Abigael Castro from Philippines 
National Folk Museum of Korea
QPlease introduce yourself briefly.
I am Abigael Castro from the Philippines. I am a museum researcher for the Geology and Paleontology Division of the National Museum of the Philippines. I have been with the museum for about 9 years now and I have done various curatorial works ranging from collection maintenance to education programs. Alongside my museum work, I am pursuing a master’s degree in geology majoring in biostratigraphy at the University of the Philippines.
QWhat activities have you been doing in your home country?
At the National Museum of the Philippines, I am primarily a researcher for geology and paleontology. We conduct fieldworks around the country to collect specimens for our museum, and to work on our research projects. I have also given talks and lectures about our curatorial and research works to students and other culture professionals.
Recently, we opened a new museum, the National Museum of Natural History. This is the first time that an exhibition building will feature exclusively the country’s natural history (geology, zoology, and botany) collections. My colleagues and I worked on this museum from conceptualization to installation even doing a guiding service for our viewers.
QHow did you come to participate in the CPI program?
Our museum received the invitation/call for participants from the NFMK through the Office of the Director. Our assistant director forwarded the application form to me and luckily, I was chosen by the NFMK to be their participant for this year. I am already NFMK’s 3rd participant from the National Museum of the Philippines
QWhat activities did you do in National Folk Museum of Korea?
At the NFMK, I was part of the Cultural Exchange and Education Division. I was able to experience many and diverse education programs which the NFMK offers for local and foreign visitors. I also had the chance to meet fellow museum workers from Japan and Thailand who are in the NFMK for their Fellowship Program. It is interesting to be able to take part in a Korean office culture and experience the Korean way of museum work.
During my CPI program at the NFMK, I went around Korea. It is particularly interesting for me to be able to visit the countryside such as Yeongwol City and Ganghwa Island. Most foreigners only get the chance to visit popular sites like Seoul or Jeju Island but through the CPI program at the NFMK, I could get to see a different part of Korea.
The NFMK also brought me to the different museums around the country, especially the natural history and science museums. It is a good opportunity to visit these museums and study how I can improve our own museum through their practice/s. As I have mentioned, we have just opened a natural history museum and so we wanted to know how our international colleagues manage and run their own.
QWhat was the most impressive experience in CPI program?
It is quite impressive for me how Korea managed to bring together such a large number of participants for the CPI program. It shows how much effort and resources the country invests in their culture and heritage programs.
It is also a wonderful experience to meet people from countries that I have only read and heard about. The program’s objective of cultural exchange and networking was really met with incredible result. Learning the Korean language was really memorable for me. I initially thought that the Korean class will be the most difficult part of program. However, it turns out that it was fun and interesting.
QHow would CPI program affect your career and life in the future?
I joined the program with hopes of enhancing my skills as a museum professional. I believe the program has helped me a lot with this objective. I gained experience and knowledge which I can apply to my workplace to provide better service to our stakeholders. Being around people from the same industry that I am has been especially helpful for my museum career. I have learned various things from the different aspects of museum work such as exhibition, education, and research.
Beyond my career, I think the CPI program really helped me grow as an individual. I was exposed not only to Korean culture but also to many others through my co- CPI participants. It certainly helped me in being more patient and understanding to different cultures and personalities. In this program, I learned a new language which helped me feel more confident of myself.
I thank the NFMK and the CPI Program for a truly educational and memorable experience.
