Am I ever glad for yet another weekend! I discovered a student had been saying a Korean word with a foul meaning - which helped explain why the other students had laughed when he used it. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper, and let him know. I said if he ever used that word in my class again, I would write him up a "yellow card". He certainly knew I was not impressed. And it is this kind of thing that really makes me happy when I get to a weekend.
On the bright side, I had the privilege of sharing the good news about God's coming judgement with my last class. "Good news?", one may ask. "Yes", I would reply, "good news!" I was explaining that I would be happy to leave this world and go home (i.e. heaven), when a student said, "Don't you Christians say that unbelievers will go to hell?" I explained, "Well, I simply believe that, as sinners, we need our sins paid for. If our sins are not paid for, then we have reason to be concerned." I also recommended Psalm 96 and 98 for reading on the topic of why God's coming judgement is such good news. And I recommend it yet again, to anyone interested.
You see, we all suffer wrong, and we all know it ought to be judged. I ask, however, do we know that the judge of all the earth will, indeed, settle all accounts perfectly? According to the Bible, we ought to.
Sincerely,
Daniel
Friday, May 26, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
"Bokbo"!
I finally got to the weekend! Am I ever happy about that! I had no idea how I would make it, when the week started - but God saw me through. I am happy to say that it no longer looks like I have been "putting on weight", and my face has shrunk back down to its normal size. One positive outcome, however, was that Alice, one of my Kindergarten students, seemed to take a liking to my "chubby right-side-of-face" look, and even taught me the word "bok-bo!" Which means, "Kiss"! ;) She said my face was "Yae-poo-dah", which means "cute".
She said, "Bokbo!" and then when I went to get my hug (which I usually get)... smack! She kissed me on the cheek, and got a kiss on the cheek from me! So, let's just say - while I was not a fan of the "putting on weight" look, per se - I enjoyed the "bokbo"'s while they lasted (and they seem to have "dried up" since my face shrunk back down). Thanks for the continued prayers that have been offered on my behalf.
I learned something else today: when people park, sometimes they "block off" certain people, by parking directly behind them, and perpendicular to their vehicles. So, I wondered aloud as Nick, my Korean-born friend did just this, how would these people get out if they needed to. Nick explained that, because he was "blocking those people off, he followed the protocol of leaving his car in neutral, without the parking break on. That way, if someone needed to push his car out of their way with their hands, they could! Also, Nick explained, his "hand-phone" number was on the rear-view mirror, visible to the outside, so people could also phone his handphone if they needed to talk to him. Neat, eh?
Sincerely,
Daniel
She said, "Bokbo!" and then when I went to get my hug (which I usually get)... smack! She kissed me on the cheek, and got a kiss on the cheek from me! So, let's just say - while I was not a fan of the "putting on weight" look, per se - I enjoyed the "bokbo"'s while they lasted (and they seem to have "dried up" since my face shrunk back down). Thanks for the continued prayers that have been offered on my behalf.
I learned something else today: when people park, sometimes they "block off" certain people, by parking directly behind them, and perpendicular to their vehicles. So, I wondered aloud as Nick, my Korean-born friend did just this, how would these people get out if they needed to. Nick explained that, because he was "blocking those people off, he followed the protocol of leaving his car in neutral, without the parking break on. That way, if someone needed to push his car out of their way with their hands, they could! Also, Nick explained, his "hand-phone" number was on the rear-view mirror, visible to the outside, so people could also phone his handphone if they needed to talk to him. Neat, eh?
Sincerely,
Daniel
Sunday, May 14, 2006
"Fix me"
I am over my sore throat, but now the right side of my face is swollen, and the doctor figured it was my right tonsil. He gave me antibiotics for two days. This last weekend was primarily spent in bed. Now, God willing, I have to teach another week with my health not at 100%. Your prayers for me would be appreciated. Some other possibilities for what might be wrong with me are: a right jaw that is out of joint, and a wisdom tooth that is still beneath the gums. Ultimately, God knows what is wrong, and I pray that he would "fix me".
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Sore Throat
I have a sore throat, and teaching when you are sick is a real drag. I pray I would get home and to bed "AEAP" ("As Early As Possible"). Teaching is still a challenge, as I continue to get used to the schedule, material, and the students (and as they get used to me - as usual. I have students telling me they cannot understand anything I say. I tell them that, in that case, they have some learning to do - because what I speak in class is authentic, "rubber-meets-the-road" English).
Today I had a Kindergarten student named "Eli" (pronounced like the word "alley") who - predictably - asked to go to the bathroom (whom I let go, knowing that if I did not, she would cry). Also predictable, however, was the fact that she kept asking to go to the bathroom. I put my foot down and said, "No." And, again - predictably - she cried. So I explained to her Korean Homeroom teacher that "one time" was OK, but "two times" was not. She, Eli, apologized, and I trust she will learn to act her age in my class.
I taught one of my classes their "ABC's in cursive writing." Some liked it better than others, but by the end, I think it had gone over pretty well. We only got up to "Nn", so I can do the other letters next time - which is good, because we do not have a book. The students talked about a certain writing book that we have here at the school, which they thought I should photocopy to use with them. I said, "Should I drive through a red light?" They said, "No." So I said, "I do not make illegal photocopies for the same reason." And I showed them the copyright notice at the front of a book.
This morning, I read through Psalm 51 in my "Korean King James Bible". It is taking me less and less time to get through Psalms or Chapters of other books in that Bible. It is amazing to me how much there is to learn when it comes to reading (and speaking) Korean. It is like waiting for a sunrise, when you have been staying up all night for it. The lights come on - agonizingly slowly, but surely. Bye for now.
Sincerely,
Daniel
Today I had a Kindergarten student named "Eli" (pronounced like the word "alley") who - predictably - asked to go to the bathroom (whom I let go, knowing that if I did not, she would cry). Also predictable, however, was the fact that she kept asking to go to the bathroom. I put my foot down and said, "No." And, again - predictably - she cried. So I explained to her Korean Homeroom teacher that "one time" was OK, but "two times" was not. She, Eli, apologized, and I trust she will learn to act her age in my class.
I taught one of my classes their "ABC's in cursive writing." Some liked it better than others, but by the end, I think it had gone over pretty well. We only got up to "Nn", so I can do the other letters next time - which is good, because we do not have a book. The students talked about a certain writing book that we have here at the school, which they thought I should photocopy to use with them. I said, "Should I drive through a red light?" They said, "No." So I said, "I do not make illegal photocopies for the same reason." And I showed them the copyright notice at the front of a book.
This morning, I read through Psalm 51 in my "Korean King James Bible". It is taking me less and less time to get through Psalms or Chapters of other books in that Bible. It is amazing to me how much there is to learn when it comes to reading (and speaking) Korean. It is like waiting for a sunrise, when you have been staying up all night for it. The lights come on - agonizingly slowly, but surely. Bye for now.
Sincerely,
Daniel
Friday, May 5, 2006
Children's Day
Today is a day off! And I only found that out as I was getting kicked out of work last night (I was sitting on the computer as usual ;)). So I went to the sauna this morning and did the rounds. That included having a "Nok-Cha" or Korean Green Tea bath! It also included the "2-degree-Celcius" pool (the "cool-off" pool) and the two saunas (67 and 90 degrees celcius respectively). I also walked to and around Seoul Grand Park. Last "Saturday", I climbed Gwanak Mountain and could see Seoul from there. Gwacheon certainly has turned out to be the great place to live everyone says it is, so far. Teaching English is a day-to-day battle, but God is providing encouragement and rest. I also trust he will soon provide my wife.
Sincerely,
Daniel
Sincerely,
Daniel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
