GGHS 문지○

2019 Winter Personal Essay

GGHS 2019 Winter - Team 5

2019 Winter Global Camp: The journey to find answer

“Why on earth you applicated that camp?” It was the first word I heard from my friend when I told her that I had applicated the Winter Global camp. At that time I couldn’t answered her. Because honestly, I participated global camp steadily from last year just because of sense of duty. But after I finished this camp, I found the answer.

Every Wednesday, in front of the Japan Embassy, there are rally to solve the problem Japanese military sexual slavery. Wednesday demonstration held approximately 1370 times. Rather than forget it as the distant past, we have to remember this and should not repeat this hurtful history. I chose this topic to remember it and do study it related to Treaty of Ganghwa island.

Do you know what was the first start of the Japanese colonial period in Korea? You might think that Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty or Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 is the beginning, so did I before this study. But before these treaties, there had been the Treaty of Ganghwa island in 1876 at Yeonmudang site in Ganghwa. This treaty was the first treaty that Korea made with Japan and it was the unfair that had extraterritoriality and coastal survey. I could learn that the beginning of painful colonial period was nearby me, and I thought that I should visit Yeonmudang site. Also I could learn that the journalists during Japanese colonial period had reported the brutality of Japanese at the risk of their life. through I scrapped the real news which were published at that time, and interpreted them. I thought that we can invest human rights into natural rights and can report in freedom of speech is thanks to this.

I had done a lots of activities about Ganghwa like a work as history and culture of Ganghwa commentator. As I have lived in Ganghwa for 18 years and done these works, actually, I didn’t feel proud of Ganghwa and think seriously about my hometown Ganghwa. This was the first time to do the research such deeply, made me to feel gratitute to live in the place that has lots of history, and it was very meaningful to me.

Last summer global camp, I had played the two roles of MC and team leader, and my team won the first prize, so I was full of confidence for this camp too. But everything didn't go well as I purposed. I played same roles of MC and team leader this camp too. As a team leader, it was too difficult to gather opinions of teammates. It took almost an hour to decide the topic and also we've actually changed most of script too. But everyone did their best that they prepared our presentation until 12pm everyday so that though we couldn’t get the prize, we could express our gratitute to teammates and felt proud of us. Also as a closing MC, I enjoyed introducing the presentations of other teams in english.

I think that global camp gave us the proficiency of english, new knowledge about every topics we’ve studied, and new relationships with foreign teacher and teammates. Though it's really hard to do research on topic and make presentations with people who are not close to each other in a short period of three days, the achievement and teamwork that I felt are bigger. This was the answer I found during this camp and I hope that many students can join this camp.

2018 Summer Personal Essay

'My Second, but my best summer global camp'

If someone asks me what was the Global Camp like, I would answer “So tired”. But the reason why I participated this camp is that I could gain more than I feel tired such as learning new acknowledge and making new relationships with people. I participated the last global camp. Last camp, I studied about ‘Cultural contents’ and presentate. At first, the word ‘Cultural contents’ was unfamiliar and difficult, but as I communicate with teammates and research, I could understand what it really is and I felt proud that I made it. Also I could be familiar with foreign teacher as I enjoyed small party with teacher on last day. In this way, I felt sure that I could learn many things and I participated 2018 global forum camp.

Actually, my dream is to be a journalist. So I wanted to conduct a study about the press but I thought it is hard to relate it with Goryeo Dynasty cause Goryeo didn’t have the press. So I chose the field of society and the status of women in Goryeo Dynasty. ‘Girls can do anything’, this short sentence aroused a great controversy. Like this, nowadays, according to from Gangnam station murder case to the protest at Hyehwa station, gender equality, especially ‘feminism’ is rised as a big problem in Korean Society. As the status of women became a big social issues these days, I wondered how women used to live in Goryeo Dynasty.

Can you believe that woman go through streets on the horses in the past Korean Society? I guess you can’t. But in Goryeo Dynasty it was legal. I learned this through our study. Originally, I had learned that women in the past were not able to remarry and had to guard an incision to one man, and those were the duties of women. But through our study, I learned that the status of Women in Goryeo was higher than I learned, especially more than in Joseon Dynasty. But for example, women could not go outside and be free to act, and there were limitations to acquiring knowledge. After her marriage, she had to go into her in-laws ' family and live with them. After her husband died, she was banned from remarrying for three years. Like this the Status of Women in Joseon Dynasty was so poor than I knew originally.

For this camp, I played two roles as a opening MC and a leader of our team. As a opening MC, I lead opening of ‘2018 summer Global forum camp’, introducing teachers, professors and topics of each team. It took relatively long time to wrote script, but I felt proud that we did successfully. Originally, there was on team as a topic ‘Society’, but teammates wanted different topics and we had so many people so we divided our team into ‘Status of Women’ and ‘lives of People’. As a leader of a team, I determined detail subjects and divide roles. Then I lead all processes from researching materials, writing research to translating into english. The title of our research is ‘A Comparative Study of Women’s Status Goryeo Dynasty, Joseon Dynasty and Modern Society’ and we wrote this research paper by comparing Goryeo, Joseon Dynasty and Modern Society. Some of our teammates including me want to have a job in field of press, so we have talked about role of the press related to gender equality. I thought the role of press is to make a fair society, so I think press should report the news from the social point of view.

It's only the second day, I feel big achievement while our study, I learned the status of women in Goryeo Dynasty, Joseon Dynasty and Modern Society, and I deeply thought about current gender equality problem. Surely it was very difficult to find materials, write research and translate into english, but I relatively felt less tired than last time that we cooperate each other. Anand teacher is so nice that he helped us a lot during our study and because of him and I did my work sincerely. I hope our study will help us to have a bright future. And I wish for a wonderful world for the women.