The University Village’s air was filled with the aroma of Asian spices as the Korean Club celebrated Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving, with dumplings and kimchi pancakes.
The Korean Club was organized four years ago by a former WSU student from Korea to give students the opportunity to learn more about Korea and expose them to a different culture. It began with just a few members and has grown to more than 20 members from different countries.
“I want to try Korean food, I want to meet Korean people and I think if I get those opportunities to meet these people, it will eventually improve my Korean as well,” Thomas Ferris said.
The club meets five times each semester to celebrate Korean festivities and eat traditional Korean food. In addition to these meetings, they recently began teaching the Korean language to interested students, as there are no formal Korean language courses offered currently at WSU.
“Learning about a different culture allows you to see things from a different angle. It really gives you a different point of view and that’s important, especially I think for people at a university level,” Eli Alexander, membership coordinator for the Korean Club, said.
Mia Jang, president of the Korean club, said students are welcome in the McKay Education Building room 333, every Friday from 5 – 6 p.m. to learn Korean listening, grammar and conversation skills.
“We’re students and being able to experience a different culture through club activities, such as these, gives you a broader sense of what’s going on out there and how people do things, and I think that can be really helpful for your personal growth,”Alexander said.
Weber State offers a wide variety of culture and language clubs including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Saudi Arabian.