kimchi corner

Thursday, June 07, 2007

THINGS I WILL MISS--INTERESTING STORE NAMES AND T-SHIRTS

I took these photos at Coex Mall in Kangnam-dong, Seoul.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

IT'S ALL OVER EXCEPT THE PACKING!

Seoul Christian School held its graduation ceremony this past Thursday night. I have attended many graduation ceremonies, but this was the first time for me to be in charge of the ceremony. Pastor Threlfall challenged the graduates from Joshua 1:8. The jr. high choir sang two numbers, "Grace" and "All the Way."

Pastor Threlfall challenges the seniors to be successful serving God.

After the seniors shared their testimonies, they received their diplomas from yours truly. When the first senior, Jason, shook my hand, I felt something in his hand--it was a pack of chewing gum. I grasped it, and moved it to my pants pocket. I was amused. Jessie came next, and when we shook hands, she too passed me a pack of gum. I was really trying not to laugh now. Aletheia came last and also gave me a pack of gum. I couldn't contain my laughter any more.

Notice my hand in my pocket. Thanks for the gum, Jason!

Jason, Aletheia, and Jessie grant me a photo-op after the ceremony.

Friday was our last day. We started by letting students see their final exam results. We then moved down to the auditorium. We had a spelling bee; we offered a cash prize of 10,000 won (about $10). Then we played a general knowledge game. Elizabeth and Elaine made it based on 1 versus 100. Our version was 1 versus 10. It followed a similar format, and all students had at least one turn as part of the mob. The contestants signed up ahead of time.

Following the game, I gave a brief challenge. We then presented awards. Linda Rupert had secretly worked with the students to prepare farewell cards and monetary gifts for the five of us who are not returning. It was very thoughtful, and the sentiments expressed by many of the students were very touching. There were some tears as well.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

NUMBERING OUR DAYS

Most of you who read this blog know that we will soon be leaving South Korea. June 12 is our scheduled departure date (it's also our arrival date in Ohio). One week of school remains; then we have a teachers' work week. Sorting and packing still awaits us.

The Lord has given us wonderful opportunities of service here. We have made many friends--both Koreans and ex-pats from many places around the world. One of the most exciting things has been to experience the instant bond of Christian love and fellowship with other believers even when we couldn't clearly communicate. We are truly thankful to the Lord for the door of opportunity that He opened to us here in Seoul.

We are looking forward to some family time in June. Jerred, Joanna, and AJ will be in Ohio for a couple of weddings. Marti will also be able to come to Ohio part of that time. Now if we could just get Joel and Gina over from Germany!

Regarding our plans for next year, we have accepted positions at Ferndale Baptist School in Charleston, South Carolina. I guess it's time to brush up on our "Southern," y'all!

For those of you who pray for us, we would make a few requests. Please pray for our re-adjustment to the U.S. I don't think the change will be that dramatic, at least for Elizabeth and me, but we have been living a somewhat different life here in Seoul. I'm sure the most noticeable changes will be positive--less pollution, noise, and fewer people, for instance.

Other requests involve the setting up again of our household. When we left four years ago, we gave away, threw away, or sold nearly all our belongings. Upon returning, we will need a vehicle. We will also have to acquire all home furnishings from dishes to beds. We're actually quite excited; we feel like newlyweds again! We have also learned that we don't need a lot of things. Possessions can certainly become possessors if we are not careful.

We look forward to seeing many of you again.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

WHERE DO 20 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE A PICNIC?

ANYWHERE THEY WANT TO!!!

Saturday, May 05, 2007

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS UNLESS . . .

South Korea has a strong desire to be English-fluent. Beginning in public elementary schools and continuing right up through university, students study English. Most major Korean companies require English proficiency in order to land a job. Some universities are starting to require their professors to lecture in English. Large bookstores brim with books (both for instruction and pleasure) on all levels of English. Just yesterday, I read that many expectant mothers are playing English language tapes to their unborn children in hopes of improving the children's language skills. Nearly every road sign is written in Korean and English. Public transportation systems make stop announcements in both languages. Seoul is extremely English friendly.

However, I continued to be baffled by the lack of good English that appears on signs such as the one in the picture. I must confess that such postings always make me smile, but I wonder why no one responsible for planning such a major event as the Hi! Seoul Festival consulted a native English speaker for translation help. (Truth be told, I have several Korean high school students who could have done a better job.)

Such laxness in clear communication, while providing humor for people like me, will only serve to hinder Korea in reaching its goal of being a world-class tourist destination.

LONG TIME, NO SEE!

Koreans commonly use that expression to greet us after not having seen us for a couple weeks. When I looked at the date of the last post, I realized that it has been 7 weeks since I last posted anything. Much has happened during those weeks, but I didn't feel that much of it was "blog-worthy." Basically, our wanderings have been between our apartment and the school (5 blocks) with the occasional trip to Costco. Ho-hum!

Today, however, we along with Joshua and Laurel Louk(above photo) ventured to the Han River. This past week has been the city's annual Hi! Seoul Festival. This is the 7th year for the event, and the theme this year is "The Miracle of the Han." The Han River (Hangang) bisects the city and is appoximatley 1 km across (.6 of a mile for you metrically challenged readers.) Over twenty different bridges cross the river keeping both sides of the sprawling city connected.

Several of the activities centered on or near the river. One of these events was the reproduction of the pontoon bridge used by one of the ancient kings in order to cross the river for a funeral.

Nearby, another bridge was constructed. This one allowed people to "walk on water." The floating bridge was slightly below water level which allowed pedestrians to cross the Han in ankle-deep water. (photo below)

After experiencing the miraculous Han, we hoofed over to the closest subway station and headed to Itaewon. The Louks did a bit of shopping, and then we refreshed at my favorite Korean restaurant--Outback!

Friday, March 16, 2007

HAVING A RIOT IN SEOUL

Last Saturday, Joanna, AJ, Abby and Elizabeth went downtown to walk on palace grounds. AJ loves being able to walk independently, which is not an easy thing to allow in crowded Seoul. However, the palaces often have nice walkways and not too many people. AJ got to walk around, chasing pigeons and attracting Koreans. One interesting thing is that Koreans always want to give him food, usually hard candy, which he can't possibly eat. One lady gave him a banana.

When they exited the palace, they were surprised to see at least 30 riot police buses and lots of riot police everywhere. (Most of the riot police are young men who have recently been released from the 2+ years of required military service.) One group had surrounded the entire area at the palace gate. Every subway exit stairwell was covered as well as the entire Seoul Plaza. We started to wonder what we might run into. Turns out that several groups were planning to protest the Free Trade Agreement meetings and that Seoul was not allowing those demonstrations to take place because of violence last month at similar demonstrations. We did see a small group demonstrating across the street in front of KFC.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

SATURDAY AT THE COEX AQUARIUM

Today is New Year's Eve (again). Elizabeth, Merilee, Linda, and I decided to see the fish. Coex--an extremely large, underground shopping complex--was relatively quiet (only half a million persons instead of the usual million or so!)
The aquarium has been re-modeled somewhat since our last visit. Elizabeth thinks she likes the old setup better. It's still the same fish. I liked the home exhibit where fish were in various home appliances and furnishings.

Afterwards we had supper. We started at Marche Movenpick Restaurant. We've seen it on our trips to Coex and were curious. It has a pleasant European market atmosphere. We were seated and the hostess explained how to get our food. There are no menus; instead, she gave each of us a card to take around to the various food stations. After choosing a particular item, the server stamps the card with the price of the dish and gives you your food and the card. You continue moving around the restaurant and picking your food. Hence the name "Movenpick." It was basically a high-priced cafeteria. When you finish dining, you take your card to the cashier.

We started moving, but we weren't picking. Food choices either weren't what we wanted, or they were expensive. We finally decided to order ice cream. It's not often we eat dessert first. We then went across the plaza to Bennigan's.

Because of the holiday, the subway wasn't crowded, and we all had seats the entire trip (about 25 minutes).