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2019-11-01 Time flies when you're at TNKR

Sometimes people say, "I can't believe it is already Friday!" Or they'll mention the month, "I can't believe it is already November!"

In my case, I can't believe it is already 2019! What happened to 1999, wasn't that just a few years ago?

As fast as time seems to go, it is even faster at TNKR. We had so many meetings today that when I was referring to our first meetings today, I was talking about it like it was on Tuesday, not this morning (Friday).


TNKR Matching Challenge from an American fan


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Individual Education Plan (IEP)

We had four interviews with North Korean refugees who want to join TNKR. We accepted three of them, but told one refugee that we weren't sure he was ready.

The other three are quite enthusiastic and have a good idea what they want to study. The other young man, unfortunately, isn't really sure why he should study English. Others have encouraged him, but he isn't sure why he needs English. We encouraged him to study elsewhere first, then to return to us in about three months. We have done this a few times as we have raised our standards. Each student has returned to us later after experiencing more of South Korea, more focused, and prepared to study with volunteer tutors.




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YouTuber Eunhee!

Eunhee Park stopped by the office to talk about her YouTube channel. Please SUBSCRIBE! She has added almost 50 subscribers the last few days, we hope she can get to 1,000.


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 Save the date! Send his father home

December 11 will be the 50th anniversary of a North Korean agent hijacking an airplane to North Korea. This year on December 8, Hwang In-Cheol will be going to Imjingak (near the DMZ) to mark the anniversary and to call on North Korea to return his father to South Korea. TNKR will be there with him, and we hope you will join us. TNKR volunteer Jennifer Bowman, who joined last night's meeting despite a serious leg injury, vowed to join us on the trip to Imjingak.



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TNKR high school club






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Open House

I led an orientation with international students who are interested in volunteering with TNKR. Thanks to Sandra Durnick for organizing it, and other things, for TNKR!



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Dropping in

 
NK refugee author Lee Juseong dropped by to discuss the latest book he has written and hopes to publish.

 
Hyunmoo recently joined TNKR, he dropped by TNKR to give a great report about tutoring.

 
David Lee is visiting from the USA, he dropped by to say hello! 

He wrote on Facebook: " it was an honor and pleasure to meet you and Ms. Eunkoo Lee. Hope to see you again! Keep up the great work!
🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️"

Mr. Choi has made several videos for TNKR has aspirations to make a movie that will hit the mainstream. He promises if he makes a lot of money with it that he will donate a lot to TNKR.

TNKR scenes
9th speech contest
10th speech contest

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 So surprised! 

She follows North Korean refugee issues, she even shows Yeonmi Park's videos to her graduate students. But she had no idea that I was deeply engaged with North Korean refugees.


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What's next?

That was in the last few days--did I forget anything? So much going on. But it seems that most of the time, we are still having fun, and headed in the right direction!



TNKR Matching Challenge from an American fan







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