Good Idea, Bad Idea: An Ode to Prepositional Phrases

Good idea: going for a walk after teaching.
Bad idea: going for a walk without an umbrella on an overcast day during rainy season.

Good idea: wearing lightweight clothes on a summer day.
Bad idea: wearing lightweight clothes that become transparent when wet while going for a walk without an umbrella on an overcast day during rainy season.

You can fill in the details. Let's just say I learned some important lessons today.

Big Ears, Japanese TV Letdown, and Fincels Sweet Corn Withdrawal

Korean kids seem to think that all Westerners have really big noses, so I must make their day by having a big nose even by Western standards. I usually just laugh about it when one of my darlings so matter-of-factly says "Teachuh, you big nose!" I've never heard them say it maliciously, so it doesn't bother me any.

Today we were looking at pictures of animals and talking about their features. Does an elephant have a little nose or a big nose? Does a spider have many legs or few legs? Does a rabbit have little ears or big ears? Then we compared animal features to human features. An elephant has a big nose. Do you have a big nose? A spider has eight legs. Do you have eight legs? A rabbit has big ears. Do you have big ears?

I could have seen it coming with the questions about the elephant, but I certainly thought the rabbit questions were innocent enough. Not so. One of my little darlings looked up at me with this beautiful, innocent, little face and said, "Teachuh, you have big ears."

"I have big ears?"

She nodded yes.

"No," I said. "I have little ears. A rabbit has big ears." I said to all the kids, "A rabbit has big ears. Do I have big ears?"

"YES!" they all said very seriously. Some even nodded to emphasize the point.

Finally the little one who pointed it out in the first place piped in, "Teachuh, you have big ears. We have little ears." Well, I guess she has a point.
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In Sunday's post (click here) I wrote about my television channels. I've been really happy to watch old musicals on the Japanese station at night. Last night, though, I thought the Japanese station was really going to be the best thing ever. After the musical, I heard the familiar music of the ER theme song. ER! My favorite series! But then came the letdown. Unlike the musicals which they show in English with Japanese subtitles at the bottom, they dubbed over ER. It was all in Japanese. Abby, Carter, Luca, Sam--all of them were speaking in Japanese! Oh, the disappointment, BS2!
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And while we're on the subject of disappointment, I have to ask all of you in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois to eat some good ol' Fincels sweet corn for me this summer. A lot of street vendors in Korea sell steamed corn, so on my way home from my walk tonight, I bought a couple ears, thinking that would be a good reminder of home. When I bit into it, though, it wasn't that wonderful, crisp Iowa sweet corn. Instead, it was tough, rubbery CATTLE CORN! Oh, the disappointment! Someone please go to Kennedy Mall or Dick's or wherever they may be selling it this year and fix yourself some of that fresh Fincel's sweet corn. And tell 'em I say hi.
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So silly things aside, everything is fine here in Korea. I'm getting to know my students and coworkers better and am learning my way around town. As much as I joke about the disappointment of Japanese television and biting into cattle corn, I realize that I have much to be thankful for, including the food before me and the technology that simplifies my life and keeps me connected. I'm looking forward to starting my "real" mission work before too long but am trying to get myself adjusted and settled a little before doing that, so that I can really commit myself to the work ahead of me.

Japanese Television, A New Neighborhood, and the Kid v. Teacher Scorecard Continues

I can hardly believe that my first week is already over. It still feels like I just stepped off the airplane, at least in part because I still have a touch of jet lag. Highlights of this week included discovering Japanese television, exploring my new neighborhood, and of course, meeting my new students.

I get 14 television channels without cable. Two are the same station on different channels. Three are in Chinese. One of the Chinese channels shows music videos 24/7, sometimes Chinese, sometimes American. (The Bee Gees just came on. It's a huge improvement over Lil Bow Wow.) Two are in Japanese. Seven are in Korean. One is Muslim Television Ahmadiyya, which broadcasts mostly in Arabic, occasionally in English, and the other night, Bengali dubbed in German. The Japanese channels are my favorite. They're aptly named BS1 and BS2, but at night, they play old musicals in English with Japanese subtitles. It's the only English language programming I've found, except for the music videos. Good thing I never get tired of Singin in the Rain.

My neighborhood is really nice. My new city is a bustling place with a population of over 300,000 people. It's conveniently connected to Seoul by subway. My apartment is on the 11th floor of a building that's a 2-minute walk to school, right next door to E-Mart (huge department/grocery store), and less than a 10-minute walk to the subway station. My neighborhood has two main squares, connected by a pedestrian walkway. Each square has a fountain in the middle in which children are encouraged to play. It's well lit at night, and there is frequently live music. The whole main corridor of the neighborhood is busy most of the day and well into the night.

The highlight of my week was meeting my new students. I'm teaching kindergarten, and like the vast majority of kindergartners in the world, my students are exceptionally cute. Most of them were really good this week.

Hello from Korea!

I've made it safe and sound to Korea and am connected to the world again. My internet, telephone, and television were all hooked up today.

I started teaching yesterday. I have a really light schedule so far--two classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and one class on Wednesdays, all kindergarten. Hopefully I'll have a few more classes next week. Once I'm over my jet lag and settled in a little, I'll start my volunteer work with the non profit agency.

It's nice to be back in Korea, but I really miss my family and friends back home. A year is a long time to be away from all of you, so keep those emails coming and let me know what's going on there. I love you all.

Here, but by the Grace of God

I'm just checking my email and catching up on some things before calling it a night. I leave Chicago tomorrow at noon. I have an 11 hour flight to Tokyo, 2 hour layover, and 2 hour flight to Seoul. I'll catch up with you all sometime this weekend or early next week. If any of you still have my old snail mail address in Korea, please discard it. Send me an email, and I'll give you my new address when I arrive.

Blessings!
EMH

Do Not Stand Idly By (Lev. 19:16)

I generally don't pass around petitions, but this one is especially important. Please take a moment to read the "National Declaration by Religious and Spiritual Leaders to Address Violence against Women," sign it, and pass it on to religious/spiritual leaders in your communities. This sign of support can be a real source of hope for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and may be crucial to their road to safety. The Declaration will be sent to crisis centers and shelters across the United States. Victims will then be able to see if faith communities near them support them in seeking safety.

The declaration is available by clicking here.

Why do we need such a declaration? Violence against women affects each and every one of us. It's prevalence is astounding, and every community in the United States is at risk. Almost 18%, or 17.7 million women, in the United States have been victims of rape or attempted rape sometime in their lives (1). According to a study conducted by the National Victim Center, 1.3 women age 18 and over in the U.S are forcibly raped each minute; 78 per hour; 1,871 per day, or 683,000 per year (2). Nearly 5.3 million incidents of intimate partner violence occur each year among U.S. women ages 18 and older (3).

The FaithTrust Institute is an international, multi-faith organization working to end domestic violence and sexual assault. They have excellent resources and trainings for church leaders. Take some time to check out their website.

Religious leaders can be life-saving resources for victims of violence or hindrances to their journey to safety and recovery. Let us pledge to be sources of hope.

Blessings!
EMH (signer #1104)

(1)U.S. Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 1998. Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, D.C.
(2) Kilpatrick D.G., C.N. Edmunds, and A. Seymour. 1992. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Arlington, VA: National Victim Center.
(3) Tjaden P, Thoennes N. Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence: findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington (DC): Department of Justice (US); 2000a. Publication No. NCJ 181867. [cited 2005 September 15]. Available from: URL: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/181867.htm.)

Something New

Welcome to my new website! Several friends and family members encouraged me to keep writing about my experiences, so this is the place!

I very regrettably decided to leave my post as a missionary English teacher in Korea. I am back in northern Illinois now, spending time with my family, but will return to a different location in Korea on June 16th. I will teach English part time to kindergarten and first grade students. I will also volunteer part time at a nonprofit organization, which will allow me to continue my purpose in going to Korea in the first place--to be in service in this world. I'm very excited about my new opportunities.

The highlights so far of this unexpected trip home were getting to attend my cousin Brian's wedding in Philadelphia and Galena High School's graduation. It was a blessing to me to share these celebrations with such special people. I hope to include a couple photos once they're developed. (Anyone who already has some, please do email them to me!)

Many blessings!
EM

New Site

I am sorry for the long silence. I have very regretfully decided to leave my mission post but will continue to teach in Korea. Several people have asked me to continue writing about my experiences, so I've set up a new website that is not hosted by the church.