08 April 2008
The twelve come on a fairly regular basis, good folks interested in reading and studying the Bible in English with the foreigner. Twelve, a good Biblical number, don't you think?
Three are Chinese and speak fluent English, as do most of the remaining Koreans. We have only forty-five minutes and the time goes quickly. Our time together is generally filled with the obligatory Bible passage, then peppered with lots of questions and resulting discussions. As expected, the longer we are together, the more we trust each other and the richer our discourse. While not antimated by any means, we are enjoying each other's company and the opportunity to find out how we can relate Biblical passages to our daily lives.
This past Sunday I took my camera to record our group. As you can see to the right, only half of our group came, but we were good! We've only six more Sundays together and like other things, our time together is much too short.
Following our lesson, we leave for worship service temporarily being held downstairs in the 21st Century Building auditorium. Members have broken ground and dedicated an ideal site for the future church. To be located above the main entrance to the university, the design is architecturally very modern with glass walls protruding skyward ending in triangular points. It is scheduled to be completed sometime next year.
Worship always begins and ends with one loud but muted sounding gong. It's a fitting sound invoking the tradition of Korea, albeit Buddhist. Students participate through music leadership, both singing and playing of instruments. AnNa, my assistant, plays the piano and I'm like a proud Mama as her fingers fly over the keys. Several students also read the day's scripture passage in Korean, Chinese and English. The service is very much like ours in the UMC and many of the hymns are familiar, so I sing in English while all around me is Korean. Sounds great! We even have the passing of peace, and you'll never guess who always seems the last one to return to her seat. Theology professors and our Chaplain take turns preaching each Sunday and although I don't understand a word of what they say, the spirit works just the same.
After service, which concludes exactly at 12:00 noon, a light brunch is served to everyone. On Easter morning, we each received a chicken leg with thigh and an Easter egg. Last Sunday it was a foot-long hotdog with pickles. Of course hot tea is always served. The ladies prepare the brunch just before each service, and my job last Sunday (token, I think) was to take the wrapped hotdogs to the table for later distribution. We have a good time meeting new folks and catching-up with others.
JB
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Black Ginseng, Ying and Yang
04 April 2008
Black Ginseng, with a component of Saponin, is purported to be at least 15-20 times more potent than the more common white or red ginseng. It is supposed to heal hormonal imbalances, put more estrogen in women, give men stamina, help with diabetes, cure most cancers, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and upset stomachs. It also helps maintain a healthy heart, protects the liver, helps all sorts of diets, slows the aging process, and best of all (so says the ad) there are no side-effects.
Ginseng, also spelled Ginsing, is grown in great quantity about one hour south of here in the large farming area of South Korea called Geumsan. Last weekend, I was invited to visit the area with Mesuk, Park, her husband and their sixteen year old daughter Yu Jeong, Yoo. Mesuk attends Pai Chai University Chapel with me on Sundays.
Our trip was filled with short English phrases, quick tap-taps on the battery-powered translation machine and many "What is that?" questions from my side of the car. The Korean mountains were beautiful and being a misty, cloudy day, the tops were enshrouded in fog creating an ethereal look. As soon as we rounded one curve I knew we were there. The land on either side was cut into long, narrow, extremely straight, and raised rows. Every single row was partially hidden by black plastic stapled to thin wooden frames in the shape of the letter "L", listing to the right. In South Georgia they call it a "lean to"...a small roof that "leans to" the side of a house - you know, where you'd park your car.
Anyway, there were miles and miles, farm after farm and plot after plot of these black plastic covered rows with ginseng growing underneath. You see, ginseng does not like sun. It also takes anywhere from 5-10 years for the stuff to grow before harvesting. This is definitely reflected in the price.
Mesuk wanted me to see the ginseng market. It reminded me of the Statesboro Tobacco market...long rows and numerous aisles of sellers with their product, each one hoping you'll buy from them. It was fascinating and as we walked down the aisles, one lady spoke to Mesuk. They had gone to elementary school together, so naturally we bought from her. I really wanted only one ginseng root...like one carrot, but either something was lost in translation and hand motions or you can't do that. I ended up with almost a kilogram of some of the best! Cost? $20,000KRW or $20.00USD. Mesuk's friend allowed me to take her picture.
After the market, we went to a famous restaurant in the area for dinner. Sitting Korean style of course, we each had a big, personal bowl of steaming rice, chicken and ginseng soup. Absolutely delicious!
Mesuk has another friend who perfected the black ginseng. She presented me with a box filled with individual packets of the black liquid that is to be drunk as-is...one a day.
Not only should I be in good shape come the end of May but my ying and yang will be also be balanced!
JB
Black Ginseng, with a component of Saponin, is purported to be at least 15-20 times more potent than the more common white or red ginseng. It is supposed to heal hormonal imbalances, put more estrogen in women, give men stamina, help with diabetes, cure most cancers, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, and upset stomachs. It also helps maintain a healthy heart, protects the liver, helps all sorts of diets, slows the aging process, and best of all (so says the ad) there are no side-effects.
Ginseng, also spelled Ginsing, is grown in great quantity about one hour south of here in the large farming area of South Korea called Geumsan. Last weekend, I was invited to visit the area with Mesuk, Park, her husband and their sixteen year old daughter Yu Jeong, Yoo. Mesuk attends Pai Chai University Chapel with me on Sundays.
Our trip was filled with short English phrases, quick tap-taps on the battery-powered translation machine and many "What is that?" questions from my side of the car. The Korean mountains were beautiful and being a misty, cloudy day, the tops were enshrouded in fog creating an ethereal look. As soon as we rounded one curve I knew we were there. The land on either side was cut into long, narrow, extremely straight, and raised rows. Every single row was partially hidden by black plastic stapled to thin wooden frames in the shape of the letter "L", listing to the right. In South Georgia they call it a "lean to"...a small roof that "leans to" the side of a house - you know, where you'd park your car.
Anyway, there were miles and miles, farm after farm and plot after plot of these black plastic covered rows with ginseng growing underneath. You see, ginseng does not like sun. It also takes anywhere from 5-10 years for the stuff to grow before harvesting. This is definitely reflected in the price.
Mesuk wanted me to see the ginseng market. It reminded me of the Statesboro Tobacco market...long rows and numerous aisles of sellers with their product, each one hoping you'll buy from them. It was fascinating and as we walked down the aisles, one lady spoke to Mesuk. They had gone to elementary school together, so naturally we bought from her. I really wanted only one ginseng root...like one carrot, but either something was lost in translation and hand motions or you can't do that. I ended up with almost a kilogram of some of the best! Cost? $20,000KRW or $20.00USD. Mesuk's friend allowed me to take her picture.
After the market, we went to a famous restaurant in the area for dinner. Sitting Korean style of course, we each had a big, personal bowl of steaming rice, chicken and ginseng soup. Absolutely delicious!
Mesuk has another friend who perfected the black ginseng. She presented me with a box filled with individual packets of the black liquid that is to be drunk as-is...one a day.
Not only should I be in good shape come the end of May but my ying and yang will be also be balanced!
JB
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Trust and Responsibility
26 March 2008
My purpose in coming to serve as an Individual Volunteer in Taejeon and Pai Chai University was to teach a class in Missiology, an English class to the Appenzeller & Howard College Honor's English students and lead an adult English Bible Study during Sunday School hour. Since arriving, I've also been asked to speak to a Saturday group of students whose purpose in meeting is to develop leadership skills. Additionally, we're contemplating the establishment of another "less structured" English class due to interest and requests.
The university students are bright, energetic yet shy, extremely polite, technologically savvy, very interested in learning, beautiful, and have an absolutely delightful sense of humor. They dress in the latest fashions and all the young women sport designer-label handbags. Every single one has the newest cellphone complete with Korean/English dictionaries, calculators, cameras and internet access ... and probably much more, I just don't know the tech-talk.
Yet, with all this, they seem somehow lost in time in terms of life experiences, perhaps protected along the way, unexposed to the fast-paced culture the same-aged students in North America learned while still in middle or high school. Selfishly, I believe this is a good thing. They appear clean, unvarnished, wholesome, innocent, and trusting - still moldable.
It's not an easy task to prepare to teach them. To have such awesome young men and women in front of you each day and for such a short time is a tremendous responsibility. It's serious business and they deserve the best.
They trust me and I can't let them down.
JB
My purpose in coming to serve as an Individual Volunteer in Taejeon and Pai Chai University was to teach a class in Missiology, an English class to the Appenzeller & Howard College Honor's English students and lead an adult English Bible Study during Sunday School hour. Since arriving, I've also been asked to speak to a Saturday group of students whose purpose in meeting is to develop leadership skills. Additionally, we're contemplating the establishment of another "less structured" English class due to interest and requests.
The university students are bright, energetic yet shy, extremely polite, technologically savvy, very interested in learning, beautiful, and have an absolutely delightful sense of humor. They dress in the latest fashions and all the young women sport designer-label handbags. Every single one has the newest cellphone complete with Korean/English dictionaries, calculators, cameras and internet access ... and probably much more, I just don't know the tech-talk.
Yet, with all this, they seem somehow lost in time in terms of life experiences, perhaps protected along the way, unexposed to the fast-paced culture the same-aged students in North America learned while still in middle or high school. Selfishly, I believe this is a good thing. They appear clean, unvarnished, wholesome, innocent, and trusting - still moldable.
It's not an easy task to prepare to teach them. To have such awesome young men and women in front of you each day and for such a short time is a tremendous responsibility. It's serious business and they deserve the best.
They trust me and I can't let them down.
JB
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Homemade Korean Dinner
19 March 2008
Last Saturday night, new friends invited me to their home for dinner. Rev. Lee and his wife Park, Hye Jung and Yo Seh, their thirteen year old son, live in the same building as I do and it was a special honor to have been invited into their home. Rev. Lee and I are colleagues in the Theology Department at Pai Chai University.
Hye Jung had prepared a delicious meal of salad w/kiwi dressing, duck, beef, mushrooms, rice and kim (seaweed). For dessert, she provided cheese cake, herb tea or coffee and a perfectly arranged bowl of fresh strawberries (it's strawberry season here) that were so large and perfectly shaped they almost looked fake. They were sweet and absolutely delicious! Naturally, we ate Korean style from the lovely wooden table in the living room.
Hye Jung graduated with a degree in music, her major being voice. She has a piano that she also plays and is an artist with oils as well. They took a year of sabbatical in Clairmont, CA and Yo Seh attended school while there. They've also lived in Germany. She speaks very good, but limited English, yet understands a great deal. Yo Seh speaks English very well, but his parents say he doesn't like to speak it back home in Korea as none of his friends do. Lee of course, speaks all three languages very well. We had much to share.
It was a delightful evening eating, listening to the background music of Placido Domingo and enjoying getting to know each other.
Included with this blog are a couple of pictures of the evening before Yo Seh, being a typical teenager, retreated to his computer.
Best,
JB
Last Saturday night, new friends invited me to their home for dinner. Rev. Lee and his wife Park, Hye Jung and Yo Seh, their thirteen year old son, live in the same building as I do and it was a special honor to have been invited into their home. Rev. Lee and I are colleagues in the Theology Department at Pai Chai University.
Hye Jung had prepared a delicious meal of salad w/kiwi dressing, duck, beef, mushrooms, rice and kim (seaweed). For dessert, she provided cheese cake, herb tea or coffee and a perfectly arranged bowl of fresh strawberries (it's strawberry season here) that were so large and perfectly shaped they almost looked fake. They were sweet and absolutely delicious! Naturally, we ate Korean style from the lovely wooden table in the living room.
Hye Jung graduated with a degree in music, her major being voice. She has a piano that she also plays and is an artist with oils as well. They took a year of sabbatical in Clairmont, CA and Yo Seh attended school while there. They've also lived in Germany. She speaks very good, but limited English, yet understands a great deal. Yo Seh speaks English very well, but his parents say he doesn't like to speak it back home in Korea as none of his friends do. Lee of course, speaks all three languages very well. We had much to share.
It was a delightful evening eating, listening to the background music of Placido Domingo and enjoying getting to know each other.
Included with this blog are a couple of pictures of the evening before Yo Seh, being a typical teenager, retreated to his computer.
Best,
JB
Trash Prancing
19 March 2008
Early Tuesday morning I was primed and ready to make my first trash deposit per my "remedial recycling 7x's" lesson from An Na. I planned on taking it down then returning for breakfast and final preparations before leaving for work.
With trash cradled in my arm and poised on left hip, I pranced into the elevator, proud of my accomplishment thus far and everything packaged just so. On the fourth floor, the elevator stopped and a nice looking Korean woman/neighbor got on. She bowed politely, as did I - or at least as best as one can bow with a hip load of neatly packed trash. Then she smiled and pointed toward the ceiling, saying something to me. I smiled and said, "Han gook mal, chal mot hamn ni dah" or "I'm sorry, I don't speak Korean".
Departing on the first floor and opening the outside door, she stopped, waved her arm across the parking lot indicating there were NO trash receptacles! She then said "something" and waved her arm in an arc toward the right, finally pointing her finger down...I got it..."NEXT Tuesday"!
Somewhat dejected and no longer prancing, I returned to the elevator and made my way back up (toward the ceiling) - laughing all the way. When I told An Na, we had an better laugh as even she didn't know trash was picked up every OTHER Tuesday.
At last, I can hold my head high again.
Best,
JB
Early Tuesday morning I was primed and ready to make my first trash deposit per my "remedial recycling 7x's" lesson from An Na. I planned on taking it down then returning for breakfast and final preparations before leaving for work.
With trash cradled in my arm and poised on left hip, I pranced into the elevator, proud of my accomplishment thus far and everything packaged just so. On the fourth floor, the elevator stopped and a nice looking Korean woman/neighbor got on. She bowed politely, as did I - or at least as best as one can bow with a hip load of neatly packed trash. Then she smiled and pointed toward the ceiling, saying something to me. I smiled and said, "Han gook mal, chal mot hamn ni dah" or "I'm sorry, I don't speak Korean".
Departing on the first floor and opening the outside door, she stopped, waved her arm across the parking lot indicating there were NO trash receptacles! She then said "something" and waved her arm in an arc toward the right, finally pointing her finger down...I got it..."NEXT Tuesday"!
Somewhat dejected and no longer prancing, I returned to the elevator and made my way back up (toward the ceiling) - laughing all the way. When I told An Na, we had an better laugh as even she didn't know trash was picked up every OTHER Tuesday.
At last, I can hold my head high again.
Best,
JB
Friday, March 14, 2008
Slurping and Hiding
15 March 2008
Kim, Min Sun, a member of my Sunday Bible Study class, invited me to lunch yesterday. Joining us was San He, her Ewha Womans University sister. Ewha is a prestigious university, founded by Methodist missionary, Mary F. Scranton in 1886. They graduated a class apart, but didn't meet each other until a few years ago.
The restaurant was on the second floor of a high rise building located in "new" downtown Taejon. Stepping out of the elevator, we were warmly greeted and escorted into a small, private dining room that Min Sun had reserved. Soon, lunch started to arrive, and arrive and arrive.
We started with salads, a large variety of them...all in small dishes, perfectly presented, and we reached across the table, scooping up an amount for our individual eating bowls. Still learning the art of eating with chop sticks, Min Sun and San He gave me a little latitude and even placed food in my eating bowl for me. Following the salads came more bowls, plates of food, a hot pot of steamed rice for each of us, and finally a large platter of 5, still sizzling fish- whole. There must have been at least 31 little bowls and plates on the table, each one filled with a different kind of vegetable, selection of noodles, or meat - it was filled and no room for another. Glad I'm not the dishwasher!
It seemed then, we ate in a freenzy, reaching, slurping (yes Jill, Mom slurped), leaning over the eating bowl as noodles slid into our mouths and finally, leaning back exclaiming, "I'm full!" Then we talked. It was a good time talking women's issues of today and they even asked me about Eliot Spitzer!
Just before getting on the elevator, there was a loud siren outside - like that of air-raids or tornado warnings. A bit alarmed, they quickly assured me all was well - it was a nation-wide drill called Min Pang We Wullan. It's held on the 15th of each month unless the 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday - then it's held on Friday. It was Friday and the emergency drill lasts for 15 minutes. Everything must stop, people are to hide in buildings. It's in preparation for a possible attack from North Korea.
Looking down on the 4-lane street with every single car frozen in place, the only person in sight being military standing guard under the traffic light, was like watching a scene from The Twilight Zone. (Did I just give away my age?) Even Min Sun and San He seemed a bit subdued. Then, the siren sounded again, and slowly the city came back to life. People reappeared from hiding and the world seemed to be okay. North Korea did not attack.
All is well here!
JB
Kim, Min Sun, a member of my Sunday Bible Study class, invited me to lunch yesterday. Joining us was San He, her Ewha Womans University sister. Ewha is a prestigious university, founded by Methodist missionary, Mary F. Scranton in 1886. They graduated a class apart, but didn't meet each other until a few years ago.
The restaurant was on the second floor of a high rise building located in "new" downtown Taejon. Stepping out of the elevator, we were warmly greeted and escorted into a small, private dining room that Min Sun had reserved. Soon, lunch started to arrive, and arrive and arrive.
We started with salads, a large variety of them...all in small dishes, perfectly presented, and we reached across the table, scooping up an amount for our individual eating bowls. Still learning the art of eating with chop sticks, Min Sun and San He gave me a little latitude and even placed food in my eating bowl for me. Following the salads came more bowls, plates of food, a hot pot of steamed rice for each of us, and finally a large platter of 5, still sizzling fish- whole. There must have been at least 31 little bowls and plates on the table, each one filled with a different kind of vegetable, selection of noodles, or meat - it was filled and no room for another. Glad I'm not the dishwasher!
It seemed then, we ate in a freenzy, reaching, slurping (yes Jill, Mom slurped), leaning over the eating bowl as noodles slid into our mouths and finally, leaning back exclaiming, "I'm full!" Then we talked. It was a good time talking women's issues of today and they even asked me about Eliot Spitzer!
Just before getting on the elevator, there was a loud siren outside - like that of air-raids or tornado warnings. A bit alarmed, they quickly assured me all was well - it was a nation-wide drill called Min Pang We Wullan. It's held on the 15th of each month unless the 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday - then it's held on Friday. It was Friday and the emergency drill lasts for 15 minutes. Everything must stop, people are to hide in buildings. It's in preparation for a possible attack from North Korea.
Looking down on the 4-lane street with every single car frozen in place, the only person in sight being military standing guard under the traffic light, was like watching a scene from The Twilight Zone. (Did I just give away my age?) Even Min Sun and San He seemed a bit subdued. Then, the siren sounded again, and slowly the city came back to life. People reappeared from hiding and the world seemed to be okay. North Korea did not attack.
All is well here!
JB
Remedial Recycling x's 7
15 March 2008
The South Koreans are light years ahead of the US, well, at least Hilton Head, in terms of recycling. It's been explained to me at least twice and I'm still not certain I've got it right. Providing a bit of remedial education, An Na placed a row of "sorting boxes" along the wall in my laundry room. The next thing will be to label them if I still get it wrong.
She gave me a box for soft plastic - zip lock bags, saran wrap, grocery bags and the like. Then the box for hard plastic - water bottles, Sprite bottles, orange juice bottles. Next is the one for flattened cardboard - milk cartons, cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes (we haven't gotten to the empty tooth paste tube yet). Next is the one for soft paper - paper towels, kleenex. Then, ladies and gentlemen, we have the box for cans...any can can go in here (isn't there a song in there somewhere?) .
But we've two more to go...a box for newspaper and magazines and finally, in spot number 7...the box for all food stuff - BUT, before putting it in the box, it must be housed in a very special lime-green plastic bag that's purchased at the market. Got all that?
Taking it all down on Tuesdays and making sure it's deposited in the proper street containers is my next lesson! I do know this, the food must be shaken out of the lime-green bags - into the food container, fairly gross. --- wait a minute...I think the lime-green bag is for soft paper, not food ... An Na !!
The South Koreans are light years ahead of the US, well, at least Hilton Head, in terms of recycling. It's been explained to me at least twice and I'm still not certain I've got it right. Providing a bit of remedial education, An Na placed a row of "sorting boxes" along the wall in my laundry room. The next thing will be to label them if I still get it wrong.
She gave me a box for soft plastic - zip lock bags, saran wrap, grocery bags and the like. Then the box for hard plastic - water bottles, Sprite bottles, orange juice bottles. Next is the one for flattened cardboard - milk cartons, cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes (we haven't gotten to the empty tooth paste tube yet). Next is the one for soft paper - paper towels, kleenex. Then, ladies and gentlemen, we have the box for cans...any can can go in here (isn't there a song in there somewhere?) .
But we've two more to go...a box for newspaper and magazines and finally, in spot number 7...the box for all food stuff - BUT, before putting it in the box, it must be housed in a very special lime-green plastic bag that's purchased at the market. Got all that?
Taking it all down on Tuesdays and making sure it's deposited in the proper street containers is my next lesson! I do know this, the food must be shaken out of the lime-green bags - into the food container, fairly gross. --- wait a minute...I think the lime-green bag is for soft paper, not food ... An Na !!
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