Stories of Life as a GIC Intern

From Daegu to Gwangju, from Student to Intern.

Written and photographed by Emmanuela Sabatini.

I am Emmanuela Sabatini (Emma) from Indonesia, and I did my master’s degree at Keimyung University in Daegu via a Korean government scholarship program. Before I graduated, I asked myself many times about the future, and I decided to challenge myself by getting work experience in Korea.

I had never lived in Gwangju before, but I did visit twice in 2019: first, to participate in the ASEAN-Korea Special Exhibition, which was run by the Asia Culture Center; and second, for sightseeing related to May 18 and Gwangju’s neighboring city of Damyang. Those experiences encouraged me to try a new part of my life in Gwangju. So, naturally, I was glad to find out that I had gotten an internship at the Gwangju International Center (GIC).

From the middle of August 2020, my life in Gwangju started. I began by spending two weeks doing a homestay experience with a Korean family while taking an introductory class about my internship. The homestay hosts and I shared many things, like trying Indonesian food. They were so warm; they even picked me up to take me to my new home. I am so lucky to have a new family in Gwangju!
My internship started in the beginning of September 2020 while Korea was at the 2.5 social-distancing level for COVID-19. I spent my time mostly at the GIC or home at that time, as the pandemic affected various events happening around the GIC. The events at the GIC started to change from offline to an online platform, and I was naturally a part of this historic transition.

My Days as an Intern at the Gwangju International Center
The GIC is a non-profit organization for Korean and international residents of Gwangju to join together and collaborate on community building. In other words, it is a place for support that offers exchanges between Korean and foreign residents to improve their life in Gwangju. I was part of the International Support Team, responsible for Korean–English translations and interpreting, the Gwangju Newsletter, SNS promotion, and supporting events.

In September, the first month of my internship, I started to learn more about the GIC’s operations and employees. I tried to write articles in newsletters and explored ideas for the GIC’s SNS promotion. Besides that, I participated in some programs to introduce Indonesian culture and food to elementary school students and homestay families, and then let them experience these. That was my first time to have a food class online.

Along with the start of the autumn season, I started working with others on 2020 Asia Culture Plaza Online, an online collaborative event put on by the Asia Culture Center and the Gwangju International Center. I had the responsibility to support the event through SNS promotion and filming onsite. Although this was not my first experience working with film, introducing angklung (Indonesian traditional music) and wayang (Indonesian traditional puppets) through video were new for me. I was so excited and proud to be a conduit to introduce Indonesia to the people of Gwangju.

In addition to the above, the GIC also held its annual Gwangju International Community Day (GIC Day) event in November. This event was held online with real-time classes and film videos, so we called it the 2020 GIC Day Online. I supported both platforms from preparation to finish. We had to prepare the ingredients and tools for the real-time classes and sent them to participants the day before. Also, we had to accompany the speakers in doing the real-time classes. For the film videos, I needed to prepare cooking utensils, accompany on-site filming, and do subtitle and translation work on the video. It was quite a busy month, but I found it interesting on the other hand. I became friends with the speakers, got know-how to perform online events, and got used to staying flexible in every situation.

Fun and Sweet Memories at the GIC
I remember when the GIC International Support Team and I went to the team’s workshop in early December. I never thought that I would have workshop time with GIC members. It was a healing and fun time to spend with everyone. I tried to cook Indonesian food called nasi goreng and another dish called “shrimp cracker” for them. I was so happy to know that they liked it!

I would like to express my gratitude for the four-month internship opportunity given by the GIC. Finding a job during the COVID-19 pandemic is a pretty hard thing to do, but fortunately, I was selected to be a member of the GIC this year. I think I made a good choice to challenge myself at the GIC. I felt that the GIC was very open to foreigners and provided a space for them to develop in every way. I was not just an intern but also a participant and speaker who introduced Indonesian culture to people in Gwangju. I learned about the GIC members’ work attitude and their best services on offer to everyone who visits the GIC. I felt their warmth, which is something I will remember and carry with me everywhere I go.

The Author
Emmanuela Sabatini is originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. She had worked in Indonesia for almost five years before challenging herself to continue her master’s studies at Keimyung University. Now having completed her graduation and internship at the GIC, she is ready to start a new career in the new year. You can follow her life journey at www.emmasabatini.com