By Julius John LWENJE (2011 MPP, Tanzania)

From October 1^st to 2^nd, 43 KDI international students participated in the Gimje Jipyeongseon Festival at Byeokgolje area.  Jipyeongseon means horizon, hence the name Gimje Horizon Festival. Ranked No. 7 by popularity in the long list of Korean national festivals, Gimje Horizon Festival takes place every autumn to uphold the agricultural tradition as well as to appreciate artistic richness of Korea. KDI School students were among the lucky participants who were invited by the festival organizers.

We left the KDI School in the morning and arrived at Gimje in the afternoon. As we approached the festival site, we were welcomed by an endless chain of cars moving to and fro. All places right and left, were flooded with people and vehicles confirming the reputation of the event. Filled with excitement, we were immediately ushered to the rice cake making. Though the traffic jam hindered us from participating in the occasion, we were able to see the cakes being prepared by other participants. First made separately on a countless number of tables, all rice cakes later joined together to form a gigantic cake akin to those in the Guinness Book of World Records.  Awards were presented to the best rice cake makers, after which every participant was invited to eat. The invitation was met with salivating participants, who successfully emptied the table within a few minutes.

A lot of events were simultaneously taking place, but kite flying far surpassed the rest in size as it attracted all age groups. The fact that kites were being provided free motivated many more to take part, turning the sky into a unique canvas adorned with kites of varying colors and shapes.

On the morning of October 2^nd we had a tour to Gumsan Temple (Golden Mountain Temple) whose history goes back to AD 599. We hurriedly visited some important places while admiring the rich history of Korea. Upon returning to Byeokgolje to proceed with the festival, we participated in the gimbab making competition. The first, second and third awards went to Nepal, Poland/Russia and Laos respectively, and all participants shared their food with the spectators.

In the afternoon we were provided with traditional farmer’s clothes and joined in a march to the harvesting site. Leading the marching crowd was a peasant band, performing folk songs that depicted the joy of harvest. As the band leader demonstrated how to cut rice with a sickle, students were led to a rice field and had a taste of traditional rice harvesting. One of the organizers extended his appreciation for our participation and invited us for lunch. We were served with sweet potatoes, noodles, makgeolli, and boiled eggs, just as Korean farmers eat in between their hard work in a rice field.

After the harvesting event, participants dispersed to different directions to enjoy free time. While some were busy looking for attractive scenes for photo taking, others were appreciating traditional performances, and still others were peeping in every pavilion trying to find interesting souvenirs to buy. By the time we started our journey back to the School everyone was tired but had many things to talk and laugh about. The event will be cherished as one of the most wonderful experiences that we had while in Korea.