We Made It: Our Book!!!

Thanks to Agus and Ozy ..and of course other friends..who had helped....preparing for the publication and the...laucnhing.

Yup..as many as 600 books were published ..not to mention the hundreds others back home in Indonesia.

I couldn't be more happier..to know that a lot of students participated in this.

Proud...and happy.

Thank you to all of our students at UT Korea for having made this endeavor ..possible and enjoyable.

We do hope that your stories ...are shared for generations to come.

Books Written by My Students: The Launching Event

I couldn't be more happier. Yup..March 6, 2016 marked the day when finally my personal journey of "rigorously" and "patiently" usurping my students' lives...paid off.  

^^ yup....'usurping'...'violating' in the positive sense....I did come into their lives...asking them to share their stories to be compiled in a book. 

As a member of INAKOS (International Association of Korean Studies in Indonesia), I've been ...lunatically ㅋㅋㅋ hahaha....going after my students, Indonesian migrant workers, student/workers in Korea......to share their stories ....to the public. 

Yeaah...we did it. 

Yup, the book titled "Sensasi Seru Jalan-Jalan di Korsel" was finally re-published in Korea. (After it was published in Jogja last year. It's republished after as many as 23 writers (who are mostly the students of Indonesia Open University in Korea or UT Korea) joined in.  

The event of the launching itself was made possible by the great cooperation of all of the students and tutors at UT Korea. 

We invited the students to the auditorium where we had the event...so as to give a chance for others to see what their peers have achieved. Right. Writing about one's experiences is no easy feat. It takes time and courage and determination...even just to write or retell one's stories into an essay. So the fact that as many as 14 students of UT Korea joined in....indeed overwhelmed me...(being said: I'm proud of them)

Just like last year's event. This year's publication was made possible by a partial support from the Senior Public Diplomacy Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea.

We managed to have a pose in front of the event venue....^^

Since we re-launched the book in Korea, of course...only those residing in Korea could attend this Launching Event. Those in Indonesia could not...unfortunately. But..surely enough..they knew about the event.

Thanks to Indonesian Embassy in Korea for their support...

Some of my students...proudly...showing off their books. Yup, their stories, life stories, traveling stories, occupational experiences...are all jotted down in this book.

Bravo, guys. We're proud of you.

Terbit Sudah...buku ke-9

Finally our 9th book on the series of Introduction to Korea.....has finally been published. INAKOS (International Association of Korean Studies in Indonesia) has been periodically published books on Korea for Indonesian readers.

It's obout the experiences of Indonesian students and fellow Koreans in exploring Korea. Thank you to all of our fellow contributors.

Phew....editing is a daunting task....it absorbed my energy....but ehen it's done...what a relief!

Just to give a glimpse....

..of what the book.is all.about.

Thanks to .....yup. we received funds from different sources for each publication.

Thanks to mas Zico and Mr. Gorky Sembiring from UT Indonesia who supported this publication.

2015 International Conference on Korean Studies

I took a rest for half a day..and not even one day after my arrival in Seoul, I got to attend a conference at AKS (the Academy of Korean Studies)

Prof. Vyjayanti Raghavan from Nehru University, India delivering her speech. I was so happy to meet her again after like...hmm..almost 8 years?  

The schedule was so packed. 

I got to present my paper after lunch...(*although, of course..I was fasting....which means that I skipped my lunch)** ok...long story short: Alhamdulillah I did my presentation on Korean Studies in Indonesia.

. Finally. phew...

I was with the same panel with Dr. John Dimoia, from Dept. of History, National University of Singapore.

*the funny thing was that I was using his writings on my classes back in HUFS. what a small world...so...I was literally excited to be able to meet him in person. *thanks also to Prof. Park Jin-kyoung who introduced me to his works. 

More sessions were going on....Dr. Soontaree from Burapa University, Thailand. I also met her a couple of years earlier in other conference.  

Most of us..from Vietnam, Japan, India, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.  

박성수 교수님 (Danang University of Foreign Studies); 임상균 (한일문화교류회); Dr. Vyjayanti Raghavan (Nehru University): Sarah Domingo Lipura (Ateneo de Manila University); Dr. John P. Dimoia (NUS); me; and Dr. Soontaree Larprungrueng (Burapa University, Thailand) 

We're having a special dinner after the first day of conference...but.... 

I was not able to eat...just joined in the table.....^^

*fasting month....fasting....** it's okay..... 

Thank God, it's finished. 

The second day of the conference touched upon the issues of Korea-Japan Relationship in its commemoration of their 50th relationship after the independence of Korea. 

The 2nd day during special session, I did need this interpretation tool in hand. 

all in all...the 2-day conference was a complete success.

One Day Seminar @ Gadjah Mada University (UGM)

Well, one of the reasons I went to Jogja was to make a presentation at a joint-seminar held by INAKOS (International Association of Korean Studies in Indonesia), Gyeongsangbukdo, Jogjakarta Province, and Gadjah Mada University. 

Gee..I was so busy that I didn't take pictures during the seminar. Ok..it's lunch time...and we're having a great time discussing and 'chatting' with other presenters.

..time to go to other places...while staying in Jogjakarta. 

It's at the main hall of UGM. 

What's the seminar about? Yup.....that's what it was all about. 

As the night fell, we gathered at the outdoor dining area at Hyatt Hotel. 

Some presenters and guests from Indonesia and Korea gathered having a light dinner by the pool to celebrate the success of that day's seminar. 

Ok....Kombe. Salut. Tos. untuk kita semua.