Volunteer Activity

[성김 대사]

Back in the summer when my family first arrived in Korea, my two daughters had a lot of free time.  They were on vacation from school, getting settled into our new home here in Korea, and just starting to reconnect with old friends from their previous time in Seoul.

During this period of summer relaxation, my oldest daughter Erin surprised me one day when she came home and announced that she would be volunteering that week at the Korea Support Center for the Homeless, a local shelter, with members of the Embassy community.  She had seen a call for volunteers in the Embassy newsletter and decided she wanted to go with one of her friends and help out.

Now, for many American teenagers, volunteering is a familiar activity.  For decades, giving back to your community has been a great part of American life.  Growing up, we were taught since our school days the value of volunteering in some way, whether it be at schools, at places of worship, or out in nature.  Many schools even require their students to take part in some kind of community service.

That’s why it made me really proud to hear that Erin was interested in volunteering.  I could tell that all those lessons in school about community service had actually stuck with her, and that was a wonderful thing to realize as a parent.  Ever since then, I have been trying to find the time to do the same. 

So it was just my luck a few weeks ago when Erin mentioned she was planning on volunteering at the shelter again.  I knew I did not want to miss my chance to join Erin and my Embassy colleagues in action, so I decided I had to join this time.  Luckily, she gave me the OK, and I don’t think I embarrassed her too much.  You know how teenagers can be!

Korea Support Center for the Homeless

We arrived at the Korea Support Center for the Homeless on a Tuesday evening, just before the dinner service.  All the volunteers mingled as we waited for our orders.  I was glad to see other teenagers in the group, including the daughter of one of my colleagues, as well as two Korean boys who said they just wanted to help out. 

We are ready to serve!

Soon enough, it was time for action.  One member of the shelter’s staff assigned us roles – for me, it was serving miyeokguk, and for Erin it was serving kimchi – and we suited up in long aprons and waterproof boots.  Why boots?  I will get to explaining that…

As the diners began to stream into the cafeteria, I was amazed to see how talented and efficient the shelter staff were.  They taught us exactly how to serve without wasting food, time, or energy.  At first, I thought serving soup would be an easy task.  But if you stand there and serve over 200 bowls of miyeokguk, it really takes its toll on your back!

Guess what turned out being the most popular item on the menu?  Kimchi, of course!  Erin was very busy.   

Me with miyeokguk and Erin with kimchi

Clean-up afterwards was quite an affair.  The shelter staff told us specifically to wait until a whole table was empty before we started to clean it.  It’s a sign of respect to wait for those whom we have served.  Then we burst into a flurry of activity, washing hundreds of cups, trays, and sets of silverware.  That is why you need the rubber boots – sudsy water starts to stream all over the kitchen floor!

In all seriousness, though, I felt great taking part in this beautiful mission of serving those in need.  Embassy staff volunteer at the shelter once a month, and it made me proud to see my colleagues giving back to the community. 

Group photo with the team… it was a great experience for all of us!

And this is just one of several volunteer activities that the Embassy is involved in.  Some staff volunteer to clean rooms at a local orphanage, while others serve at an animal shelter.  And you may have seen my previous blog post about tutoring young North Korean defectors in English! 

It is hard for me to put into words just how proud I am to see my colleagues truly putting the “service” into the Foreign Service.  I will keep encouraging them to do the good work that they do, and I will also keep trying to join them.