Say AHH!

What could have been a wonderful weekend has turned into a weekend of grossness and of pain. Robin and I have strep throat. I didn't even know adults got that. I thought it was a shitty thing that elementary students got but apparently teachers get it as well and let me tell you, it sucks as much I remember. This past weekend was Robin's birthday (well, technically it's today) and we had planned to do number of things. I did manage to take here out for Indian food Saturday night before either of us were really that sick but soon after that, both of our muscles started aching and by the time Sunday morning came around, we felt as though we had been run over by firetrucks. Instead of singing for Mass and for the evening Lessons and Carols service, which we had been looking forward to for a couple of weeks, we laid around, not able to do much and not able to eat much. We were able to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" and most of "Howl's Moving Castle" which was some reprieve from awful burning sensation in our throats.

This morning, we both went to Yonsei Hospital's international walk-in clinic. I didn't trust going to a Korean doctor on Ganghwa. The staff there was very nice and it was neither dirty or crowded like Gimpo hospital. We were both diagnosed with strep throat. Well, 'acute tonsilitis'. We were given antibiotics and iodine mouth wash (yummy). After that, I returned Ganghwa and Samryang High School with a doctor's note in order to explain why I couldn't teach any classes today. They couldn' get the idea that my voice was completely shot and couldn't possibly talk for the duration of one 50 minute class, nevermind four. They tried telling me that if I took a nap, I would be better. They apparently have no idea what strep thoat is. I can't raise my voice over a certain level without it being excruciatingly painful. They finally relented after I mentioned that I can take a sick day provided that I have a doctor's note which I had. Those crazy Koreans. But anyway, I've been sleeping most of today, only having woken up a few minutes ago to eat some ice cream and take some antibiotics. I'm feeling a little better but not much. Hopefully, I will be right as rain tomorrow.

Sapientiatide

Tomorrow, as some of you may know, begins the 'mini' liturgical season of Sapientiatide, which is sort of a precursor to Christmastide. In the ancient Church and presently, the season celebrated the mystery of the Incarnation. However, there are only vestiges of this major liturgical cycle retained in the modern Church, namely in the the Magnificat antiphons at Vespers between the 17th and 23rd of December. However, these antiphons are better known combined as the lyrics to the beloved carol, O Come, O Come Immanuel. As we move into the final days of Advent and prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, I think its fitting to reflect upon the mystery of the Incarnation and the love of God that it so strongly demonstrates. These ancient antiphons are not only quite beautiful, they help us reflect on this very crucial reality.

Dec 17th:* O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end [of the heavens] to another, and dost mightily and sweetly order all things: come to teach us the way of prudence!

Dec 18th: O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai: come to redeem us with outstretched arm!

Dec 19th: O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom the kings shall shut their mouths, unto whom the Gentiles shall seek: come to deliver us, make no tarrying!

Dec 20th: O Key of Davd and Sceptre of the house of Israel; that openest and no man shutteth; and shuttest and no man openeth: come to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death!

Dec 21st: O Day-spring Brightness of the everlasting Light, Sun of Righteousness: come to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death!

Dec 22nd: O King of the Gentiles, yea, and Desire thereof, O Cornerstone that makest of twain [two] one: come to save man, whom Thou hast made of the dust of the earth!

Dec 23rd: O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and Salvation thereof: come to save us, O Lord our God

(from the Anglican Breviary)

Aquinas' Treatise on the Incarnation from the Summa Theologiae

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.TP_Q1.html

Athanasius' On the Incarnation

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation.i.html?highlight=on,the,incarnation#highlight

Poem for Robin

Should I post this or should I not. Oh well, it has been done:
From the high vaulted ceiling of the night,
the myriad stars set within Heavens' dome,
though dimmed across the aether's bound and by
the ill weakness of our eyes now pursued,
shine for us only this night, though all Seoul,
does sleep beneath the same celestial cover.
O Lover! (And yes, you are my lover),
let me take your hand, let me hold you close.
Let me, now, in my failing French proclaim,
“Je t'aime.” And at your blushing reply,
raising your head to mine, I will kiss you,
our embrace becoming ever closer
and this, our love-fever ever hotter,
cooled only by the chill of the starry night.

Christmastime in Ganghwa.

I'm sitting here, unshaven, listening to Christmas music, having just done some reading. I had most of today off. My students are taking their final exams. The time I was there, I just finished writing out Christmas cards. This past weekend, like every weekend, was quite wonderful. I am very much in love with Robin. I don't think that's a mystery to anyone, considering the way I speak about her. Any time I spend with her is amazing, even just sitting together reading silently. We did not really do any of that this weekend. It was actually a very busy weekend. Saturday, we went to house warming party of a Korean friend of ours. We had a wonderful dinner there. Stewed chicken, noodles and no kimchi in sight. Jennifer, whose house we were visiting, gave Robin a wonderful necklace hand made onGanghwa. It is very pretty.

After dinner, we headed back to Seoul to Robin's apartment. We watched the Passion of Joan of Arc, which is an incredibly powerful film chronicling the trial and execution of the saint, directed by a young Carl Th. Dreyer. It's not a very romantic film but it is wonderfully moving. I have seen it before but the scene where Joan is refused the Blessed Sacrament by the chief priest brought a tear to my eye once again. The black and white cinematography, focusing on the facial expressions of the actor, allows the viewer to be engaged in the emotions of the characters and ultimately to fear the suffering and the humiliation of Joan. It is a wonderful film. Robin really loved it.

The following, we went to Mass at the English Mission. The both of us got to the chapel early to rehearse for the choir. Robin has a beautiful voice and is much more musically inclined than I am. She follows all the choir jargon perfectly well while I have no idea even what parts I'm supposed to sing. I must seem so ignorant to everyone. My lack of musical training is a little emabarassing. I feel slightly uneducated in that regard. Oh, the things one does for love. But we sang one of my favourite hymns Be Thou My Vision which turns out be one of Robin's also.

After Mass, we went to lunch with a friend we met at church. His name was Chris. He's an incredibly intelligent guy, with a pretty good knowledge of Koine Greek. He definitely had his eye on Robin which definitely made me rather jealous. We ended up going to a Thai place that's in the same building as Robin's school. It was very good. It blows Korean food out the water any day.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be updating again soon

Providence

Certain events in my life, especially as of late, have called me to reflect on the role of Providence within my own life. For me it has always been such an abstract concept and one that, though I have always believed in as dogma, never really felt its power within my own life until now. Providence, God's plan for creation, can be understood in two senses. The first being more of a general type of Providence. God simply provides for all. This the meaning of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount: " That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."(Matt. 6:45). It is through God's providence that we have everything. The sun, the rain, food, drink, love, and even beer can be understood in this way. They are gifts to mankind in general. We must be thankful for these kinds of gifts and many of them, of course, are life sustaining. One couldn't live without sunshine or oxygen for instance. These gifts are for everyone, however, and are not aimed at the individual person. There is, however, a second type of Providence and it is one that is harder to understand and for most, including myself, harder to believe. This second type is Providence ordered toward the individual and is experienced as a special gift, a miracle even, that equips the individual to better to serve the will of God. This idea of Providence is expressed throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testement. Gifts such as prophecy and kingship can be seen in this context as well as the election of Israel (think of all the instances of God breaking the natural order to come to the aid of Israel). For us, especially in the modern world, this is pretty tough to believe. The idea that God breaks through the barrier of the natural order of things to intervene in our daily lives seems pretty absurd. It was pretty easy for the Puritans to believe in this and they believed in it alot but for us, it seems almost silly. As Christians, we believe (or rather, are supposed to believe) that with God anything is possible. But we tend dismiss miracles and throw providence on the rubbish heap of erroneous ideas. And I, like most, have effectively done this while still maintaining the doctrinal notion. However, there are certains events and certain feelings that I have recently developed that make me reconsider Providence. I am left speechless now and in awe because without a doubt Providence is working in my life and not in some abstract theological sense but in a very visceral sort of way. I must thank God for these precious gifts that I have received and am receiving still. This Thanksgiving will be special in a way that I never thought possible.

Good Morning

For those of you who do not know (and there cannot be many), I have a new girlfriend. Her name is Robin Fox. She's from Ohio originally but has been living in the Chicago area for the last couple of years. She is actually quite an amazing person and I have to admit that I am completely smitten. This past weekend, she and I joined the choir at the Anglican English Mission in Seoul. She is a lovely singer and with her charm (and I must say its significant), she was able to convince me to join as well. If you don't know, that's quite an accomplishment. My voice is mediocre at best and I can't really read music. I have a vague idea of how to follow along with the notes once a song has been started up but other than that I'm pretty illiterate. So this past Sunday, after Mass, we both went to breakfast with the choir on the US military base at Yongsan. The breakfast was incredible and was totally Anglo-American in character. It was definitely the first time I have seen bacon, eggs, and proper breakfast sausage in Korea. And let me tell you, it was was delicious. They even had a proper cup of coffee. There was none of that sugury, heated-up coffee milk stuff in sight. It was actually brewed. After that, we all went to Craig's house, which is on base. He is a US diplomat and his home is incredible. Robin and I decided that he's actually some kind of spy. But anyway, his wife is sort of the de facto music director for the Mission so we all gathered around her piano and practiced for the Lessons and Carols service which will be next Sunday evening. My only salvation was that I was familiar with all the hymns. Robin is a really talented musician but coming from pentecostal background, she's pretty unfamiliar with all the old English hymns. She more than made up for that unfamiliarity, with her shear musical talent. I have to say, she sings like an angel. I have never heard a voice that touches me so.

The evening before, last Saturday, she observed my birthday and made an unbelievable supper, steak smothered in a mushroom sauce with real mash potatoes. She is a very good cook and insists on making me dinner every time I come over. Everything she makes, including just her french fries, is like it was hand crafted by angels. It is ma-sit-sey-o, as the Koreans would say. After dinner, she brought out a birthday cake which she picked up at the local bakery. Like most Korean (supposedly western style ones), It was covered with random bits of fruit (kiwis, strawberries, and bananas). It was delicious. After the cake, she gave me my birthday present, which I have to say, was as wonderful as presents get. She got me a coffee pot. Yes, a real coffee pot. I have never seen one in Korea and was under the impression that you couldn't get them at all. But she managed to find one, knowing how much I object to Korean style coffee. She also got me some coffee grounds and told me where I could find them in Seoul. That present made me so happy. Now I can have a decent cup of coffee in the morning.

The weekend before last, Robin, myself, and Paul went up to Paju to the DMZ. It was an absolutely fascinating experience. Before entering we went to this monutment park, adjacent to the DMZ itself. It is the closest that South Koreans can get to the North. They are not ordinarily allowed in the DMZ. The most interesting part of the memorial were the old military relics from the Korean War. They had a small collection of old Jeeps, Sherman tanks, and even a Saber built for the R.O.K. by the US. I have some brilliant photos of that. Also at this park, was the Freedom Bridge, actually the furthest point north in South Korea. It is where North and South Korean forces exchanged prisoners at the close of the Korean conflict in 1953. At that place, mounted in the barbed wire fence is impromptu shrine set up South Koreans in remembrance of family members still in the North. It is a very emotional place and reminds one of how bitter and tragic the human experience can be.

After seeing the Freedom Bridge, we moved in the DMZ itself. We took a tour bus in and had to show out passports to the Joint Security personnel. Once we were in the DMZ itself, we toured a number of interesting locations. The first place we went to was the Third Tunnel, which was built by the North Koreans in an attempt to infiltrate the South. It was extremely deep in the earth and was a pretty decent hike in and out. It is extremely terrifying to think of the consequences if the tunnel was a success. The tunnel is only 30 miles from downtown Seoul. after the tunnel, we went to the Dora observatory but it was an extremely cloudy day so we could not see much. If it had been clearer, we would have been able to see some of the North Korean military operations and the propaganda village set up in the North. That would have been really cool. After this, out last stop was the Dorasan train station, which was very odd. It is a train station that goes no where. It was built in anticipation for the reunification of Korea. There are even custom agents there who do nothing. The most eerie part of the whole station was the electronic timetable with no arivals or departures scheduled. They even have the platform labelled "Pyeongyang" (the North Korean capitol). Well, I'm running out of time so I will end my post here. I promise to update really soon.

And yes, I still have a cold.

I still have a cold. It it is a little better but my throat is hoarse from a combination of the cold itself and the fact that I'm a teacher. My second grade middle schoolers were particularly nasty today. I generally start off each lesson with a hangman game as sort of an introductory activity. Most kids like it, especially when there is candy involved, and it gets them warmed up for the lesson of the day. Well, tonight we didn't get past hangman. Today's class was an endless game of hangman, constantly being interrupted by cackling girls, cell phone (in korean, hand pone) sound effects, and screaming, which altogether sounded something like a train derailment. Speaking loud, if you didn't know already, doesn't do a thing, but for some reason it always seems like a necessity. Nothing I tried could curb their behavior. None them, especially the girls, would shut up long enough that the game could progress so what was supposed to be an introductory type thing became the entireity of the class. My other classes are quite manageble. Sure, they're all adolescent punks raging with hormone but they are not demon children like these kids. They can't even be bribed, they can't be disciplined, but these 2nd graders disregard everything. They don't want to even try to learn or even have fun. They disregard any discipline I try to enforce. Pushups just don't matter to them. The are impudent little brats and pretty unmanageable. I grit my teeth and just attempt to present my lesson, hoping that a few get something out of it. What else can I do with these kids. It's something like the myth of Sisyphus, where I am constantly rolling a boulder up hill, never being able to reach the top.

And the winner is........Obama

Though I pretty much oppose his entire platform and in fact voted for McCain over a month ago, I feel America has made the right decision in electing Barack Obama president. McCain in the last month or so, after Obama started to show a clear lead in the polls, has run a completely sleezy campaign involving character assassination and false accusations of unpatriotism. What kind of way is that to run a presidential campaign, especially from someone who was supposed to be noted for being a moderate in the true sense of the word. All I have to say to you Sen. McCain is shame on you. Shame on you for conceding to Bush and Co. Shame on you for conceding to the religious right. Were you not the Republican who once had enough balls to call Jerry Falwell a bigot, who said that the religious right "was an evil that needed to be removed from the party"? Were you not once a hero, whose entire legacy was built on fairness and decency? In the last two months you have completely sullied that legacy. You have taken part in the neo-conservative dismantling of the true Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan. So in the end, the man who proved to be the better man won and that man is Obama. And I think it is fair to say that the Republican Party needs to return to its once core values of fiscal conservatism, laissez-faire capitalism, social libertarianism or it will die out like the Whigs of old. Obama may almost be a socialist but at least he didn't resort to cheap cowardly tricks and that is a great testement to the man's character and that is a quality we definitely want in our president. God Bless you, Barack and God keep you because there is no way in heck I would want the job you were just hired for.

Pictures around Gangwha

Darn, I Have a Cold

Apparently, I have a cold. Aside from the pickled crab incident, this is the first time I have been even remotely ill. And like a cold anywhere, it is not fun. However, it is compounded by the fact that it is taboo to blow one's nose in public. So yeah, that is a pretty difficult obstacle to tackle. Other than that, my day has gone well. My second grade middle schoolers were very well behaved today, although it did take some time to get them rounded up and into the English Zone. Once they were there, however, I was able to present my lesson perfectly. This past weekend was pretty eventful. Friday was the big pan-Gangwha teachers meeting. By the way, dog is not as bad as one would suppose. It tastes a little like overcooked beef. I'm sure that brief aside has offended all my friends and family. Oh, well. After dinner, all the Samryang teachers who were not completely toasted and some who were, went to a noribung which is Korea's answer to karaoke. It is completely insane and all the Koreans are really into it. They ham it up really well and belt out all the old classics. Well, all the old classics of Korea which is some of the worst music ever recorded. It is actually pretty entertaining to see all the Korean teachers, most of whom exude a very solemn presence at school, completely pissed and making asses out of themelves. After noribung, everyone was absolutely wasted, except the two westerners, Paul and myself, and we all went back to our homes. It was 10 pm. It is generally an early evening here in Korea. They knock back a a couple bottles of soju and before you know they are absolutely stupid drunk. It's not the best way to spend an evening. They really don't know how to pace themselves. It is a really shame. I've drank decent Scotch with Koreans and they knock it back, not enjoying the taste at all. It's a unfortunate philosophy on drinking. Saturday morning, the guy from KT cable came to set up my internet. It took hours for him to get the bloody thing installed. He was climbing up trees and under things to locate the proper cable which I had shown as soon as he had gotten there. Saturday night was sort of the neighborhood potluck. I made clam chowder, which I have to say, came out very well. The clams from the this region are very good. The Koreans were very impressed by it and divided the extra chowder like crazy. Paul brought his famous pasties (to the uninitiated, those are small meat pies). Altogether, it was a good day. Sunday morning, I went to church in Seoul at the English service at the Anglican Cathedral. It was a good service and it is always good to hear Rev'd Mooney's thick Irish brogue in the heart of Korea. After the service, I went out with a couple of friends for lunch then walked around Hyewha and later Dongdaemun. It was a fine afternoon and morning. Later that day, I went back to my apartment, got some of the chowder I had set aside for Barb's going away party, and went over to her apartment to join the gang. It was a pretty good time. Everyone enjoyed the chowder. We played charades most of the evening and drank cocktail. Bloody Mary's were very popular that evening. After that, I went back to the cozy little hamlet of Naeg-myun, nestled into my covers, and went to bed awaiting the next morning.

Halloween, Guy Fawke's Day, and Chowder

Last night was the Gangwha crew's combination Halloween and Guy Fawke's celebration which meant soju mixed with orange soda in keeping with the autumn theme of the night. Aside from that and the mac and cheese being called mummy brains, it was like every Wednesday night: soju, makju, and later, nuribung. Any well, its always a good time. I forgot to give Matt my extra helmet which is officially the third time I have forgotten it. Oh, well. Its such a hassle getting down to Ganghwa -eup, where everyone lives. Its either at 45 minute bus ride or an half hour motorbike round down there and there is no bus later than 10 pm and drunk driving is out of the question so I always have to take a taxi and am always slammed with the after 1 am surcharge. Its still pretty cheap by western standards but its money that could be spent better. One night everyone ought to come down to my place but I don't think anyone would be up for that one. Its just too far out of the way. But I guess that's the price I have to pay for contact with my western friends and it is definitely worth it. This Friday, is the pan-Ganghwa teachers' meeting, which is a very big deal in local education. All the teachers, including the ESL and Chinese teachers, will gather for a morning meeting. I suppose that will be completely boring as most of it will be a complete mystery to me. But after the meeting the students of the particular school where we are meeting will serve us lunch and drinks. Following that, after everyone is good and liquored up, there will be a teachers' soccer match. And after that, with the afternoon having completely degenerated, we all will go to a dog restuarant. Yes, a dog restuarant. Like woof, woof (or, as the Koreans say: mung, mung). I'm sure it is as completely awful as it sounds. There is no possible way dog can taste any good. It is a delicacy to them. And like all the so called delicacies (live octopus, pickled raw crab) I have tried, I'm sure that it will be pretty bad. This Saturday is our New England night. Yes, it was completely my idea. I picked up some over priced Sam Adams from Seoul and will be making Clam Chowder. I hope it comes out well. Some of the local guys will be coming. They love clams here so I hope it will be a hit. This coming Sunday, Barb, one of the ESL teacher is leaving so we are throwing her a going away party of sorts so that ought to be fun. Well, I think I shall close with that.

This Past Weekend

This past weekend was uneventful for the most part. Saturday, I went into Seoul, had lunch with Paul at a dumpling joint in Insadong, bought some Christmas presents for family and friends. It will take a while for them to get back home so I figure I will start sending them out in November. I think everyone will really like what I have gotten them. They're things you really won't find anywhere else in the world, real handsome pieces. After that, Paul and I came back to Ganghwa. I made some Indian style curry, and some Gin and Tonics, and invited my neighbour over for dinner but not come. Later Paul broke open his bottle of Jameson he had gotten while he was in Ireland last week. I found it funny that a Jameson is much more expensive in Ireland than the U.S. Its 46 euros, apparently which is absolutely appalling. But, it was definitely good to have some decent whiskey. There isn't too much of that out here on Ganghwa. Sunday, I stayed on Gangwha and went to church at Sts. Peter and Paul, which is always an interesting experience. The liturgy there is very High Church, with full Catholic vestments and incense and Anglican plain chant. The service is thorough Anglo-Catholic, like the Advent in Boston. However, despite the extreme English atmosophere, including all the old hymns, it is in Korean. It is very odd. Well, its time to get to some teaching

At the Zoo

Today's weather is rather brisk and is the first day I have worn a sweater. Sometimes the evenings have been chilly but this is the first time I have had to wear one during the day. The sun is very bright, the rain from yesterday has fully disapated, and it is, in my opinion, a very pleasant autumn day. I mailed a second batch of postcards out to those who didn't get one for whatever reason the last time I mailed them out. I also did a little writing this morning and made some progress on my current project but nothing really substantial. I don't know if I have the patience and the fortitude to complete what I have set out to do but it passes my time and keeps me from being idle, which is something I am always in fear of being. I have four classes to teach this evening, two high school and two middle school sections. The high school section should be very easy. My students are both very cooperative and actually have pretty strong English skills. However, the two middle school classes today are the same group of kids from yesterday, with whom I always have difficulty. Today's lesson is animals and animal names. I have prepared a matching game involving animal pictures and text. I will also have them listen to "At the Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel and have them fill in the missing animal names on the lyrics sheet I have made out. I really hope I can hold their attention. I think I may be able to is I keep my energy level very high and be an absolute goof. Well, I just hope it works out.

Today is Still Rainy

I have just come back from dinner, and before that, I completed teaching my Second Grade Middle Schoolers. And man, are they annoying. None, not one of them can direct their attention toward me for than thirty seconds. Every game, activity, or lesson I have planned stimulates no interest in them and their effort, even compared with the other Middle Schoolers, is absolutely deplorable. I can understand not having strong English skills. Its my job to improve those skills but when the class is wholly uncooperative and has not even the slightest inclination to exert any type of effort, I don't know what I can do. I feel that I am failing these kids. I want so badly to teach these students properly but they have to meet me half way by giving me at least their attention and that's not happening. I spend 90 percent of my time trying to settle down the class. The pushup method of discipline, which works well with other classes, does not work. When I discipline them, they either laugh at me and do nothing or do unsatisfactory pushups, and never more than five. Tonight I had to get down and show them what an actual pushup is, and did 35 myself. I challenged the boys, who thought is was funny to see me doing pushups, that if anyone could do more than I, I would buy that person ice cream at that school canteen. Well, after a number of students dropping at under thirty, this big ox of a boy, was able to beat me by five. During this whole competition there was utter silence among everyone, which to me was absolutely golden. However, what educational value is there to pushup contest? I really need to figure out how to handle this bloody class. Oh well.

Today is Rainy

Today is rainy which is sort of a bummer because I had intended to go hiking. I have not been able to go this week, partly because of busy-ness and partly because of my own laziness in not getting up early enough in the morning to have a decent hike. But today, I intended to go hiking, got up early enough for a full morning of hiking, but alas, the weather was poor. It has been raining on and off the whole day and a thick mist has settled in the valley. It was not a good day for a hike. So instead of a vigorous morning of hiking, I neglected getting dressed until the last possible moment before work, made myself a coffee, settled myself snuggly under my blankets, and read the whole morning. I have been reading Charles Dickens' Bleak House, which though I am only about 200 pages into the thousand page novel, appears to becoming quite good. It is interesting to compare it with the Pickwick Papers, which I read this summer past, and is his first novel. Bleak House is one of his last, written in the 1850s. His development as an author is extremely apparent. The characters are as rich as ever, from eccentric Mr. Jaurdyce to the simple cockney street urchin, Jo. However, in Bleak House, each character plays an integral part in driving the story foward. With each character, the air of mystery unveiled at the novel's opening is in the first two-hundred pages not only not cast off, but is in fact, deepening as the story progresses. What is the true nature of the wards brought into the Jaurdyce household.? What place do they have in twisted web of the ongoing legal cause of Jaurdyce v. Jaurndyce? Dickens is able to draw us into the story, guessing as to what is really going on. The Pickwick Papers, despite its brilliant character development fails to integrate them into a cohesive story. It is a work that rests on its constituent episodes rather than the whole. Bleak House, from what I read, seems to be work, though episodic in some respects (as a serialized novel, it had to be) but seems to be able to be judged well as a whole.

I'm Back

I have returned. After some issues with accessing my blog at school, I am back. I will not attempt to summarise the events of an entire two month period. However, in the this brief amount of time, after a few serious trials and many small ones, I have not only begun to settle in to life in my village but have, in a sense, grown to love all the wild eccentricities that characterize rural life in general and especially rural life on a small island in South Korea. My neighbors, some of whom are civil servants and policeman, some of whom are business people, and most of whom are farmers and day laborers have all become my friends. All are accomodating and all want to make my life in their community the most comfortable it can be. Mr. Kim, a civil servant, who is my immediate next door neighbor not only makes an effort to come by my apartment and say hello several times a week but will have me over for dinner fairly often. By western standards, his hospitality would be considered extraordinary. In many neighborhoods, including my own in New Bedford, neighbors hardly see each other. In the morning they slink out their doors and in the evening, having come back from work, they slink right back into their homes just like they had gone out. This sort of behavior is unheard of here; at least in my village. Every person, including myself, is a member of a real community where people look after each other. For instance, this morning, as I was waiting for the bus to Ganghwa-eup, the main centre on the island, Mr. Kim came out of his house, and went very far out of his way to give me a ride 'on his way to work'. It is absolutely remarkable. Since the first day I have been here, locals, people with whom I would not have come into contact through work, would come by, and give me gifts of produce and seafood. I still have five pounds of salted shrimp as a testimony to their hospitability. Sure, I may gotten ill as a result of their pickled raw crab and sure, I may have not enjoyed eating live squirming octopus tenticle but ultimately it was all an expression of something that is severely lacking in my own culture: hospitality. This, I believe, is a major hallmark of truly civilized people. Our own Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments express this same ethic of hospitality. Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed not for their vile sex acts, as many people have supposed, but rather, their inhospitality to the three angels of the Lord. It isn't very hospitable to rape your guests. And Jesus, came as servant, the very paradigm of hospitality. We are reminded of this selfless hospitality on Maundy Thursday, when we wash each others feet, and symbolically offer ourselves in service to each others. These Koreans, despite all their backwardness and general craziness, have retained something that we westerners have sadly lost.

First Few Days Illustrated

I have arrived.

I apologize for the delay in this update. As many of you know I have had not regualr access to the internet. y post should become more frequent (hopefully a couple of times a week) now that they have set a computer in my office. I still don't have any access in my apartment and probably won't. But at any rate, my flight over here besides being godawfully long, was rather uneventful, I did manage to take some very nice aerial shots of the Japanese coast taken as the plane was preparing to land at Narita. Those will be posted here either today or very soon.

My first night here was, to put it very bluntly, terrifying. The flight did not get in until around ten Saturday night so by the time my baggage was claimed and I had gone through customs, it was roughly 11:30. After customs, I immediately changed my currency and then proceeded to the lobby of the terminal where I was greeted by the taxi driver who was to bring me to my apartment. The man was insane. Traffic lights were merely a suggestion. We flew through the central area of Incheon, down the coast, through forrests of neon signs and gas stations, over a number of bridges, and eventually arriving in the most isolated area one could imagine. It is pitch black and well after midnight. We finally arrive at my apartment after much travail. The taxi driver drops me off and one of the teachers, Joo-Nam greets me, shows me the apartment,talks to me a few minutes, and leaves. I am alone in a foreign country in apartment in what appears to be a remote village. The whole night I am struck with a feeling of total isolation and lonliness. The extreme jet lag definitely did not help. I was a complete ball of nerves and was unable to sleep for more than a few hours. However, when I awoke just before dawn and saw the the exact moment where the sun rose above the mountains behind my building, I knew that I had made the right decision.

Later that day Joo-Nam brought me to the schools, showed me around the area, and even bought me lunch. The countryside here is very broad, covered with rice paddies, and punctuated by a mountain here or there or an ancient fortification. Here it almost seems that if time stands still. I know it is a cliche but does reflect my impression of this place. It is one of the most beautiful and strangest places I have ever been.

Monday morning I arose, put my spot coat on and headed out into the torrential rain. As I was leaving my landlady came running out, shouting something in Korean. And as I as expressed to her in in gesture and slow English and a few Korean words, she pantomimed the opening and closing of an umbrella. With that I said, " chong mal kamsa hamneeda," and she ran back in and got me an umbrella. She and everyone else I have met here have more than hospitable. And when I arrived at the school, I was introduced to the principal, who gave the impression of being the the monarch of the school. The power structures here seem to be very well definined at least in comparison with the United States. I was also welcomed by the faculty who gave me a round of applause as a entered the teachers' room and then each in turn greeted me with a bow and then a handshake. It was a very odd feeling. As an American I am definitely not accustomed to that kind of hospitality.

Later that day, I taught my first class...first year middle schoolers. Their English is not at the level that I was initially told but it was not so bad. I had each student greet me and tell me their name in a full English sentence. Most had not trouble with that. Later I showed them a picture of the Public Garden and had them tell me in English what they saw. Most had extreme difficulty with that exercise so I gave them alot of help and eventually everyone was able to come up with something. But it seems I have alot of work to do. And with that, I think I should end this post. Until next time, anyoung hai-seyo.

This is my first post. It really won't be a very long one, just enough to inaugurate this my second attempt of blogging. I am still uncertain about my my date of departure, seeing that my work visa has not been fully processed. But nonetheless, the date is definitely rapidly approuching and my preparation is almost nil except for suitcases laid out in my bedroom at my parents' house, filled with an ever increasing number of books that I know I simply can't bring. Decisions, decisions. Should I bring all of Calvin's Institutes or should I bring Luther, which of my numerous unread novels should I bring? These kinds of things torture me. Hopefully I can finish reading some books while I'm still stateside so I don't have to bring them. But, oh well.

Beside slowly preparing for my trip, I got a chance to visit with Glenn last night. After some excitement on I-93, Glenn and I enjoyed some bookstore browsing (notice a pattern in my life?) and an inexpensive mall food court dinner consisting of burritos and later, gelati. It is always good catching up with old friends who I don't generally get to see. Later that night, after I had gotten home, there was violent street fight outside my house involving some neighborhood punks that resulted in the breaking of my brother's car window. The police came, a report was made, but in the end my brother, an innocent victim of teenage idiocy, will be stuck with a broken window and a bodyshop bill.