By: Audrey Ok and Marisal Dobbins, Student Ambassadors, USA Pavilion 2012

The United States of America’s National Day began with an eleven o’clock ceremony. We were The United States of America’s National Day began with an eleven o’clock ceremony. We were proud to have a full theater with mini American flags waving in the air with anticipation. The first part of the ceremony featured speeches by USA Pavilion Spokesperson Philippe Cousteau, United States Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim, Expo Organizing Committee Chairman Kang, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco. Opening remarks were followed by culture performances introduced by our own USA Pavilion Student Ambassadors. The first act was the a cappella group the Krokodiloes, a group of undergraduate Harvard University male students, who were finishing their annual tour at the Yeosu Expo. They sang a few older songs with some impressive dance moves. One of the well-received songs that they sang was arirang, a Korean folk song, which moved the audience to clap along. The second part of the cultural performance featured the United States Eighth Army marching band which is currently stationed in Korea. The highlight of their performance was a duet between a Korean male soldier and a female U.S. army soldier. It was an original song about the relationship between our two countries and their history. It brought tears to some of the audience as they watched in awe. The United States National Day program ended with closing remarks from Philippe Cousteau who brought up the Student Ambassadors from the audience onto the stage. Overall, it was a successful celebration that couldn’t have been accomplished without the cooperation and help of the entire USA Pavilion team. to have a full theater with mini American flags waving in the air with anticipation. The first part of the ceremony featured speeches by USA Pavilion Spokesperson Philippe Cousteau, United States Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim, Expo Organizing Committee Chairman Kang, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco. Opening remarks were followed by culture performances introduced by our own USA Pavilion Student Ambassadors. The first act was the a cappella group the Krokodiloes, a group of undergraduate Harvard University male students, who were finishing their annual tour at the Yeosu Expo. They sang a few older songs with some impressive dance moves. One of the well-received songs that they sang was arirang, a Korean folk song, which moved the audience to clap along. The second part of the cultural performance featured the United States Eighth Army marching band which is currently stationed in Korea. The highlight of their performance was a duet between a Korean male soldier and a female U.S. army soldier. It was an original song about the relationship between our two countries and their history. It brought tears to some of the audience as they watched in awe. The United States National Day program ended with closing remarks from Philippe Cousteau who brought up the Student Ambassadors from the audience onto the stage. Overall, it was a successful celebration that couldn’t have been accomplished without the cooperation and help of the entire USA Pavilion team.