Thursday night after Maundy Thursday service, I went with Hyesun to see the movie "Jane Eyre" based on the book by Charlotte Bronte. The book is one of my favorites, so I had high expectations. It was pretty good, the movie was pretty accurate to the book. It was nice to spend time with Hyesun, celebrating the end of midterms for both of us. Hyesun will be graduating this summer, so it is a bittersweet time for her as she prepares to leave the academic world to enter the workforce. I think she is excited about this new chapter, yet at the same time, she doesn't feel ready quite yet to say goodbye to school. I think this is true for a lot of Korean students. Korean students are taught to spend all of their energy studying and preparing for the next exam and the next academic level. When the time comes to leave this world of cramming facts for creative innovation working in the "real world," they are in a bit of shock.
I went to several places around Seoul the next two days. I wanted to see some of the little known places around the city where there would be a lack of tourists. I first went to one of the lesser known palaces near the historic area. It was built in the 1600's after the Japanese invasion. It was almost completely destroyed during the Japanese occupation. The palace is in the process of being restored, so it is not a popular destination. I found it fascinating, because it was in a secluded area amidst the city and I enjoyed seeing the process of restoration. Many of the famous Korean historical sights were partially or completely destroyed during the occupation. After Korea gained her independence, the Korean people have been going through the process of restoring what was lost. Because it is still being rebuilt, there were only a dozen Koreans walking the grounds. It is such a contrast to some of the larger palaces, where tourists are around every corner.
The Good Friday service was held in both English and German. ILC shares the church building with the German Lutheran Church, so we had a joint service. To hear the story of the Passion in German is something that I will never forget. The reader was so expressive and the language is absolutely beautiful. We also sang some of the hymns in German, which was an experience! The Germans were able to pull the rest of us English speaking, German language butchering congregants along. I never thought that I would spend Good Friday in Korea singing in German!
I also went to visit Seodaemun Prison, which was built by the Japanese to imprison Korean rebels during the occupation. After the end of the occupation, an Independence Park was built around the prison, which has several memorials to the thousands of Korean people who gave their lives for the cause of a free Korea. It is one of about twenty five prisons that were built by the Japanese to imprison Koreans who protested the occupation. This one was the largest, at one time holding over two thousand people. The prison was one of those places that is difficult to see, yet it impacted me and gave me a greater understanding about the occupation of Korea. The crimes committed by the Japanese during the occupation truly are as disgusting and disgraceful as the acts by other powers at that time, but it is rarely discussed. As I walked around this prison, seeing the torture chambers, prison cells, and the execution room where thousands of Koreans were killed without a trial, I was shocked by how atrocious the crimes of the Japanese who controlled Korea at that time. It is tragic that this dark chapter in the 20th century is not discussed and parts of it are not even recognized by the Japanese government. I hope that the world will learn more of this tragic time in history to prevent it from repeating again.
On Sunday, I went to Easter service at ILC. This is my first Easter away from my family and my home church. I was overwhelmed by the love that my church home here in Korea, ILC, bestowed upon me. Celebrating Easter with a group of believers from all around the world showed me the reason why Christ came to this world. We may have our differences, but in God's eyes we all fall short and desperately in need of rescue from the bondage of our sin. Easter proclaims a universal message of hope and restoration. The Resurrection of Christ is the reconciliation of the world, the restored relationship between God and every person that has walked this earth.
After church, I spent the afternoon at the Wasmunds with many other church members. We had an Easter luncheon, which was made by Dee Dee. I am thoroughly convinced that Martha Stewart can't even be compared to Dee Dee. She made about ten different dishes, including hummus wraps and zucchini pasta salad. She also had a dessert buffet, which included carrot cheesecake and an assortment of cupcakes with grass like frosting and little edible handmade Easter critters (bumblebees, ladybugs, and bunnies). Next to every dish was a little printed card with a description of the dish. She told us that it was nothing and we were too easily impressed, I would like to see her definition of a tough crowd! The food was so delicious. It was great to spend the afternoon with Lutheran friends.
This week, a group from a Lutheran High school in California came to Korea for a mission project. The group was led by two of the Wasmunds friends from Taiwan, Ben and Robyn. After lunch, I took the group to Insadong for some shopping and to see more of the city. It was nice to spend time with Christian brothers and sisters who came so far from home to serve in Korea. The kids were so funny and upbeat! Even though we got a little lost (I'm still not entirely familiar with every area of Seoul, it's a huge city), they were excited just to see the city. We stopped by a few cosmetic shops (there were six girls and one guy, so this was expected). We also went to Insadong market, which is one of the larger "tourist" shopping areas for Korean souvenirs. Some people were able to do their much needed shopping, while others were able to taste a bit of the Korean street food. After shopping, we went to a local Korean restaurant and had dinner. I was able to chat with Ben and Robyn about their experiences abroad while working in Taiwan. They are incredible people with a heart for serving others and leading by example. The group will spend the week working with some of the homeless in Seoul and an orphanage in the city.
After dinner, I said goodbye to the group and headed back to school. Two hours later, I was back at SCH ready for the second half of the semester, here we go!
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