Korean Barbecue Celebration at Korean English as a Second Language (ESL) Camp

Education

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To celebrate Bluewater District School Board’s first international ESL Camp, an authentic Korean

barbecue is being held on Thursday, July 29th at the Institute for Outdoor Education and Environmental

Studies (IOESS).

Some of those attending the Barbecue will be the 14 Korean summer ESL students, 4 ESL teachers from

Korea, the Bluewater student partners and their parents, Bluewater ESL teachers, trustees, and former

director of education and key organizer of the exchange, Mary Anne Alton.

The three weeks of the ESL camp will be jam-packed with activities for the Korean students including

beach trips, horseback riding, canoeing, star gazing, wilderness survival, spelunking, boat cruises as well

as visits to museums, art galleries and farmers’ markets. All this is combined with hands-on ESL

instruction throughout the visit.

To add to the Korean students’ Canadian cultural experience, each is paired with a Bluewater student and their family on the weekends where they will see what everyday Canadian life is all about.

The Bluewater student partners are also participating in some of the activities which include two overnight stays at the Outdoor Education Centre. Through their interactions with the summer exchange students, they will be able to experience and appreciate a bit of Korean culture.

“As a result of the contacts made when we visited Korea in February, ESL camps in Bluewater have the opportunity to develop into long term partnerships which will benefit Bluewater students as well as the

Korean guests” said Mary Anne Alton. “It is a wonderful opportunity to show all the students a new culture; to teach them to celebrate the differences and to recognize the similarities of that culture and its people.”

Board Chair, Jennifer Yenssen said, “We hope this is the first of many similar exchanges as well as the beginning of a partnership with the Korean educational community for professional development and ESL opportunities.”

Korean barbecue, or gogi gui, is immensely popular not only in Korea but around the world. Also being served at the celebration will be kimchi, a traditional Korean dish that is so ubiquitous it followed the first Korean astronaut into space.

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Monday, July 26, 2010