The bright pink gleam of the neon sign that read “Where Change Begins” welcomed students to the Pear Blossom Garden. Students joined the long queues to buy products made by talented peers. With excited smiles, students walked around to see what programs were proceeding and some lined up in front of the booth. The event was held at the ECC Theater on Nov. 30 and sponsored by Ewhaian, the school’s biggest online community where students and alumnae can interact with each other .
The Pear Blossom Garden is an offline version of Ewhaian, where students can get tips on job interviews, make-up, and more. Ewhaian aimed to share various contents for those who have not had much opportunity to fully interact with alumnae and those who were not familiar with using the online site.
“We hope that students had a fun and meaningful experience at the Pear Blossom Garden,” said Ewhaian. “We are so grateful that we had such nice teams of students who wanted to share their experiences and tips through this event. Thanks to their huge support and participation, we were able to provide students with various programs and booths.”
The event consisted of 12 booths, including booths where seniors gave academic tips to younger students. Teams managing their individual programs took turns with using the booths according to a given time schedule. The hand-made goods booth was especially popular, with students selling hand-made products such as eco-bags, black key straps with the message “The secret garden” written on it, and a key ring with gold decorations. The goods presented at the event were such a huge hit as most of them were quickly sold out. For students who missed the opportunity to buy these goods, six free beautifully designed Ewhaian stickers were given out to those who uploaded a photo of the event on Instagram with the three hashtags; Ewha Womans University, Ewhaian, and Pear Blossom Garden.
“I couldn’t buy any products today because I forgot to bring cash, but I’m so thrilled about the pretty stickers I got just by uploading one photo on Instagram,” Lee said, a freshman majoring in English. “I can feel how Ewhaian put a lot of effort into this event, as even these free stickers are so detailed, and the photo zones were really awesome.”
Another main attraction was the two photo zones, one with a neon sign that says “Where Change Begins,” and the other with a bench decorated with white and pink flowers, resembling a wedding scene. The pink cursive neon sign with the background covered in green leaves was particularly popular, as the brightly shining pink added a mystical atmosphere.
Students could also freely sit or lie on a green carpet that resembled grass, located in the middle section of the ECC theater. Students enjoyed the comfortable seat and shared snacks with friends. A wide stage stood in front of the carpeted area, on which a make-up session was held. The host, beauty YouTuber, Kkojamae, shared tips on how to wear make-up for a job interview. With professional lighting and cameras, the YouTuber applied make-up step-by-step on a model with students watching closely. Students could interact more intimately with the Kkojamae by asking questions.
A one-day event, the Pear Blossom Garden was a success for both the planners and the participants, who received invaluable tips from alumnae and were able to interact with new people. Ewhaian hopes that their event was helpful to students and plans to offer similar projects in the near future.
