2016-08-27 "Our Hearts were beating so fast"

(TNKR) Teach North Korean Refugees began in March 2013 with a simple session matching a few North Korean refugees and fluent and native English speakers together.

Three years and 5 months later, we held our 48th Matching session, on August 27, 2016.

This session was recorded from start to finish, with a cable TV crew staying from 11 am until 8:30 p.m. It was later included in the TVN special about TNKR. You can check this scene here at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/ByPev2Wl9gT/

Full TVN show: https://www.facebook.com/CaseyLartigue/videos/vb.100004020120914/1135977703212890/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab&hc_location=ufi

www.lovetnkr.org/donate

* 8 refugees chose 11 coaches to help them with public speaking

* 7 of the refugees are returnees, with several of them coming back more than once.

* Of the 11 coaches selected, 10 were first-timers and the other was joining after tutoring in Track 1 since last November.

* Of the refugees participating in this session, two later went on to give TEDx Talks, another has spoken at Harvard and Princeton Universities, and another gave a moving speech on the US military base before she decided that public speaking was not for her. One challenge we have with volunteers is that they try to rush them along, but we want the speakers to focus on the learning process and developing at their own speed.

* Several of the coaches mentioned that they learned about TNKR through Facebook. So the people whining that I post too much should unfriend me or turn off notifications from me.

Feedback from refugees:

--It was a special session because of the TV cameras. I am always thankful the tutors encourage refugees to speak out.

* I'm very excited to be joining Track 2, my heart was beating fast as I thought about joining. My English has definitely improved in Track 1, and now with Track 2, I can focus on public speaking. As I listened to the volunteers explain why they want to join the program, I almost started crying. The beautiful tutors can make a beautiful life.

* I have family reasons not to open up to the world yet. I do hope the coaches can stay with us long-term, it is really important for refugees to gain confidence in public speaking, so we can tell our stories.

* I was so nervous last night, I couldn't sleep. I saw so many beautiful volunteers, I am so honored to meet them. Knowing they are volunteering for us makes me want to study harder.

Feedback from coaches:

**I was a little nervous at first. I was more nervous when I opened the door, there were like 9 cameras there. Then I was more nervous during the session that I wouldn't get picked. It felt like elementary school when people are choosing teams. I am so impressed by the camaraderie within TNKR.

** I was also a little nervous. But I wasn't prepared to do an interview.

* I feel that both sides get a lot out of this, we also have something to learn.

* The speech contest was deeply inspiring, I am humbled to be a part of this.

**I was nervous that I might not get to participate, that I might not get chosen. So I am even more excited to be part of the experience. It was really memorable to hear the refugees talk about their goals, it can help me to be around people so determined to improve themselves.

www.lovetnkr.org/donate

"Yoegi Anjuseyo!"

* I have a short reflection in today's Korea Times about an encounter with an unfriendly looking Korean man on the subway. It was a reminder not to be too quick in judging people in Korea. 09-13-2011 16:47 'Yeogi Anjeuseyo!' By Casey Lartigue Jr. The recent incident in which an American English teacher bullied an elderly Korean man and other passengers on the bus reminded me of a more pleasing incident from years ago. I was on the subway, taking the train outside of Seoul for a work assignment. I have the habit of standing on the subway to strategically position myself near the doors in case my stop magically appears. On that particular day, there was a Korean man STARING at me. Not just looking at me, but intensely staring at me. He had an incredible frown on his face. Not just for one stop, but for several stops the guy just kept staring at me. If I had known more Korean then I would have been able to curse him ...

Rich talking back

The rich are talked about very often in negative terms, but how often do the rich respond in kind? Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who inherited most of her money but apparently has also done very well with it, recently railed against class warfare and had some advice for the non-rich : "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working." She complained about politicians raising taxes, regulations that slow investment, and other anti-business policies that harm the poor. "If you want to help the poor and our next generation, make investment, reinvenstment and businesses welcome."

Humanitarian with a guillotine (Korea Times, February 1, 2013) by Casey Lartigue, Jr.

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, `` I’m from the government, and I’m here to help .” For many well-intentioned activists, politicians, and intellectuals, that should be updated as: ``We are here to help you. You’re under arrest.” For example, ``sex workers” around the world oppose anti-prostitution laws. Prostitutes may not know the theoretical arguments but they do know in reality that prohibiting prostitution means they lack protection in dealing with abusive pimps and madams, violent patrons and crooked cops. Locally, a Korean woman busted for prostitution recently appealed to the courts pleading , ``I cannot survive without this job. I don’t want to be treated as a criminal for making a living the only way I can.” How should someone who genuinely wants to help her respond? If you say ``arrest her” then you are qualified to be a “harmful humanitarian.” In your desire to help, you have elimin...

2014-02-14 Yeon-Mi Park`s debut

Yeonmi Park, February 14, 2014, making her debut! Yesterday I was one of the speakers at a special session on North Korean refugees at the Canadian Maple International School. Wow, it was a wonderful time! * Yeon-Mi Park delivered her first major speech in English. She was wonderful! She told her story (35 minute speech without notes), discussed different aspects of North Korea, and then handled questions from students for more than an hour. She did seem to be nervous at the beginning-she took a deep breath just as she started, looked at me, then told her story from her heart. * Returning from the speech, I told Yeonmi that she had star potential. She told me that she didn't believe it, but I told her that the way she handled Q&A and told her story, I would be lucky to have her still returning my phone calls within a year. * The students had many questions. They have been learning about North Korea. They are now reading "Escape from Camp 14" featuring Shin Dong-h...

2020-07-24 Pandemic Tutoring

The question comes in various forms, as a request, a recommendation, a plea, an insinuation, an accusation, and sometimes (or most of the time) it is a demand and complaint at the same time. In my in-box yesterday: "And I wanted to know if TNKR also transitioned to online services as any other educational institutions globally under the pandemic." This was from a previous volunteer who is now in the USA, so I took more time to answer him, and will expand it now so I can share it with others asking. As context, TNKR started in 2013 as an informal volunteer group connecting North Korean refugees with volunteer tutors. In 2016, we became an official organization despite lacking funding. Mainly because we have limited resources we keep focused on our main mission, but try to expand based on the needs of North Korean refugee learners. We have developed a learner-centered organization that has a great reputation among North Korean refugees. That means we are not a social club or re...

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