12.5 Don’t Cry for me

In 2010 Don’t Cry for me, Sudan set a box-office record for Korean documentaries. It tells the story of Tae-seok Lee, a doctor who became a Catholic priest. He volunteered to help the people of Tonj, a very poor and war-damaged region in Southern Sudan. 

Father Lee spent nine years there, helping children, the sick, and the poor. He built a new hospital, and treated hundreds of patients every day. Father Lee also built a new school, and taught music to children. He organized a brass band, which played at the ceremony ending the civil war in Sudan. Thanks to Father Lee, kids in Tonj were able to grow up holding books and musical instruments rather than guns. He said, “I think Jesus would have built a school first, rather than a church.”

In 2009, Father Lee visited Korea, and learned he had cancer. He wanted to return to Tonj, but he never did. In January of 2010, he died. When the news reached Tonj, lots of people held a march in his honor, holding his photograph. They cried for the man who had taken care of them with all his heart.

Since the film was released, lots of people have volunteered to help people in Tonj. New schools and hospitals are being built. Father Lee is gone, but his legacy continues.

12.4 Soccer

Soccer fans around the world know Manchester United as a top team full of great players, including the Korean star Ji-sung Park. But when it comes to local fans, the most famous person on the team isn’t one of the players — it’s the head coach, Alex Ferguson.

 He led Manchester United to numerous championships. To stay number one, Ferguson has always maintained several principles. First of all, he believes the team is more important than individual players, no matter how great they are. If any player ruins the teamwork, Ferguson removes him from the team, even if he is a star player. 

Also, he’s willing to pick up young players. By signing little-known players based on their potential, he’s discovered such stars as David Beckham and Christiano Ronaldo. And finally, he does everything to win. He’s good at changing his strategies unexpectedly according to each situation. He also places players in the right position at the right time to win games.

For more than 20 years, Alex Ferguson has been leading Manchester United to more championship than any other team. There’s no doubt that he is one of the sporting world’s greatest leaders.

12.3 Dennis Hwang

On Christmas day, you might see candy canes, baubles and ribbons on the Google logo. On Halloween, it might be pumpkins or ghosts.  These are unique designs called Google doodles which mark special occasions. Korean graphic artist, Dennis Hwang, is the creative genius behind them. We spoke to Dennis about his art.

How do you come up with ideas? 

We do a lot of brainstorming and search through lots of images on the Internet to get good ideas. We try to make a design that is fun and interacts with the shape of the Google letters.

How long does it take to create a doodle?

It depends on the type of event. We might spend days planning a doodle for an upcoming holiday. But, for an important news event, we can create one in just a few hours.

How do you decide which days to celebrate?

We look at the special days in different countries across the world. If there’s an occasion that fits with the Google brand, we celebrate it.

Do you get ideas from Google users?

Yes, we get lots of useful feedback. We love to hear from users because their ideas are so creative.

What’s the hardest thing about your job?

It’s finding something fresh and innovative. Although that can be difficult, it also makes the work exciting and challenging. That’s why I love it.

12.2 Female pilots

When people think of female pilots, the first name that comes to mind is Amelia Earhart. As a young girl, Earhart loved to go to the airport with her father to watch the planes.  In the early 20th century, flying was a “man’s” job. But at age 25, Earhart received her pilot’s license, and her dream came true. In May 1932, she flew across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. Later she said that she had done it to prove that “women can do most things that a man can do.” In 1937,  Earhart tried to fly around the world. However, something went wrong, and she disappeared near an island in the Pacific Ocean. Even now only a few facts are known about her disappearance. Today people still remember Earhart as one of the world’s greatest pilots. Because of

her example, a lot of women have become pilots.

12.1 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was born in Liberia, but got her college degree in America. After she graduated, she returned to her home country.  She struggled to find a career in the male-dominated society. She was put in prison for criticizing her  country’s military regime and kicked out of the country twice. She could have easily quit politics and lived a quiet life at home. However, she refused to give up. And then she became the first female president of Liberia. Because of her strong will, she was given the nickname “Iron Woman.” 

She saw that because she was a woman, she had an advantage over men. She said that she could bring “motherly sensitivity and emotion” to the presidency as a way of healing her country, which has been greatly damaged by war. She also said that she could inspire young girls, and be a role model for them. In this way, she thought that she could help Liberian women be better off.

11.5 Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day. It is also the birthday of Danny Seo, who’s been working to save the environment.  On his 12th birthday, Seo formed an environmental group called Earth 2000 with his friends. 

This group was started with only 10 dollars and grew to have 20,000 members. They fought against whale hunting, tried to stop corporations from  destroying rain forests, and made 4,000 American fur dealers close their doors. 

Thanks to this movement, he was praised by the Washington Post at the age of just 21. He also has been named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People magazine.

Now Danny is working as an eco-stylist and environmentalist, encouraging people to live a greener lifestyle. He uses a philosophy of “small miracles,” meaning there are many small ways to protect our Earth. Based on this idea, he creates clever and easy ideas for recycling almost anything into attractive home accessories. He also gives quick and easy tips that prove green living can be beautiful living too. He shows us that saving the environment can start with little things.

11.4 Salar de Uyuni

You may have seen big mirrors before, but probably not as big as 10,582 km²! That’s how big Salar de Uyuni is.  It’s the world’s largest salt flat and it is located in Bolivia, in South America. There are 10 billion tons of salt in Salar de Uyuni, and the salt is over 10 meters thick in the center. 

During the dry season Salar de Uyuni is completely dry, but during the wet season it is covered with a thin sheet of water. This creates a huge “mirror” that makes beautiful reflections. At night you can see an amazing sight — both the sky and the earth are full of beautiful stars! It is difficult to tell how far away they are, or where the sky  begins and ends.

Although these reflections are very beautiful, they are also confusing. Sometimes people get lost in Salar de Uyuni, and actually every year a few people go missing there. If you have a chance to go there, be sure to follow your guide; otherwise,you might never come home!