Meet Ecstacy

Otito ecstasy has been into Korean culture for a while. She creates rather Korean content and aspires to become a destination manager in the tourism business sector with Korean culture topping this vision.

We had a quick chat with Ecstasy on her Korean interest journey, and maybe you can relate. You will never know until you dive in,

How long have you been interested in Korean culture, and how would you describe your journey so far?

I started in 2015, and that’s 10 years ago. My elder sister sat me down to watch the dope music video by BTS and ever since, BTS grew my curiosity beyond k-pop, my journey so far has been shocking and amazing, because the culture shock is just too much in the Korean industry. I've come across a lot of Korean native I've seen the differences between Korean and Nigerian. There's so many things I've come across that would not even happen in Nigeria and then it's happening in Korea. I've learned a lot of things too. For example, the gossip culture. You know, in Nigeria, people gossip a lot, but there was a time I was on this language exchange app. I was having a conversation with a native and another person came in and the person started asking, the native (about me) things like, who is she? I was like, I'm here. You could ask me but the person was still asking the native who was I, It was so different. Although they're not talking bad about you, but it was very shocking, Then the Kpop and K-Drama aspect of it is so overwhelming, and it's something you have to love about Korean. They took this step, forward, making the whole world come closer to them. I don't know how they do it, but Korean is amazing.

What was your first encounter with Korean culture? And how did this influence your growing interest in it? 

Although I got immersed in a Korean culture in 2015, I can’t say if it was K-pop or K-Drama because I'm always caught between the two, but if I should say, what made me enter into this culture? Very well, I would say it was Kpop- BTS.

You have a wide interest in different aspects of Korean culture. Among K-food, K-pop, K-Drama, K-beauty, K-fashion, and K-tech, which area do you find yourself most drawn to and why?

Honestly, I would have said K Pop, it's obvious, but I won't, because of the line of the vision I'm doing. I'm a business management person, and the line of work I'm doing is not just Kpop. So at this point, I'll say, I can't choose. I'm drawn to all of them. So I don't have a particular one out front.

You said the Korean language is one of your favorite parts of Korean culture. What inspired that interest, and what has your learning process been like so far?

Okay, so it was the BTS group that sparked my interest in learning Korean. I wanted to listen and understand them when they go live. I wanted to understand the song lyrics without romanization, and I wanted to send them words of encouragement in Korean too. So I've been learning the Korean language for a long while, and I took this huge, unintentional break. You know, when you're learning something, sometimes you crash out. That is what happened to me. I took this big break in between. And I can say I'm not a beginner-beginner, but I'm an intermediate-beginner. So I can hold conversations with the vocabulary that I've collected with other language learners or the native in all these language exchange apps.

The challenges I would say I face so far in this language is, I think it's this huge gap that I'm always giving because once you do not study for a while, all of a sudden,  it's like you've forgotten everything that you've learned.. Also, I did a lot more input than output. That was my mistake. I spoke less, and it limited me. You know, I'm always learning the grammar, the vocabulary and everything, but then I did less speaking, which affected me. And I'm learning again now, because I graduated recently from the University, and I'm looking forward to applying for the GKs graduate next year. So I have to up my game.

As someone who creates Korean-related content on YouTube and Instagram, how do you decide what to share, and what kind of audience are you hoping to reach?

I just create random Korean content. The idea flashes through my head. I pick a book and a pen and I write it down so that I remember it. And then when I'm less busy, I just bring the content to life, hoping to reach other Korean enthusiasts that love even the little things about Korea, because there are people like that. As far as it's interesting, they tend to have an interest in it because it's Korea and those are my target audience.

What’s one aspect of Korean technology or innovation that has left a strong impression on you?

I think there are two of them that left a strong impression on me. This water sprinkler and furniture load lifter. So I noticed in South Korea that when the sun is too hot, or during summer, at some point on the road, they tend to have this shelter that sprinkles water. So when the sun is harsh on your skin, you can stop by, you cool yourself under; you refresh before moving on. And I'm like ‘Daebak’ (Wow). And the furniture load lifter is amazing too. I mean here in Nigeria, if you're moving into an apartment, and you are in the fourth flat, for instance, you have to carry your furniture, your load, by yourself, or you hire somebody to do it for you, causing stress. But in Korea, they have the furniture load lifter that’s on the ground floor. You drop all your loads or your furniture, and it takes it off, directly to your apartment. I was so astonished.

You also mentioned an interest in Korea’s tourist attractions. If given the opportunity, which places would you most love to visit, and why?

Seomun sijang, Jeju Island and Insadong. In these three places, you can get to experience a lot. If I'm given the opportunity, I will get to experience the beauty of the traditional aspect of Korea and see the beauty in it. And also, because I'm carrying out research, I will still have to get useful information from these places. So, yes, I would love to visit these three places.

How do you approach cultural accuracy when creating content, especially around areas like language, traditions, or history?

I always blend research with creativity so that my content is both accurate and entertaining at the same time. I totally avoid creating content with deep meanings, so things should not get controversial. So that's how I do it.

What has creating Korean-related content taught you personally and creatively?

Creating Korean content has made me bold in speaking to what I love. You know, so many times people criticize you on what you're doing, but so far as I've come to create Korean content for a while, I realized that I've gained enough confidence, I'm able to speak boldly on what I love, and it also tells me how powerful creative storytelling can be in connecting cultures.

What is one story or message about Korea you wish more people around the world could hear or understand?

That Korea is not just about Kpop and K-Drama. Honestly, Korea is a country where traditions and modern life work side by side. You can walk around an old palace in the morning, for instance, and then shop in a high-tech district by noon. So Korean is a mix of progress and history and should not be under retail. I think that's what I have to say for others to hear.

Balance Game  

Would you rather spend a weekend exploring Korea’s major tech and fashion districts,
or
spend a weekend learning Korean in a traditional village setting with locals?

The second option, I will always seize the opportunity to practice my Korean communication skill, and I will seize the opportunity to network with native because, I mean, they are the owners of the language. So I will use the opportunity to communicate and know more about Korean history.

So are you saying your love for language, supersede your love for Korean tech?

Yes

Alright, thank you so much for doing this with us.