My Experience as a Global Cultural Ambassador for

the Outlookie Program

by Olivia Kurtz

Firstly, when looking at programs offered for foreigners or international students in Korea, I found that many programs ask for an official TOPIK, or Test of Proficiency in Korean, exam score. Since I have never taken the TOPIK exam before, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the Outlookie program doesn’t have such a strict requirement. Of course, most of the programs took place in Korean, but I found it was a very encouraging environment to improve my Korean skills. I took Korean language classes starting my first year of college, but I couldn’t extensively practice my speaking skills due to the class being held online during my first year. As a result, I was a little nervous when joining the program, as I was worried that my Korean language skills would be an obstacle to getting to know my fellow program members better. But after meeting one of my teammates for the first time, I was relieved to find she spoke English, Korean, and other languages! 

 One of my favorite aspects of the Outlookie program was that I could become friends with and learn from other multicultural and multilingual students! I could relate with my program members on topics such as adjusting to life in Korea, dealing with the immigration office, and missing family and friends back home. I even received some advice from a fellow program member about tips for studying for the TOPIK exam! As an American, this program is one of the first instances where I have been able to actively learn about not only the Korean language and culture but also languages and cultures from around the world! Whether asking one of my teammates how to say a word in Japanese or asking my Italian teammate what she thought of pizza in Korea, it was amazing to be with such a diverse group of people!

 Getting into my experience in the program, I enjoyed how the program was composed of cultural explorations where we traveled around Korea, in addition to a portion where we learned about a specific aspect of Korean culture that we would get to display during our concluding festival in September. I was part of the Talchum (mask dance) team, which learned about the history of the Korean traditional mask dance and how to perform a couple of the dances! Although I thought I would struggle due to my lack of dance skills, my experience playing musical instruments helped me with the rhythm and memorizing the movements. In one of the Korean culture workshops, we learned about masks that belonged to different regions of Korea and the types of dances practiced in those regions. This workshop was very memorable as we learned from a Talchum master, and I thought it was interesting that different masks were associated with certain personality types. After this workshop, I went with some of my teammates to visit the Talchum master’s teaching session he hosted later that day outside of the National Theater of Korea. Although I expected just to be watching the session, the Talchum master encouraged me and my teammates to join in on the fun. We ended up dancing for around two hours! 

 After our dance practice each week, we had a planning seminar during which we would discuss our plans and ideas for our team’s booth at the Outlookie festival in September. I thought this seminar was quite interesting, as I learned more about my teammates’ discussion styles while having conversations with my teammates. One funny thing that a teammate told me she was surprised about was that she expected me to be a little more outspoken since I am American, so I explained I am a bit more introverted than the typical depiction of Americans in media. By the end of these planning seminars, we developed some activities for our booth, including playing several traditional Korean games, discovering information about traditional masks from around the world, and mask building. 

 As for the cultural exploration experiences, the Outlookie program chose some places that aren’t well-known to foreigners visiting Korea. One of the first places we went for our opening ceremony was Gangneung, a small city on the east coast of Korea. The transportation was very convenient since we took tour buses directly to our various destinations. One notable memory from this trip is waking up early in the morning with my teammates to take pictures by the ocean after breakfast. We also visited Pyeongchang on this trip, which foreigners may know since it was the hosting location of the 2018 Winter Olympics. My favorite part of the visit to Pyeongchang was the tteok-making experience (Korean rice cakes)! From using the giant hammer to pound the fresh rice to directly cutting the tteok into pieces, I had a lot of fun with my program members! I enjoy the various flavors and textures of tteok, and I have even been to the tteok museum in central Seoul, so this experience was quite memorable!

  My favorite cultural exploration experience was the temple stay at the end of June at Beobjusa Temple. I had heard this was a recommended experience for visiting foreigners, so I was very excited when I heard we would be doing a temple stay as a group! My enthusiasm also stems from the curiosity I’ve had about Buddhism since middle school, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to learn about Buddhism from a monk directly. The weather was rainy when we visited, but it enhanced the experience since it gave a slightly different feel to the beautiful mountain scenery. I chose to participate in the early morning rituals of the monks, also being able to create a prayer bead necklace throughout the completion of one hundred eight bows. My legs were sore after bowing so many times, but I came to appreciate it as a meditative practice that encourages reflection. We also completed a crystal singing bowl meditation at the end of the day, and as a result, I realized the importance of being relaxed before sleeping. 

 Overall, I am so glad I decided to apply to the Outlookie program and am grateful that I got accepted. Throughout this program, I learned a significant amount about Korean culture while also being able to expand my knowledge of other cultures. I have made several lifelong friendships through this program! I have encouraged my friends to contact me if they ever visit America. I highly recommend this program for those looking to meet other international students, learn about Korean culture, and expand their worldview!