TNKR Member Jeff Villa: Finding Opportunity in Adversity

Jeff Villa recently returned to TNKR. He has been a Track 1 tutor, Track 2 speech coach, fundraiser, donor, and event attendee.

He is enthusiastic, the kind of person who tackles life. But as he writes below, life (with the aid of the coronavirus) tackled him back.

--Casey

Finding Opportunity in Adversity

"It’s amazing how quickly plans can change. I was supposed to start a new job this month in Europe, contract was signed, plane ticket reserved, new apartment deposit was paid. I was also going to wrap up graduate school alongside. I was happy, excited, anxious to get started. I was already saying my goodbyes here in Seoul, and my friends had a going away party for me. I just couldn’t wait to get on the plane and start my new adventure.

"I woke up one morning and read that Europe was closing their borders to non Europeans just days before my arrival. Later that day my flight was canceled. I got a call from the landlord of the apartment I rented saying they need to cancel the contract. Every hour it seemed like more dominos just kept falling. The company initiated a hiring freeze, so the job was off the table. College campus was closed, so the classes I was enrolled in canceled. Nobody giving me a refund. Korean visa about to expire.

"Fast forward a bit and I am now staying in Korea for another year at least, all previous plans a big question mark. Admittedly, I wasn’t feeling well. Not to mention as my plans were falling apart I was stuck alone in my apartment. Where am I going to refocus all of that energy now? Feeling like the whole world was against me, it dawned on me to contact TNKR and see what was going on, and sure enough a matching session just around the corner. I am so thrilled to be back with TNKR and helping these amazing refugees learn English! The matching session was very exciting, I now have three students! I thought two would be enough, but this group was so eager to learn, they laid out well defined goals, and expressed a serious desire to study hard, how could I not take a third?? Now I have my work cut out for me, now I have something meaningful and positive to focus on, so I can’t wait to get into it!

"There is always opportunity in adversity. TNKR offers such opportunities, not just to the refugees, but equally to the tutors to undertake something truly meaningful in life. If anyone is experiencing adversity during these difficult times, I encourage you to get involved with TNKR and turn that into one of the most fascinating, unique, and meaningful opportunities you just may ever have." --Jeff Villa

Jeff joining TNKR, April 2018.

Jeff with Thae Yong-ho at a TNKR event in July 2018. Mr. Thae recently became the first North Korean defector to be elected to South Korea's National Assembly.

Jeff with TNKR student and author Sungju Lee. Jeff won a free copy of Sungju's book by having the most successful fundraiser in his Matching session group.

Jeff (sitting next to me) was also a speech coach for a special contest TNKR helped facilitate for the Hana Foundation in 2018.

Support TNKR: www.lovetnkr.org/donate

Jeff Villa's fundraiser for TNKR: https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/fundraisers/Donate-to-help-North-Korean-refugees-learn-E

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

Forgery or conspiracy? Memorandum 46

Here's an article I co-wrote that will appear in the Sunday Outlook section of the Washington Post . We'll be updating this page over the coming days. So check back for updates. Memorandum 46 timeline , as compiled by us. Audio from our last show on XM 169 before we got fired. That audio is divided into segments, this one is one large MP3 . Who says Memorandum46 is true? Former rep. Cynthia McKinney presents Memo 46 to the United Nations and defends it in a speech . Joe Madison presents Memo 46 at the annual Congressional Black Caucus gathering. Former D.C. delegate Walter Fauntroy, on the Joe Madison show on XM 169 (audio available, upon request) and on Michael Fauntroy's site Boyd Graves (see Exhibit 10 of his lawsuit against the government) The Final Call, with Brzezinski's name misspelled . Len Horowitz Blackelectorate.com Millions for Reparations Various discussion forums or discussants, such as: Greekchat , Jahness , Who says Memorandum 46 is a forgery? Brzezi...

From nothing to something super special (2023-02-10)

FSI has moved into a better institutional neighborhood where we are the poorest in the area. In August 2022, I was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and in January 2023 FSI achieved incorporation status in South Korea. This has meant that FSI must upgrade operations and structure and I am the one, as chairman and co-president, who will be blamed if it doesn’t happen. I really should not be the chairman, for a variety of reasons, but anyway I am. Eunkoo and I are not the typical executives of a growing organization. In addition to being mainly responsible for building and fundraising for the organization, we are the hands-on leaders who are constantly in contact with North Korean refugee speakers. We look forward to the day we can afford staff to handle many tasks. Until then we can expect to continue having more days like yesterday, even on Eunkoo’s birthday. 2023-02-10 Meeting #1: planning We started Eunkoo’s birthday with a planning...

Yogi Anjuseyo

People often ask me, now that I am back in Korea, how things are different. My main responses: 1) I'm different. 2) Koreans seem more open-minded 3) The expats seem more educated, but have many of the same complaints and are using the same analysis I was hearing then. Robert Neff writes in the newest edition of the Korea Times about the recent fight on the bus. He mentions: "Scribblings of the Metropolitician brought up an interesting observation ― one that bothers him a great deal ― the empty seat. According to him, regardless of how crowded the bus is and the number of people standing, the seat next to him is always empty. It is insulting to him that no one wants to sit next to him. "But not all expatriates in Korea have that problem ― some find themselves with unwanted seatmates." Seoul subway line 5, Sept 8, 2011. --Casey Lartigue, Jr.. That is one of the low-rent issues I remember from the 1990s. I have learned that Scribblings of th...

Column on The Root

I've got a column on The Root. It addresses Bruce Bartlett's suggestion that Republicans should support reparations for slavery. CJL The GOP's Next (Black) Idea? Trading slavery reparations for affirmative action. By: Casey Lartigue | Posted: March 5, 2008 at 11:41 AM Concerned that Republicans haven't tried hard enough to reach out to black voters, Bruce Bartlett, a former advisor to President Ronald Reagan and treasury official under President George H. W. Bush, suggests a shocker: Republicans should come out in favor of reparations for slavery. Republicans for reparations? Bartlett makes the suggestion in Wrong on Race , an expose on the "hidden" racist history of the Democratic Party. Bartlett skewers former Democratic presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Woo...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog