By Honorary Reporter Eftychia Dovletoglou from Greece

I joined Honorary Reporters in 2020 and don't regret my decision one bit. My experience has been quite valuable and I encourage others to apply to the program. 

The deadline is March 31 but please don't leave it to the last minute. Joining this year's class means writing articles from May this year to April next year, with the option to continue in the program.

Joining in 2020
I saw the recruiting announcement in 2019 but hesitated because of my poor English. I also wasn't sure if I had the time to write or the inspiration to produce something good. So I did nothing until 2020, when the announcement said not to hesitate applying even with low English proficiency as the program coordinators could help in that department. Feeling that the announcement was directed toward me, I immediately applied. Just days later, I received an email saying I was accepted for the 2020 class. My only regret was not applying sooner.

Benefits

As an Honorary Reporter, I came in contact with many people worldwide who shared common interests, and talking to them about something I love was refreshing. Honorary Reporters communicate through their Facebook group, but also through collaborations. As an Honorary Reporter, I constantly learn new things and improve my social and professional skills such as teamwork through joint projects.

I also grew more creative in always thinking of how to write something good. I learned a lot from analyzing the corrections to my articles, checking if any of them was posted on the Korea.net website and studying stories by other Honorary Reporters. I got tips on taking better photos and improving my writing. I've improved my English since I write my articles in that language.

What I didn't want to do was make videos of myself. Eventually, I did so in my first year and received an award for it. I now have no problem shooting a video. I also felt proud seeing my articles uploaded to the website and receiving an award. I have friends abroad to answer my questions and I do the same for them. Several of my articles were translated into other languages through my collaborations with other Honorary Reporters, who offered to do the translations. I've also taken part in online events for the program.

More to come

I was afraid that the program would consume too much of my time, but instead, it filled my life with color. I feel no pressure to write articles and can write whenever and whatever I want. My dream is being invited to Korea as one of the year's best Honorary Reporters, but the year I won an award, COVID-19 made it impossible to travel. The following years have seen intensified competition but I hope to win an honor this year.

msjeon22@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.