May Volunteering | 2 of 2

Me and Eunbi

While volunteering at the shelter, there were two little girls that I really doted on, Eunbi and Soyoung. Running around with these girls felt so natural. It even felt like I was playing with my own nieces. It was that comfortable. I will admit that the time I spent with these girls really tugged on my heartstrings. I started thinking that I could have fun like that every day with my own daughter. Until that time, I'll just have to settle for afternoons with these girls, which is definitely the next best thing.

Eunbi's little sister, Dambi

Soyoung

When we were still at the shelter waiting for everyone to gather, I spotted Soyoung. Her hair was done up in a little bow and pigtails. When I saw her and the red-haired boy, I told everyone around me, "We're definitely gonna be best friends." At the park, Soyoung and I started playing a bit. Even though she didn't speak much English, we were still able to communicate. I started chasing her around and I would catch her. Then I would pretend to be scared of her and run away. While she was chasing me, a bunch of the other kids saw and then they all started to corner me. I ran around for a good 15 minutes and then I was completely exhausted. It was worth it though, because I was able to gain that relationship with Soyoung. On the way back to the shelter, we walked hand in hand the whole way. Even though our hands were clammy with sweat, she didn't let go once.

Eunbi will always be special to me because she was the first girl that I talked to. When we were walking to the park and things were still awkward, I grabbed her hand. She looked at me surprised, but I could tell that she was happy. She was wearing this adorable panda jacket and she showed Markus and I how it worked. When she started to feel warm she took off her jacket and I gave it to Markus to hold. She loved that and started calling him "servant" in Korean. I was the "queen" and she was a "princess". Later, Jeff joined us and he became "poop pig", a bit mean but kinda funny. I loved that we were the royalty and all the guys were some kind of horrible thing.

I seriously, loved these girls. They were so sweet and so much fun. I feel that even though most of these children go through something traumatic, they are still able to be kids. It makes me really contemplate a lot of the things I complain about. Even though they've had to deal with something difficult in their life, they don't let it affect them. It's really something admirable and amazing. It's really tempting to stay in Korea longer, just so that I could see them more. It's moments and experiences like this that make me want to stay in Korea and never leave.

May Volunteering | 1 of 2

After a bit of a break, Markus and I were able to volunteer at the woman's shelter again. The families that are at the shelter stay for around six months and then they are phased out. All of the students that I used to teach are all gone. This time around, all the kids were new. At first I was a bit nervous, but it wasn't too long til I grabbed one of the girls hands and we skipped into a new friendship. 

One thing that fascinates me about Korea is the amount of children with dyed or permed hair. It's pretty crazy seeing little kids with blue or red hair. While we were at the shelter, I spied the little boy with red hair and said that he was going to be my new bff. I'm happy to say that I was pretty successful because his mom later told me that he liked me. The blue haired kid wasn't part of our group, but I had to get a picture. These crazy haired kids are like Pokemon and I gotta catch em all. 

We walked about 15 minutes to a nearby park and practically took over. There was the perfect amount of volunteers to kids. There was face painting, manicuring, see-sawing, climbing and chasing. As much as I loved my old students, these kids really won me over. They were so much fun and really sweet. I spent most of my time playing and talking with them because I couldn't help myself. 

Usually, the moms and older siblings don't come with us, but this time they decided to join. Throughout the afternoon, the mom of the little girl in the awesome purple sweater kept looking at me curiously. I couldn't tell if she wanted to talk to me or was just confused. When we were walking back to the shelter, she finally started talking to me. She spoke in really broken English, but she was trying really hard. It was actually a really good conversation. I told her that we were going to try and have a baby soon and she proceeded to tell me what vitamins I needed to take. I think she kept looking at me because she was building up her courage to talk to me. It was the sweetest and cutest thing. It's moments like that that make me feel completely humbled and thankful to be in Korea.

November Volunteering

This month's volunteering event was a Thanksgiving extravaganza. The kids created Native American headbands, hand turkeys, Pilgrim hats and sat down for a bit of face painting. It was one of the best experiences I've had in Korea so far. 

Every time I go to the women's shelter, I'm overwhelmed at how amazing and funny these kids are. They are the sweetest and cutest kids. I could go on about how adorable they are, but I think the pictures will do better.

Seriously, how adorable are these faces? I just want to pinch all of their cheeks, which I did for most of the day. To be fair, it didn't seem like they minded the attention.

This time around there were more volunteers than kids. The turnout was incredible and it was awesome to see so many people sacrificing their afternoons. Although, after spending 20 minutes with them, it's easy to see why it's not a hard sacrifice. Even though many of the kids don't speak English, their actions and faces show all of their emotion.

Kasim, Markus, Steven and Bathroom

Again, Kasim and Markus used their artistic talents to paint and sketch whatever the kids wanted. One of our favorite students, told Markus, Kasim and Steven that he wanted all of their faces on his face. After he was done having the boys painted on his face, he asked Markus to draw me and "tall teacher" on his hands. Words cannot express how much I love him. He's such a witty kid and is always joking around. 

While volunteering I met Jeff, who is the spitting image of a younger version of my brother, Chris. Every time I see him, it's hard not to feel an instant connection since he resembles family. It's actually quite nice to see a "familiar" face.

Me and Min-Gyeongie

I had such a great time with these. There was one girl, Min-Gyeongie, who wouldn't let me go. She kept coming back and hugging me. I think these kids lack a lot of physical affection and when the volunteers come, they see it as a way to fulfill that need. It's a heartbreaking truth, but it's a reality that these kids have to face. 

When I think about what these kids have gone through at such a young age, I get so angry. I look at their faces and ask myself, "why would anyone lay a hand on these children?" I'm so thankful that I can spend time with them. It's humbling to know that these kids look forward to just a few hours with a volunteer.  Although, spending time with them is also a blessing to me. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to do something like this while I'm in Korea.

October Volunteering

Recently, Markus and I had the opportunity to volunteer at a women's shelter. Sadly, domestic violence is quite prevalent in Korea. I've heard many stories of men beating their wives or girlfriends in plain sight of other people. I think people tend to turn a blind eye when it comes to things like this. The shelter that we volunteered at is like a half way house for women and their children trying to escape abuse and get back on their feet.

Our experience with these kids was absolutely life changing. These kids were amazing and unlike any of the kids I'm usually around. My library students are very goofy and sweet, but they always keep a physical distance. They never really hug, only a few kids. These kids were so loving. They didn't even know my name and as soon as they saw me they were running and hugging me. I couldn't help but squeeze them even tighter. 

We started the afternoon watching them attack the food we brought. It was a nice way to break the ice, considering that Markus and I were new. After lunch, we went to a park where we ran around and played with the kids. They were so funny and a lot of fun. There were two boys who kept calling each other bathroom and Andromeda. It was hilarious. We also met some great people, the other volunteers are really wonderful people with huge hearts and I was thankful to have met them.

Later in the afternoon, Kasim and Markus started face painting and it was game over after that. All the kids crowded around them and started asking to be painted. We didn't even need to search around for them, because they were all patiently waiting.

The boys became obsessed with the dragons and monsters that Markus was drawing. They all asked for some kind of mythical being. Soon the girls started asking too!

One of the funniest boys there, had his nails painted pink with yellow polka dots and then asked Markus to draw devils on his hand. I guess he had to keep it manly somewhere.

 
I felt like the few hours we spent with these kids was more of a blessing to me than them. It breaks my heart to think of what they have to go through at such a young age. The least I could do is sacrifice a few hours having fun with them. It's easy to get tired of being around kids especially when you teach them everyday. Instead, these kids gave me energy. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to volunteer with them. After we left, I remember telling Markus, "Spending time with them made me fall in love with Korea all over again."