Many of the past participants have enjoyed the program so much that they continued to take lessons after the classes ended. This seems to be the ultimate purpose of these programs, to encourage expats here to spread the word in their home countries that one of Korea's best-kept secrets is its traditional culture. While East Asian countries such as Japan and China have placed a great deal of importance on highlighting the beauties of their culture, Korea has been relatively slow to act. Over the past few years, the Korean government has made it a point to designate themes for each year. Pretty much every tourist spot displays signs in both Korean and English.
Taxis now offer English interpretation services via telephone.
This is a drastic change from the early '90s in Korea, when the language barrier invariably meant a long taxi ride home, literally. If the '90s was a time of trials and tribulations in Korea, then the new millennium has seen the country gain a full head of steam. The many hands-on cultural programs for expats in Korea also have the added bonus of saving Korea's cultural exchange centers time and money, since they allow the centers to promote their treasures right in their own backyard. Joanna Bagley, who has been living in Seoul for close to a year, attends both the pottery and traditional music classes. She can take these experiences back with her to her native land of New Zealand, where she majors in ceramics.