By Honorary Reporter Maulia Resta Mardaningtias from Indonesia

Photos & video = King Sejong Institute Center, Maulia Resta Mardaningtias

Hangeul Day on Oct. 9 commemorates the invention of the Korean alphabet, but also carries extra meaning for me.

Last year, King Sejong Institute Center in Jakarta, Indonesia, the place where I learned Korean, held a Korean poetry reading contest to mark Hangeul Day. The competition was one of the most memorable things in my life last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic was ravaging Indonesia, especially the capital. I learned many things while creating my entry for the contest.

The poster of the Korean poetry reading contest

Poem selection

When I saw the event's poster, I had doubts over whether to join. Even if I entered, I wondered what poem to read, who the most famous poets in Korea are and what kind of video to make.

I initially knew no Korean poets, but earlier, I had participated in a calligraphy contest hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Jakarta on writing a verse from a Korean poem by poet Na Tae-joo. I thought of using the poem for the poetry reading competition, but the verse was too short and I couldn't express the meaning of the poem. 

A bit later, however, an Indonesian publisher promoted its newly translated book "See You Like A Flower" by Na on Instagram, something that motivated me to learn more about Na through Google. I asked my teacher of Korean what poets are popular in Korea nowadays. I found out that Na is popular for his short yet beautiful poems but my teacher also recommended Yoon Dong-joo, who wrote poetry on the theme of struggle.

Long story short, I found Na's poem "Longing." I looked at the script on Google before deciding to buy his book to better understand the meaning of the poem.

Na Tae-joo's poem "Longing"

The poem has just four lines but strangely described my feelings at the time, namely missing  my life before the pandemic. It is about love, but instead of seeing this as an expression of love between two people or a couple, I considered the word "you" to mean family and friends. This is why I chose this poem.

After making my selection, I recorded me reading the poem. To ensure I got the right tone, I looked on YouTube and found a touching video of a man reading the poem in a deep yet romantic voice. Another person plays the piano in the background music.

As a shy person, I didn't want my face to appear in the video. So I posted pictures of trees and flowers with a character to represent me.

The minute-long video shows a round-headed character who misses friends and family. I learned how to draw movement by movement with various layers, raising my respect for animation creators who make longer works.

After several re-edits of images, video and sound and getting feedback from people closest to me, the video was finished. I thought, "It's OK to lose. Making this video is a big feat in itself."

Despite my worry over getting disappointed after undertaking this venture, I won second place in the contest, something I'd never dreamed of.

I thank the center for holding this competition last year as it made my isolation at home more colorful.

kalhong617@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.