My Taste of Gwangju!

The winter vacation was long, and I tried many things, but I wanted to share some of them with you so that you may check out other programs at the ACC or other locations in Gwangju, such as the gallery, or try these delicacies. Even if we aren’t a big shot yet, and even if we’re pissed off most of the time, we can still enjoy the little things in life.

Finding Community in Gwangju Through Running

“I came across a group called Running Running (러닝러닝) in Suwan (수완) that ran every Tuesday and Thursday night. With hopeful anticipation, I arrived early. Slowly the club members started arriving and welcomed me warmly. They all ran at varying paces, but we started and finished together. The leader invited me to consider running in the upcoming 11th Gwangju Peace and Unification Marathon (제11회 광주평화통일마라톤대회), announcing that they all signed up for the 10-km  race. I signed up that night.”

Our Drought and the Dutch Idea

How stressful was it/has it been for you? What did you do, or have you done to help reduce the impact of water scarcity on yourself and others? How are you helping to share the effort of preserving what little is left and avoid future droughts? Was your apartment’s water pressure reduced, or have you put a brick or something else bulky in your toilet’s water cistern?

Resource Circulation: The Evolution of Unwanted Clothes

According to statistics, over 180 billion pieces of clothing are consumed every year steadily, except for 2020 and 2021 because of Covid-19, which is over 22 pieces per person on Earth. Out of this, 33 billion pieces, or four pieces per person – babies included – become waste, and quite a large amount of clothes out of these 33 billion pieces are thrown away unused because they were either unsold or just bought and never worn.

“Volunteering for the Joy I Give and Receive”

The pandemic had brought like-minded KONA volunteers back together, this time via Zoom.

Changing Perceptions on Dance: Couple Dance in General and Latin Dance in Particular

While many people seem curious about this, there also seems to be some resistance to and stereotypes about couple dance culture. To understand why this is so, and to raise awareness and possibly change perceptions about this social activity, we interviewed Prof. Hong Nam-son for the Gwangju News.

Gwangju Migrant Health Center: For the Healthy Lives of Migrants

The GMHC has more than 70 medical staff (volunteers) who are ready to lend a helping hand. They open their doors to all migrants: students, migrant women, migrant workers, and any who cannot go to medical institutions due to their legal documents or difficulty in communication. Their free medical treatment is offered every Sunday from 1–5 p.m. at their Center in Gwangsan-gu.

Goodbye, South Korea

You go on adventures, you talk to strangers like you have not done before, you hitchhike… The world is suddenly full of possibilities that you had not considered. They say that “the sky is the limit,” but one should add, “especially when you are abroad.” You are free and strangely bereft of the habits you had in your day-to-day life in your country of origin, which allows you to create a new “un-routinely” routine, full of exploration and discoveries.