Suzie Oh, a 2012 graduate of the University of Virginia, is serving as a Student Ambassador at the U.S. Pavilion in the World Expo, being held this summer in Yeosu, South Korea. She has agreed to send us weekly dispatches, which are being archived here. (Photos by Andrew Snowhite.)
May 31, 2012: Hello again! This week I want to introduce everyone to what my daily tasks as Student Ambassador to the USA Pavilion entails. There are 40 Student Ambassadors who are from 18 different states, and we take on the task of representing America and relaying the American experience to the visitors of the World Expo. We rotate through positions throughout our shift, making our days at work dynamic and fast-paced. There are positions in which we interact with the guests formally through introducing the pre-show and main show of the pavilion, a VIP position where we get to meet and interact with special guests affiliated with our sponsors and partners, and also positions where we casually greet guests as they walk in or out of the pavilion.
One of my favorite jobs is being the greeter in front of the queue of the line to our pavilion. Because our pavilion consists of a three-minute clip, which is played on a waterfall screen, and then a 10-minute clip played in our miniature theatre, there is always a bit of waiting time for visitors before the next show. Although there are instances where guests get mighty impatient waiting in the heat, it also serves as an opportunity to talk to and meet people from all over Korea and the world. Through interacting with people in the queue line I’ve been able to befriend workers from other pavilions, practice some of my Japanese, trade pins and teach little children English. Even within the line to go into our pavilion there are many cultural exchanges, and interactions that I would not have the chance to have elsewhere.
This is only a little sample of what cultural exchange is like here at the Yeosu World Expo, however. Please stay with me on my journey as I share the cultural interactions at other international pavilions here at the Expo in the following weeks!