We had the good fortune of connecting with Katrina Kerstetter and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Katrina, what matters most to you?
The value that matters most to me is openness. Being open invites new people, ideas, circumstances, challenges, and adventures. It’s endless. Most importantly, when you open your mind, you open your heart.
In our classes, we have “open your mind” time. During that time, we challenge ourselves to look at things from different perspectives. How can we relate to what’s going on in the book or in another country or culture? If we can’t relate, why is that? What makes people different? How are we all the same?
Openness ultimately leads to kindness. Learners feel safe. That feeling of safety helps them to open up to themselves and to each other. In a safe space, a safe world, people feel free to express their feelings, ask questions, and listen to others do the same.
Being open and breaking down walls and barriers brings new understanding. Maybe things aren’t the way we always thought they were. How do we process that? How can we take this new information and move forward?
Wanting people to be open and kind to each other is what helped Koru Multicultural and Diverse Library come to be. Exposing learners to other cultures, values, traditions, backgrounds, and circumstances creates acceptance and a welcoming of differences and appreciation of similarities.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Wanting to learn more about the world led me to South Korea nineteen years ago to teach English. That was the beginning of learning more about myself and my place in the world.
After teaching for a few years, I moved to Seoul to work as a curriculum developer, teacher recruiter and trainer, library curator, and vice director of English academies. After having worked in the English education industry for over a decade, it was time for me to move on to a new challenge. I moved to Jeju Island, South Korea to help open and develop Koru Multicultural and Diverse Library.
Traveling around Asia and Oceania for nineteen years was life-changing. Each country, province, and village required a shift in my mindset. I learned about food, and the reasons behind specific cuisines, about language and communication. I was exposed to different faiths and their origins. I discovered that the way I had always done things wasn’t right or wrong, but it was certainly only one of many ways to do things. Taking advantage of those opportunities to push my boundaries and to let in new ideas has led to an eagerness to continue learning. When you travel, you take yourself out of your comfort zone, and that is a challenge that I recommend to all.
Coming back to America, there is a feeling of reverse culture shock. How do I bring back with me all I’ve experienced? This is where I grew up, but both Tucson and I have changed. Opening the Tucson branch of Koru Multicultural and Diverse Library is one way in which I can not only share my experiences but also continue to learn. Through reading, watching videos and movies, traveling, and meeting new people, we can all learn more about ourselves and the world around us.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Coming back to Tucson has been an exciting experience. There are things I remember and still enjoy, and there are many new aspects and features that I am discovering.
I recommend that visitors to Tucson drive up Mount Lemmon and experience the biodiversity along the way, along with the cooler temperatures. Another outing that I would recommend is San Xavier del Bac Mission, part of the Tohono O’odham nation and a National Historic Landmark. Finally, it’s always a good idea to drive up and around Gates Pass to enjoy Tucson’s unique, breathtaking sunsets.
When you get hungry, or thirsty, you can head to Historic Fourth Avenue. There are many eating and shopping opportunities on Fourth Avenue and downtown, all within walking distance of each other. I recommend the dirty chai at Café Maggie. They have plenty of food as well, if you’re hungry, and it’s a friendly, casual environment for hanging out.
For breakfast, in particular, I recommend heading a bit north to Ghini’s French Caffe, and you can pick up some fresh-baked goodies at La Baguette Bakery, right next door.
For lunch or dinner, I recommend Café Desta for some amazing Ethiopian and Eritrean food.
Tucson is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, so you really can’t go wrong.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This Shoutout is dedicated to Mia Lee, the creator of Koru Multicultural and Diverse Library. Her vision of the library began in the early 2000’s while she was living in New Zealand, and she opened the first Koru in 2016, on Jeju Island in South Korea.
Her goal was to offer learners a new way of learning. She wanted to make learning an inspiring and creative experience and to open learners’ hearts and minds while making intimate connections.
Reading, discussion, writing, and doing art projects about different cultures and nature in a safe environment gives the learners a way to travel and explore the world we live in. Direct involvement in language, music, and arts promotes tactile learning as well. She has also incorporated mindfulness and social-emotional learning into the curriculum. She has created a space of love, character, creativity, and soul, resulting in a community of kindness and understanding.
That sense of community and the joy of helping kindness and openness become the norm is what pushed me to bring those concepts to America and to my hometown of Tucson and to open a branch here.
Website: https://www.librarykoru.com/
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