This article appeared in KoreaTimes on May 15, 2006. It's about my class!
| School’s Out for Envoys | |||
 | By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter A new batch of diplomats, embassy staff and their family members have graduated from their beginner’s Korean class at the Kyung Hee University Institute of International Education (IIE). Fifteen students from the embassies of Myanmar, India, Mexico, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Russia and the Czech Republic received their certificates of completion from IIE director Kim Jung-sup during a ceremony last Wednesday. In his speech, Kim congratulated the graduates, saying he was proud of their dedication in finishing the course despite their busy work schedules. The graduates, who spent almost eight months attending the classes, were all very happy and satisfied with the Korean-language course offered by the IIE. Lwin Mar Maung, an attache at the Myanmar Embassy, said she decided to learn Korean after she experienced some difficulties because of the language barrier. ``When I arrived here, I felt so illiterate because of the language barrier. When I would go out, I felt illiterate and mute because no one would understand me,’’ she told The Korea Times. ``The beginner’s class was good because we could already understand the language, communicate and read.’’ Adrian Garcia, who is in charge of economic affairs and cooperation at the Mexican Embassy, said the best part about the class was meeting new friends and learning useful Korean sentences. ``It’s a very relaxed course, especially for diplomats since we are busy and we have a lot of functions. I think it is a very good experience… We get to learn useful phrases for every day situations. It makes life in Korea more enjoyable,’’ he said. Svetla Spasova, wife of the Bulgarian Embassy’s deputy chief of mission, found the class interesting and the IIE instructors very friendly. ``At the beginning it was very difficult. I was confused all the time about the pronunciation. I still get confused sometimes, but now I get an idea of what I’m reading or listening to,’’ she said. Kim said the program is not just an ordinary Korean language class, but also a venue for diplomats, embassy staff and family members to mingle and establish friendships. ``It has become a place where they study Korean, but also share their own cultures,’’ he said. The IIE wants to encourage more diplomats and their family members to attend the free Korean-language classes. The IIE’s twice a week, two-hour classes are designed to meet the needs of foreign diplomats, whose busy schedules do not allow intensive Korean language classes. ``In the future, I would like to provide opportunities for participants to experience Korean traditional culture. We also plan to provide programs where we can have the graduates of the program take on a major disciplines, and take further studies at Kyung Hee,’’ Kim said. Currently, there are around 60 diplomats from 27 countries who are enrolled in the program. Over 1,000 have graduated from the program, which was established in November 2000. All of the new graduates are excited about starting the second level of the Korean language course, which will begin on May 22. ``I would definitely attend the next course and try to finish the advanced level,’’ Thomte Thangchin Khup, an accountant from the Indian Embassy, said. | ||
