Success!!
“How awesome it would be to be an ambassador of the culture while studying at the UofA!”
This is what I was thinking before coming to the United States. So, when the coordinator of Holcombe International Living Learning Community approached me and asked me if I’d want to be a leader of the program, Korean Night, I thought “this is it.” I was happy to take the leadership opportunity to organize this event because I was thinking of sharing the culture with the community even before coming here!
Flyer
Korean Night program has been one of the biggest and most popular programs in Holcombe Hall, which aims to share Korean culture with the community by offering different activities. I thought it was perfect because I felt that Korean culture was still not “popular” among people around the world although there are many global companies from Korea: Many people haven’t tasted Korean food or simply didn’t know much about the country. Korean Night was a great chance for us to let people know about Korea on campus.
As we proceeded with preparations, I began to feel a huge responsibility on my shoulders as a cultural ambassador and a director of the program.
Preparation was absolutely challenging. Yet, I enjoyed the whole process. I really liked the flyer I made and various components of the program we came up with. Samulnori (Korean instrumental show), Taekwondo (Korean martial arts), K-pop performance and 4 tables with different themes (Kimbap making, clothing/photo booth, craft making, and coloring). I enjoyed working with those leaders of each activity and sharing ideas with them. They were so passionate about this project.
Full of people!
Every single person I met before the event day encouraged me saying “I am looking forward to Korean Night!” Many people responded to the facebook invitation. Residents’ Interhall Congress decided to sponsor our program by providing funding. My home university, Sogang University, also sent me a package of brochures and souvenirs! These facts just made me so motivated.
However, every step to make the program successful was demanding. It is true that I faced many difficulties and concerns about the program during the preparation. I didn’t know that organizing an event required a lot of time and efforts! Supporting all team members, preparing all stuff needed for the event and organizing different components of the program in details were not easy at all. The closer the event day was, the more I felt pressure.
First impression of Korea
Finally the event night came and the program was a great success.
I was very surprised and overwhelmingly happy to hear that we had more than 270 guests at Korean Night. I was simply excited to see many people around the world were really interested in learning the Korean culture. After the event, I read all comments that people wrote about their first impression of Korea, and it was really interesting. Many of my friends told me that they enjoyed the event. And what made me very proud of ourselves was this comment I happened to overhear from somebody during the event — “This is the best cultural event that I have ever been to on campus.”
Minjun with his Friendship Family
It was a wonderful night I will never forget.
This event taught me many things. It allowed me to learn how to become a better leader and I truly believe that this experience will help my future leadership. As a Korean, I saw the potential of Korean culture and it has made me believe that our culture can reach out to many more people in many more countries in this globalized world.
Now, even after a month, I still feel proud of myself, the team and the event itself.
Let me take this opportunity to say Thank You to all of those who worked so hard for the event and those who came to the event!
You can enjoy the program on YouTube:
* Country Presentation: http://goo.gl/C8RtY
* Samulnori (Traditional Drums): http://goo.gl/mWFhc
* Taekwondo: http://goo.gl/Ilfg7
* K-Pop Dancing: http://goo.gl/HNQb2