2014-01-18 Yeonmi emerges

Once a month, the English Matching program (Teach North Korean Refugees) operating out of the Mulmangcho Research Center introduces volunteer English teachers to adult North Korean refugees.

We have now matched more than 60 people in the last year, and every session has something special about it. Yesterday, it was the sheer numbers: 20+ people. All of the teachers who RSVP'ed showed up, plus we had a waiting list. Although I try to be strict, the reality is that I want to let in as many people as possible, so that hopefully people can find a good match. Yesterday's NK refugees who joined were there to collect as many volunteer teachers as possible, to study a bit more intensively during the winter break.

What was also interesting was to see the changes in the refugees who had attended previous sessions, but lost their teachers for one reason or another. This time around, they were not going to let the opportunity pass them by. One young man selected four teachers! And it seems he wants even more! But we want him to get on a schedule with them, then we can try to find more for him.

The session was also special because I am already friends with a few of the refugees who were there yesterday. One mildly complained at and about me for not inviting her sooner, even though I had already matched her with a teacher off-line. No good deed goes unpunished.!

As always, I must thank Eunkoo Lee, co-director of the program with me, for helping me without complaint. And Joo Yeon Cho, the academic adviser to the program who tracks the study groups. It is a good thing that I am not a criminal. If I told those two ladies I was going to rob a bank, Eunkoo would, by the end of the day, send me a spreadsheet with the locations of the nearest banks. And Joo Yeon would ask me: "What time? And where?" And she'd be sitting in the getaway car, telling me to hop in.

Now the hard part starts. Thanks to volunteers Pam Davidson, Abdiel Lawrence, Kate Frewer, Courtney Grogan, Vicky Oh, Miji Kim, Alix M. Tiffany, Annie D, Erin L and Adam Michelin Malcolm for agreeing to help our NK refugee friends improve their English.

Update: Yeonmi Park had started to stand out at that point, although I avoided naming North Korean at that time. She had first joined us in mid-2013, but it wasn't until this Matching session that it was clear that she was going to be something special.

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