Eastside Catholic hosts 2 South Korean students
February 9, 2010
By Christopher Huber
Cheolmin Kim, 16, of Gangjin, South Korea, came to Washington to improve his English skills and experience American culture. With limited English ability upon arrival, he found it difficult to make friends, he said. But he was up for the challenge.
During his four weeks shadowing students at Eastside Catholic, he took initiative, approaching people he didn’t know to polish his English speaking skills.
Kim got help from fellow students like sophomore Matt Leist, of Sammamish, and host student Kevin Stone, of North Bend, and making friends became easier, he said.
“(It was) awesome. During my stay with (Kevin), I learned a lot of kinds of American culture,” Kim said. “I broke the language barrier.”
The Korean exchange program is different than traditional school exchanges.
It’s a program of the Snoqualmie Sister Cities Association, but it began at Eastside Catholic after Stone, a North Bend resident, spent five weeks in Korea in 2009.
Kim and Han-ey Lim, 16 of Gangjin, shadowed Leist, Stone, freshman Madi Hurley and sophomore Kenta Keleher Jan. 11-Feb. 5.
The school chose the four to show Kim and Lim around because of their leadership abilities, said Patti Finley, Eastside Catholic marketing and communications director.
Leist said one benefit to having Kim, a math whiz, shadow him at school all day was that he helped him with math work.
In return, Leist helped Kim with English assignments. Kim even helped present a project in front of class with Leist, they said.
“It was just a fun experience,” Leist said. “He taught me a lot of Korean. I learned to say ‘good morning.’”
Leist said after a week of showing Kim around school, he appreciates a new perspective on being a global student — part of Eastside Catholic’s focus.
He said he’s considering talking to his parents about hosting a student at his home next time or traveling to Korea for an exchange.
“We just had a ton of fun. It was cool to have a different experience,” Leist said. “School can get so monotonous sometimes, so with Cheolmin, it was different.
Both Kim and Lim said the experience was tiring at times as they soaked in American culture, lived with an American family and went to school full time. But they expressed interest in possibly returning some day.
The most important thing they learned was the customs and the language, Kim said.
“He pretty much goes wherever I go,” Stone said.
The exchange experience didn’t just benefit Kim and Lim. Leist, Stone and Hurley seemed to say they learned just as much about Korean culture. Or at least it opened their eyes to life outside the Eastside.
“It really makes you think of someone for once,” Hurley said. “It was a matter of focusing on someone besides yourself at school.”
This is the first year the school has offered to host students from Gangjin, South Korea, said Greg Marsh, the high school principal. The program stems from earlier efforts by the Snoqualmie Sister Cities Association to connect people from both countries.
Eastside Catholic had more reason to do it after Stone’s reported on his experience living with Kim’s family in Gangjin in August 2009.
“I found it very valuable, so I wanted to bring it back to school,” Stone said.
Going forward, Marsh and Stone said they hope to set up a legitimate program to send small groups of Eastside Catholic students to Korea.
“The idea would be that our kids go there for five weeks,” Marsh said.
“Any opportunity we can provide kids to travel,” Marsh said. “I’m a really big fan of this.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.
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Can I please get two copies of the Eastside Catholic hosts 2 South Korean students – February 9, 2010 article, By Christopher Huber mailed to our home? We don’t get this paper and I would really love a copy for our family and also one to send to Han-ey Lim, our exchange student.
Thank-you! Lisa Hurley
10760 – E. Lake Joy Dr. N.E.
Carnation, WA 98014