Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains

Last week, Mark and I got in a car with Mark's parents and drove out to Oklahoma together. We spent some time in Tulsa with Mark's aunt and uncle and his grandpa.

Kitchen

I won't bore you all with a long post, but we got a new kitchen. On Memorial Day, I went to he basement to get the lawnmower and found a bunch of water. After some investigation, I found that the cast iron drain pipe from the kitchen had rusted through and was depositing all of our kitchen water into the wall. It took us a few days to come this this conclusion, but since we had to take the cabinets out anyway, we just decided to re-do the kitchen. We wanted to re-do the kitchen, but that was supposed to be a next summer project. So, over the next 12 weeks our kitchen went from this







to this




Our favorite additions are the new stove, dishwasher, new floors, and counter space. A guy from church made the cabinets, and I am very impressed. This house is nowhere close to level, square, or plumb so it was good to have a pro install the cabinets to overcome those inconsistencies.

Around campus

Here are a few more pictures from my time in South Korea. I'm back home and my computer is working again, so I'll probably be posting a few more posts from my time there. Classes here start Thursday, but until then here are some pictures of the campus I stayed on in Pohang.

On my second day there, my roommate and I hiked behind campus a little bit.

Up the path.

About halfway up.

The view from the top. This isn't the greatest picture of me, but I thought you might appreciate seeing the city of Pohang in the background. Those are apartment buildings, I think.

The view looking the other way. You can see the school's chapel in the distance there.

Seoul

Hi all -- I'm in Seoul now, and will be here for another 24 hours. My computer is still melted (permanently, maybe), so I can't post pictures. We are at the apartment of some Chattanooga friends.
Here's their blog:
http://someoneinseoul.blogspot.com
One of these days I'll figure out how to put proper links on the side of the page, but I don't think today's the day.

kids

Yesterday, I had my youngest kids drawing pictures. In this particular class, the English skills are extremely limited, and so are their attention spans. So, we sang "He's got the whole world in his hands," and then I had them draw pictures of what is in God's hands. Some drew flags of the countries, some drew soccer players, some drew bugs. One child drew a picture of a space shuttle. He showed it to me and said, "Teacher, rocket." I said, "that's great, where is the rocket going?" He said, "Future." "Wow, the future." Then the child wrote J-E-S-U-S on the wings of the rocket. I said, "Jesus is on the rocket to the future?" "Yes." "Really?" Then he looked at me as though I had asked the most obvious question possible. "Is fast." Right.

The other day I was playing a game with the kids called "Back to the Board," where one of them stands with their back to the board, I write a word on the board, and then the class tries to get the one kid to guess the word. They can't make sound effects, say the word in Korean, or say the word itself. It's actually a pretty good game for ESL students. We played for awhile, and then they wanted me to play. They were giving mostly science words, I guess because they had just come from that class. Good words, words like "irrigate," and "vertebrae." I was standing with my back to the board, and they started giving me clues. "Make more, make more of, teacher." "Increase?" No. "No, teacher. Mom, dad, tadpole." Hmm. "populate?" "No, teacher. Make babies, make babies. What is make babies?" Hmm.
"Starts with B."
B?
"Breed!"
phew.

Blog posts

I have so much more to post about. Stories about the kids, photos of my trip to a national park with waterfalls, a visit to one of the oldest temples in Korea in Gyeongju, an evening of fireworks on the beach, and I'm sure there will be more from my last week here. Unfortunately, my computer is in full on melting and smoking mode, so I'm not going to turn it on until I get back home to the states. I might be able to post from a friend's computer, but if you've been enjoying the pictures, just come back in a week.
Sarah

Rice Paddies Hike Part 2

Lots of spider webs on the trail.

The Buddhist temple. It was inside a little compound which we didn't go into.

On the way back, we walked around a lake where these guys were fishing. The weather became really foggy, but I loved it. Perfect for hiking near the water and on trails.

Part of the irrigation system for the rice fields.

A canal/ bridge.

The terraced fields.

Computer

Hey friends.

My computer is having some issues, so the posts may be a little slower in coming now. I hope all is well where you are. More later. Please pray that my computer stops making melting smells when I use it (and yes, I have a converter. The problem is something else, I think).

Sarah

Rice Paddies/ Temple Hike part 1

After church last Sunday, one of the professors (an American linguist teaching English) here at the university had a few of us over for lunch (that's him in the front of the line of the first picture). I do want to say that one of the things I have appreciated the most about being here is having the chance to worship with so many people from so many different countries. But that's probably a whole other post. Anyway, after lunch we decided to hike to a small Buddhist temple behind the school. Someone said that it was mostly road, so I didn't change my clothes -- I was just wearing my Sunday dress and my Chacos. It had just rained, so things were pretty muddy, but I didn't think it would be too bad.

The start of the trail, a little (6 inch wide) ridge between fields.

I tripped and fell after taking this self picture.

But then the trail became noticeably overgrown.

And then steep. Poor Lisa (in front of the camera) was wearing flip flop shower shoes.

Then we got to the top of the ridge, where we saw some old gravestones.

More on this hike later. I just wanted to post a few pictures.
To answer Courtney's question about more food description... I can say that Korean food is almost never mushy or soft. Except for greens, everything has a little bit of a crunch. It has lots of salt, garlic, and loads of vinegar. Chilies are in a lot of the foods. Almost nothing is oily. There are not many sweet flavors, either. Occasionally, a meat will have a honey or rice vinegar type sweetness to it, but that's really it.
I am enjoying it a lot, and there have only been a few nights when I thought, "well, I guess I'll just go to bed hungry," but even on those nights, we manage to scrounge up some food.
Tonight most of the teachers are going to go eat at a Western style restaurant downtown (the camp is paying. I probably wouldn't seek that out normally, though after two weeks, I don't feel guilty about maybe wanting a hamburger. Or a salad.) and then we're going to watch some fireworks from the beach. I'll let you know how that goes.

Korean Food...

... has been an adventure.

A typical looking Korean lunch, dinner, and, yes, breakfast. Except this soup was Japanese style. The lunch lady looked shocked when I said, "Miso?" Yes, it was miso.

This is a less appetizing picture, but it was on a feast night when we met the counselors who were paired with our class. We never really have two kinds of meat. On the left is "bulgogi" which is some sort of chopped meat, on the right is a piece of fried chicken. Front left is some sort of pinwheel shaped root vegetable coated in sweet sauce and peanuts and about the same texture as a pencil eraser. Front right is spicy, fermented cabbage called kimchi, which they call Korea's national dish. Even that description, though, is a vast understatement. Not a meal goes by without accompanying kimchi, mounds of it on every plate. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Korean style barbecue: we had skillets in the middle to cook pork and garlic, which we then wrapped in lettuce leaves and topped with rice, peppers, an amazing fermented soybean chili sauce, and, yes, kimchi. Community style dining that has been my favorite meal so far.

The resulting wrap.

When we ate at the Jukdo market, this was the corn/squash pudding that we ordered and ate as a group. I can't say that I was a huge fan, though I was a fan of trying something new, if that counts for anything.

You can see a knee in this picture. We sat at a table where we sat on the floor. We only ordered some gimbop (Korean style sushi roll) and the bowl of squash pudding, but the stall manager brought us water, sprouts, and kimchi. Then some older Korean women drinking soju (alcohol) got really worked up and kept feeding us things, trying to mime what they were and laughing hysterically. One of the things they gave us were these leaves which you wrap around a garlic clove and then eat. We found out very quickly that the cloves were raw. They also gave one of us (not me) the same leaf but then it had some sort of raw mystery meat inside. We were at a fish market, but it could have been liver; we definitely saw veins. She said it tasted good. I didn't risk it, though.

Here's a Korean classic, from Pizza Hut: shrimp pizza. If you blow up the picture, you can see all sorts of seafood on top. Those of you worried about my shellfish allergy will be comforted to know that I did not partake.

Some of the best conversations I have with students are about food. One went like this:
Jun: teacher, can you get kimchi in Tennesee?
Sarah: only some places.
Jun: Oh. Everybody have kimchi here.
a little later...
Jun: teacher, does your husband like Korean food?
Sarah: He has never had Korean food, but I'm sure he would because he likes spicy food.
Jun: What kind of food does he like?
Sarah: Well, he likes Chinese food.
Jun: Oh! Chinese kimchi so bad, is not delicious.

today, this little boy stood about four inches from my face while I finished my lunch watching me intently.
Jun: You like this? (we were having what I think is called bimbibop... about 8 kids answered in unison when I asked what it was, so it was hard to hear exactly)
Sarah: yes, it's very good.
Jun: Not too spicy?
Sarah: No, just right.
Jun: You should tell your husband, come here, and try the Korean food.
Sarah: he would like that.

Pictures from the Juk-Do Market

Where we ate dinner

Q: What's in that sushi roll?
A:

At an enormous dried fruit stand with the friendliest, most joyful keeper.

Cookies

Dumplings

Dried fish

Full of people

In town

The first day after I arrived, some of us went into town to get some supplies and iced coffee. These are just a few pictures of the town to help you picture it. Mark asked for "help picturing it" type photos, and I'm happy to share with you too.

It's bright, hot, and humid here. More humid than Florida, if you can believe it.

We did our shopping on a pedestrian only street. As you can see, there are some English signs, but everything is pretty much completely unreadable.

Korean pine tree.

A few pictures of the bus ride in

My roommate managed to take some pictures of the bus ride from Seoul to Pohang:

friendly faces

As I mentioned in the last post, I've been so struck by how friendly and hospitable people are here. Two young men who are students here at the university picked me up at the bus stop. Though I had been awake for most of my travel time, it was easy enough to have an easygoing conversation with them. I asked them about their studies. They asked me about the election in America. I told them that we weren't getting too much advertising in Tennessee since it's not a swing state, and then I explained how it probably didn't matter too much who I voted for since Tenn always goes republican. And that's how I found myself trying to explain the electoral college to two Korean university students in the middle of the night driving through the city of Pohang. I talked for a few minutes until one of them said, very politely, "Yeah, I watch the West Wing."

When I finally got into my room, my roommate was already asleep. I tried to get the sheets on my bed quietly and it worked at first, but she finally rolled over and smiled to say hello. What I saw was this girl (on the left, the girl on the right is a terrific South African teacher):

wearing this shirt:And that's how I ended up meeting a graduate of a school of not quite 1,000 students on a mountain top in northern Georgia when I was on the other side of the world. How about that?

Greetings from Pohang

Hi all -- as I'm sure most of you know, this month I'm in Pohang, South Korea, teaching at an English camp. I'm hoping to update the blog occasionally with pictures and stories, but this will just be a quick one...

I left Chattanooga at 6 am on Saturday morning, and after a shuttle van ride to Atlanta, a direct flight to the other side of the world (Seoul), and a bus ride halfway across the country to Pohang, and a quick drive to campus, I arrived at Handong University not quite 30 hours after I left home. Needless to say, I was exhausted.

Once I got out of Seoul, the drive became really beautiful. 70% of Korea is mountainous, and the mountains are close together and rolling, a lot like West Virgina (Hi Duncans), except pointy on top, and tucked into the valleys are vineyards of some sort and rice fields. I didn't take any pictures, but I did find these on the web:



A nice drive, really. There was a little bit of a worry for me at the bus station, as there was a mix up about the time somebody was supposed to pick me up. I only waited for about half an hour, but I got pretty nervous standing around in a foreign bus station, the only one around who was clearly not Korean and clearly lost, late at night. I guess I didn't need to be worried, as everyone I approached (to borrow a cell phone to call someone) or who noticed me confused wanted to stop and help me. Korea seems to be a country of hospitality to say the least. Two people from the camp came and found me, though, and they were so friendly too.

I have to run to dinner now, so I can't post any more, but I have plenty more pictures where these came from. Oh, I guess that would mean the internet. What I mean is I have plenty of pictures that I've been taking.

Sarah

Dancing

I promise a real post soon, but this made me so happy, I just had to share it. It's making its round on the internet, but what's one more blog? Watch it with the sound on and "in high quality" (if you can).



And here's the accompanying article that gives the story. "A Private Dance? Four Million Web Fans Say No."

Scheer

In our comings and goings this summer we have seen various old friends which has been a real pleasure. One of the best things about those visits has been story telling. So, when a friend sent me this picture I couldn't help but think of the time that Jeremy Scheer "rode" his bike through the UF campus and crashed right in front of a picnic table full of his friends. I am not sure who all was there, but it looked something like this.

If Jeremy Scheer is out there. I would love to hear his account.

Antiques Road Show II

Today I got my tickets to Antiques Road Show. I really think this could be my big break into Hollywood. I think I will do my segment in various accents so they see how versatile I am.

In other news, Sarah will not be attending Antiques Road Show as she will be in South Korea, but that is a whole other blog post.

Howard Dean

Yesterday I sent Howard Dean, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, not to be confused with Jimmy Dean, the Chairman of all things sausage, the following email:

"I just wanted to let you know that if Obama wins the popular vote, states won, and pledged delegates yet the powers that be overturn the will of the people and nominate Clinton, there will be a outcry among the people. I would count myself as just one of many that would absolutely vote for McCain. If Clinton were to be nominated under those circumstances I would be convinced that the Democratic Party was profoundly corrupt, and votes mattered no more here than they do in Zimbabwe."

I have not heard back from him yet, but I will keep you posted.

Public Service Announcement

If you wife goes out of town and the only thing she leaves you to eat is cereal, but you have no milk, do not substitute half and half. It's not the same.

Update

Nothing too exciting to report since our last post. We got central heat and air installed for the up and down stairs. I've been working on taking out the radiators and all of the plumbing that went with that system. I took 560 lbs of pipes and a a boiler to the scrap yard. They gave me $40 for it so it was worth it, plus it gets recycled. I've got probably another 1,000 lbs to take assuming I take the cast iron radiators.

We also knocked a hole in the wall at the base of the stairs so now you can go directly from the upstairs to the downstairs without having to go through the laundry room. That really improves the flow of the house and now it feels more like one house instead of a duplex, which it was. A guy from church built a nice casement and stairs for the job.

Sarah's mom had a photography exhibit/reception yesterday. We were supposed to go down for the event, but we both got sick.

My favorite country music artist, Josh Turner, is coming to Chattanooga for this summers downtown Riverbend music festival. I am not a fan of most modern country music, but this guy seems kind of old school. Here is a link to a song he did with a nice bluegrass influence.

Things are exploding with green around here lately. Our Oak Leaf Hydrangea and Japanese Maple are coming out, and our Fig tree looks to be just a few days behind. We got a freeze this time last year which really hurt the looks of things so hopefully the cold weather is truly behind us.

February Afternoon

It's been a cold and rainy weekend, perfect for lounging in the sunny spot coming through the window...

And also a perfect day for cooking. I made chicken and rice soup and, get this, crackers. That's right, I made crackers. And they were easy, too.
You can get the recipe right here.

Of course, the pictures on the professional blog are beautiful, but here is my picture anyway.

Spring break is next week, and I'm hoping to catch up on some reading (recommendations from a few of you!), grading, and maybe some painting (walls, not canvases).