Dhian Ayu Ramadhani
KCI Volunteer
PROFILE:
Ayu is multilingual who loves cultures and world languages. Her interests started when she was growing up and exposed to various television programs, from Japanese mangas to Spanish language telenovelas, which prompted her to learn the languages. She was initially exposed to Korean culture when she first watched K-drama Autumn in Heart back in early 2000 and fell in love with the g.o.d.’s songs.
After moving to the U.S. in 2006, she has continued watching Korean dramas and learned Korean. She has traveled to Korea numerous times and preserved her Korean skills by maintaining communication with her Korean friends she has met while traveling and spending three months teaching English in an alternative school in rural Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province back in 2018.
Professionally, she is an experienced hospitality and event planning specialist. She has successfully organized key events including panel discussions, boot camps, meetups, art performance shows, TEDx San Francisco, and the Bay Area Chuseok Festivals.
When and how did you start having interest in Korea and in Korean culture?
When I lived in Indonesia, I enjoyed learning diverse languages such as Japanese and Mandarin. My first interest in learning Korean Language started with watching a Korean TV drama series called Autumn in My Heart (2000, ga-eul-dong-hwa). Since my first exposure to the Korean drama, my interests in learning Korean evolved. It continued even after moving to the US in 2006. My personal interest toward Korean culture was deepened once I made friends with someone who was of Korean heritage while traveling in the US. We got so close to each other instantly. Through her, I was introduced to her family and friends in Korea and also many aspects of Korean culture, leaving me with very positive impressions of Korea in general. To this day, she has become like my unni (big sister in Korean).
What motivated you to volunteer for the Chuseok Festival at KCI last year and how was your experience?
I like getting involved with cultural communities. Due to my evolving interest in Korean culture, I was also very open to getting involved in the Korean community in the Bay Area. The first time I heard about KCI was through the Facebook promotion about the Chuseok Festival last year. The Festival was getting ready for the inaugural year and I was very excited to be a part of the planning as a volunteer. I was tasked with communicating with participating vendors. Since it was the first year festival, it wasn’t easy to convince them to participate. Yet, it was a very rewarding experience seeing all the people involved behind the scenes and getting introduced to new people in the restaurant business.
What made you decide to volunteer for this year’s festival again, and how was it different from volunteering for the first year’s festival
Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, I lost my previous job and I was seemingly bombarded with bad news day after day. All the situations around me had led me to feel more depressed as the pandemic went on. It seemed like I couldn’t see the end of a dark tunnel. I really needed a change of scenery and wanted to move forward with my life. Decision to join the Chuseok Festival team again was my way of retaking control of my life.
Planning for the festival this year was difficult and different in many ways from the inaugural year festival. The lockdown caused by Covid-19 made things more difficult for many people and companies and we wanted the festival to be a way to help those people. Gratefully, the Festival was well-received thanks to the generous support and attention from the community and I was happy that I was able to join the team again this year.
Will you be willing to volunteer for next year’s festival?
Of course! I’m so looking forward to it!
Could you give any advice for future Chuseok Festival volunteers? Do you have any suggestions for ways that KCI could better support the Korean community?
Don’t get easily discouraged by rejections. When planning for a cultural festival, you might expect first that more people give you positive responses when you reach out to them, but things will not always go in the way that you wish it to be. Especially the first rejection will hit the hardest. You will just need to keep pushing and reaching out. Its impact on your end will subside as time goes on. At the same time, given the difficulties that many people are facing in the face Covid-19, you need to figure out a way to be more sensitive in approaching people. It will come with more experience.
Do you have any suggestions for ways that KCI could better support the Korean community?
I wish to see KCI doing more collaborations and try to have them more involved with other future events. It would be great to see KCI be at the center of everything about Korean culture in the SF Bay area.