Gwangju International Center

  March 1 Independence Movement and its Impact to Modern Korean History                 Speaker: Dr. Gyongggu Shin             Date: Feb 15, 2014             Review writer: Jisu Jeong             Proofreader: Calen Cygan            This talk is given by Dr. Gyonggu Shin, the Director of the Gwangju International Center. He starts his talk with          a brief history of Korean uprisings going from the Tonghak Uprising of 1984 to the Candlelight protests of 2008.         After that, he gives detailed information about a particular uprising: the March 1st movement including its background         and development leading up to the movement itself. He also mentions, in detail, some cases of atrocities conducted         by Japan. During the talk, he uses visual materials such as maps, and some photos and statistics which help the         audience to understand his lecture better. At the end of the talk, he gives answers to the audiences’ questions and         adds that we should think about the legacies left behind by colonialism and imperialism. This talk is great chance         to learn what the March 1st Independence Movement is and how it impacted Korean history.                          Check out photos:              http://goo.gl/dNkSsm               Watch video clips!            http://goo.gl/DCiziF  

    March 2014 GIC Culture Tour:  Jangseong     ▶ Date: March 22nd Saturday ▶ Participation Fee: 40,000won for GIC members / 50,000won for Non-GIC members ▶ Contact: Boram Lee (gictour@gic.or.kr)     Naejang-san National Park - Namchang Valley – Maple Water Festival – Lunch – Pilam Confucian School – Chukryeong-san Cypress Forest – Phytoncide Natural Soap Making Experience       March welcomes the Spring with warm optimism and brings back another exciting year of traveling with the GIC Culture Tour.  To start the season off with renewed energy, this month the Tour explores the contours, the culture, and the aromas of Jangseong County.             Far in the north of Jangseong, at the very edge of Jeollanam-do, sits the majestic Naejang Mountain Park.  Among the many superlative picturesque spots, Namchang Valley enchants visitors with its long winding landscape and gorge like formations leading deep in to the interior of the park.  From the trail head, participants will trek along the boulder strewn path to a stately cypress forest surrounded by groves of “Goroswae” maple trees to learn about the spring tradition of harvesting “maple water.”  Walking back down to the park entrance, participants can enjoy the yearly “Goroswae” festival and try this sweet, maple syrup scented, natural vitamin drink that is good for bones sore from the long winter.        Transferring by bus into the lowlands of the country, lunch will be at Jayeon Bapsang-- an award winning restaurant with a conscientious chef who insists on using the finest local ingredients and upholds time honored Korean preparations full of subtle flavors and the magic of fermentation. The meal is almost entirely vegetarian, all natural, and will be sure to surprise with its quality and intensity of flavor.      After lunch and only a short drive away, the tour next visits Pilam Confucian School.  Founded in 1590 to honor the Neo-Confucian scholar Haseo Kim In Hu, this shrine/academy impresses with its multitude of 17th century extant structures, interconnected courtyards, and erudite atmosphere.  Participants can enjoy a postprandial walk through the grounds while learning about the philosophy and history of this important institution.      To end the day, the tour moves to the Chukryeong Mountain Cypress Forest for an aromatheraputic soap making experience.  This cypress forest was the life’s work of Im Jong Guk, a naturalist and teacher from Jeolla-do, who devastated by the ravages of the Korean War and colonialism, set out to reforest the denuded mountains.  He planted trees throughout the county and is especially remembered for his towering cypress trees.  Not only lovely to look at, cypresses are known to emit healthy phytoncides that help soothe and relax visitors. In this grain, participants will visit a wood workshop to make natural soap using oil extracted from the cypress trees. In this way, it will be possible to take home the freshness of nature for days to come!   Please come out this month for the first GIC Tour of the year and enjoy the essence of adventure: beautiful nature, profound history, and fragrant food and fun!  

The Differences Between Korean and Foreign Universities     Speaker: Areum Yang, Jeremy Azurin Date: Feb. 8th, 2014 Review writer: Chanmi Moon Proofreader: Audrey Dubin   This talk was a ‘special talk’. That It was viewed as a “special talk because volunteers planned and carried out the successful gathering of both academic and non-academic community members with the help of current foreign volunteers and coordinators. It was formed with the purpose of informing GIC talk attendees who have an interest in English, about university life. Therefore, the university English club members were invited, and the topic was geared towards their taste. It was entitled; ‘Differences between Korean and Foreign Universities’.   Areum, Jeonnam, a National University student who studied at the university of Missouri Columbia, and Jeremy Azurin, who previously studied in American universities and now studies in at Jeonnam National University, gave a short introduction talk about the differences between Korean and Foreign universities. Unlike the traditional ways the talks are typically delivered, this special talk was mainly focused on the discussion session formed by selected panel members. The discussion portion took place after the 15 minute introductory lecture given by Areum Jeonnam and Jeremy Azuran. After the introduction the audience was divided into two discussion groups so they could take part in sharing some of their own college experiences. Even though the discussion was mainly focused on the panels, which were comprised of university English club members, the audience members also actively participated in the discussion.  After about 30 minutes of lively discussion taking place, everyone gathered again to compare the points raised in each group. This new format of GIC Talk was very fresh and it was good that the audiences could actually be part of the talk and participate themselves.   Check out photos:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.214900572033499.1073741838.181572228699667&type=1   Watch video clips! http://www.youtube.com/user/GICTALK  

    What seems like forever ago now, the GIC found out the local government wished to reclaim the building we resided in and we were being evicted. Now we are pleased to announce we have (finally!) moved into our new home. Fortunately we were able to find somewhere to live in an equally accessible location with an affordable rent. Everyone, welcome to the GIC at the Samho Center!   Before getting into the details of our new place we’d like to give a massive thank you all the amazing and generous support we received in preparation for our move. This culminated in the overwhelmingly successful ‘Save the GIC Day’! To everyone involved, we are forever in your debt – thank you so much!                    In a lot of ways this move has been a long time coming. We have had to postpone and re-postpone many times for many more reasons. So along with our greatest thanks we must also offer our deepest apologies to anyone who did not get to see the GIC’s movement finally materialize.                     On January 14th, with the help of many devoted volunteers, GIC staff and interns the move began. We had a lot of preparation to do before our D-Day, January 16th. From when we would officially take up residence in the Samho Center. This preparation was no mean feat. We quickly discovered the dangers of living somewhere for a decade without having a regular clear out… A unanimous decision was reached on the GIC’s New Year’s resolution – we now vow to keep our mess to an absolute minimum!                     When the day came we all happily witnessed the bare floors and walls on the 2nd floor of the Samho Center turn into our new and improved home. I am right now writing this under the warmth of a fully functioning air conditioning unit. Gone are the days of our staff wearing coats in the office and our Korean language students shivering in their classrooms’. This however still isn’t the best bit: the newly nicknamed ‘nap-room,’ fitted with a floor heating unit is a favorite amongst us all - so much so we’ve been kicking sleepy interns out of there all week!   Although we’ve been moved for almost a month now we’re still settling in. Unfortunately there are still a couple of areas to be worked on and services such as the GIC library are still unavailable. This being said we are of course welcoming everyone in our usually enthusiastic way and encourage anyone to come on down, check the place out and make use of our currently running services!        Written by Tom Reid (GIC Volunteer)

Mysteries of the Great Pyramid   Speaker: Aaron M. Coyle Date: Jan 25, 2014 Review writer: Jisu Jeong Proofreader: Calen Cygan   This talk is delivered by Aaron M. Coyle, a history teacher at Kwangju Foreign School. He gives a talk about mysteries of the Great Pyramid. He expresses his research and knowledge, using evidence to show that Great Pyramid is not a tomb. In addition, he points out further lesser known fact about the Great Pyramid. He cites scientific research which shows the accuracy of the casing stones, going into details about the chambers and the entrance of the Great Pyramid. He also refutes an existing theory, citing the case of the Inventory Stella. During the lecture, he shows the audience a variety of pictures and quotations related to the Pyramids of Giza. He provides detailed explanation to deliver his speech in an effective way. This lecture is a good opportunity to learn about the Great Pyramid and  its mysterious history.   Check out photos:  https://www.facebook.com/GICTalk/posts/210221635834726   Watch video clips! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZC4zEESe9g  

  Last 21 DEC, the GIC held its annual GIC ADIOS to celebrate and reflect on the successes of 2013 and introduce what the GIC has in mind for 2014. With many of its members and friends in attendance, the Center blossomed with the holiday spirit. Want to feel it once again? Go! Go! Go!       The GIC ADIOS 2013 wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the many volunteers, coordinators, interns, and others who truly desired to commemorate the backbone of the Center: its members and friends!  Once they stepped out of the elevator, they were warmly greeted at registration and our raffle table.      Thank you for all those who donated to the GIC during the ADIOS 2013. You’re gracious donation will help support the moving cost from Jeon-il building to our new location this January. After registration, guests took photos with Santa at our Photo Zone!     We had the entire fifth floor covered in many holiday goodies, games, and fun for all ages before you enter the actual Center. After the elevator, you can see our button-making station, Christmas coin-toss, and Create & Gift booth!     Many people tried their luck at our Christmas Coin Toss. Were you lucky this year?     If so, all those who won received up to three gifts, but if not, a consolation prize was just as rewarding. Thanks for playing!     Here we have our Create & Gift experience booth where our hosts helped guests exercise their creativity by drawing and sharing their piece as a gift.      Next up is our button-making station! It was a popular part of the ADIOS and we got to see some very creative buttons!     As with our other events, or Flea Market boasted many types of products graciously donated by the members of our community. Everything from clothes, bags, books, and trinkets were provided at low prices.      What do YOU wish for in 2014?     Lots of faces came by the GIC ADIOS. Onward to the Talk Room, you can see many photos from the GIC pasted on our wall.      But first off we have our Gwangju Souvenir table! Buy some products and share Gwangju with everyone from our buttons, postcards, t-shirts, and more!     Next to our Souvenir booth is our general GIC table with all of our information on the Center.     This year we had our GIC Cafe to share drinks and snacks before the Potluck. A huge thanks to our high school volunteer Sanghyuk Kim for making coookies., and Japanese volunteers Satsuki and the other volunteers for running the Cafe!     Did you receive stickers for our game to spell A.D.I.O.S.? Whoever spelled out the word got a prize!     The GIC was teeming with many people to share their stories, try some of Warren Parson’s tea, or sit for a rest and meet new people.      On to the brunt of the GIC ADIOS! We were warmly introduced by Amy Daniels and Julian Warmington’s beautiful musical performances. Director Shin also joined in to open our event with the GIC Story, a platform for members to share their experiences with the GIC this year.     Dr. Shin also launched the plan for our move to the new building. We are very excited to see and share what the new building has in store for us here at the GIC and how we can better provide for our community.      But all of the successes wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the people at the Center. Dr. Shin congratulated many of the volunteers who supported us this year. Thank you Joey Nunez, Kathlean Villadiego, Jon Ozelton,  Daniel Lister, Warren Parsons and Seonhwa Jeong.       Afterwards we had our Raffle! The hosts, Coordinator Mira Kim and Exchange Student Senna Saraswati shared the gifts with many lucky winners. Did you collect a gift?     The GIC Interns performed their own rendition of the Cup Song and switched to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”.   Did you enjoy their performance?     But the fun doesn’t stop there! Coordinator Nana Kim and Chinese  and Japanese Teacher Yuku were surprised when the GIC called them out for their birthday!     Our final performance was a volunteer-organized show of the popular Crayon Pop song, “Jumping!” They organized this piece in 3 days and did a fantastic job!     The Potluck was our final event. We had quiche, fruit, bread, holiday cookies, and lots of dessert provided by our ADIOS attendees. It was a great time to share how the GIC was a part of our lives this year over delicious meals and meet new faces as we wrapped up the event and 2013.    The entire event brought in many donations that will help us in the future. The souvenir sale allotted 229,000 won, donations of 52,100 won, coin-toss of 13,690 won, 146,000 won from the cafe, 218,000 won for the Flea Market, and 57,000 from the raffle for a total of 716,690원 from the ADIOS! A huge thanks for everyone who supported us that evening; it is an enormous help for us.   It is events like this make the GIC what it is: a place to share and engage with all members of the community of Gwangju. It was a fantastic event and great way to end 2013. We look forward to 2014 and all of the fun it has awaiting for all of us. Thanks once again for coming out!   See you next year and Happy New Year’s!

My Nth Attempt: Getting Asia Right   Speaker: Jeremy Azurin Date: December 14th, 2013 Review Writer: Chanmi Moon Proofreader: Sam Winters   This talk is delivered by our lovely intern, Jeremy Azurin, who is an exchange student at Chonnam National University. He talks about the challenges and blessings he encountered during his backpacking travels and studies in Asia. Showing the pictures he took in the countries he has been to, he shares his own unexpected stories and the lessons he learned through those experiences. At the end of the talk, he gives some advice to future backpackers, which is to say ‘yes’ whenever they have the chance. He tells us not to miss those chances in life, and to always make new attempts. His talk is so interesting and at the same time, beneficial for everyone who is about to set out on a journey.     Check out photos : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.192720224251534.1073741837.181572228699667&type=1      

Peaceful Cohabitation of Tanzania                  Speaker : Hamisi Tindwa Date : Nov 30, 2013 Reviewer : Haeng Il Lim Proofreader : Sam Winters   The GIC is honored to invite Hamisi Tindwa, a doctoral student at Chonnam National University. His topic for the GIC Talk is “Peaceful Cohabitation of Tanzania.” Using numerous personal anecdotes and PowerPoint images from his own collection, he actively explains Tanzanian cohabitation. The speaker talks about facts related to why and how Tanzania’s 50 million citizens represent a rare example of peaceful cohabitation. During the Q&A, Hamisi Tindwa also shares his thoughts about political conflicts in Korea. His perspective is interesting because it is different from the outlook of most Koreans. Overall, his talk is beneficial for helping people understand all about cohabitation in Tanzania.     Check out photos : https://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/media/set/?set=a.189398711250352.1073741834.181572228699667&type=1  Watch video clips! - Lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WDbqmyV-70        - Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY3Ge4VxO-s              

Birds and Place               Speaker : Robert Newlin           Date : Dec 7, 2013           Reviewer : Jisu Jeong           Proofreader : Sam Winters   This talk is presented by Robert Newlin, a professor of Medieval and Classic Literature at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He gives a talk on “Birds and Place” and, to be specific, it covers “Birds in Korea”. Before starting his lecture, in a calm voice, he reads his article that was published in Gwangju News by the GIC. After that, he starts to explain some special birds such as the Common Kingfisher, Red-crowned Crane and Siberian Blue Robin. In addition, he shows the audience those birds’ pictures that he took by himself. During the Q&A Time, he answers questions from the audience with an enthusiastic attitude, talking about his opinion and experience related to the topic of birds. Overall, this talk is a good opportunity not only for foreign audiences but also Korean audiences to learn about “Korean birds and their place”.   :Check out photos                                         https://www.facebook.com/media/set/set=a.190964864427070.1073741835.181572228699667&type=1                       Watch video clips!                      - Lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_an5jkKxsI                      - Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeUj6HhS2_c                    

  The Review of GIC Suncheon Tour "Temple Stay Diary"       Written by Tom Reid     The GIC’s November Culture Tour was a particularly special one – a Greatest Hits record of the Jeonnam area. We began with a stop at Suncheon’s deservingly famous spot of natural beauty – The Suncheon Bay. We took a short walk through the wet lands over a well-designed board walk. As we went we observed some of the fascinating wildlife the bay is both known and protected for. The bay is used as a resting area for many migrating birds. Astonishingly 50% of an entire species of goose uses the bay on their southern migration. This an important reminder to anyone unconvinced of the need to preserve this special piece of Korea. Our group then took the short, sharp hike to a viewing point to take in the Bay and surrounding area’s gorgeous view.     Our next destination on the journey was to sample some of Jeonnam’s delicious food. Everyone was feeling the effects of our brisk walk so this definitely went down well. With Suncheon being by the coast we were of course obligated to enjoy some locally sourced sea food. We had a spectacular spread of mackerel stew and all the usual Korean side dishes. I think there was some subconscious protein-loading in preparation for our next stop, as there wasn’t a scrap left in the place. I’d know – I checked!               Taking the Temple Stay, a personal highlight of the tour, was a refreshingly informative, exertive and enjoyable experience. This particular temple is one of Korea’s three most famous and sits in a picturesque setting. The complex is surrounded by mountains while a cool stream runs alongside it. During the time we spent with these practicing monks we lived as they lived, did as they did. This included a 3am wake up and 108 consecutive bows – yes, it was as hard as it sounds! That’s not to say it wasn’t exceptionally invigorating. After completing that feat of endurance we joined the monks in their morning prayers. This infectious, rhythmic activity was initially intimidating but quickly felt natural and helped us ease ourselves into the day (it was still dangerously early at this point.) A short trip to the food hall and a quick early morning rest later we were back on our feet enjoying the complete tour of the Temple. It’s certainly understandable why this temple is considered so iconic amongst all the others. It is spectacularly beautiful. The tour was conducted by a fellow foreigner: an American monk practicing Buddhism in Korea. This opened up a whole new perspective on the environment and lifestyle we were briefly apart of. I think for many westerners (myself included) Buddhism appears a distinctly Asian religion. Many of their practices can seem old fashioned and slightly off-key with most western ideals. However hearing this monk explain what he personally takes from the lifestyle was both a humbling and interesting experience. The GIC Tour team did a fantastic job setting up this hugely enjoyable trip. That along with the great group of people made for a top notch weekend. Cheers guys!