Eunseok Elementary Reunion

[성김 대사]

I attended Eunseok Elementary School over forty years ago.  Even though a lot of time has passed since then, my memories of my teachers, my classrooms, and of course my fellow students are still very clear – it certainly doesn’t seem as if four decades have gone by!

Like most kids, I formed strong bonds and deep friendships with my schoolmates.  Even when I left Korea when I was in third grade, I never forgot them.  I even managed to stay in touch with some of them throughout the years.  And we got together in Seoul when I served here earlier in my career.

So, when I returned to Korea as U.S. Ambassador, one of the first things I wanted to do was see them again.  But I wanted to make it special, so I invited my former classmates to dinner at my residence.  To my delight, they agreed to come.

With my elementary school friends

One of the most entertaining aspects of any reunion is seeing what all of your childhood friends are up to.  There were no diplomats in the group but my friends are doing well in many different fields – business, medicine, publishing, music, and more.  

In Korea, elementary school students form lasting friendships with each other.  That’s also true in the U.S., but, I think to a lesser extent; it’s more common, for instance, for Americans’ closest friends to be their high school and college classmates.  I am extremely lucky to have been a part of both cultures and to have deep friendships with people from every part of my life.

Thank you for the plaque!

My classmates presented me with a congratulatory plaque and brought along some great old photographs of us as children.  I can’t wait to show these old pictures to my daughters.  I’m not sure they really believe their father was a kid once, too. 

It’s a bit embarrassing but my staff persuaded me to post one of those old photos:   

My kindergarten graduation photo taken back in 1967

[Joseph]

Ambassdor Kim,
You were so cute when you were in the kindergarten. I am glad you had a fun time with your old friends. I hope you enjoy your work in Korea continuously. God bless.