At Monterey Language Services, we love connecting people across cultures. This year, our Global Family Celebration series kicked off with Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/_WsyaeLVReY 

Crafting the Script

The journey began with words on a page. We didn’t want a dry description of Chuseok — we wanted viewers to feel it: the aroma of sesame oil, the laughter in the kitchen, the quiet reverence at ancestors’ graves. After several drafts, the script found its rhythm, blending Chuseok’s rich traditions — foods, ancestor rituals, and festive customs — with the lived experience of one family.

At the heart of the story were Min-jun and his grandmother. Their moments in the kitchen — shaping sticky songpyeon, laughing at uneven dough, sharing stories across generations — became the soul of the video. Through them, cultural traditions didn’t just inform — they came alive, wrapped in warmth, presence, and the messy, joyful beauty of family life.

Reflecting on Gratitude

In Min-jun’s grandmother’s kitchen, laughter rose with the scent of sesame oil as three generations shaped songpyeon. These half-moon rice cakes are said to promise a beautiful life. But the dough sticks, the shapes collapse, and Min-jun thinks: maybe life isn’t shaped by perfection.

A mindfulness saying comes to mind: “You cannot feel true gratitude and remain frustrated at the same time.” In that messy, joyful moment, gratitude replaces frustration. The imperfect rice cakes suddenly feel perfect.

As the evening wore on, Min-jun realized the truth in his grandmother’s words: “Beautiful songpyeon, beautiful life.” He hadn’t fully believed her — until now. The rice cakes were uneven, sticky, imperfect. Yet the laughter, stories shared across generations, and the warmth of everyone together felt perfectly complete.

Finding the Right Visuals

Once the script captured the heart of Chuseok, the next challenge was bringing it to life visually. We wanted more than images — we wanted moments that felt real: sunlight streaming through a kitchen window onto sticky hands, children giggling as dough clung to their fingers, the vibrant colors of bulgogi and kimchi arranged on the table, and the quiet stillness of bowing at ancestors’ graves.

Each shot was chosen to convey both authenticity and emotion, creating a rhythm that mirrored the holiday itself. We wanted viewers not just to see Chuseok, but to experience it — to feel the warmth, the laughter, and the gratitude that fills every imperfect, beautiful moment of family life.

Blending Video with Reality

Watching the video, you might crave the flavors of Korea. We did too. Speaking with Korean restaurant owners, we heard the same lesson: Food made with care is a gift for the heart. Even if it’s not perfect, sharing it brings everyone together.

Chuseok, Thanksgiving, or any family meal — different foods, different rituals — but the same truth holds: joy lives in presence, connection, and gratitude.

Next time you taste something new — maybe a songpyeon, maybe a bowl of bulgogi — pause. Feel the moment. Laugh at the sticky fingers. Taste the care. Let gratitude replace frustration.

Because a beautiful life isn’t about perfect rice cakes. It’s about enjoying the moments we share.

Stay Tuned

Join us as we travel from one celebration to the next, uncovering the shared threads of family and gratitude — and delighting in the unique differences that make each holiday shine.

Monterey Language Services is launching a new series exploring holidays around the world, all connected by one timeless theme: family.

We’d love to hear from you! Share your ideas, stories, or even a little flight of fancy with us, and help make the Global Family Celebration series even more diverse, vibrant, and inspiring.

Email us at info@montereylanguages.com — your thoughts could shape our next celebration!

Empowering Students with Resources

To ensure students had everything they needed, we made our booth informative and approachable. Posters with detailed descriptions of available positions made it easy for them to understand the roles we’re hiring for. Additionally, we put QR codes on the table to allow students to access job postings, sign-up links, and resume submission. This helped to streamline the entire application process and allow for more time to speak with students and create stronger connections with them.

Just like the previous years, the response was phenomenal! A long line of students visited our booth, and many eagerly signed up and submitted their resumes. Their engagement and excitement were absolutely overwhelming! It’s such a special moment for us to see the passion of these bright students and have the opportunity to be a part of their career.

Building Genuine Connections

The best part of the day was the meaningful conversations we had with the students. Many expressed their interest in beginning their professional journey in our company.  It was a privilege to witness their passion and to know we played a small part in helping them take the next steps in their careers.

In general, the energy of the career fair is always so powerful and wonderful to experience. Seeing the students excitedly looking at the vast potential from where to jumpstart their career is not only heartwarming but nostalgic. It’s our absolute pleasure to share in their energy and enthusiasm and help the beginnings of their careers.

A Heartfelt Thank You

To the MIIS community: thank you for organizing another outstanding career fair. As alumni, it’s always an honor for us to return to the campus we come from and participate in such an impactful event.

To the students: thank you for your curiosity, energy, and willingness to connect. We can’t wait to see how your journeys unfold in the years to come.

As we reflect on this wonderful experience, we are already getting so excited for next year’s career fair. We can’t wait to continue making connections with this wonderful community next year as well!

The making of our Thanksgiving video was a journey that reminded us of the unique value human creativity brings to our work.

In a world where AI tools are rapidly evolving, we see AI not as competition but as an opportunity to reflect on the qualities that set us apart.

Our process—rooted in collaboration, thoughtfulness, and emotional nuance—is a testament to the irreplaceable role of the human touch in crafting meaningful connections.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we decided to create a heartfelt greeting video to thank everyone—our clients, coworkers, and friends. Through our combined team efforts, we were able to make a video that sets us apart from AI. Here’s our process on how we made this year’s video special.

We gathered photos of our team members in action—focused, collaborating, and working wisely. These images were the perfect way to showcase the dedication and effort we put into every project. Each picture highlighted a different aspect of our work, whether in the office, in meetings, or working remotely.

We also gathered photos of our team celebrating Thanksgiving together. Whether we were sharing a toast, giving thanks, or simply enjoying each other’s company. These images added a joyful, festival touch to the video. It was important for us to show not only our professional side but also the warmth we share as a team.

To step it up a notch, we reached out to Layla and asked her to write a poem that would capture the team, dedication, and the spirit of Thanksgiving. Layla’s words were both thoughtful and inspiring. The poem beautifully expressed our gratitude and teamwork.

In praise of work partners

Integrity, merit, jubilation
Honorably, you display

Collaborative endeavors and dynamic talents
Significant affiliation creates

Vigorous diligence and wise resolutions
Remarkable admiration cultivates

Our heartfelt gratitude we proclaim to you
A bountiful Thanksgiving we wish for you

We carefully selected the best visuals to match each part of the poem, ensuring the transitions felt seamless and natural. We also added more Thanksgiving elements to make the video warmer and more festive.  We show Layla’s poem in its entirety at the end, but have stanzas of her poem alternate with our wishes and pictures of our staff. The result is a very interesting video that will make the viewer feel the warm greetings from Monterey Language Services while making sure that our thanks are conveyed.

One important thing we did in this video was feature our clients. It’s important to show that we’re all more than just a faceless company, but a team of people who are all working toward a common goal. It helps to show harmony, joy, and peace. This is something that we did last year as well, and something that we will continue to do each year.

We made sure that the transitions were consistent across the entire video and had a method where we would have the text fly in, and then when the next slide had pictures, we’d do a door opening effect. The door opening effect was used for all the pictures, but for text-to-text transitions, we had a slide effect. This was all very intentionally engineered to make a very smooth and comforting feel for the viewer as they watched the video.

From start to finish, we made sure every element of the video reflected the gratitude we feel for our clients, coworkers, and friends. It’s not just about the work we do; it’s about the connections we build and the community we’re part of.

Once completed, we were proud to share the final product—a video that not only conveyed our thanks but also celebrated teamwork, dedication, and joy. It was a reminder that the work we do is about more than just business; it’s about the people we collaborate with, and the relationships we build along the way. It has truly been a joy to work with all our clients and we look forward to our continued collaboration!

When people ask us if Chat GPT or AI is a threat to us, we will proudly answer no. We take a higher road that involves beauty, nuances, and uniqueness that only humans work together as a team can create!  AI produced work is plain and predictable. In our opinion, AI in fact has a long way to go in the language industry!