Internationalmatt's Blog

Globalization- Gil from Korea, researcher, and good friend

Gil is one of my friends from Korea. I met him in church one Sunday and invited him to come to my class. He is fluent in English, so he did not need much help with English. I did however realize after I met him that he is a kind person and I knew he would be a welcome addition to my Sunday morning class. He was indeed a welcome addition.

You would never know when you first meet him that he is highly educated and does scientific research. That is because he is modest and humble. He does not brag about his abilities and may feel somewhat embarrassed that I write about how great of a guy he is. He was always happy to help whether it was by driving international students to class, bring a cake for a birthday celebration, or be a friend to someone in class. These kind of little things speak well of his character. He even helped me to change a flat tire once.

It was no surprise to me that when we had a going away party for him to say goodbye, that most of my Sunday morning class came. He is another example of why it is beneficial for us to slow down and get to know people from other cultures. We never know what we will find out or the great friendships we can have until we take the time to find out.

He is also an excellent example of how much we in the U.S. benefit from having internationals living here. He did research on clotting factors for people with hemophilia, but you would never know it if you did not take the time to get to know him because he does not feel he needs to brag. When we meet someone we need to put our preconceptions aside and be open to learning from others and about others. We need to look past the physical differences of skin color or ethnicity, so we can discover the hidden treasures around us like Gil.

October 16, 2009 - Posted by internationalmatt | Cross Cultural, Cultural Ambassdors, Discrimination, Experiences of international friends, Globalization, Internationals, Korean friends, Mutlicultural