Gwangju International Center

 French Presence in South Korea   Speaker: Ishwar Arnold Rocke Date: Nov 26, 2013 Review writer: Chanmi Moon Proofreader: Sam Winters   This talk is presented by the French Consul, Ishwar Arnold Rocke, regarding the topic of “French Presence in South Korea”. The consul’s talk deals with the close relations between France and Korea with a particular focus on the presence of French nationals in Korea and vice versa . He also talks about the history of the two countries’ relationship and the lifestyles of French and Korean immigrants living in each country. His talk is particularly frank and straightforward, but also friendly and entertaining, with many familiar examples and concise answers during the Q&A.  One particular strength  about his talk is that he delivers lots of necessary information that audience members are likely to want to know about issues related to the French Embassy. Though he keeps his talk brief, he also makes it very informative and interesting at the same time.   Watch photos:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.187727468084143.1073741833.181572228699667&type=3 Watch video clips: Lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oTMtzpP8Rg Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl-efWhZvg8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw  

  Good News From Indonesia   Speaker: Fahmiranti Wida Zulfia Date: Nov 16, 2013  Review writer: Chanmi Moon Proofreader: Sam Winters   This talk is delivered by Fahmiranti Wida Zulfia, a native Indonesian who goes by Ranti, and who is now studying at Chonnam National University as an exchange student. It was so impressive that she came an hour before the talk and practiced over and over to make her talk perfect. Her thorough practice and passion is well shown in this talk, which is entitled “Good News From Indonesia”. In a slow, soft-spoken voice, she starts her speech by giving a simple question to the audience. : “What do you first have in mind when you hear the word Indonesia?” Due to the biased reporting of mass media outlets, Ranti observes, most people first draw up negative images in their minds. In order to correct this view and to inform people about the good sides of Indonesia, Ranti introduces a web site (www.goodnewsfromindonesia.org), that provides good news from Indonesia. Ranti also shows beautiful sceneries from Indonesia by sharing some videos, the purpose of which is to expose viewers to some of the lesser-known, good parts of Indonesia      Photo album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.186484851541738.1073741832.181572228699667&type=3

    We apologize for the lack of inconsistent updates regarding our move into the new building.   There have been several unexpected obstacles that have consequently forced us to postpone our date.   In middle of August, the layout of the new office was completed, however, it did not reflect our suggestions and opinions so we had to negotiate how we wanted to change the design.   The second layout was released in early October. Since it is the subsidy from the city and under regulation of the law, we requested the notice of a bid to Gwangju Public Procurement Service.   Finally, last Tuesday the construction company has chosen and next week the remodeling will start. The deadline of this construction is Jan. 9th, 2014. Unless we encounter any further obstacles, we will be able to move in January.   So far, we’ve spent 13,500,000 won for layout only.   From now on, we need to look for donations for the new space.   We need to pack the stuff and, after finishing the construction, clean the place and then move!!   There were some people who wanted to show their willingness to help on moving. Thank you!!! We will contact you later when we figure out how we are going to process the organization of the move. It is the first time for us to deal with the huge construction process, so we were not aware of the obstacles but we are trying our best. We hope we can provide more programs and services with the better environment at the new place.   Love you all!    [Support Account] Kwangju Bank 134-107-000999     

My name is Yiombi -Living as a Refugee in S.Korea    Speaker : Yiombi Thona Date : Nov 9, 2013 Review writer : Jisu Jeong Proofreader : Bradley Weiss    This talk was delivered by Yiombi Thona, a refugee in South Korea, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the lecture, he shared his autobiographical story. First, he started by talking about his birth and life in Congo. And, after that, he talked about the political background of his country and explained the circumstances that led him to become a refugee in South Korea. He used a map of Africa to help the audience to understand the political situation more easily. He also recounted his life in Korea and detailed how difficult it is to live as a refugee in Korea. At the end of his talk, he said that many Korean people don’t know about the refugees who live in Korea but they should know more about issues relevant to refugees in this country. This lecture was a great opportunity for the audience to learn about Democratic Republic of the Congo and refugee issues in Korea.       Photo Album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.184277921762431.1073741830.181572228699667&type=3 Video Clips: Lecture: http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSDeuASCVJ4 Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLbh8VC7QxQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw    

American Suburbs : the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly   Speaker : Matt Furlane Date: Nov 2, 2013  Review writer: Minseon Lee  Proofreader: Sam Winters   This talk is presented by Matt Furlane, who worked in housing construction, and landscaping, in numerous suburban neighborhoods in the Chicago area. His topic for the GIC Talk is ‘American Suburbs : the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.’ The talk spans numerous topics in relation to the suburbs in the U.S. In his characteristically calm voice, Matte explains the original purpose of the suburbs and their impact on things like climate change, the recession, crime, food, drug use, and culture. He tells us about each of these by fitting them into one of three categories: ‘the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’. Additionally, he draws a contrast with urban planning in Korea, which does not have the space for sprawling suburbs and the attendant problems of American suburban life. During the lecture, he uses visual materials like various photos and PowerPoint to deliver his speech in an effective way. This lecture is a good opportunity to look over the changes of suburban life and to think over the possible solutions for a better and more efficient model of living in the U.S and Korea.   Lecture clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM3PcXAW0Eg&feature=c4-overview&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw Q & A Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uUD8ge6wUM&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.183133021876921.1073741829.181572228699667&type=3

  As always, the 19th Annual GIC Day was a huge success! Held on 26 OCT at the World Cup Stadium, the event celebrated the diversity in Gwangju through a Country Pavilion, Culture Experience, Information Zone, Flea Market, and Talent Show! Let’s go!           The Country Pavilion was the focal point of the festival. This year the GIC hosted countries from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan, Ireland, China, Uzbekistan, Mongol, USA, India, Peru, Vietnam, Nepal. the Philippines, Egypt, Russia, and Kenya. You could smell the Chive dumplings, kimchi, pansit, langman, and a variety of other meals in the air. -   Each dish was prepared by people of the actual country and at affordable prices, too!           Next up we had the Culture Experience booths were people got to explore each culture through different games and activities from countries such as Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Philippines, and so much more!     Amongst the facepainting, wearing traditional clothes, and pottery-making, there was also a Halloween booth hosted by GFOG!             The Information Zone hosted organizations that provided information to help celebrate the international community in Gwangju. Organizations included the Jangseong High School VANK Club, UNESCO KONA Volunteers, Vagina Monologues, and Gwangju Artist Collective, amongst others.     The Flea Market sections offered different merchandise for people to shop around at great prices. There were clothes, jewelry. handcrafts, food, and many more goods sold for people by people in Gwangju!         One of the hottest booths was the Facebook event and roulette game at the Gwangju International Center booth. Many people came out to spin the wheel and gain lots of prices, purchase Gwangju-designed products, and make their own button to learn more about what the GIC has to offer.     Next up was the Talent Show which was hosted by Celestine and Wilson, two GIC Members who surprised the audience with their fluency of Korean!     Julian Warmington gave the opening performance along with a cute bear and volunteers who danced to the GIC song!   People can feel the diversity throughout the day from the performances!   Malaysia's Cultural Singing Performance                              South Korea's Tap Bellydancing Dance from the Philippines                                     Vietnamese Hat Dance                                              Indonesian Traditional Dance                                                       South Africa's Folksong         The winning team was from Indonesia for their traditional dance. Second place was taken by the traditional hat dance from Vietnam and the Malaysians placed third with a singing show. The Popularity Award was given to the Korean Bellydancing team and Philippines.     Surprisingly Indonesia also placed first for the Cultural Experience booth who set up traditional games, instruments, and clothes. Second place was awarded to GFOG’s Halloween experience and Ireland came in third place.   A very special thanks goes out to the 50+ GIC staff, volunteers, and interns for their tireless efforts in planning the event!       Another thanks goes out to the Egyptian and Gwangju Artist Collective booths for donating some of their profits to the GIC    Also, thank you to the Irish Food Booth for donating their proceeds to the GIC! We truly appreciate it!       This year’s GIC Day was such a huge success and we all hope you enjoyed it as well. We look forward to the 20th Annual GIC Day next year so see you all then!     Review/GIC Intern 'Jeremy Auzrin' Photos/GIC Day Volunteers 'Relja Kojic', 'Hoon Kim', 'Emilio Duarte Angelo Coccia'     Here is the photos of the 19th GIC Day! Click>> Picasa Web   Here is the photos of the 19th GIC Day! Click>> Facebook      

Cooperation and Competition   Speaker : Rohan Lewis Date: Oct 19, 2013 Review writer: Jisu Jeong  Proofreader: Sam Winters   This talk is presented by Rohan Lewis, a high school math teacher at Gwangju Foreign School. His topic for the GIC Talk is ‘Cooperation and Competition,’ which spans various topics and theories. In his characteristically calm voice, Rohan explains some cases and theories related to cooperation and competition, such as Dunbar’s Number and the Tragedy of the Commons, and how these are relevant to our lives in the modern world. Rohan supports cooperation over competition, but rather than make his case dogmatically, he simply puts the pieces out there for the audience to interpret on their own. During the lecture, he uses visual materials like video, photos and graphs to deliver his speech in an effective way. This lecture is a good opportunity to learn about some interesting cases and theories related to cooperation and competition in the world around us.      Lecture Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K20fJOZe4lk&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw Q & A Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS745ZLYkrY&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw  

Talk to me in Korean    Speaker: Hyunwoo Sun Date: Oct 12, 2013  Reviewer: Haeng Il Lim Proofreader: Sam Winters   This past Saturday, the GIC was honored to invite Hyunwoo Sun, the CEO of G9 Languages and a at EBS Radio. His topic for the GIC Talk was “Talk To Me In Korean”. A lot of Koreans and foreigners took part in this GIC Talk as he is famous for being a Korean teacher as well as an English teacher. His talk enlivened the atmosphere at the GIC Talk, creating a palpable buzz in the room. Using numerous personal anecdotes and PowerPoint images from his own personal collection, he actively explained how to study other languages and how to achieve goals. During the Q&A, Hyunwoo also shared what he considered to be his personal strength for language learning, as well as which language he plans to conquer next. Overall, his talk motivated people to enjoy learning languages and follow their dreams.       Watch the photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/117593299426331932940/20131012_HyunwooSun_TalkToMeInKorean Watch the videos: lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DseOvUVKX24 Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVUZDGowK-c&feature=c4-overview&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw  

   What is AMURT? Date: Oct. 5, 2013 Speaker: Dada Yogananda (British)  Review writer: Jeremiah Arurin (USA)    We were blessed to start off the GIC Talk with a performance by Didi Shivapriya, AMURT member and resident of Gwangju. AMURT, or Ananda Marga Disaster Relief, is an organization that seeks sustainable solutions to provide relief aid, reduce poverty, and environmental restoration in disaster-stricken countries such as Mongolia, Haiti, and Uganda. Our speaker, AMURT Coordinator for Northeast Asia Dada Yogananda, explained that AMURT looks to improve the quality of life through financial support in donations and volunteer assistance and working directly with the community members. Also included in his presentation was an informational video of applied success stories illustrating AMURT's efforts in over eighty countries around the world.        Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/117593299426331932940/20131005_DadaYogananda - Lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4gEqZirqBI - Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8G6L-FjtCw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw

Nepal - Korea Relations    Date:2013.09.28 Speaker : Kaman Singh Lama, Ambassador of Nepal to South Korea Reviewer: Jeremiah Arurin (USA)    This past Saturday, the GIC was honored to have Nepali Ambassador Kaman Singh Lama to share his expertise in diplomacy with South Korea as well as interest in South Korea's rapid development model. Accompanied by his wife, secretary, and brother, Ambassador Kaman Singh Lama illustrated the relations between the two countries and Nepal's strength in maritime affairs. Many visitors arrived to meet Ambassador Lama including GIC Board Member and Lawyer Lee Geun-u who presented the certificate and gifts to the honored guests. Before his talk, however, was a performance from Didi Shivapriya. She shared a song that portrayed all living beings to be a part of the larger universe. The musical performance matched the lecture in advocating unity and peace.      Photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/117593299426331932940/20130928_NepaleseAmbassador Video: - Lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JerK-V-vZAk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw - Q & A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3YQVVoyp3g&list=UUw22s4ed3HHu1d7g-teo_yw