2014-06-01 Mulmangcho: So what do you do here, Casey?

* We had seven volunteers hailing from six different countries join today. Michael Patterson (Canada), Paul Jennings (New Zealand), Rachel Lewis (UK), Alexiana EL CF (France), Maynard Villamer (Phillippines), Victoria Oh (USA and Casey Lartigue (USA).

* As a reminder, the volunteers not only hail from different parts of the world, but also different parts of Korea. Most are from Seoul, but I heard a few talk about coming from 2 hours away from down south. And the ones in Seoul, we take an express bus that takes 65 minutes, then the school bus that takes another 10 minutes or so.

* It happened again 1: A somewhat new volunteer questioned the school curriculum, suggesting it should be more rigorous. I agreed with her, as I always agree with new volunteers who have suggestions that they suggest that "somebody" should do something about. But something strange happened on the way to the always elusive "somebody" being assigned the task. She pledged to do something about it! I told her she has my permission, if she needs it, so I will be watching...

* It happened again 2: A somewhat new volunteer showed up, asking what I do there because I don't teach. Well, I didn't bother discussing how I set up this volunteer project so people like her could join, have raised money for the school, give 100,000 won a month to the school, take time every Sunday to make sure newcomers have a consistent contact point, act as a magnet for the school attracting people who set up great activities for the kids, etc. Instead, I joined her in wondering what it is that I do for the Mulmangcho School...

* Today, we had only one no-show. For anyone who has recruited volunteers, you know how incredible that is. Volunteers can be great, but, well, they aren't exactly reliable. Add in long bus rides on a Sunday morning, and I'm surprised I'm not alone at the school most weekends. Which I guess would please the volunteers who wonder what it is that I do.

* I'm the International Adviser to the school, but we now have three different expats making plans and coordinating schedules, so that means there is the inevitable double-booking. June 8 was originally going to be a regular teaching day, but I learned today that there will be a BBQ at Grace Stables. I don't know any details yet, I will update soon, but then regular teaching resumes from June 15.

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I'll be a guest on XM 169 The Power this morning from 10:15 a.m. EST. I'll be talking about teaching English abroad. I'll be interviewed by Brian Higgins of MYB Talk . I sang last night for about five hours with friends but I'm sure my voice will be fine. Tuesday, I'll be interviewed by a Harvard University representative who wants my input on a new doctoral program for education leaders . It is a collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School. Some folks at the Booker Rising site are (again) reminding me that I'm not as smart as I think I am. CJL

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It was international news when 12 North Korean waitresses and a male manager who worked at a restaurant operated by the North Korean regime in China arrived in South Korea in 2016. The waitresses have mostly maintained a low profile. There have been numerous accusations and assertions, with some saying the waitresses didn't want to escape, some accused the Park Geun-hye administration of playing politics by releasing details of the case, etc., etc., etc. My blog at the Korea Times today features an exclusive interview with one of the former North Korean waitresses who filed a criminal case against the former manager. You can read about it here on the Korea Times website. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2023/02/728_345165.html Keep in mind that there are many more facts to the case and that it is much deeper than this brief excerpt of her comments. She also shared legal documents that I shared with the Korea Times well in advance to give them time to review t...

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