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Showing posts from September, 2013

2013-09-28 The Day TNKR was saved

March 2013, TNKR was born. September 2013, I was ready to bury it. Many organizations like to mark the date they started, their growth and achievements, their success stories. What many don't discuss is the times they almost died as an organization. Six months after starting, the informal matching of volunteers with North Korean refugees almost died. * The students weren't contacting us. * The tutors were avoiding us. * We were hearing rumors about possible socializing and dating. * It seemed to be sliding into the worst form of "volunteerism," in which some volunteers were more concerned about their own experiences rather than the people they were supposedly helping. Without a change, the project's reputation would be ruined and it wouldn't be worth continuing. * The two organizers were battling about everything and couldn't agree about the basic approach. * My co-founder was working at a different job and could only focus on this on weekends and evenin

2013-09-24--Professor Lankov--"I'm already smiling."

With Andrei Lankov at his office. If you haven't read much about NK, be sure to look him up, read his books. Really, we had a delightful discussion. I promise, I wasn't holding him hostage. His assistant kept telling him to smile.  I imagine he was thinking, "I am already smiling."  

Mulmangcho--September 23--They didn't want to stop

Yesterday I had a great time at Mulmangcho. But the others had an even greater time: Item #1: It was lunchtime, but the kids didn’t want to eat! Item #2: It was time to leave, but the volunteers didn’t want to go! * * * Item #1: It was lunchtime, but the kids didn’t want to eat! Kristen Alice was our lead teacher for the young kids. She taught the kids how to make pinwheels. And they loved it! After they finished making them, they were blowing them, running with them to make them spin. From Monday-Friday, they are drilled in Korean to help get them ready for mainstream schools. On Saturday, they have hakwon like activities (art, music, dance). Then Sunday, it is their one chance to hear English. It is technically their free day–if we don’t show up then they get to play or study all day. The kitchen staff gave me the 10 minute warning that lunch was ready. I informed everyone–but everyone continued teaching and learning. I gave a second warning, then a third warning–I retur

Casey Lartigue quoted in opposition to the minimum wage (Korea Herald 9/10)

Casey Lartigue quoted in today's Korea Herald by John Power in weekly Voice. He argues that the minimum wage law harms low-skilled workers and adds yet another unfunded mandate on business. Some free market advocates take this argument further still ― they say the minimum wage shouldn’t be frozen or lowered, but abolished altogether. “It prices low-skilled workers out of the market with a forced arbitrary wage set by third-party people who don’t pay those wages, while it also adds yet another government-imposed cost on small companies already struggling to survive,” said Casey Lartigue, a former scholar of the U.S.-based Cato Institute and Seoul-based Center for Free Enterprise, and current international adviser to Freedom Factory Co.  Lartigue said the government should do less, not more, to help job seekers and the lowest-paid workers get a leg up. “According to some estimates, 75,000 to 100,000 jobs could be created if the Korean government reduced regulations on business a

Korea--The Ireland of Europe?

It has been said that Korea is the Ireland of Asia. What does that tell the listener? That both are hot-headed and like to drink is the typical explanation. I remember when I first heard it. I asked: * What if you don't like Ireland? That means you probably won't like Korea? * Do Korea and Ireland have close relations? Or if they are both hot-headed nations, could it be that they don't get along? * Do people in Ireland describe Ireland as "the Korea of Europe"? It isn't just the two countries. I sometimes hear that (choose your favorite SKY university) is the "Harvard of Korea." Does anyone say that "Harvard is the Seoul National University of Korea"? Chuseok is said to be the "Korean Thanksgiving." So...Koreans eat turkey and watch football? Anyway, there's an article in the September 5, 2013 edition of the Korea Times with the headline: "Is Korea Ireland of Asia?" Ireland--the Korea of Europe?

Mulmangcho--September 1, 2013

Sunday we had four new volunteers join us at the Mulmangcho School for adolescent North Korean refugees. I had warned them that there would probably be no veteran teachers to help them, so it was sink or swim. They came armed with games and activities! I'm always amazed by the people willing to take time out to go out to Yeoju, but Sunday was even more amazing: They thought it was a three-hour ride to the school. So they were delighted when they realized it takes about 75 minutes to get there. What I couldn't get over was: they were willing to spend six hours traveling to volunteer. Two of the volunteers stayed in the afternoon to go pick some apples with the students and school leaders. Prof. Park and the students also celebrated my latest birthday coming up, so that was good. The school is going through some changes because a few of the students have graduated or moved on. And we are also going through a transition with our volunteers because some of our regulars hav