Enun, annyong haseyo?

I work as a volunteer ESOL tutor for a wonderful Korean woman, named Enun. We’ve been working together since September and I absolutely love it. As Enun can read and write English very well, we spend most of our time in conversation. However, lately we’ve also been working on computer skills.

Finding my blog site was one of her homework assignments this week. On a whim, I decided to write this post to surprise her. Are you surprised, Enun?

In the title of this post, I’ve given Enun the formal Korean greeting, which means “Are you at peace?” She’s been teaching me how to say this greeting, which I think is a beautiful way to greet anyone. It’s much better than when I teach her how we greet each other in the States. For example, in the South we say, “Hey, how ya do’in?

I think I was very lucky when I volunteered for the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. I didn’t know what to expect. Yet, I will never regret it.

What I love about being a volunteer tutor in the ESOL program is that you don’t just teach, but you are also taught. While I help Enun learn about the United States and English, she teaches me about Korea and Korean.

Enun and I share our lives in our conversations. I know about her twin boys and she knows about my two daughters. We laugh and chat like any two women. I have grown to truly value Enun as both a student and a friend!

I may add more to this post at a later date. For now, however, I will simply say to Enun, “Kamsahamnida” and let her know that I AM also practicing my homework.