Wrapping up our time with our first class of elementary students this week has left me with a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I feel incredibly proud of what we accomplished. While English fluency was never really the goal of our work, it was clear that by the end of our week with them the kids had actually learned a few things. And perhaps most importantly, they had all learned to open up to us in their own ways. They seemed to genuinely enjoy their time with us, and for me that was by far the most rewarding outcome. Of course, this means that it was really difficult to accept that our time with them is over. In just a week, I somehow formed a strong connection with each of the children that left an ache in my heart at the thought of saying goodbye. On our last day, we ran into the mother of the two quietest kids in the class — the two we had the hardest time reaching — and she enthusiastically thanked us for our work. She seemed so genuine, and it warmed my heart to believe that maybe her children went home after school to tell their mother about how much fun they had in English class. That day, instead of focusing too much on learning, we watched The Lion King, ate snacks, and gave each of the children a card with handwritten notes from us. It was a beautiful way to spend our last day with them, and I feel all the more excited to work with our next group of kids.
This weekend, we volunteered in a village in 춘천 removing weeds on a peach farm and cleaning up trash. It was honestly one of the most eye opening experiences I’ve had in Korea thus far. Because it was a rural area a couple of hours outside of Seoul, the atmosphere and scenery were completely different, which I really enjoyed. The other people volunteering were all very different, some with rich stories that they were brave enough to share with us. It was also really nice to work with strangers to achieve a common goal, and I felt very fulfilled by the connections I made even if they were hindered by a language barrier. There were some things about the experience I think could have been better. We did not actually meet any of the people who lived in the village, and I would have liked to have introduced ourselves and heard from them what would be most helpful for them. This lack of communication made it feel a little bit like we were intruding. Furthermore, we had some uncomfortable experiences that were mostly due to our status as foreigners, and because of that it was hard to walk away from the day feeling entirely satisfied with the work we had done. Nonetheless, I think it was a very valuable experience and I’m extremely thankful for the kindness and hospitality of the organization. I will be interested to see how similar or different our other volunteer experiences will be.
– Ryan Copeland
