안녕하세요 여러분, 오스틴입니다.

Hello all! I am excited to be joining the blogging team at KClass! I am looking forward to sharing insights on Korean language and culture! I will be making contributions drawn from my experiences volunteering in an orphanage in Seoul.

I have spent a significant part of my life working with kids as a camp counselor and as a teacher. However, most of the children that I’ve known over the years come from middle to upper class affluence. I worked at a fancy residential camp in the US. My own students largely came from the twisted streets of suburban sprawl. In short, their background largely resembled mine. Of course I knew that there were poor kids in the world. I had even participated in one of those programs where you send a few dollars each month so that a particular child can go to school, afford books, clothes, etc. His picture was even on my refrigerator for a while. But that was 10 years ago. I’ve forgotten his name, his face, even his country. For me, it was lacking a personal touch.

One of my friends came to Korea nearly two years before I did and began volunteering at an orphanage. When I came last year, I began going with him to serve those kids. It has been an incredible experience. There are orphanages (고아원) all over Korea. They come in several different variations. The kids have all kinds of different stories and backgrounds. Over the next few posts, I will explain what I have learned about the orphanage system in Korea. I will also share some of the cultural and linguistic lessons I learn there. I practice a lot of speaking with them, and as a result, learn some things I would never have learned in class! I’ll try to reproduce some of the conversations I have with the kids (either in text or video) so you can practice along!

Thanks for reading,
오스틴