SAKORNET
SOUTH AFRICA-KOREA NETWORK
FOR SOUTH AFRICANS WORKING AND LIVING IN SOUTH KOREA
SAKORNET NEWS
SAKORNET FORMAL FUNCTION
Book now for SAKORNET's year-end function at the Marriot Hotel on Saturday, November 28!
To 2009 : the year of the rugby vest .......To close the year with some espirit, Sakornet is going the extra mile to bring the bright lights of Seoul to the banqueting table. So come on, Saffers (bring your non South African friends too), and join us for a night of hoity-toity, eating, drinking and rubbing shoulders in style.
JW Mariott Hotel is our host, and we have a banquet hall to accommodate 100 guests.
We have secretly connived with the Mariott Head Chef to lay on a sumptuous 5-course menu catering for all preferences, including vegetarian and Halaal.
All we need from you is confirmation of your attendance, payment in advance and indication of your eating preference.
Attire is strictly formal
Deadline for the payments is 31st October
SAKORNET ACCOUNT NO:
IBK BANK 289-062377-01-011
Mail: sakornetfinance@gmail.com
BUSAN WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
Busan braai on September 26 was a blast! Thank you for a winning team of organizers and South Africans who made it possible! Watch this space for pics and stories!
NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM
Time flies. With more than a year of wonderful growth and development, it was time for a new team to be elected and take SAKORNET to the next phase. Three members will take a rest while the new team will take the lead. The outgoing President of SAKORNET, Nico le Roux says:
"There is a time for everything in life. A time to come and a time to go. I had the privilege to be the President of SAKORNET for one year. During this time I met the most wonderful people, and had a fantastic time with so many fellow South Africans. Unfortunately the time has come for me to move on. Both Corien and I were appointed in management positions at our University. This brings a lot of responsibilities. We will however always be available for the people of this great organization. We will stay in Korea for some time to come."
Johan Reiners who was the Vice-president of SAKORNET will also take a rest due to his new appointments at Hyupsung University and Chung Dong Methodist Church in Seoul.
Nico has been replaced by a formidable leader in the person of Valdelia Wilson, a teacher from Paju. She has an enthusiastic team comprising Bernard Matsoso, Laurine Le Roux, Pappa Solomon and Yollanda Barthus.
http://sakornet.wordpress.com/
SAKORNET's management team:
SAKORNET is on the move! With its new steering committee, comprising old and new members, the network can only go from strength to strength. The steering committee consists of:
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Well done Paju Team!
It was a huge success.
This article appeared in The Seoul Times. It says it all.
The Seoul Times - 25 May 2009
South African Braai in Paju City North of Seoul
Hundreds of S. Africans Gather for Barbecue Party
By Leonie Overbeek
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| South African Braai in Paju City North of Seoul |
On the 16th of May, 2009, the second annual braai organized by the South Africans based in Paju, and supported by SAKORNET, took place at the Munsan Girls High School in Paju City. Despite the rain, many of the invited guests made their way there from as far afield as Busan, Cheonan, Deaju and Gwacheon, among others.
Thanks to Bernard Matsoso and the organizing committee, Andre Smith, Shafeek Adams, Rhoda Fenon, Yolanda Barthus, Laurine le Roux, Petro Rossouw, Vanelia Wilson, Rehana Martin Adams, Karen Tennant and Roux John Standaar, over 240 people danced, sang, ate chops and boerewors and had a great time.
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| South African Braai in Paju City North of Seoul |
SAKORNET (South African and Korean Network) aims to bring together the many South Africans, over a thousand at last count, in Korea, with Koreans in events that showcases what South Africa is all about and fosters mutual understanding and respect. In fact, Paju city has a sister city agreement with Stellenbosch, a famous university town in South Africa.
The event was organized via a facebook group as well as word of mouth invitation. Munsan Girls High School, where Bernard is a Native English Teacher, kindly agreed to provide the venue, and, as Bernard told me, went the extra mile by making sure that the people would be provided with a clean, pleasant venue. To them, the principal, vice-principal and all their staff, I'm sure there must go a great vote of thanks for their part in making this possible.
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| South African Braai in Paju City North of Seoul |
In addition, several of senior girls from the school acted as volunteers during the event, helping people who got lost by answering phone calls, phoning taxi cabs at the end of the evening, and providing some Korean disco dancing to entertain the crowds.
Formal proceedings started at about 2.30, when the South African anthem was sung, followed by a spirited rendition of Shosholoza– a traditional working song. South Africans of all hues truly showed the Koreans and other nationalities why we proudly call ourselves the rainbow nation. Black, colored, white – we all got down and danced and shared a great vibe.
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| South African Braai in Paju City North of Seoul |
The braai fires had been lit under a covered walkway, and soon boerewors, lamb chops, chicken sosaties and the like were sizzling on the coals, sending savoury smells wafting into the damp air. A special mention must be made here of Sanghun and Henrietta (Bielie van die Bosveld), who provided a wagon load of meat and biltong, as well as of Chris and Roddy (The Biltong Guys), who brought along specially marinaded lamb necks chops for the hungry.
The service they provided made it very easy for those of us who had to travel from a long way away, and who were unable to get that scarce meat, lamb, from butchers in Korea. Chris also had a tomato and onion sauce cooking on a gas stove for an extra taste of South Africa.
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| South African Braai in Paju City North of Seoul |
People like Itumeleng, Sandile, Kholo, Petro, Andre and many others lit the dance floor on fire, whether it was grooving to some steel drums or doing some ‘sakkie-sakkie' ‘Royal Hotel.' The music shook the rafters and banished all greyness and thought of rainy weather.
Most of the people I spoke to about their experience of the afternoon and evening, were unanimous in praising the organizers and expressing how much they enjoyed themselves. Among others, Giselle and Dax thought the event was awesome, and hooked up with some long-lost friends from South Africa. Scot, an American with blond hair and blue eyes asked why everyone was addressing him in Afrikaans, he was having enough trouble mastering Korean, thank you!
Taryn enjoyed speaking to other South Africans again, having only recently left South Africa, and felt that the event cured her homesickness for a while. Rehana, one of the organizers, was glad that the rain did not put people off coming, and was glad to see so many people enjoying themselves. Nicole and John enjoyed the camaraderie of gathering around a fire again, as did many others.
Bernard and his team can be sure that their next event will be eagerly awaited and well attended.
For details please contact Ms. Leonie Overbeek, the special columnist for The Seoul Times at lionafrica@gmail.com
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POLICE TO HELP FOREIGNERS IN KOREA | |
The Korean police agency has created a new devision that helps Foreigners in Korea with all kind of problems. It is called the Foreign rights protection center.They give ENGLISH help to all foreigners if your hagwon doesn't pay you on time or you have any legal problems. |
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Links to other sites:
LOOKING FOR A CHURCH?
Life Church meets every Sunday in Suwon at 11am in the Gyeonggi Suwon International School (GSIS) Auditorium.
Life Church is a growing community of people who celebrate diversity while striving for unity - we call it; "Unified Diversity". We are ordinary people who seek something real and usable in everyday life and together we find incredible strength through reliance on God and belief in His promises. We see ourselves as part of a colorful “Mosaic” formed by God to express His love to the world.national School (GSIS) Auditorium where you should get of.
ENJOY SEOUL TO THE FULL
VISIT THE SEOUL GLOBAL CENTRE'S SITE ON http://global.seoul.go.kr
for information on busneness services, daily living, cultural exchange, immigration, driver's licence, tourist info, mobile phone registration and credit card services.
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Visit Dave's ESL Cafe
for information on job openings, teacher tips etc.
SA EMBASSY IN SEOUL
http://www.southafrica-embassy.or.kr/
KOREA FOR EXPATS
One of the best and most valuable websites for expats in Korea. http://www.korea4expats.com/
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11 October: What a braai!!!!!
orea will never be the same! More than 200 South Africans flocked to the Catholic University on 11 October for the braai of the year. What started as a casual conversation in front of KFC in Seoul turned out to be a historic event with the formation of SAKORNET and an event that exceeded all our expectations. Thank you for Nico and his team for organizing the event. Thank you for everyone who was there and participated to make this event unforgetable. Watch this space for more news and events.
More photos on Facebook.