Mailbox of peace

Section 4. Handwr itten Letters 130 131 Mai lbox of Peace Korea Foundation & US Peace Corps KF COVID-19 Survival Box Gratitude Letter Col lection “We are in awe of your kindness, generosity, and support in these strange times” Tim & Kirsten Spencer, K-27 Your box of gifts arrived yesterday, and my husband, Tim, and I were so surprised! We were not expecting it, and the thought of you sending one out to all RPCV/ Korea is overwhelming. Thank you so much! We are in awe of your kindness, generosity, and support in these strange times. Tim and I haven't taken advantage of your Revisit Korea invitation program, but we did go back on our own about 18 years ago. We were both middle school teachers in Soon Chon, Cholla Nam Do from 1973 to 1975. When we visited our town, we were astonished at how much change there had been. It was so developed and impressive in many ways! I was also delighted to meet some of the teachers I knew at Sam San Middle School. My husband wasn't able to find his old teachers at Ee Soo. When my husband and I arrived in 1973, we were pretty ignorant of the history of your country. We didn't know about the devastation resulting from the Korean War or the Japanese occupation. What impressed us was how proud everyone was of their country - something we weren't feeling for our own country at the time. I don't know if I was a good representative of the U.S., or if I was a good teacher. However, I loved my students, and everyone was so kind. I knew that this experience would change my life, and it did. For that, I thank the Korean people and the Peace Corps. Thank you for your generous and kind gift. We love it, and we will be putting it all to good use. Please stay safe! Tim & Kirsten Spencer