http://gwangjunews.net International Magazine for Gwangju and Jeollanam-do Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:39:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en For the better part of eight years, members of the foreign teaching community in Gwangju have been giving their time and goodwill to help brighten the lives of the young girls who live in Sung Bin Orphanage. For those who don’t already know of it, Sung Bin is the primary ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/a-place-of-their-own/ February 14th was Valentine’s Day. In Korea, in contrast to Western countries, it’s a day where girls gave chocolate, cards or presents to their boyfriend to show their love. In return, boys usually buy a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. However, this is not the only special couple’s day ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/monthly-special-days-for-lovers-in-korea/ Paintball. The very name conjures up different images for different people. For some, the pupils dilate, the adrenaline starts flowing and the automatic response is “When and where?” For others, they picture missing fingers, broken limbs and irreparable eye damage. Of these two types of people, the former has played ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/paintball/ Part four is a series of six, taking an in-depth look into the world of tea. The Tea Making Process 1. Plucking 2. Sorting 3. Cleaning 4. Primary drying/withering 5. Tea Specific Manufacture 6. Final Firing/drying 7. Sorting 8. Packing China is not only the largest tea producer in the world but also the largest consumer. Tea ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/the-tea-making-process/ In the late afternoon of Tuesday, January 12th, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the Republic of Haiti, with an epicenter around 25 kilometres south-west of the heavily populated capital city Port-au-Prince. The damage and devastation was horrendous. At the time of writing, and estimated 212,000 have died, 300,000 injured and more ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/korean-change-for-haiti/ A Buddhist-inclined friend suggested I reach out to a nun of the faith, Marme Sunim. He mentioned her friendliness toward foreigners and her openness to discuss her religion. I called her a few weeks ago and was delighted to find out she was willing to meet me and discuss her ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/a-conversation-with-marme-sunim-a-buddhist-nun/ The 14th Gwangyang Maehwa Blossom Culture Festival Date: March 13 - 21, 2010 Venue: Maehwa Village, Gwangyang city, Jeollanam-do This festival, which has been held since 1997, takes place at Maehwa Village in the Dap-myeon region nearby Gwangyang City, and was originally created to help boost the local economy. However, these days during ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/march-2010-flower-festivals/ Alice in Wonderland Release Date: 04 Mar 2010 Genre: Children Language: English Synopsis Director and subject matter make for a perfect marriage in Tim Burton version of the Lewis Carroll classic. “Alice in Wonderland” stars frequent Burton collaborator Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, “Defiance” Mia Wasikowska as Alice, and Anne Hathaway as the White ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/upcoming-events-movies/ For most foreigners in Korea, the language barrier means that Korean movies at the cinema are out of the question. However, thanks to the advent of DVDs with subtitles, and the commonness of DVD rooms and rental places, Korean cinema has become a lot more accessible. This month, we look ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/film-review-take-off/ After Japan achieved their Meiji Restoration in 1868, their national motto was “wealthy country and strong army” (富'國强兵). Their national policy of Japan paid off a quarter-century later when Japan defeated China in the China-Japan war, 1894-95 and again beat Russia 10 years afterward in 1904-5. Both wars were concerned ... http://gwangjunews.net/2010/03/the-korean-way-no-85/