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Where the Sky and the Land meet and kiss
- Date 2012-12-01 09:04
- CategoryNews
- Hit1922
On its 14th year of celebrating the Gimje Horizon Festival or Jipyeongseon, the city of Gimje welcomed KDI School students on October 13-14 to celebrate the 5,000-year old rice farming culture of this region.
What is so special about Gimje? Gimje is the only land-locked place in South Korea where one can see the horizon. Hence, the area is billed as “the place where the skies and grounds meet.” Byeokgolje, an ancient agricultural irrigation reservoir is also located in Gimje.
During the festival, a memorial service cherishing the spirit of the maiden Danya, who sacrificed herself for Byeokgolje took place, and the visitors were treated to a wide range of programs.
KDIS students gamely participated in most events. Amra Uth and Nguyen Thuy Hang, share their experiences:
Amra Uth (MDP 2012, Cambodia)
My Gimje experience is one unforgettable memory in my whole stay in Korea. Together with Mya, a 2012 Fall student, we joined the Korean rice cake competition with two Koreans. We shared responsibilities in creating our rice cakes, and it brought out the creative juices in us. The rice cakes we made were simple but elegant and delicious and to my surprise, our team won the first prize!
Nguyen Thuy Hang (MDP 2012, Viet Nam)
The festival was an amazing experience for me, and for the other KDIS students who attended. Together with other foreign students, we participated in many activities, especially the torch exhibition and rice-cake making competition. Unfortunately, we did not win the contest, but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of creating our own Korean rice cakes with the help of two Koreans. We also enjoyed the fireworks show and the food-tasting.
By Maria Charmaine D. Guevara (MDP 2012, Philippines)