[Interview] Carlos Gorito, Educational Advisor, Brazil Embassy
[Interview] Carlos Gorito, Educational Advisor, Brazil Embassy
Carlos Gorito, originally from Brazil, has lived in Korea for the past 10 years. While helping students as Education Advisor at the Brazilian Embassy, Carlos also contributes to Korean TV shows and news outlets. He has been a regular on Non-summit, a popular TV show in Korea. He met with us for an interview in his office in Seoul.
By Cheol Yu, Seongyeon Choi, Eunseon Yu
Q1) You work as an Educational Advisor at the Brazil Embassy in Korea. Can you briefly introduce yourself and tell me what you do?
A1) It’s already been 10 years since I first came to Korea as an undergraduate student. After one year I returned to Brazil and completed my studies. Then I returned to Korea and worked first at a company, and later as educational advisor for the past five years. As an advisor, I provide support and cultural exchanges for Brazilian and Korean students. For example, I plan special events, like the Samba Festival Experience, at the Brazil Hall, so that Koreans can experience Brazilian culture and food. I really enjoy this kind of work. My favorite part of the job is advising and helping students. I try my best to change or improve Koreans’ understanding of Brazil. I especially want young Korean students to have a positive view about Brazil.
Q2) Well, I’m sure you have already achieve the goal through your appearances on Korean talk shows such as Non-Summit. How did you happen to appear on this show and what did you learn from it?
A2) Actually, I did not intend to appear on a talk show, and at that time, I was already working at the Embassy. one day, by chance, I had an interview with a staff member of Non-Summit, and it was suggested that I appear on the show as a Brazil representative.
It wasn’t easy to work for the Embassy and appear on the talk show at the same time. I was so busy. In addition, speaking only in Korean on the talk show was much more difficult than I thought, since I couldn’t speak Korean relatively well. Moreover, I was concerned I might give a negative impact or wrong information about my country. However, I am glad I could experience totally new things. I made good friends with many people and it was a wonderful opportunity for a new challenge.
Q3) It seems quite unusual for a Brazilian like you to be so knowledgeable aboutKorea. How did you become so knowledgeable about Korea and how did you end up working in Seoul?
A3) The small town where I lived offered little in the way of opportunities to learn about other cultures and for learning a foreign language. Inoticedstudents who had been abroad had greater opportunities for learning languages and cultures. So I thought of ways of how I could become more competitive and competent. I worked part time so I could attend private institutes and I applied for and received various scholarships. There were three promising programs I considered. The first was a leadership program offered by the US government. The second was an exchange student program in Argentina. The final, a nd the most exciting program was a program offered by the Korean government. I applied to the Korean program in April, 2008.
Honestly, I hesitated a lot at first before I applied for it because I did not have any information about Korea yet. Besides, Korea was quite far from my home in Brazil and there were heaps of documents to fill out and submit. When I received a reply from Korea that I was selected, I was excited and decided to go to Korea.
Q4) You speak Korean so fluently! What method did you use to study the Korean language?
A4) For the first year I attended a language school. But, classroom learning was limited. Then I remembered the French courses I took in Brazil at the university. I was confident in speaking French. This confidence, I realized, was due to learning along with many friends. At the university I would practice French together with my friends. I was exposed to the language in my daily life, I would practice my French with diverse topics naturally. So I decided to try to study Korean the same way as I did French. However, the culture and environment here was very different. Most Korean students were too busy to have relaxing conversation with me. But as time went by, I could speak Korean well while working at a company and I improved a lot through appearing on TV shows like Non summit.
Q5) How do you think Brazilians feel about Korea and Koreans?
A5) When I first came to Korea in 2008, many of my acquaintances wondered why I chose Korea instead of China or Japan. Indeed, my family worried about me so much. When they saw me off at the airport, my parents and sisters cried. Until recently, my Brazilians friends thought of North Korea whenever I said I live in Korea. Frequently, they would ask asked me if it is safe to live in Korea.
These days, things have changed. There has been growing interest in Korea which, resulted from the cultural phenomenon, the Korean Wave. This has brought about an increased awareness of Korea as a major exporter of cultural contents like K-Pop music videos like “Gangnam style” by PSY. Korea is now recognized as global cultural phenomenon, and Korea’s status has remarkably been elevated along with the tremendous K-Pop fever. There are thousands of K-POP fans in Brazil, and especially the popularity of the boy group BTS, which has grown well beyond imagination.
Q6) Are you planning to stay in Korea, or are there any other future plans?
A6) I will regard Korea as my second hometown even if I should leave here in the future. I owe what I am to Korea. Korea made me the person I have wanted to be.
I have many future plans. Let me tell you one of them. Last September, I filmed three documentaries about Korea. It was really interesting, and I want to try similar things again. Through these activities, I want to share many things I have learned from Korean friends with people in Brazil. Until now, I have tried to let Korean people know about Brazil. In the future, I will try to help Brazil know about Korea, not necessarily about Korea, but about Korean people and their culture.
Q7) Finally, do you have any message or words of encouragements for our young readers?
A7) Well, just try whatever it is. Try it, and try it again although you might fail. Try various things from diverse fields. No one is good at anything at first. As you all know, every great person is said to have failed in the beginning. They succeeded through experience and through trial and error.
The world we live in is really huge. Try to have a broader view about the world. I don’t think there is only one single way to succeed in life. Try as much as you can with passion. Have faith in your choices, and go ahead with them!
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