What’s Up? with Merlene

A group of elementary school teachers from South Korea are studying English at Kentucky State University weekdays, but in the evenings, they’d like to get to know us.
What is the good of learning the American language without learning more about Americans?
“I wish some American families will invite them to lunch or to go to a shopping center, or on a picnic or to birthday parties,” said Kwang H. Suh, coordinator of the Office of Asian Affairs at Kentucky State. “It would be a couple of hours of being with families, learning about American cultures.”
Nineteen graduate students from Youngsan University — a private university in Busan (also known as Pusan), South Kyongsang (also known as South Gyeongsang) South Korea — arrived at Bluegrass Airport on Sunday evening and Monday morning to start a rigorous study of English. They will teach English as a second language in their local schools when they return home.
Suh, who was born in North Korea but grew up in South Korea, said the purpose of their visit is to explore ways to help students learn English faster.
Suh has encouraged several Asian governments to send students to Kentucky State, most of them during the academic year. He is expecting about 30 students from China in August, and he has welcomed students from Taiwan and Japan as well.

Kwang H. Suh - Photo by Matt Goins

The 12 women and seven men from Korea will be immersed in our culture, surrounded by our language every day. They will have an opportunity to see and hear English used in context.
To hone their skills, Suh said, the visitors will be in class all day. “The Korean government is spending lots of money to send them over here to learn the language and the culture,” Suh said. “Their schedule is tight.”
They also will practice language and teaching skills with children in the Summer in the Son program at The Frankfort Christian Academy for two weeks.
With the academic portion of study taken care of, the visitors only need interaction with Kentuckians, and that interaction doesn’t have to be elaborate.
Individuals or a family can invite the visitors to their homes for a couple of hours in the evenings, or they can meet the visitors for lunch on campus. The visitors speak English, but not as well as natives, of course. You can invite one or two or all of them. There will be no overnight stays. Suh hopes Kentuckians will meet with them a couple of times between now and the end of the program on July 24.
“Each would learn more about the other’s culture, which would give the students a better understanding of America to convey to their children and Americans a better understanding of South Korea,” said Suh, who has lived in America for more than 20 years.
On weekends, the South Koreans, who Suh said range in age from 25 to 40, with most in their 30s, will travel around the region. They will go to Louisville, where they will attend a church service, and visit Churchill Downs and the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. They will also go to My Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown and Mammoth Cave National Park. Their final field trip will be to Chicago.
The entire trip, including excursions, costs $2,575, which is paid by the South Korean government.
To make an appointment to interact with one of the Korean students, call (502) 597-6671. Officials will pair you with one or more visitors for lunch or for an evening excursion or conversation.