Someone once said, “Don’t cry ‘cause it’s over, smile ‘cause it happened.”
It’s been the best eight weeks ever, but even good things must end.
And so now that I must bid this program adieu,
It’s finally time that I say a few thank you’s.
At the start of this trip, the first thing I remember,
Is the time we spent at the Reunification Center.
Thank you to “The Butler,” who made our stay pleasant.
Our time here has taught me of issues at present.
All thanks to the professors, who taught us all about
The woes of the Koreas and the reasons for their bout.
On my first day at Jiguchon
I didn’t know what to expect.
My first impression of the kids
Was that they were quite hectic.
Time passed as we planned lesson after lesson.
Soon it would be time for our first teaching session.
I wanted the kids to love learning,
For me, their affection was my yearning.
The fifth grade was the first class that I taught.
Three teachers, eight students. What could go wrong?
Things went smoothly, why would they not?
The only con was that the week was three days long.
But in those three days, I still got to know the students well.
So a thank you to them too, before I say farewell.
To Chris, Robert, Jordan, and Martha.
Annie, Peter, Tony, and Sofia.
Thank you for being ever so polite.
Teaching everyone of you was an absolute delight.
And all though our time together was cut short
Thank you all for staying so alert.
The next week I worked with the third grade.
There were few worries this time
Since our lesson plan was already made.
And what can I say? The kids were sublime.
To Miyeon, Yoorim, Tony, Mandy and Jack.
Thank you for being so well behaved.
Don’t tell anyone else but
This might have been my favorite grade.
Thank you to the Multicultural class
For your undying energy and attention.
More than any other class this taught me
How without language there can still be communication.
I taught the second graders
For my last week at the school.
By far my biggest class.
By far my biggest mess.
But still, to all the “jits” I’m thankful.
Through all the trouble they made
They taught me the value of patience
A virtue that with me will always stay.
Fast forward to our time at Woorideul.
Where I had a class unlike any other.
Much to my own surprise,
I had a class full of only mothers.
But as much as I was patient with my jits.
I thank my students for being patient with me.
Different in age, gender, and country of origin
We still found a way to learn our ABC’s.
Now there a few people that perhaps
Because I spent with them the most time
It’s not sufficient to thank them
Through these silly rhymes.
To all my middle schoolers:
Thank you for being the reason I get up in the morning; our time together is always the highlight of my day. I cherish the memories we made in that class; you all always found a way to make teaching a joy, from playing “Never Have I Ever” to reading Old Man and the Sea. The best days of my summer where the days I spent teaching you, and the worst day of the summer was when we had to say goodbye. I hope the lessons we planned for you were effective and that you learned lots of English. I know that you all taught me lots of Chinese and Korean. Know that wherever your paths take you, I will always be cheering for you. 화이팅!
Admittedly, I spent more time with some middle schoolers than I did others, and they deserve their own individual mentions.
To Jiyoung:
Your ability to translate for me in that class was invaluable. You’re a polyglot in the making and one of the brightest minds I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. There’s no doubt in my mind that whatever you set your mind to you will succeed in. Go be the best social worker there ever was. The only regret I have about our time together is that I feel that I didn’t teach you as much as I wanted to . . . but that’s only because you knew so much.
To Changrim:
I’m sorry you were the only boy in our class. I can imagine it was awkward for you, but thanks for sticking with the class. I know you’d much rather be playing video games at a PC Bang but I appreciate the fact that you still always paid attention . . . even though you were probably thinking about playing video games at PC Bang.
To Hyunju:
Thank you for opening up to me. For a long time I was worried that the two of us would never be close, but at the end of it all, I can’t imagine anyone with whom I’m closer. Thank you for all the drawings you drew of me. I still resent the fact that you nicknamed me 돼지 똥 (meaning “pig poop”) but I’m sure you equally resent the fact that I nicknamed you 똥 돼지 (meaning “poop pig”). It might be unclear for you about what you want to do in the future, but whatever path you choose I will always be cheering for you.
To Nayoung:
I know I say Jiyoung was the translator for the class, but I know it’s you who really wants to be a translator. Of everyone in the class no one was as interested in learning as you, and I’m so thankful that you were so eager to learn everyday. Thank you for telling me what you thought I wanted to hear. I hope that I put a smile on your face as big as the one you put on mine everyday.
To Soryeong:
Thank you for your charming wit. On the hardest days you always found a way to make me laugh. Thank you for making my time feel valuable in that you always made it seem to me that you were learning something you truly found useful. Perhaps because you’re so talented in so many different areas that I don’t know what to expect you’ll turn out to be in the future.
To the teachers and administrators at Jiguchon and Woorideul:
It’s amazing what you’ve done with these schools and the time and effort you invest everyday to make the lives of the less fortunate better. The care and patience you exhibited with the students still amazes me, and I can only aspire to match your level of professionalism
To both of the 김 선생님’s:
Thank you so much for everything. It was probably a nightmare to handle the eight of us but you managed to do it, not to mention you do this every summer. I have fond memories of all the cultural and historical outings we’ve had, and the reflection and individual meetings we have have all been very insightful. For guiding us during our stay in Korea, thank you.
And now I’d like to give my thanks to the fellow Duke Engagers that set out on this journey with me. Ladies first, of course.
To Erin:
You pushed me the hardest out of anyone else. At times, I felt, maybe a little too hard, but you did it because you wanted to bring out the best of me, and I will always appreciate you for that. You’re the groups fearless and outspoken leader and you made the hardest choices for the group so we didn’t have to. You handled even the rowdiest situations we ran into with the kids with grace and discipline and I’ll always be jealous of how good of a teacher you are. Thank you for always looking out and taking care of us.
To Emily:
Through the darkest times you always put on the brightest smile. You never let the kids see your fatigue or your worries. The amount of effort you put into teaching is unmatched and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who cares about kids more. No matter how big, you always volunteered to rise up to the challenge, let alone in a country in which the language and customs were foreign to you. You truly exemplify the belief that not a minute should be wasted, as you use every spare moment you had to explore the country, learn Korean, or better think about how to teach the kids. I found a role model in you for your work ethic alone.
To Sheyann:
No one has ever been able to make me dance until you. Thank you for finding the excitement in everything and helping me see the best of everything. You brought out a side of me I didn’t know existed. The love you had for your jits is one of the most heartwarming things, and I’ll miss you dearly when you study abroad at Yonsei.
To Nikki:
Meh.
Just kidding. The fact that we flew back home together made you the last person I had to say goodbye to, and believe it or not, for me that was the hardest. As the 막내 of the group I shouldn’t be surprised that you also happen to be the biggest crybaby so I’ll make this quick. One of the things that brought tears to your eyes the most was having to say goodbye. And I get it. The idea that a way of life you’ve spent everyday of the last two months is coming to an end sucks. But the work you’ve done. The incredible impact you’ve had on the kids. The friendships you’ve made. When you’re sad that DESK is over, remember that these things will last forever.
Good luck editing your blog Nikki “fluffedlionsforeverx” Delmolino. You better make me look good or I’ll take out your ey-
To Daniel:
Never have I met a man so wise beyond his years. Your knowledge extends across many fields—from fine eating (and drinking) to classical music—and you made sure to pass on that knowledge to us all. The only thing that’s drier than your humor is a bad bowl of 삼계탕.
To Martin:
No one made me laugh more this trip. Through thick (tonkotsu lol) and thin, you found the humor in everything. Even more importantly, you were a role model for how to teach and connect with kids without language. The sense of adventure and exploration you have amazes me and I’m honored to have you as my eating challenge buddy.
To Leandro:
Truly I have never met a person more gentle and kind than you. The way you were so tender and loving to the kids was adorable, and it’s no wonder they mistakenly called you 형 and 오빠 instead of 샘. In a lot of ways I thought we were scary similar; you especially remind me of myself a few years ago. A soul as gentle and pure as yours only comes once a millennia, so always stay precious.
And now that all my goodbyes, thanks, and praise
Are out of the way, you might want to know:
Is this the last time we’ll all meet again?
And to that I give a resounding “balls no.”
8012
—Thomas Jeong
