By Honorary Reporter Minnath Azeez from Sri Lanka

Photos = Minnath Azeez

After being named the top Honorary Reporter last year for the English-language section, I earned the chance to visit Korea for the first time from Dec. 10-17. Going to the country had been a dream of mine since 10 years ago, when I started watching K-dramas and learning about Korean culture.

 
I couldn't wait to explore the places I'd seen pictures of and immerse myself in the culture. But as a Muslim, I also knew that my visit would present challenges given the lifestyle prescribed by my religion Islam. While preparing for my journey, I searched for Muslims in the Honorary Reporters program to connect with. After arriving in Korea and spending a few days getting to know several of them, I found friends who are now an important part of my life.

From left to right are Kholod Elsayad, Ghada Ali, the writer and Nada El Bashatly taking a group photo at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.

My three Egyptian friends were Nada El Bashatly, who was named Best K-influencer, Kholod Elsayad, who won the calligraphy category of the Talk Talk Korea contest, and Ghada Ali, who claimed the honor of best Honorary Reporter of the Arabic section. 

While I was grateful to KOCIS for arranging halal food for Muslims, the three of us missed eating chicken. During a late-night dinner after visiting N Seoul Tower, we headed toward the Itaewon neighborhood in search of halal chicken. Despite not knowing the way and getting confused with the map, we finally found a restaurant that served what we wanted. As soon as our meal arrived, we started laughing at how fast the chicken vanished off our plates.

Throughout our trip to Korea, we spent a lot of time together despite the language barrier. Though I cannot speak or understand Arabic, my three friends always spoke to me in English. We went out at night to explore Korea during the little time we had and gave each other morning calls the next day to make sure we woke up on time and didn't miss the bus.

 
We shared many things and connected with each other on a deeper level. Our meeting would've never happened had I not applied to join Honorary Reporters four years ago.

My Egyptian friends and I teamed up to make bibimbap (spicy rice mixed with vegetables and meat) and haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) in our cooking class.

After returning to our homelands, we kept in touch and shared details of our days, exciting events in our countries and tips on improving our content so that we could all meet again. 

Being an Honorary Reporter has opened a range of opportunities for me, especially finding friends worldwide. It has helped me connect with many people despite differences in culture and language and given me the confidence to leave my comfort zone and try new things.

With the launch of this year's recruitment of Honorary Reporters, I encourage anyone  interested in Korea to join this global family and perhaps find friends for life like I did.

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.