By Honorary Reporter Minnath Azeez from Sri Lanka

Photo = Korean Embassy in Sri Lanka, Nadeesha Jayasooriya

The first Korean-language institute in Sri Lanka was opened in 1977, and the South Asian country in 2014 added the language to its national education curriculum.

Also in 2014, Korea Corner was opened at the Colombo Public Library by the Korean Embassy in Sri Lanka through cooperation with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Volunteers from Korea taught Korean free at the corner and had over 60 students. Today, the classes are taught by Sri Lankan twins who once were students there.

Nadeesha (left) and Nilusha Jayasooriya (right) began learning Korean at age 19. (Nadeesha Jayasooriya)

Nadeesha and Nilusha Jayasooriya teach English and Korean to students in Sri Lanka and Korea. They also hold online lessons in English conversation for students in Korea while volunteering at the library.

Like most in Sri Lanka, the twins first grew fascinated with Korea thanks to dramas and music. They also learned Korean from a native Korean speaker who worked for KOICA and volunteered at Korea Corner.

"I realized that Korean has a lot of expressions that we (Sri Lankans) don't have in one of our mother tongues Sinhala. This was fascinating for me because using these expressions helped me express myself better, sometimes even more than my mother tongue," Nadeesha said.

Among Sri Lanka's three main languages of Sinhala, Tamil and English, Sinhala and Tamil share similarities with Korean. Tamil and Korean share similar words while Sinhala and Korean have similar sentence structures.

"The Korean language is one of the most popular languages being used around the world. Because of this, I recommend learning it to attract good opportunities and good decisions in the future," Nadeesha said.

Students at a beginner class in Korean at Korea Corner of the Columbo Public Library pose for a group picture. (Nadeesha Jayasooriya)

Since taking their first class in Korean at age 19 at Korea Corner, the twins now teach the language to over 30 students on a volunteer basis. On what motivated them to do so, Nadeesha said that by teaching Korean, she not only learns more about Korean but also shares her knowledge of and passion for the language.

"When the bombing attacks in Sri Lanka occurred in 2019, all of our teachers of Korean had to leave the country due to many reasons. And we were left alone without any teachers at Korea Corner. By that time, I was in the advanced class as one of the few students who could speak and understand Korean more than the other students. I didn't want this place to shut down. So with the support of my teachers and the Colombo Public Library, I took on the role of a teacher here," she added. 

Nadeesha (left) and Nilusha Jayasooriya (right) receive a commendation from Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeong Woo-jin at the Korean Embassy in Columbo. (Korean Embassy)

For their efforts, the twins in October last year received a commendation from Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeong Woo-jin. Nilusha said she was over the moon and felt blessed for receiving the award, while her sister expressed surprise since she simply wanted to pass on her knowledge of Korean as an advanced student.

"My dream is to become a significant bridge connecting both countries not just as a language teacher but also in trade and other areas, so that Sri Lanka can benefit and learn from a well-developed country like Korea," Nilusha said.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.