Your Nightly Resting Corner 

By Yousra Feriel Drioua 

If you’ve brushed across some of my writings in the magazine, you’d not only be familiar with my hopelessly idealistic approach to life but also my endearment for Gwangju and how grateful I am to have spent a season of my life there. I’m a little rusty since I haven’t sat behind the keyboard in a while, but I’ll be sharing yet another anecdote from the City of Light. I tend to refer to Gwangju as a global hub within Korea, and I stand by that statement. As a pretty autonomous city, not only does it have its own International Center, but it is relatively full of opportunities for expats to take part in the community. The Asia Culture Center (ACC), public libraries, local welfare institutes, university clubs, and even broadcast stations are some of just a few entities providing such integration opportunities. 

For today’s episode, I must play my scratched CD, which concerns switching majors after five years of biology in Algeria to media communication and journalism in Korea overnight, emphasizing my new, self-imposed lack of experience in the field. All I knew was that I needed to start from scratch, and the fifteen-hour flight to Korea was the easiest step. Now that that’s out of the way, amid that mini-inner turmoil, fate smiled at me as I crossed a banner on the main gate of Chonnam National University. Gwangju Shimin Bangsong (광주시민방송, Gwangju Citizen Broadcasting Station) was recruiting DJs and producers. Since no notion of experience was cited, as terrified as I was, I went for it. Honestly, what did I have to lose? Sentimentalists like myself share in common blind faith and brave folly.  

I received a call about a week later, and little did I know, the radio had a multicultural program specifically for international students and citizens residing in Gwangju. The most infamous one is Channel Woori-Noori (체널우리누리), where the aforementioned are given creative liberty over their entire broadcasts. It is the fruit of collaboration between the Gwangju Citizen Broadcasting Station and the Gwangju Cultural Foundation. You can think of Channel Woori-Noori as a tree from which many branches stem, and each stem represents a show. It aims to promote global exchange within Gwangju society and encourage multiculturalism. 

The radio station offers mentoring and training for beginners in terms of recording, editing, and whatever else is needed to make the shows come to life. This was extremely helpful to me at the start, as I had no clue what any of the equipment at the studio or its functions was for. However, what I appreciate most is that the radio does not interfere with our production direction so long as we abide by some regulation guidelines, such as using profanity, discussing controversial politics, and the like. We’re also encouraged to speak in Korean but can use English or our mother tongues on occasion and invite guests. That is why each show under the multicultural program has a distinct color and story to tell. It ranges from self-development, Gwangju’s cultural society, human rights, global warming, cultural and ethnic differences, migration, and life in Korea to music discussions and daily life stories. Additionally, the international hosts are allowed to participate in other programs on the radio, such as the mobile studio. Alas, my first show was called Your Nightly Resting Corner (쉴때 밤 코너), which ran from February to August 2022. I’ve been fortunate to run it a second time since August 2023 under the name Your Nightly Resting Corner 2.0 Black & White (쉴때 밤 코너 2.0 흑백). 

The concept of my broadcast was born out of a very melancholic place. As I reminisced over my time in Algeria, I recalled leaving my part-time job in the late evenings. Carrying a wandering mind, I sought healing music, authentic discussion, and sometimes company. But I had no interest in taking any part in it. I’d be knocked out by the end of the day with no energy left, simply wanting to feel understood, connected, or heard without saying a thing. This might sound conflicting or even sad to some, but I believe it’s a state most humans can relate to. Eventually, I learned to find that solace I was seeking. And the show gave me the chance to share that same sentiment.  

Your Nightly Resting Corner’s main theme is for people to ‘rest’ emotionally after long days. To keep them company, provide a distraction from a needlessly spiraling mind, and hopefully, give them a pat on the back for making it through another day. Season one of the show consisted of mainly sharing music I believed to be healing, my personal daily shenanigans, and life lessons that could be inspiring. But for season two, I invited international friends to interview them. By sharing their own stories and music that held meaning to them, I believed the listeners could find common ground with the guests and, again, feel comforted by the sheer fact that a stranger somewhere shared an aspect or an experience from their life. I may never know if I have achieved these goals or if anyone ever listens, but if someone ever did and the show managed to comfort that tired soul by taking away 0.75% of their 100% exhaustion, that’s enough for me.  

Working at the radio not only gave me a chance to conceive a necessary skillset for my professional life, but it opened up a window to do something my younger self would’ve been proud of. It was not a matter of the number of people listening but a matter of growing a passion and blind faith, finding purpose in something, giving it meaning, and choosing to stay consistent with it. A pretty helpless idealism, wouldn’t you say? 

The Author 

Yousra is a 24-year-old Algerian living in South Korea. She’s a scholar with the Global Korea Scholarship majoring in Mass Communication and Journalism. She enjoys intriguing conversations, going on adventures, interacting with people, and being an active community member. As she figures out her calling in life, she’s mostly interested in writing and broadcasting.  

Instagram: @myyilgi