For the last few days we have hosted a Korean family as they prepare to leave their 13-year-old son with us as an exchange student. To Hyun is the father and is the same age as I am, their son’s name is Jeaung Hun and he will be in Matt’s class in school. They are really very nice folks and very friendly. They speak almost no english but we got along fine. They are leaving tomorrow for Korea but already have plans to come back (To Hyun wants to golf and ski here). I could easily see us becoming friends with them and their son is a pleasure and will fit right in with us.

We made the connection with them through Korean friends of ours we met in Toronto who are now back in Korea (in the southern town of Busan). They live in the same apartment building. In Korean culture families who can afford to can do nothing more loving then to send their children to Canada or the United States to live and learn the language and culture so that they can succeed at a higher level in their profession back in Korea. In the past I have had a difficult time fully understanding how a parent could send their child away for years at a time. It seemed somewhat cold. However in the past few days I have witnessed a deep love between Jeaung Hun and his parents. His mother has shed many tears as the day of their departure gets closer and his father has barely been able to restrain himself.

To Hyun explained to us that Korean history has been filled with oppression, occupation and poverty. For decades prior to and until the end of WW2 Japan occupied Korea. After WW2 their was civil war between the north and the south with the eventual split into to nations – the northern communist country and the southern democratic. The south has since thrived but they have never forgotten the difficult times and work incredibly hard to provide for their children. To Hyun said a family will spend everything they have to ensure a good future for their children.

I now understand that the sending of their children overseas is not cold and emotionless as I once thought, rather it is an intensely sacrificial act borne out of a deep, deep love for them and a desire to give them everything they can to succeed in the world. I am in awe of my Korean friends and the love they have for family. They have taught me much.