Firstly, a link to the text of my second and last Handong column for LeTourneau's YellowJacket newspaper: my weekend visit to Busan.
Mid-terms are almost over for me. One more (Korean History) on Tuesday. This week marks the beginning of the semester's second half. I've had all the time in the world for keeping my desk tidy...
Church was good. The assistant pastor Prof. Schoenhoff, a German/Canadian/American guy (hard to pin nationalities on some of these Handong people), preached on Philippians 2:1-11. He used the example of Canadian maple trees to relate how we should "tap into" Jesus to put others above ourselves. I wasn't exactly sure how that related, but it was interesting and an uplifting sermon.
Last week, John (an Uzbek student) and I watched... wait for it... How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
This was voluntary, and no girls were in the room. Actually, one was in spirit, since John said his sister would make him watch it someday. We laughed so hard; I will make no judgments here on Matthew McConaughey's courting methods, but dang it, he deserved the girl after all she put him through.
Two Fridays ago I finally visited a Korean Wal-Mart. The trip over was cool; I sat beside this Mexican girl and brushed up on a bit of Spanish. I also know the Swahili word for "hello"... in two dialects.
The Wal-Mart wasn't so special, selection-wise, but the inclined escalators were fun. I bought some strange chocolate-covered donuts, as is my wont; also some bread that doesn't taste like the machine it was made on.
Did you know tuna and bananas go well together? I didn't.
In my psych class, we've discussed memory and learning. It's amazing what you can learn when there is the desire to learn; interest is a key factor in memory. I have studied a little for Korean History, and will soon study much more, but admittedly ancient and medieval Korean studies don't hold my interest of late.
However, Prof. DeVries handed out a copy of Tennyson's Ulysses in history class. I read it over last weekend and liked it so much, I started memorizing it. I'm about a third into it now.
Prof. DeVries links its meaning to the restless search for opportunity in the culture of American settlers. He doesn't hesitate for a moment to link Socrates and cowboys in a long chain of western civilization.
Tonight, Jordan and I went for dinner and a movie. He's the other American dude here, from Cedarville University. Both of us forgot our cameras, but I promise soon to have more pictures for you.
Until I do, feast your eyes with a link to a blog run by a guy named Andy in Korea. There are some pictures of Handong people on there, some of whom I know, along with copious amounts of Andy's devotional musings.
Several posts down, as of this writing, he got a highly flattering mugshot of me. Of more interest is the following pictures, of the DeVries family. Mr. DeVries is my teacher in American Society in Historical Perspective. Cool guy.
As I was saying, Jordan and I went dowtown. We had huge hamburgers from TGI Friday's, which was most delicious. Good conversation. And then, we went to the theater and saw 16 Blocks, a good Bruce Willis movie that I actually like better than Inside Man, despite the +10 baseline-coolness factor of having Clive Owen in your movie.
This was one of those random Sunday night things that I really appreciate doing. It really is sad how much time I spend just in my room here.
One of the things I do in my room is play Eve Online. It's an MMORPG that actually works on my laptop. I would show you a picture of my spaceship, but alas, it was destroyed today by pirates.
And now, for the necessary Ox-In-Downtown Picture (TM) that must accompany every post.
Apparently this man decided that having an ox and cart was cooler than having a car. He actually travels around town like this and does his business. Pretty cool.
I could talk about school and term papers and studying and all those things that take up most of my time, but I'd rather not. It's Monday morning and I should get some rest.
Plans are beginning to formulate, on the horizon, for some more travel in Korea. I'm trying to make sure I can actually afford some of it, but happily, I think travel and accomodations in this country are quite cheap. You can travel halfway across the country by bus for less money than a taxi ride across town.
We shall see what happens. ^^
Mid-terms are almost over for me. One more (Korean History) on Tuesday. This week marks the beginning of the semester's second half. I've had all the time in the world for keeping my desk tidy...
Church was good. The assistant pastor Prof. Schoenhoff, a German/Canadian/American guy (hard to pin nationalities on some of these Handong people), preached on Philippians 2:1-11. He used the example of Canadian maple trees to relate how we should "tap into" Jesus to put others above ourselves. I wasn't exactly sure how that related, but it was interesting and an uplifting sermon.
Last week, John (an Uzbek student) and I watched... wait for it... How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
This was voluntary, and no girls were in the room. Actually, one was in spirit, since John said his sister would make him watch it someday. We laughed so hard; I will make no judgments here on Matthew McConaughey's courting methods, but dang it, he deserved the girl after all she put him through.
Two Fridays ago I finally visited a Korean Wal-Mart. The trip over was cool; I sat beside this Mexican girl and brushed up on a bit of Spanish. I also know the Swahili word for "hello"... in two dialects.
The Wal-Mart wasn't so special, selection-wise, but the inclined escalators were fun. I bought some strange chocolate-covered donuts, as is my wont; also some bread that doesn't taste like the machine it was made on.
Did you know tuna and bananas go well together? I didn't.
In my psych class, we've discussed memory and learning. It's amazing what you can learn when there is the desire to learn; interest is a key factor in memory. I have studied a little for Korean History, and will soon study much more, but admittedly ancient and medieval Korean studies don't hold my interest of late.
However, Prof. DeVries handed out a copy of Tennyson's Ulysses in history class. I read it over last weekend and liked it so much, I started memorizing it. I'm about a third into it now.
Prof. DeVries links its meaning to the restless search for opportunity in the culture of American settlers. He doesn't hesitate for a moment to link Socrates and cowboys in a long chain of western civilization.
Tonight, Jordan and I went for dinner and a movie. He's the other American dude here, from Cedarville University. Both of us forgot our cameras, but I promise soon to have more pictures for you.
Until I do, feast your eyes with a link to a blog run by a guy named Andy in Korea. There are some pictures of Handong people on there, some of whom I know, along with copious amounts of Andy's devotional musings.
Several posts down, as of this writing, he got a highly flattering mugshot of me. Of more interest is the following pictures, of the DeVries family. Mr. DeVries is my teacher in American Society in Historical Perspective. Cool guy.
As I was saying, Jordan and I went dowtown. We had huge hamburgers from TGI Friday's, which was most delicious. Good conversation. And then, we went to the theater and saw 16 Blocks, a good Bruce Willis movie that I actually like better than Inside Man, despite the +10 baseline-coolness factor of having Clive Owen in your movie.
This was one of those random Sunday night things that I really appreciate doing. It really is sad how much time I spend just in my room here.
One of the things I do in my room is play Eve Online. It's an MMORPG that actually works on my laptop. I would show you a picture of my spaceship, but alas, it was destroyed today by pirates.
And now, for the necessary Ox-In-Downtown Picture (TM) that must accompany every post.
Apparently this man decided that having an ox and cart was cooler than having a car. He actually travels around town like this and does his business. Pretty cool.
I could talk about school and term papers and studying and all those things that take up most of my time, but I'd rather not. It's Monday morning and I should get some rest.
Plans are beginning to formulate, on the horizon, for some more travel in Korea. I'm trying to make sure I can actually afford some of it, but happily, I think travel and accomodations in this country are quite cheap. You can travel halfway across the country by bus for less money than a taxi ride across town.
We shall see what happens. ^^
Do me a favor, and be praying for some dear friends of mine...they're leaving as missionaries to Korea in several hours. I'll not see them for, at least, another year unless the Lord sees fit to allow me to visit them and join in the ministry for a month or so. (That would be my heart's desire.) :) Anyway, please keep the Willing family lifted in your prayers.
I wish you the very best and hope all the mid-terms go well for you. I'm sure even the Korean history will be found gripping before long. (You don't want to know how many research papers I had to write on that subject before I traveled there in 2004!) :) Keep up the good work.
"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" is a somewhat funny movie...but I don't think I know of any other guys who would watch it voluntarily.
I miss Wal-Mart. :'( (um, escalators??) K-mart does not compare...
Amy: I'll pray for the Willing family. Thanks for the note.
Charity: I do know who you are! Not sure if we officially met... I know you were at Covfamikoi last year and can't recall if I saw you after that.
Anywho. Australia rules. Say, I wonder how far apart in timezones we are. Probably not much.
As for the weather links, those are all places that I have lived for at least a month, and I like to check in on the weather... it's very different in those places at any given time.
The escalators are these tilted things, so that people can ride their buggies up to the next floor, as opposed to your normal step escalator. Real estate is very expensive here so all the big stores are at least 3 stories tall.
Oh, and I want an ox to carry be back and forth to school ::muses upon Larry's Everybody wants a Waterbuffalo song from Veggie Tales::
1) for it's cheapness,
2) for it's uniqueness,
3) and ... well ... I dare ya.
All I want from my brother in South Korea is an ox-pulling cart....
Ride an ox cart...
Do it while you have the chance.
Good to hear from you.
No idea about the time zones, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to figure out.
woah... I just realized that we DO have those weird tilted escalators at the malls here! And they say Americans are the lazy ones. :-P