By Honorary Reporter Diana Kassandra Almarez from the Philippines

Photos= Diana Kassandra Almarez

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Taguig chose me to speak on Dec. 13 at "K-Culture Friends Korean Day" held at the Dusit Thani Manila, a hotel in Makati. This year's event was attended by more than 90 people including members from the K-Culture Friends Group, staff from the Korean Embassy in Taguig, members from the Cultural Partnership Initiative (CPI) and Korea.net Honorary Reporters.

I spoke about my experience as a KCC volunteer, aka Kcrew, and an Honorary Reporter and my recent trips to Korea. Basically, I shared my experience with Korean culture and how I became a Korean culture enthusiast that took me to places and fulfilled my dreams.

I heard of the KCC years ago but waited until I became 18 to apply to Krew as a volunteer. In 2017, I joined and a year later, my volunteering at the KCC took me to greater heights when I was chosen as an Honorary Reporter. I started to write articles about Korean culture and cover Korea-related events in the Philippines. Luckily, I also found out that fellow Honorary Reporters were also Kcrew members, and we occasionally collaborate on articles about KCC events.

Another advantage is that I get to apply my knowledge from my international relations major at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, because the KCC's main objective is to strengthen ties between the Philippines and Korea. So I sometimes analyze how the KCC does stuff for diplomatic relations, write essays or research its work. I also get to meet Korean and Philippine officials and researchers whom I look up to. And I learn more about Korea whenever I interact with them and some of them also help me with my research.

I've also gained new skills and knowledge through volunteering. For example, I've learned to do things on the spot at KCC events and programs such as film screenings, shows, concerts, exhibits, festivals, caravans, workshops and Korean-language classes. Volunteering for these activities has taught me the process of and preparation for organizing events and programs, and this could be useful in my career. Because this learning experience is something I could never get from the four corners of a classroom, I find it fulfilling and worthwhile.

Moreover, volunteering is no easy task and thus aside from the pleasant aspects, I've also experienced challenges. Most of the time, I feel super tired and sleepy meeting deadlines and events but these won't stop me from staying actively involved in all things Korean.

Because of my participation in anything related to Korea or Philippine-Korean relations including my volunteer work at the KCC, I traveled to Korea for the first time in 2018 as a Philippine delegate to the Asia Student Summit in Seoul.

Thanks to an official intergovernmental event this year, I was grateful to be back in Korea for the second time. I participated from Oct. 15-18 as an Honorary Reporter in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-Korea Train, an official side event of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, traveling through Seoul, Gyeongju, Suncheon, Gwangju and Busan. I was a Philippine delegate to the youth conference in Seoul last year, but this year, I was part of media for the summit.

This was a huge opportunity, especially for an international relations major like me. It was like I was interacting with foreign guests at the Asian Development Bank and the U.S. Embassy in Manila because I had to be super formal in the event, and this was the first time I got to work with professional journalists and see them work. After this stint, I got more requests to cover events and wrote more articles for Korea.net. I learned to be more expressive of my own thoughts and ideas in my articles, and I can write them faster. And I think my writing skills have improved from last year because I write more often. In just two years, I've had more than 10 articles posted on Korea.net.

Both events in Korea allowed me to represent the Philippines and learn so much. I'm grateful to have helped strengthen ties among ASEAN, the Philippines and Korea through these events, which connected these countries to promote mutual understanding, peace and prosperity.

On the ASEAN-Korea train, seeing artists perform on stage with such enthusiasm made me happy as I realized that performing arts have always had a positive effect on diplomacy. Touring the beautiful heritage sites was also amazing as I saw how Korea prioritizes cultural and natural heritage as tools for diplomacy.

Korea's strategic soft power always inspires me to do more research and contribute to cultural projects and events.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.