Bits of Korea in Berlin

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Emilia Kircheva

Photos = Lilia Bozhinova and Emilia Kircheva

Lately, it has become kind of a tradition for me, wherever I travel, to look around for bits of Korea. I really can`t help it. My interest in Korea is so overwhelming that even if I'm in an old European capital, I get overly excited when I see something related to Korea.

That is also what happened while I was in Berlin a few weeks ago. Berlin is an incredible city, so full of history, monuments and stories. I find it amazing that in this city, so crucial to the history of all Europe, there is also a place for Korea.

As I was walking down on one of the most famous streets in Berlin, the Leipziger Strasse, I entered quite an unusual  square. It was the octagonal Leipziger Platz in the center of Berlin. It's located east of and adjacent to the Potsdamer Platz where the former course of the inner and outer walls is marked. Leipziger Platz was reduced to ruins during World War II and was once part of the no man's land surrounding the Berlin Wall. As Germany's most prestigious construction project after 1989's fall of the Berlin Wall, the redevelopment of Potsdamer Platz and Leipziger Platz was meant to physically reunite the two Germanies in the capital's historical center.

Right there at this historically significant place I found the Korean Cultural Center in Germany. At the entrance, one of the famous Buddy Bears greeted me with its friendly raised arms, as if it was going to hug me. The Buddy Bears were born out of an idea to bring art to the streets of a metropolis, and became an unofficial ambassador for Germany and a symbol of Berlin. Therefore, I was very happy to see one in front of the Korean Cultural Center in Germany.

I found that the center organizes many events. Every last Tuesday of the month, there's a screening of a Korean movie in a space in the center made especially for that purpose. The movie is in Korean, but there are subtitles in German and English. After each screening, all the guests are invited to join a discussion about the movie.

Every first Wednesday of the month is time for literature  in a space for reading. The evening is dedicated to conversations about German translations of Korean literature, from poetry to novels and everything inbetween. Although each of these literature meetings is assigned a special book, everybody is welcome to not only talk about the specific book, but also to exchange ideas and opinions about authors.

There is also a thematic evening under the slogan “Young Korean Talent” every last Wednesday of the month. On these evenings, visitors can enjoy Korean musical performances. Singers, instrumentalists that play traditional Korean gugak music or modern instruments and composers are just some of the possible performers there.

The program provided by the cultural center does not even stop there. Among all the regular events during the month, there are also other exciting happenings. There's a meeting with the Korean author Seo Ha Jin and with the literature critic Kang Yo Jeong, an audition for the K-Pop World Festival 2017 and much, much more.

The big central space at the cultural center is occupied by the “DamDam” gallery. On the first floor is an exhibition of jewelry, utensils, instruments and other normal objects that are showing bits of Korean traditions. The wider part of the gallery is on the second floor, a place for contemporary art, where various artists display their art in relation to Korea.

On this second floor is the larger part of the cultural center. The library, the classrooms and the special spaces are all there. The library is big, bright and full of wonders. Magazines from Korea, countless books and K-pop albums can be found here. You can watch a documentary about Korea on a big TV screen. The cultural center even has a small terrace with beautiful graffiti on the opposite wall depicting two hands that tear apart a wall between symbols for Berlin and Korea.

The courses provided at the center vary from regular language courses, to courses in calligraphy, traditional Korean musical instruments and a course on Korean movement meditation.

As I was walking out of the cultural center, I thought that if I lived in Berlin, I would have definitely been a regular visitor here.

My search for Korea in Berlin was not satisfied with the cultural center. My hunger led me to another place, a small Korean restaurant with a lot of character. The bright sign “Angry Chicken” caught my attention and so did the menu. Although I was very curious to see the “Furious Chicken,” I decided to take it easy on my first encounter and ordered a “Friendly Chicken” and some kimchi.

As I was waiting in the colorful inside of the restaurant, a song that I like very much started playing, “Beautiful” by Crush, part of the soundtrack to the TV series “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비). Munching the crispy chicken and the spicy kimchi while listening to that song made me almost forget that I was in Germany and not Korea.

My last encounter with Korea on German soil was on Sunday. One of the most popular places in Berlin on a Sunday is Mauerpark. On this day of the week, the park opens a huge flea market where one can find secondhand clothes, vintage books, jewelry, all kinds of art, food and much more. Truly an incredible place, the flea market captures the multicultural spirit of Berlin. There, among the wide variety of food from all around the world, I found a shack called “Korean Fresh Food.” Two Korean women handed me a steaming portion of marinated bulgogi beef with wide smiles on their faces. Their smiled became even wider when I said, "Gam-sa-ham-ni-da," in Korean (감사합니다).

On the next day, I'm on my way back to Bulgaria. I have the feeling that I didn't only visit Berlin, but that I managed to also see a different perspective on Korea.

wisdom117@korea.kr

Meet Shams, the distinguished Korean Arabic-learner

Sohn Wonho gives lectures on YouTube about the Arabic language. 

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nuran Sami Hassan Ibrahim

Photos, Video = Sohn Wonho

With complex and circuitous grammar rules, pronunciation sounds that don't exist in other languages, and over a hundred million words, Arabic is one of the richest and most difficult languages to ever exist. Accordingly, people of Arabic origin aren't born familiar with such a large number of words in their mother tongue, and it can be tough to learn the meaning of the many vocabulary words that exist widely across media and literature. This is why learning Arabic is a particularly massive challenge for non-native speakers. Today, Korea.net interviews a passionate Arabic language learner from Korea. Meet Sohn Wonho, a graduate student and former KBS World Radio Arabic announcer and current YouTuber whose aim is to enhance both ends of the translation bridge -- Korean and Arabian -- with the knowledge of each's traditions and linguistic heritage. 

- Please introduce yourself.

My name is Sohn Wonho and I work for the Korea National Oil Corporation. At the same time, I'm studying for my graduate degree in Islamic history and civilization at the University of Sharjah. I also manage the YouTube channel “Korean Shams in Arabic” to share information about the Arab world with all my Korean viewers.

- Your Arabic name is "Shams." Is there a reason for this? Did you pick this name for yourself?

When I started my YouTube channel, I needed a new name that reflected my image as a bridge between the Arabian world and the Korean world. So I chose "Shams, which means "sun" in Arabic, hoping that I could be a source of light for the Koreans out there who want to learn about the Arabic language and Arab countries, and also for any Arabs who want to learn more about Korea.

- When did you start learning Arabic, and why Arabic?

Actually, my father worked for a Korean fabric company, and his main sales region was the Arab world, especially the Gulf countries. He could speak one Arabic dialect, though unfortunately he couldn’t read or write, and it looked really cool to me. At that time, there were really only a few Korean people who could speak any dialect of Arabic fluently. 

In 1999, I had to choose a major at university. My father recommended I choose the Arabic language, thinking of the large number of Arabic-speaking countries. He told me that if I could speak standard Arabic, I could do something new that other people couldn't do, and that it would open my eyes to a new world that was still pretty much unknown in Korea, even though this region has been playing an important role in the world. So I chose Arabic thanks to my father.

- You have a YouTube channel under the name "Korean Shams in Arabic." What's your goal for the channel?

There are a lot of Korean people who live in the 22 predominantly Arabic-speaking countries or who visit a predominantly Arabic-speaking country for business or pleasure. However, there's little chance for them to actually learn about the Arabic language and the many Arab peoples, despite their passion for learning. I noticed that they were all learning about the Arab world on YouTube, in English. So I started to think about opening my own YouTube channel in the Korean language for Korean people, to help them approach the Arabic language and the many types of Arab people much more easily.

In the near future, I want to talk about Korea to my Arab viewers in the Arabic language on my YouTube channel.

- What Arab countries have you visited, and what for?

My first Arab country was Egypt in 2003. I studied Arabic there for six months through an Egyptian government scholarship program. I stayed in the lovely area of Doqi in Cairo.

Then I moved to Sanaa, Yemen, to improve my Arabic and lived in old Sanaa for nine months. I still remember that the Yemeni dialect of Arabic was really difficult. I couldn’t understand what they were talking about when I was at a qat meeting with my Yemeni friends.

In 2012, my company sent me to Baghdad, Iraq, as an energy adviser at the Korean Embassy in Iraq. I stayed there for one year.

Since 2013, I've lived in Dubai, UAE, and I work at the KNOC Dubai office. In September 2016, I started studying Islamic history at graduate school at the University of Sharjah.

- Have you visited any famous landmarks in the Arab world?

Yes, of course. The Middle East is full of historical landmarks. In Egypt, I’ve visited the pyramids, Luxor's Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, the Siwa Oasis and Alexandria.

Then I lived in Old Sanaa, which is a historical landmark itself, and saw the Gulf of Aden. In Iraq, I’ve visited Baghdad University, the Ziggurat of Ur, the Imam Ali Mosque and the Citadel of Erbil. 

Now that I live in the UAE, I can see new historical landmarks like the Burj Khalifa, the Burj al-Arab and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Sohn Wonho is a former KBS World Radio Arabic announcer.

- There's something about the Arabic language that, when you learn it, you have to decide, first, which dialect you're going to learn. Nobody ever uses standard, formal Arabic in their daily lives. For example, the Emirati dialect differs from an Egyptian's way of speech. So, did you specifically choose a certain dialect to learn?

These days, I'm focusing on learning the Emirati dialect. 

- Did that negatively affect your learning process?

To non-Arabic speaker, it seems that those are two different languages, even though some Arabic-speakers insist that it's the same Arabic language. So we have to study them all separately. For example, some people who study only standard, classic Arabic can communicate with any other educated Arab person without any problem. However, when they get into the daily conversation of the common Arab people, they will get discouraged, finding that standard, classic Arabic is totally different from what people actually speak on the ground.

- What do you think is the hardest part of learning Arabic?

Of course, the difference between standard, classic Arabic and the many dialects is the hardest part. I've had to overcome that. If I had to crown it all, I'd say that the dialects vary according to different areas of the Arab world.

- You studied the history of a few Arab countries, right? Which was most interesting to you?

Of course, what attracted me were the genius Arab scholars from the Abbasid Caliphate, such as Ibn Khaldun (1334-1406) and Tabari (839-923). Thanks to them, they developed the school system that can still be seen at the Mustansiriya Madrasah in Baghdad. All of us know that without them, Europe would not have experienced its Renaissance and, in turn, there would be no modern civilization in the Western World. 

- Did you find anything hard to adapt to in terms of your everyday-life in those Arabic-speaking countries?

The way you become friends in Arab countries is different from in Korea. I made my own theory for this. In Korea, there's one door in front of you, and you have to open this door to make them your friend. It's not easy to open at first, but if you knock several times, it'll open and they will be your friend. With Arab people, however, there are two doors. The first door is always open thanks to the Arab habit of always welcoming a stranger. If you want to make that Arab person your real friend, however, you have to open the second door. It's never easy and you need time and something special to share with them. Thus, it's easy for Korean people by mistake to think that an Arab has become their real friend, even though they've only opened the first door.

- Are there any positive traits or anything special you found in Arab countries, that you haven't found anywhere else?

Arabs are always open to strangers and non-Arabs, with an open mind, thanks to their spirit, and Arabs are more human in relationships than others.

- What are your goals in general?

Wherever I am, either with a company or in a personal way, I want to share what I’ve learned about all the different Arab peoples with my Korean people, to help them become closer to the Arab world, and to give information about Korea to Arabic-speakers everywhere.

Check out Shams' YouTube channel here.

wisdom117@korea.kr

Two families and instant noodles

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Abigail D. Albino

Photos = Abigail D. Albino

It all started with a strange phone call I received last March.

My father wrote my phone number on a “House for Rent” poster outside our old home near downtown Davao City in the Philippines. I didn’t sign up to be an agent for the house, but since we’re family, I had to take calls from people who were interested in renting it. I assumed it was a non-Filipino at the other end of the line when he asked me in English about the rent and number of bedrooms. By the end of the call, he said, "Ne, ne," which made me assume that this person might be Korean.

Off I went to our old house in Matina, a neighborhood in Davao City, thinking that this might be another potential renter that would back out due to this or that reason. Our house is quite old, and this is where my siblings and I lived all our lives. I still kind of miss this house, but we were now living in a new and smaller home somewhere far from downtown.

I met Pastor Lee first and he introduced me to Pastor Kim and his wife. With them was a Filipina who was fluent in Korean. I showed them around the house and discussed what they wanted with it. There were times that they would speak in rapid-fire Korean in front of me. They have been looking for a house in Davao City for four days in the sweltering weather, which would reach 35 C on most days. They had to decide now because the pastor and his wife would have to go back to Korea the next day. 

Pastor Kim (left), his wife Gumyoun (second from left), Pastor Lee (third from left), Anna (fourth from left), their Filipina translator, and the author pose for a photo outside the house.

I didn’t expect anything. I think it was a mixture of desperation, tiredness and the thought that “this house will do” that led made them come to the decision to sign the rental agreement immediately.

Over the next few weeks, my family and I prepared the house for the Kim family. We weren’t able to do everything they asked because we still had to wait for our father to come home in June. I was always worried about how the Korean family would find our house.

The two families first meet

Pastor Lee asked me to pick up Pastor Kim’s family at the airport because no one could help them at that time. I was happy when I met Pastor Kim and his wife, Gumyoun samonim, again, together with their three kids. Their baggage filled up the entire van, which made me think that they were definitely going to live here for good. I was informed that they were going to live here for five to 10 years as missionaries. There were many Korean missionaries that came before them. Many of these missionaries have lived in the Philippines for so many years that they’ve made quite a difference in their respective communities.

I found that my family and their family have certain similarities. They have two girls and one boy, while our family also has two daughters and a son. My father needed to take regular insulin injections, while Pastor Kim needs to inject magnesium sulfate every one to two months. The eldest daughters in both families also wear braces. 

I had the feeling that everything would just fall into place.

I believe the Kim family has been our best tenants so far. The house is always spic-and-span; I want to go back and live there again. When we lived there for 25 years, the house was always messy. We are a family of pack rats and the house was always in shambles no matter how often we cleaned it. I’m happy that our old home is being taken care of by new tenants.

The Doromal-Albino family (left) and the Kim family learn to live together.

Day-to-day life

The drive back home from the airport was interesting. We mostly communicated through Google Translate. I tried my best to understand what they wanted to tell me. I knew it! I should have hustled in learning Korean when I had the chance. Lesson learned: If you have the time to learn a new language, do it now before it’s too late.

We helped them settle in the house, and left early because we needed to pick up my sister at the hospital. Before we left, they gave us a lot of presents: boxes of instant noodles, a mosquito net, ballpoint pens that we could also use as a stylus, reusable shopping bags, a ceramic mug and a tray stand. My heart just melted. 

Pastor Kim sent me a message via Kakao Talk that the person who would install the internet had come to the house. I called the person in charge of it and he said they’re just communicating with “yes” or “no” while installing. The Koreans only knew a little bit opf English, and the same went for the Filipino who installed their internet, but -- hey -- at least the internet installation was a success!

We went to the house regularly because we wanted to make sure they could adjust to their new life in the Philippines. We helped them install a gas tank, find an English tutor, and also get a dog that would guard the house. My mother told me that we should always help them because even if we might not know it now, helping them might be the key for them to help a lot of people, especially the poorest of the poor here in the Philippines.

Solving health issues

We usually communicated using Google Translate. They would translate their Korean phrases or sentences into English. I would translate my English into Korean. Most of the time it helps, but I really needed to hustle up with my Korean. I wanted to meet them halfway. As they learned English through a tutor, I also wanted to become better in Korean. 

Then one morning, Pastor Kim sent me a message to ask if I knew a doctor. I said that my sister was a doctor. He asked what “treatments do we have.” I tried to ask what were the symptoms. He said that he couldn’t lift his finger, so off we went to the house to see what was going on. We were relieved that Pastor Kim was already being assisted by their Filipino community leader, being taken to a local hospital to get an injection. We told him that there was a clinic near the house where he could get a nurse to do it. It took some time for both sides to communicate, and Pastor Kim drew something like this:

It took a while for my sister and I to understand that the drawing meant “home service.”

My sister contacted an IV therapist who could come by the house every month or so to assist Pastor Kim with his medicine. 

My sister also did a quick check up on their son, since he had gotten sick for four days. His fever was gone, but he would get rashes each time he took a bath. She wrote a prescription and instructed him to take one tablet now and another one before bedtime. The boy just gave her a mischievous grin which made my sister realize that the kid had no idea what she was talking about. We bought the medicine and dropped it off with them before going back home ourselves.

I was really touched because whenever we’d say goodbye to them, they would all walk together out of the house and bow to us as we left. 

The hearts of my family would melt with such thoughtfulness and respect. We don’t have such customs here in the Philippines, so it’s new to us.

All those times that Google Translate saved us or failed us, the sign language, the yeses or nos, the switching between English, Korean, Tagalog and Bisaya, and the drawing of pictograms in the hope that people who speak different languages could understand each other: I have now truly witnessed that there’s indeed love and care among people, no matter which country they came from and no matter how high the language barrier may be.

The family that I've come to love

To Pastor Kim Jeongrak and his wife Gumyoun, together with their kids Sung Eun, Eun Bin, and Sung Bin, thank you for coming into our lives. I am 100 percent sure that God is on your side wherever you go. I pray for your health, safety and happiness as you live here in the Philippines. May you succeed with your missionary work and I look forward to more experiences with you. From my family to yours, kamsahamnida!

wisdom117@korea.kr

Korean bookstore opens in Malaysia

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nur Jannah Zulkifli
Photos = Nur Jannah Zulkifli


The last time I visited the city of Subang Jaya in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, I attended the grand opening of a new Korean bookstore hosted by the Korea Language House (KLH).The KLH Korean Bookstore is located in the neighborhood of USJ 21 in Subang Jaya, just opposite of the Main Place shopping mall. This Korean bookstore is the first in Malaysia and one of the founders is Miss Jane.

Due to the high demand for Korean books by Korean language lovers, the KLH decided to open a Korean bookstore for those who are interested in the Korean language. Some of the books are from the Korean Society Organization in Malaysia, and 50 percent of them were imported from Korea directly.

“I realized that many people nowadays like the Korean language and that they're looking for Korean books to improve their Korean skills, especially my students,” said Miss Jane.

This Korean bookstore also sells new and secondhand books, for example, children story books, comics and novels, and Korean language reference books. All of the books are sold at reasonable prices and some of them even have discounts.

Many people come here and buy a lot of books because of the discounts. This store also has a lucky draw for those who come early to its events.

“Most of our beginner students like to read children books because they can easily understand the Korean grammar,” said Miss Jane.

I also met Miss Jane’s daughter who can read Hangeul (한글) very well even though she's ethnically Chinese and only 8-years-old.

During the opening event, one of the staff made a traditional Korean seal, also known as a "dojang" (도장). The price was RM 100, about KRW 26,000, for each, including the red ink. Those who would like to buy one can give the staff their name and the staff will translate it into Hangeul (한글).

As the opening ceremony came to an end, the book store also provided some free light refreshments to those who came to enjoy the event, such as "gimbab" rice rolls, some delicious Korean kimchi, and some traditional Malaysian snacks.

wisdom117@korea.kr

Living in Nigeria as a Korean

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nnenna Ukandu 

Photo = Nnenna Ukandu

Lee Dongwook has been living in Nigeria for many years now. He recently sat down with Korea.net to share some of his experiences about what it’s like to live in Nigeria as a Korean.

Where are you currently living in Nigeria? 

I’m currently living in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Where were you born? 

I was born in Korea.

Why did you choose Nigeria? 

My father signed a contract with a Nigerian, so I am here for work.

How long have you been in Nigeria? 

I have been in Nigeria for seven years.

How long do you plan to remain in Nigeria? 

I will stay in Nigeria as long as possible.

Do you ever get home sick? 

From time to time, I get home sick, especially when I am sick.

How is the cost of living like here in Nigeria compared to Korea? 

The cost of living is high in Nigeria, but the cost of living in Korea is higher.

What do you think about the locals?

I like Nigerians because they are open-minded and friendly, but most Nigerians don’t keep to their promise so it's very difficult to work together. 

What are the things you miss most about living outside your country?

Most of the time, I miss Korean food and my friends.

Are there restaurants where you can eat Korean food?

There are no Korean restaurants in Abuja and I really want to open one.

How do you purchase Korean ingredients? 

I either get them through the mail or from other Koreans.

What are the challenges you face living in Nigeria? 

The currency, the naira, currently crashed and there's a high cost to immigration.

What do you have to say about Korean and Nigerian cultures? 

Sometimes they are very similar and very different.

What can you say about Korean and Nigerian drinking and dining etiquette? 

When they meet friends, Nigerians sometimes fail to show up on time. Dining etiquette is similar in both countries, but Koreans usually don't eat until their elder begins to eat.

Do you have tips for our readers about Nigeria?

When we see things that happen in Nigeria, we should not judge them based on our opinions, because everything that happens has a reason. So let’s try to understand Nigerians with goodwill.

wisdom117@korea.kr