The Children’s Home Barbecue

By Julian Warmington

All photos by Sim Eunjung, and included courtesy of the children depicted.

As the shadows slowly slip into the late afternoon, children and the child-like run around squealing, screeching and smiling with pleasure as they clasp soft-drink bottles half-filled with water. A range of ages and nationalities sit around eating and chatting, connecting and relaxing, enjoying a sharing of the sunny end to the weekend.

When the sun does finally fade beyond the city skyline tables are rearranged into an informal outdoor theatre, a projector is switched on, and recently made home movies play against a flat white wall. The first shows the travels and adventures of an older graduate from the children’s home, a twenty-something lad who made it to the U.S.A. to study and explore.

Next they show the children’s own retelling of the popular animated movie Shrek, ingeniously acted in the first scene by some children and with a second scene of drawings, with voice acting of the characters. The third scene has the moral of the story drawn out with subtitles in English and Korean.

I catch up with the ebullient young director of the Mudeung Dream Garden Children’s Home of Hak-dong in southeast Gwangju, Chung “Kang” Eun-kang, and find he radiates a positive energy so strong it was probably what chased away the rain clouds earlier in the day. As the bigger children cooperate quickly to clean up the tents and tables again, he takes a minute to step aside and speak in his impeccably enthusiastic English: “At 4 p.m. it was raining, but then it stopped and [since then] the whole time has just been so great.”

When asked about the history of the involvement of expats in the home, Kang speaks of his friends from Joongang Church, Jon and Emily Reesor. He says they are like ‘secret Santas:’ “They have been sponsors, and have offered help whenever we needed help.” He says they also told Amanda [Baker] about his role in running the home. “She contacted me, came to the center and started it all, about a year and a half ago.” He continues about his appreciation for Ms. Baker, describing her as being “a loyal volunteer, and now a family member,” and admitting that she has made “the big differences to the kids.”

Now, however, it is the end of a semester, and by some cruel twist of fate, time seems to be leading the Reesors, Amanda, and other committed volunteers away to their homelands all at the same time.

Despite this, Kang remains resolutely positive, and adds: “Whereas before them, it was just constant headaches whenever [the children] heard the word ‘English’ but now, they have a solid reason to study; so it’s not goodbye. Now, they have friends and teachers abroad whom they can visit in the very near future.” Kang continues, sounding excited as he adds, “It’d be neat for the little kids that Amanda taught to go visit her in Canada one day, when they’re in college, or even earlier if possible!”

The evening finishes when a large group of the children sing a song together to bid farewell to the audience, including in particular the guests of honor: the expat volunteers who have helped out regularly for the last several months.

Being overwhelming impressed by the smooth flow of events throughout the evening, I asked if the event went as well as he had planned. Kang admits only to wanting to offer more: “We wanted to say thank you and sing more farewell songs to all the wonderful volunteers who are leaving to go home overseas this week.”

To volunteer at MDream Garden Children’s Home, email Chung “Kang” Eun-kang, at silverkang@hotmail.com.
Please include in the subject field: “MD Volunteer.” (This helps in spotting junk mail.)

Phone: 010-4744-3762
Contact available via Facebook
www.mdream.org