1) the superficial layer is composed of the most basic knowledge about the culture from a patron's viewpoint: for koreans, this might be our love of kimchi, our famous dishes such as bulbogi and kalbi, tae kwon do, fan dance, korean drums, and other widely-known aspects of the culture; by recognizing and appreciating their association with our view of "korea and koreanness," we become recipients of korean culture. this is the level that most korean cultural clubs take; for example, at our general meeting, we served korean dumplings to the membership and for our culture show, we will have tae kwon do, drum troupe, and fan dance acts. the level allows koreans and non-koreans to enjoy something "cultural"

2) the participant layer is a more active approach to culture that requires effort on the part of the interested party: this may include actually taking part in reproducing culture through the activities above such as cooking or performing tae kwon do. another way is to learn the korean language beyond mere tourist phrases and also to develop a greater understanding of korean and korean-american history (i.e. instead of knowing what something is, learning the why and how). my aim has been to make our cultural events reach this layer as much as possible. we have been able to do it a few times with events such as the chusuk bbq, in which we served korean food and showcased posters that taught our members about the historical significance of the holiday; the tea room also attempted to go beyond just serving "tea that is korean" by including details about each tea and a small blurb on tea in korean history. the participant level is very closely aligned with the superficial because often, it merely expands knowledge without significantly altering views of culture, becoming factual tidbits that are immediately forgotten.

3) the personal layer is what really drives the idea of "culture" because culture is derived from experience, not from what we've read from second hand accounts. it's one thing to read about song-pyon and another thing to actually make it and eat it. what's most relevant about the personal layer is that it takes into account the context of the experience. for example, a korean-american teenager who came to america when he was 4 years old goes to koreatown with his parents and eats kimbab. the people present, the location of the experience, and the actual activity all contribute to the notion of culture. it is not just an image of a korean woman wearing hanbok and waving a fan, but it is a mood, an atmosphere, and a distinct memory that flavors the notion of what it means to experience korean culture. when people criticized the ksa culture show last year for including an act in which several members danced to american hip hop songs, i felt that these critics had missed the point: the culture being shown was distinctly korean-american because the act was an expression of korean-american teenagers who listened to hip hop. that the music was not korean is irrelevant; what matters is that the korean-americans who danced to this music were creating a cultural experience by working together under the heading of a korean culture event.

Having broken down my view of "culture" into these three levels, I feel that we usually pay little or no attention to such distinctions and just take the whole as our notion of culture. What I do want to show through this breakdown is that it is easier to see how a culture becomes unique to each person. As I mentioned in the personal layer, culture is an experience, and it is different for each person.

In America, a great majority of Korean Americans are Christians who go to church each Sunday and often on other days as well. For these people, being Korean-American and Christian are often inseparable. Their cultural experience is directly manufactured through their involvement with the church. For example, high school students who go to church find themselves a part of the youth group which engages in activities such as basketball among the boys or sleepaway retreats in the summer. By bringing Korean Americans together in the guise of Christianity, the experience is cultural as much as it is religious. High school students may share stories of their school experience, their relationship with their parents, or their conception of "cool" among each other, creating a synthesis for Korean American youth that can be identified by more and more kids. It is no wonder that at my school, there is a separate Korean Campus Crusade for Christ rather than one big Asian American or non-ethnic group.

For me, culture has been largely defined by my family and friends. The "Koreanness" in me is enforced largely by my family, with my knowledge and experience in cuisine and language coming mostly from them. Yesterday, I went to a spa with them and was able to re-experience the public bath that I remember taking when I was living in Korea as a 5 year old. Also, watching Korean movies with my family not only taught me about what Korea is like today, but the experience of watching with my family members and asking my parents for help on words I didn't understand was in itself a contribution to my cultural being. As for friends, I 've become broader in view thanks in part to my non-Korean, Chinese American friends who share my sentiments on race and engage in discussions such as the "masculinity of the Asian American male" and the "socio-economic barriers of Asian Americans." I also become exposed to the culture of Korean-American youth as I go clubbing in Koreatown or watch downloaded music videos of Hyori with a Korean American friend. Such experiences all figure into my view of what culture is, and while I still think of the kimchi or the sound of the drums, I know that my view is unique and distinct.

Where does one go from this already most-obvious conclusion? As much as culture is what I mentioned above, it is also how one shares the experience and helps to recreate it for others. The fusion of my cultural experience with that of my board members' is what dominates the cultural agenda for the KSA. On a more general scale, it is the matter of taking pride in what you feel is your own unique culture and your willingness to share it that keeps the experience organic and always in flux.

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