Christmas Volunteer Programme turns out to be OK

When I was told a couple of weeks ago that I was to be part of the Christmas Volunteer program, I feared the worst. I had images of my precious holiday being taken up with wearing a yellow ribbon and picking up litter on pavements. But it turns out that it was something completely different. And it was damn fun too.

Last week, myself and a glut of international course students went to a local kindergarten and did some basic English and Korean lessons with the kids. Split into two groups, I was in the English half (obviously), and the afternoon consisted of sitting in a little circle with 6 little ones and generally acting like a clown.

The children seemed far better behaved than the toddlers in England, and there were no tears, no punches and no shouting the name of whatever TV character happens to be the latest thing. There were waves and smiles at the end, and after a brief photo or two, we headed back to school feeling uplifted and content, filled with happiness and the smiles of children.