Yesterday was Buddha's Birthday, which Korea celebrates as a national holiday. I celebrated by making review tests for next week. But I also used the day to meet up with an old childhood friend of mine named Dong Nee. She is the same age as me, and we used to play together every time I came to Korea ever since we were young. Her father and my father have been best friends since their college years. The last time I had seen her was when I was in 9th grade. She was always cute and a lot of fun back in the day, so there were many times where I'd daydream of hooking up with her when we both got older. Well, we finally met up again after eight long years. I know I'm stating the obvious, but people change a lot in eight years. And not just any eight years, but years when you go through high school and college. Sometimes, I feel like those adolescent and young adult years just mess everything up. Childhood was so cute, simple, and fun. Anyways, we've both changed a lot, and we're now disgusting adults that have complicated lives. I mean, we drank tea at a cafe to catch up! Geez.

As we were talking over dessert, I realized how much I longed for a real friend in Korea. Later that night, for the first time in a long time, I decided to open up my dusty journal. I was shocked to see that my last entry was on September 19, 2006. Here's what I wrote:

Hi, journal. It's been a hell of a long time since I last wrote (how cliché). I just finished my second day in Korea and I am really tired. I'm actualy a bit down right now b/c I spoke w/Meena about her experiences. She sounds totally ready to leave the motherland. Her "testimony" made me feel like this is all a temporary trip. I guess technically it is...however, I wish to see it as one impactful trip. I want to grow and change and learn. Meena made it sound like a burdensome work experience in a foreign country, which is technically once again, true. My hope is that the fact she is not a christian totally affected her outlook on her Korea experience. I have a totally different view of Meena now. She is no longer the kind, pretty, christian, older sister that was totally going to take care of me. She is the independent, boyfriend-distracted, pagan, and much older person who is leaving in less than 2 months. What a discouraging way to end my long day. "I did not come here to make friends," she said. I need to sleep this sadness off. Tomorrow is yet another long day.

Maybe I'm getting a glimpse of what Jesus went through while he was doing his earthly ministry. He knew plenty of people and even had a dozen companions who followed him everywhere he went. But no matter how much he spoke or spent time with them, they could never fully understand or empathize with him. I'm sure in many ways, Jesus often felt lonely and frustrated. But we also know that he had a perfect fellowship with the Father whom he always went to in the mornings. We, too, can have this perfect fellowship because Jesus went through the greatest abandonment that any man could ever face. I often feel alone in this fast paced country, but I should always remember that I have a perfect friend whom I can pray to. Friendship is a beautiful thing. May the Lord provide where I lack.



P.S.-I heard about Ken's accident a week ago and knew I should write to him. I worried and prayed about his condition, family, and even his graduation. Yet I didn't write to him cause that's how good of a friend I am. I am SO HAPPY that you are alive and well, Kenny.

Thought of the Day: Poor Christine.
Song of the Day: Yangpa-사랑..그게 뭔데

"at first i was annoyed that the weather was changing so radically but i quickly begin to enjoy the unpredictability. i think God was trying to teach me that these changes aren't within my control. all i can continue to practice doing is giving thanks in all circumstances."
-Sam Jongmin Choi

I like that!

Thought of the Day: Run.
Song of the Day: TuTu-일과 이분의 일

Some teachers didn't have to go to school on Teacher's Day. I was not one of those teachers.

I find myself making time to watch a lot of movies these days. If you know me, you'll know that I love watching movies. After I'm finished with one, my automatic routine is to hit up imdb, wikipedia, and rotten tomatoes...usually in that order. Often times, I find myself preferring to watch movies alone, too. I guess it's because I don't have to worry about what other people think, and there's less chances of having any distractions. Anyways, sometimes I wonder how many movies I've actually watched in my entire life. I think, one day, I'm going to make a list of every single movie that I have ever seen. I wonder how close I would be to a thousand. Does anyone know where I can find a list of every single movie ever to have been made?

I always thought that "Your Song" was, hands down, a better song than "Come What May." Lately, my ears are begging to differ.

Thought of the Day: Friends With Money
Song of the Day: Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor-Come What May

I just spent over an hour trying to purchase and download a ringtone for my cell phone but to no avail. I know all of this would have been so easy if I was good at Korean. Stupid Anycall! What a waste of 1,000won. That's one roll of kimbap down the drain.

The other night, Priscilla declared to me that her goal in Korea was to find a 삼겹살 place that was better than my favorite place. I have two words for her. Lost cause. 돌돌와 돈순이 is better than good. I take natives there and even they tell me that it's the best 삼겹살 they've ever had. The meat, side dishes, and of course, the mixed rice cannot be beat. I average about twice a week. Their food does wonders to my happiness levels. It probably does wonders to my cholestorol levels, too. But like I tell everyone, at least I'll die happy. This week, I went on Tuesday with my coteachers, and my dad went on Thursday with his best friend. But that didn't stop us from going six hours ago. Come to think of it, if I had to be any character in Lord of the Flies, I'd probably be Jack, hunting pigs over worrying about rescue. We're still waiting for the third Chung male to join our tribe.




By the way, Shiloh really sucks compared to Lord of the Flies.

Thought of the Day: Brick.
Song of the Day: Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor-Come What May

Here are some blurry pictures that my unsteady hand took. I have to admit that Korea has some pretty cool cafes. The pictures below happen to be a book cafe in 삼청동. There's something really nice about that place. The simplicity and quietness. Very peaceful and chill.


Oh well. Those pictures are ugly.

Today is officially Parents' Day in Korea since they don't have separate days for fathers or mothers. Last Friday, Elite students were assigned to write a letter to their parents in English as their writing assignment. Of course you get the typical complaints and groans about not knowing what or how much to say. But you'd be surprised to see what kinds of things some of these students will say when they're forced to write (even in English). The biggest thing that caught my attention was when I read letters where students wished that they could have more conversations with their parents. I remember a particular teacher telling me that some of these students become really attached to you because some of them see you more often than they see their fathers. And apparently, even when they do see their fathers or mothers, there isn't much communication that goes on. Something isn't right here.

One thing that I've recently been struggling with is talking with my dad. When he first moved into my place, we'd have all kinds of conversations for hours and on. But after a while, you begin to long for some privacy, especially after a hard day's work. Sometimes, talking is the last thing you want to do since that's all you've been doing for the past 12 hours. However, as soon as I come home from work, talking is all my dad WANTS to do. As opposed to me, he's been home for several hours behind a computer or book in solitude. As pathetic as it may sound, I am his only social life. Can you see where the conflict comes into play? Two people, one room, two different agendas.

My students' letters served as a reminder to me (once again) that struggle is so relative.


Today during private tutoring, I was talking to my student, David, about how much I love 삼겹살 in Korea. I told him how there was this one occasion when I ate it three times in one week. I was obviously proud of this health hazardous activity and was expecting a surprised reaction. On the contrary, David merely expressed disappointment and told me that one time, he ate 삼겹살 everyday for one week (Mon.-Sat. to be precise). I didn't know whether to feel disgusted or humbled. I guess I felt both...and a lil jealous, too. Ha.

People say that you go through different emotional stages when you go abroad. Next week, I will have been here for eight months. It finally hit me that I'm going through a slump. Hopefully, my brother can bring me back up some time next month. That would be just swell.

Kathy finished at Elite today. I'm so sad about that, too.

Thought of the Day: Kinko's.
Song of the Day: Michael Jackson-Beat It

Psalm 92:8-But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

Thought of the Day: Busan.
Song of the Day: Sandra McCracken-Rock of Ages When the Day Seems Long

I think one of the best things about teaching is that you have a good laugh at least once throughout the day.




This last one was actually my favorite one. It's especially funny because this particular student always likes to imitate Darth Vador in his Konglish accent.

These days, I've been reading Lord of the Flies, one of the few books I actually remember reading in high school. It's really different reading it as an adult now. You actually understand a lot of it and don't have to worry about writing essays on every other chapter. Anyways, there's a particular passage I like from the book: "Suddenly, pacing by the water, he was overcome with astonishment. He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one's waking life was spent watching one's feet. He stopped, facing the strip; and remembering that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood, he smiled jeeringly."

It's funny when you're away from home. You find yourself thinking more about life and people. I remember when I was in Paraguay, one of the best things about the trip was being able to reflect a lot on my life...what I'd done, what I was doing, and what I was going to do with it. If there's one conclusion that I can draw about my life, it's that I always end up doing things that I never expected. I never thought I'd be working at Wetzel's Pretzels at the age of 14. I never thought I'd be president of my Youth Group. I never thought my family would ever live in Southern California. I never thought I'd pursue teaching as a real career. I never thought my closest friends would be people like Justin Jang or Dinko Kim. I never thought I'd be teaching at a hakwon for an indefinite amount of time. Seriously, who would've thought? God is so unpredictable (just as He should be). What in the world is next? The only thing that is certain is that I'm an idiot sheep with God as my shepherd. The rest is gravy. If I only I can remember that more often.

"You make everything good, everything wonderful. You grace my days and heaven fills my view. Let's forever sing..."
-Jaci Velasquez

Thought of the Day: Kathy is being replaced.
Song of the Day: Muse-Starlight