Almost September...

This is wild...I've been here a month and a week.  In some ways, it seems like much shorter.  I couldn't possibly have been outside the U.S. for so long.  There is no way it has been that long since I talked to people.  In other ways, it seems like it's been much longer.  I've settled into a routine, made new friends, established my classroom, met all my students, etc, etc, etc.  All that couldn't possibly have happened in such a short time.  So time continues its dichotomous march.

I have been richly blessed.  The Lost newbies (as I've taken to calling us as we've begun watching Lost together weekly) hang out regularly, with honorary additions to the newbie crowd.  It has been great getting to know these people, and I look forward to continuing to build friendships.  I've started helping out with tennis practices, and aside from it just being fun to get out and play a little bit, it's a great opportunity to get to know some of my students outside the classroom.

I am getting to know my students better, both individually and as a group.  I returned quiz results the other day, and quite a few of them, in complete seriousness, made comments like "Oh man!  Only a 96%!  I thought I did better."  I struggled not to goggle at them.  They are incredibly serious about their academics.  I was being goofy yesterday, and without thinking about it too much, put "What is 3 - 2?" on the board as a warm up problem.  They all thought it was some kind of trick or philosophical question.  So from now on, I'll confine my jokes to the verbal medium - what's on the board is canonical.  There's been a little bit of testing, and I think I scared one class when I broke out my teacher voice (not yelling, just speaking sternly).  But they have responded well to what little correction I have needed to dish out.

Today I went out to a cheese factory.  One of the principals put the trip together, and I signed up, thinking it would be fun - milking cows, making cheese and pizza, hanging out with people, and just getting out of the city for a bit.  It turned out to be a bit of a comedy of errors, though I definitely still enjoyed myself.  First off, I realized as we were departing that I was the only one who had come without kids.  But that turned out to be fun, as I got to hang out with some of the little ones I hadn't met before.  We made pizza - the crust was 5-grain, and surprisingly good.  And went to 'milk the cows'.  Apparently something got lost in translation here, because what this entailed was feeding the calves milk from bottles, which, from a certain perspective, could indeed be called 'milking the cows'.  In like manner, 'making cheese', turned out to be more like 'softening cheese that was already made'.  But the company made it all worthwhile :)

After the cheese factory, we went to a site that used to be a kind of school of Confucianism, where people would come to learn the Master's teachings.  The buildings were cool to look around in, but what was really neat was that a woman there showed us the traditional Korean tea ceremony.  I had not known the tea ceremony was a part of Korean culture as well (I had heard of the Chinese and Japanese versions).  It is an elegant ritual, with everything in its proper place - prepared and served just so, with guest and host alike following proper etiquette.  It exemplifies a few things about the Korean culture - the precise attention to detail, patience, and the showing of proper respect.  As one drinks the first cup of tea, it is appropriate to complement the host on the flavor, aroma, presentation, design of the dishes, etc.  Conversation is to be kept to light, positive topics.  The tea is drunk in three swigs.  The woman that walked us through it also made the point that regularly having formal tea like this teaches children when one ought to be formal and serious, and when it is okay to be informal and exuberant, which was not something I had considered.  I have been calling this a 'ceremony' or 'ritual', but it is more a way of receiving guests in a respectful manner, such as when the in-laws or the boss is coming over.  It was fascinating, and gave me a sense that beyond than the characteristics I mentioned, it is a window into the heart of what it means to be Korean in some deep way that lurks outside my comprehension.

I have also found a great church here that I look forward to attending each Sunday.  I like the preaching a lot, and small groups start up next weekend.  I'm looking forward to getting involved in that community, and being in a Bible study again.  I've missed it.

So...while I'm still figuring some things out, I'm feeling more or less comfortable with being here, and, with tennis being a first step, I'm looking to start committing and involving myself beyond my teaching duties.  I just pray that the Lord will use my meager efforts (I have only 5 loaves and 2 fish after all - that cannot possibly feed this many people) to work something glorious in His Name.