Here is my interview with 'InDaegu' (formerly 'Daegu Pockets') a monthly english publication, in their May Issue.... I have also been asked to write an article 'Muslim in Korea' for their next issue.

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Daegu Blogger Invited to the Blue House

Written by Alexandra Petri

Translation by Emily Cashwell

Asif was checking his e-mails at an Internet café in Tokyo back in February when he received the news: Asif learned that he would be one of the bloggers for the Korea Blog (http://blog.korea.net/), established by the Korea Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).

"I know there are a lot of bloggers in Korea, so I thought my chances would be 50/50 at getting selected," said Asif, a Native English teacher from Canada. “I've been doing a lot of traveling since I arrived, writing about it, and I have a 2011 itinerary on my blog, so I thought it would all count in my favor.”

And it did. Asif is one of 42 bloggers chosen for The Korea Blog, which launched in January. The project is written in English and aims to promote and spread the knowledge of modern Korean culture to the rest of the world.

A week after finding out he was selected, Asif received another surprising e-mail notifying him that the welcoming ceremonies would be held at the CheongWaDae, the Korean presidential palace.

“I was really surprised, amazed, and excited, as I’ve never been to an official residence like the White House or 10 Downing Street before,” Asif said.

Asif thinks that his location will enable him to provide a different perspective to The Korea Blog.

“The Southeast is a culturally rich region, and being the only blogger – as far as I know – from this region, I will have a unique advantage covering the many historical locations, as well as the unique and diverse festivals here.”

His perspective as “a Muslim in a non-Muslim environment” has allowed Asif to blog about thing he finds personally interesting, he said.

“I like to talk about some of the Muslim influences I have found, such as mosques in Daegu, Seoul, and Busan. The Shilla Millennium Park in Gyeongju re-created the 8th century capitals of Constantinople and Baghdad, so this […] is something you wouldn’t expect to find in Korea.”

Since arriving in August, Asif has experienced the gamut of Korean life. His travels have led him from the mask festival in Andong, to the Baekje Dynasty Festival in Buyeo, to the Jinju Lantern festivals. He’s conquered the mountains in Daegu, twice visited the heart of the Shilla Dynasty in Gyeongju, explored the depths of Seoul, and walked Korea’s longest footbridge, Wolyeongyo, in Andong.

Asif has seen so much, but he’s only just begun.

“I am planning to spend 4 days in Jeju-do for the May holiday, to the whale festival in Ulsan, Haeundae Beach for the sand sculpture festival, and I have my tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies for the IAAF Championships in Daegu in August,” Asif said.

As a backpacker for the last 8 years, Asif left his mark on 35 different countries, making sure to e-mail people back home with his descriptions, anecdotes, and stories of his bizarre experiences along the way.

“Since I was going to be living in Korea for a year, I decided to create a blog this time to keep a record of all my experiences and photos.”

He said he tries to post one to two times per week, and much of his inspiration comes from the positive feedback from everyone he knows back in Toronto.

“Often, they say they laugh out loud or crack up at some of my stories,” Asif said. “I was part raised in England and part raised in Canada, so people who know me know that I have my unique style of humor and writing.”

Keywords

launch- 시작하다

enable- ~을 할 수 있게 하다

gamut- 전체, 온갖

leave a mark- 흔적을 남기다

anecdote- 일화

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