Gwangju International Center

  Speaker : Michael and Dawn Fiechtner Writer : Lee Ju Yeon Co-Writer : Liza Augustoviz  Date : April 18, 2015   Michael and Dawn Fiechtner are school teachers from Australia who started a youth leadership company and their main topic was multiculturalism in Australia.  They described multiculturalism as something you can taste, see, and hear. You can taste Italian coffees and French wines. You can see a class of kids from different backgrounds. And you can hear three to four different languages being spoken on the subway.  Multiculturalism can be seen as a melting pot. It is something that is not easy and has many problems, but young people can be the ones to help build a multicultural society. They also talked about developing skills for the future. We live in a world characterized by globalization, information revolution, and democratization because of this we need to prepare the youth to be leaders. They hosted a program for Korean students to go to Australia to learn about multiculturalism. The Korean students learned to look at other cultures, to relate to others, and to be open to multicultural experiences. The speakers highlighted the importance of sharing cultures and to not worry about making mistakes because mistakes foster real experiences. Lastly, they said in their conclusion some interesting thoughts! One of the thoughts was, “There is so much more learning to achieve, but the challenge is to open the minds of the young, to accept the call to make a global society."   Photo : http://goo.gl/4SPwRV Video : http://goo.gl/M8JOZb  

      Hello everyone! GIC Tour went to Haenam last month!  Ashlyn Winter is from South Africa and teaches English in Gwangju.  She would like to tell you about how amazing this GIC Tour was!     On Saturday, March 28th, I went on my fourth GIC Culture Tour. GIC Tour led us to Haenam, the furthest point in the Korean mainland, to experience the small town culture, incredible sights and delicious food. We all gathered at the GIC early in the morning, ready for a full day with many experiences ranging from eating raw chicken to riding the longest cable car in Korea.   To start the day, we headed to the bus and it was about a 1.5 hour journey to Haenam. Our first stop was the Uhangri Dinosaur Museum and Track Site. We walked along the pathways, looking at very well-preserved dinosaur footprints enclosed in elegant wood buildings that fit seamlessly into the landscape.     Our guide, Warren Parsons, explained in great detail about the different dinosaurs and their prints. We had free time to explore the dinosaur museum at our leisure and headed back to the bus.        Next, it was lunch time. I had heard we were going to be served raw chicken as part of the first course at a countryside restaurant, but I was very skeptical. In my country, South Africa, eating raw chicken is unheard of.         The dish was indeed served and while I did not try it, other people on the tour did, and they stated that they really enjoyed it. It was a relief to know that the chicken was so fresh that it could be eaten raw, because nothing has been added to the meat and there has been no time for bacteria to grow. The next course was a whole chicken served and shared with four people and to finish the delicious meal, we had a chicken porridge.   Before heading off to the cable car, we went to Nokudang, which is the historic home site of Gosan Yoon Seon-do, who is famous for writing poetry in vernacular Korean rather than the standard Chinese of the day, much as Shakespeare was famous for writing in English. Nokudang, where the Yoon family still resides, is a beautiful forest area where we took lots of pictures.       Lastly, we headed off to our final destination for the day, Duryun Mountain, to take the second longest cable car in Korea. It takes about eight minutes to travel up the mountain by cable car, with the beautiful view of the mountain unfolding beneath you. At the end of the cable car, the many stairs to the summit was worth the effort, as the views were incredible!        On a clear day, it is said that one can see Mt. Halla on Jeju Island, but sadly, this was not the case for us. It was a little cloudy and overcast, but we saw the many islands surrounding the end of the peninsula lit up by the sun’s rays through the clouds, and the undulating mountains and changing colors and textures ranging from bare trees to spring blossoms.      It was the best way to end the day before heading down the mountain, back to the bus and back home to Gwangju.   Pictures by Jeongmin Lee Review by Ashlyn Winter   

  Speaker :  Lorryn Smith  Writer : Lee Ju Yeon Co-Writer : Joey Nunez Date : April 11, 2015 “We start with the art that is within,” said Lorryn Smit, explaining how she takes pictures during her GIC Talk entitled: “Bohemian Korea.” Lorryn, who is originally from South Africa and teaching English in Gwangju, first bought a small camera. She played with the camera’s applications, before working with Joe Wabe, a Gwangju English teacher originally from U.S.A., and developing her skills with taking pictures on film.   The two revived Joe’s organization as Bohemian Korea, with the purpose of showing original and creative work of Korea, specifically with Gwangju. The two noticed that postcards were hard to buy in Korea, so they worked together to develop them in Korea.   Lorryn explained that postcards originally began with stamps and envelopes, and color images were first contributed from Kodac company photographers. Postcards arose in popularity in Western culture some time, with countries circulating images through postcards, no longer using envelopes. Nowadays, with the rise of technology and e-mail communication, postcards are used more as keepsakes to give as gifts, not being mailed out as much anymore.   “We have good dynamics,” Lorryn stated, showing how Lorryn and Joe originally design and logistically plan their photographed images. “We are working together, using our strengths.”   Both photographers chose and continue to choose to work in Gwangju, because of the values in an art city. At the end of the Presentation, both Dr. Shin Gyonggu and Joe commented that Bohemian Korea has added both color and spirit.   Postcard images are available for purchase. Find “Bohemian Korea” on Facebook.     Photo : http://goo.gl/UasWlN Video : http://goo.gl/Oe2AOW  

GIC News in March 2015 Check out what's happening at the GIC on March!   "As You Wish" Calligraphy Opens with Lots of Interest! [March 4] Do you know that we can analyze someone's character through his/ her handwriting? Calligraphy is also an art form to do so, as well as to discover one's personality. "As You Wish" Beginner Calligraphy Class was held for only 4 sessions but received a warm welcome. Participated by Koreans and internationals, it is one unique class you shouldn't miss!   Enthusiastic participants of the Calligraphy Class Photo by Lee Jeongmin (GIC Intern)   Many new classes open! [March 14] From March, GIC introduces many new classes, catering to Korean and international residents, from kids to adults. For kids, there are Kids Art Camp, Sing Along in ABC and Kids Chinese Class, and for adults, there are Calligraphy Class, Flower arrangement, Silkscreen, Zumba, a new Latin Language Class and many more! Discover your new talents and learn new things while making new friends and networking with the GIC!   Freecycle [March 14] Freecycle, the spirit of giving the community held its third event on March 14 on GIC's auditorium. An estimate number of 400 people came that day and took part in the event. Freecycle hopes to reduce the amount of trash while giving back to the community.   Freecycle event was a huge success! Photo courtesy of Lianne Bronzo   GIC Trek Second Trip [March 14] Second GIC Trek included the experience of Mudeung Mountain chairlift, learn about the Joseon burial tombs, Pyeongdume Village up to Chungjangsa Shrine. Mudeung Mountain is proven once again as the most beloved trekking site in Gwangju for both locals and internationals alike! Check out the review of the day here: http://goo.gl/D8ZXD1   GIC Trek participants visited Chungryeolsa in Mudeung Mountain Photo by Lee Jeongmin (GIC Intern)   Interview with KEPCO President and CEO [March 17] Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has moved its headquarters to Naju Innovation City or Bitgaram. This will significantly contribute to the development of the area. GIC and Gwangju News had the opportunity to meet face to face with the KEPCO CEO, Mr. Cho Hwan-eik about his plan for his company and South Jeolla province. To read the full scoop, check out Gwangju News April 2015 issue!   From left-right: Warren Parsons (GIC Tour Guide and Gwangju News Creative Consultant, Mr. Cho Hwan-eik, Kim Minsu (GIC Coordinator), Hong Jin-tae (GIC Board Member) Photo courtesy of Warren Parsons   New Members Welcome our new members in March: Heidi Eisert, Jimmy Nguyen, Nancy Nguyen, Laura Zoellner, Lauren Shand, Chris Madden, Joshua Warlick, Monique Mathew, Elizabeth Benecki, Adrianna Aviles, Carl Hedinger, Won Ga Bin

  Generally speaking, personal finance books fall into one of two categories: those that offer step-by-step instructions on how to improve your financial situation and those that discuss how to think about money.  Rich Dad, Poor Dad is definitely in the latter category. I have some pretty mixed feelings on this book, because while Kiyosaki discusses some very intriguing ideas, he also at times descends into a rambling assembly of derogatory comments, disjoined commentary and inflammatory jargon that amounts to nothing.   On a positive note, Rich Dad, Poor Dad avoids overly technical language and contains a number of pretty cool "cash flow" diagrams, which make Kiyosaki's explanations easy to follow. Also, a lot of the book is written in the style of a parable, so it is more like reading a story, rather than a textbook. As well, I have to admit that the book provides a fresh perspective on financial matters, redefining what count as "assets." Kiyosaki says an “asset” is anything that generates revenue for you. Under this definition, the house you own and live in is not an “asset.” The ultimate goal, according to the book, is to reach a level where the income generated by your assets is greater than your expenses. So in theory, if you had a vending machine that provided you with enough profit to cover your rent and groceries, you would be "rich." While this is a nice idea, it is one of the last good ones in the book.   A lot of advice in Rich Dad, Poor Dad is far from practical and I feel that Kiyosaki tries to appeal to people's greed rather than common sense. For example, he describes multiple real-estate deals in which he claims to have made five-figure sums over a few days with little or none of his own money. To me that sounds too good to be true.  Something else that really irks me is that he repeatedly talks about all the cars and expensive stuff he has, as if the point of becoming wealthy is just to participate in conspicuous consumption.   But by far, my biggest gripe with this book is that Kiyosaki is opposed to living within one's means and instead insists that one should constantly seek to "increase one’s means." This sounds good in theory, but it also ignores that all too common phenomenon called "lifestyle inflation," meaning that when we make more money, we almost always spend more of it. Also, quotes such as "use the financial pressure (from lack of money) to inspire your financial genius to come up with new ways of making more money and then pay your bills" are laughable and not particularly helpful.   So basically, if you are looking for a way to pay down credit card debt or balance your cheque book, this is definitely not the book for you. I tend to feel that a more sensible approach to building wealth is to practice self-control and living below your means: not by taking on risky business deals as the author suggests.  That being said, I still think Rich Dad, Poor Dad is worth a read, because it will definitely help you think of money differently. 

  Speaker : Paul Starr Writer : Lee Juyeon Co-Writer : Ashlyn Winter Date : March 28, 2015   Paul started out his talk by telling us about himself and his passion for painting fantasy and sci-fi models. Painting fantasy and Sci-fi miniatures is a time consuming process as the models are usually very small and the detailed. Miniature models are used in games such ass ‘Legend of the old west’, ‘ Flames of war’, ‘ cold war commander’, ‘chain of command’, ‘warhammer 40k’, ‘MERCS’, ‘war hammer fantasy’ and ‘dungeons & dragons’. When Paul is not teaching or busy, you can always find him playing a game with his friends. Paul shared with us how to cast and sculpt miniature model. He explained that most models are originally green in color, but can also be made of metal, plastic or resin. There are so many supplies needed to paint miniature models. Some of these includes a hobby knife, brushes, files, paint and the miniature models.  Lastly Paul told us how he paints his own miniature models. Firstly you need to prepare the miniature models; this includes using a hobby knife to take away excess material. Once the model is prepared, you need to choose the colors and then paint the basecoat layer. Put ink on it to make the detail of models stand out. Lastly use other colors to highlights details of models. Each layer added to the miniature model gives the character more details and makes it more ‘real’.     Photo : http://goo.gl/oN2L1a Video : http://goo.gl/bsBBHU  

  Speaker : Lisa Crone Writer : Lee Juyeon Co-Writer : Bradley Weiss Date : March 28, 2015   On March 28th speaker Lisa Crone gave a GIC Talk titled “Finding Your Element: Inspirational Guide to Help Yourself” at the GIC. The inspiration for her talk was the books “The Element” and “Finding Your Element” by Ken Robinson, PhD. Lisa described “the element” as something that makes one feel energized, but which not everyone discovers or is aware of. Lisa related how, after reading Dr. Robinson’s books and a relaxing trip to Bali, she was able to reflect and find her own element, recognizing her own personal attraction to and aptitude for music.  The speaker also discussed the features of one’s element, including finding something someone has both an aptitude and passion for, as well as the necessary conditions, including the opportunity to find one’s element. She included some general tips for the audience to find their own element, including finding people with similar interests, finding a mentor to guide, and not being afraid to “swim against the tide”.  One of the important features of the speaker’s presentation was the idea of multiple intelligences – people’s element can lie outside of what is traditionally viewed as “intelligent” areas.  One interesting addition to her talk was testimonials from people in her life, such as her brother and close friends, who have found their element, and how they went about doing so.  The most important message Lisa tried to convey to the audience was to just find what they each want to do and, even if it’s difficult, to just do it!     Photo : http://goo.gl/qcrp8F Video : http://goo.gl/uOpE87  

  Speaker : Dave St. John Writer : Lee Jueun Co-Writer : William Urbanski Date : March 21, 2015     On a beautiful first day of spring with many people in attendance, Dave St. John gave a GIC Talk about “Table Top Gaming in Gwangju.”.     This talk explained the reasons why people started playing games and the history of gaming. Surprisingly, gaming started over 5,000 years ago. All over the world, people played games and we have evidence of games from the ancient Mesopotamian civilization as well as historical Iran and Iraq. Moreover, he explained many kinds of games such as dice, Mancala, Backgammon, and Chess.  The talk also featured interesting commercials and short videos of games. This talk was pretty different than previous GIC Talks because afterwards, everyone was invited to play some board games with each other which made the atmosphere active.    Dave also gave information about International Table Top day, on April 11, 2015. You can learn more about it at www.tabletopday.com or by visiting The First Alleyway, the American restaurant in Chungjangno, on that date. This will be an perfect opportunity to gather around family and friends by playing games.    During the Q and A portion of the talk Dave addressed a negative stigma surrounding gamers in general, saying, “You do not have to be a nerd, you just need an imagination, and everyone has an imagination.” Also, addressing the recent resurgence of board games, he said, “The great games will only help the industry grow and table top gaming is only going to grow.”      Photo : http://goo.gl/853U05 Video : http://goo.gl/ub1yNg  

    Solene has been working as an international intern in Gwangju International Center from this March. She participated in GIC Trek and wrote review about the 2nd GIC Trek on March 14th. She would like to share what she felt and learn during the Trek!!   *   On Saturday, March 14th,  I went on the GIC Trek, organized by the Gwangju International Center.  This trek was only the second time for the event, but a great number of people hiked with us.  Warren Parsons, our American guide, has been living in South Korea for seven years, so his Korean is close to perfect. He is highly knowledgeable about the Jeollanam-do province and the city of Gwangju. This trek led us to the lower elevations of Mudeung Mountain. Both Korean and international residents joined this trek, enjoying small talk before hiking.      I first talked with a girl from America and another woman from the Philippines. We all like hiking, and joining the GIC Trek was a way for us to know more about the region and discover a part of Mudeung Mountain where we probably would have never been by ourselves.      On the way to the bus stop, Warren showed us Art Street behind the GIC and explained how important it is to be curious and interested in what is happening around us. While waiting for the bus to come, we learned about a monument used during the May 18th Uprising by the media to register the demonstration and have a better overlook for the people. One of the participants told me that she uses this bus stop almost every day but had never actually looked at this monument. Now she will probably walk to the top of it to enjoy a better view over Gwangju and see the bus coming.    The first activity of the day was to go up the mountain by using an old chairlift which had been recently renovated. This lift went up slowly and gave us another way of looking at the mountain, allowing us to keep our energy to hike more once we reached the top of the mountain.       The lift departed from the Jisan Recreation Area, where Koreans used to go on dates and admire the view of the city while having fun in the bumper cars. The top of the chairlift gave us a breathtaking view over Gwangju. On one side of the mountain, you can see the entire city surrounded by mountains, and on the other side, people can admire the beauty of the mountain itself. Just by turning around the view is totally different.      After taking a few pictures, we started to hike towards the Joseon Burial Tombs. We did not go to very high elevations during the hike, as Warren explained, since the best places for majestic people to be buried as well as for animals to live is not at the peak of the mountain but on the sunny side of it, where rivers flow. Burial tombs are quite easy to miss if you do not know the way. This is why going on the GIC Trek with a guide is a better way to discover the region without missing anything.      While hiking, we passed several holy sites that were created to respect the deceased. A two-trunk tree for example had been venerated for years, as it is a rare phenomenon to have two trees grow together and shows the beauty of nature. The trek led us from the Joseon Burial Tombs to Pyeongdume Village, where an uncommon Buddhist temple sits in a quiet and peaceful place. I would have not imagined this place to be a temple as no characteristic building is to be seen there. Monks offered to have lunch with us but we had other plans in mind so we had to sadly refuse. Hopefully next time, we will get to say yes.   After walking a few more minutes through a forest, we arrived at a farm-raised chicken restaurant, where we ate a delicious meal full of new flavors for me. It reminded me of Samgyetang but we ate adult chicken instead of a chick.     We shared each chicken among four to five people, so it was a good way to talk with other participants that I did not have time to talk to before.       After lunch, we visited the shrine Chungjangsa dedicated to the general Kim Deok Ryeong. The GIC Trek ended at that point, where we admired the temple, burial tombs and where we took some more pictures. After stretching to relax our bodies, we took the bus back to GIC.    This Trek was a great experience for me as it allowed me to meet Korean families as well as foreigners, while learning a lot about both Gwangju and Mudeungsan National Park. I fully encourage everybody to join these treks, as I know they will all be as interesting as what I experienced on Saturday, March 14th!!       Pictures by Ho-ki Kim and Jeongmin Lee Review by Solene Heurtaux         *** Next GIC trek is scheduled on April 11th. Signing up is available from the first week of April.    

  Speaker : Mark Stock Writer : Taehoon Park Co-Writer : Ashlyn Winter Date : March 7, 2015   Today we had Mark Stock share with us a talk entitled “Gwang-ju Foreign School: Preparing a new Korean Generation”. He spoke about the life of typical foreign student at this school and how contrasting their education is to that of being taught in a Korean school. He introduced us the curriculum, which is an American based curriculum and very different to the Korean curriculum. This curriculum focuses on developing problem solving skills, encourages students to participate in after school extra curriculum activities and become global citizens. The students at Gwang-ju Foreign School study in very different ways in comparison to Korean students. There is a hands-on approach to learning and students are actively involved in the process. The principal wants his school get more involved in Gwang-ju’s community. The students have already raised funds for a recent disaster in the Philippines and they also work at the orphanage in Gwang-ju, helping where they can.  The principle has high hopes for the future of his school. In the future, he hopes to have more students to enable them to offer more opportunities and courses. The principle wants his students to be leaders and problem solvers. Through teaching and guiding them in their years at school, he gives them tools to do so.   Photo : http://goo.gl/JnZViN Video : http://goo.gl/wGRZqX