On the Monday evening before Sunday afternoon’s Culver City Sister City Oktoberfest fundraiser at The Culver Hotel, two talented Culver City High School students took an appreciative audience on appealing side-by-side journeys to the Sister City of Iksan City, South Korea.
When the students Austin Astrup and Andrea Pastor completed their PBS-worthy accounts, Mayor Mehaul O’Leary said they were the most impressive descriptions he has heard in eight years on the City Council.
Culver City’s half-century-old student exchange plan sprang to life with compelling visions of an unfamiliar culture in a first-time setting as Mr. Astrup and Ms. Pastor recalled their whirlwind excursions.
They were the quintessential young travelers, ideal human billboards for the Sister City program.
“Going to Korea was the most incredible experience I ever have had,” Mr. Astrup said. “Everything was so intriguing. My eyes were opened to sights I never had seen before.
“Visiting an area where nature has been left alone, untouched, is something I never have had the chance to do.”
Mr. Astrup drew a laugh when he recounted an unexpected taste of technology, Korean-style. “When I opened my host family’s refrigerator, I was greeted by the refrigerator itself.”
Binding relationships were formed. “I can’t wait to see my Korean brother next year,” he said.
Ms. Pastor said the first morning she awakened zin the home of her host family, “I was actually confused because I could not believe I was in Korea.”
At first it was difficult communicating with family members, she said, but only until she read the happy expressions they wore.
The sunny dispositions of both Ms. Pastor and Mr. Astrup, enhanced by their genuine vigor for the Sister City format and the clarity in their energetic narrations promptly connected them with their audience in Council Chambers.
