The Korean Club volunteered at the Orange County Annual Korean Festival in Garden Grove over a span of three days.
Club members dressed in the yellow shirts volunteered by handing out Korean and American flags, setting up chairs, and selling raffle tickets.
They also learned about Korean culture. They learned Korean phrases such as “bahn gap soo ni dah”, which means, “Nice to meet you,” and “ticket sasayoh,” or “Please buy a ticket”. “Most people were surprised at me speaking Korean,” Muahaiminul Islam (’13) said.
The club members got a taste of traditional Korean cuisine. From Dukbokki, rice cakes in a red pepper sauce, to crispy Korean pancakes, Korean street food filled the volunteers’ bellies. “I got to taste new foods that I would have never tried before. And it was surprisingly good,” said Ivan Hoz (’13).
The volunteers also got to meet a Korean pop star during the festival, Hwang Min-woo, a 5-year old pop dancer. Hwang Min-woo is also known as “Little Psy”, as he was a dancer in the wildly popular “Oppa Gangnam Style” music video. Volunteers took pictures with “Little Psy” as he struck poses. On the last day of the festival “Little Psy” performed, dancing his trademark “Gangnam Style” moves.
On the third day of the festival volunteers were allowed to compete in a Korean sumo wrestling competition. In the competition, opponents had to try to trip, throw, and push their opponent to get them to fall onto the ground.
The volunteers finished off the festival by watching the annual talent show. The talent show consisted of singers and dancers who performed pop dance covers and folk ballads.
“It was a really fun and interesting experience. You have a lot of fun even if you don’t know Korean. I would definitely want to go again,” said Muhaiminul Islam (’13).
