2019-11-26 A day of inspiration & Speaking with a "Yankee Bastard"

There have been many wonderful days in TNKR. It seems that no matter how good things are, they always get better! Today was especially memorable.

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It started with a student who joined us recently. She came by to talk about a special education opportunity she has. When she first joined us she seemed satisfied but not that eager.

Today was different. She is really enjoying studying in TNKR and delighted that we will help her with an education opportunity outside of TNKR.

Then a great day got even more amazing! One of the students who came in today was so optimistic that even a cold cynic could crack a smile, ever so briefly. After she learned about us from another TNKR student, she looked up everything about TNKR, reading articles and watching all of our videos. She kept messaging to let us know how happy she was to be meeting us. I wonder if she was doing cartwheels all the way down the street on her way to the TNKR office. When she arrived she was bouncing off the walls. When Eunkoo got a phone call during the middle of our interview with her, she looked at me and said, "I am so so happy." She mentioned several times that she was going to study so hard, to show her thanks to TNKR. She thanked both of us several times later.

The refugee who told her about TNKR also said something important that many Western reporters and North Korea watchers can't grasp: "Don't be fooled by the handful of North Korean refugees who have become prominent. There are many North Korean refugees who aren't celebrities who are quietly studying in TNKR. If you study hard, your English can improve a lot as you study with diligent tutors."

Chanyang Ju speaking with an "American bastard."

Then after that, I joined Chanyang Ju to give a speech at the KAIST College of Business. I was the warmup act, explaining about TNKR. Then Chanyang told her story wrapped into a larger story about changes in North Korea.

Thanks to Professor Betty Chung for inviting TNKR to present for a third time to her class.

I first met Chanyang back in early 2012, a year after she escaped to South Korea. Here is a wonderful article she wrote about me back in 2014. It is wonderful even though she lovingly called me a "Yankee Bastard" several times. My disappointment is that she didn't do that yesterday.