Tamar Khetashvili from Georgia 
National Library of Korea
QPlease introduce yourself briefly.
My name is Tamar Khetashvili. I'm 31 years old and I'm librarian and French language interpreter at The Tbilisi State University Library. In 2015 I earned master's degree in French language and literature at the same university and started to work as a librarian and interpreter. As a librarian I have following main duties - English, French and Russian archives sorting, systematization and translation into Georgian, in addition, my duties include the translation of foreign scientific literature. Sphere of my interests is quite wide - I'm interested in art, literature, history of the culture of different people and its development.
QWhat activities have you been doing in your home country so far? We would like to know about the instrument you are majoring in.
For me, Korea always was Far Eastern country full of mystery and beauty with the oldest culture, located so far from Georgia that I even never dream to come here. When my library offered me to participate in CPI program I did not hesitate to accept this opportunity and get acquainted with the culture of this beautiful country. My first day in Seoul was full of amazing impressions- I knew that Korea is an economically developed State, but I did not expect such a nice and clean environment and streets. Despite the fact that the city is growing rapidly and many new buildings appear, the natural greenery of the city is preserved, which is of vital importance to the city of the 21st century.
The first thing that I noticed in public transport and adored was the discipline of people and the respect of youth for adults. I am from the country where language and traditional culture plays a very important role, therefore, as soon as I arrived in Korea, I was interested in traditional music and dance and after small research I discovered Jeongjae, fan dance, sword dance and traditional music which embodies strength, beauty, and exceptional harmony.
For us, for Georgians whose writing system is one of the world's 14 alphabets, language, and the alphabet is the symbol of independence, national identity, and cultural development, so I wanted to get some knowledge of Korean language and Hangeul which played a really important role in Korean cultural and historical development. I am grateful that I had a difficult but interesting experience of this unique and beautiful language.
CPI program offers unique opportunities for young people who are willing to get acquainted with the amazing Korean culture, therefore I am very glad that I was able to become a part of this program and got acquainted with an amazing culture, beautiful, kind people and got the possibility to share in future my knowledge with Georgian youth who is more and more interested in Korean culture. I hope that more Georgian young people will be able to participate in this program, which is important for cultural cooperation between our countries.
QWhat activities have you been doing in your home country so far?
As I said, I'm a librarian at Tbilisi State University Library at the same time I'm a Ph.D. student of French literature. Besides my work at the Tbilisi State University Library, which involves sorting, organization and interpretation of the foreign archive, I'm also tutoring French language and translating books into Georgian. Work and study is my daily life.
QHow did you come to participate in the CPI?
Korean Embassy in Georgia provided TSU Library with necessary information about CPI program, Library administration in its turn gave this information to the stuff of library and I immediately accepted this opportunity not only because of my own interest in Korean culture but also because of the Georgian youth's increased interest for Asian culture and literature. More and more young people want to know about Korean contemporary art and music, they are learning Korean language and cuisine. So I decided that participation in this program is a great opportunity for me to get acquainted with culture and to share my knowledge with Georgian students and friends.
QHave you been to the libraries in Korea? Was there a difference between the library in your country and the library in Korea?
The system of libraries around the world is almost similar, they have similar standards and requirements, the difference is only in their economic possibilities.
Thanks to our group manager Kim Erinn, we visited many Library in Seoul and got detailed information about their structure, function and system. Good economic conditions in Korea provides excellent possibilities and opportunities for realization of new ideas and better arrangement of Libraries. Therefore, in libraries every detail is designed to create comfortable environment for all types of readers - for kids, adults and for disabled persons. I especially liked the departments for disabled persons, which is equipped with the necessary hardware and devices. In Georgia, we are working hard in this direction and we are doing our best to arrange properly these departments. In Georgia, of course, we are not using KDC and special library programs created for Korean libraries. We basically use the Congress Library programs. It's very interesting and important to discover these differences and share the experience of the Korean National Library.
QYou would be studying Korean as part of the CPI Program. How do you feel about that class?
Despite the fact that I know Georgian, two European languages and Russian and I'm accustomed to learning a foreign language, from the beginning of the program I was really worried that I will never learn Hangeul which is so different from Latin alphabet but later I realized that nothing is impossible. Thanks to professional teachers In SNU LEI, who explained in details most complicated language nuances I was able to passe the first level language exams. I remember that from the beginning most difficult for me was the pronunciation and orthography. In conclusion i can say that I'm really happy to participated in Korean language learning difficulte but interesting adventure.
QPlease tell us your plans during your stay in Korea.
I will continue the exploration of Korean culture through museums, libraries, and Korean cultural centers. I want to get acquainted with Korean mythology, legends, and religious characteristics. Soon I will definitely purchase a book of Korean cuisine and novel "Please look after mom". There are many things to be discovered and acquainted with in this ancient culture. That's why I will try to use my time in Korea productively. I want to express my gratitude to CPI program organizators and NLK library for this great opportunity.
