Locality Summer School

I consider myself a really lucky person that I got this special chance to participate in ‘2018 Locality Summer School’ program.

Despite the fact that I've been learning Korean language for four years and had visited South Korea several times before Summer School, I couldn't say that I had had a lot of Korean friends and had been rather reluctant to communicate with people. However, ‘2018 Locality Summer School’ project changed it all.

First, ‘2018 Locality Summer School’ program gave me a rare opportunity to attend classes taught by one of the best professors of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

These special lectures for international students were mainly focused on Korean history and culture and thanks to them all of international students got to understand better Korean people, their culture and history. The professors were sincerely enthusiastic about teaching us new interesting things and this contagious passion inspired us to learn about the Land of Morning Calm even more. I am truly grateful to them for their hard work and especially devotion to their job as it encouraged us to evolve and broaden our minds and I am sure will continue to inspire other students as well. The professors also told us about their own experience and shared with us a lot of valuable advice, and listening to their personal stories was very fascinating and refreshing.​ 

We also went to the largest theme park in whole South Korea called Everland. As we do not have such big amusement parks as Everland in Russia, I was very excited to visit it and the anticipation was definitely worth it.

I was stunned the first moment I entered Everland. It is decorated to create an atmosphere of a fairy tale-like world where people can feel magic all around them. Full of flowers, cute houses and bright smiles everywhere.

My teammates and me were thrilled to ride T Express, the highest and fastest roller coaster in Everland, and the emotions when a car goes up to its highest spot and then falls instantly are absolutely incredible. We were riding all kinds of roller coasters non-stop for several hours and when the sun started to go down we finally took a rest.

Watching sparkling lights shine all over Everland my friends and me got to know each other even better. We were telling each other personal stories from our lives, exchanging views on different matters, joking and having fun. Together we made a lot of unforgettable memories. 

I think that going to Everland is a great chance to enjoy yourself and experience various things- riding roller coasters, taking fabulous pictures, watching different animals and spending a wonderful time with your family and friends in general, and I would totally love to come back here one more time. 10 out of 10!

All of participants in Locality Summer School had traditional game experience. First, we played Sugeondolligi or so-called Drop the Handkerchief game. Sugeondolligi is a game in which a player goes around the people who are sitting in a circle, drops the handkerchief and runs away. Little did I know, I would be the first to catch a handkerchief dropper. I was running so fast as if my life depended on it and I was lucky enough to catch the handkerchief dropper in the last few seconds and save my spot.

Next my teammates and me played Gonggi, a traditional game played using five or more small stones. After scattering five stones on the ground, the player picks up the stones on the ground while throwing one of them in the air. I've often seen how Korean celebrities play this game in the entertainment programs such as Running Man, Infinite Challenge, etc. and always wanted to try it myself as it looked really unusual. However, it was so much harder then it looks like.

At first, I couldn't get it right at all. Watching my friends catching gonggi stones perfectly I was amased by how skilled they were. They tried to teach me how to do it and explained the trick, and to my own surprise their instructions helped me to get better at Gonggi game. I wonder if I could ever reach their level, though.

Then we tried Jegichagi, in which players kick a paper jegi into the air and attempt to keep it aloft. It was the most difficult game for all of us and no matter how much we tried, nobody was able to kick jegi more than two times.

At the end we played Tuho game that requires players to throw sticks from a set distance into a large  canister. It was pretty difficult to concentrate and catch the right feeling, but in spite of the fact that most of my sticks have missed a canister, I still succeeded a few times.

In my opinion traditional games are the important part of each nations culture, and through the traditional game experience that I received during Locality Summer School activities I feel that I got closer to Korean culture even more. 

The most awaited day was of course a trip to Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

As I am interested in fiction and am planning to become a great specialist in translating Korean literature, our team started its trip from the Starfield Library situated in COEX shopping mall. Starfield Library is considered as a cultural emotional space where people can enjoy relaxation, meetings, and books for free. It is literally used as a place to read or wait for someone. Starfield Library has 50,000 books, and various books are available in various fields, including humanities, economics, and hobbies

Honestly, I was surprised at the amount of Korean people visiting the library. Unfortunately, not many of us can say that they enjoy reading nowadays, but the picture of so many people being captivated by books warmed my heart.

My friends and me chose some books and we were so immersed in the atmosphere that we did not even notice how the time flew by. That is the power of reading for you!