Shopping and Megachurches

This weekend, I had a Koreanized "Black Friday." I stormed all the major markets in Seoul as well as some of the famous bookstores. While people in the states were stampeding into Walmart, I was bargaining with street vendors at the markets.

Joining me for this expedition was Chelsea, a fellow international. We first went to the markets: Dongdaemun, Namdaemun, and Insadong. I have visited these markets on several occasions, but this was the first time to do all three in one day. It was epic! Between markets, we would snag some street food, which included pork and kimchi mandu (dumplings) and hotdok (a Korean pancake with cinnamon filling). All three of these markets have ancient roots, with Namdaemun and Dongdaemun paying homage to their historical roots in their names. "Nam" is south in Korean while "Mun" means gate or door, this market is located where the south gate of the ancient wall that surrounded Seoul stands. While the wall no longer exists, you can see the gate from the market. In the same way "Dong" means east in Korean, add "Mun" you get east gate, the place where the eastern limits of ancient Seoul were located.

After these three markets, we visited two bookstores in the city. The first was the Salvation Army Christian bookstore. I have wanted to visit this bookstore for awhile. It is the largest Christian bookstore in Korea and one of the largest in Asia. It was interesting to see some of the same literature that is in my dad's office being sold here. After this bookstore, we went to Itaewon to see "What the Book," a bookstore my friend who teaches here in Korea recommended to me. Basically, it is a large used bookstore that sells only English books. It is like a huge book exchange for foreigners. They also had a huge selection of books about Korea in English, now I've got quite a list of books to look for on Amazon! Chelsea was especially happy about this find: she's a literature buff and hopes to teach in Korea next year, I think she will spend a lot of time searching the shelves of this store!

After our shopping expedition we joined Ross and Victor, two of our classmates from school that were in Seoul for the day, for dinner in Itaewon. It was nice to swap stories from our day as well as to have dinner away from the Shinchang. Like any small town, after a few weeks, you grow weary of the same restaurants. Anytime we get up to Seoul, we like to eat something completely different.

We said goodbye to Ross and Victor after dinner and went to visit the Byeons. Kyunghye is finished with the Suneung (College exam) so we were able to spend time with her now that she has a break until February. We watched a Korean movie call "Sunny," which left me with mixed emotions. The storyline is basically about a group of seven high school girls who form a club called Sunny. The story is told in flashbacks of their "Sunny" days as students, and the present day where they are trying to find one another as one of the members is dying. Watching this movie as a person in the in between time (high school and middle age) I felt a bit of longing for the memories I have as a teenager with my own "Sunny" like group. It also made me wonder, fifteen or so years from now, will I be faced with the same reality as these girls: losing touch with those friends that meant everything to me as a teenager resulting in a search for them? While nothing can remain the same as it was, I still in a way mourn for those memories in that they will never return as they were. Oh, why is growing up so difficult! It was nice to see this movie with Kyunghye because even though it has been five years since she came to America and became a sister to me, we still have the same quirkiness as before, an indication to me that while our lives may change, friendship can remain with the knowledge that some things will change but others will hold the same.

On Sunday morning, me and Chelsea completed another thing off my list of things to do in Korea: we went to Yoido Full Gospel Church. Yoido is the largest church in the world, with over 1,000,000 members. If you asked 10 people in Seoul where they went to church, at least one would say Yoido. It is a monster of a church, with a huge stadium sanctuary on Yoido island right next to the National Assembly. I find it interesting that these two titans stand side by side: The Political power(Natl Assembly) and the Religious force (Yoido Full Gospel). They are the two forces that are deciding the future of this nation, from collective policy and individual conviction standpoints.

We were led from the main welcome area to the section of the stadium for foreigners. We were given headphones to listen to the translation of the sermon. It was very helpful for me to hear the more particular details of the pastor's sermon because I was very curious to finally hear a message from this controversial pastor (more on that in a minute). I also really enjoyed taking off the headphones for the rest of the service to sing with the 15,000+ worshipers at the service. Singing with a mass congregation in Korean was an incredible experience. In the course of 60 years, Korea has demonstrated that a nation can turn to Christ (less than 5% Christian 1950 to over 50% today.) What was mind-blowing about this church is the magnitude of the church. There were 15,000 people at this service, not counting the several thousand that were watching a live stream of the service from satellite churches outside of the city. In addition, this was the fourth service of the day, with an additional three in the afternoon. The church holds at least one service a day. Korea definitely likes to demonstrate extremes, this church is another example of that!

Now, to the actual message and some of the troubling things I found in this church. First off, the church is a perfect example of a church revolving around a charismatic senior pastor. I think I have mentioned this before, but a lot of Korea's churches focus their ministry around their pastor instead of their faith statement and community of believers. The founding pastor and his son pretty much run this place, and the majority of churchgoers regard their words as truth. Instead of emphasizing faith as an individuals journey that can be encouraged through the community of believers by means of church, Yoido focuses on a personality cult of sorts through Rev Cho.

Another fascinating aspect of this issue I have is that pastors in South Korea do not pay taxes on anything and do not have to report their income to the government. Can you see the potential for corruption? You have a congregation that believes you can do no wrong and a government that will turn a blind eye to any potential misguidance of income, what do you think the result would be? I do not think any human is capable with that much power to not turn to greed. The father son duo at Yoido have been accused of stealing millions from the congregation. However, the people are defending them and refuse to believe they have stolen from them.

I think what is more frightening to me besides the pastors stealing from their own members is the message they preach. The main message of this church is what they call "Three fold blessing: the blessing of spirit soul and body." They proclaim that physical health and financial gain are as significant to God's will for believers as the salvation of the soul. This message was preached in the sermon today, when Pastor Cho discussed the story of the ten lepers. He used the example that if we give thanks in all we do, we will be healed like the thankful leper. Now, first of all, all the lepers were healed before anyone said a thank you. Secondly, to put God in this small box of "if you do this, God will do this for you" is not only extremely disrespectful, it is harmful to yourself. With such a naive understanding of God, I do not know how a person would be able to deal with troubles when they come. Jesus promised that because of your faith, you would have troubles, never did he say that if you believed enough or gave thanks often enough would he bring you wealth on this earth. God is God, and while we may not understand some of the things that happen to us, we can count on Him to stand by our side, through the good and the bad. To promise people that they will be successful if they are good enough is completely contrary to what Jesus preached.

I pray that this church survives this scandal and comes out of it pursuing a message that is more like the message of Christ. I also pray that every member of this church forms individual convictions and a faith of their own, rather than a mass misinterpretation of the Bible.

What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving from Korea! I had a very eventful Thanksgiving filled with laughs. I had Korean class this morning followed by an afternoon of exchanges. This evening, I had Thanksgiving with a group of internationals, more on that in a bit.

I woke up a bit late, so I didn't have time to eat a real breakfast. Of course, since I was hungry, the lesson in Korean today was discussing food. Ain't it always the way!

After Korean, I joined my classmates John and Dan for lunch in the cafeteria. We had a very random discussion covering Twilight (which Dan read, very surprising to me, I can't stand the series) to Harry Potter to Star Wars. It felt like the random discussions at the family table on Thanksgiving day, my first real reminder that today was Turkey day.

After lunch, I had exchanges with Korean students. A few of them didn't show up because of all their projects. There was a group of us internationals down in the exchange room waiting for exchange partners. We had some good discussions both with the Korean students as well as internationals about Thanksgiving.

After this, I went out for a real legit Thanksgiving....well....maybe not too legit.....I joined a group of internationals (Kayla, Ben, Martin, Amanda, Chelsea, and Chester, who is Korean but we joke is more of an international than us) for dinner at Popeyes. Ok, I know what your thinking: "Popeyes, come on, you can be more creative than that." Well, we wanted a bird for Thanksgiving so this would suffice. Our table was filled with fried chicken, biscuits, and fries (they don't have mashed potatoes in Korean fried chicken places, so sad). After our feast, we went out for some ice cream for our dessert, even though it was around freezing all day. We had a pretty decent dinner: the bird, potatoes, dinner rolls, dessert, and SCH family. We spent the whole dinner laughing and discussing all the stories from Global Village.

This was my second Thanksgiving away from home. While there is no substitute for family, I feel very fortunate for my family here at SCH. We are very much like a family: while we have disagreements and sometimes just don't get along, we still care for one another as we continue this journey in Korea. Spending Thanksgiving with this wonderful group of people from around the world has been very memorable. Last year, I celebrated with a completely different group of people, yet we gave thanks for the blessings in our lives just like we did this year. It is pretty cool to give thanks with people who have different backgrounds from you, yet you all can join together to be grateful for the year as you look to the future.

On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things:
I am thankful to God for His faithfulness to me and especially this year for all the twists and turns He has thrown at me so far in my life.
I am thankful for my family who have loved me unconditionally and supported me all through my life and through my journey in Korea.
I am thankful for my friends, both in Korea and around the world, who challenge me and encourage me to pursue my dreams.
I am thankful for this opportunity to continue my studies in Korea for an extended period of time.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Winter and Remembrance

Today officially marks the beginning of winter in Korea: it snowed! We have been teased with near freezing temperatures and chilling winds, but today there was a glimpse of snow among the rain. Last year we didn't witness snow until December, so this was a bit of a surprise.

Today also marked a significant anniversary here in Korea. A year ago today Yeongpyeong Island was attacked by North Korea. For those who may not have read my post about the attack, I will give a brief recap:

The waters surrounding Yeongpyeong are contested by both sides on ownership. It is a island with the coast of the North 7 miles away. This area has been a prominent argument between the two Koreas over fishing and trade rights. These waters between the South, North, and China was also where the Cheonan ship sunk in the spring of 2010. The water borders aren't as defined as the land borders, thus there are many skirmishes annually. In addition, most defectors from the North cross to the South by this waterway. This area has been one of the main indicators that the Cold War emotions are still very raw.

The week of the attack, South Korea and the US army conducted joint drills, an action that the North loathes. The North threatened retribution for this action, yet the drill continued.

Yeongpyeong is the largest military post on this sea region of the border. Before the attack, it was considered one of the most dangerous areas of the border because of all the sea disputes and defectors. Yeongpyeong is also home to around 1,600 civilians that use the island as a base for their fishing businesses.

The afternoon of November 23 brought about the most deadly and violent attack on a civilian region since the end of the Korean War. According to the South, the North fired on Yeongpyeong first. Their side of the story states that the North began to shell the island with their Cold War artillery, leaving the South's troops completely shocked. The North claims that the South fired first and their attack was a response.
50 shells from the North hit Yeongpyeong, killing four marines and seriously injuring five. The South responded with 80 rounds of artillery to its Northern neighbor.

A year later, the South has a clear belief and in my opinion accurate belief of the motive for the attack. The North hates the joint drills the US and South Korea annually hold, and this specific drill was directed towards that Northern coast past Yeongpyeong. It seems that the North decided to return this practice attack on its coast with a literal bombardment. In addition, this attack took place three months after Kim Jung Un was introduced to the world. According to Western journalists who were invited to the Mass Game that introduced this future dictator, the people were not too enthusiastic about this new leader and had to be coaxed to cheer. A few months ago, the North released a statement that basically said:
"The noble attack of Yeongpyeong by our mighty army was led by our courageous Comrade Kim Jung Un. Under his bravery, we were able to face our enemy with force."
In a nutshell, they contribute the attack to Kim Jung Un, which is a huge plus for this emerging leader. The new Kim must get his people behind him or his regime could collapse before it begins its governing. Whether the main motive was to intimidate the US/S Korea alliance or to build propaganda for Jung Un, there was a reason for this attack.

President Lee held a memorial in Seoul for the fallen today. A year after these attacks with a major presidential election early next year, I am curious to see how the relations between the Koreas will change. Alright, I'm going to get very political here, these are my opinions from what I have observed:

President Lee has held a very black and white stance when dealing with the North. Unlike the past few presidents, he has made it clear that he will not tolerate the North's policies and displays that by pulling aid to the North. This is a stark contrast to the past two presidents, who initiated and promoted the "Sunshine Policy" which basically was the premise that if the South helps the North through aid and encourages joint economic ventures, the North will ease tensions and call for unification. While I think unification should be a priority for the Koreas, the South must be careful in not allowing that desire to inhibit their ability to view the North Korean dictatorship as dangerous to the South. Tensions between President Lee's administration and the North has been very tense, especially with the depletion of aid. With an election next year, both Koreas will be watching as the South chooses a new leader. The leading candidate for president here in the South is the daughter of the late President Park, who is considered the greatest president in the South's history. She is a member of President Lee's party, so her beliefs are very similar to both Lee's and her fathers. If elected, she will be the first woman president in the South's history. With a change in power for both Koreas in the next few years, it will be very interesting to see how the dynamics change.

I guess the only other thing I would like to say in this post is my personal feelings about this memorial as a foreigner that has lived and grown to love Korea. When this happened a year ago, I was on my way back to school from a conference in Seoul. We were watching the North shelling the island live, helplessly watching the black smoke rise from the fires. To know that this was happening 60 miles from where we were offshore was an experience that I have never had. To be that close to a conflict between two armies that have been technically at war for over fifty years was quite terrifying. Our teachers seemed concerned, but reassured us that conflicts between the two have been ensuing for years and its something you have to learn to deal with living here. Looking back a year later, I am reminded that this is the reality for South Korea: As long as their neighbor continues Cold War hostility, there will be a constant threat right next door. Living here for almost 15 months has taught me to see life like Koreans: we have dangers and threats all around us, we do not know when our time to leave this earth will be, but in the meantime, we must keep living. The resiliency and determination of the Korean people to not let this dark cloud that looms in the North define them has inspired me to see each day as a gift and to not be afraid of my "North Koreas" so to speak.

Weekend in Cheonju

This weekend, I went to Cheonju with my suitemates. SCH sponsors a weekend trip for suites to travel to a nearby region of Korea together. My suite decided to go to the neighboring province of Jeollabukdo to visit its largest city. Cheonju is a very old city that has a population of about 500,000. It is famous for having well preserved Joseon architecture and the most delicious Bibimbap in Korea.

We took a 2 hour bus from school to Cheonju, which is located in the central region of Korea. When we arrived, we ate the famous Hwae Bibimbap at one of the oldest restaurants in the city. Hwae Bibimbap is a little unique in the region in that the meat is raw beef. You are served steaming hot Bibimbap where the meat cooks halfway as you are eating this spicy specialty. It was very tasty, most likely the best Bibimbap I've had. I liked how as you continued to eat, the meal changed in that the beef began to cook. It was a unique experience to eat something that was literally still cooking as you were eating.

After lunch, we went to Homeplus, which is the main competitor with Emart as the dominant Walmart-like store in Korea. We bought food for dinner to cook at our Hanok (traditional Korean house) as well as some breakfast. I always find these stores intriguing to see the products that are viewed as normal items. It is interesting to see no ground beef, yet there is an abundance of packaged squid, octopus, and Asian vegetables. It is a sight that I would never see at home, even at our Asian market. This completely different environment is what keeps me curious about this place, I am constantly learning in every situation.

After purchasing our dinner, we made our way to the Hanok. We met one of the boys suites from school there. They had a late start and missed the Bibimbap, but they made it in time for dinner and the evening activity. We had a squid stew along with Budaejigae. After dinner, we learned more about traditional Korean teas and the customs when drinking tea. Last May, I went to a tea farm and learned this ceremony, so this was a nice refresher for me before I go home and make tea for my family. I feel like a very educated traditional tea maker (would that be the right term....hmmmm...) We also learned how to do the traditional bows. For women, your right hand goes over your left, smoothly sit with your legs crossed, and move your hands up to meet your bowed head. If you are bowing to the dead, your hands are reversed. For men, left hand over right, smoothly get to a kneeling position, hands on the ground and head meets the hands. For the dead, hands are reversed. It was really cool to see my suitemates and the Korean guys perform these bows that come so naturally for them. This is the bow they perform for their relatives on Chuseok and Lunar, much like our tradition of hanging ornaments at Christmas. I was not too skilled at this bowing action, but not too bad for a beginner.

After this tea activity, the boys decided to go buy some Soju and drink with some of the girls. Because I have disagreements with the way the drinking culture is carried out here in Korea, I spent the evening partially with them, and then took a walk out in the brisk cold of the village in reflection under a very clear sky. It was good to clear my head after a couple weeks of nonstop action between planning events and studying for midterms.

The next morning, we had Jinramen (spicy ramen, great way to clear the senses in the morning!) for breakfast. We then learned how to make Korean rice cakes. We pounded rice to make the dough and rolled it in a flour like powder, resulting in a tasty morning snack!

We then went to an ancient Confucian school located in the city limits. It has been around for almost 800 years. What was also pretty cool about this location (apart from its amazing historical significance), I know I'm gonna sound like a thirteen year old...oh well....one of my favorite Korean dramas Sungkyungkwan Scandel was filmed here! Locations for dramas are a huge deal here in Korea. Loyal fans will make pilgrimages to these ancient sites not for the cultural and historical aspects, but for the fact that their favorite dramas were filmed there. I saw several Korean couples attempting what looked like a reenactment of some of the more famous scenes from the drama, obsessed fan a bit much I think? I really liked the fact that this was one of the founding schools of Confucian thought in Korea (along with Sungkyungkwan, ironic). It was neat to see the spirit tablet shrines where scholars from the past are buried. This city has so much history and unlike Seoul, it is not as touristy with foreigners flocking every corner, this feels more like Korea.

After visiting the shrine, it was time to make the journey back to school. We just missed the hourly bus to Cheonan, so we arrived to school quite late (around 8pm). I was exhausted at this point, but it was a great weekend touring a new area of Korea with my amazing suitemates.

수능 (Suneung)

Today the sound of silence gripped Korea as high school seniors took the 수능 (Sunung). The Suneung is the college entrance exam in Korea. It is a six hour test that determines the universities you can apply for depending on your score. The subjects covered include: Korean, Math, Social Studies or Science, English, and an additional foreign language. The Suneung is only offered once a year, so students prepare from early morning to midnight everyday for about a year to take this test.

Korea has the highest percentage of young people attending and graduating from university, to the competition to enter a good school is severe. In addition, Koreans have high respect for the top 5 schools (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology,Seoul National University, Pohang University of Science & Technology, Yonsei University, and Korea University) but not too much for other universities. While finishing higher education is commendable, most employers would hire a graduate from one of these schools without looking at the other aspects of the resume before considering a graduate from another school. The emphasis is not on how well rounded you are, the focus is on the tangible aspects that are attributes for potential success.

As a result of this clearly defined standard of a good university, the Suneung determines which students can apply for these schools. In addition, since the majority of students attend university, the few that do not pass the Suneung must find their way in a society where not attending university is the minority. It is quite a phenomenon where those that choose to live simple honest lives is considered the road less traveled.

Because this test is such a defining point in students lives from a Korean standpoint, the government instills several measures to ensure that test takers can focus solely on the test. One example is that Incheon International Airport diverted and delayed landings during the test to ensure students were not distracted by the sounds of incoming planes. Another example is that officers closed roads that were close to schools where students were taking the test. This test is almost an unofficial holiday in a way because much of everyday life is modified to fit the needs of the test takers.

There is so much emphasis placed on passing this test. The pressure on students to excel in this test is very high. As a result, there have been tragic consequences. Suicide among high school students in Korea is one of the highest in the world. This was displayed this morning when we woke up to the news that a high school student in a neighboring town scheduled to take the test committed suicide. I think it is crucial for parents to keep things in perspective for their children: this test does not define them and their future does not solely depend on the results of this test. More importantly, regardless of the results, the student is loved by his/her parents and they will continue to provide moral support as they pursue their future.

Halloween Party

This years GV Halloween Party was held at school in the Student Union building. It was pretty tight, but it worked nonetheless. Friday afternoon before the party, I joined the rest of the "Halloween Committee" which was a group of students who organized the party to decorate the hall. We managed to find a party store that had a good selection of decorations, so the hall turned out pretty nice.

At the party, we included some events that you would see at any Halloween party included a pumpkin carving contest and a costume contest. It was great to see the Korean students embrace these events, the costumes looked great and they did a good job for carving for the first time. This year, I was quite busy with the logistics of the party, but I still had the chance to see the students working on their pumpkins.

Overall, I think the party went very well. My fellow GVers had a good time and everyone got to enjoy a "foreign" holiday.

Weekend of family time

This weekend, I went up to Seoul to spend time with Imo, Uncle Josh, Jinyoung, and Eujin. I have not seen them since August when they surprised me at the airport on my way back to Korea from Hong Kong. They are one of the sweetest families I have known and I was well overdue for a visit.

On Saturday, I arrived at their home and met their friends from church and their two adorable girls. We played card games which included Spoons, Go Fish, Kings Corner, and Old Maid, which we gave a new name to: "Ajumma" (which means a middle aged woman, usually single, pretty much the same as the original name). After a few card games, we went out to dinner for barbecued duck.

The next morning, I joined the family for church. We went to Uncle Josh's church, which is about a ten minute drive from their home. I attended the English service with Josh and Jinyoung, which is the service they usually attend for several reasons. One, because they want to improve their English. The other reason is that the senior pastor of the Korean side of the church is accused of stealing church funds for his lavish lifestyle and is awaiting sentencing. Despite his guilt of stealing from his own church members, most of the members are defending the pastor's actions. This is a rampant issue in Korean churches: the congregation attends the church for the pastor, not for the community of believers. Pastors of mega churches have a reputation for corruption and dishonesty in Korea. I find it tragic that the men that are entrusted with the duty to lead groups of believers abuse their power and sin against the people they are told to encourage. I hope that Josh's church will recover from this scandal and unite in the faith, not the pastor.

I enjoyed worshiping with another group of Christians. It was nice to attend church with Jinyoung and Josh. After our service ended, we went to pick up Imo and Eujin from childrens church. After church, Imo made a delicious seafood soup for lunch. After lunch, Eujin showed me his Halloween costume, Spiderman. In addition, he defended us girls from the evils of Josh as they fought one another in the living room. After this action sequence, we played a few more rounds of Kings Corner before I had to leave for school.

Sudeoksa and Apple Orchard

Today, I went on a fieldtrip with the entire Chinese program (when I say Chinese program, I mean the more intensive Korean language program. The majority of my classmates are Chinese, so this is what the program is usually referred as). The Korean teachers decided we needed to get out of our classrooms and go see some local sites. I was very happy to have a day off classes and spend the day outside with my class, especially since we had some freak warm weather, highs in the lower 70's! Very strange for November, but I'll take it.

We first went to Sudeoksa, which is one of the larger temples in the area. I had not been to Sudeoksa, so I was very excited to visit a new temple and find the unique nature of this specific temple. When we arrived, I was overwhelmed by the utter beauty of the season. The leaves were a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and yellows. Walking up to this temple with the typical bright greens and blues among these warm colors on the trees was very contrasting yet had a sense of harmony.

The temple is quite active, in that there were several services going on in the main chamber as well as the shrines located around the complex. There were about ten monks making their way around the temple as well. The temple was located on top of a hill overlooking the colorful trees below. Hearing the chanting and seeing the seasonal grandeur was a real highlight.

After we left the temple, we made our way to an apple orchard. We first made our way inside the main building to bake a pie. I was beyond excited about this! I had been craving apple pie for a week and now we were going to make one with fresh apples from the farm. It was my Chinese classmates first time to bake their own apple pie, so it was fun to see the joy and curiosity on their faces as they rolled the dough and put their pie together.

While our pies baked, we visited the cellar of the farm which housed several barrels of apple wine that the farm makes as well. It was another deja vu moment for me of home. Hearing the farmer talking about fermenting the apples reminded me of the wine tours in central Missouri.

After this tour, we ate lunch before getting ready to pick apples. We had a nice Korean lunch of Japchae, pork, and homemade Kimchi. It was then time to begin the apple harvesting. We were allowed to pick 5 apples to take home. I was determined to find the most beautiful apples in the orchard. After a very thorough search, I selected my fruit to take home.

Tomorrow is the GV Halloween Party, I will discuss more about the party as well as all the preparations that have been going on later...