I was excited about our foreign guest for the weekend, but unsure as to what to expect. Afterall, she was a foreigner and I knew her culture was quite different from our own. I wondered how she would get along with the other children, but it was a comfort to know that the daughter of her host family would be also be along for the weekend. Yun Young Koo had been in the US for about nine months as a foreign exchange student. Her wish before returning to her home in South Korea was a fishing trip and this is where my husband Tommy and I came into the picture. What a better place than the Ozark Mountains in northern Arkansas to introduce a couple of young ladies to the outdoors?
When Yun Young Koo arrived I saw a beautiful young Korean girl, with long dark hair and beautiful skin. She appeared as nervous as I on our first meeting. I soon learned that she had adopted the American name "Ellen" and I think we all sighed a sigh of relief. Her Korean name is definitely a mouthful. Ellen age 17 and her fifteen year old friend Montana quickly loaded their gear into our jeep and it wasn't long before we were headed to our family's cabin on the Spring River. Neither girl had ever experienced a weekend like we had planned and we would be spending three days in the woods and on the river, where the girls would be introduced to camping, fishing, and basically "roughing-it" with a few modern nicities for general survival.
The main concern the young ladies had was showering. They were horrified to find that a shower was not one of the modern comforts supplied. I quickly explained that all bathing would be done in the river, but that an indoor toilet was available. They exchanged quick glances, but didn't seem to be too distraught over the situation. I was glad.
There were nine children, ranging from ages 2-17 accompanying Tommy and I on this trip. The older children would be sleeping in tents and Tommy and I would be staying in the cabin with the younger children. All cooking would be done outside over a fire, unless rain prevented this and rain was in the forecast.
For those who are familiar with the weather in the Ozarks, they know that the wea
ther is unpredicatable to say the least. With the weatherman predicting an 80% chance of rain, we figured there was only a slight chance of rain but sure enough, before bedtime, the rain came. The tents were set up inside a screened pavilion and we moved indoors for the remainder of the evening where the games began.
Our family has always enjoyed card games and has adopted Texas Hold'em as one of our favorite pasttimes. We decided to teach Montana and Ellen the rules and we played the night away. Though Ellen didn't understand some of the English terminology, she soon learned the object of the game was to not lose her chips! The girls loved the challenge and the 
laughs and giggles could be heard through most of the night. After the last hand was dealt, the girls found their way to their tents and enjoyed a night sleeping closer to nature than they'd ever done before, even if it was inside a screen pavilion. We were greeted with well-rested smiling teens the following morning who immediately headed to the river for their morning bath.
Teaching the girls to fish was not as pain-staking as I had feared. Ellen was a real natural and was determined to catch a fish. With our 14 year old's help, Ellen's hook was baited and the chase was on. It wasn't long before we heard screams of delight and unbelief coming from the dock. Ellen had caught her first fish, a nice sized drum which gave her a heck of a fight. The look on her face was priceless and we were all thrilled with her accomplishment. However, this was just the beginning and she caught several fish before the day was over. Tommy was quick to give her fish-facts on each fish she caught and encouraged her to continue fishing. 
It wasn't long before she left the security of the dock and meandered out into the river's swift current. Ellen was hooked on fishing and before the weekend was over, she had memories galore to carry home to South Korea with her. As we packed on Sunday evening, I smiled when Ellen voiced her sadness in having to leave and asked if she could return to the river with us one more time before returning to South Korea.
We wrapped up our wonderful weekend, but asking the young ladies to be our guests on our radio program, Outdoors Live with Tommy and Wanda, where they had the opportunity to discuss their first experience in the outdoors. I loved Montana's statement when she said, "The one thing I loved the best was having the opportunity to have some new experiences. I loved everything about the weekend."
Sharing our knowledge and passion of the outdoors with these youngsters was a thrill for Tommy and I and we're strong believers that children who are introduced to the outdoors are healthier, happier, and all around better kids. At a time when parent/child relationships seem to be declining drastically, the summer months are a great time to get your kids or your grandkids (anybody's kids!) outside for outdoor activities like camping, fishing, or hiking. Like Ellen, they'll have memories which will last a lifetime.
