GC youth to travel to Korea in exchange

Eight-person delegation seeks to further relations with Gunpo City

For almost two weeks this month, the streets of Gunpo City, Korea, will have a distinct Columbia Basin imprint.

Eight people, six students and two chaperones, will travel east to participate in a youth exchange program with the Korean metropolis, a sister city of Grant County.

"I like the idea of a new cultural experience," said Claire Goodrich, one of the students traveling, who added she liked having the chance to make friends on the other side of the world.

The trip, a multi-faceted journey through the culture and recreation of Gunpo City and Korea, starts on July 19 and ends on July 30. Activities range from meeting the city's mayor to visiting museums, governmental agencies, schools, the nation's capital of Seoul, and the de-militarized zone between North and South Korea.

Moses Lake city councilman Lee Blackwell said that the exchange is not expected to be a one-time deal by the authorities of Gunpo City, but instead as a long-term project between Gunpo, Moses Lake and Grant County.

The exchange is a two-way street as 15 students from Gunpo are expected to come to Moses Lake. The reason for the difference in delegations, Blackwell said, is based on the difference in population. While about 30,000 people live in Moses Lake and immediate surrounding areas, Gunpo City is a metropolis of 300,000 people. "They have more to choose from," he said.

Blackwell, who said he had been appointed chair of the Youth Exchange program by Yun Ju Kim, mayor of Gunpo, abated the worries of the American students traveling, saying that those who made the trip would not be going to a "village in the boondocks.

"They are well ahead of us," he said of the Korean city's quality of life. "They have everything but land."

South Korea is a nation whose area is, in comparison, slightly larger than the state of Indiana, but it is home to nearly 50 million people.

Cultural differences being what they are, Blackwell reminded the students traveling not to worry so much about them, but instead focus on being true ambassadors of Grant County. "Shaking hands and making friends is what is important," he said.

One of those future ambassadors is Ty Good, who was born in South Korea but left the homeland before he was a year old. This is his second trip back, and he said that this time he hopes to learn and see more of the culture.

"Last time, I did not know what to expect, although it was really neat," he said.

Brianne Roylance will be traveling, as well, and she said the reason for her trip is because she would like to be part of something new, meeting people from other areas of the world.

"(I would like to) experience different types of living and eat different kinds of food," she said, admitting to being a bit jittery about the whole adventure, especially the part about staying with an unknown family. Still, she manages to stay optimistic.

"I am sure it will be fine," she said.

This trip. will be a new experience not just for the students but for their two chaperones, as well: Erik Olson and Sarita Riley.

Riley highlighted the educational value of the group's journey, saying that it was exciting that youth from Grant County had a chance to learn about other cultures. She added that there is plenty of community ties to develop between Grant County and Gunpo City, and that this trip could be "a fantastic opportunity" to involve youth in connecting both cultures.

The role of the chaperone is a varied one, Riley explained, saying that she and Olson would be there to get the students to help them feel comfortable, as well as aid them in their efforts to further relations with their Korean counterparts.

Olson agreed, saying that though as chaperones they will be responsible for the students, well-being, they will also have to make sure that the students are having fun and working towards a closer connection between the two nations.

"Just like the students, we are a liaison between the county and Gunpo," he said.