Diner dg Kekuarga UGM

We're from across Korea...gathering for a dinner....celebrating our friendship...

....it so happened to be the birthday of our head of department. Met Ultah Pak Tri.

Ms Lee Hyena jg hadir jg.

Alhamdulillah. ...kami bisa berkumpul di Seoul.

...and of course our students, as well.

The 10th Korean Day (한국의 날)

I was in Jogja just in time when our department's annual Korean Day was held. The 2-day event took place at our Cultural Center UGM. I was like..whoa..I've missed the 3 Korean Day events for 3 years..so having been able to be back again to the event was a bliss. 

It's fully packed with Korean lovers.

I am sure that our students did a good job of preparing the event. 

Just like 3 years before, this year PAS (Pacific Asia Society whose members are Korean students from numerous universities in Korea) participated in the event. They so happened to be visiting our university during this Winter break.So, they're also busy 'preparing' Korean stuff to be served for Korean Day visitors. 

One of the best highlights of my visit to Korean Day was of course...meeting with my students and colleagues. Rio ssnm and other colleagues.

Yes..we're pretty much new department so...staffs are young, too. (am I still considered as young, too? ㅋㅋㅋ). 

Then..I went up to the 2nd floor of the venue and I could see just how crowded the hall was. On an annual basis, we could sort of be proud that what we do has been attracting lots of Korean lovers and anyone interested in learning about Korea. 

I bet...they're more than a thousand people ....there. 

Then, meeting my students again...and again...

I was happy to be able to meet them again. oh..some of them are those who just got back from Korea. So, it's like...a mini reunion...again. 

One more picture of how Korean Day was unfolding on its first day of 2-day event.

여러분, 많이 많이 수겨하셨다. Good Job, Guys!

 I am happy to be in Jogja again just when you guys are having this event.

alhamdulillah. 

Post-Presentation Dinner

The first mid semester thesis presentation just finished and as a convention, we had dinner together to celebrate the completion of presentation. Some of our friends had finally finished their 1st stage of a series of stages before the D-Day to thesis defense. Our friends from Tunisia, Tawaded, just finished her 'turn' on presenting some parts of her thesis. Well, at least she is relieved to know that the first 'stage' had just passed.

Then..it's dinner time... 

But..oh no....we went to a chicken house and I could not eat meat. Being a vegetarian and as for Tawaded, she's not a vegetarian....but surely she could not eat it as well since it is not halal. So, instead, we had veggie porridge and pumpkin porridge that --not so surprising--my friends on the same table wanted to take a chance to taste them. Oh well..it was fun.
Congratz, Tawaded and other friends.
I made a song for them (the rhythm is the same as that of 생일 축가합니다 in Korean.

중간발표 축하해         (생일 축하합니다)

중간발표 축하해         (생일 축하합니다)

논문심사때 까지         (사랑하는 뭐뭐 씨)

남은 것을 준비해        (생일 축하합니다)

And my friends burst into laughter...

The Then-Big Family of Pusat Studi Korea UGM

Yes, it was back then. All of us have gone separated ways now. Some still stay at the same office while most of us have gone either to other offices or like me and Seonhee...in Korea. And like Ms. Kang, she's in German now. well... 

I could not help but relieved to find this old pic back. It kinda brought me back to the memories I had at the office back home. 

Mr. Yuda, the guy in purple (the back row, the first guy on the left) is now the head of Korean Studies. 

Ms. Kang (the one on the left) is now in German. While ms. Loeloe (the one on the right) is still at the office as well as at the Pacific Asia Studies Center. 

Wachid (the green guy at the center) is now teaching at Korean Dept. back home. He graduated from Chulalongkorn Univ. Thailand and Seoul National University, Seoul. 

Ms. Seonhee (the white girl on the first row on the right) is now at the same university as I am now (HUFS) pursuing her Master Degree in Teaching Korean for Foreigners.  

The girl in red jilbab and hanbok is Dewi who is currently in charge of administrative affairs at the Center. and the woman right behind her is Ms. Novi, the former director of the Center for Korean Studies. 

Meeting my former students

The world is getting smaller. Well, who never thought that I would meet Firman and Chiko. 

Firman, me, and Miko...

Miko, Chiko, and me..

Firman, me, Miko,  and..Chiko..

Well..all of them are now working at Korean companies. Firman and Chiko were on a 2-month training program in Korea. So, we had a chance to meet again after several years had passed since the last time we met in Jogjakarta.

Back home (part 1)

Just got two hours in between my chores back home..to visit my alma mater. I guess it was on Tuesday (March 26) when I visited Korean Dept. I met my colleagues: Sani, Hesty, Fitri, Lee Jin Hwa, me, and Wahid. 

What could be more exciting than meeting my fellow colleagues back home? 

The office looks different from the last time I left Jogja about one and a half year ago. 

With mas Zam-Zam and mas Nardi. They are the dean's secretary. Well, some say that Zamcha and I are twins--simply seen from our clean-shaven heads 

Back to the office with Lee Jin Hwa ssnm. Just never thought that she ended up staying and teaching in Jogjakarta more than two years. 

What a dedication she has.