Korea Bound: Bridging Hearts Beyond Borders

Rui Paulino Kim Start Date: Apr 1, 2024 - End Date: Aug 28, 2024
  • South Korea

My Travel Story

by: Rui Paulino Kim Start Date: Apr 1, 2024 - End Date: Aug 28, 2024
My destiny lies in the distant lands of South Korea. My name is Rui Paulino Kim, a 15-year-old with a blend of cultures coursing through my veins. My mom is korean but I am dominican-korean.
Growing up, I've always felt this pull towards Korea, towards my roots. But being so far away makes it hard. My whole family lives in Korea and my everyday dream is to be with them just one more time. Specially with my grandma and cousin.
Since I was a child, I've constantly prayed, wished, and pleaded for the chance to hug my family and explore my homeland. My grandmother, "halmonni," never fails to remind me during our calls how much she misses me and loves me. And it's not just me who feels this way; seeing how much my mom misses Korea after not going back for 12 years breaks my heart.

I've been trying my best to learn Korean to feel more connected, but it hasn't been easy. I love to help and with my skills I've volunteer in communities with food and health services as well as translating korean, spanish and english. Then I found out about this amazing camp for overseas Korean kids. It sounded perfect - a chance to learn the language, explore the culture, and finally meet my family. With the opportunity to go to Korea I will also improve my skills and learnings.

But here's the thing - the camp's closing down, and I don't have the money to go on my own. This summer might be my only chance to see my family and improve my Korean. It's tough, especially as I'm getting older and expenses keep going up.

Right now, I'm feeling a bit hopeless into everything, learning, visiting and all, to be honest. But I'm reaching out because I believe in the power of community, in the kindness of strangers. If there's any way you can help me make this dream a reality, I would be forever grateful. I want to let you know that I am not just asking, I have been working on my own making korean food to share with the community and at least get some money too :)

Let's face it, the most I can raise is only enough for me to go alone. But the best part would be to go to Korea with my mom. I see how much she's struggling with being far from home, how it's affecting her happiness and motivation. I know that being surrounded by love from her family would make all the difference for her.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for any support you can offer. Let's make this journey happen together.
  • South Korea