The KDI School Sports Day was held on May 30 at the Good Morning H.R.D Center, located in Gapyon, Kyung- Gi Providence. It was organized to help students relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Seoul. All of the KDI School members were invited. This year, the number of volunteers exceeded beyond expectations. 155 in total, including students, staff and professors such as Dean Sang-Moon Hahm, Professor Hun-Joo Park, Professor Jinsoo Lee, Professor Hann Earl Kim, and Professor Ji-Hong Kim. The participants were divided into four teams, MPP students (in dark blue), MBA students (in red), Iraqi- GLP (in light blue) and Staff (in light green ).

The weather was just perfect! First up was dodge ball which was won by the MBA team. After having some good old Korean noodle soup and refreshing beverages, a running relay started. There were eight runners in each team. With a spectacular initial lead from the MPP student, Kwakye Kwabena combined with great efforts from the rest of the team including the Dean, the MPP team won the relay.  The great race was followed by exciting soccer matches. Cheers and applause grew bigger and bigger as the matches went on. The MPP team challenged the MBA team in the first match which ended with MPP’s victory. The Iraqi- GLP versus Staff match was next up and after scoring 1-1 , the Iraqi team won by the penalty kicks. The breathtaking final match between MPP and Iraqi -GLP ended in a tie with no goals. It came down to penalty kicks once again. The Iraqi-GLP team was first to go and an incredible intervention from the MPP goalie, Se-Hoon Cha, led the MPP team into victory. The day ended with a tug-of-war which was won by the MBA team.

The MPP and MBA teams shared first place and both Iraqi- GLP and Staff were in second place. But in my opinion, the real winners were everyone who enjoyed the day and the opportunity to  build new friendships.  

By Andrea Bono (2006 MPP, Guatemala)