In May, at the 2023 Middle East & Africa King Sejong Institute Workshop in Sharjah, UAE, the Sejong TalkPawon 25 Contest under the theme of “KSI Communicates with the World” was held. We interviewed Instructor Song Ji-sun of KSI, Nairobi, Kenya, who was awarded the Grand Prize at the contest.

Hello, Ms. Song Ji-sun. Can you please tell us about yourself and how you feel about receiving the Grand Prize in the Sejong TalkPawon 25 Contest?

Hello, I am Song Ji-sun, working as a Korean language instructor at Korean and foreign universities since 2021. I was selected as a KSI Dispatched Teacher in the first half of 2023 and am currently teaching Korean language and culture at KSI, Nairobi, Kenya.

It hasn’t been long since I started working at KSI Nairobi, but I felt that it took a lot of work and dedication from many people to operate this place. If I have a chance, I would like to tell more people about the growth and history of this place. In particular, as there are many newly opened KSI locations in Africa, I thought people would like to know more about neighboring KSI. That is why I submitted a video introducing the KSI Nairobi to the Middle East & Africa Workshop Contest and thankfully received a Grand Prize.

Could you describe the KSI in Nairobi, Kenya, the place you're working for? Please tell us the main age group of the learners, their characteristics, the reasons and goals for learning, as well as something about which you’re proud of KSI Nairobi.

Kenya has over 40 languages. Most Kenyan students speak Swahili (the local language), English (the official language), and their ethnic language (the language they use at home). Perhaps that’s why there are so many students who have the outstanding ability to acquire foreign languages.

Students take one class per week, but most of them have a good understanding of grammar and are good in class. Above all, the students at KSI Nairobi have a really good attitude in class. It's a four-hour class, but the students are really focused until the end. Many students actively ask questions during class, and when they do not understand something, they try to figure it out by discussing and helping each other. Their attendance and participation rates in assignments and quizzes are also very good. There is a student who comes a long way to class by transferring matatu (a means of transportation in Kenya) twice, taking two hours, just to learn Korean from a Korean teacher. When I see these students who love Korea and the Korean language so much, I feel very proud, and I want to teach them the best I can.

KSI Nairobi is inside Kenyatta University, a prestigious public university in Kenya. Students and graduates from this university also go to KSI here. There are also many students who not only learn Korean for fun but also high-level Korean, dreaming of studying abroad in Korea or finding employment in Korean companies. In fact, there are many students who completed the intermediate classes at KSI Nairobi who have been hired as interpreters or local employees at Korean companies in Kenya. Some receive scholarships to study abroad at prestigious universities in Korea.
Because there are so many students with clear motivations and goals, they have a good influence on each other, supporting each other’s dreams in their studies.

How long have you been teaching Korean at KSI Nairobi, Kenya? What motivated you to teach Korean here, and how is this experience affecting you?

I started thinking about teaching Korean in Nairobi, Kenya, when I traveled there 13 years ago. When I was 17, I stayed in Kenya for about 2 weeks, visiting my uncle and cousins. During my travels at the time, I was very attracted to the beautiful nature and pleasant people of Kenya.

Kenya was the country that gave me my first experience of the unknown continent of Africa, and Nairobi, the capital, was a rapidly developing city, and I found many interesting things. I fell in love with Kenya, and when I returned to Korea, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and asked my parents to send me back to Kenya.

When I got older and went to graduate school to become a Korean language instructor, I hoped for an opportunity to work at a university in Kenya. However, when I was in graduate school, I felt unsure of the profession of instructor and wandered and thought about other career paths. I felt determined again when I started teaching foreign students and focused on building a career as a Korean instructor, with my mind fixed on Kenya. Then one day, I watched the World Korean Educators Conference 2022 on YouTube, came across the case of KSI Nairobi, got interested in being a KSI instructor, and applied for it immediately.

It’s been 5 months since I started working at KSI Nairobi, and I am teaching my students with great pleasure. The students have love and respect for Korean people, the language, and the culture, and I even feel grateful that I am Korean. I am also learning Swahili out of love and respect for this country and its people. I also discuss Kenyan culture with students during my Korean culture classes.

Most of the students at KSI Nairobi learned about Korean culture through the media. Because they haven't had direct experiences with Korean culture, they depend a lot on and look forward to the events and classes at KSI. That is why I take great care in my class preparation. I take time to research more materials because I want to teach them right. In this process, there are times that I feel proud of or touched by Korean culture and history. Because I learn so many new things about Korea, it feels like time for me to learn. At first, I felt burdened to prepare for culture classes, but now I feel excited to learn about each other’s cultures with the students.

Was there anything special or interesting while preparing for this contest? Tell us if there were any stories behind making the video for this contest.

Victoria, an assistant and a student at KSI Nairobi, worked very hard. Victoria is very good with computer programs, and she took charge of the video editing. During the planning, I had discussions with Victoria on how to make the video, and I gave her a lot of ideas, wanting to make the beginning interesting. Victoria accepted all my ideas, and she learned the editing skills by teaching herself Premiere Pro, a program she had never used before, with YouTube. As a result, the video was completed better than we expected, and we received the Grand Prize.

Lastly, what is the goal you would like to achieve at KSI Nairobi? In addition, do you have any personal goals as a Korean language instructor?

There are quite a few students at KSI who want to be Korean interpreters, translators, and teachers. In order to achieve these dreams, they need intermediate- to advanced-level Korean language skills, and it is important that they get help from native Korean speakers. Therefore, I would like to set up and operate a class dedicated to training interpreters, translators, and teachers. To do this, I am also studying Swahili (the local language) and English (the official language), and I plan to apply for the interpretation/translation course project at KSIF.

My goals as a Korean language instructor are to nurture future talents by teaching students at universities and to connect other countries to Korea. I believe educating one person properly is a very important job, as that one person can eventually influence the region and the national community.

What we teach in education is also important. The Korean language and culture can give good lessons to anyone and provide new opportunities. In order to further develop my expertise as a Korean instructor, I would like to continue my studies in the doctoral program as a Korean studies major. I am interested not only in Kenya but also in the African continent as a whole, so I want to do my part to help Korea and African countries be good neighbors.

Africa possesses many new possibilities and can provide opportunities for Koreans as well. There are so many talented young people here, and I want to help them grow with my experiences and learnings from Korea. My personal wish is that more Korean young people will come to Africa in the future and grow together with people here, taking on new challenges.