Wow! I haven't blogged about anything post Japan! I guess the craziness of the week is the reason. It's hard for me to believe that just over a week ago, I was in Japan. It seems like we were running around Japan a long time ago.
I got back from Japan last Tuesday. Wednesday I met with Woosik, his mom, and his cousin with Kyunghye. We went to lunch together and spent some time remembering some memories from Woosik's time in America. It was so nice to meet some of his family and to spend some more time with him before he left for London. It turns out his cousin went to the same school as Kyunghye, not only that, but Woosik's house is within a few miles from the Byeons. Small city and a small world. His mom is so sweet, she has offered to help me if I need anything while I'm here in Korea. It is great to have such an amazing support system here in Korea while living abroad, I can't imagine what it would be like without them. After having lunch, we went back to Woosik's house to watch some movies and snack on some Japanese food. The love and hospitality that I have received here in Korea is beyond words, I am truly thankful.
On Thursday, I went down to my school to try to get some paperwork worked out. There are some conflicts with my Alien card that are preventing me from being able to get my Chinese Visa. Not good considering I leave in a week! I was able to spend some time with my friends that are in the GKS program. GKS is a group of the international students that are sponsored by their home country's government to come and study in Korea. Most of them are fluent in Korean. I really enjoyed hearing about their new Winter Break classes and all of the activities they have been doing this winter. We talked and laughed about memories from last semester. I am truly going to miss them when they go back home in February. They are some of the closest friends I have here in Korea. On Friday I was unable to get my paperwork, so I would have to come back the next week to complete it.
On Sunday, I went to the International Lutheran Church and met with Mike Kersten and his friends Matt and Dee Dee Wasmund. Mike is one of my dad's former youth who has been working in Asia as an LCMS missionary. Currently he is teaching in Hong Kong, and stopped in Seoul to visit. He met Matt and Dee Dee while working in Taiwan. They recently moved to Seoul with their two adorable daughters: Lily and Olivia. Matt works as the East Asia LCMS missions coordinator. After worship at church, we went out to lunch at a local Korean restaurant. It was great to spend time with Christian Brothers and Sisters that are working here in Asia. After lunch, we went back to the Wasmund's home in downtown Seoul. I chatted with Dee Dee about homeschooling (she would like to teach the girls at home while they are young) while the girls settled in for some reading with Mike.
Both Lily and Olivia (ages 5 and 3) were adopted from Taiwan, so they speak Chinese. Not only that, but they also speak English, Spanish, and they are learning Korean. Matt only speaks Spanish to them, while Dee Dee only speaks English to them. They learned Chinese from their time in Taiwan, and they are enrolled in Korean preschool. I was astonished! Here are these two little girls who have a better grasp of languages than I could only dream of. They are so smart and very friendly, greeting me for the first time with a big hug.
I have so much respect for the Wasmunds. Not only have they taught their girls at a young age multiple languages, they have also exemplified their compassion for others. One of the ways that they do this that I thought was fantastic is that every Tuesday they have Compassion Day. They eat a small bowl of rice for dinner, and talk about how for many people in the world, this bowl of rice will be their only meal for the day. They then place money in a jar, and when it is filled, use that money to help a charity. Dee Dee explained that they do this because they want them to understand even while they're young the world they live in. Our world isn't a perfect place: there is so much pain, injustice, and poverty that we in Western countries forget at times.
While Dee Dee was putting Olivia down for a nap, Lily decided to teach Chinese. I have never felt so intimidated in a classroom in my life. She had the "what kind of answer is that?" and the "you can't be serious?" glare down perfectly. Luckily Mike was also enrolled in Lily's class, so I was able to get a little bit of help between flashcards. Sadly this wasn't enough. I was sent to the "naughty corner" multiple times because my tones were completely off. It was fun to see Lily's imagination soar as she lectured in Chinese. It was definitely worth a few times in the "naughty corner" to see her infectious smile as she taught.
It was great to spend time with Lutheran friends. It was encouraging for me to meet with other Christians who share so many similar experiences that I have had living abroad. Matt and Dee Dee attend the church that I attend here in Seoul, so it will be wonderful to see them every Sunday. I hope in the summer to be able to serve on a mission trip here in Asia through LCMS.
Today, after returning from school for the second time (with paperwork in hand), I went to visit the Byeon's Aunt, Uncle, Jinyoung, and the infamous Eujin. For those who don't know, Eujin has every wild habit imaginable for a five year old boy. He bounces off the walls of his family's apartment, destroying anything that looks important to Jinyoung in his path. He is very sweet when he calms down however. We were able to get him to build domino paths with us, and I was surprised how steady he could keep his hand. It was so nice to visit and spend some time with them again.
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