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Kim Bladik, better known as Dae-su to his classmates, plays a record at Incheon Yonghyeon Elementary School, west of Seoul. Kim came to Korea from Uzbekistan with his parents when he was 7. |
Kim Bladik bridges Korean, Uzbek cultures
By Chung Ah-young
The colorful cards handwritten in Russian and the national flag of Uzbekistan on a class board are the first images that meet the eye when entering the 6-2 classroom at Incheon Yonghyeon Elementary School, west of Seoul.
Twenty-four sixth-graders regularly learn Russian from their classmates from Uzbekistan where Russian is crucial for interethnic communications in the big cities. The class makes it a rule to greet their teacher in Russian instead of Korean.
All this happens due to the efforts of Kim Bladik who came to Korea from Uzbekistan with his parents when he was 7. Now the 13-year-old is better known by his Korean name Dae-su. His parents are ethnic Koreans living in Central Asia.
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Students of the 6-2 classroom pose for a photo at Incheon Yonghyeon Elementary School. The class has four students from Uzbekistan and runs multicultural educational programs. |
"When I first entered school, the classmates ridiculed my name because it was different from others. I felt hurt because I was discriminated against. I wondered why I should be different," Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times.
He is now fluent in both Russian and Korean. "I couldn't speak Korean back then. So I was ostracized," he said. Not only having a Korean name but also learning the language as soon as possible was one of the ways to overcome such cold treatment from his peers.
His efforts worked well because now he is arguably the most popular student in his school. His role is getting bigger as he was elected as the vice president of the class and voluntarily helps other friends from Uzbekistan.
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Kim Bladik (Dae-su) laces up before playing football. |
Since his successful settlement became a model for others with different ethnic backgrounds, the school sent more students from Uzbekistan to the same class. Lee Timaffy, Lee Tina and Lee Yuri are the newcomers who can't speak Korean and are not familiar with Korean culture yet.
Kim voluntarily assists them and even their families by interpreting for them at hospitals, school or public institutions.
"I know their difficulties very well because I experienced the same thing when I first came here. So I want to help them as much as I can. Interpretation is one of the ways to help them adjust to Korea," Kim said.
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From left, Lee Timaffy, Lee Tina, Kim Bladik and Lee Yuri, who migrated to Korea from Uzbekistan, go for a run with |
A couple of months after Tina came to the class this summer, she was disqualified in a running race at a school athletic event because she didn't know the rules due to lack of the understanding of Korean, although she deserved to win. She is experiencing the most difficult time because, unlike three others, her first language is Uzbek not Russian. She has an Uzbek mother and Korea father. But now her Korean is improving little by little due to the help she receives from her classmates. Tina and others are paired with volunteers who help their study and school life.
The language barrier is not so much a hurdle anymore as the school offers various activities such as arts and sports, which don't require Korean language ability. They can show off their talents in arts, quilting and athletics through these.
Mok Hye-seon, the homeroom teacher, said that they are talented in various fields. "Kim is logical so he is good at writing ― of course in Korean. Also, the three others have extraordinary athletic abilities and talent in art. Even though they can't speak Korean well, they enjoy their school life," she said.
"If they don't understand the classes, Dae-su explains it in Russian. He is a cultural mediator connecting his native country with Korea. So the new students hang out with all of the classmates. It's all thanks to Dae-su," she said.
Mok encouraged Kim and the two others ― except Tina ― to teach Russian to their classmates twice a week. "I thought it was a good idea to learn each other's culture and language. Multicultural education is the motto of our class. Students should know how to live together," she said. Since teaching their classmates Russian, they take pride in their native backgrounds and the students can better understand other cultures.
Park Young-eun, one of Kim's best friends, said that the four friends are now the pride of the class, which is distinguished from other classes in the school. "Students from other classes envy us because we can learn Russian and their culture. They want to befriend these four," she said.
Lee Na-ra, who has been with Kim in the same class for the second time, said that they share their Uzbek culture with classmates. "Sometimes they bring their traditional food and share it with others. It's really fun and a privilege for our class," she said.
Sung Ye-na said that she has seen him in the same class for the third time and finds him maturing over the years. "When I first saw him, he was experiencing a hard time because he couldn't speak Korean well. But now he has grown into a friendly and hilarious school star who is good at playing football and doing shuffle dances. He is famous not only in our school but also in other neighboring schools," she said.
Kim said that he overcame the difficulty by opening his mind to others and coming closer to them first. "For me, friends are the most important factor in successfully adjusting to Korea. When I was alone, I first made just one friend by opening my mind and then making the second friend is much easier. Now I am on good terms with almost all the classmates," he said.
He is pursuing his dream of becoming a football player. Kim has joined the regional football club named Hanguk Junior and the school team. "I really love playing football. I want to be like Park Ji-sung. After seeing Park playing, I harbored the dream of playing football," he said.
