Marie Koláčková, née Bartošová (*1934), was born in Prosenice near Přerov and studied childcare in Olomouc. On her own initiative, she was assigned in 1953 as a houseparent to Korean orphans in Jindřichov, Silesia, where she worked for two years. She then moved to the group at the former Houštka spa. In both homes, she cared for the older boys, who called her “Ŏmŏni Marshka” (Mummy Maruška). She led a Korean children’s choir that performed in surrounding villages and placed third in the 1957 national Youth Creativity Competition. In Houštka, Marie Koláčková witnessed, for instance, a visit by North Korean leader Kim Ilsung and the tragic death of one of the Korean teachers. She remained at the home until its closure in 1958. Later, she married happily and moved to Ostrava with her husband, where she still lives today. After the Korean children returned home, contact with them became impossible, but she fondly recalls them while browsing through her meticulously arranged photo albums, which she lent to this exhibition.