[MANNAM] Korean Culture: What Do You Exchange with your Neighbor?

[MANNAM] Korean Culture: What Do You Exchange with your Neighbor?

In modern life, what did you exchange with people today? Money? Products? Or Ideas?

Here is something special to exchange in Korean culture. I will give you a hint. It’s invisible.

In rural areas, neighbors help out on each other’s farm. Helping each other’s works for nothing, we called it “Pum At-i.” “Pum At-i.” means exchange of labor. “Pum” is “work”. “At-i” is “exchange”.   

As developing the tertiary industry, agriculture has declined in Korea. Therefore it is uncommon now like before but it is still exist with the other shape of “Pum At-i.” For example, helping friend in moving to new house, making kimchi together(usually make more than 10 heads of napa cabbage each house at once), featuring in album without no money, etc.

We have regarded mutual help as a virtue. In company, there is a Mutual Aid Society. If some employee has a family event like funeral or wedding. Mutual Aid Society attend and help him.

When I was a kid, I remember my neighbor who was genial middle aged women. She was willing to take care of me in place of hospitalized my mother. After mom came back from hospital, mom said to her “I am so appreciate your help. I don’t know how to repay you for this.” She said, “We need more mutual help in adversity.”

This spirit of mutual help and “Pum At-I” is what the root of MANNAM. MANNAM is exchanging not only labor also a warm heart. Let’s suppose we exchange a warm heart. so all of people got warm heart. Isn’t it easier to make world peace?  

[MANNAM] Misunderstandings

[MANNAM] Misunderstandings

 A child is waiting for his turn in a concert on the back stage. Next turn is his turn. He is waiting anxiously. But soon, his friends and family comes up to him and cheers him. Not only with the words, also gives him courage with a Thumb-up gesture. In this situation, what does the thumb-up gesture mean? You can easy think it is a way to cheer people or a saying ‘You will do fine’, ‘You are the best.’ But this means only in western places. Because if you are a person who lives in the Middle East, you could have thought the meaning is a swear word. That is what the people think in that place.

 Let’s look another example. A Korean who lived in America runs a convenience store. A person comes in and pushes the gun into the face of the owner. The owner is in confusion. “Give me all the money you’ve got!” shouts the robber. Since the owner has his wallet inside in his inner pocket, he tries to pull it out. But the robber thinks the owner is taking out his gun. Unfortunately, at the end of this story, the owner died because of the misunderstanding of culture. If the robber knew Koreans keep their wallets in their inner pockets, and if the owner knew Americans keep their guns in their inner pockets, this kind of disaster would not have happened.

 We live in a world which has many cultures and environments. In one country if something is A, the same thing can be B in another country. So, how can we solve the misunderstandings for other countries and cultures? We need an open mind about things. This is happening in MANNAM. Also we have to care for others. If we only think about my culture and don’t have the thinking of others, this person can only be a person who falls behind. In MANNAM I meet people from all around the world. That is how I knew how to make relationships with people that I never meet before. Especially in cultures, I now know how and why people do such actions. At first, even small things were hard to understand, but while I started to try, I can do better than before. Making peace is not a big thing and a difficult matter. By starting to learn and understand others, that is the key for hope. Learn more in MANNAM!

[MANNAM] Background of the invention of Hangeul?

MANNAM! Do you know the background of the invention of Hangeul?

 

 

 

 

As we learn, or before we learn do you know the background of the invention of Hangeul?

 

You may have heard that king Sejong made Hangeul, but why?

 

Long time ago, in Korea, people communicate with speaking Korean but there were no letter to write down.

 

So, before Hangeul was invented, people use Chinese character for literature.

 

However, it was very hard to write in Chinese character because it was based in Chinese.

 

Writing with Chinese which is totally different from Korean was hard that people has to study a lot to write.

 

Therefore, only rich people could write and enjoy literature.

 

It wasn’t universal to ordinary people to write and read the letter.

 

This makes Hangeul as a method to maintain their power for ruling class.

 

So, king Sejong had to progress inventing Hangeul secretly.

 

Therefore he couldn’t borrow many hands to scholars.

 

If he had caught in the middle of the invention, he might have not succeed it.

 

Even after he pronounce Hunmin-chungum, lots of aristocrat resist to publish it.

 

Inspite of all these resist, king Sejong contributed Han-geul for ordinary people.

 

After that, the Korean culture of literature got vitalized and ordinary people’s knowledge got improved.

 

As a result, king Se jong contributed Han-geul to give a better life to Ordinary people.

 

This is why many Korean respect king Se jong and print his portrait on 10,000won.

 

 

 

 

I think the mind set of caring others and work for a better life, peace is similar with MANNAM.

 

So, today, when you study Korean, think of king Sejong and let’s work like him in MANNAM International to payback his love!

 

 

http://mannamgwkorean.blogspot.kr/2013/03/MANNAMKOREANCLASS_26.html

[MANNAM] Green, Youth, and Peace

Hi, MANNAM International friends! What color do you like best? If you are a Chinese, you may like red color best and if you are a Korean, white may be your favorite color. Since it is spring season, let’s talk about green color today.

When talking about green color, what can you think of? You may think of spring, nature, energy, life, peace, freshness, and health.

In Korean language, people call green color “nok-seck” or “cheong-seck”. Here, “seck” means color, so “nok” or “cheong” means green. There is a Korean word “cheong-nyeon” describing a group of people. You’ve already known that “cheong” means green and green is related to energy, life, freshness, and health. Then, can you guess what “cheng-nyeon” means? I’ll give you another clue. In Korean language, “nyeon” means a period in one's life. Therefore, which group of people can be related to energy, freshness, health, and vigor? Now, can you guess?

Yes. In Korean language, “cheong-nyeon (청년)” means youth. As the word indicates, youth are full of energy, freshness, and health, so we can work a lot either for nature or world peace. We are all MANNAM International youth, and let’s work together to achieve world peace. Remember that both youth and peace are related to green color and youth are not too far from peace.

[MANNAM] Dialogue: The Way To Peace

Hi, MANNAM International friends! Do you know things that you can’t do alone? For example, you can’t shake hands alone; you can’t play ping-pong alone; and you can’t get married alone. There is one more thing you can’t do alone and that is dialogue.

There is a word “pul-da (풀다)” in Korean. It is a verb. Koreans use the word in both situations when resolving a misunderstanding or untying the knot. Using the same verb “pul-da” in different situations, then there must be one thing in common.

Let’s look at the situation of resolving a misunderstanding first. When you have a misunderstanding with your friends how do you resolve it? You may break the relationship, maintain the awkward relationship, or actively repair it. Among the three, everyone will agree that the last one is the best but also the most difficult solution. However, if you don’t want to lose your friend, you have to do it. Then, how to resolve the misunderstanding? You may have different ways to do it, but what is essential is dialogue. Through dialogue, both persons become to know why the other one did so at that time and to understand his or her situation, and finally the misunderstanding and conflict gets resolved.

However, sometimes through several kinds of dialogue, you can’t get any sympathy from the other one, and if worse, the dialogue may end as a more terrible conflict. Nevertheless, unless you start a dialogue, the chance of peace will never come to you.

From past to present, conflict has been an agenda which humans have tried to resolve for numerous times but never succeeded. It must be a giant ball of entangled knot. To untie the knot, the only way is the dialogue. Do you agree? 

[MANNAM] Korean conversation class: Doran Doran

[MANNAM] Korean conversation class: Doran Doran

Are you looking for a Korean conversation class?

Do you want to practice or develop your Korean speaking skill?

Or do you need peaceful global friends to talk with?

Then joining MANNAM DoranDoran would be perfect choice for you!

You might wonder the meaning of MANNAM Korean class’ name ‘DoranDoran’.

It spells 도란도란 in Korean, it means the sound of friendly talking by many people

If you register for MANNAM DoranDoran, you can improve your speaking skill and also learn the Korean life style and culture for free. Besides, you are going to get not only really good Korean friends but also cool and interesting global friends who speak Korean!

If you want to know more about us, don’t hesitate to contact MANNAM DoranDoran!

 mannam.dorandoran@gamil.com

Here is the website for MANNAM DoranDoran!

http://mannamdorandoran.wordpress.com/

[MANNAM Peace Campaign] Let’s Make An “An-nyeong-han (Peaceful)” World Together!

Hi, MANNAM International friends! Do you know how Koreans greet each other? In English speaking countries, people usually ask “How are you?”, “What’s up?”, or “How’s everything going?” While, in Korea, people will ask “An-nyeong-ha-se-yo? (How are you?)”, “Bap- meo-geo-sseo-yo? (Have you eaten rice?)”, or “Eo-di-ga-yo? (Where are you going?)”. In the sentence of “An-nyeong-ha-se-yo?”, “An-nyeong” literally means “peace”.

In fact, these Koran greetings are related to war. In the past, there were so many wars in Korea that it was not easy for people to spend every day peacefully or safely. Nobody knew what would happen in the next minute. People might have to unexpectedly leave their homes, suddenly guard against the enemy, or unfortunately lose their lives. Therefore, when Korean people spent a night and got up the next morning, the first greeting they ask was “An-nyeong-ha-se-yo?” — “Have you spent a peaceful or safe night?”

Sometimes we can consider “war” equal to “no food”. During war time, since people could not do farm work properly, there was a food shortage. As a result, Korean people were often starved. Therefore, when Koreans met each other, they began to ask “Bap- meo-geo-sseo-yo?” as a greeting.

When you came to Korean at first, you may curious why Koreans always ask you “Eo-di-ga-yo?” In some cultures, the question may be considered as a private one. However, in Korean Culture, it is a common greeting which is also related to war. In the past, once there was a war, many Korean people lost their homes and possessions that they had to move from pillar to post. From then on, when they met each other in the street, they would ask “Eo-di-ga-yo?” They may want to ask “Do you know a safe place?”

Simple Korean greetings, but sad history. Imagine you live in a place where you have to go hungry, tremble with fear by bombardment, and live in fear of death every day. Then, we can call the place “a hell”. In the world, is there anybody who wants to live in such a hell? No. MANNAM International friends, to cease wars in the world and build an “An-nyeong-han (Peaceful)” world, let’s work together!

MANNAM International Friends! Do You Know What “MANNAM” Means?

Hi, MANNAM International friends! Do you know what “MANNAM” means in Korean language? Many of you may know it. “MANNAM” is a noun form of the verb 'to meet’.

Then, who can you “meet” in MANNAM International? MANNAM International Volunteer Association is an organization working for world peace. Therefore, you can “meet” anyone who dreams for, plan for, and achieve world peace all over the world. If you are a person who wants to work for world peace, we are looking forward to “meeting” you in MANNAM International.

Source: http://worldwidemannam.blogspot.kr/2013/01/what-does-mannam-mean.html

[MANNAM] What Is PEACE In Your Language?

MANNAM is an international volunteer association and our members are from over 100 nations. Although we speak different languages, each of us has ‘peace” in our language.

Peace is “평화(Pyeong-hwa)” in Korean.
Peace is “和平(He-ping)” in Chinese.
Peace is “שלום (shalom)” in Hebrew.
Peace is “สันติภาพ (santiphaap)” in Thai.
Peace is “ειρήνη (irini)” in Greek.
Peace is “мир (mir)” in Russian.
Peace is “pokój” in Polish.
Peace is “paz” in Spanish.
Peace is “der Friede” in German.
Peace is “damai” in Malay.
Peace is “barış” in Turkish.
Peace is “salam” in Arabic.
Peace is “vrede” in Afrikaans.
Peace is “pace” in Italian.
Peace is “amani” in Swahili.

And … …

What is PEACE in your language?