“Foreign students must be very lonely here in Korea. I know how they may feel because I felt alone when I studied abroad. They will be very glad even if you show them just a little care.” Remembering the insightful words shared by Professor Man Cho during last summer’s wine club gathering, Mr. Seonkyu Lim (2009 MBA) voluntarily applied for the Home Visiting Program.

Although Seonkyu signed up for the Home Visiting Program without hesitation, he was slightly worried as he approached his guests Md Saifuzzaman (2010 MPP, Bangladesh) and Kuch Vutha Samrit (2010 MPP, Cambodia) about how they wanted to spend their day. To his surprise, they simply stated that they were interested in visiting an ordinary Korean home, spurring Seonkyu to invite them to his ten-year-old daughter Soo-yeon’s Children’s Day celebration.

COEX was very crowded with entire families out to celebrate and Seonkyu could easily see Uzzaman’s longing for his children back home. As a father of two daughters himself, Uzzaman took great care of Soo-yeon as he held her hand, bought her a drink, and walked around the mall with her tirelessly. Although Seonkyu was the host, somehow the situation had reversed itself with “uncle” Uzzaman leading the day and Seonkyu following behind. Vutha on the other hand, was more like an older brother to her as they engaged in fun conversations albeit the language barrier and much to Seonkyu’s bewilderment.

As the day wore on, they eventually unwinded back at Seonkyu’s home to enjoy the chicken prepared by his wife. Over dinner, Seonkyu’s wife and the students quickly lost their initial shyness and inhibitions as they had a wonderful time getting to know one another and sharing the day’s events. Seonkyu says that Uzzaman still calls his wife ‘Vabi,’ which means sister-in-law in Bangladesh. Soo-yeon also talks happily about her memories of the special day with Uzzaman and Vutha, remembering them as her “uncles.”

As Seonkyu reflected back on the home visiting experience, he said that he had so much he gained from it, perhaps more than he had to offer as a host. “My family was able to learn and feel in many different ways, and it all turned into wonderful memories. I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in the Home Visiting Program but previously hesitated to get involved because it will certainly give you and your family beautiful memories and worthy lessons.”

While Mr. Lim showed the life of an ordinary Korean family, Ms. Hee-jung Kim (2009 MPP) wanted her guests to experience a leisurely weekend in Seoul. After careful consideration, Hee-jung decided to take her guests, Wen Qiao (2010 MPP, China) and Chhunnsong Dy (2010 MPP, Cambodia) to visit places familiar to herself. The excursion started off in Insadong, and headed to Samchung-dong, the Blue House, Buam-dong, and finally her home. Along the way, they had the chance to exercise at a public park and watch a traditional Korean wedding ceremony.

Although the day consisted of four hours of walking, the leisurely time they spent strolling around allowed them to fully immerse themselves into the scenes of nature and observe the weekend activities of ordinary Koreans both young and old. The experience for Hee-jung was a memorable one also, as she was able to take a momentary break from the chaos and busyness of everyday life, and appreciate the beauty around her through the borrowed lens of a tourist.

Unlike the two hosts above, Mr. Eun-taek Hwang (2010 MPP/ED) took students Sunday Iduh (2010 MPP/ED, Nigeria), Zafar Ulashovich Berdinazarov (2010 MPP/ED, Uzbekistan), and Shavkat Azamatovich Jabborov (2010 MPP/ED, Uzbekistan) to visit sites outside of Seoul. Eun-taek said he wanted to build closer friendships with international students and provide them with at least one more special memory to preserve forever.

They went to Expo Science Park, Donghak Temple in Mt. Geyrong, and Daecheong Dam near Daejeon where Eun-Taek lives. His desire in planning the particular agenda was to expose his guests to see and experience the world beyond the KDI School and Seoul. Eun-taek reminisced upon the day they spent together as one of his best moments at the School; he also expressed his thanks to the KDI School for providing such a wonderful experience.

The time shared was valuable not only for Eun-taek but also for his guests. One of his guests Shavkat said visiting Daejeon broadened his perspective of Korea and also gave his mind the much needed rest to continue studying hard. He said that his second semester has been going well due to the Home Visiting Program, which definitely helped restore his energy and stamina. Another guest Sunday also shared his experiences of the program as he said “Experience is the best teacher.” According to him, it was a mixture of culture, tradition and contemporary technology, and he strongly recommends other students to take advantage of the KDI School Home Visiting Program to broaden their horizons and learn about Korea.

By Mikyung Byun (2010 MPP/ED, Korea)