This is her second visit to Korea since she left at age seven, as she came five years ago with other students for a three-month language program. "I applied for the volunteer post through the website of Seoul Volunteer Center in March to see my home country again, as it co-hosts the 2002 World cup. I thought I would be of help in interpreting Spanish as there would be few people speaking it." Staying at her aunt's house in Mok-dong, Seoul, she welcomed foreign visitors at the airport information desk for four hours every Monday through Wednesday.

"I never forgot saying 'hope you have good result' to foreign visitors from participating nations and guided Hispanic and Latin American tourists to attractions and hotels in Seoul. In the process, I've learned a lot about Korean history and geography, which I was not familiar with," she said.

The first thing she did upon arriving in the country was buying a red tee shirt, and whenever a South Korean match took place, she went outside in Shinchon to join the cheering rally all through the night. "It seems that the world cup tied up foreigners with different looks and languages into one. I'm so proud of being an ethnic Korean," she added.

(Keum Won-seop, capedm@chosun.com )