Asia Emergency Relief Council (now Gwangju Asia Sharing Organization), Seo Il-Gweon helped facilitate distribution of local emergency relief not only by way of clinics in the Gwangju area but also through clinics situated throughout Asia, including in Nepal, Cambodia, and Mongolia. Seo serves on the board for the Universal Culture Center (UCC), an organization that serves migrants, international students, refugees, foreign workers, and migrants’ wives. Though busy with current and pending endeavors, Seo was nice enough to give us the scoop on his newest project, Band for Good, as well as shed some light on his personal motivations for becoming a community leader.
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GN: Do you have a particular motivation for all the various work that you do, like helping people with their lives and assisting migrants? Seo: Frankly speaking, I don’t think of it as “helping.” Although when I first started, I started from the idea that I must do something to help, at some point it turned into the idea that this is a solid investment in the future. As far as my work in Asia is concerned, by the year 2050, 50 percent of the world’s total output will be produced in the Asia region. One-third of the world’s youth population is living in Asia. Though these kinds of statistics certainly propel me further in my current endeavors, my original motivation for longtime student activism and longtime social activism comes from having tremendous pride in the Gwangju May 18 Uprising. Growing up, my mother was always the kind of person who gave to others. As I got older, I became a longtime student activist, for about ten years. I was on the wanted list for about four years, like the people everyone is talking about with the recent movie “1987” (a story about democratization in Korea in June 1987). Honestly, if I were to write about it, I would also have a lot of stories to tell. There’re stories from being on the wanted list for four years and coming out of prison. There was student activism, and now it’s about an altruistic life – that has filled me up a lot. Something
February 2018
GN: While starting Band for Good, you chose Cambodia as the background. Is there a particular reason for that? Among all the countries, why did you choose Cambodia? Seo: Band for Good had the original goal of operating
sustainably in a fixed location, with a plan to build a mutual relationship and make the village more stable, brightening the children’s future through a sustainable relationship between Gwangju and the village. With that in mind, we went searching in a few places. We went to Laos in 2012 and visited the Modern Youth Center in Vang Vieng. After going to Vang Vieng, we went to Cambodia in 2014, before the opening of the Gwangju Clinic and prepared for its opening there, setting some things up. After going there, we wanted to go to Myanmar, but Myanmar had a complicated election situation at that time, so because of the safety problem, we went back to Cambodia. However, when you set out to do this kind of overseas volunteering, you need good accessibility, because if it’s too far you can’t go often. It has to be close, with easy flights, and not too expensive because people have to go back and forth. For a place like Nepal, it takes six-and-a-half hours and the flight costs at least 1.3 million won. In the case of Cambodia, the expense of flight tickets wasn’t a big problem. This is one of the practical reasons why I chose Cambodia. Cambodia is a country that suffered the most in their modern history with the Killing Fields. In making this type of overseas project, one of the most important components is setting up local partnerships. Now I have a trustworthy and excellent partner to work with. So, having taken into account this kind of partnership, the accessibility of Cambodia, as well as its historical points, Cambodia is now one of the places on the list that we help, growing little by little.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Gwangju News (GN): Can you tell us about your newest project? Seo: Actually, I’ve combined some of my previous projects into my current work, running an operation called Band for Good. I am the executive director of Band for Good, with participating board member, Kim Youn-ok. As executive director, my main plan this year is working to set up a free afterschool education center in Cambodia. So, after the school day is finished, children from poor families can learn life skills. For example, since there are many sewing factories, they can learn sewing skills, or otherwise take Korean, English, or other language classes. Additionally, if the children need computer classes, I am preparing a space for these kinds of afterschool courses as well. We will also arrange to make basic medicines such as skin ointments, cold medicine, and other items available.
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14 current mayor of Gwangju, Yoon Jang-hyun. They both understood that, in reality, we weren’t getting what we wanted on an international, or even national, level. This was despite all the legislation, and despite the events of May 18, Kim Young-Sam becoming president in 1994, the application of the May 18 special law in 1995, and the taking to court of Chun Doo-Hwan and Roh Tae-Woo.
Making new friends in Mongolia.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
like a sailor giving up the weight of wages and living a more public and social life. I learned how rewarding this life can be while undertaking these kinds of programs. I think that this is the most important thing that has made me who I am now. Democratization activism as a student, dictatorship activism. These kinds of processes. GN: You mentioned your mother; were there any other individuals you can recall that particularly inspired you? Seo: I also met one mentor named Seo Yu-jin or Eugene Soh, an elder Gwangju activist who talked about having emigrated early from Korea to the USA and taking up a one-man protest against the Yushin dictatorship [of Park Chung-Hee in the 1970s] in front of the White House. Anti-Yushin activism, followed by May 18 activism, then activism for uncovering the truth of the May 18 Uprising, and Chosun University activism for uncovering the truth about patriotic martyr Lee Cheol-Gyu. [Eugene Soh] continued in the USA to do activism related to modern Korean history as the secretary-general of a civic group called the Council for Unified Democracy. Pastor Moon Dong-hwan, the younger brother of Pastor Moon IkHeon, is now over ninety years old, but he used to be the chairman of that organization back in the USA. [Eugene Soh] was among that group of Koreans living abroad in the USA that focused on activism for Korean democratization and human rights, within that civic group there. He came back to Korea in 1993 and after returning, he met the
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GN: That must have been frustrating. I assume that was what inspired Mr. Soh’s – and eventually your – focus abroad? Seo: Exactly. Even with all that, May 18 was still considered to be just a bunch of rioters in Gwangju. No matter how many special laws you enact, it’s still like that, isn’t it? So, geez, how can something that isn’t even recognized on the national level be globalized? So we went over all this again when talking with Mayor Yoon and Eugene Soh. Instead of regurgitating the same thing, we said let’s go to other locations in Asia, places with military dictatorship, democratization or suppression of human rights, and find Gwangju there. Let’s go there and tell them about the Gwangju spirit. So, Eugene Soh went all over Asia. He went to places like Sri Lanka where reports of missing persons were popping up left and right. So, anyway, I met this person (Eugene Soh) in Cambodia, and he, me, and Mayor Yoon had an all-night talking session on the beach. We talked about Gwangju, Asia, human rights, and democracy. With these things in mind, I thought about making programs and tailoring them specifically to Asia. Programs that would take youth and ordinary citizens and systematically continue these kinds of history tours in Laos, Vietnam, and other similar nations. In each country there were seemingly endless possibilities. GN: What sort of insights have you taken from your trips to other Asian countries? Seo: During my trips to Mongolia and other Asian nations, I was able to see those countries’ cultures and histories. My trips helped me realize that soon the day will come when Asia will be the center of the world. So, in the case of international students coming here, they
Seo’s establishment of the Gwangju Clinic in Cambodia.
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15 can speak at least three or four languages, including their native language and the language of the foreign country they are going to. They can all become leaders with their own opinions. So, they can become our good friends, and we can do a lot of work together in various ways, whether in business or other areas. So even though I started in the spirit of helping, I got to thinking about building solidarity between the pain experienced by Gwangju and others in Asia. Now in order to build that type of coexistence, I’m making opportunities for sending young people from Gwangju to other locales in Asia, the thing that I so often talked about before. Even while working on the Gwangju-wide youth project, I always talked to the young people about getting out and seeing Asia. Here, it’s too much of a zero-sum game. But the idea of Asia is not about a wider market for spreading Hallyu [the “Korean wave”] and letting many more people know about those sorts of messages. In doing this work, even though in a place like Gwangju there aren’t as many non-Korean Asians, I’m trying to make it so that, more than in any other city, the other Asians in Gwangju can really get a sense of democracy and Gwangju being a city of human rights. Also, within the Asian countries that are facing difficulties, and for the children in the villages we work in, I want to plant new hopes and dreams. Building off the atmosphere of making a big fuss, and later, working through Gwangju City Hall, we can really coexist. Opening East and West talks, we are quickly making a symbiosis with Korea, living together, so that later we don’t fall behind.
nothing special. I don’t think there is any need for long explanations. Postscript: Since this interview, Seo Il-Gweon has also organized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Gwangju City Doctor’s Council and a number of key migrant rights support groups to help facilitate greater cooperation for issues relating to migrant medical treatment, particularly for those who are undocumented or humanitarian status holders (refugees that don’t have access to insurance or other services). THE AUTHOR
An international human rights attorney hailing from San Francisco California, Wilson Melbostad has returned to Gwangju to undertake his newest project: The Organization for Migrant Legal Aid (OMLA), which operates out of the Gwangju International Center.
February 2018
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Seo (front row, fourth from left) during the Asian Friends Expedition.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
GN: Doing all this different work, do you have a final goal, such as an international society in Gwangju or any other things that you hope to achieve? Seo: First of all, I do this work so that I and my family are happy. I am not helping others for getting something that I want, but for leaving a good world and future for my children. A more just, more loving, solidarity-giving world for the children. This studio, Imagine’s, motto is “Eat, pray, love.” Making a world like that is the most basic priority. But many people are like this. I can’t do this work well if I am too smug about being committed to doing hard work for others. I have to enjoy it and feel rewarded. The first priority is making this kind of happiness for myself and my family. My second priority is… what I am always wearing? This…[pointing to the necklace he is wearing]… is a peace symbol. I am doing it for peace. So, my favorite saying is “Namaste.” As I understand it, “namaste” means that the god in me is asking after the god in you. Each person believes and trusts in themselves, so they can respect each person as they are, no matter their lifestyle or religion, they can understand and respect them. That makes peace. Otherwise, war breaks out. So, I’m doing this for my happiness and peace and that of my family. If I must say something, outside of that, there is
Seo with the writer (left) at a Syrian family’s home during the “Santa for Global Peace” Universal Culture Center (UCC) Christmas 2017 program.
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A School Outside of School Gwangju’s Oreum Education Space Written by Anastasia Traynin Photographs courtesy of Oreum Interpretation by Park Min
FEATURE
W
hile still working at Hanbitt High School, on a weekend in May 2015, I attended a Gwangju indie music concert on a rooftop in Dongmyeong-dong for the first time. This was not just any rooftop and not just any music venue. Down below the roof, on the third floor of the building, three teachers were running Oreum Education Space. This is one of the ten Gwangju youth alternative schools that are part of the city-based network called Teenagers Outside School Support Center. At the concert afterparty, I mixed with some familiar faces, people connected with Gwangju education and other social movements. I continued to come back to Oreum for concerts and other gatherings.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
In the summer of 2016, a few months after I began working at Gwangju International Center, I got an unexpected call from Oreum’s full-time music teacher, local musician Park Soyoung. She asked if I would teach a two-hour English class there once a week. That is how, from the fall of that year, I started teaching Tuesday mornings at my second alternative school teaching assignment, finishing at the end of 2017. Though I had alternative education experience before, this was on a much smaller scale: throughout my time there, there were a total of five to nine high school-age students coming to class on any given day, with new students enrolling during the spring, fall, and winter semesters. They came from all over Gwangju and its outskirts, some transferring from other alternative schools, regular public schools, or from homeschooling. On the third floor, there was one classroom, a kitchen for cooking shared meals, a dining room that doubled as a lounge, separate lounge rooms, and a teacher’s office. The basement of the building was a space for music rehearsal, recording, and performances. Overall, the school has a focus on music, arts, literature, and philosophy, varying slightly depending on students’
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interests. There are no exams, or in-depth university or career preparation. Oreum is a place where students interact organically with their teachers: three full-time staff and once-a-week contract instructors, such as myself. While they study basic subjects, such as math, history, Korean, and English, as well as art, music, dance, theater, and philosophy, the subjects themselves are not important. What matters most is that students learn from the real lives of their teachers as individuals. Recently, as the school prepares for a move across town and I prepare for a move across the country, I decided to sit down with Oreum’s head teacher Kang Kyung-pil. Kang is a graduate of Chonnam National University’s Philosophy Department and a well-known education activist in town, running a regular radio podcast on education issues. “Although all alternative schools are different, in the case of Oreum, the teachers are doing what they as individuals best know how to do,” Kang explained. “They are using their own personal talents, while in regular schools, teachers are assigned to do this or that, like a mosaic of different things. For other teachers in the regular system, they are just educating. It’s about changing your talent into making a living, rather than living with what you’ve learned. At Oreum, it is not so much about the subject, but also the life that the teacher leads and how it affects them. We don’t know whether that is good or bad, but I think it is a different format of education.”
“Now that everything is set, why are students still leaving school?”
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Graduation at Oreum.
From a philosopher’s perspective, Kang continues to view the education system issue as a key to understanding Korean society. While the Teenagers Outside School Center officially started in Hwajeong-dong in 2011, Oreum opened in 2009, with Kang having the idea from the previous year. He found that at the time, there was a total of 70,000 students nationwide and 2,000 locally in Gwangju and Jeollanamdo who were not officially attending school.
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Whether or not they are registered or connected to a support center, each school operates in its own way. Despite the diversity, Kang points out that the Ministry of Education and the local education offices are eager to observe and recognize the overall alternative school trend, and to somehow absorb it into the general education system. Kang noted, “The movement is having an influence on the education system as a whole, but we don’t know yet if it
February 2018
As many insiders and outsiders, including temporary native English teachers, can attest to, the Korean education system is often rigid and competitive, not allowing for much deviation from the normal routine of lectures, rote memorization, and test-taking. However, this was not always the case. For those growing up in earlier generations, school wasn’t systematically available. People were desperate for a set standard, which has brought us to the current nearly universal public school enrollment, low dropout rate, and college entrance level of over eighty percent. However, despite all that success on paper, there are still gaps to fill.
As reported in the January 2014 Gwangju News, the establishment of standardized education in Korea eventually gave rise to an alternative school movement in the late 1990s, with a few hundred such schools now operating nationwide. While there are a number of schools registered under a local office of education, many of them are unregistered, stand-alone, often residential, and often based in the countryside. Outside of Seoul and Gwangju, there does not seem to be a dedicated citybased network.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
“It was necessary to have something for these students, which was not available in Gwangju,” Kang said. “I was interested, and really wondering why so many students suddenly left school. But there was no one answering this question in detail. Basically the answers were ‘they couldn’t adapt to the school system’ or ‘they went abroad.’”
So the question in Kang’s mind was, “Now that everything is set, why are students still leaving school?” He saw that the main problem is the education system not accepting much diversity. “While meeting these students, I thought about this problem. Everybody has different ideas, but no one is trying to understand exactly why this is happening in the society. So I started from that interest.”
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▲ Oreum students and teachers on a spring trip.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
is a positive or negative influence. They have recognized the changes and the need for diversity, so they borrowed this term ‘alternative,’ so instead of a school, they might have ‘alternative classes.’ For example, they might put in more physical movement or performance classes, but the formal method is set in the education system, while only the content is changing, so we don’t really know how that works together.” The issue of money is never far from the minds of those running alternative schools, as they are often dependent on government subsidies. While drawing some positive attention from the government, they are subject to threats of fund cuts when not meeting certain curriculum standards. This puts pressure on some schools to adapt or face closure by default. The eighteenth annual International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC), held in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do in the summer of 2014, supported Korean independent schools, with a July 31 closing press statement against bureaucratic control (see end of article for web link). I wondered whether the government could legally shut down alternative schools. Kang explained that when Oreum opened in 2009, there was a basic social agreement that the schools could operate, under the inherent risk of subsidy cuts. In recent years, more interest has been taken
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in the schools, which could be good, but also leads to excessive oversight in some cases. When Kang and I met, he had just come back from a meeting on this problem and admitted that it is an ongoing difficulty. “Any big organizing body or a big company is always trying to observe what is on the outside and have them become a part of the larger organization,” said Kang. “When I started the school, I was thinking that it would be great if maybe one-third of the management fees could be covered by government subsidies. However, at some point, I realized that up to half of the management spending is coming from the subsidy. All the alternative schools admit that they need money, but I know that once you accept money, it becomes more difficult to run our own operation, and it becomes akin to slavery in a way. Once the government puts in more money, they want to control you, and they want to know more about the administrative part and will require more paperwork.” Knowing that the Teenagers Outside School Support Center is under the Gwangju Office of Education and holds its general recruitment meeting there each fall, I was curious about that relationship. Kang explained that while Gwangju is advanced compared to other regions, the unfortunate part is that the person in charge of the alternative education center in the main office – separate
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19 from the support center itself – changes every year, so the lack of continuity can prevent things from always running smoothly. “By the time we have them understanding what we are doing and how our system runs, the person changes, so there is a struggle every year. It’s difficult to say whether the relationship is good or bad,” Kang commented. As Oreum continues to grow and now prepares for operation in a new Gwangju building and neighborhood, the backgrounds and personalities of the students that enroll also change over time. There are highly introverted students, some with psychological problems and some whose parents want to improve their interpersonal relationships. “We don’t ask the parents very much, but there are some students with poor relationships with their families or their friends,” Kang said. “There are often hopes for improved interpersonal relationships. Maybe those are improving over time, but there are other issues that we can’t help with. Once one issue is solved, something else comes up.” Beyond the challenges of working with diverse students, Kang explained that while teachers can be trained in different educational methods, it is not as easy to reeducate individual students, as they come with a variety of experiences and the staff has limited time and resources. Kang has a positive view of those struggling for change in the current evolving climate. He sees a disintegration of any kind of mainstream in Korean society, pointing to the elite as a “community of losers.”
Our conversation turned even more philosophical
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“It’s difficult to have idealism about education. There are many things not directly visible. You can’t do everything according to what you know, and you have to go into uncharted territory to explore something new, so you can’t have a clear picture of what you are doing while you are working in this area.” As Oreum will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year, the teachers plan to meet with others in the nationwide network and exchange ideas for growth. For now, the school and others like it will continue nurturing Gwangju students. Oreum Education Space website: www.orumedu.org Gwangju Teenagers Outside School Support Center: http:// www.flyyouth.or.kr/ IDEC reportback: http://www.educationrevolution.org/store/ idec-in-korea/
For a previous story on the author’s experience at a Jeollanamdo alternative high school, see “To Be a Great Light” in the January 2014 issue of Gwangju News. For more on the students’ rights movement in Gwangju, see “Study Break” Part 1 & 2, in the respective November and December 2015 issues.
THE AUTHOR
Anastasia (Ana) Traynin is the comanaging editor of Gwangju News. She has been a contributor to the magazine since fall 2013 and has been living in Gwangju since spring of that year. After teaching for three years at Hanbitt High School, she became a GIC coordinator in May 2016. She has passions for Korean social movements, alternative education, live music, languages, and writing.
February 2018
“The time for change in society is now,” he says. “In accepting change, those who follow mainstream principles cannot really survive outside of them, while those who have already gone through change and chaos early on will be able to think differently and can be leaders.”
For the students I have taught at Oreum, I see them benefitting from a close relationship with their teachers and the freedom to pursue their own dreams. At the same time, in a general environment of control in the education system, Kang also helped me to understand that this alternative path does not come easy.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
“It’s difficult to have idealism about education. There are many things not directly visible.”
towards the end, as Kang pointed to a pastry on a plate at the table, opining that he may see the bread and stated, “I may not be totally sure if it is a piece of bread or not, but I have to have confidence even if I’m not sure of what it might be. I think we have to look at society in that way: having confidence in recognizing something for what it is even if we are not sure.”
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A Hidden Jewel in Gwangju’s Performance Arts Spaces
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
FEATURE
Written by Douglas Baumwoll Photographs courtesy of Gwangju’s Culture & Arts Center
I
have been living in Gwangju for three full years now, and one reason I love it here is because we enjoy many big-city benefits while living in a small-city environment. Museums, galleries, international foods, professional baseball games, live music concerts, and the performance arts. Regarding these last two items, I have seen many performances in the city. Most folks are familiar with the acclaimed Asia Culture Complex, which holds a wide variety of acts ranging from symphonies and operas to international music and theater ensembles. Next in line, based on my own experience and people I’ve spoken to over the years, is the Bitgoeul Citizens’ Culture Hall, located on the south side of the river, just west of the Gwangju Bridge in the heart of downtown. I have seen a French piano duet there, the Vienna String Quartet, and the GIC’s own annual concert. But there is another venue in town hosting high-quality orchestra, opera, choir, theater, K-pop, traditional music, and ballet performances. Arrival here is easy by public transport (more on that later). As I approach the venue on foot, the main concert hall is not visible from the street. Instead, I see sets of steps cut into a wide hillside leading up, flanked by treed grassy expanses dotted with sculptures. I slowly take in the aesthetics and enjoy this oasis of open green space in the middle of our concrete jungle, climbing the stairs upward to the five buildings that comprise the Gwangju Culture and Arts Center. Ms. Song Woon Kang, Marketing Director, has graciously agreed to meet me in order to chat about the Gwangju Culture and Arts Center for the benefit of our readers.
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Having originally taken a job here with the Gwangju City Ballet, she is now employed by the venue itself, and is excited about this year’s performance schedule. (We’ll get to that in a minute.) As we enter the main building, housing the Main Hall, I admire the open space and architecture. A large lobby area of polished granite floors and a handful of large columns, faced in cut granite panels defining lines of visual art matching those all over the complex, support a balcony, which leads farther up to the roof some 15 meters overhead. We wander over to the small coffee shop for patrons to enjoy themselves before performances, and we sit down to drink and talk. After a bit, we enter the auditorium from the top, looking down on the 50-row expanse of empty seats awaiting concert-goers for the next show, a K-pop gig, and then a world-renowned Japanese pianist the following evening. I had been to this venue only once before this visit – to see the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra – and was instantly angry with myself for not having taken advantage of this fine arts resource more often during my time here. I was astounded, when doing research before the interview, to discover that the Center holds hundreds of shows each year. Ms. Kang confirmed that in 2018 there will be 250 live performances – 230 Korean acts and another 20 foreign ones. The concert hall holds 1,700 people: the bottom level seating 1,200, and the upper balcony another 500, and none are obstructed-view seats. Generally speaking, the Center sells about 87 percent of its tickets for a given event, with prices ranging from 10,000 won to 120,000 won, depending on the performer and where you choose
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21 21
to sit in the auditorium. A final note on the venue itself: in December 2017, during its 26th year of operation, all of the doors and walls underwent an “eco” remodeling, replacing old materials with natural materials such as wood; the sound system was also replaced, both resulting in increased acoustic quality for the audience to experience. The complex of buildings includes the Small Theater as well. This venue hosts concerts of traditional Korean music, as well as drama and other performing arts shows. Located between the Main Hall and the Small Theater is an art gallery, which is opened only on performance days. This is a special viewing gallery available to paying customers to enjoy before or after concerts in the two music halls. A fourth building houses the Gwangju Museum of Photography. This is a large open space, perhaps 50 meters long by 15 meters wide, currently exhibiting the works of three Korean photographers. I failed to note their names, but all were born in the 1930s. In all, some 60 large framed photos, mostly black and white, adorn the walls here. Interspersed among the photo exhibits are glass cases filled with historic handwritten documents and dozens of antique cameras. There is no information in English in these exhibits, but I thoroughly enjoyed contemplating the photos themselves, among them portraits of men and women, nature scenes, and shots of women working in fishing villages.
make an afternoon of it, eating in one of the handful of nearby restaurants, walking the grounds, and seeing the museum and gallery before a concert. You can also take a one-kilometer walk on a manicured path through the woods over to the Biennale Complex, leaving the Center from the rear of the Main Hall. More than a dozen buses come nearby. You can get off at the Kumho Jungang Girls’ High School stop on Seoam-daero Highway, two kilometers past the backside of Gwangju Train Station. It’s a ten-minute walk from there. The No. 58 bus stops directly in front of the Center.
There are many offerings coming up, but Ms. Kang specifically told me that they are proud to present the Berlin Symphony Orchestra – which is rated number one in the world, based on a quick Internet search – accompanying the Gwangju City Ballet. Four shows will take place between May 24 and 27. I will definitely be there for one of those. Will you? THE AUTHOR Doug Baumwoll, a professional writer and editor for 25 years, trains in-service teachers in writing skills and methodology. His personal writing interests include visionary and speculative fiction, climate change, energy, and social justice. He is the founder of SavetheHumanz.com.
February 2018
Check out the Gwangju Culture and Arts Center website at http://gjart.gwangju.go.kr. Currently, the site is not in English, however the Center has set a goal to get one up by May of this year. If you view the site in Chrome and use the translation option, you can navigate it well enough. If you would like to order tickets and do not have a Korean speaker to help you, call the 1330 English hotline and explain to them what you need, and they will be able to assist you in reserving or buying tickets.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Well, that’s it for this review of the Gwangju Culture and Art Center. I hope you come and see the architecture, grounds, and concerts for yourselves. Remember, this is no rinky-dink operation – its annual budget is about 500,000,000 won, not including the salaries of its 338 full- and part-time employees and performers. Its funding comes from ticket sales and the Gwangju City government, and it has been in operation since 1991 to promote art and culture by providing affordable performances for Gwangju residents. Come down and
The Small Theater.
An aerial view of the Gwangju Culture and Arts Center.
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SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
22
Valentin on his first day of class at the GIC.
Valentin Nerding
An Interview with the New Yoga/ Pilates Instructor
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
Written by Sashai Yhukutwana Photographs by Sashai Yhukutwana and courtesy of Valentin Nerding
L
ife in Gwangju City came as a pleasant surprise after having lived in Seoul for five years. The vibrant expat community is very active on the local scene, from volunteering to stage performances and a whole lot in-between. Whatever the reason you are in Gwangju, there are many things to fill your time in ways you stand to gain. Perhaps one of your resolutions is to love your body more and take better care of it? Well, the new Yoga/ Pilates class at the Gwangju International Center (GIC) might be just the thing for you! Gwangju News (GN) caught up with the instructor, Valentin “Valle” Nerding, to chat about the class.
GN: Have you led a class like this before? Valentin: Maybe not on a platform like a usual instructor. But the experience I have is that of a coach. Before working full time, I used to coach volleyball teams consistently from my teens to my university years. I had a lot of fun and also learned a lot about leading a group that was a different age from mine. With this class now, I think the difference will be in leading a class and doing the exact moves, while speaking and performing the breathing simultaneously. I think it will be a challenge at first, but it will be smoother as time goes. It’s about knowing how to be in control appropriately.
GN: Are you originally a yoga or Pilates instructor? Valentin: I’m actually a certified physiotherapist! Although, physio actually already includes aspects of both yoga and Pilates for general and chronic treatments, and most treatments are usually done one-to-one with patients. So these classes are also something new and exciting for me to explore.
GN: Tell us briefly about your student years and earlier work experience. Valentin: Well, I’m originally from Germany. After high school, I had a gap year, which is common in Germany to do. I went to Canada for about a year, and France too, traveling and doing part-time jobs. For university, I studied physiotherapy in the Netherlands for four years
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23 and trained for another year in Spain. After this, I worked in Switzerland, which is where I worked until June last year as a physiotherapist. GN: What inspired you to pursue physiotherapy as a profession? Valentin: While I was teaching and coaching a volleyball team, I also liked the medical aspect of sports. I also met a physio-massage therapist in Canada and learned a few things from them, so I would say I was kind of drawn to it naturally. I never personally needed a physio myself, it just seemed natural that I become one. GN: So is this going to be a classic yoga class or should we expect something a little different? Valentin: Basically, I’m more into strengthening routines. Being a trained physiotherapist, I include a lot of Pilates and yoga in patient treatments. But we don’t call it yoga or Pilates. We just call it physio. The exercises we will do here will bring both yoga and Pilates together. So I guess it will be a little different from yoga. Yoga has flowing, stretching movements that sometimes leave you overly relaxed. Physio aims to make stronger the inner muscles and helps with better posture, and stronger muscles help burn calories. GN: What do you hope for the participants to gain from these sessions? Valentin: To have a lot of fun and enjoyment! Physically, the most important thing to gain is body awareness. Being aware of things that cause stress on the body, discovering the body’s functioning, especially unknown muscles connected to your body’s strength. I hope participants will be able to avoid bigger problems with these things, especially in the back, neck, and core muscles.
Chinese medicine, and yoga and Pilates. While I am in South Korea, I would like to learn more about Korean traditional medicine, and of course, travel around the country eating lots of “Korean-style sauerkraut” (kimchi)! GN: Do you perhaps have a personal philosophy or motto that you live by? Valentin: Live in the day, see what happens, and stay flexible. Go for happiness, but don’t pursue happiness! As you go for what you want, trust in life, and don’t bother about what others think, and things will come together for you.
THE AUTHOR Sashai is an English teacher who enjoys reading and sleeping in, bible studies, cooking (sometimes), and a nice chat over tea with a friend. ▲ Valentin’s second class at the GIC.
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February 2018
What a perfect motto as the New Year is still unfolding. So there you have it, folks. Come and give the classes a go, Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Thursdays at 10 a.m. Your body will thank you for it!
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
GN: What else do you do or hope to do while you are in South Korea? Valentin: I freelance by providing home visits for physiotherapy, medical and sports massage, and cupping therapies. I also write for a medical blog and try to explore other opportunities within my field. For example, I am currently taking online classes on happiness, traditional
▲ Valentin during his trip to Thailand.
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airbnb Written by Špela Koželj
FEATURE TRAVEL
A
re you one of those people who likes having their vacation organized by a third party? Do you like to save some of your valuable time and leave the preparation of your trip to an established tourist agency? Well, then your travel life hasn’t changed much since the emergence of Airbnb. However, if you are like me, a freelance traveler who likes to save some money and prefers to organize sightseeing and other activities on her own, then you might agree with me – agree that since 2008, the year when Airbnb was introduced to the housing and vacation rental market, travel culture has changed.
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February 2018
Why? Let’s go a few steps back first.
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Airbnb is an American company that hosts an online marketplace and hospitality service for people to lease or rent short-term lodging, including vacation rentals, apartment rentals, and homestays. The company does not own the properties; it is only a broker that receives percentage service fees from both guests and hosts in conjunction with every booking. In January 2018, the company had over 3,000,000 lodging listings in 65,000 cities across 191 countries. However, Airbnb has always been more than just an online portal connecting hosts with guests and more than just a trip-organizing intermediary. If you compare it to its competitors, such as Booking.com or Hotels.com, Airbnb
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25 offers more than just accommodation. It also offers experience: the experience of meeting the local people and interacting with the culture and their way of life. If you only check out their motto, “Don’t go there. Live there,” you can understand what I mean. Not long ago, Airbnb also extended their offerings, which are no longer limited to home rentals but also include booking experiences such as concerts, events, cooking classes, surfing lessons, parties, discovering hidden spots, and all sorts of other day and night activities. Moreover, with the emergence of Airbnb, the means of accommodation has changed as well. Before 2008, most people stayed in hotels, some backpackers preferred hostels, and in some parts of the world, it was popular to rent an apartment through local people you would meet at the spot and then just keep on going there every summer. Then, Airbnb connected one’s dreams of a perfect vacation with reality. Private beach villas, cottages in the woods, jungle bungalows, northern igloos, safari observation cabins, and tree houses were introduced to the market, all of them skimming quite high profits. An overnight stay in a simple but cute tree house in a remote forest of South America would cost you almost as much as staying in some of the world’s best hotels. Crazy, right? How the tables have turned. The reason is 2018’s mentality and the capitalism of the new world. It’s not that much about the money and materialism anymore, but more about the experience and unforgettable memories. And that is exactly what this tree house offers. The demand for it is high, at least in the nomadic travel culture, and the supply is not that large. It is a unique experience for which one will have to pay quite some money, but the memory will stay forever.
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Nevertheless, the story is never black and white. From one point of view, those Airbnb owners are doing a good thing since they provide jobs for people who may otherwise be unemployed. The owner usually takes good care of them and makes them happier than they would be working for another local employer. It is just about the “what if ” situations. If the cleaning lady gets pregnant, will the owner use proper procedures for the situation? Will she get a salary while on leave? If something happens, who will cover the employee’s healthcare? The Airbnb owner? Let’s hope so, but as things stand now, there can be no guarantee. As I have written above, it is never black and white. In my opinion, and based on my Airbnb experience, this has been one of the greatest inventions in the travel industry: so much fun and a super-easy system. However, based on the market share it takes in the vacation rentals market, the Airbnb organization needs to establish some rules and regulations regarding taxation and job safety soon. THE AUTHOR
Špela is a 22-year-old student of International Business from Slovenia. She is completing her double degree program in Gwangju. Besides studying, she likes to take part in all sorts of activities, such as dog shelter volunteering, writing, traveling around Asia, and working on different marketing projects. She is very pleased to be a part of Gwangju News!
February 2018
Airbnb provides great profits for hosts and for the organization itself, but what about the country where this economic exchange is being made? The country does not benefit from it! It is quite bizarre how this online portal has become one of the most flourishing businesses in the last ten years, and the regulations regarding taxes have not changed at all. An Airbnb owner does not pay any taxes to the country where he performs business. The company has been criticized for avoiding taxes by setting up a double Irish arrangement through subsidiaries in Ireland and Jersey. In 2016, the Spanish treasury department sent letters to property owners that have not declared income
Moreover, a lot of people have quit their jobs because they can have a very comfortable lifestyle by owning a couple of residences around the world. They employ locals to maintain the property and give them regular payment (at least, I hope so). I believe most of them are fair to their local employees; however, there must be some exceptions. Being informally employed by an Airbnb owner gives a worker no job security, no healthcare or social care, no incentives, and no room for career development. How about annual salary raises and the option of maternity leave? Or what about safe working conditions? Those workers are paid way less than they could be, regarding the Airbnb owner’s profits. The working conditions are usually not too bad, but in some instances, it could be compared to third-world-country labor, such as contracting in China, for example.
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All this sounds great, right? The guest is happy, and the owner is even happier since he is earning quite a bit of money. Seems like a good, advantageous business. However, it is not that perfect once you look at the wider picture.
associated with Airbnb. In Australia, insiders said in 2016 that the hosts of the 75,000 properties listed on Airbnb would likely face increased chances of being audited.
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From left: Michaela M. Agtarap, Kim Inho, José Carlos Sánchez, and Joo Jiyeon.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
TRAVEL
26 From Abroad
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From Osaka to Gwangju Embracing the Moniker, “City of Light”
Written by Kim Inho, Michaela M. Agtarap, José Carlos Sánchez, and Joo Jiyeon Photographed by Jeong Sohee
2018-01-31 �� 3:55:39
27 As a special program running alongside the Asia Culture Forum 2017, an international youth camp was held from November 12 to 15. An integral part of the youth camp was a team competition with the theme “A Cultural City Made by New-Generation Youth.” All the teams, each consisting of both Korean and international youths, proposed Gwangju festivals as their team mission. The winning team, Team E, composed of Kim Inho, Michaela M. Agtarap, José Carlos Sánchez, and Joo Jiyeon, received tickets to Osaka and Kyoto, Japan as their prize. The team visited Japan from December 20 to 22, 2017 to fine-tune their proposal.
T
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As we first began to walk the festival grounds, we felt that the magnificent sight of the large-scale 3D images projected on the wall of the neorenaissance-styled historic architecture is what must keep the spirit of the Hikari Renaissance glowing. We saw the Wall Tapestry Lighting Show, a projection mapping show on the front side of the historic Nakanoshima Library. From the 1920s retro-designed Osaka Central Public Hall and Nakanoshima Public Library (which were bathed in a kaleidoscope of colors and lights) to the City Hall area and on to Midosuji Boulevard, our team found ourselves literally transported in a remarkable stream of lights. We also enjoyed walking along the Stream of Hikari, the name of which means “light,” “twinkle,” or “sparkle.” Throughout the main areas of the festival venue, there were many spots to take commemorative photos with friends or romantic interests. More than a million LED lights were used throughout the Osaka Hikari Renaissance Exhibition, and we couldn’t help but feel that Gwangju, as the City of Light, ought to place more emphasis on light as its identity. Creating light-themed festivals and exhibitions similar the Osaka Hikari Renaissance Exhibition would be a significant way in which Gwangju City could physically implement light to help its residents and visitors feel the spirit of light itself. Organizing a
February 2018
Observing Osaka’s Lights “Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching Kansai International Airport.” Woken by the in-flight announcement, our team instinctively leaned toward the windows and looked outside. The vast sea and the city surrounding a beautiful coast caught our eyes. Our destination was Osaka’s Festival of Lights, where we would
experience various programs, including cruises on an illuminated boat, viewing a fountain in a port, and enjoying a music and light show.
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here is a shared identity amongst Gwangju citizens in that Gwangju is the City of Light. Given the fact that each part of the city’s name, “Gwang” and “Ju,” respectively mean “light” and “city,” the city essentially incubates light. Thus, there has been a collective consensus that light should be an important part of Gwangju’s natural identity. Gwangju has seen a marked growth in a “culturerelated” industry, utilizing photonics technology as a new representative industry in the city after the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 (aka, IMF). But at the same time, the importance of the photonics industry began to gain increasing attention, resulting in the explosive growth of tourism throughout the country. This led to the birth of many festivals using “light” themes, causing Gwangju’s special title to lose a bit of its luster. Under these circumstances, we, the youth of Gwangju, thought it was time for our city to revive the meaning of its cultural identity. Therefore, through our journey to Japan, we aspired to find the answer to the fundamental question, “What is the meaning of Gwangju’s ‘light’?” and ultimately answer another, “How can we improve the Light Festival in Gwangju?” using Osaka for comparison.
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28
Wall Tapestry Lighting Show at Osaka City Central Public Hall.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
festival of lights or similar events that aim to inspire people, especially young ones, would be the perfect opportunity to showcase technology and media arts. Literally lighting streets and sidewalks is another approach to reminding people in the city that they are in the City of Light. Comparing the Two Cities’ Festivals: Location, Light, and Spatial Harmony Firstly, Nakanoshima is connected with Osaka’s main street, Midosuji, leading to the city’s downtown area known as Dotonbori. These areas are located harmoniously, and impressive lighting has been installed on street trees and facilities throughout the entire area linking multiple festivals happening simultaneously around the city while we were there. Unlike the city’s Dotonbori River development project, Osaka’s City of Light project can be criticized in that it is simply a commercial festival, mainly focusing on attracting tourists. When it comes to Gwangju, however, this city has been regarded as a “city of light” for centuries (since 940 A.D., during the Goryeo Dynasty period) as is evidenced by its name. Gwangju has successfully implemented the characteristic of media art in its festivals in the past, allowing festival attendees to participate in the process of creating art. One such example is Gwangju’s International Media Art Exhibition, which has an apparent symbolic meaning and is an important component of Gwangju’s light festival! Nevertheless, we feel that the International Media Art Exhibition is still lacking in a physical connection with the main areas of the city. If we can solve this problem and complement spatial and symbolic characteristics together, Gwangju will be able to become an unrivaled City of Light.
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Comparing Rivers and Light: Seoseok-ro vs. Gwangju River The major factors that we felt doubled the HikariRenaissance Festival’s beauty were the two rivers surrounding Nakanoshima Island and street trees’ lighting reflecting off the rivers. Taking in this beauty, our team wondered whether Gwangju could build this kind of natural environment to add to the beauty of its own festivals. But then we realized, Gwangju already has a river, Gwangju River, just 500 meters away from the Asian Culture Center (ACC). But is our river beautiful enough to make a walk worthwhile? Our answer is “yes.” From 2016, Gwangju has implemented its urban restoration plan, creating a new night view along the river and its bridges. We thought that if we connected Gwangju River with the other main festival locations, we could expect to see a rise in numbers of people enjoying our city’s festivals, not to mention that it would also draw attention to the often overlooked, yet beautiful Yangrim-dong area on the opposite side of the river. Unfortunately, the beautiful bridges of the Gwangju River are located a bit farther away from the more popular areas of the city, and this hardly encourages visitors to see the Gwangju River. It also doesn’t help that there is no clear path leading walkers to the river. Once there is an attractive path leading to the river, people will naturally move in that direction. To make this happen, we want to focus on a street in Gwangju called Seoseok-ro. Around 500 meters long, Seoseok-ro is known as the “Wedding Street” because of the numerous wedding shops lining it on both sides. Apart from the area near the stores, however, its litter and the presence of the inebriated staggering out of bars are possible reasons that some people
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29 avoid walking through this area at nighttime. However, there are plenty of street trees planted about five to ten meters apart on either side of this street, which happens to lead right to the Gwangju River, making this a perfect location to develop for the improvement of our city’s light festivals. Comparing the Use of Cultural Technology The essence of the culture and history of a city is an important aspect visitors want to experience. Museums, historical sites, entertainment venues, etc. have been forced to develop in an attempt to attract more visitors who wish to see creative content and new technologies in these spaces. The use of technology in cultural and historical places makes the experience for the tourist more interactive – and this is one thing we can learn from Osaka. Osaka Castle is one of the most famous landmarks in Japan, and it played a major role in the unification of the country in the 16th century. Inside Osaka Castle, technology can be appreciated almost as soon as one enters. At the entrance of the castle, you have the option of an audio-guided tour of the castle, where you can hear explanations about the different exhibitions that are in the museum. Nevertheless, the most impressive use of technology at Osaka Castle is a group of ten different hologram projections. This hologram technology interacts with real objects to explain historical events that occurred at the castle. During this part of the tour, the tourists’ attention is engaged with the history of the castle. In Gwangju, the May 18th Democratic Uprising was a historical event that transformed the history of South Korea. Like in Japan, hologram technology should also be used in Gwangju in order to help visitors engage with historical happenings. This technology can even be
adapted to the events that occurred around the May 18th movement. Using hologram technology can help Gwangju and different organizations tell this story in a way in which individuals can interact and understand the events that occurred during the democratic movement of 1980. In a deluge of festivals using a light theme, Gwangju is in need of seeking a new breakthrough, while creating distinctiveness and differentiation, that separates themselves from competitors. That breakthrough would be implemented in a way that highlights the strengths of the symbolic meaning of Gwangju’s light festival, and at the same time, overcomes the weakness of spatial components by infusing life into the streets that connect the main areas in the festival. These efforts will eventually result in enhancing cultural democratization, enabling Gwangju citizens and visitors to actively participate and enrichen their lives culturally. In order to achieve this goal, therefore, we recommend Gwangju pay close attention to Osaka’s Hikari-Renaissance. THE AUTHORS Kim Inho is studying political science and international relations at Chonnam National University. He’s also currently volunteering at Gwangju International Center as a member of the global culture team. Michaela M. Agtarap is a mechanical engineering student in the Philippines and was an exchange student in South Korea. José Carlos Sánchez is currently studying for his master’s in international business at HUFS. He graduated from ESEN in business and economics, and has worked at a regional company in Latin America as a market researcher. Joo Jiyeon has studied law in Chosun University and is currently preparing to enter Chosun Law School. Her hobbies include playing the violin, traveling, writing, and blogging.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
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February 2018
The Osaka Hikari-Renaissance 2017.
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FOOD & DRINKS
Whereto toEat Eat 30 Where
Viviana Cake
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
Written by Justin Ramsay Photographed by Lorryn Smit
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2018-01-31 �� 3:55:49
O
ver the past year, I’ve focused mostly on restaurants and savory eateries in this segment, but with a new year upon us, I thought I would do something a bit different to kick off 2018. With a new year comes a stack of New Year resolutions for many people, which often include getting healthy, losing weight, and going on a diet. People often get so caught up in these resolutions that they rob themselves of some tasty, scrumptious goodness. If you have made no such resolutions, or even if you have, everybody enjoys and deserves a good dessert. So with that in mind I’ve decided to shine a spotlight on a little place in Gwangju that delivers wonderful cakes and desserts. I’ve eaten cakes and desserts at quite a number of places in this city, but not too many places have really blown me away with what they have on offer. Many taste as if they were just ordered in from a factory that just pumps them out on conveyer belts, especially in the bigger chain coffee shops and bakeries. So I was happy to hear rumblings of a little place in Seo-gu that supposedly had some of the best cakes in the city. With the prospect of filling our bellies with various baked delights, my companion and I hopped on a bus and headed toward Viviana Cake.
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Next was the strawberry cream cake, which looked amazing and had just the right ratio of sponge, cream, and strawberries. The cake itself was delightfully spongy; the cream was very fresh and highly aerated, which gave the cake a delightful texture in the mouth. Fresh strawberries are essential in a cake like this, and these were some of the juiciest, sweetest strawberries I’ve eaten, resulting in an amazing dessert. We left the richest of the cakes for last so as not to dampen the flavor of the other cakes. I am a huge lover of cheesecake but have often been disappointed by it at other cafes. Thankfully, this was not one of those times. The cheesecake was rich, smooth, and tasty without being overly sweet and left me wanting to eat another. I would have ordered another, but we were already becoming quite full, with the chocolate mousse still left to try. The chocolate mousse cake was a perfect end to our dessert outing. It delivered a perfect richness without being sickly sweet, and the texture of the mousse and caramel layers were spot on. For those of you living in Seo-gu, you can even get home delivery if your order totals at least 30,000 won. Personalized cakes with beautiful calligraphy hand-decorated by the baker can also be ordered if you do so at least two days in advance. I highly recommend a visit to Viviana as they deliver very tasty, high-quality desserts at a reasonable price with excellent service. THE AUTHOR
Justin is an English teacher from South Africa who has lived in Gwangju since 2013. He is a big fan of food and the arts, and generally goes where something good can be eaten, seen, or heard. He is often involved in GPP performances and writes monthly food articles for the Gwangju News. In his free time, he’s usually playing boardgames, videogames, or just enjoying a nice stroll around Gwangju.
VIVIANA CAKE 비비아나케이크 10 Sangil-ro, Sangmu 1-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju 광주 서구 상일로 10 (쌍촌동) 1층 102호
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062-381-7942 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. 5,000 – 7,500 won hyunmee1004 (kakao), viviana_sung (Instagram)
February 2018
The strawberry juice was made fresh and had a good flavor. The cookies and cream frappaccino was made with ice cream. It had a generous amount of Oreo bits in it, and it was almost like a double-thick milkshake. Delicious. The cakes arrived all at once like a decadent feast and deciding which to eat first was quite a tough decision. We decided to tuck into the red velvet first. Red velvet, in my experience, can often be a bit dry, so I didn’t have very high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised though to find that
the cake was sufficiently moist and not overly sweet. The icing in particular was very good and had a lovely, creamy, slightly vanilla flavor and perfect texture. Carrot cake can also be a bit on the dry side if not baked perfectly, but again, Viviana’s offering was great with moist pieces of carrot still present in the cake and a similar icing to the red velvet. It was topped with a small carrot made of fondant, which was also a lovely touch. The tiramisu was also perfect with just the right balance of coffee and cream and a good dusting of cocoa powder on top.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
The storefront of Viviana immediately draws you in with some delicious-looking, Instagram-worthy cakes on display in its glass display window and a blackboard displaying a list of some of the various desserts available inside, handwritten in a stylish calligraphy. It was quite icy outside, and the display cakes looked wonderful, so we headed straight in. Upon entering Viviana, one sees that it’s a smallish space, owing to the baking area that is visible from the four wooden tables and display counter. I was happy to see this as it shows me that the dessert is prepared on site and fresh. We hung our coats over a chair and walked up to the counter to peruse their selection and place our order. We were greeted with friendly smiles by the baker and her husband as we decided what to order. In the display window under the counter there were about nine different cakes, and an extensive drinks menu was on display behind the counter. Drinks on offer included a variety of coffees, teas, smoothies, fruit juices, ades, and frappaccino. We ordered strawberry juice, and cookies and cream frappaccino to drink. We also ordered carrot cake, strawberry cream cake, chocolate mousse cake, tiramisu, red velvet cake, and cheese cake.
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32 Kitchen Stories
해물뚝배기
Seafood Soup
M
y husband’s friend first introduced us to Damyang Seok Galbi, a small neighborhood restaurant about a five-minute walk from our house, a few years ago. We go there at least twice a month when I’m too tired to cook or when there’s an occasion for celebration. The owner wears a dark shade of red lipstick and always greets us with a bright, yet shrinking, smile. Pork galbi, spicy or mild, is the only thing we’ve ever ordered. Soon after we’ve ordered, the table is littered with side dishes that change seasonally: boiled pork belly (bossam, 보쌈), Chinese cabbage kimchi (baechu-kimchi, 배추김치), ramps (sanmaneul, 산마늘), hijiki seaweed with tofu (tot dubu, 톳 두부), Jerusalem artichoke (dwaeji gamja, 돼지감자), and cucumber kimchi (oi kimchi, 오이 김치). When the rice is brought out in scorching hot stone bowls (dolsot) topped with wooden lids and small bowls of the best fermented bean paste soup (cheonggukjang, 청국장) I’ve ever had, I consider the meal complete. The first time we ate at this restaurant and cooked our galbi on a stone skillet, we miscalculated how quickly the skillet would heat up and sent the owner racing from the kitchen to our table with handfuls of lettuce to salvage the charred pieces of meat. We’re better cooks now, but we still often recollect that moment with a smile when we are there. This is one of the few restaurants in Gwangju
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
Written and photographed by Karly Pierre
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that I have such a strong connection with – but I knew so little about the people who make this place feel so special to me. When I first approached the owner about an interview, she shook her head, her tightly curled hair firmly in place. She said she didn’t know anything about cooking the food, and then turned and pointed to another woman working in the back of the kitchen. It was after the lunchtime rush, and the woman was wiping down the stove. My Korean teacher and I were the only people left in the restaurant. The owner shouted into the kitchen, explaining that I wanted to interview her and coaxing her to come out. It wasn’t easy. The cook hung back, disappearing into a far corner of the kitchen, then reappearing only to argue that she wasn’t coming out. To be honest, this reaction wasn’t all that surprising. What was surprising was my Korean teacher’s tenacity and uncanny ability to charm an ajumma. It took about ten minutes, but she did manage to wrangle the cook out of her lair. My teacher emerged triumphant from the kitchen, her arms around the cook’s waist as she pulled her into the dining room. It was all in good fun, but my teacher wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was impressed. Lee Jeong-im finally sat down with me. The short, plump 52-year-old barely spoke above a whisper. Lee was born in Jangseong, the daughter of farmers. One of her fondest memories was eating her mother’s pollock soup (dongtaetang, 동태탕). Both of her parents passed away, so cooking is a connection to the past, she explained. “When I was small, I often watched my mom and followed her example,” said Lee. “However, I think my dongtaetang is different from hers. My mother was so good at cooking that our neighbors sometimes asked her to cook for them.” Cooking was not Lee’s first love, though. Art was. As a
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33 child, she would draw all the time and wanted to go to school for it, but she had to give up this dream and began working as a cook. Lee says, “At first, it was hard, but as time passed, it has become my passion. My daughter, though, is an art teacher now, and I’m very proud of her.” As a mother of two, Lee found the simplest recipes were her children’s favorites. “My children enjoy my kimchi jeon (전), or Korean pancake (buchimgae, 부침개). It’s nothing special. I just put some chili and kimchi together, and they like it.” Lee scurried off to the kitchen and prepared a bowl of seafood soup for us. It’s popular with the lunch crowd, and I’ve completely overlooked it on the menu in the past. She placed the earthen bowl, full of bubbling soup, in front of me, its ingredients vibrant with color. The broth was light and spicy with the zesty taste of the sea.
people prepare this soup with frozen ingredients, and it’s not the same. Eating seafood like crab and shrimp is good in the wintertime.” As I said goodbye, the restaurant’s waitresses and owner wrapped themselves in coats and grabbed their bags. The restaurant would close for a short break, then re-open for dinner. The owner shuffled up behind me, eager to lock up. I told myself that if I was too tired to cook that night, I would be back. THE AUTHOR
Karly Pierre has an MA in mass communication and has worked as an editor and writer for several publications. She is currently an assistant professor in the ESL department at Chosun University.
“This soup isn’t that complex, but to have the right flavor, the ingredients must be fresh,” said Lee. “Nowadays
Seafood Soup Haemul Ttukbaegi 해물뚝배기 Serves 1
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February 2018
Clean the crab, abalone, green shell mussel, mussels, and shrimp thoroughly. Place all seafood in an earthenware pot (ttukbaegi) with radish, tofu, slices of yellow onion, minced garlic, dashima seaweed, and anchovy broth. Boil until all vegetables and seafood are thoroughly cooked. Garnish with chopped green onions, and serve piping hot with a side of rice.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
1 crab 1 abalone 1 green shell mussel 5-6 mussels 1-2 shrimp ¼ block tofu 1-2 thin slices of radish A few slices of yellow onion Some chopped green onion Anchovy broth Some minced garlic Dashima seaweed
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34 KOTESOL
New School Year, New Students: What to Do?
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
EDUCATION
Written by Dr. David Shaffer
T
he new school year is quickly approaching. This means that, for many of the tens of thousands of English teachers in Korea, they will soon be walking into classrooms and facing new students for the first time. Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran at the job, walking into a class of new faces for the first time carries with it a heightened degree of apprehension. Briefly mentioned here are a few pointers that can help prepare for that fretful first day (or days) of class to make it more comfortable for the teacher and more rewarding for the students. The First Impression First impressions go a long way, and nowhere have I found this to be truer than in Korea. Before the teacher has finished walking into the classroom and uttered their first word, most students have already mixed the cement, poured it, and are already letting it harden. Once an impression has hardened, it is difficult to change, so the important thing for the teacher to do is make a good first impression. For starters, be well-groomed and well-dressed. If you’re not sure what this means in the Korean context, look to your coworkers as examples. Students may be aware that Westerners often dress more informally than Koreans do, but this does not mean that they will value this informality in their new teacher. When you do begin to speak, do it in a pleasant voice with a pleasant smile. Introducing Yourself The single-most important thing that new students are interested in on the first day of class is their new teacher. You could give them a monologue of who you are and what you do, perhaps accompanying it with a slideshow of photos; but since they need more speaking practice than their teacher, I always like to turn this into an activity. Call
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it “My Star,” call it “Who Am I” – what the activity involves is the students asking the teacher yes-no questions with words and numbers selected by the teacher as prompts. For younger learners, you can put the prompts around the points of a star drawn on the board (see graphic); for older learners, you can just place the prompts on the board. Elicit questions from the group that incorporate one of the prompts: “Is your name Berlin?” “Do you have two cars?” “Were you born in 1971?” Older students will be interested in your “credentials,” so including prompts related to your teaching experience and qualifications is useful. This activity is also a good first opportunity to determine the proficiency level, or levels, of your students.
The Course Another big question mark that the students will have is about what type of format the course will take – lecture style, which the students are used to, or will it involve actual
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35 reading, writing, listening, and speaking? If you are of the communicative approach and task-based learning bent, you may want to explain pair work and group work, and the learning benefits they provide. The students will also want to know exactly what they have to do to get a good grade in your course. It is important to make this clear: will they be assessed on discrete-item tests, project work, effort at skills improvement, show-and-tell presentations, extra points for “good-job” stickers, or attendance?
to each student and have them write on it their name, student number, and at least one interesting thing about themselves. Collect the cards and ask the students to email you a photo of themselves. Later, you can print out the photos, attach them to the student cards, and review the cards as you would vocabulary cards until you have the names memorized. Your students will love you for it! And More You will likely want to do more things during your first class hour, but there just isn’t enough time for everything. Plan to spend a couple more hours on beginning-of-course activities. You will want to get to know your students better. It is good to spend some time doing this, possibly through an activity. You will want to find out the students’ language levels and their wants and needs. You may do this through a needs analysis survey or possibly through class discussion. But most of all, you will need for the students to believe that you have their best interests at heart. And to do this, all you need to do is show them that you are sincere in helping them to improve their English skills as much as they possibly can. THE AUTHOR
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Date: February 10 (Saturday) Place: Gwangju National University of Education Presentation 1: No-Prep Activities: How to Do Less While Your Students Produce More! by Maria Lisak (Chosun University) Presentation 2: From Reading to Thinking: Teaching Reading Comprehension by Jessica Magnusson (GNUE) SwapShop – Share with the group an activity or teaching idea that you have. Upcoming Event: Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter Conference “Caring, Sharing, Daring: Adventures in ELT” March 10, 2018; GNUE, Gwangju For full event details: Website: koreatesol.org/gwangju Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
February 2018
Student Names Probably the best thing that a teacher can do to heighten their approval rating is remember a student’s name and pronounce it correctly. And probably one of the most difficult things for a non-native Korean-speaking teacher to do is remember all their students’ names and pronounce them intelligibly. To help you with the names, you can do a little first-day writing activity. Pass out an index card
GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL MONTHLY MEETING
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Class Rules From the first day, you will want to set out your class rules and make them clear to the students. You may wish to negotiate some of the rules with them. If students feel that they have made the rules, they will be more inclined to follow them. Whatever the rules are, for them to work, you must always stick to them, and stick to them equally for each student. I always present my “class no-no’s” on the first day in the form of a guessing game, having the students guess what my four main things not to do in class are. This ends up being a good way to explain some important points about the course. They will invariably guess “No talking” and “No making mistakes,” to which I can explain how I want them to speak in English and how making mistakes is a useful part of the language learning process. The reply “No being late for class” gives me the opportunity to explain my attendance policy and tell them to enter quietly if they are late, rather than wait outside for the class to end. (By the way, my four no-no’s are no eating in class, no drinking (except water), no phones ringing or being used for nonEFL purposes, and no wearing hats in class.)
David E. Shaffer is vice-president of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the Chapter, he invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings (always on a Saturday). For many years, Dr. Shaffer has been a professor of English Language at Chosun University, where he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses. He is a long-time member of KOTESOL and a holder of various KOTESOL positions; at present he is national president. Dr. Shaffer credits KOTESOL for much of his professional development in English language teaching, scholarship, and leadership. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.
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36
TOPIK Guide (topikguide.com) is the most comprehensive website devoted to the TOPIK exam. It’s been helping Korean language learners pass the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for more than seven years. On this website, you can get all the TOPIK updates, grammar and vocabulary material, and study tips.
Everyday Korean Episode 2 Winter in Korea Written by Harsh Kumar Mishra Korean Language Expert at TOPIKGUIDE.COM 저는 한국의 겨울을 좋아해요. 아나 씨는 어때요?
EDUCATION
[jeo-neun hanguk-ui gyeou-reul joh-a-hae-yo. Ana ssi-neun eo-ttae-yo?]
I like winter in Korea. How about you, Anna?
~지 않아요(안): Use this pattern to negate a sentence/adjective/verb. Ex: 광주는 안 복잡해요(복잡하지 않아요).
너무 추워서 좋아하지 않아요. 저는 따뜻한 날씨를 좋아해요.
[gwangju-neun aan bok-chap-haeyo (bok-chap-haji anayo]
[neo-mu chu-wo-seo joh-a-ha-ji anh-a-yo. Jeo-neun tta-tteut-han nal-ssi-reul joh-a-hae-yo.]
I don’t like it much. It’s so cold for me. I’m more of a warm-weather person. 그렇군요. 아나씨는 추위를 잘 타요? [geu-reok-hun-yo. Ana-ssi-neun chu-wi-reul jal ta-yo.]
I see. So you’re sensitive to cold? 네, 맞아요. 저는 추위를 잘 타는 편이예요. 정민씨는요? [ne, ma-ja-yo. jeo-neun chu-wi-reul jal ta-neun pyeoni-yeyo. Jeong-min-ssi-neun-yo?]
Right. I tend to feel colder than others. And you Jeongmin?
February 2018
저는 잘 안 타요. 영하 5 도까지는 괜찮아요.
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Grammar & Vocabulary
~ 는 편이에요: When you don’t want to sound as direct with the verb or adjective you are using, use this less-direct pattern: Ex: 한국어가 영어보다 어려운 편에에요. [han-gugeo-ga yeong-eo-boda eo-ryeo-un pyeonee-yeyo.]
춥다: cold 따뜻하다: warm 추위(더위)를 잘 타다: sensitive to cold (heat) 고향: hometown 좋아하다: like 최저: lowest 영하: below zero 영상: above zero 꽁꽁 얼다: to be frozen 온도: temperature 신기하다: amazing 눈길: snowy road
[jeo-neun jal aan ta-yo. yeong-ha 0do-kka-ji-neun gwaen-chanayo.]
Not me. Minus 5 is normal for me. 우와! 우리 고향은 최저 온도가 영상 5도예요. [u-wa! uri go-hyange-neun choe-jeo ondo-ga yeong-sang odo-yeyo.]
Wow! The lowest temperature in my hometown is 5 degrees above zero. 신기해요. [sin-gi-hae-yo.] That is amazing. 발이 꽁꽁 얼어서 집에 가야겠어요. [bari kkong-kkong eo-reo-seo jib-e gaya-gesseo-yo.]
I think I’ll have to leave now as my legs are frozen. 네~ 아나씨, 눈길 조심해서 가세요. [ne~ Ana-ssi, nun-gil josim-hae-seo gaseyo.]
Sure, sure. Be careful with the slippery, snowy roads.
#KoreaLifeHacks
1. In winter, keep your room heat (nanbang) at 18–19 degrees to save on heating charges and to avoid health issues. 2. Use those handy hot-packs to keep your hands warm while you’re sitting outside or walking on the street. You can easily find them at any convenience store for as cheap as 1,000 won. 3. Winter sales are popular in Korea for getting big discounts on great items. Famous outlets offer between 20 to 50 percent off or 1+1 offers, so keep visiting downtown Gwangju to buy your favorite spring jacket for a really cheap price.
Visit the TOPIK Guide website or our YouTube channel to improve your Korean and reach your goal on the TOPIK test.
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Korean Culture
37
North and South Korea to Be United for the 2018 Winter Olympics Written by Cho Namhee
THE AUTHOR Cho Namhee currently studies communication at Chonnam National University.
February 2018
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North Koreans also sing “Aegukga,” but with different lyrics and a different melody. It was written in June 1947, a year before the South Korean anthem was penned. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the peninsula was already divided into two groups singing different patriotic musical compositions. Unlike the South’s, the North Korean anthem was clearly specified as a national anthem much earlier. While it is easy to search and find the music on the Internet, singing the North Korean anthem is strictly prohibited in South Korea under the National Security Act. For this reason, the 2002 Busan Asian Games was the first official event where the North Korean anthem was played to the public. Following this, the separate national anthems of the North and South Korean teams were intentionally not included in the broadcast of the soccer matches. The chances of hearing both nations’ anthems at the upcoming Olympic Games are low, as the North Korean team is not very competitive in the Winter Games, and the two teams are likely to march into the Olympic Stadium as a single team with “Arirang” as their theme. However, since it is a great privilege to witness our athletes’ triumphs on our homeland, let’s put history behind us and wish the best for all participating teams at the world’s greatest winter festival.
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The breathtaking moments of athletes exerting their utmost energy to fight for the colors of the medals and the levels of the podium excites the spectators, and the emotions of both athletes and spectators reaches a climax when the Olympic champion’s national anthem resonates at the medal ceremony. This winter, the entire nation will anticipate hearing and singing the anthem in unison. The current national anthem of the Republic of Korea, “Aegukga,” composed by Ahn Eak-tai (19061965), has been sung since the establishment of the nation on August 15, 1948. It was the national anthem by convention only until its official status as national anthem was enacted into law in 2007. There were around ten national songs sung in the early 20th century when the country slowly opened its doors to the world and made several agreements with other countries for mutual exchanges. However, among those songs, Ahn’s anthem was the only one solely composed by a Korean (the author
of the lyrics still remains unconfirmed) while other songs mostly adopted melodies and lyrics from European songs such as the Scottish tune “Auld Lang Syne” and “God Save the King” from the U.K.
ARTS & CULTURE
F
inally, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games will commence in Pyeongchang from the 9th to 25th of this month (March 9–18 for the Paralympic Winter Games). After three consecutive biddings and almost a decade of preparation, the Olympic flame will be lit at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium and signal the grand beginning of the global sports festival. This quadrennial sporting event has long served as a venue for global unity since it not only gathers elite athletes from around the world, but also serves as a medium for bringing citizens who support their nation together. This upcoming edition is even more special since it will be held on the peninsula where the world’s last two divided countries lie. To date, details of the North Korean team and the delegates participating in the Games are yet to be confirmed; however, it seems positive that the South and North teams will be presented under a single banner, containing a sky-blue image of the peninsula on a white background, at the opening and closing ceremonies.
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A red comforter hangs off a balcony in Geumho-dong.
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February 2018
ARTSOPINION & CULTURE
38 Photo Essay
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Becoming Home Written and photographed by Adam Travis
2018-01-31 �� 3:55:55
39
I
drifted in and out of sleep next to Brianna as our bus rolled towards Gwangju. Outside, thunderstorms raged and lit up the horizon with bolt after bolt of lightning. I had been listening to the same half-dozen albums for the last 18 hours. Each song had gone from an individual track to becoming part of the background din of transit – harmonizing with the whine of a jet turbine or the rumble of an express bus. We met our supervisor, Elly, at the bus terminal three hours later. She drove us across town to our apartment, past row upon row of buildings covered in lights. As they streaked past my window, a sentence from my friend, Junha, was stuck in my head. “People will be saying they need more power stations,” he said, before I left, “but you’ll be blinded by all the neon lights.” Whether or not he was right about the energy impact of those lights, there sure were a lot of them. We rounded a final corner as Elly muttered a set of directions to our apartment I would shortly forget. I stepped out of the car and onto the quiet, muggy street, then lugged our four suitcases up a flight of stairs and into our new apartment. After lying on the floor with the air conditioner set to “turbo,” I fell asleep using the neck pillow I’d bought for the flight. It was August 28, our first night in Korea.
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February 2018
A group of boys ride bikes through a quiet neighborhood in Geumho-dong. ▶
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Brianna had brought up teaching almost a year earlier. Neither of us had set plans after graduation; we both knew people who had taught in Korea before and the prospect of free rent and cheap food was as appealing to me as it would be to any university student. But during the first week, eating ramen on the floor until we found a grocery store, sleeping on our airplane neck pillows, my head was full of doubts. Was this a good idea? Can I even teach? Will this place ever feel familiar?
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40
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
Balloons float into an indigo sky during the Chungjang Festival.
Gwangju appears through the haze at sunset.
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41
I like to sound out signs as I roll past them on the bus. My girlfriend usually laughs, or more often, asks what I’m mumbling to myself. We’ve been in Korean lessons for three months; I’m nowhere near fluent, but I’m to the point that I have enough words to get me through my awkward English– Korean interactions at convenience store counters. The weather dips below freezing most nights and while our battle against the heat has ended, we spent the last week attempting to rid our apartment of moisture to fend off any mold.
A couple embraces and others look on at a pagoda at the Asia Culture Center.
I no longer have to stare at my phone for the length of my commutes, keeping an ear out for what might be my stop. The storefronts along our walk to school are as familiar as the chime of our apartment door’s keypad. The dog in the apartment across the hall doesn’t bark when he hears our footsteps.
THE AUTHOR
February 2018
Adam Travis is an English teacher in Gwangju. Adam is originally from New Brunswick, Canada and can usually be found behind a camera when he’s not in front of a classroom.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
They seem mundane because they are, but it’s these small details in an everyday routine that make a place feel like home.
Power lines and signs dominate the sky near Chonnam University.
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42
Photo of the Month
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
ARTS & CULTURE
Written and photographed by A.P. Tolang
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43
I
am always excited to capture a glowing full moon.
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February 2018
Do you have any photos that you would like to show to Gwangju (and the world)? Gwangju News features a photo of the month to create more opportunities to promote more photographers based in the Jeollanam-do region and to show off our beautiful province from different areas and angles. Submissions can be posted in the “Photography in the South” Facebook group throughout the preceding month. Alternatively, you can also send your submissions to the editor by email: photos@gwangjunewsgic.com
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One night, when the full moon was out, playing hide-and-seek with the clouds, I felt it was spreading peace and love as it glowed. It was a very precious moment for me – one which I’ll never let go of because it was also the first full moon of the year 2018. In that moment, I tried to capture the moon through the tree branches.
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44 44 Book Review
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg Finding Love in the Digital Age
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February 2018
ARTS & CULTURE
Written by Kristy Dolson
I
hope everyone has been keeping warm this winter. February is the coldest month of the year, so to offset that fact, we celebrate the biggest romantic holiday of the year – Valentine’s Day – right in the middle of it. February 14th is a day to wrap yourself up in the warm cocoon of partnership. But what if you haven’t found that special someone? What if you want to find someone, but you just don’t know how to go about it in the fast-paced, online dating culture of the modern era? Have no fear: I have a book here that will get you up to speed on all things romantic in the digital age. It is Modern Romance by American comedian Aziz Ansari of Parks and Recreation and Master of None, and American sociologist Eric Klinenberg, author of Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone. Ansari and Klinenberg collaborated on this book to help people navigate today’s messy, impatient, appobsessed dating culture in order to find true romance. I’ve been a fan of Aziz Ansari’s comedy for years now, and this book was really enjoyable. Not only is it a fastpaced book written with Ansari’s comedic wit, but it is also packed with data and interview results, personal accounts, and SMS screenshots. Of special interest are the sociological findings Aziz and Klinenberg gathered from interviews conducted in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Paris. The authors wanted to know how the dating cultures in those cities differed from North American dating culture. The differences are astounding! And what is the ultimate conclusion from all this data and observation: the current generation of North Americans basically sucks at romance.
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But we don’t have to! Aziz and Klinenberg, once establishing this sobering fact, prescribe how great people can be at romance if they learn to use new digital tools and skills properly. People need to spend less time on their phones and more time on face-to-face dates. They need to spend less time out partying and more time developing their own interests. That may sound self-centered, but it is true. Think about it: what kind of person are you going to encounter at 3 a.m. in a bar? Probably not your soulmate. Now, who are you going to find at that 17th century Danish painter’s exhibition at the local museum? Probably someone with a lot more common interests than a random one-night stand you met at the latest “in” bar. So if you’re alone this Valentine’s Day, turn on your floor heating, pour yourself a hot beverage, wrap yourself up in a cocoon of blankets and read this book. I can’t guarantee it will help you find a partner, but I can guarantee that it will make you chuckle. And as a bonus, you’ll have a conversation-ready title up your sleeve to discuss the next time you run into a fellow book-lover… and possible romantic partner. Who knows? Romance can spark at any time for any reason! THE AUTHOR
Kristy Dolson lived in South Korea for five years before taking a year off to travel, read, and spend time with her family in Canada and Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Education and has just returned to Gwangju where she splits her time between teaching Korean teachers at JETI and reading as much as she can. (Photo by Lisa Crone)
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Movie Review
45
Looking Back at Written by Natale Ryan
I
Chinga (Season 5). This is in my number two spot because this episode was written by Stephen King. In this story, Scully is on vacation in Maine and finds herself in the middle of the murderous rampage of a demon-
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Bad Blood (Season 5). Though science fiction, The X-Files is well known for its comedy. One of the funniest episodes, in my opinion, is Bad Blood. The story in this episode features Mulder and Scully investigating the existence of vampires in a remote country village. After a botched investigation, the two agents have conflicting stories, and as each is retold, what unfolds is too funny to miss! In addition, this episode features Luke Wilson as the town’s dimwitted sheriff. X-Cops (Season 6). This is another comical episode. The story is a crossover between The X-Files and the American crime show Cops (a true crime show where cameramen follow patrolmen). Though this episode was probably written to be a joke, it still has a decent storyline and features an interesting creature. The way Scully reacts to the cameramen following her during the night is believable, and it is one of the most brilliant TV crossovers of all-time. Arcadia (Season 6). This is a quirky episode that makes fans giggle at the foolishness of it. The episode features a homeowners association that takes itself seriously. Scully and Mulder go undercover as a married couple in order to investigate a series of disappearances. With the comedy of the two investigators acting uncomfortably to the creepiness of the neighbors, this is one episode I don’t think should be missed.
February 2018
Squeeze and Tooms (Both Season 1). The reason two episodes share this spot is because they feature the same villain: a man who contorts his body to fit any opening. These are two of the earliest episodes I remember seeing, and they are truly two of the scariest. The episodes revolve around a series of murders. While questioning a suspect, Scully attracts the attention of the killer, who happens to have an unbelievable history you have to see to believe. With special effects that, even though they are outdated now, were advanced for their time, Squeeze and Tooms are two episodes that should not be passed over.
possessed doll. Though some of the special effects in this episode can be viewed as cheesy, this is a very effective episode and will not fail to send chills up your spine – especially if you are a King fan!
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n 1993, The X-Files, written by Chris Carter, appeared on the Fox network. The series, which inspired two movies and was revived twice, features two FBI agents, Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (played by Gillian Anderson). Mulder is a quirky agent who investigates odd and controversial cases, known as X-files, and Scully is a skeptical medical examiner brought in to debunk all of Mulder’s research. Though the two seem to be at odds in the beginning, the pair has become one of the most revered duos in television history. In honor of the latest resurgence of The X-Files, one of the most treasured and beloved science fiction shows in TV history, I decided to take a break from reviewing movies this month and mention some of my favorite episodes from the TV series and why I think any science-fiction fan should add the show to their library.
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46 These are only a few of my favorite episodes from The X-Files, and they range from being comical to spooky to dramatic. The two movies that were made based on the show also rank highly on my scale. The first feature film is titled The X-Files: Fight the Future and follows the show’s main storyline. The second one is titled I Want to Believe and acts as a stand-alone movie. The main theme music, which was composed by the show’s creator, is one of the most well-known TV tunes of all-time. If you haven’t seen the show, I guarantee that you have heard the theme song. Recently, Gillian Anderson has stated that this current season, which has just begun, will be her last, and she will walk away from her involvement in the show. Though fans are devastated by this news, the show has outlasted many and has surpassed all benchmarks set by television shows of the past. Though new episodes of The X-Files may soon come to a permanent end, we have
the many seasons, books, movies, and multiple television appearances to remind us how groundbreaking the show was. THE AUTHOR
Natale is an English teacher in Mokpo. She is from Memphis, Tennessee in the United States. She attended college in Jonesboro, Arkansas and majored in criminology and sociology. In her free time, she enjoys watching scary movies and writing short stories. Her favorite movies are To Kill a Mockingbird, E.T., and Memento. Her heroes are Snoopy and Audrey Hepburn.
i sit with glasses
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February 2018
It’s a wretched thing that I need glasses. Smugly, each is perched or nestled with me, I am made a pack mule and a yoked beast.
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They are different though, each in their own right. One here roller-skates through worlds of symbols, While the other drowns associations. One proves all their faces not to be hers. The other numbs the knowledge that they aren’t. I wish that I were blind.
THE AUTHOR David Joël La Boon is a poet and artist. Gwangju is his home away from home.
2018-01-31 �� 3:56:15
Gwangju Writes
47
Every Book Is Romantic Written by David Joël La Boon
There is something romantic about books. The musty odor of bleached pulp and petrichor, the act of learning and prompted imagination, it is the tangible nothing, it is the part of our shadows we are able to hold and devour. From Bi Sheng and Güttenberg to the dawn of the e-book marks the extent of this period of romance. It is the proliferation of knowledge and the consolidation of human culture. Books facilitate the accumulation of knowledge, of course, in the traditional sense, but not exclusively so. Experiential knowledge, and more deeply, Platonic knowledge arrive to us as the gift of books.
Culture is made of a similar substance as shadows. We may know what are not ingredients, but have more difficulty definitively identifying required characteristics. Yet, through this construction and reconstruction we absorb and assimilate the intangible culture, both native and foreign. We read, and we learn. We read, and we change. We read, and we grow, but more importantly, we grow together.
Deconstruct the words and associated meaning, and distill them. Reconstruct them into principles and apply them to your own lived narrative to provide a deeper understanding of the Platonic sense of ourselves.
THE AUTHOR David Joël La Boon is a poet and artist. Gwangju is his home away from home.
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February 2018
When staring at the stacks of books unread, all mysterious and waiting, it is easy to say, I suppose, but not easily accomplished. However, it is easy to feel their draw and not to resist it, and to use that draw to our benefit.
Reading books occupies the negative space that we are mapping out in our minds and hearts. It is a mechanism with a certain value of passivity we naturally employ. The physical contours of that negative space are the words we author to be read. The best readers are writers, and the best writers are prolific readers. Pick up that next book and read its words. Draw implications from their associated meanings, interpret and apply these to yourself and us, and finally, write the story of your life. You write your own history after all, and it is with this idea in mind that I walk through every page of my own.
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In this first sense, facts and figures and quotidian happenings are documented and transmitted from author to reader, raising and elevating a shared common wisdom of life lived. In the second, we interpret and draw conclusions from those facts and figures and quotidian happenings. Their implications result in a higher level of both engagement and thought. Yet, this is where many of us end our exploration, but I would like to challenge those still thirsty readers to transcend passivity.
Technically speaking, books have an intersubjective quality. We project an objective truth from our subjective experiences through each page. They therefore take on a discursive quality that embodies a conversation between author and reader, between the author’s experiences and our own, from which we construct and reconstruct both our perception of reality and ourselves through and in opposition to that perception. And because of this, we can convert that remade “ourselves” into an “us” called culture. Yet, the technical nature of anything is more boring and distant than the visceral connection to which one is able to maintain with it. A book, as a window to culture, is no different.
ARTS ARTS && CULTURE CULTURE
I
make a point to walk into every bookstore I see or to take the long way through town giving me reason to see them. It is the only fixed and regimented part of my strolls as a flâneur in this city. Walking is essential to drinking in the modern and urban life, and books are essential to sobering from its malaise. Together, they are a balance for the mind and the heart.
2018-01-31 �� 3:56:15
OPINION
48
Tel Aviv skyline at night.
Israel, Korea, and the Future
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February 2018
Written by Matt Furlane Photographed by Matt Furlane and Gilad Avidan via Wikimedia Commons
I
f you asked anyone off the street what comes to mind when you mention Israel, the typical response would likely be “the Palestinian conflict,” “Jerusalem as the capital,” or “the Holocaust.” Not surprisingly, topics like these typically dominate the headlines year after year. And although they are important in their own context, they tend to overshadow the fact that Israel is more than a WWII history lesson, a museum, or an endless debate over land distribution. Like South Korea, it’s emerging as a modern, developed, Western democracy. This past winter break, I was able to visit Israel and see some of the country from the ground up. In many basic ways, it shared characteristics similar to South Korea. Both countries are small and have mandatory military service. Each emphasizes the importance of education, and both are allies of the United States. But there were some surprises that I think are worth noting. First, Israel is ethnically diverse, and many people know multiple languages, not just Hebrew. During my visit, it
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was not uncommon for me to meet someone who spoke Spanish, Russian, Arabic, or French. Given the history of the Jews and their emigration back to Israel from all over the world, this shouldn’t be too surprising, but I was impressed by even the younger generation being bi-, tri-, or even quadrilingual. But more noteworthy was the typical Israeli’s proficiency in English compared to a Korean’s. Although not everyone spoke English, I felt that at least half the country was fluent enough to be a tour guide to any English speaker and understood most English spoken at a natural pace. Whether this is because Hebrew is closer to English than East Asian languages or because the Israeli school system emphasizes learning over testtaking, I’m not sure; but if you visit Israel, you should have no problem finding someone who speaks fluent English. Second, Israel is developing a modern public transportation infrastructure that will eventually be as good as anything in Europe or America. Granted, living
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49 in Korea (or visiting Japan) can spoil you when it comes to public transportation, so I’m not going to judge Israel too harshly. But the country is in the process of catching up with the rest of the world. Jerusalem has two light rail lines that connect the Yad Vashem Museum to the Central Bus Station and the Old City, but they could probably use one more line. Tel Aviv has multiple older subway/rail lines, but unfortunately, they won’t have a modern light rail system in place until 2020 or later. And the country’s first and only high-speed rail line (some Israeli’s have called it the “Trump Train”) that will connect Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 30 minutes is scheduled to be finished this summer, replacing a centuries-old rail line installed by the Turks. These are all good first steps in improving public transport, but more time is needed. Thirdly, like South Korea, Israel is tech-savvy. In the 1990s Israel’s government began investing in its technology sector and now has more start-ups per capita than any other nation; and over 4,000 tech companies like Google, Apple, and Cisco are operating within its borders. Also, Israeli tech companies have been responsible for inventing many of the tech gadgets we use today like the USB flash drive, the “pill cam” for medical use, the WAZE GPS app, and the messaging app Viber. With a highly literate and technology-fluent generation growing up in a more stable political environment, Israel is destined to soon be a world tech leader. Lastly, Tel Aviv is becoming a hipster city. From the tattoo shops to the young bearded men at the cafes, to the vegetarian food, to the gay pride parades, it seems that Israel is the only nation in the Middle East where someone from a Western country can simply buy a plane
ticket, get a hotel, and go out into the city without really having to worry about what you wear or what you believe or what lifestyle you choose. In stark contrast to the strict Islamic nations surrounding Israel, you can roam downtown Tel Aviv enjoying its food, alcohol, and nightlife in relative safety. Using the city bike-sharing program, I was able to freely and cheaply roam Tel Aviv enjoying everything from burgers to a salmon steak near the shores of the Mediterranean or a goat cheese sandwich and a Weihenstephaner beer at a neighborhood cafe. (I would recommend the tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard by bike and the coastal restaurants as good places to start.) The only thing I would complain about is the mediocre local graffiti plastered about. There are other topics I could touch on as well, such as the fresh Mediterranean air, the use of electric bikes, or how great the weather is in Tel Aviv, but I only stayed long enough to scratch the surface of what Israel is now and what it is becoming. In short, the Israel you hear about in the news is just a slice of what the country is actually becoming. The Israel of the future, beyond the headlines, is emerging, and I think everyone should see it for themselves. THE AUTHOR
Matt is an English teacher from the United States and he has a bachelor’s degree in political science and an associate’s degree in electronics engineering. He took up photography and journalism after he graduated.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2018
Israel’s modernizing public transportation is in the process of catching up with the rest of the world.
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50
Dear Self
Written by Elizabeth Kaye Corpuz
O
ne year has ended, and a new one has just started.
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February 2018
OPINION
You might have a good year. It might be your worst, also. For me, I want to remember 2017 as a good year, despite all the stressful events. Indeed, the year has helped me grow, but not without drama; and I forgot to live for some time. The subject of memory always fascinates me. Perhaps, humans are naturally forgetful. So, instead of a New Year’s resolution, which I’ll eventually forget in the long run, I made a list of reminders that hopefully will help me get through 2018 peacefully. SLEEP Some people may function with little to no sleep, but with someone like me, sleep is the most treasured thing. I could go on for days with little rest, but when those stressful events arise, sleepless days are a big “no.” I need to have good, quality sleep. Otherwise, my brain will be deprived, and I won’t function well. Sleep is such a wonderful mechanism of our body. Do not take it for granted. Someone without any sleep will turn into a monster. Sometimes, the only solution to a problem is sleep. PRAYER When life becomes tough, I tend to sideline this. No greater instrument can resolve an issue than to connect with God. You don’t have to be pious to do this; you only need an open heart. PEACE OF MIND I genuinely believe this is one of the most significant achievements one could attain. Not everyone can experience it. Peace is more than consistently feeling calm and tranquil. It is more than living a good, quiet life. Peace is the serenity amidst all the chaos, guarding your core against unwanted turmoil. This is entrusting all you have to God. PATIENCE and UNDERSTANDING I must admit I am not a patient person, but as I age, I learn to develop the wonderful tool called “patience.” This is quite an excellent instrument that helps you think through annoying situations. It comes along with understanding.
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We have differences, but we are still living under the same sky, so a little pinch of these two will avoid any possible damage. HORMONES When I am feeling weird, there’s a big chance that my hormones are toying with me. Certainly, women can relate to it during their menstrual period. Moodiness was a myth to me back when I was young, but when I finally experienced the change, I understood; and it was not a joke. One day, I had a big emotional outburst, and I felt as if I were riding a roller coaster. Then a week after that day, my red-letter day came. It’s not only hormones; when we are not feeling well, we tend to be irritable. It is good to pay attention to your body, to your health, as this may also affect your relationship towards others. ANGER Let the fumes exhaust. Do not build up the pressure and let it break you. Master the art of releasing anger in a healthy way. I have yet to master it. But, when I know I am reaching the breaking point, I try to circumvent the situation, if possible. Know the roots of that wrath, and try to rectify it. It is much better to live without a heavy load in your mind and heart. However, there are times that a sudden explosion is inevitable. Just be brave enough to face the aftermath. RECOGNITION One way or another, we want to be recognized, to be validated. Unsolicited recognition is a good boost to selfesteem. However, if you are doing something for the sake of being recognized, then it is only being done for the sake of pride. Do what you have to do because there is a great need for it. If you actively seek recognition, you’ll just be disappointed because you might not get it. NEEDS What you need at the moment will be available at the time when you need it. If your “wants” cannot be materialized, then maybe it is not yet the right time, or maybe the particular want is not good for you. DREAMS Despite your situation, hold on to your dreams. In life, you will probably find yourself returning to them again and
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51 again – sometimes on purpose, or sometimes by accidental circumstance. Dreams and goals are what keep us moving. Your goal could be as simple as eating ice cream or hugging your loved ones. It’s okay if it isn’t your dream to become a CEO. We have different wants, different ways to reach our goals. Just hold on to your dream. If you think that you will not be able to achieve it, then take a look at how hard you have tried to achieve it. Maybe, you’ll see that along the way you have become a better person. It’s about the climb. ROUTINE There are varying degrees of routine in our lives. Somehow, there is a negative connotation to having a routine – as if your life is dull if you have the same set of daily activities. This is one of the things that makes or breaks me. I need a routine. I want a routine. It’s the kind of routine that you set your mind to do and your body to adapt to. This is not simply a strict way of living by the numbers. When I am not working along my routine, I become disgruntled. Find your routine. Just find the things you want to do, and do not cram them into an overly tight schedule. Learn to compromise your routine. RELATIONSHIP Though you cannot fathom the dynamics surrounding every relationship in the world, believe that your connection to others lets you live. They may inspire you or infuriate you, but no matter what, those relationships are important to your being. You fight your battles, but you need strong support, which you will find in those relationships. In the end, humans are relational. However, learn to let go of the relationships that are toxic.
TECHNOLOGY The Internet is, quite possibly, one of the best inventions ever. Most people are glued to their phones nowadays. I consider it as an instant companion, and it is my tell-
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IMAGINATION I have tons of ideas. I like to imagine. I bet you also have ideas. Maybe, daydreaming is okay once in a while, but to live off of your imagination is not effective or healthy. We always want the best for ourselves and, yes, we always imagine we are in the best position. But do not make the figment of your imagination your reality. The more we imagine, the more we think that it is our reality, when in fact, it is the opposite. Learn to accept things as they are. Daydreaming feeds on unnecessary thoughts. It is fatal when you live in your fantasy rather than be courageous in facing your reality. BREATH Amidst all the turmoil, just breathe. Take in a lot of oxygen to calm your senses. Have you ever felt that you have no right to live? Just breathe, and you’ll realize that you do. No one is in charge of your breath, only you (unless you are intubated). Breathing is living, and your life depends on how you make it. HUMOR I agree with this common saying: “Do not take life too seriously.” Have a good laugh, and learn to see humor in every situation because life has its own unique way of presenting itself to you. BALANCE Try to achieve balance in everything. Leaning too much towards one side of something is dangerous. You might become too greedy or too self-centered. So, these are the reminder’s I’ll be following for 2018, and I hope you’ll find them helpful too. Have a meaningful 2018. “Fighting!” THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Kaye Corpuz says she likes Psyduck because she is always at a loss, just as he is. She is someone who is trying to witness the unfolding of the universe before it’s gone.
February 2018
ENVY and JEALOUSY The not-so-little green monsters I always have inside me. The green monsters we all have. They propel us either to hate ourselves or to hate others. They lurk inside, but I think we have to befriend them and turn them into inspiration.
CHALLENGES More often than not, challenges are frightening; but put in a different perspective, they are the opportunities that allow us to become better. It is only up to us whether we will use challenges as a means to grow or as a way to become jaded by this world.
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ENJOYMENT and APPRECIATION When stress and anxiety take control of us, we tend to neglect these two simple things. How could we even be able to enjoy the moment if we are bombarded with due dates and whatnots? Even so, take time to appreciate your surroundings. This is the best time to take a break. When was the last time you looked at the sky and noticed how beautiful the sun shines? When was the last time you felt the wind rushing through you while the trees were swaying? Being too passionate is consuming. Relax and move a little at a time. Enjoy and experience each moment.
tale sign that I am incredibly stressed. It is my escape mechanism – rather than trying to analyze my issues. Be wary of becoming too attached to material things.
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Community Board
Have something you want to share with the community? Gwangju News Community Board provides a space for the community to announce club activities and special events. Please contact gwangjunews@gic.or.kr for more information. UNESCO KONA VOLUNTEERS KONA Storybook Center (KSC) is a registered small public library supported by UNESCO KONA Volunteers (UKV). UKV is a registered organization that helps disadvantaged children to learn English independently through storybooks and story-maps. We guide the family and children to develop a love of reading storybooks in English. We also give guidance to volunteers in using storybooks. We are looking for long-term volunteers who desire to enrich their lives. We are asking volunteers to commit to helping at least once a month. For more information, please visit http://cafe.daum. net/konavolunteers or our Facebook pages for KONA Storybook Center and UNESCO KONA Volunteers, or contact Kim Young-Im 062-434-9887, or email konacenter@gmail.com.
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February 2018
VOLUNTEER TEACHERS NEEDED for the Gwangju UCC (Universal Cultural Center). Any levels of experience, English teachers here in the Gwangju area during 2018 can participate. UCC has a Facebook profile if you would like to see what kind of other services are available. To participate in the international cultural exchange programs, you may email peter.j.gallo@gmail. com, or phone or text 010-9490-4258. GWANGJU FILIPINO ENGLISH TEACHERS (GFET) Every 3rd Tuesday of the month 10 am – 12 noon, GIC, Room 3 (2F) We are a group of Filipino English teachers in Gwangju who conduct regular accent training and lectures to help fellow English teachers to become better educators. PILATES/ YOGA WITH VALLE GIC Hall, 1st Floor 7:00–8:00 pm, Tuesday 10:00–11:00 am, Thursday Facebook: Yoga/Pilates with Valle This is a weekly class appropriate for all levels on a donation-based level. GWANGJU INTER FC The Gwangju International Soccer Team (Gwangju Inter FC) plays regularly every weekend. If you are interested
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in playing, email gwangju_soccer@yahoo.com or search “Gwangju Inter FC” on Facebook. GWANGJU ANIMAL SHELTER VOLUNTEERING Every Sunday. Meet at The First Alleyway at 12 for brunch and carpool to the shelter. Walk dogs between 1–4 pm. Please wear comfortable clothing. See you there! Facebook: Gwangju Animal Shelter Volunteering
I WANT TO FIND MY PARENTS & RELATIVES
Han Ok-hee in April 1969 (left) and present (right).
I want to find my parents or any living relatives. I was abandoned outside Gwangju City Hall, on March 23, 1969. On the same day, I was taken to the Social Welfare Society (대한사회복지회) in Gwangju. My Korean name, Han Ok-Hee, was given to me by a social worker in Gwangju. I was adopted and went to Sweden on September 20, 1969 and am now 49 years old. If anyone has any information, please contact me, in Korean or English. Your information can perhaps fill the missing parts of my sometimes wounded heart. All answers will be replied to. Contact info: Malin Bergström Jordgränd 16 19247 Sollentuna Sweden E-mail: malin.m.bergstrom@outlook.com
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