Photo By Cpl. Ilwoong Kong | Participants pose for a team photo during the opening of the 29th KAFC which was held...... read more read more
The 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command hosted the opening ceremony of the 29th cycle of the Korean-American Friendship Circle to officially kick off the latest iteration of the program. The event took place at the Evergreen Community Club, Camp Walker, Daegu, March 30.
The KAFC program is a 5-month global friendship program, this particular one will go from March to August. A total of eight groups comprised of six students per team. Eight U.S. families and eight ROK families will sponsor the students whom come from 13 different universities to participate in this program.
“The KAFC program is a program with a 15-year old history,” said Mr. Seonghoon Kim, the Korean KAFC President. “I hope the students can recognize the importance of the KAFC program for its role in strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance, as they play a role as diplomats in the program.”
Each team will engage in their own cultural activities which will help them to understand each other’s culture, based on their own preferences.
“I expect for the Korean students to truly get an appreciation and understanding of American culture,” said Col. Eric L. Jackson, Materiel Support Command - Korea commander, and the U.S. KAFC President. “At the same time, I expect for the American families that are participating in the program to get a better understanding of Korean culture and that we can meet in the middle and appreciate the uniqueness of the ROK-U.S. alliance.”
Although there’s no set number of times the sponsors have to meet with the students, it is recommended that they meet up once or twice a month. The activities they engage in are also up to the teams to decide but they should include things that provide the U.S. sponsor families a little more in depth knowledge of the Korean culture and in turn, the U.S. sponsors should find a way to incorporate activities that teach the students more about the American culture.
“I’m hoping to both share my culture with Koreans and to learn a lot more about their culture and build a friendship that transcends cultures through mutual understanding with each other,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Hendrick, community relations office Noncommissioned Officer in Charge and team 7’s U.S. Sponsor. “My job is in civil affairs, having been trained to speak Korean by the Army, I thought this would be an amazing experience to use that first hand get to talk to people in a foreign language. Learning a foreign language helps you understand the culture a little bit better.”
Before the opening remarks, participants met their team members for the very first time. During the social and dinner time, they got to know one another within each team.
Brig. Gen. Michel M. Russell Sr., commanding general of the 19th ESC, kicked off the event with his opening remarks. He welcomed the participants and talked about the importance of this program and stressed how much this type of program assists in the strengthening of the ROK-U.S. alliance.
The KAFC program provides the students and sponsors the opportunity to experience different cultures by doing the team activities and by building friendships with their teams which will help them to hopefully learn a little of each other’s language.
“I hope the Korean students, Korean and American sponsors can enjoy the opportunity to exchange cultures between the two countries while also building lasting friendships, and ultimately go together,” said Mr. Chankyu Woo, team 5’s Korean Sponsor. “My wife lived in the U.S. in the past, and I wanted to expose my kids to American culture and also give them the opportunity to interact with American people.”
“I hope to exchange cultures with my team members and make American friends,” said Ms. Eunseon Park, a Yeongnam University Senior and team 8 member. “I also want to participate in various activities which can make us interact and understand each other’s cultures. I think it will be a good experience.”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2018 04:46 |
| Story ID: | 271441 |
| Location: | DAEGU, 27, KR |
| Hometown: | DAEGU, 27, KR |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Korean-American Friendship Circle Successfully Kicks Off its 29th Cycle!, by CPL Ilwoong Kong, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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