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1 A Bowl of Differences Ms. Lee walked into her classroom, followed by a tall boy. She said, "We have a new student today. Say hello to Mikhail." She wrote "Perm" on the board. "This is where Mikhail is from. Does anyone know where this is?" A voice from the back said, "In a beauty salon!" A few students laughed. Sumi answered confidently, "It s in Russia." Sumi was one of the smartest students in the class. "That's right. Mikhail's family is from Russia. He doesn't speak Korean well. Let's help him feel at home. Are there any empty seats? There were a few empty seats, but no one said anything. They didn't want to be bothered with helping the new student. Jiho yelled, "There! There's an empty seat next to Junho." "Okay, Mikhail, go sit next to Junho over there," said Ms. Lee. Junho gave Jiho a stare. A Bowl of Differences Mikhail Perm( ) Mikhail?! Mikhail Mikhail?.!., Mikhail,.. 1!!

2 If Mikhail had been the first foreign student at this school, he might have drawn more attention from the other students. But there was Yoshiko from Japan in Class 3 and Terry from New Zealand in Class 8. Even Ms. Lee's class was very multicultural. There were several students whose mothers or fathers were from countries other than Korea. Mikhail sat down next to Junho, and they exchanged uncomfortable smiles. It wasn't that Junho didn't like Mikhail. Junho just wasn't interested in him, like the other students. He wasn't interested in where Perm was. He didn't care about what language Mikhail spoke. This indifference toward other cultures was an increasing problem at Junho's school. Being indifferent is not a bad act in itself. But more often than not, when apathy joins hands with ignorance, prejudice is born. Mikhail, 3 Yoshiko, 8 Terry Mikhail, Mikhail.. Mikhail.. 2!!

3 Ms. Lee said, "Since we have a new student, let's have a special welcome lunch for him this Friday. I'll make bibimbap for all of you. How does that sound?" The room was flooded with applause as the students exchanged high fives. It wasn't because they were excited about welcoming the new student, but because they knew that Ms. Lee was an amazing cook. A few days later, the day of the welcome lunch came. By 11:30 a.m., there wasn't a drop of concentration in the students' eyes. The lunch bell rang, and the class, like Olympic runners coming out of the starting blocks, simultaneously leaped out of their seats. The class cheered as Ms. Lee came into the classroom with a big cart. On the cart was a big bowl with a silver cover. Ms. Lee said, "Get in line for your bibimbap." The students got in line and Ms. Lee uncovered the big bowl. Inside was white rice and nothing else..,.?,, 11 30,,. 3!!

4 The students were puzzled. Sumi cried, "You said we were going to have bibimbap today!" Ms. Lee replied, "Yes, I did. It's a new kind of bibimbap." Junho cried, "No way! That's not bibimbap." Ms. Lee asked, "What's wrong? Isn't the rice enough?" "No! It's the other ingredients that make bibimbap taste so great!" Taemin yelled. "How can the other ingredients taste good together when they are so different from one another?" Ms. Lee asked innocently. Jiho said, "The different tastes come together to create a wonderful new taste." "That's right. Each ingredient has its own special taste, color and feel. But when they are mixed together, they create a whole which is much greater than the sum of its parts," said Sumi..!.!.??!!?..,... 4!!

5 ( ) 5 Junho said. "I see your point. Our classroom is just like a bowl of bibimbap." "That's an interesting idea. I hadn't thought about that until you mentioned it," said Ms. Lee as she tried to hide her smile. She went outside the classroom and brought in another cart with all the other ingredients. She said, "All this talk about food is making my mouth water. Let's mix it up!" The students put all the ingredients in the big bowl and took turns mixing them up with big spoons. Even Mikhail had a chance to mix his first bibimbap. As the students gathered in a circle eating bibimbap that day, they got to know Mikhail and one another better. They began to embrace and enjoy their differences. Tomorrow would be different, but in a good, bibimbap way...! Mikhail. Mikhail,. 5!!