My name’s Stephen (or Steve) Erich, and I’m a Heartland Nomad.
Before I say anything more, I want to give a shout out to Texas! For my first real time in this state, I couldn’t be more blown away by the awesome people in each of the cities we’ve covered so far. El Paso, Lubbock, San Angelo, and San Antonio have all been quality places to spend a couple days. This makes me anticipate all the incredible places still to come this Fall!
Outside of tour, I’m in my third year at Andrews University in Southwest Michigan. I call Northern California home, and business is my field of study. I plan on finishing my education equipped with the skills to survive abroad, and I hope to be involved in something incredible and far away soon after graduation!
It’s hard for me to believe the summer’s gone and a week of tour is already done. I started with LiNK as a movement intern this summer, and after a couple months I knew I had to take this next semester away from AU and spend it on the road as a Nomad. I’m a strong believer in learning from experience, and Liberty in North Korea is definitely an organization that makes that a certainty. By this December, we’ll have put thousands more miles on Chrissy, our orange Nomad van, and will have met people from all kinds of places with loads of experiences to share. Please always feel welcome to call, FB, or email me—whether we make it to your venue or not—and share one or two of your stories! I’m down if you are.
I remember reading The Old Man and the Sea in my first year or two of high school, and while the details are fuzzy, I remember it was a pretty crazy adventure for an old man with a row boat, and I am inspired by the man’s fortitude. I took this epic :P picture in the cafe after noticing, as I turned my webcam on, that I was sitting right in front of this poster! I think that if we as a team and you as our hosts and fellow refugee supporters are as persistent this Fall as he was so many years ago, there will be many refugees brought to freedom in the coming months. And that is why we are here!
Yo!! So my name is Adrian Pacheco and I am also one of the new Heartland Nomads! I am from Dallas, Texas and do NOT have a country accent! Haha XD I got involved with LiNK through my older brother who introduced me to them. When I went on the website I was just really surprised how much I didn’t know so I felt I needed to do something. So I am actually the youngest of all the LiNK Nomads. I just graduated High School this past June and got accepted and became a Nomad end of July =) I am very excited to be able to meet all of you and create new friendships along the way. It has been a week so far since we launched our tour and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Especially since we are traveling through my home state right now! See y’all soon!!! =)
HI EVERYONE!!!!!
I am Kyla and proud to be a HEARTLAND Nomad!!!
Actually I have become more and more Texan as I have been out here for a week. I have to admit that when I first heard that I would be on the Heartland team I was a bit disappointed. I couldn’t think of any places I would truly want to visit here in the middle, at least not right away. But as I thought more and more about the Heartland and the lovely states we get to visit I became more excited. I began to remember all the friends I already have dotted along the Heartland and then the joy burst forth!
So today, a week into tour it with great pleasure that I introduce myself to ya’ll and start this wonderful, newfound relationship! This is my second tour with LiNK and I plan on recording even more wonderful experiences here than before. Yup! That’s right! Round two! Back in action! I originally got involved with LiNK after a dear friend told me about an opporunity she “just knew I would be perfect for! You love to travel! You already love South Korea! Time to love the North!” I already loved the South because I had spent a year teaching English there after graduating from Seattle University in 2009. While I never imagined I would ever go to South Korea, I found myself there growing and changing and being challenged in so many ways. I even got the rare privilege to meet two North Korean refugees! Both instances came to my complete surprise.
I used to regularly hang out with my Korean American friends, learning how to play Korean cards and beating them badly at it! On one particular night instead of the two sisters coming to my apartment I went to theirs. They were having a long lost friend come and visit and invited me to join. The catch for me was of course, Korean cards. So I was quite excited to join their reunion. Upon arrival I was informed that we would wait to eat because another friend was coming and he was bringing a friend. They finally arrived and I got to meet everyone. The last person I was introduced to was Young Pyeol 영별. I then learned she was from North Korea! I was totally shocked! Through the night I heard her story of crossing into China when she was 15 with her mother and now having lived in South Korea for the past 5 years. Young Pyeol didn’t speak any English so I tried to listen carefully as she spoke Korean but I am no where near fluent and many of the details were incomprehensible to me. But that didn’t much matter to me. I just wanted to spend time with all my new friends and enjoy a night of playing Korean cards. At least we all had that in common despite our ability to communicate.
Many months later, as my year in Korea came to a close I met my second North Korean refugee. I went to my 4th grade class as usual, but had been informed that we had a new student. I was excited because the last time I got a new student she was from Canada and had become a dear friend even though she was only 9 years old. This time I arrived to class to have my students hurriedly tell me that this little girl was from North Korea! I couldn’t believe it! How did a child reach South Korea? I smiled sweetly at her and introduced myself in Korean and like I always say to all my students while making a heart with my arms above my head: “사랑해요” (sa-rang-hay-yo) or in English I love you.
When I left class my co-teacher told me a little more of this little girl’s story. Her and her mother had reached China in the winter. They were able to travel across to SE Asia and finally fly to South Korea. They had just finished Korea’s government resettlement process for North Korean and had been placed at my public school. My teacher told me that its important to treat her like everyone else and not make a big deal about her being North Korean because she would probably face enough questions from others. I agreed and just expressed regret that I only get to see her for 3 weeks.
When I got back to the US I remember Young Pyeol and this little girl. I wanted to learn more about North Korea and give my time to seeing a difference. So I became a Nomad and toured the Southeast in the Spring of 2011. I couldn’t stay away and am now excited for being a Heartland Nomad this Fall!
I can’t wait to get out there and meet you! See you soon!
I’m back in CA and it is so good to see all the lovely nomads, LiNK staff and interns.
It seems like it was just yesterday that we all set off on our separate journeys.
Expressing how I feel is going to be hard to do over a tumblr blog.
I’m happy to be back with the nomads. Kinda sad to know we have to say goodbye again. Enjoying the time I have now.
Let’s talk about tour though.
I had an absolutely amazing time. I really feel I have grown so much. My ability to communicate and express how I feel has exponentially grown and I have so much more confidence in myself. It isn’t some huge change, but it means a lot to me.
Tour seemed like a blur. It went by so fast and the only time that mattered was getting to a screening.
How do I begin to cover everything, or even a little bit, that has happened?
Colorado, Chicago, and Michigan are a few of my favorites.
Colorado for its lovely scenery.
Chicago for its lively city.
Michigan for its college towns.
All for their people.
Inspiration was at every corner and tons of individuals reached out to my heart. Meeting thousands of people who had no idea about the North Korea crisis and meeting hundreds more that wanted nothing to do with it. Then meeting the handful of people that share your drive for change. That understand the responsibilities humanity needs to take upon itself.
I traveled across the country for 11 weeks pursuing an end to the atrocities in North Korea. Even as I sit in the LiNK office writing this blog people around the world are suffering. I will continue to fight for my brothers and sisters and I will see peace and equality.
Meeting others who felt the same way really helped fuel me on tour. It opened my eyes to the goodness that people are capable of.
It is hard to think about tour stories when you are on the spot. They randomly just come to you. If I had to make a list of things that really stick out it would look like this:
-Flipping the van on our 2nd day of tour. What an experience I never thought I would have. Honestly, I can’t say what I learned from it. I just know it was scary and I still have a hard time. Every little strange noise or awkward bump that happens in the vans makes me instantly cautious and maybe a little paranoid. After the accident, we were given the choice to go home or finish the internship in the office. That never crossed my mind. I felt I was sent out with a mission. The fact that we were all left with a few minor scratches made me think someone or something protected us so we could finish what we set out to do.
-Our first screening. At our very first screening we already had technical difficulties. ‘Hiding’ stopped right in the middle. We were at a high school. Most the students were getting extra credit or free food to be there. Of course when it stopped, about 10 people got up and left. This was so disheartening. It really proved to me that it takes a lot to motivate some people. It is sad.
-Lindsay’s Mom. Haha. I know that sounds kinda funny but Lindsay’s mom was one of the first people we stayed with on tour. She treated us so well. Made us white chili for dinner and treated us to a hearty breakfast. We all had warm cozy beds and hot showers. It was so needed after the accident and her warm heart really gave us the energy to keep going. I didn’t want to leave!
-Oatmeal. So I was already becoming addicted to oatmeal with steamed soy. Then I became a vegetarian. NOW I’M AN OATMEAL FIEND. I feel like I started to crave it all the time on tour. All the local coffee shops we came across had the best bowls of oatmeal. Not to mention the bowls were always huge. I get it with soy milk, nuts, and fresh fruit. Sometimes brown sugar. I want some right now.
-Communication. I’m usually pretty closed off when it comes to my feelings or if something is bothering me. With my teammates and tour I have really learned a lot. I am more comfortable with expressing myself and I’m not afraid to say what I want. I can be confident in myself and know what I want and still be an awesome, nice, friendly person.
-Loss. Near the end of tour I found out over facebook that a really close family friend,Charlene, passed away. It really broke my heart that I wasn’t able to be with her to say bye. I talked with her a bit before I hit the road and I know she was pretty sick. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer not too long before and she was starting to get over it I thought. When talking with people back home, I found out she was told she only had 2 more weeks. They also told me she didn’t want them to tell me because she didn’t want to ruin my internship. Charlene has really helped me out in life and is an amazing person. She always encouraged me to love myself and she is just full of love. I talked to my mom and asked if I should come home. My mom replied with “Do you think Charlene would have wanted that?” With the help of friends and family I was able to cope. It really helped to hear the voices of Charlene’s family. They were all doing well and they were happy for her. Cancer is hard. I’ve lost a grandmother to it also. It is good to know they are no longer in pain. Charlene will always be in my heart and her life will really fuel mine.
-Sunny. While in Nebraska, right before we headed out for Colorado, we stopped at a Guitar Center. I’d been wanting some sort of instrument for a while but I kept holding off due to money. We were actually in the store the night before looking at a $40 ukulele. It was dwelling on my mind and eventually I told them to go back so I could buy it. Outside was a beautiful, sunny day thus the name Sunny. I’ve been practicing a lil bit. I am still in the process of learning but it is coming along! My first song? ”Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat.
-Starbucks. Oh man did we ever spend some time at various Starbucks across the nation. Free wifi and a comfy work spot. Their oatmeal is pretty good too,
-Walmart and Flower. Since we had to get a new van after the accident, we were lucky to get one with some more space inside and an extra bench for sleeping. It worked out perfectly. Our new van was named Flower and we found ourselves often crashing in the Walmart parking lot. Pretty comfy most the time minus those really cold nights.
-Relationships. Throughout tour I have made so many friends and met so many individuals that I would love to have long standing relationships with. Who knows what the future holds but I have been blessed to meet so many new people.
I’m going to wrap this blog up. It’s getting kinda long. It feels good to be back in the lovely California with genuine friends, the nomads. AHHHHH life.
-Meg
We are a non-profit, non-partisan, non-ethnic and non-religious group formed in pursuit of the following mission statement:
* To educate the world about North Korea
* To advocate for human rights, political and religious freedom, and humanitarian aid for North Korea
* To protect the North Korean people where they can be reached
* To empower citizens of the world to take effective action and make a difference
* To bring together and support existing NGOs and other organizations working to achieve the same ends
* To tell the world the truth
watch our video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGCdNkRHhZE
Hear from one of our nomads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnJFy3Btzz4
Donate to the cause:
http://www.causes.com/causes/609382
