Choose to stay in Dalat to listen to happiness

Dr. Choi Young Sook and her husband, businessman Kwon Jang Soo — Dr. Choi Young Sook and her husband - businessman Kwon Jang Soo

Love for unfortunate children in a foreign land

Dr. Choi Young Sook gave up her job as a lecturer in special education at Daegu University, in the midst of preparing to be appointed Vice President, to come to Vietnam, to Da Lat.

She came to accompany disabled children, a job she considered her duty, her reason for living, the path she needed to continue until the end of her life.

In 2007, through a connection program, Dr. Choi Young Sook invited representatives of the Lam Dong Department of Education and Training and the Principals of the Deaf School and the Orchid School for the Mentally Impaired (Da Lat) to work with leaders of the Busan City education sector and Daegu University - one of the leading centers for special education in Korea.

The lack of facilities, as well as the difficulty in accessing specialized training curriculum, and above all, the love for the children here changed every decision in her life.

That turning point made her, after her trip to Da Lat, return to convince her husband, Mr. Kwon Jang Soo (also affectionately known as Mr. Quan), a successful businessman in the car business, to give up everything to come to this land.

“She told me about a meaningful job: helping disadvantaged children, that's what she wanted to do. Without much thought, I decided right away even though many people thought we were unusual, and it would take some time to handle the large amount of assets that were doing well.

In mid-2009, I flew to Vietnam with her, because I knew we had to always be together,” Mr. Kwon Jang Soo shared about his noble decision.

For Dr. Choi, she did not spend much time pondering, her plan for early retirement was already set. The remaining time, occupying her entire mind is to accompany the less fortunate children in this beautiful city.

Having devoted her whole life to disabled children in Korea, her love for disabled children has also been recognized by the Korean government with an outstanding individual award in education.

“When I turned 50, I started thinking about how I would live the rest of my life. I suddenly remembered that in 1995, while studying abroad in Japan, there was a British teacher who did a lot for Japanese deaf children, I also wanted to do the same! In addition, my role model is Rosetta Sherwood Hall - an American medical educator who spent 44 years of her life contributing to the development of education for people with disabilities, especially the deaf and blind in Korea. I always wished to follow in her small shoes on her big path”, Dr. Choi recalled his journey to Vietnam.

Dr. Choi and his wife's journey began with dozens of packages of goods, all of which were textbooks, teaching aids, and school supplies purchased with their retirement and pension money.

The things they brought to Lam Dong were so many that the school for the deaf did not have enough space to store them, so they had to rent a house to store them. At that time, the conditions for teaching deaf children in Lam Dong were still difficult, lacking a lot compared to the conditions of a developed country like Korea, especially the mindset and thinking in caring for and educating disabled children.

“It may take a long time, but I always think I have to do everything to change,” Dr. Choi Young Sook reminisced about the past.

That positive thinking has given her more energy, helping her to be energetic. “I dance, sing, talk to children in every language possible: dancing, drawing, communicating with signs... I teach children to make soap, tea, cakes, flowers... I record those images for the children to see, all just hoping to find closeness, to make them react to the language of communication”, Dr. Choi shared.

The products made by the children of the School for the Deaf were sold by Dr. Choi and her husband to friends and Korean businesses. According to her, the products were not worth much money, but the important thing was that the children found them useful.

Having no expertise, he had a hard time helping his wife with work. Mr. Kwon Jang Soo was determined to spend 8 hours a day learning Vietnamese to become an interpreter for Dr. Choi.

He said, “She can also listen and speak Vietnamese, although not as well as I can. Therefore, I often have to act as an involuntary interpreter.” In the eyes of that successful businessman, a smile filled with joy shines.

Helping deaf children hear music

She assured me of that impossibility. She said: In 1998, when I said that it was possible to intervene so that children under 3 years old who were born deaf could hear and speak, many people did not believe me, thinking that I was talking nonsense. When I expressed my opinion, even the leading professors specializing in special education were indifferent and rejected it. Many people judged me as abnormal, somewhat paranoid, for intending to let deaf children listen to music.

Time has proven that I can do it. Now in Korea, intervention to help deaf children under 3 years old to hear and speak has become normal. “I can confirm that a deaf child under 3 years old who receives proper early intervention can hear and speak. The success rate is now 80%,” Dr. Choi Young Sook is sure of this.

Sitting with her in a small cafe called Chocolate Bear filled with clear sounds, where deaf children make drinks and communicate with customers, I believe what she shares.

According to her, in Vietnam, parents with disabled children do not spend much time with their children. “When children go to school, teachers do not have the right intervention methods, and many teachers are not trained in special education. These are things that need to change,” she answered honestly when I mentioned this problem that exists in special education facilities in Vietnam.

Dr. Choi and his wife have spent billions of dong to help disabled children in Lam Dong and Vietnam. They have a secret weapon, a notebook recording the promises of great intellectuals and businessmen from the land of kimchi: They must come to Vietnam, to Lam Dong, to accompany them. They are very proud of that weapon, because it is like a commitment.

Dr. Choi Young Sook bragged to me that the teachers I mentored or the unlucky children who met me no longer called me Ms. Choi, but instead called me “Mom”. She didn’t say it, but I knew that this land filled with flowers and mist would definitely be the final stop on my passionate journey.

Talking about the special affection of Dr. Choi Young Sook for disabled children and poor students in this land, Meritorious Teacher Nguyen Xuan Ngoc - Chairman of the Provincial Association for Promotion of Education, former Director of the Department of Education and Training of Lam Dong province, shared: Ms. Choi's love for children who are less fortunate in life is incomparable.

Responsible, dedicated and all from the heart, like a mother who wholeheartedly cares for her children day and night.

“
With the Lam Dong education sector and the work of promoting learning and talent, Dr. Choi and his wife are always reliable companions to share the difficulties of education in remote areas and special education. There is no commitment, but what Dr. Choi has given to this land is worthy of everyone's appreciation.
The Certificate of Merit awarded by the Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee to Dr. Choi for his outstanding contributions in promoting learning and talent is the clearest proof of that.
Meritorious Teacher Nguyen Xuan Ngoc - Chairman of the Provincial Association for Promotion of Education, former Director of the Provincial Department of Education and Training

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/chon-o-lai-da-lat-de-lang-nghe-hanh-phuc-389308.html