week 6: rewards

at the beginning of week 5, mihwa, a third grade student, came into my office asking if i would help her prepare for an entrance interview at an english language university in seoul. her goal? to become a translator at the UN. i agreed to help, and we put together a schedule. she only had 2 days, so every minute of free time that i had (about 6 hours) on thursday and friday were spent practicing mock interview questions and helping mihwa to polish her answers. sitting in an empty room, listening to mihwa's stories and learning about her life was an extraordinary moment in my korean adventure and was one of the most inspirational experiences of my life.

mihwa was quite nervous about her interview, but after our study sessions, she felt more confident. however, her grades did not reflect her countless hours of study nor her passion for learning and speaking english. and, in korea, grades are everything. the program only accepts 10 people in the entire country; odds were against her. with encouraging words, i sent her out on friday afternoon to face the admissions board on saturday morning.

monday morning of week 6, she came bursting into my office. although, she was still nervous about the outcome, considering her grades, the interview had gone well. i congratulated her for performing well in the interview and crossed my fingers. on wednesday of week 6, mihwa was notified that she was accepted.

my opinion? mihwa is going to change the world. here are some of her stories.

when she was in middle school, mihwa and her family traveled to china for vacation. one day, in shanghai, she got separated from her parents. at first, she was terrified. she didn't speak chinese and had no way of finding her family. eventually, it occurred to her to ask for help in english, because it is such a widely spoken language. she stopped a chinese man and told him, in english, that she had lost her father. luckily, he spoke english and was able to reunite her with her family. it was then that she decided to become a translator, recognizing the importance of being able to communicate with others in a common language. quite the insight for a middle school girl.

as part of korean high school education, students are required to participate in volunteer work of some kind. mihwa volunteered at a hospital for people with leprosy. at first, she was nervous about helping people with this horrible disease, but after spending a short time with them, she found that the patients at the hospital reminded her of her own family: her father, her mother, her grandfather and grandmother. at once, she felt a desire to care for them, not just for their physical needs but for their emotional needs as well.

about a year ago, mihwa read a book reading about ban ki-moon, secretary-general of the UN. he grew up in korea under financial strain when his father's business failed. ban ki-moon's dream was to become a diplomat. in korea, money is an essential part of receiving a quality education. many parents spend thousands of dollars on private academies to help their children learn english and succeed in school. as his family was unable to provide this, ban ki-moon spent time around the american military bases speaking with american soldiers to improve his english. mihwa was inspired by his story and his lifetime of seeking new challenges. he is her role model, and so far, i think he would be proud.

week 6 sidenote: i have learned a few korean words. hopefully, this is the beginning of a better understanding of the language. oh how i long for the days of the mission when i could speak the language all day long. speaking english all day is hindering my ability to crack this very complicated language.