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Sacred Journey

By Hester Kim

I feel very fortunate and fulfilled after attending the camp, which I barely made it through myself.

From the first day, I couldn't help saying that I was sorry for my poor English to our room kids and they said, "We came here knowing that this conference consisted of Korean friends so it's better to have a Korean counselor. Please teach us Korean!"

With these five friendly American girls and two adorable Korean girls, our room Gwang Gwa Ree spent a wonderful week together.

I am amazed that all the events really happened within a week.

I know it would not have been possible without the staff’s amazing organization and passionate effort.

They utilized the whole Silver Lake; even the stars, the moon, the clouds, the sky, the fireflies, the deer, the rabbits, the ducks and so on.

• The calm and solemn worship which was led by the conferees in the woods,
• the high ropes which helped us overcome our fear for our own lives as well as heights,
• the low ropes which made us trust one another with a smile,
• the night hike which couldn't have finished safely without holding hands,
• the campfires that were held in several different places for each conference,
• the diverse interest groups — arts and crafts, field games, nature, and ceramics — all let them learn and enjoy new things,
• the swimming in Silver Lake where we could see lots of fish and beautiful rain drop on the surface of the lake,
• the beach party with the slip and slide, the limbo contest, the barbecue party, and some games with counselors,
• the making of three music videos and watching them with laughter and cheers,
• the viewing of slides taken by the photographer,
• the dancing to the music played by the staff,
• the exciting performance of Sa Mool No Ree played by the Korean kids.

I envied the American kids for their voluntary and active participation, unaffected self-expression, leadership, and confidence,

I was impressed with their physical strength during the swimming test.

I was surprised at their creative thoughts and listening to others' opinions.

I did not see them blaming others for something bad or getting upset over something trivial.

I admired their responsibility in every activity and their time management.

I saw more American kids trying to learn about Korea than Korean kids trying to learn about America.

I saw more American kids sitting among the Korean kids than Korean kids among the American kids.

They were cute when they tried to speak Korean.

They were marvelous when they read books and wrote letters to their families in their free time.

I'll keep in mind the touching words of the songs and the fulfillment that I can't express fully now and here... Thanks a lot for... everything!

Hester Kim, a professor of American Literature in Korea, is spending her sabbatical at the University of Connecticut. She served as a counselor during the Sacred Journey conference at Silver Lake in August.

Participants in the Sacred Journey conference