Teaching and Being Taught

I have been trying hard to do well in my online class while also teaching here.  Surprisingly I finished really well. God helped me so that with my class done I have a 96%.  A solid "A" in my first masters class: Historiography.

SK vs NK

In Korean society (and Chinese) if you have a foreigner working for you or a guest of you, then their safety is your responsibility at the cost of your honor.  The principle wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything ever happened to one of us foreigner teachers.  Which is why he didn't like Michael riding a motorcycle.

The Chinese don't want the North Koreans starting a war.  So it won't be them who do.  That doesn't stop them from trying to provoke South Korea or America.  If North Korea can get someone else to start a war, then they will try.  But because of the Chinese, they themselves won't.  Especially right now with their important holiday and parade coming up.

Also, the North Koreans would have to be very careful is a war did start.  They couldn't harm a single Chinese person or China would be super angry.  That is why bombing Seoul wouldn't actually happen.  There are Chinese there.  No point in angering your only ally.  If there was a war, it would be only a ground war on their part.

The Chinese depend heavily on South Korean economy.  Since this is the 13 wealthiest nation in the world, we provide a huge benefit to the Chinese.  They would be pissed if that economic strength was threatened.  The greatest threat the North Koreans face at the moment is collapse.  They had two legs to stand on.  The first was giving the people food and aid that had been sponsored by the Soviet Union.  The second was protection from scary America.  The first leg is gone since the Soviet Union fell and that aid stopped coming in.  The only thing the North Korean government has left to offer is protection from America.  That won't be enough though if America stays backed off.  

North Korea is no longer a Communist country.  It is a black market country.  The government can try to appear to be strong.  However they are rapidly weakening and the South Koreans are watching to see how North Korea will collapse on itself.  They prefer if the civil war stays in North Korea or if they end up joining South Korea.  A united Korea is what both sides want, just not in the same way.

One goal the South Koreans desperately want is a united Korea.  One advantage to this is then they would finally be able to have a railway system run from South Korea all the way to Europe.  This is something that has been planned and worked on for years.  They even have the station set up and ready.

DMZ

Writing a note on my computer for today... Friday the 20th of April.  It is after 9pm and I'm pretty tired.  My feet hurt from all the walking.  IT was a good day though.  Got a taxi from YoungNam SahmYook to Gyeongsan Station.  Took a train to Dong Daegu where we transfered to a KTX going to Seoul Station.  At Seoul Station, we jumped onto line 4 and took the subway to line 6 and then went to a stop where Willis could get a hair cut.  Keith and I ate at Quiznos (spelling?) and then walked around.  It was hilly and there were buddhist monks handing stuff out.  Saw a store that I kinda like from when I lived in Lincoln, NE.  It is called The Limited.  Got back on line 6 and went to line 3.  The subway became intensely crowded and it was difficult to move without knocking someone over.  Had to shove my way out.  Headed south to where we were going to find a hotel.  Started walking and didn't find it.  I asked for directions, but the guy only understood "hotel" and we didn't find where we had reservations.  We tried another place and the girl directed us to Exit 14, turn out, intersection, and on the right.  Her directions were right, but my interpretation of her semi broken English was wrong.  We walked for awhile and I again asked for help.  This guy was more friendly and knew a bit more English.  Eager to prove himself capable to me, he found where it was.  Back at exit 14.  Went back and this time checked the side street behind it.  I looked at the Korean letters and was sure that half of the name on the paper matched.  Walked down between those building where an arrow was pointing and there it was.  The entrance was inside a car garage.  Went in and checked in.  Now more fun was underway.  The guy manning the desk didn't realize that we had reserved two rooms... so we cleared that up really fast.  Then I got to my room and couldn't figure out how to turn on the bathroom lights.  Went next door and asked Keith.  He showed me.  Then he couldn't figure out how to turn off the tv.  I showed him.  Happily we went back to our own places for the evening.  I proceeded to go through all the free stuff.  Turns out I didn't need to bring anything with me but a change of clothes.  Everything else is provided.  EVERYTHING else.  I will make use of the bubble bath with pleasure.  Some other things... won't be used.  Good night ^_^

It is after midnight at this point so will type out what I can now and then post online once the sun rises.  Woke up this morning and got ready for the trip to the DMZ.  Met up with Keith and we headed to the subway.  Jumped on and found where we were to meet up at.  Stopped my McDonalds and Starbucks.  Then went and climbed on the bus.  Going through Seoul was, crowded.  Glad I wasn't driving.  The tour guide, William Cho, talked to use and gave us a lot of background.  We reached out first stop.  Funny.  It is a military memorial with an amusement park beside it.  It is spitting rain with a good wind by this point.  We all jumped out and took pictures.  I stopped in the souvenir shop and looked around.  Then we got back on the bus and headed to tunnel #3.  The gate security to the buffer zone is pretty tough.  No pictures!  We got to tunnel #3 and went to the museum.  We could take pictures there.  Then we went to the tunnel.  I put on a hard hat and started walking down.  Soon I was fighting to not panic as it just kept going down.  Got to the bottom and saw the tunnel continue on.  Turned and headed back up.  Talked to another expat.  Got back on the bus.  The soldiers at one of the gates bursted into a friendly grin and waved to me.  I automatically grinned and waved back.  As we started to drive on, he said "Goodbye, have a nice day."  I like hearing Koreans speak in English.  They have beautiful voices.  Scarily enough, he looked young enough to be one of my high school students.

Eventually we made it to our next area and tunnel number 2.  Ate lunch at a place that served marinated bulgogi.  Got pics of a statue of a guy that is Korea's robin hood as well as a tank and such.  Climbed back on the bus and determined that I was throwing my umbrella away when I got back to my apartment.  The wind was really destroying it.  Reached tunnel number 2.  Again no pictures.  Really thankful for my hardhat here as I bumped  the roof twice.  Went all the way here.  The guards were really nice.

We also went to a train station.  It will someday, hopefully, connect to Europe.  This is the place where I got drenched.  It was just raining that badly.  Was cold and wet the rest of the trip.  We also went to White Horse Ridge where a famous battle took place.  Have some neats pics of that place too.  The Korean soldier stationed there by default speaks English and took us on a tour.  Have pictures of him too. 

When we got back to Seoul, jumped on the subway to the KTX to Gyeongsan.  Went home.  Now I am tired.  Night ^_^

US from Korean Viewpoints

Something that never ceases to amaze me is the dramatically different views that Korea has about their country that Americans don't.

I learned a lot today when I went to the DMZ.  I didn't actually go inside it, nor saw any North Koreans.  However did many other things of which I will blog about shortly.

Anyrate, South Korea is really mad, evidently, at our former president George Bush Jr.  The US had been eating, hugging, and hanging out with North Korea with peace talks underway and the nuclear program suspended when ... three months later... George Bush is elected president and gets up front to make a speech.  He calls North Korea the axis of evil along with Iraq and Iran.  North Korea gets upset and asks for reassurances that the US is still willing to work on improving their relations... the US doesn't respond.  South Koreans  point out that we then attacked Iraq, one of the axis of evil that we named.  They said North Korea was afraid they were next and that is why they returned to their weapons research.

Also learned that North Korea won't harm any Chinese, their only ally left.  So if they attack, go to Jeju Island there there are a lot of Chinese ^_^

And learned that South Korea also doesn't like CNN.  CNN evidently is still in the teenage years of life making a big dramatic deal over nothing.  South Koreans don't like Korean being called one of the dangerous spots in the world nor that this area is most likely to have a nuclear war.  They enjoy pointing out all the reasons why CNN is wrong.  I have to say, I agree with them.  No need to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Photoshoot

With normal Korean style, someone can after one of my classes and said we were needed outside.  So all us foreigners walked outside to discover they were doing a photoshoot for their International Program.  The one day all week I did anything nice with my hair.  Good thing too.  Feel bad for the other teachers though.  Willis was trying not to fall over (he is sick) and Geoff basically did fall over (he is really sick).  It was a long 40 minutes.  I had fun and am hoping that this time around, they will give me a digital copy of the pics they took of me.  They have a lot of pictures of me.  I would like to have them.

Salsa

In Korea, there is a large problem with human trafficking just as there is anywhere else in the world.  Sadly, many of the women who have found themselves in this position have come about it because they went into dept and were unable to pay back what they owed.  They took the only option left, as who wants to go to prison.

A lot of it is illegal and many find themselves trapped in a life they don't want and can't leave.  In an effort to help raise awareness of human trafficking, a group that promotes awareness decided to hold a fundraiser.  They had a salsa dance night with drinks and food for all.  I went an hour early for just the dance lesson.

Learned the basic step and attempted to learn two basic moves.  Very clean dance that is requires a lot of feet movement.  Had fun and found out what dancing is like with a good partner versus someone who doesn't know what to do with his feet or is off on the timing.

It was good exercise, but by the time I finished I was worn out.  A professor from Daegu University had heard I was coming downtown and hung out with me.  Was nice to have someone there to make sure I was okay.  He made sure I got back to Gyeongsan and on a bus okay.

Salvation

I had a boy translate the sermon for me one Sabbath.  He tried his best but was having trouble.  It ended up coming out like this.  "God retrieved us back up there by having Jesus take on our problems."  That isn't exact but pretty darn close.  I rather like it.  Simple and to the point.

Firefighter

I was tutoring my little elementary kids today.  I asked what firefighters did in our lesson on the word "service."  The little boy replied that firefighters made fire die.  That they killed the fire.  Both his mother and I bursted into laughter.

Visitors

Today we had visitors from America come visit our school.  Several of them I know from the SDA Washington Conference.  I hadn't met the others nor had really any time to talk to them.  I wanted to so bad.  I couldn't stop staring.  There was Americanism and Westernism just dripping off of them and their very appearance screamed HOME.  We got some pictures before they had to move on.  I am eager to get copies, even if it wasn't my best hair day.

Missed My Calling

I just had the most amazing evening in the world.

I tutored two elementary aged kids.  A brother and a sister.  They are the most sweet, cute kids I have ever tutored.  I couldn't believe it.  Have I missed my calling?  Was it the tutoring or was it working with younger kids?  Which was it?