Anyeong Haseyo (안녕하세요)!

Well, it’s only February, but there sure are signs of spring coming. Every day has been sunny and clear, and it’s starting to warm up a bit. I forgot to mention some things in my last email, so I’ll just add those now:

Seollal (Lunar New Year) Tradition
One tradition we have been hearing about during this important holiday, is that children will bow to their elders (parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents) and each person they bow to will give them money. So, those who have many relatives are VERY lucky indeed.

Interesting shoes
On our way home from Soeul, when we were on the subway, we saw the most peculiar shoes I’ve ever seen. This man has shoes that looked like normal running shoes on his feet, but under each shoe were 2 springs, and then a flat shoe surface that connected the springs to the shoes. So, like pogo shoes. It’s sounds crazy, but they were real. And, he was an older man, so it’s not some fad that’s coming out, I don’t think. We thought they must be orthopedic shoes, perhaps. Maybe he had lost the spring in his step.

Namdaemun Gate
As a point of news, an important historical site called “Namdaemun” was burnt down recently by an arsonist. This is quite a big deal in Korea, as it was the oldest wooden structure in Korea, built to keep tigers out. Wow, how long ago were there tigers in the wild? This gate was the pride of Korea, and some compared this tragedy to 9/11. I think that’s a wee bit of an over-exaggeration, but this gives an indication of how important this gate was.

Special Lecture at church
Will and I were asked to speak over 2 Sunday School hours about our testimonies, our vision, cultural differences, etc. This was a good opportunity for church members who are not in our cell group to get to know us better. After our second special lecture, a church member asked us how we resolve conflicts between us. It probably didn’t help our case much when I would reach for the mic while Will was speaking, and he’d yank it away from me, then I’d do the same to him. Everyone laughed at our silly behavior, and probably felt they had a good sense of how we handle conflict at home.

Knitting Club
I had my first knitting club meeting, and in preparation I made banana bread and set up a display of all the knitted things I made and brought to Korea. When everyone had arrived, I realized I didn’t need to prepare food to serve, because everyone brought something; fruit, a traditional sticky rice dish, puffy rice cakes, etc. I had 4 out of the 5 that expressed interest, and there are still some more who want to come, apparently. I thought I would be teaching them how to knit, but they all knew how, they just didn’t know how to make things. They looked through the knitted goods, and picked something they wanted to make, and they just spent the time practicing knitting, as most of them hadn’t knitted in a while. Meanwhile, Will entertained one of the ladies’ babies, and I taught each of them how to knit the things they wanted to make (ie. prayer shawls, toques and scarves). So, even though at first I felt useless cause they all knew how to knit already, I realized I can still help them make things, and just provide a way for them to gather and socialize, and some motivation to start and ultimately finish a knitting project. It also provides a place for them to bring their children so they can play together, or Will and I can entertain the kids, so the moms can actually have time to knit, when they wouldn’t at home.

One knitting club member couldn’t make it to the first meeting, so Will and I went to her place one morning, so I could teach her (or rather, remind her) how to knit. Her two daughters wanted to learn, too, so I tried teaching them, but alas, it’s much harder for smaller fingers. I knit a little blanket for one of the girls’ pet hampster, and the ungrateful thing just chewed on it. We later found it sleeping under the blanket, or at least half the blanket, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

V-School Interviews
It’s that time of year again, when we prepare for V-School after a nice long holiday. We went to the first meeting, where we met our 5 new students, 2 of which for After School, the other 3 for Day School. We first sat through 45 minutes of not knowing what was being said, then we began our interview process. To our surprise and joy, 2 of our new teenage students are NOT shy, and quite comfortable with their English. They lived for one year in Scranton, PA (we asked them if they had heard of “The Office”, but they hadn’t), which would explain their confidence. We are looking forward to getting to know these boys better. I also have two boys who want to learn guitar, so it looks like I’ll be starting a guitar class soon.

Hockey Game
Will’s team finally had an actual game with a team from Seoul, so I went along, bundled up enough that I’d be plenty warm in Antartica….and I was still cold. It was quite funny. Will was borrowing someone’s jersey, which was #20, and there was another #20 on his team. So I’m watching the game, paying particular attention to where #20 was, but everytime I saw #20 go off the ice, suddenly #20 was ON the ice again! I thought I was going crazy, until later Will told me why.

Farewell to the Nham’s/Moving
Last Sunday we had a farewell prayer for the Nham family, who left for the States on a 1-year sabbatical. Just like at home, we gathered around them, placing our hands on their shoulders, and prayed for their safe journey. Will and I are moving into their place this week, so we have been busily packing all our things, including V-School books and supplies. I didn’t know HOW much stuff we have, and I don’t know how we fit it in this apartment!

By the way, here are some nice views of Chuncheon city, where we live:

Also, here’s an adorable baby from our cell group: