Korea Pavilion at Kazakhstan expo is unforgettable memory

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Aigerim Sadykova

Photos∙Video = Aigerim Sadykova

On this day, June 10, 2017, over one million people, especially Kazakhstanis, were waiting for a long time. That was the day when representatives from 115 countries, including Korea, and 22 international organizations gathered in Astana to show their vision of "Future Energy" at an international exhibition. I had the chance to visit the Korea Pavilion and share with you my amazing and unforgettable memories.  

There was a big event that happened in my homeland for the first time. According to Korean Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kim Daesik, this year Kazakhstan and Korea celebrated the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. He said that Expo 2017 would allow for the development of cultural and industrial cooperation between the two countries. The expo lasted three months, from June 10 to Sept. 10.

The first thing that catches the eye when you approach the Korea Pavilion in the Asian sector of the expo is a facade or signboard that's surrounded by countless mirrors in the form of seeds. These "seeds of energy" express the hope that Korea has to spread the energy of the future across the whole world, said Kim JaeHong, president of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). You can see your reflection in the small mirrors. It looks very beautiful and unusual. I think the facade of the Korea Pavillion is one of the brightest and can absolutely stick in your memory.  

The second thing that’s hard not to notice are the long queues. The reason why is not only a desire to see what's hidden behind the brilliant facade, but also the prepared show. The Korea Pavilion won the most popular pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 expo, so I think it can do it again. 

What’s expected inside, you wonder. As the creators had planned, the pavilion consists of two floors. That suggests various kinds of interaction. The first floor reveals the vision of Korea. What will be the energy of the future for a country that doesn't have much in the way of natural resources? How has Korea managed to achieve its great results in the energy sector? The entire first floor is divided into three large halls.

There's a special video when you enter the first hall. The video is a masterpiece of well-known comic book artist and illustrator Kim Jung Gi. He's a worldwide phenomenon known for his speed. Also, the artist possesses phenomenal abilities as a draftsman, drawing on a large format without any layout or map as if he sees the picture in his imagination. I was most impressed by the scope of this work and his attention to detail his paintings. In his painting for this expo, he shows the history of the development of Korea's energy industry, beginning with a period of fossil fuel.

After the inspiring show, the organizers invited us to a spacious cinema in order to enjoy a performance. The main characters in this touching story are a Kazakhstani boy Astan and a Korean girl Ara. Astan flies to Jeju Island, hoping to save the trees. A solution to this problem is suggested by the charming Ara. Together, they save Jeju Island. 

The Jeju City in 2030 is a big city where nature and civilization are combined harmoniously. Every step a person takes helps to generate electricity for all the inhabitants.

The animated film is mixed with performances by artists who play the roles of the two main characters. A lot of work was done to create animated films in the first and second halls.

The Korea Pavilion prepared the most beautiful white forest I have ever seen. This is a forest of snow-white trees. I called it the "Fairy Winter Forest." 

In the last hall, the Korea Pavilion shows how nature and civilization will be combined with each other. At the entrance, visitors receive Samsung tablets to be connected with the trees that talk about the technologies used actively in Korea. They are electricity saving, electric stations, intelligent heating systems and energy-independent cities. There's also a solar-powered aircraft that can make an uninterrupted voyage around the globe, and a car with hydrogen fuel.

Our journey through the Korea Pavilion doesn't end there. We go up to the second floor that is dedicated to the rich history of Korea. Guest of every age can satisfy their curiosity here. Toys of the cartoon penguin Pororo are prepared for children. K-pop music and Korean soap operas are shown for pop fans. People interested in sports can see clips about the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and about Jeju Island, all while wearing 3-D glasses. 

I couldn't stop myself from trying on the 3-D glasses. Wearing 3-D glasses, I found myself on a hill, ready to jump off and try ski jumping from a springboard. It seemed as if I really was an athlete who was about to become an Olympic champion. 

By the way, there's a restaurant with traditional Korean cuisine and a shop for Korean souvenirs on the second floor. It was like you were visiting Korea without leaving your homeland. 

One of the ambassadors for the Korean pavilion is actor Seo Kang Joog. Kazakhstanis really love him, especially after his visit to the "Feel Korea 2016" event. Another "ambassador" is the world-famous cartoon character Pororo the penguin. As a representative of an endangered species, Poropo the penguin tells children about the theme of the Korea Pavilion through his cartoons in a very cheerful and easy manner.

Also, the creators of the Korea Pavilion offer visitors various performances and concerts.

On July 18 there was a concert with famous singers from Korea. The pop groups AOA, Highlight Beast and B1A4 all performed. K-pop fans in Kazakhstan were excited to see the concert.

I also suggest watching a video I prepared for the Talk! Talk! Korea 2017 contest, where I talk about the Korea Pavilion.

Here's my journey to the Korea Pavilion at Expo 2017.

wisdom117@korea.kr

How to enter Korean universities if you are foreign students?

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Aigerim Sadykova

Photos = Aigerim Sadykova

Representatives of 25 Korean universities visited Kazakhstan to participate in the «Education in South Korea» exhibition held in Astana and Almaty on April, 2017. Presented themselves the best universities in South Korea: Korea University, well-known as a part of SKY universities (the acronym SKY refers to 3 most prestigious universities in country: Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei universities), also Hanyang University, Inha University, Dongguk University, Kongju National University and others from Seoul, Daejeon and Busan cities. 

Each university prepared information brochure in two languages: Kazakh and Russian as Kazakh is a state language and Russian used to be interethnic communication language. Useful information for undergraduate and graduated students, who hadn’t had any idea how to get an education in Korea, included preparation for admission, admission procedure and qualification, tuition fees, university life and life in Korea overall.

After the exhibition, I took an interest in education in South Korea as a foreign student and thanks to this event found out in which direction I have to develop myself. Meanwhile, I searched which universities Korean students choose in Kazakhstan. And what kind of advantages can have both sides. 

Presents from 25 Korean universities to quests of exhibition “Education in South Korea” 

After some searching, I want to present you my “Education guide for international students from South Korea and Kazakhstan”.

Education in South Korea cheaper than in Europe or USA, but more expensive than in Kazakhstan. As any international student, Kazakhstani student interested in scholarships provided by Korean universities. The real surprise for you can be fact that Kazakhstani students study either on a paid basis or on a full provision of the state, which can be obtained upon admission. Scholarships are a seldom thing there, if only you didn’t win governmental education grant. Unfortunately, there are no scholarships for foreign students. Therefore, scholarships suggested by Korean universities are wonderful motivation. 

President of KIMEP University in Almaty Dr. Chan Young Bang

South Korean students mostly choose two universities in Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP) in Almaty and L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) in Astana. Students who interested in studying abroad got to know about KIMEP from KBS channel’s program. This program covered up the detailed story about KIMEP and University President Dr. Chan Young Bang.

When Almaty is cultural center, Astana is an administrative capital, where all official meetings held. These two cities of Kazakhstan distinguish not only by the weather and nature, but also by architecture, hence it can affect to choice of international students. 

Speaking of ENU, in 2014 university participated in an education exhibition in Seoul, whereupon some Korean students decided to come to Kazakhstan. For that year, eight students from the Kyungsung, Hankuk and Yonsei universities were enrolled in ENU. Actually, I’ve been studying in ENU for three years in the faculty of “Journalism and Political science”. Next year I will finish my bachelor, and I hope I will pass all Master degree application exams in Korea. 

The big problem Kazakhstani and Korean students can deal with is language. Outside university campus, the majority of the inhabitants speak their native languages. In South Korea – in Korean, in Kazakhstan – in Kazakh or Russian. For both sides it can be difficult at first months, but after practicing with native speakers, it becomes easier and more interesting. 

International students who want to study in Korea can learn more here:

http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/main.do

A full-sized educational guide for international students from Korea and Kazakhstan can be found here:

http://imgur.com/CzmXTA6

wisdom117@korea.kr

Actions speak louder than words

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Aigerim Sadykova

Photos = Kang Sergei

Korea.net has launched a new collaborative project with its honorary reporters around the world. Each honorary reporter will write a story on the same topic, but from each of their own home cities or countries. The stories will then be shared with our community of Korea.net readers.

For the first subject in the series, Korea.net asked our honorary reporters to send in a touching story from their home communities. Here's our 18th story in this series, this time from Kazakhstan. 

"Actions speak louder than words," as the saying goes. Recently, I had a chance to get acquainted with a person who is characterized by these words. Kang Sergei (강 세르게이) is the father of three children and the supporter of his family. He is also an excellent organizer and an enthusiastic man with a good sense of humor.

Kang Sergei and his family pose for a photo. 

He is glad to talk about his children and about the importance of family values, which are imbedded in both the Korean and Kazakh people. With pride he talks about the achievements of his life, the taekwondo club Arlan. In 2015, Sergei, together with his wife Julia, created the Children and Youth Sports Club TDK Arlan in Astana, the capital. From the Kazakh language, the word Arlan translates a "wolf," so the club has the logo of a gray wolf.

Kang Sergei runs a small gym that teaches taekowndo in Astana. 

The inspiration for the gym was Kang’s son, Maxim.  As an ethnic Korean Kazakhstani, Sergei chose taekwondo for his son. At the age of seven, Maxim started practicing taekwondo. Now, the 12-year-old Maxim is a master of sports and participates in all kinds of competitions and receives diplomas and medals.

In 2015, Sergei understood that it was time to create his own gym in order to support his son. Friends whose children also practice taekwondo gave Sergei the chance to start a good deed. Sergei began preparing the official documents and searched for a suitable place to rent. If you ask what difficulties he encountered, Sergei’s answer is, "There were no difficulties." Frankly, it was a great challenge to start everything from scratch, to find like-minded people, professional taekwondo trainers and to get recognition from the Kazakhstan Taekwondo Federation (WTF).  Moreover, he has successfully continued his business for one year and four months, training 60 children. 

A trainer of the Arlan taekwondo gym coaches his students. 

It seemed difficult to find a spacious room for training. However, luckily there was an empty cellar in Sergei’s apartment building. He reached an agreement with the owner of the apartment, agreeing to a single condition: to do the renovations himself.

"I personally painted the walls," Sergei said with a laugh, mentioning collecting money with his friends. 

Children learn not only taekwondo but also family values at the taekwondo gym. 

Even if Sergei isn't very good at taekwondo, he began to understand the sport. The network of karate is well-developed in Kazakhstan, he said, but taekwondo is only developing. According to Sergei, generally the trainers there control taekwondo classes. However, a good coach on rare occasions can be a good marketing manager. Sergei believes that the main advantage of their gym Arlan is that parents control it. This is not a source of income for the parents. It's a desire to develop their children. Under these circumstances, the coaches focus on the training only. 

Kang also said, "You can’t earn money in sports. People like me live with enthusiasm. I've met good people since our gym opened. I know many people, and they respect my family. Since I have a basic salary, the gym Arlan is my hobby.” Actually, Sergei’s occupation is in medicine and pharmacology. 

The gold medal winner, Damira (left), and Raiymbek, a participant in the competition, take part in the Mayor's Cup in Astana in 2016. They are Arlan’s pride.

Sergei shared his plans. He wants to develop Arlan as a public association with the idea of family leisure. "The children would do taekwondo, while the parents would go to the library that I'm going to open this summer. Grandparents would play chess.” He believes that there's no need to criticize. We must encourage the public to act and to spread family values. He wants children to learn their historical roots, and to develop and move forward.

"I live for children. They make me young. When I retire, I will continue to handle the gym Arlan," said Sergei.

Sergei’s children also practice taekwondo. 

After talking with Sergei, I attended a taekwondo class. I didn’t expect to see such a bright and spacious room full of healthy energy. On the walls, I noticed students’ diplomas and photos, the flags of Korea and Kazakhstan, and a huge poster with the image of the wolf Arlan.  It was nice to see the youngest practicioners at 4- to 6-years-old. The children looked at me with interest and wanted to show me what they had learned. Also, the coach got on well with them. 

Sergei, as a father, along with his wife, watched the training of his second son. Their 2-year-old daughter supported her brother shouting, "Come on, come on!" In one more year, she will follow in the footsteps of her older brothers.

Saying goodbye to Sergei, I clearly remembered his saying  that can relate to everybody. "It's real. It's possible. It works. We did it, after all."

Kang Sergei’s story inspired me and other families who followed his actions. So let’s do what we planned months or years ago and we’ll be successful! 

wisdom117@korea.kr

Our seven cooking differences

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Aigerim Sadykova

The most delicious way to be acquainted with another country is to taste its national cuisine. However, the best way to understand it is to learn how to cook it. 

Months ago, I had the chance to participate in free Korean cooking classes. Every Saturday for the whole month at 11 a.m., I and another 11 students came to the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in order to be taught by a chef from one of the most famous restaurants in Kazakhstan, Korean House. Gourmets and Koreans who miss the taste of Korean royal court cuisine usually go to Korean House for dinner. 

The Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan holds cooking classes for people interested in Korean cuisine. (Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan)

In multiethnic Kazakhstan, the "national cuisine" today is a mix between Russian, Uzbek, Tatar and the cooking traditions brought to Central Asia by ethnic Korean people. Kazakhstani women like to surprise their guests with various and new dishes. Therefore, they sign up for cooking classes. I enjoy cooking. That’s why I was delighted to make some Korean food with an experienced chef. 

Everybody in the class has fun making some delicious Korean food. (Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan)

I had never before seen the kitchen of the KCC and was surprised when I entered a big, spacious and bright room, fully equipped with all the necessary cooking utensils. There were three wide tables, a refrigerator, pots and dishes, all delivered straight from Korea. By the way, the blue fishes hanging from the ceiling made the interior and our mood brighter. Some of us had never tasted Korean food before. Others, like me, had such an experience and were ready for the unusual and spicy taste. However, it was our first time cooking Korean food. 

Our chef had come to the KCC some 30 minutes before the lesson started and had prepared the ingredients food for us because we only had one hour to cook and that wasn't enough time to boil some of the ingredients. He randomly divided us into three teams. Then, four people occupied their own table, waiting for instructions and repeating the chef’s actions. After the first lesson, we decided not to change partners and were used to each other while cooking. Now, we are friends and often discuss our experiments in the kitchen.

In general, we learned how to make three dishes. There are photos of what my team prepared, following the chef’s instructions, watching how he made the food at his table. 

Well-known by watchers of Korean soap operas, the hot and spice rice cake dish tteokbokki (떡볶이) is quite delicious. (Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan)

Sweet potato starched noodles, stir fried with vegetables, is called japchae (잡채). (Aigerim Sadykova)

Stir-fried vegetables with beef is a classic Korean dish (소고기 볶음). (Aigerim Sadykova) 

During the class, I noticed some differences between Korean cuisine and Kazakhstani and even Russian cuisine. 

Soy sauce

While cooking, we used soy sauce as a salt. “If it's not salty enough, add some soy sauce,” the teacher said. Frankly, it surprised us because we don’t make food with soy sauce instead of salt. My Korean language teacher one day confessed that Kazakhstani food is very salty for him. 

Sugar

Some Korean dishes require the addition of sugar. That's why tteokbokki and japchae are sweet and spicy at the same time. I really liked that taste. It was new and a little odd. In Kazakhstan, sugar is used for desserts. Also, my country is famous for its tea addiction and  we drink tea with or without sugar, three times a day. Therefore, the chef reminded us not to forget to add sugar to the tteokbokki. We didn’t even feel that we needed more sugar and were assured that sugar must be used in tea only.

In While making tteobokki, we use sugar to make the taste a bit sweeter. (Aigerim Sadykova) 

Sunflower oil

We almost didn’t use any sunflower oil in our three Korean dishes. It was a little strange, because Kazakhstanis use oil for all their dishes, even when they make side dishes. When the pan is heated, oil must be added. From this, we can conclude that Korean cuisine is less fatty and more healthy. 

Sesame seeds

In the end, we added a tablespoon of sesame seeds for taste and for decoration. Sesame seeds or sesame oil are new ingredients for me. I saw sesame seeds for the first time when my father brought some caramelized sesame seeds, fried in honey, called gozinaki. Then I ate some Korean dishes with sesame seeds, but never used it in cooking. Sesame seeds really made the course more appetizing. 

We add some sesame seeds after making some stir-fried vegetables. Delicious! (Aigerim Sadykova) 

Half-fried vegetables

When we made the stir-fried vegetables with beef (소고기볶음), the vegetables remained only half-fried. It took one minute to finish with the vegetables. However, I'm used to fully frying the vegetables, boiled or nothing more than simply cutting them. 

Vegetables in many Korean dishes are normally only half-fried, like in japchae. (Aigerim Sadykova)

Color

All Korean dishes are colorful. We used yellow, red and green peppers, orange carrots, brown mushrooms, the red hot pepper paste gochujang (고추장) and white rice cake. The bright colors lifted the mood and stimulated our appetites, I noticed. 

Taste 

Finally, the taste of the Korean dishes was amazing, too. Korean food can be sweet, spicy and slightly sour all at the same time, without any lean taste, although initially such a taste may not be liked until you get used to it. Korean food is digestible and healthy because it consists mostly of vegetables and spicy sauces. Also, it’s rich and doesn’t leave a heaviness in the stomach. Many visitors to Kazakhstan admire the taste of meat, but still consider Kazakhstani food to be fatty. By the way, after our Korean cooking lessons, I began to think that I should add soy sauce or red pepper paste to my dishes, because I missed the unusual, special and delicious taste of Korea.

You need to be patient and attentive while cooking in order to get the sweet and spicy taste. You become healthier after eating Korean food. I think I now begin to understand the history and lifestyle of the Korean people. It was a great experience. Now, I want to cook all three Korean dishes for my birthday party in August. 

See you then.

wisdom117@korea.kr