Ellee

The places I am contacting are........ the Dominican Republic of Congo............ Haiti............ and North Korea.

[] is one of the schools I hope to contact soon. It is located in The Democratic Republic of Congo.

When I searched North Korea, I found this site that was astonishing. It told of a trip that a man took to North Korea. You really should take a look at it. [|http://abytesgen01.securesites.net/ryan_murdock/2009/11/inside-the-north-korean-school.html] The man who wrote the article above is one of the people I hope to contact.

Here is the Email I hope to send him.

Hello, my name is Ellee Ruder and I am working on a project about schools around the world. I go to the Oh Institute in Rosemary Beach, FL. I read your column about North Korean schools and it was very interesting. I am trying to learn about North Korean Schools and was hoping to contact them. This has been a very difficult task. So under the circumstances, I was wondering if I could interview you over Skype or maybe send you some questions using Email.

Even if you can't help thank you for at least reading my letter. Sincerely , Ellee

Here is my email back.

Hi Ellie,

Sure, be glad to help. I'm not sure how much I can tell you about the school system though. I only saw that one school in Pyongyang, and we were taken there under very controlled conditions. They basically showed us what they wanted us to see. The real school system is likely very different. Anyway, yeah, feel free to send any questions and I'll do my best to answer.

The North Koreans are very difficult to reach, and you should check anything they tell you and any information from "official" sources very carefully. It's difficult to find the truth buried within the propaganda.

You might also want to try contacting a guy called Nick Bonner in Beijing info@koryogroup.com He 's the person who got me in to North Korea back in 2001. He's made several films there and has very good contacts with the regime. I bet he'd be an excellent source.

Best wishes, Ryan

Here is the email I sent to the principal of the Tasok school in the Dominican Republic of Congo.

Dear, Principal

Hello, my name is Ellee Ruder and I go to the Oh Institute in Rosemary Beach, FL. I am working on a project about schools from around the world and was wondering if you might be able to answer these questions.

1. What sports do you play in school?

2.We have a science fair, do you?

3.How many kids are in your school?

4.How many teachers?

5. Is it o.k. if I use Skype to contact one of your classes?

Thank you for reading this Email. Sincerely, Ellee Ruder

I also sent an email to the man that Ryan told me about. Here it is.

Dear Nick Bonner, My name is Ellee Ruder and I go to the Oh Institute in Rosemary Beach,FL. In 2001 you sent a man named Ryan Dear Nick Bonner, to North Korea. I have recently contacted him and he sent me to you. If you could please answer the following questions you would be a great help to my project.

1. What is your opinion about the schools in North Korea?

2. Have you ever been to North Korea? If so, have you ever been to a school?

3. What do they teach?

4. Have you ever talked to one of the students there?

Thank you for reading this email. I completely understand if you can not answer my questions. Sincerely, Ellee Ruder