Liberation from the Homestay.

(my ticket in and out of Ochang! 1hr30mins to Seoul...)

After entering my homestay, I was advised to stay in Ochang for a full month without leaving. This was so that I could forge deeper relationships with the host family. And it's been great, they have been more than hospitable and I couldn't ask for a more comfortable arrangement. But honestly, I was itching to leave the moment I got here.

I came to Korea early July and still haven't seen most of my REAL family... It just doesn't feel right. I'll chronicle the events of the last month, which is characterized by my itch to get out of this place, see my family, and explore Korea a little more.

I was literally counting the weeks til I could leave Ochang.

For the month that I stayed here, I would often hang out with my host brother after school. He'd call his friends and we would play soccer on a dirt field in Gakri Middle School's dimly lit schoolyard. They know I'm the English teacher, and it's a secret that I speak Korean at my school, so whenever I am with his friends (my students), we converse in English. It's awkward and tiresome, but fun to see them try so hard to include me in the group. These kids can play soccer pretty darn well. I guess soccer is a lot more popular in Korea than in the states... and I can't really hang in a game with them.

I also made friends with several of my teachers, and acquaintances with their friends. My first week here, I was invited to watch a modern dance performance with a group of teachers in the city of Cheongju (the capital of my province). Of course, I accept the offer. Once I get there, I realize only my co-teacher and I have been invited by a Korean Language teacher at my school, and that we would be watching the show with her family. She introduces me to her daughter, since her daughter knows some english and is about my age. It was nice hanging out with a Korean about my age that knows English and can teach me a little about Korean culture. She has a great personality, so we exchange phone numbers, and I meet her every once in a while in Cheongju or Ochang. It's great... But things get awkward when her mom comes to my office at school to talk about her daughter and share about how she always wanted to come to America, and how pure she is.... It's pretty obvious to me that this is more than a friend set up, so I decide to step back a little. We still text, but I've reduced the frequency.

Playing sports with the teachers is fun too. There's a lot of badminton, and volleyball going on after school at Gakri. Their volleyball skills are surprising, too! I used to play the occasional volleyball game at my church in Orange County, so I thought I was prepared for them... but they blew me away! This one PE teacher spikes the ball with perfect form and accuracy pretty much 100% of the time. There are a lot of "ooohs" and "aaahs" whenever he spikes the ball.

One day, I stay after school to shoot hoops in the gym. All the PE teachers are practicing volleyball and ask me to join, so I do. I didn't expect to have a full-on 2 hour volleyball practice running drills. It was fun, but difficult! I can't quite get the "underpass", "overpass", and spike down. With more practices like this, I'll definitely go back to America with a better handle on the game.

With my host family, I will often go out together for some fried duck, sanggyupsal, vietnamese food, or American style food at a local restaurant. The food is hit-or-miss.

My mom owns two kindergartens in town (yes, she is rich). Last week, I attended a 회식 (business meeting) with their all-female staff. My host dad is there too, and explains that women are better with dealing with small children and so most kindergarten's staffs are 100% women. He matter-of-factly says that they make excellent wives, because being with kids all the time preserves their innocence... then he looks around the room at the 40 teachers, gives me a weird look, and says under his breath, "If you are interested in a particular person, just let me or your (host) mom know, and we'll set you up." Oh my goodness.

My host father is mostly out of town, working in a city called Gwangju in Jeollanamdo. It's not clear what he's up to down there. I gather that's the case for many Korean homes. The dad is usually busy making money outside of the house, and doesn't regularly spend much time with the family.

The last weekend... Hoomin's departure.

Hoomin, my host brother left South Korea last Friday to move to America and attend school there. He's in Paradise, CA, studying at a private school. The town he's in is like 95% White, so it's an ideal place for him to get used to the language. I'm sure he's going through some cultural chaos right now.

The week Hoomin left was my last week of me being tied down in Ochang.

I wasted no time in making plans to leave. I ignored all of Fbright's rules of saying "maybe" when proposing weekend plans, and simply informed my host family that I would be leaving the next two weeks to visit family.


(view from my aunt's front yard. can't really see the river, but it's to the right.)

Ahh.... yes. the first weekend of liberation was sweet. I spent it at my Aunt's home in Gyungsangdo. Her humble home is tucked away in the countryside and has a beautiful view of the river. She grows rice, chilipeppers, and pears, among other things. I think everything I ate at her home was grown on her little plot of land. I spent that weekend sleeping in, walking her dog, and riding the bike around. I also went to church service with her and her farmer neighbors. They are such a kindhearted group of folks.


(dragonfly hanging out on a rainy day.)

The nearest city is about 12km away from her house. I was feeling adventurous, so I decided to ride her bike the full 12 km down to the city and back. Of course, they won't let me go on my own, so my uncle (in law), is following me the whole way there in his truck. It takes a good 40 minutes for me to get there, and once I'm there, I buy a couple things at the market and head on back, with my poor uncle following behind. All-in-all the 25 km bike ride was quite enjoyable.


(after the bike ride)

This past weekend was the Chuseok holiday in Korea. Chuseok is one of the biggest holidays in Korea (alongside the Lunar new year). It's a time where people return to their hometowns to remember their deceased family members. There is a division in the way Chuseok is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians in South Korea. Traditionally, on Chuseok, Koreans set up an elaborate table filled with different meats, fruits, side dishes, and rice cakes, as an offering to their ancestors. After bowing, they eat the food. However, Christians consider this to be ancestor worship and generally don't partake in this ritual.

For my Chuseok, I had 6 days of freedom from teaching. I chose to spend it visiting different family members in Gyeonggido and Seoul. I spent the first 3 days with my dad's side, and the latter 3 days with my mom's side in Seoul. Neither side really did anything traditional. This weekend was filled with meeting old and "new" family members, a lot of rest, a little getting familiarized with transportation in and around Seoul, and some time getting lost in the big city. It was great to just be with them and escape from Ochang.


(a pic of one of my fav nieces, Ye-eun.)

In addition to that - I got to meet up with some other English Teachers (Sarah Slagle and Kenya) in Daejeon last Wednesday night, and in Seoul (Cornelius and Kelly). Thank goodness for good friends.

Before coming to Korea, I planned to help North Korean refugees through volunteer work. I haven't done a thing about it since July, but mention it to some fellow English teachers. Thankfully, my friends (namely Kelly) were persistent in reminding me, and helped me to keep the ball rolling with my commitment to working at the Refugee Center in Seoul.

Today, I had a meeting with the Directors of the Refugee Center along with Cornelius and Kelly. The Refugee Center mainly operates two programs: (1) A "New Beginnings" program once a month, which is a week long retreat where newly arrived NK refugees get advice on adjusting to life in South Korea, help with job placement, etc... and (2) English teaching on the weekends. As English teachers, we can volunteer every other Saturday teaching English for 2 hours from 10am-12pm.

At the meeting we learned about the struggle and danger North Koreans face in leaving their country. We heard about the terrors of sex trafficking in China, that victimize too many North Korean women living in China. There were sad stories of those who are caught in the process and returned to NK to an uncertain fate (most likely a life sentence in prison where they will starve). We also learned about the 2 month interrogation process by the South Korean CIA once refugees land in South Korea, and the subsequent month-long government offered "orientation" program. People who come to the Refugee Center for the "New Beginning" program are those who have JUST arrived in South Korea and finished the interrogation and government run orientation. It's basically the 3rd stop. Unfortunately, although there are over 10,000 North Korean refugees living in South Korea, there is very little interest among South Koreans in helping them to adjust to their new lives. In fact, I hear there is actually disdain for refugees, although they are clearly victims of a brutal government system. I'm looking forward to spreading word among English teachers here to get some volunteers at the Refugee Center. I'm glad that so many have already expressed interest.


It's good to be free. Excited for what's next.


Prayer Requests
(1) Putting God first. I've become a lot more superficial and selfish since coming to Korea. I want to put God first, which is really hard for me to do right now.
(2) Finding a good church: Once again, please pray for this one. I'm jumping around, which is not necessarily bad, but I want to have a deep spiritual community here in Korea.
(3) Healing: I want to be intentional about checking out a doctor about my back pain. I also want to stay healthy through exercise.
(4) Korean Language: It's hard to learn Korean as an English teacher. I need discipline to study on my own.
(5) Meeting God and making Him known: To commit to truth and be a light to others, that they may know the love of God through me.
(6) Relationships: Especially with girls. There are many very attractive girls in Korea, but I want to have the wisdom and patience to meet the right people.

God bless y'all!

Verse

Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.