Ist snowfall of 2014 in Suwon

Picture courtesy; Suwon culture foundation 

Like all other seasons of Korea, the first snowfall is always a source of amusement for the residence of Korea. December 1 , 2014 was the day with the first snowfall of the year. Here is a memorable picture of the Suwon Hwaseong fortress. Looking for some more fun, but be careful, its too cold now. 

Musical Wedding 2014

This Korean traditional musical referred to as a "Wedding" is a hybrid musical, which includes western style music as well as a Korean traditional wedding theme performance with music, dance, songs, and comical acts.

That was a wonderful night to watch the Korean traditional wedding ceremony, which is touched by music and fun. The story begins with a touchy kiss between the friend of the bridegroom and the bride. The father of the bride is looking unhappy with this marriage and he used to show his grief at many occasions. The bridegroom and his friends tried their best to get the agreement of bride’s father but all in vain. Meanwhile the wedding team showed some great performance of musical art that was amazing. The anger of bride’s father is at extreme when the bridegroom is unable to provide wedding ring. However the friends of bridegroom succeeded in getting the agreement of bride father…… How they succeed in their mission..? You need to go and watch the “MUSICAL WEDDING”. You will find a combination of eastern and western music coated with Love, anger and amusement…... And Yes The Character of “SEXY BOY” is the Hottest scene of the show and I am sure it will make you smile….:)

The “Wedding” is a regular performance, held daily, which has a combination of acrobatics, ballet, acting, and more. What is unique about this musical performance is that it focuses on Korean traditional culture mixed with lots of humor and fun

Unhyeon Palace Romance-2

It was yet another fantastic opportunity from KTO to explore the traditional Korean version of the opera, Unhyeon Palace Romance-2, presented in a form of Pansori. Honestly speaking, in beginning it seemed a bit boring, but it get my attention after a few minutes. The story is presented my 6 talented performers and it reminds me the traditional storytellers of my home town who used to sit in the moon lights to tell the stories of our forefathers and brave people of our nation.

I took this picture as soon as i enter the hall, yet they told me taking pics are not allowed.

Every performer was a master in his/her field as they have complete vocal commands on playing their part. Subtitles were displayed on the sides of the stage in many languages, but it was hard to look at the translation as the wall surface was  a bit rough and it was difficult to catch all the words. However, the amazing skills of the performers made I easy to understand with their verbal and nonverbal communications. They presented the performance with lots of humor to make it even more enjoyable. It tell’s basically the history of  Pansori, its development in various stages of life, people’s likness for it through Chae-sun’s, a famous artist. Besides this, it enlighten’s the culture, history, development and general behavior of people of different ages in Korea.
 Guro arts valley theater was a new place to explore which was quite interesting. There was a festival in progress which was an additional source of fun for me and my family and the free food and beverages made our day..:)

School festival from outside the GurO art gallery

Thanks to the KTO… We enjoyed a lot..:) 

Suwon House Concert

The October and November were such a crazy month in Suwon with a lot of festival and events for the residence of Suwon. There have been a number of  opportunities to enjoy just before the arrival of the cold windy season and snow.. Every wednesday, Suwon SK in the Atrium invited the people of Suwon in big house concerts. Here is the more detailed  story: thehttp://swcf_kr.blog.me/220159230266 

 The audience were supposed to enjoy different performances from the stage by the famous artists.They provide an opportunity to the first 50 people, who got reservation on first come first serve basis to join the stage with the artists. It was a great success, participated by  a umber of spectators. 

Colorful Autumn in Suwon

The colors of Autumn are such strong and powerful in Korea that it attracts every single soul and give a reason for living for everybody. Fall in Korea is attractive, where every leaf turns out to be a flower and people leave their workplaces and move to nearby parks, gardens and mountains to enjoy the beauty of autumn.

 Like many other cities of Korea, Suwon also has many places to visit and enjoy the prettiness of fall.  One of those amazing places to visit in Suwon during fall is Suwon fortress. Where every single leaf and flower is telling another story of loveliness and magnetism. If you have time, Just come out of your workplace and enjoy the nature at it's best, you will find hundreds of people enjoying their leisure. 

Bibap 2014

I along with my friend planned to watch yet another very famous nonverbal musical comic performance in Seoul, named as Bibap. I was waiting since a long ago to have the chance to watch this performance, as I have heard a lot about it from my friend.

Like other nonverbal performance, including Jump, Nanta, Schoom, Kaboom, etc. the bibap is also full of energy and laughs, excitement and enjoyment. Comic characters and scenarios are specially designed and are the main ingredient.

The story is based on a cooking competition among two cooks, making dishes of various origins, like Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Korean of course. Making these dishes along with some dances and comic scenes is whole theme. Audience participation is highest in this performance, like after making each dish one or two persons from the audience are requested to come on the stage and taste the dish and also perform according to the scene with the actual performers of the show. This makes the show more exciting. A gift is also presented to the participating audiences as a token of thanks. Like all other nonverbal performances there not even a single foot wrong during the whole show by the performers. They are highly skilled people who know how to act, dance, and sing and to indulge audience into their show.

I recommend every one to watch this incredible performance along with friends and family. You will definitly enjoy it. 

Moonlight tour with Suwon culture foundation

It was a great effort from the Suwon cultural foundation to offer moonlight tour of the Hwaseong fortress to the local and internationals  to enjoy the amazing moonlight in specific nights of each month. When the moon is at full the romantic scenery of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress attract every single soul towards its traditional entertainment. SCF has designed a special schedule and invites everyone who love culture, tradition, travel, photography and wanted to enjoy the cool nights with a full moon in the Hwaseong fortress. As a part of the schedule,  SCF invited the ambassadors of Suwon on October 13, to enjoy the beauty of nature and to spread the beauty of night to the world. It proved to be a  romantic night for the lovers and all those who love nature.

Every corner of the fortress, enlightened in a special way attracts the sight of veiwrs from far away. The cool breaze of night touches the soul with all its freshness and charm. The experience of wearing Korean traditional dress and enjoying the soft music increase the loveliness of the night.

Hwaseong fortress is  a must visit place in night when the moon is a full.. 

Wearing "RIM" traditional hat

RIM is a traditional hat of Korea and can be seen wearing by many Koreans in many festivals.  its has 220 years history,  when in 1795, people were used to wear this at their normal routine.  Suwon to grave "Nam-Heon Balhae and stars: Suwon culture foundations did a great job by providing opportunity to those who love wearing traditional RIM. Those who never wear the  rim, SCF recruited participants for this event and successfully conducted it.

Here is the link to the recruitment post    http://me2.do/GUpJuRIW 

A The Suwon cultural foundation playing a great role in introducing traditional and culture stuff to the young generation and the internationals. This opportunity of wearing RIM was definitely a good reason for my claim.

Drum Cats 2014

Globally-recognized Korean performance, ‘Drum Cat’ whips people into a frenzy of rhythm and fun. Drum Cat was created in 2003 and is an all-female percussion group .2008 was landmark year for Drum Cat, as the group received both the ‘2008 Edinburgh Festival Herald Angel’ award and the ‘2008 Scotland Cavalcade Best Unit’ award, the first awards even won by a Korean team at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  I was a bit crazy for this performance because all this information I collected before I went to watch this performance. Drum cats show is presented in Myungbu art hall which is at walking distance from Myeongdong, City hall and Dongdaemun station. The facilities provided in theater are worth appreciated.

The performer presented attractive skills, no doubt they were very competent with the sticks in their hands. Their body movements were perfect. Their performance seems like a far cry from traditional drumming, the performance focuses on a modernization of rhythm: combining and reinventing rock, jazz, techno and Latin rhythms into a unique blend of sound. Right from the start of the performance till end the performers show awesome and trilling skills with their instruments. It’s well recommended show for you and your friends and families.

Drawing Show

One of the marvelous shows I have ever seen is the drawing show. Basically it was started in 2007 and it crossed many marks of popularity since then.  The audiences can see some amazing artwork in very short period of time with a high speed by the artists using different techniques and methods. The actors' amusing performances with the spectators make the show even more pleasurable. Thanks to KTO for the opportunity of watching such a nice performance. The original drawing show syndicates the use of the stage and art together. Right from the start of the show the performers astonishes the spectators creating a suspense and thrill. The actor’s nonverbal communication is remarkable to watch.

The artists of the show (04 in number at the time I watched) have astounding skills; they showed diverse abilities, skills, and distinct possessions. The involvement of audience is a great achievement by the actors who communicate in a more interesting way to bring smiles on their faces. Their amazing expressions increase the worth of the show. A shirt is given to the lucky spectator, drawn at the spot having “Drawing show” written on it. Moreover spectators are invited to show their drawing skills.

Different abilities at its best can be seen with the performer’s brushes. Enchanted with fun, using different colors they used to draw many sketches on one end while the spectators always expect another thing on other hand. One of the most charming things to see is the water comes out of a waterfall in the drawing. Another thing is the use of video camera for dramatic effect which looks like the drawing being drawn on water. The high point of the show is during the apex when the spectators see the drawings whirling into all sorts of colors on the stage.

Since the audiences are not allowed to take pictures during the show, special opportunity is given to them to take pictures at the end of the show. There is a photo session with performers at the end of show as well. 

Festival of Kings arrival

The arrival of King  to announce Zhang Yong wave foot military arrived at the Palace Square,  was a great cultural show in Suwon.This was as a costume fashion show and a media façade built a variety of excuses, # Saar is followed by a celebration of artists and performances of the last firework Festival finale. Participated by  a lot of people, this was a success, the cast included # Hyun-Suk (conductor), # Kang Tae hwan (saxophone), # (sounds), the authoritarian order # Kim Kyung-AH (flute & taepyeongso), # Yang Jun-HO (piano), Kim do-Kyun (guitar), creative music group fire (song) # appropriations fraternity, # Han young AE (song), showers (song), the project, # # Sunny Kim (Jazz vocals), # officers Sik (North Korea). It provided a nice opportunity to the residents of Suwon to get rid from their hectic schedules and have a few moments of peace beautified by the music and culture performances. 

Tussle of rivals at Asian Games Incheon 2014

Winner of the Day (Pakistan team)

This article is written to support the Incheon Asian games 2014.

The Incheon Asian games with their slogan, “Diversity Shines here” proved to be the largest event supported by more than 45 countries spectators. Expat from all the participated countries rushed from far and near to support their teams in the Incheon Asian games in Korea. The interest and concern of the spectators is found always at its peak if a team has a match against their rivals. Pakistan India competitions always attract a large number of spectators from both countries and around the globe. Nobody wants to miss the opportunity to watch the tussle between the rival teams. It was a great day for the spectators of both countries to watch their heroes in action.

Pakistan Woman cricket team enjoying match with supporters

Pakistan took India in hockey league match at Seonhak stadium, Incheon. A large number of spectators from both countries especially from Pakistan revealed that they waited for this moment since long. This was a match with the largest number of spectators after the hosting Korea team matches.

Crazy supporters of Pakistan

Right from the first minute of the game the match was exciting, fast and full of entertainment. Spectators have different play cards and flags of their countries to support their teams. They were shouting, screenings and clapping for their teams, this is what makes the Pak-India match a worthy competition to watch. One of my friends from London who came to watch this match coated, “that if you love sports, you need to go and watch Pakistan-India match”.

Abid Yousaf , the man behind the play cards and excitement 

Excitement of the match increased every second and reached at its peak when Pakistan players pushed the ball into Indian goal post resulted in a field goal. The crowd roared with power brought their inside out. That was a memorable moment of my life. The enthusiasm, zeal and passion were at peak. 1-0 lead of Pakistan brought the match to more fast and furious actions from both sides. It seemed like a home ground of Pakistan because of large number of spectators.  The students with drums and patriotic slogans keep increased the moral of their team.  Pakistan team was supported by the players of  girls cricket team, squash and volley ball teams plus the hundreds energetic and bouncing scholars, workers and people from different fields of life.

Pakistan team in the field while supporters outside both were amazing to watch

10 minutes before the end of match India level the score 1-1, however just the other moment Pakistani shaheens took lead again, making the score 2-1. That was incredibly amazing to watch the players not only playing for themselves but for their countries and respect. The final whistle declared 2-1 victory for Pakistan. The Joy and celebrations of the spectators was worth watching, screaming, dancing, jumping with joy and happiness.

Yp, I along with many friends supported Pakistan

Indeed this was an amazing day of my life. I may never forget the warmth and worth of those moments. Yet many more to Come Pakistan have to face Malaysia in Semi final and India p\or Korea in the final. 

Long Live Pakistan 

First Gold medal for Pakistan Asian Games, Incheon 2014

This blog is written to support the Incheon Asian games 2014. Here is the link to the website. http://blog.incheon2014ag.com/pakistan-gold/

Pakistan women’s cricket team successfully defended their title by defeating Bangladesh team in Incheon Asian games cricket final match on September 25, 2014. They claim the first gold medal for Pakistan. Pakistan was the hot favorite team of the tournament since they were the gold medal winners at 16^th Asian games Gaungzhou, China.

It was a nice day for cricket in Incheon. A number of spectators make sure their presence to support their teams. Pakistan team captain Sana mir won the toss and elected to bat first. Marina Iqbal and Javeria Khan started their game very positively. However, Jahanara was successful with a breakthrough on a magic delivery to Javeria Khan who gave a simple catch to Salma khaton . Marina Iqbal and Bisma maroof played incredibly well to provide a strong base for a good target. Pakistan total was 35 when Marina Iqbal was stumped by the electrified Bangladesh keeper. However Pakistan team was successful to uplift their score. Bimsa left in 13^th over when Pakistan has 55 on score board followed by the skipper Sana Mir at 77. Bangladesh bowlers had a good come back by restricting Pakistan score and taking wickets at regular succession. At the end of 20 overs, Pakistan team was able to put a defendable score of 97/6. Bangladesh team was incredible with the bowling by hampering Pakistan team to 7. 

Just after the Pakistan bating was over, the weather was changed and huge clouds covered the sun followed by heavy rain.  Bangladesh batsmen were unable to open their accounts in the final match for gold medal in Incheon Asian games 2014. The unexpected entry of rain lead to ambiguous situation for both the teams. The rain stopped after an hour of heavy fall. Match officials restricted the target to 43 runs in 7 over for Bangladesh according to duck worth Luis system. It seemed an easy target for Bangladesh and their opening batsmen Ayasha Rehman and Rumana Ahamd proved it by providing a good start to their team. Bangladesh lose their first wicket at 13 when Ayasha Rehman was run out followed by another run out of Rumana ahamd. Pakistan team was very good at the field to defend their total bravely. Faranga Hoque tried to resist against Pakistan bowling attack, however she failed to struggle for long time as she was clean bowled by Sadia yousaf. After fargana, no Bangladeshi player entered into double figure. The last two overs were the most crucial overs to the match as well as the tournament. Bangladesh required just 10 runs in 18 balls while they have 4 wickets in hands. Nida dar and Sana mir shared the rest of wickets to give Pakistan an unbelievable victory.  Bangladesh was 38/9 at the end of 7^th over and lost to Pakistan by 5 runs.

The green shirts were able to defend their status of being Asian champions of cricket in the Asian games consecutively since 2010.

                                                                                                                                                

<Pakistan> <Cricket> >Incheon> <Asian Games> <Women cricket>

All roads leads to Incheon

This blog is written to promote the Incheon Asian games 2014. the actual link is hereby given http://blog.incheon2014ag.com/incheon-fun/ 

The craze of Incheon Asian games are at its peak. The slogan of 2014 Incheon Asian games,” Diversity shines here” can be seen at its peak everywhere in Incheon metropolitan city. The opening ceremony of IAG was a well-organized event with successful stories of new records in different categories of Asian games. Just after the opening ceremony athletes are off to their respective fields. Al together 13000 athletes from 45 countries are competing each other for 439 gold medals.

To make it a more successful event, almost all organizations, volunteers, co-organizers, media personals and local people are playing their role. It can be seen by visiting all the venues that this is not just about games but also about the respect, culture promotion, values, peace and diversity among the Asian countries. Different stalls and booths are organized outside the main ASIAD stadium offering different experiences including Korean tourism Organization booth, Asian food festival, street activities and performances, Nantha, Pyeongchung Olympics 20018, SK telecommunication, Indonesian booth and much more. These booths offer tremendous opportunities of new experiences for the visitors. They are not only promoting themselves but at the same time playing a positive role in creating awareness about culture differences, foods, and advancement in technology, medicine and cosmetics. At the same time they share happiness and love by providing gifts and opportunity to stab traditional stuffs of Korea.

Being a visitor you will always get a warm welcome at every booth in main ASIAD stadium Incheon Asian games 2014. One of the most attractive booths is the one organized by the Korea tourism Organization. They offer different kind of experiences including wearing Hanbuk, get the traditional stamps, written your name on Korean traditional hand fan. They also gave traditional pouch as gift to all the visitors. Another worth mention chance they offer is the free massage where you can consult the massage experts and get a treatment as much as 10 minutes depending on the number of visitors. They offer different kinds of massages manually as well as with different machines. They also offer body scan for fats and muscles quantity, BMI and blood pressure and gave you report and advice (if you need any) at the spot. They have some good photo scenery to get some nice snaps alone as well as with your beloved ones. Beside the face masks as gifts they offer a cute gift which is basically a travelling card if you fill a short survey online before you leave the booth.

Next to KTO booth is the Pyeongchung 2018 winter Olympic booth that gave opportunity to get information about the preparation, games and venues of the Pyeongchung Olympics 2018. Different instruments are set to watch the astonishing winter games and to play off with them. The Indonesian booth offer unique opportunity to get knowledge about Indonesia, its life style and its preparation about the Asian games 2018 which will be held in Jakarta. The Asian food festival offer tremendous experience of making different foods including rice cakes, mandu and liquor. Different kinds of traditional games can be played at the Asian food festival. There are a number of attractions for the foreigners as well as the native Koreans which comprises of traditional wedding hall, taste of Korea having different traditional products, crafts and dinning arts,

Hanbuk wearing and traditional Korean life experience.

Beside many street performances in front of main ASIAD stadium, the most amazing K performance is offered by the Korea tourism organization is the world famous Nanta. Nanta is one of the most incredible nonverbal performances of Korea. The unifying element throughout the musical is the use of traditional Korean samul nori music, which in this case is performed with improvised instruments, such as cutting boards, water canisters and kitchen knives. This performance (30 minutes) is done in open air free of cost 03 times a day where it has a large number of spectators each time.

A passion, diversity, respect and assortment can be seen by visiting the IAG 2014 venues not only in the field but off the field as well.

     

Korean Youth Supports of Pakistan in the Incheon Asian games 2014

This article is written for the promotion of Incheon Asian games 2014. The link to the published article is  http://blog.incheon2014ag.com/pakistan-youth-iag/

The Incheon Asian games 2014 are at the verge of its start. All the preparations are almost done. The dream of shining the diversity, peace and friendship through sports is about to come true. About 18,500 volunteer are ready to play their role in making 2014 Asian games a successful event.I think it is a remarkable effort by the IAGC to introduce the volunteers in different categories for the smooth happening of the 17^th Asian games in Incheon city, Korea. Another amazing program by the IGAOC is the youth support program.

The Incheon City Hall has been managing Incheon Asian Game Youth Supporters since 2012 for successive hold of Incheon Asian Game. Youth supporters are organized by 44 teams that support 44 countries participating Asian game. Youth supporters are alleged to play their role in promoting 44 countries and encourage players from 44 countries and interact with other international people. Through these activities, they have to understand diverse cultures of Asia and develop global abilities, as a goal, they have to put their energies to make Incheon Asian game, a peaceful and united event.

Recently, I have got the honor to meet with Pakistan supporter’s team for the 2014 IAG. They are a team of 30 enthusiastic and energetic students, supporting Pakistan with high hopes of watching Pakistan with maximum medals. They have made great attempts to understand the traditions and culture of Pakistan prior to welcome and support the participating players of Pakistan in the Incheon Asian games 2014. They had a great event of culture exchange between the Korean national, Pakistan supporters and the Pakistani scholars supported by the student’s organization, the Pakistan students association of Korea (PSAK). They traveled together to explore the historical Gyeongbok palace, museum, and Seoul metro staff, ended their day with the payers and dinner in the Itaewon Islamic center.

Youth supporters are incredible in their ways of interaction, bringing together the Korean and Pakistani youth to promote the diversity and culture resemblance by understanding the traditions and norms of both countries. Pakistani scholars are always filled with passion and enthusiasm after listening to their national sports slogans like,”Dil Dil Pakistan” and Jeetay ga Bie Jeetay ga, Pakistan Jetay ga”., meaning that, “Pakistan lives in our hearts” and “Pakistan will wins always”. A great event was organized in the month of August for Pakistani and Chinese students along with Korean supporters of Pakistan and China to experience each other’s culture and enjoy mini sports like three legged race, tug of war, jumping rope, Tuho (Korean traditional game) and many others. The participants not only enjoyed the sports and cheering but also have fun in different quiz competitions to know each other’s countries and the Incheon Asian games 2014. This event was success because of the great no of participants from both countries     

14 of august was another successful event organized by the Pakistan Students Association, Korea to celebrate the independence day of Pakistan. Active participation from the youth supporters in this event was an admirable act to win the confidence and attention of the Pakistani youth in Korea. They presented the Mascots of 17th Asian Games to the worthy ambassador of Pakistan.  

The youth supports along the cooperation of the Pakistan student association (PSAK) are working hard to promote the Incheon Asian games and bring harmony to this era through their efforts. It is expected that more interesting events will be created to bring the youth of both nations to a common understanding to extend their positive role in upholding the culture and traditions of both the nations and make the 17^th Incheon Asian games a success. 

A day in Suwon fortress #SCF

Hwaseong is the wall surrounding the center of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeongi-do, South Korea. This fortress was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongio of the Joseon to house and honor the remains of his father Prince Sado,   who had been murdered by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongio after failing to obey the command to commit suicide. Located 30 kilometers (19 mi) south of Seoul and enclosing much of central Suwon, the Fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung. The site was designated as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1997. The Suwoncheon, the main stream in Suwon, flows through the center of the fortress.

It was a hot day to walk in the hwaseong fortress area exploring the beautiful and traditional sites of Suwon. At the entrance of the fortress we had the experience of traditional Korean archery. It was an amazing experience knowing that 220 years ago the soldiers used to practice it over here. It’s difficult to hit the target however a little help from the expert can help you pull right at the target. I hit 04 times right near the target in my 20 shots and thus won a prize that was announced for the winner by Suwon culture foundation. 

Hwaseong Fortress is an impressive structure from the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty. The fortress wall stretches for a total of 5.52km and has a great variety of military facilities that’s hard to find anywhere else. Four gates face each of the cardinal directions—Janganmun (north), Paldalmun (south), Changnyongmun (east), and Hwaseomun (west)—and the seven-arch style Sumun gates straddle the point where the nearby stream reaches the palace. Above the Sumun gates is a pavilion called Hwahongmun. he Suwon Hwaseong Fortress went through many turbulent times and damage, and in the battle of June 25th, many of the facilities became so damaged that they were deemed irreparable. Even though the fortress restoration initiative (1975-1979) restored many of the sites to their former glory, Paldalmun to Dongnamgakru (an area 491 meters in length) has still not been renovated. 

There are two ways you can enjoy the visit the hwaseong fortress either by walk or by the train. In my last visit I had fun with train while this time we travel by walk which was an incredible experience. The greenery with cool breeze around is always heart touching. Location of Hwahongmun was such an adorable that one must need to spend sometime under the shade of traditional rooms. Experience with the traditional small drum dance was another awesome moment of the day which can be enjoyed at the center for intangible cultural assets. The dance teachers are perfect in their profession. We learn Arrirang dance which the dance teacher said was the easiest one. However that was a fun which is multiplied by the reception of small drum as a gift from the center for intangible cultural assets.

We had a delicious dinner comprised of Qalbi with a lot of side dishes and specially arranged Pizza for the vegetarians. Thanks to the  Suwon cultural foundation (#scf ) for the awesome trip.

Requirements for the Visa extension

You need to prepare the following documents for the Visa extension (D-2). The documents requirements are subjected to change upon individual case. 

1-Letter from OIC
2- Enrollment certificate
3- Transcript
4- Tuition fee payment certificate
(You can get 2-3-4 from Administration building for 1000/- won)
5-Passport copy and original
6- ARC copy and original
7- Dormitory certificate/Home contract for families
8-Bank draft (above 1400 US D for families)
9-Professor recommendation letter.

Good Luck

Pakistan Day celebration by PSAK 2014

Another remarkable effort by the Pakistani students association Korea (PSAK) for gathering a massive crowed to celebrate Pakistan Independence day in Hanyang University ERICA campus, South Korea.  I must appreciate the management of the PSAK for their recent efforts to bring all the scholars to a single platform, resolve the student’s problems and help the needy people back home. PSAK is currently having a true spirit of helping each other and deprived people back home with in the available resources. This sort of activities and zeal is well needed in the community on national and international level. Thanks to the organizing teams for their endless efforts to make it a worthy program.

The event started a little late than the scheduled time, which was because of the late arrival of the chief guest. Seriously, we need to reconsider our habits of always being late, if we want to follow the path of successful people. The honorable ambassador, Mr Zahid Nasrullah Khan apologized for being late in his speech as he mentioned that it was because of his appearance in a meeting with the president of Korea followed by traffic jam. The event was started with the recitation from holly Quran by Hafiz Waheed Arbab followed by Naat Rasul-e-maqbbol by Omer Mustapha. Mr.Misbah ullah delivered his welcome speech, in which he warmly applauded all the participants from embassy, students from different universities and business community. Mr.Rasheed Khan presented the greeting messages from the president and prime minister of Pakistan. Abdul Sami was awesome from the stage and I shared few announcements as an MC with him.

It was for the first time ever that the families at HYU, ERICA campus participated in an official event in such a large number. The event was beautified by the Pakistan supporters in Incheon Asian games. The Asian games will hold after a month and these supporters will cheer for Pakistani teams in different sports. These supporters are 30 energetic Korean young girls and boys who are interested in Pakistani culture and traditions. Their participation was a proof that PSAK and Korean youth are very interactive in their daily life activities. PSAK always proved to be a helping hand whenever they are requested to come forward to show solidarity with Pakistan and its people. The Youth supporters distributed some gifts in the participants included hand fans, pencils and pens with Incheon Asian games logos. The seating arrangements and lightening were perfect and the background music, screen/multimedia footage were well maintained.  

The ambassador of Pakistan in Korea Zahid Nasrullah Khan appreciated the efforts of Pakistani Korea for presenting a good image of Pakistan abroad. He mentioned that the embassy of Pakistan will try to solve the student’s problems at prior bases. He announced that the embassy will not charge any student for the attestation of their documents from today onward. Mr Shahzad, Zahid Husain and A.B Saim entertained the participants with their poetry which was highly appreciated by the spectators. A special video was prepared to enlighten the struggles for making Pakistan. The contents of video come up with a great message to show our individual efforts to make Pakistan a prosperous nation.

Traditional dances of Khyber Paktoonkhwa, Sindh and Punjab, presented by Alam Zeb, Ahamd and Abid respectively with their friends entertained the audience more than anything else. Participation from the audience get so much crazy that they became a part of the dancing groups; Those were incredible and loving moments of the night.

 Mr. Omer Salamn, Mr Ali ansari , Mr saleem and Abdul Sami presented a heart touching skit, mentioning the brotherhood of all the provinces of Pakistan. They were successful in delivering the message of unity, strength, dedication, individual and combined efforts to make Pakistan, a nation with integrity and harmony. Enchanted with fun, the performance of Omer salman and his company was incredibly well enough to bring smiles on the faces of participants, filling every one with patriotic passion.  

Mr. Hassan the president of the PSAK, in his concluding speech mentioned that every one of us should struggle in individual capacity to make Pakistan a better place to live. He said that most of us point out the problems in our society but none of us is ready to be the first drop of change. We can be a source of inspiration for all others by bringing a positive revolution in our attitudes. He thanks all the participants for the active participation to make this event a success.  Hats off of the camera men, Mian Ishfaq, Saqib Bhatti, Imran Hassan and Saqib ali Khan for capturing the memorable moments of the event. The event came to end with Dua by Hafiz Abdul Manan followed by a delicious dinner.

Over all it was a great night, beautified by the enthusiasm of every Pakistani. Such events are well needed to extend our traditions, culture and peace loving nature to the people of Korea and to develop a more mature and helping community abroad.