KOICA Flick

It is a little-known fact that South Korea is the first former recipient of foreign humanitarian aid to turn around and become a provider of aid to other countries. The country's version of Peace Corps is called KOICA and it happens to have a strong presence here in El Seibo with four volunteers serving in different government offices around town. One of them even lives in my host house. Her Spanish leaves much to be desired, though, which means I have had little opportunity to learn much about her work. So I was excited to learn a few days ago that she and her friends would be showing a movie at Centro Progressando, a kind of trade school funded by the First Lady's Office.

When I arrived at the movie, the KOICA volunteers were there along with one Dominican. They put on an informational video that featured Koreans all over the world accomplishing feats in a remarkable array of fields. A Korean doctor gave a latina woman an ultrasound. A Korean manufacturing engineer held some kind of technical workshop in and Indian factory. Koreans taught computer classes to adolescents in Afghanistan. Of note was the frequency with which host country nationals appeared in leadership roles implying an emphasis on skills transfer and self-sustainment. As we watched, about 25 Dominicans trickled in. Next came a very long, violent Korean action film. About twenty minutes in, all the Dominicans had to go to a class leaving behind me and several Peace Corps volunteers along with the KOICA volunteers.

As I watched, I pondered the foreignness of the Far East. There are whole cultures with customs and belief systems, rock stars and politicians, slang and fashion that I've never even begun to explore. We westerners aren't the only ones capable of blockbuster motion pictures and lives devoted to development work. There's a whole developed world out there, too.

Youths edit audio during a workshop led by me, Damian, and Claire