Every year since entering university, Lee has visited a foreign country during her vacation period to meet her foreign friends. They are not old friends, but have all recently met during their mutual participation in various volunteer programs. As there are no boundaries to volunteer work, the nationality of her friends are diverse; they come from places like
According to Lee, her broad friendships sprouted after she participated in the 40th International Youth Camp (IYC) hosted by UNESCO in summer 2005. 120 youth from thirty different countries gathered and shared their thoughts on cultural diversity and discussed subtopics such as human rights, culture, environment, social welfare and science technology. Lee notes that as the volunteers’ nationality is diverse, she can make friends from a small island country like
Lee met most of her foreign friends during the IYC, but she has also made friends while participating in other volunteer programs. In winter 2005, she went to
Lee says that e-mail and MSN chatting are the main means of maintaining relationships with her foreign friends. “I send cards and gifts to my friends on special anniversaries like Christmas, New Year or birthdays.” Whenever she or her friends plan to visit a place near their home country, they make travel plans together or share tips on traveling. Thanks to her world-wide network, Lee already has plans for next year; a French friend she met at Milan NGO suggested working together for Greenpeace
For Lee, foreign friends are special not because they are foreigners but they are simply friends. She adds, “The benefit of having a foreign friend is that I could accept other cultures without a biased view and show a little more interest to my friend’s country.”
Lee’s Schedule During Vacations
February 2004
-Volunteered at an environmental and educational work-camp in
Summer 2005
-Participated in the 40th International Youth Camp by UNESCO held in
Fall 2005
-Joined Korea-Chile Intergovernmental Youth Exchange program held in
Winter 2005
-Japanese, American and Saudi Arabian friends from IYC visited
From June to early July 2006
-Took summer classes at Ewha
From July to early August 2006
-Worked at an environmental NGO in
August 2006
-Traveled
-Visited
-Visited
From December to early January 2007
-Took winter classes at Ewha
Mid-January 2007
-Traveled
Late January 2007
-Volunteered in a work-camp in
February 2007
-Came back to
-Transferred to
Late February 2007
-Kyoko and another Japanese friend from IYC visited