That I have been back in the United States from the Dominican Republic. A year today that I have been living with my parents.
I have been teaching part time for CPCC for 10 months! This is my third semester teaching with them, so that has been a good experience. (Trying at times, but overall I love what I do!)
And I have had my 'day job' for 3.5 months. (Gosh, it sure feels longer than that!)
I am scheduled to close on a small house off wilkinson on June 30th, and my roommate from the DR (rachel) is supposed to arrive that evening for a week stay.
It is a moment to be thankful. To consider how much life I have enjoyed in the past year and to prayerfully consider the opportunities of the coming year.
Thank you, Jesus.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
8 years ago, but who is counting?
Here are two entries from my first trip to Thailand in 2001. It is funny to read back and think about my time there. I remember well all of the experiences I described, and my friend, and the places I visited and my enthrallment with Thailand. I feel older and more humble now. I know better now how broken and difficult this life can be, but I am glad to go back to those moments of excitement and wonder and thank God for the amazing experiences I have lived!
From 10/04/01
Hello Everyone. I have received alot of questions, and I have alot I want to tell everyone, so please be patient with me if I missed something. This will probably be a long email (I am giving myself about an hour to write it) so if you do not have the time to read it, I am warning you now!
To those of you I have not yet heard from, Come on and write and let me know about life back in the states!!! To those of you who have written, and I have not yet responded, please accept my apologies. The internet here in Thailand is very unpredictable, and sometimes I will sit at the computer for an hour and accomplish reading 3 emails, and responding to none at all before I have to go do something else. (I don't have the patience to sit here for forever while the computer thinks so after about an hour I give up!) I hope that this will answer alot of your questions, and I will try to get more personal emails out soon!
Preface to my letter: This coming week is very very busy. I teach 16 classes. (That probably doesn't sound like alot, but they are spaced out. For example, today is not too bad, I had a 9am class and I have a 4pm class. It is about 11:15 now, and I have not yet eaten, and then this afternoon I MUST do laundry so until this evening I am pretty booked. Oh, and laundry for me this afternoon included exactly NO machines, so you can see that simple things take more time than what I am used to. Please pray for me as I prepare and as I adjust. I still do not have my own mode of transportation, so I rely on others to help me, or I have to use the bus or motorcycle taxi, and those things are just not my favorite. It is also a hard adjustment to not be able to leave when I want, or to find the supplies I want (for example, I am having a very hard time finding index cards -- go figure!) and these little things stress my brain.
Culture Shock: I was here for a whole week before I got my first good taste of embarrassment here that made me want to go hide! We were at a wedding (yes, even here I cannot get away from them) and were sitting at a table with another american missionary, and his family, and about half a dozen Thai persons; we were all eating dinner. Dinner was served in courses, and between courses people would get up and walk around and visit etc as is prone to happen at weddings. I left the table and when I got back I found my seat was taken. (No big deal, right?) Well, when the person who took my seat (who happened to be Thai, and I girl I know somewhat well as she has stayed with me a few times) offered to get up and give the chair to me. I (in good loud american fashion) told her "No No, sit down! I am fine, I will find my own seat." This was accompanied by the normal "sitdown" motion of waving your hand in in downward motion at the person you are talking to. I must have been too loud, or bossy, or gestured in an inappropriate way because the missionary who was sitting there said very loudly, "THAT WAS VERY RUDE" and gave me a look that made me want to shrink to the size of the individual grains of rice on my plate! I was mortified! I had no idea what I had done. I was just doing what was polite in America, but apparently, it was not polite here. I think it just all hit me in a wave then that people here do not know me, they don't know "how I am" and that I am just loud sometimes. They don't know that I was trying to be polite, and somehow offended them without meaning to. I told Jon later that night that it was the first time since I arrived here that I wanted to go home. I wanted my car so I could drive myself around, and I wanted my house that I had a key to, that I can leave or return to at my whim, I wanted my dog who loves me whether I am offensive or not, and I wanted a hot bath, dang it, which they just don't have here (at least not one I have access to.) That night I asked Jessica (an american student who has been studying here for a year and a half) what I did that was so bad etc. and we talked about what is acceptable and what is not. For example, here you DO NOT touch an adult on the head (or even really on their shoulders), you do not show the bottoms of your feet at people, you do not wear shoes into any building/room where there is an altar (and they are everywhere), you do not give the thumbs up sign because it is just slightly nicer than flipping someone off. (Now, this last one is often broken because Americans use that sign when they want to show approval, and Thai persons here watch ALOT of american tv, so they are familiar with some of our quirks.) And, lets not even start on how to greet people here. If I were polite I would greet all elders and strangers older than me by putting my hands together under my chin (like a child praying) and nodding my head. Can I tell you how not comfortable I am with that. It is just awkward. It does not sound bad, but you try to remember to do it all the time, not to mention that I often have things in my hands when I meet people in such a way. My mind was spinning! I just hate the thought of offending people when I am visiting THEIR country, but I know I will do so over and over again, and this is just a hard thing for me -- for my pride, and for my emotions, as I don't want to displease anyone. This happened Friday night, and as fate would have it, Jon left that night for a week to go on a trip with some other friends here in Thailand. I wanted to cry with frustration.
Thank God that Saturday morning when I got up I had to go straight to teaching class all morning, and by afternoon I felt somewhat back to normal. I think that the outcome of that situation is that I am much more aware of how much there is to learn, and that culture differences don't have as much to do with circumstances and surrounding as I thought they did, but alot more to do with human emotions (not just mine, but the people I am worrying about offending.) AND the PRIDE I have in being able to represent myself well -- I cannot represent myself well here, and it is humbling. I look like the stupid american everyone warns you about! Ack!
From 11/13/01
Well, my friends, it has been a while since I have written. News here comes in spurts and I am not as good at keeping you informed as I should be.
There is alot on my mind though, and I am not sure where to start. So I will start by saying that on the whole things here are going well. I really enjoy Thailand. There are many many great things about being here.
Great things about Thailand:
You can buy fresh pineapple on the street for 10 baht! It is so good. Unlike anything in the states. So sweet and juicy! How wonderful! And you can get these amazing fruit shakes for 10 baht! In the states the closest comparison would be those crazily expensive fruit smoothies they sell for 3.50 a piece. Here i pay $0.25. You cannot beat that.
Food here is good. I am still learning what I like, and sometimes I try things that just don't really tempt me at all, but on the other hand, if you get tired of new stuff, you can find pizza hut and KFC and Mcdonalds if you try hard enough.
The weather here right now is wonderful. It is in the 80's during the day, and the 70's in the evenings, and there is almost always a nice cool breeze. I am actually wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt today at 1pm! That is amazing considering how many days I was sweating gallons at noontime.
Life here is just more basic. There is not so much rushing around. You can walk to many things that you need, like food and most groceries. There are fabric strores and music shops and paper shops etc very close to the school. If you need to go further you can easily get a motorcycle taxi, or a taxi or take the bus. If you have to take an hour long taxi ride into bangkok you will probably pay 400 baht. (Approximatly 10.00) You tell me if you know of anyplace in the states where you can ride for an hour in a taxi for $10.00?
Family is very important here. In America if you do well financially you will probably move to a bigger house in a nicer "higher class" neighborhood. Here they just add to or build new houses right where they are living. Their community and family is more important than the physical "neighborhood". The result is that you will see straw huts and nice houses right next to each other. It seems to be ok though, because the people in the straw hut are your neighbors and you have probably known them for years. You also get to know your barber or hairdresser, the persons at the restaurants (or in most cases food stands) that you like to go to, you get to know some of the motorcycle taxi drivers, and my favorite, you get to know the lady who runs the internet cafe. She is adorable and makes us hot chocolate when we stay here til 1:30 am playing "Red Alert". She is supposed to close at 11pm. But when we are all here she will stay open til whenever, and if the internet cafe is full when we walk in, she will often kick kids out so we have a place to play. She is adorable! And it is not like she is making oodles off of us (at least not by american standards) - we pay approximately $0.50/hour to use her computers. so she might make 12.00 off of us in an evening! Doesn't seem worth staying up an extra 3 hours for, does it?
Which brings me to the number one thing that I love about Thailand. THE PEOPLE!!! They are just plain NICE. For example, at the food stands the girls ordered a bunch of food "to go" so the vendors put the food in bags etc so the girls could take it with them, then the girls decided to stay and eat at the tables there. In america they would have just eaten out of their take out dishes, but here the women rushed up with plates and forks and drinks etc and "served" the girls their food from their take out packages. Now, these women are not getting tips for their work! We don't tip them for serving or for cleaning up! They just do it because they are nice and they want to be our friends. Many of the vendors who are not as used to seeing "farangs" (Any foreigner not from asia) are excited when we want to order from them. There is a place on my walk back from the school I teach at in the mornings that sells these fried coconut things. They are really good and hard to describe, but anywho everytime I walk up they look like I have just "blessed them" and they smile and talk and say "thank you very much." They are just a very friendly sort of people and they love to practice their english.
It is strange sometimes to hear everyone talking about you. You learn pretty quickly what the word farang means, and so you hear it in the midst of all the other language you don't understand. I am beginning though to pick up on some of what they say. I think it is funny that I attract so much attention. I certainly don't think I am worth all the talking they do. (And I am sure I would not find all of it flattering) But for the most part people here are just so excited to get to know you, that they will go out of their way to make you feel welcome! They are wonderful!
They love it when you try Thai food. I will eat just about anything they give me just because it pleases them so much that I even care! So very different from America where we seem to have a "take it or leave it" mentality.
Jon took me to his "special place" out by the water on Monday. It was the quietest place I have been since I got to Thailand. There was no one around, we were in the middle of nowhere with the ocean on two sides of us. There was a wall you could walk along and look down in the water (no beach there at all) and you could see the little "walking fish" and crabs and snails that had attached themselves to the wall. There was a nice breeze. There is an old abandoned frame of a building. Just a concrete slab floor and concrete posts and a concrete slab roof. Just a big skeleton of what maybe was once an office or warehouse or something. It is littered with broken glass and dirt and such, but it was a wonderful place to me to just to get away. And it smelled GOOD out there. Not like the stinky city smell or the fishing boat smell that we have in mahachai. (It most often smells like rotting fish at the school where I live.) It was a wonderful time to just get away and think. And one of the most wonderful things was having time in the afternoon to just get away. In the states at about 1pm I would look longingly out my window and wish to be sitting on the grass in the sun enjoying the outdoors. I never had time to do so. Here jon and I just hopped on his bike and took a 15 minute ride out to no where and just sat for 3 hours. Amazing! It is one of the things I like about Thailand!!!! Life here is just so different.
More serious stuff:
Life here is not perfect. (Though sometimes to me it seems to be.) We visited a church this past week in Nontha Buri that is undergoing a big split. It seems the missionary that was working there and the national that started the church had some conflicts that could not be resolved. I have heard a little about them, and I have to say that there is (in my opnion) no good reason for the separation. I can only imagine the scathing letter that apostle Paul would write to these people were he given the responsibility of addressing their issues. It was a big dose of reality. And an excellent example of the kinds of things that send missionaries off the field and back home. It grieves me. The truth of the matter is that it is easy, it seems, to get so caught up in your own little sphere here that you lose all accountability and perspective. I have seen alot of problems with missionaries since I got here. Family problems, church problems, problems accepting the culture, but for the most part the missionaries don't see that they need any attitude changes, and their ministries suffer for lack of counsel!!! This is a HUGE problem. Please pray for the unity of missionaries around the world. I feel satan is just crippling the effectiveness of the missionaries I have seen, and he is using silly unimportant things to do so!!! On a personal note, I know I am not immune to the same stubborness and self-centeredness that I have seen here and it terrifies me. One thing that I see that often seems to hinder is the committment of the missionary to their ministry instead of their family. That means the one small piece of balance and counsel they do have they sacrifice and by doing so they damage the very ministry they are sacrificing for. I know that is not something that happens only to missionaries either. This is a big problem in the church and one that I feel we need to address. God set up a clear line of responsibility (at least as far as I can see.) We focus on Him first, on family second (as a reflection and example of God's relationship with us) and ministry 3rd!!!!! I do not believe it is God's will for family to be sacrificed to ministry!!!!
Sometimes teaching can get tiring. You have good days and bad days with the kids. You have good subjects and bad subjects. Some days other teachers are very encouraging and somedays they are infuriating. Sometimes you have enough money, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you like the food across the street, sometimes you just eat potatoe chips and soda. Some mornings you wake up feeling great and somedays you don't want to get out of bed at all. Pretty much it is exactly like life in the states. Only here everything seems bigger. You spend most of your time with the same 7 or so people. If you have a conflict with one then that makes a 20% or so difference in how your time is spent. This means little things can get way out of hand and it is easy to get disappointed or discontented with the way things are. This is something that I think God uses to teach us, but the learning is not always easy. Please pray for everyone here that we will learn to look at things from God's perspective and not our own. A big part of that is learning to think of someone else's interests before considering your own. THis is just not the normal human way to think, and it can be VERY DIFFICULT!!! Especially when our initial reaction is to protect ourselves from hurt or embarrassment. I have failed at this many times since I got here, and I have been very disappointed with myself on more than one occasion.
Plans:
I am heading to Chiang Mai this weekend. I fly out Friday and return Monday. Chiang Mai is about 12 hours north west by car. It is in the mountains. I am very excited about getting to see more of Thailand. I have not yet seen the beaches though, and I doubt I will get a chance to this trip, so I will just have to plan that when I get back. There is a missionary couple in Chiang Mai that I knew when I was at CIU. Since they left they have been in Vietnam and now are here. I am excited to hear their story and I look forward to getting to see their work in Chiang Mai. (Chang-MY) Please pray that I will be open to anything God wants to teach me, and that I will enjoy this brief time away from the good and bad things about Mahachai.
I am considering going to India for a week before my return home. The major factors are whether I can get my plane ticket changed, whether I can get a visa, and whether I can afford the trip at all. It will cost me about 500.00. Not bad at all!!! I really would like to go, but have been dragging my feet about getting it all worked out! I need to hurry up and decide and get task oriented. Please pray that I will be open to and aware of God's will in this decision.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to hearing from or seeing you all very soon!
Christy Rich
From 10/04/01
Hello Everyone. I have received alot of questions, and I have alot I want to tell everyone, so please be patient with me if I missed something. This will probably be a long email (I am giving myself about an hour to write it) so if you do not have the time to read it, I am warning you now!
To those of you I have not yet heard from, Come on and write and let me know about life back in the states!!! To those of you who have written, and I have not yet responded, please accept my apologies. The internet here in Thailand is very unpredictable, and sometimes I will sit at the computer for an hour and accomplish reading 3 emails, and responding to none at all before I have to go do something else. (I don't have the patience to sit here for forever while the computer thinks so after about an hour I give up!) I hope that this will answer alot of your questions, and I will try to get more personal emails out soon!
Preface to my letter: This coming week is very very busy. I teach 16 classes. (That probably doesn't sound like alot, but they are spaced out. For example, today is not too bad, I had a 9am class and I have a 4pm class. It is about 11:15 now, and I have not yet eaten, and then this afternoon I MUST do laundry so until this evening I am pretty booked. Oh, and laundry for me this afternoon included exactly NO machines, so you can see that simple things take more time than what I am used to. Please pray for me as I prepare and as I adjust. I still do not have my own mode of transportation, so I rely on others to help me, or I have to use the bus or motorcycle taxi, and those things are just not my favorite. It is also a hard adjustment to not be able to leave when I want, or to find the supplies I want (for example, I am having a very hard time finding index cards -- go figure!) and these little things stress my brain.
Culture Shock: I was here for a whole week before I got my first good taste of embarrassment here that made me want to go hide! We were at a wedding (yes, even here I cannot get away from them) and were sitting at a table with another american missionary, and his family, and about half a dozen Thai persons; we were all eating dinner. Dinner was served in courses, and between courses people would get up and walk around and visit etc as is prone to happen at weddings. I left the table and when I got back I found my seat was taken. (No big deal, right?) Well, when the person who took my seat (who happened to be Thai, and I girl I know somewhat well as she has stayed with me a few times) offered to get up and give the chair to me. I (in good loud american fashion) told her "No No, sit down! I am fine, I will find my own seat." This was accompanied by the normal "sitdown" motion of waving your hand in in downward motion at the person you are talking to. I must have been too loud, or bossy, or gestured in an inappropriate way because the missionary who was sitting there said very loudly, "THAT WAS VERY RUDE" and gave me a look that made me want to shrink to the size of the individual grains of rice on my plate! I was mortified! I had no idea what I had done. I was just doing what was polite in America, but apparently, it was not polite here. I think it just all hit me in a wave then that people here do not know me, they don't know "how I am" and that I am just loud sometimes. They don't know that I was trying to be polite, and somehow offended them without meaning to. I told Jon later that night that it was the first time since I arrived here that I wanted to go home. I wanted my car so I could drive myself around, and I wanted my house that I had a key to, that I can leave or return to at my whim, I wanted my dog who loves me whether I am offensive or not, and I wanted a hot bath, dang it, which they just don't have here (at least not one I have access to.) That night I asked Jessica (an american student who has been studying here for a year and a half) what I did that was so bad etc. and we talked about what is acceptable and what is not. For example, here you DO NOT touch an adult on the head (or even really on their shoulders), you do not show the bottoms of your feet at people, you do not wear shoes into any building/room where there is an altar (and they are everywhere), you do not give the thumbs up sign because it is just slightly nicer than flipping someone off. (Now, this last one is often broken because Americans use that sign when they want to show approval, and Thai persons here watch ALOT of american tv, so they are familiar with some of our quirks.) And, lets not even start on how to greet people here. If I were polite I would greet all elders and strangers older than me by putting my hands together under my chin (like a child praying) and nodding my head. Can I tell you how not comfortable I am with that. It is just awkward. It does not sound bad, but you try to remember to do it all the time, not to mention that I often have things in my hands when I meet people in such a way. My mind was spinning! I just hate the thought of offending people when I am visiting THEIR country, but I know I will do so over and over again, and this is just a hard thing for me -- for my pride, and for my emotions, as I don't want to displease anyone. This happened Friday night, and as fate would have it, Jon left that night for a week to go on a trip with some other friends here in Thailand. I wanted to cry with frustration.
Thank God that Saturday morning when I got up I had to go straight to teaching class all morning, and by afternoon I felt somewhat back to normal. I think that the outcome of that situation is that I am much more aware of how much there is to learn, and that culture differences don't have as much to do with circumstances and surrounding as I thought they did, but alot more to do with human emotions (not just mine, but the people I am worrying about offending.) AND the PRIDE I have in being able to represent myself well -- I cannot represent myself well here, and it is humbling. I look like the stupid american everyone warns you about! Ack!
From 11/13/01
Well, my friends, it has been a while since I have written. News here comes in spurts and I am not as good at keeping you informed as I should be.
There is alot on my mind though, and I am not sure where to start. So I will start by saying that on the whole things here are going well. I really enjoy Thailand. There are many many great things about being here.
Great things about Thailand:
You can buy fresh pineapple on the street for 10 baht! It is so good. Unlike anything in the states. So sweet and juicy! How wonderful! And you can get these amazing fruit shakes for 10 baht! In the states the closest comparison would be those crazily expensive fruit smoothies they sell for 3.50 a piece. Here i pay $0.25. You cannot beat that.
Food here is good. I am still learning what I like, and sometimes I try things that just don't really tempt me at all, but on the other hand, if you get tired of new stuff, you can find pizza hut and KFC and Mcdonalds if you try hard enough.
The weather here right now is wonderful. It is in the 80's during the day, and the 70's in the evenings, and there is almost always a nice cool breeze. I am actually wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt today at 1pm! That is amazing considering how many days I was sweating gallons at noontime.
Life here is just more basic. There is not so much rushing around. You can walk to many things that you need, like food and most groceries. There are fabric strores and music shops and paper shops etc very close to the school. If you need to go further you can easily get a motorcycle taxi, or a taxi or take the bus. If you have to take an hour long taxi ride into bangkok you will probably pay 400 baht. (Approximatly 10.00) You tell me if you know of anyplace in the states where you can ride for an hour in a taxi for $10.00?
Family is very important here. In America if you do well financially you will probably move to a bigger house in a nicer "higher class" neighborhood. Here they just add to or build new houses right where they are living. Their community and family is more important than the physical "neighborhood". The result is that you will see straw huts and nice houses right next to each other. It seems to be ok though, because the people in the straw hut are your neighbors and you have probably known them for years. You also get to know your barber or hairdresser, the persons at the restaurants (or in most cases food stands) that you like to go to, you get to know some of the motorcycle taxi drivers, and my favorite, you get to know the lady who runs the internet cafe. She is adorable and makes us hot chocolate when we stay here til 1:30 am playing "Red Alert". She is supposed to close at 11pm. But when we are all here she will stay open til whenever, and if the internet cafe is full when we walk in, she will often kick kids out so we have a place to play. She is adorable! And it is not like she is making oodles off of us (at least not by american standards) - we pay approximately $0.50/hour to use her computers. so she might make 12.00 off of us in an evening! Doesn't seem worth staying up an extra 3 hours for, does it?
Which brings me to the number one thing that I love about Thailand. THE PEOPLE!!! They are just plain NICE. For example, at the food stands the girls ordered a bunch of food "to go" so the vendors put the food in bags etc so the girls could take it with them, then the girls decided to stay and eat at the tables there. In america they would have just eaten out of their take out dishes, but here the women rushed up with plates and forks and drinks etc and "served" the girls their food from their take out packages. Now, these women are not getting tips for their work! We don't tip them for serving or for cleaning up! They just do it because they are nice and they want to be our friends. Many of the vendors who are not as used to seeing "farangs" (Any foreigner not from asia) are excited when we want to order from them. There is a place on my walk back from the school I teach at in the mornings that sells these fried coconut things. They are really good and hard to describe, but anywho everytime I walk up they look like I have just "blessed them" and they smile and talk and say "thank you very much." They are just a very friendly sort of people and they love to practice their english.
It is strange sometimes to hear everyone talking about you. You learn pretty quickly what the word farang means, and so you hear it in the midst of all the other language you don't understand. I am beginning though to pick up on some of what they say. I think it is funny that I attract so much attention. I certainly don't think I am worth all the talking they do. (And I am sure I would not find all of it flattering) But for the most part people here are just so excited to get to know you, that they will go out of their way to make you feel welcome! They are wonderful!
They love it when you try Thai food. I will eat just about anything they give me just because it pleases them so much that I even care! So very different from America where we seem to have a "take it or leave it" mentality.
Jon took me to his "special place" out by the water on Monday. It was the quietest place I have been since I got to Thailand. There was no one around, we were in the middle of nowhere with the ocean on two sides of us. There was a wall you could walk along and look down in the water (no beach there at all) and you could see the little "walking fish" and crabs and snails that had attached themselves to the wall. There was a nice breeze. There is an old abandoned frame of a building. Just a concrete slab floor and concrete posts and a concrete slab roof. Just a big skeleton of what maybe was once an office or warehouse or something. It is littered with broken glass and dirt and such, but it was a wonderful place to me to just to get away. And it smelled GOOD out there. Not like the stinky city smell or the fishing boat smell that we have in mahachai. (It most often smells like rotting fish at the school where I live.) It was a wonderful time to just get away and think. And one of the most wonderful things was having time in the afternoon to just get away. In the states at about 1pm I would look longingly out my window and wish to be sitting on the grass in the sun enjoying the outdoors. I never had time to do so. Here jon and I just hopped on his bike and took a 15 minute ride out to no where and just sat for 3 hours. Amazing! It is one of the things I like about Thailand!!!! Life here is just so different.
More serious stuff:
Life here is not perfect. (Though sometimes to me it seems to be.) We visited a church this past week in Nontha Buri that is undergoing a big split. It seems the missionary that was working there and the national that started the church had some conflicts that could not be resolved. I have heard a little about them, and I have to say that there is (in my opnion) no good reason for the separation. I can only imagine the scathing letter that apostle Paul would write to these people were he given the responsibility of addressing their issues. It was a big dose of reality. And an excellent example of the kinds of things that send missionaries off the field and back home. It grieves me. The truth of the matter is that it is easy, it seems, to get so caught up in your own little sphere here that you lose all accountability and perspective. I have seen alot of problems with missionaries since I got here. Family problems, church problems, problems accepting the culture, but for the most part the missionaries don't see that they need any attitude changes, and their ministries suffer for lack of counsel!!! This is a HUGE problem. Please pray for the unity of missionaries around the world. I feel satan is just crippling the effectiveness of the missionaries I have seen, and he is using silly unimportant things to do so!!! On a personal note, I know I am not immune to the same stubborness and self-centeredness that I have seen here and it terrifies me. One thing that I see that often seems to hinder is the committment of the missionary to their ministry instead of their family. That means the one small piece of balance and counsel they do have they sacrifice and by doing so they damage the very ministry they are sacrificing for. I know that is not something that happens only to missionaries either. This is a big problem in the church and one that I feel we need to address. God set up a clear line of responsibility (at least as far as I can see.) We focus on Him first, on family second (as a reflection and example of God's relationship with us) and ministry 3rd!!!!! I do not believe it is God's will for family to be sacrificed to ministry!!!!
Sometimes teaching can get tiring. You have good days and bad days with the kids. You have good subjects and bad subjects. Some days other teachers are very encouraging and somedays they are infuriating. Sometimes you have enough money, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you like the food across the street, sometimes you just eat potatoe chips and soda. Some mornings you wake up feeling great and somedays you don't want to get out of bed at all. Pretty much it is exactly like life in the states. Only here everything seems bigger. You spend most of your time with the same 7 or so people. If you have a conflict with one then that makes a 20% or so difference in how your time is spent. This means little things can get way out of hand and it is easy to get disappointed or discontented with the way things are. This is something that I think God uses to teach us, but the learning is not always easy. Please pray for everyone here that we will learn to look at things from God's perspective and not our own. A big part of that is learning to think of someone else's interests before considering your own. THis is just not the normal human way to think, and it can be VERY DIFFICULT!!! Especially when our initial reaction is to protect ourselves from hurt or embarrassment. I have failed at this many times since I got here, and I have been very disappointed with myself on more than one occasion.
Plans:
I am heading to Chiang Mai this weekend. I fly out Friday and return Monday. Chiang Mai is about 12 hours north west by car. It is in the mountains. I am very excited about getting to see more of Thailand. I have not yet seen the beaches though, and I doubt I will get a chance to this trip, so I will just have to plan that when I get back. There is a missionary couple in Chiang Mai that I knew when I was at CIU. Since they left they have been in Vietnam and now are here. I am excited to hear their story and I look forward to getting to see their work in Chiang Mai. (Chang-MY) Please pray that I will be open to anything God wants to teach me, and that I will enjoy this brief time away from the good and bad things about Mahachai.
I am considering going to India for a week before my return home. The major factors are whether I can get my plane ticket changed, whether I can get a visa, and whether I can afford the trip at all. It will cost me about 500.00. Not bad at all!!! I really would like to go, but have been dragging my feet about getting it all worked out! I need to hurry up and decide and get task oriented. Please pray that I will be open to and aware of God's will in this decision.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to hearing from or seeing you all very soon!
Christy Rich
Monday, March 2, 2009
NYC Post 3
Sorry that this post is long overdue, but Thank God for the snowday which allows me to get caught up! (Hint: Cursor over pics for additional info)
On Friday 2.13 I visited the MoMA for a few hours. It was free admission night (sponsored by target) and the place was packed!
I didn't get to hang out very long, but I did see a few things that I liked:
I am a sucker for modern furniture and this one really caught my fancy.
It is the Prince Chair by Louise Campbell 2002.
The cold, bare garden at MoMA:
One of the things I LOVE about NYC - the different kinds/eras/functions of architecture all crammed into such a small space!
More delightfully modern chairs:
More modern furniture:
In the background of the pictures you can see an exhibit that I really enjoyed and want to research more: Esquire covers from 1962-1972".
Several of the covers I would love to find prints of and hang on a wall someday as they have poignant social commentary.
Like this one:
and:
and:
I was fascinated!
I ever so briefly popped up to the 5th & 6th floor galleries and the first one I turned into had this in full view.
I have never figured out whether I am drawn to this painting because on some inner level I can relate to it, or because I CANNOT relate to it. But it mesmerizes me, never the less.
There were many fantastical things in those galleries: Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rousseau - etc. It was at this point that I realized that it was a dishonor to fly through these galleries for just a glimpse (and I was on my way to meet a friend for dinner) so I promised all these fantastic artists that I would return someday to stand, stunned, in front of their beautiful expressions. Until then, I would hold the MoMA in my mind as a bastion of all the things in life that I love - that draw me to tears and tear at my heart.
After dinner that night (which we ate at Havana which I would recommend b/c they have the best Mojitos in the world!) we visited the M&M store (which I posted about earlier.) Here are a few more images for those of you who could not see the first.
Liz and I teased b/c she came up with purple about thirsting for knowledge and mine came up pink about being sweet, etc. We think maybe the machine got us confused. ;-)
A few images of Time Square:
Natalie, my friend from CIU that was such a fantastic hostess, charmed with me valentines gifts!
Nat's place:
The Trains:
Union Square:
Seen around NYC:
Sometimes you see acts of compassion that make you thank God in this city so busy with the post-post-modern. People still have work to do.
Elizabeth and I were sitting on a park bench discussing 'everything' (books that is) when we saw a group of people lining up. I thought maybe they were waiting for a bus - but it seemed a long time (and a long line) for a bus. We found out that they were lining up for soup and bread and people who would speak to them a good Word of hope.
Street art:
while Liz and I were standing on a corner and she was using her handy-dandy fold-out map to figure out where we were, I noticed a vending machine unline any other I had seen. I could get Jesus on a ring for .50!!! I had to have one!
Found a new Japanese clothing store that I loved:
Everything in the store was clean lines, clean colors, clean textures. I was in uniqlo> in love!
NYC's eternal legacy
Bloomingdale's is celebrating Barbie's birthday!
Liz takes in the mini-display:
BUT if you want a more ethic feel to your delightful doll you can buy one of these:
Here:
NYC Police Dept.
Frogs in Chinatown:
![](="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_YAVTDXOx8ls/SZ6avrGvxXI/AAAAAAAADJ8/FCtPZabeWcE/s640/IMG_2539.JPG" "someone's dinner")
Little Italy:
We stopped at ChaCha's for dinner in Little Italy. The ambience was nice, and the waiters were cute, but I sent back food for the first time in my life! I ordered stuffed shells, but the ricotta was soooo sour, I just couldn't believe it was good. It was like tasting 2 month old lumpy milk. I felt horrible. I am one of the most adventurous people I know regarding food, and I love all kinds, but I just cannot believe that is what my food was supposed to taste like! But I ended up with this (which was delicious!)
Liz makes her 'mmmm, this is yummy!' face:
worse for wear but very content (also, you can see my jesus ring on my right hand!)
Union Square at night:
Do you recognize where Liz and I ate our Breakfast Tuesday morning?
The service was FANTASTIC - no soup nazi here!!!
We had cute little glasses of OJ:
Coffee love - see my ring again?
A fanatastic and very affordable breakfast!
Sadly, this is the only Pic Elizabeth and I had taken of us together.
That pretty much covers it. The only thing I haven't talked much about is how fantastic BOTH church services I went to on Sunday were. Maybe I will get around to pondering that shortly. (Though, I have so much of that nature that I am pondering now that I don't know which to type up first!)
Whooooooo. That was some serious picture-age!
On Friday 2.13 I visited the MoMA for a few hours. It was free admission night (sponsored by target) and the place was packed!
I didn't get to hang out very long, but I did see a few things that I liked:
I am a sucker for modern furniture and this one really caught my fancy.
It is the Prince Chair by Louise Campbell 2002.
The cold, bare garden at MoMA:
One of the things I LOVE about NYC - the different kinds/eras/functions of architecture all crammed into such a small space!
More delightfully modern chairs:
More modern furniture:
In the background of the pictures you can see an exhibit that I really enjoyed and want to research more: Esquire covers from 1962-1972".
Several of the covers I would love to find prints of and hang on a wall someday as they have poignant social commentary.
Like this one:
and:
and:
I was fascinated!
I ever so briefly popped up to the 5th & 6th floor galleries and the first one I turned into had this in full view.
I have never figured out whether I am drawn to this painting because on some inner level I can relate to it, or because I CANNOT relate to it. But it mesmerizes me, never the less.
There were many fantastical things in those galleries: Matisse, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rousseau - etc. It was at this point that I realized that it was a dishonor to fly through these galleries for just a glimpse (and I was on my way to meet a friend for dinner) so I promised all these fantastic artists that I would return someday to stand, stunned, in front of their beautiful expressions. Until then, I would hold the MoMA in my mind as a bastion of all the things in life that I love - that draw me to tears and tear at my heart.
After dinner that night (which we ate at Havana which I would recommend b/c they have the best Mojitos in the world!) we visited the M&M store (which I posted about earlier.) Here are a few more images for those of you who could not see the first.
Liz and I teased b/c she came up with purple about thirsting for knowledge and mine came up pink about being sweet, etc. We think maybe the machine got us confused. ;-)
A few images of Time Square:
Natalie, my friend from CIU that was such a fantastic hostess, charmed with me valentines gifts!
Nat's place:
The Trains:
Union Square:
Seen around NYC:
Sometimes you see acts of compassion that make you thank God in this city so busy with the post-post-modern. People still have work to do.
Elizabeth and I were sitting on a park bench discussing 'everything' (books that is) when we saw a group of people lining up. I thought maybe they were waiting for a bus - but it seemed a long time (and a long line) for a bus. We found out that they were lining up for soup and bread and people who would speak to them a good Word of hope.
Street art:
while Liz and I were standing on a corner and she was using her handy-dandy fold-out map to figure out where we were, I noticed a vending machine unline any other I had seen. I could get Jesus on a ring for .50!!! I had to have one!
Found a new Japanese clothing store that I loved:
Everything in the store was clean lines, clean colors, clean textures. I was in uniqlo> in love!
NYC's eternal legacy
Bloomingdale's is celebrating Barbie's birthday!
Liz takes in the mini-display:
BUT if you want a more ethic feel to your delightful doll you can buy one of these:
Here:
NYC Police Dept.
Frogs in Chinatown:
Little Italy:
We stopped at ChaCha's for dinner in Little Italy. The ambience was nice, and the waiters were cute, but I sent back food for the first time in my life! I ordered stuffed shells, but the ricotta was soooo sour, I just couldn't believe it was good. It was like tasting 2 month old lumpy milk. I felt horrible. I am one of the most adventurous people I know regarding food, and I love all kinds, but I just cannot believe that is what my food was supposed to taste like! But I ended up with this (which was delicious!)
Liz makes her 'mmmm, this is yummy!' face:
worse for wear but very content (also, you can see my jesus ring on my right hand!)
Union Square at night:
Do you recognize where Liz and I ate our Breakfast Tuesday morning?
The service was FANTASTIC - no soup nazi here!!!
We had cute little glasses of OJ:
Coffee love - see my ring again?
A fanatastic and very affordable breakfast!
Sadly, this is the only Pic Elizabeth and I had taken of us together.
That pretty much covers it. The only thing I haven't talked much about is how fantastic BOTH church services I went to on Sunday were. Maybe I will get around to pondering that shortly. (Though, I have so much of that nature that I am pondering now that I don't know which to type up first!)
Whooooooo. That was some serious picture-age!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
...its a wonderful town!
Probably my first introduction to New York:
My trip was so full, and yet I didn't get to see 1% of what I want to see in NYC. NYC feels like an analogie of life - there is just so much more than you can even imagine and yet we miss most of it just trying to get from place to place.
Saturday morning I had an interview with the NYC Teaching Fellows. A great program really, but pretty competitive. The interview was interesting, and the people I met were very interesting.
After the interview I walked around Union Square a little, and then went back to Brooklyn. It was the first time I figured out the trains completely by myself and I remembered how to get where I was going without having to look in my 'everything' book for directions. I blogged a little when I got back to Natalie's and then Liz came over and met me at Natalie's (she was hanging out in Brooklyn anyway, 'cause that is how she rolls.) We went to a little place called The Habitat in Brooklyn. Natalie met us there on her way back from seeing a movie with friends. It was a nice quiet, relaxed evening. I had brocolli and cheese soup and a glass of sangria. It was a chilly night but the walk back to Natalie's wasn't so bad, and I slept well.
Sunday morning I got up and went to the Upper West Side to meet Liz and her roommate Mindy for church at Trinity Grace. The service was great, and I really enjoyed the message. I also like their motto, "Joining God in the renewal of all things."
Liz and I had bagels for lunch that day and then we put together a wardrobe she bought from Ikea. I really should have taken a picture of it because we did such a smashing good job! Then we went to All Angels Church for the evening service. It is where Natalie has been attending lately. (You might recognize the name if you have read "Girl meets God" by Lauren Winner - which I would highly recommend.) The service was half liturgical and half contemporary. I enjoyed it very much. Basically, they are discussing being bold in our witness, challenging us to be fully present in every moment to be aware and available in our lives. I felt encouraged greatly by their genuiness and humble spirit. The church has several homeless members that attend the Sunday night service and then they share a meal afterwards with all present.
However, we skipped the meal as I was craving pizza!!!! Liz and I went down to Arturo's on Houston. (That is House-ton btw, not Houston (like the city in Texas.) New Yorkers are weird.) Here is one review of the restaurant. I thought the food was pretty good, though the service was moderate to poor and the wait was long. It is a fun atmosphere though. Prices have gone up since the 2003 review I liked too - Now it is $18-$20 for a small pie. Youch! But we split it, so it wasn't so bad.
We parted ways after and again I made my way home via train and did not get lost. *does empowered dance*.
I think I will save Monday for a separate entry because I have alot of pictures I want to post.
My trip was so full, and yet I didn't get to see 1% of what I want to see in NYC. NYC feels like an analogie of life - there is just so much more than you can even imagine and yet we miss most of it just trying to get from place to place.
Saturday morning I had an interview with the NYC Teaching Fellows. A great program really, but pretty competitive. The interview was interesting, and the people I met were very interesting.
After the interview I walked around Union Square a little, and then went back to Brooklyn. It was the first time I figured out the trains completely by myself and I remembered how to get where I was going without having to look in my 'everything' book for directions. I blogged a little when I got back to Natalie's and then Liz came over and met me at Natalie's (she was hanging out in Brooklyn anyway, 'cause that is how she rolls.) We went to a little place called The Habitat in Brooklyn. Natalie met us there on her way back from seeing a movie with friends. It was a nice quiet, relaxed evening. I had brocolli and cheese soup and a glass of sangria. It was a chilly night but the walk back to Natalie's wasn't so bad, and I slept well.
Sunday morning I got up and went to the Upper West Side to meet Liz and her roommate Mindy for church at Trinity Grace. The service was great, and I really enjoyed the message. I also like their motto, "Joining God in the renewal of all things."
Liz and I had bagels for lunch that day and then we put together a wardrobe she bought from Ikea. I really should have taken a picture of it because we did such a smashing good job! Then we went to All Angels Church for the evening service. It is where Natalie has been attending lately. (You might recognize the name if you have read "Girl meets God" by Lauren Winner - which I would highly recommend.) The service was half liturgical and half contemporary. I enjoyed it very much. Basically, they are discussing being bold in our witness, challenging us to be fully present in every moment to be aware and available in our lives. I felt encouraged greatly by their genuiness and humble spirit. The church has several homeless members that attend the Sunday night service and then they share a meal afterwards with all present.
However, we skipped the meal as I was craving pizza!!!! Liz and I went down to Arturo's on Houston. (That is House-ton btw, not Houston (like the city in Texas.) New Yorkers are weird.) Here is one review of the restaurant. I thought the food was pretty good, though the service was moderate to poor and the wait was long. It is a fun atmosphere though. Prices have gone up since the 2003 review I liked too - Now it is $18-$20 for a small pie. Youch! But we split it, so it wasn't so bad.
We parted ways after and again I made my way home via train and did not get lost. *does empowered dance*.
I think I will save Monday for a separate entry because I have alot of pictures I want to post.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere!
Ah, NYC, an enigma. A hodgepodge of cultural, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. A city full of gargantuan sky scrapers and homey little brownstones. Marble terraces and warm, worn hardwoods. Street graffiti and some of the best known pieces of artwork in the world. I feel like my thoughts trill at the stretching point here - my soul sending off an electric hum, vibrating from the waves of emotional energy generated by so many busy, intelligent, artistic, fashionable people.
My flight from Charlotte was delayed because of wind and when we we descending to LGA I wondered whether, for the first time in all the flying I have done in the past decade, I was going to lose my lunch. After about 20 minutes tossing back and forth the plane landed. Thankfully, the terminal dumped me about 200 steps from the bus stop. I took the Q33 to the E which I took to Court Square where I caught the G and exited at Greenpoint. This is successfully navigated with my bookbag and bright blue carry-on (with wheels! PTL.) I arrived at Natalie's safely and quickly settled in. I hadn't seen her in about 6 years (since we had both moved from Columbia, SC.) I had a very comfortable and enjoyable Thursday evening just chatting with her. (We stayed up til 3 talking about life, and God and NYC. It was the perfect NY welcome.)
Friday I, errrr, slept kinda late. Then I went into Manhattan to meet Natalie for lunch. With my sister navigating NYC via the internet and a cell phone, she directed me around the city a bit and finally I ended up at MoMA for a few hours during Target's Free Friday nights. AMAZING.
I met my friend, Elizabeth, for dinner at a cuban restaurant off Time Square. Certainly there are many really expensive things here, but there are alot of really reasonable things too, you just have to look and be creative. I had a very very enjoyable time chatting with her about NYC life, and her job and where God has us and how wonderful it is to just accept where God puts you and to look for every opportunity to grab life and squeeze every drop from it. Drink it to the dreggs!
After dinner we walked into Time Square and went to the M&M store to see what color we were! (There is a little scanner gizmo on the 2nd floor that tells you your personality color!) We laughed at all of the M&M's (offered at 11.99/lb and up!) Ok, seriously, I think you can go to Eckerd and buy a 1 lb. bag for 2.99 -- I am pretty sure after christmas 07 I got bags for .64 each! And so, we laughed at how people will by the same old thing that they already know and like, but pay a ridiculous amount more just for the packaging. Pretty much like so many relationships. People already have a pretty good thing, or the opportunity at a pretty good thing, but they will toss it away just for a package upgrade. Now, I agree that the aesthetics of certain colors of M&M's are appealing, but seriously, are you buying them to look at them or to eat them? And if the latter, then do you want to pay $8 more just so that you can look at them for the 3 seconds it takes to get them from your hand to your mouth? Really? I often speculate that people are NOT the smartest creatures God created -- maybe the most intelligent but definitely not the smartest!
Some pics of M&M World, NYC:
Though I mocked it, it is fun to walk through the store (and free!) and you can take pictures of all the different colors which will last more than 3 seconds and can be viewed while munching on your 99cent bag from the 7-11. The best of all worlds.
The website for M&M World is Here.
I was trying to upload a video, but I am wiped after this morning/day so I need to go rest for a little while before dinner.
My flight from Charlotte was delayed because of wind and when we we descending to LGA I wondered whether, for the first time in all the flying I have done in the past decade, I was going to lose my lunch. After about 20 minutes tossing back and forth the plane landed. Thankfully, the terminal dumped me about 200 steps from the bus stop. I took the Q33 to the E which I took to Court Square where I caught the G and exited at Greenpoint. This is successfully navigated with my bookbag and bright blue carry-on (with wheels! PTL.) I arrived at Natalie's safely and quickly settled in. I hadn't seen her in about 6 years (since we had both moved from Columbia, SC.) I had a very comfortable and enjoyable Thursday evening just chatting with her. (We stayed up til 3 talking about life, and God and NYC. It was the perfect NY welcome.)
Friday I, errrr, slept kinda late. Then I went into Manhattan to meet Natalie for lunch. With my sister navigating NYC via the internet and a cell phone, she directed me around the city a bit and finally I ended up at MoMA for a few hours during Target's Free Friday nights. AMAZING.
I met my friend, Elizabeth, for dinner at a cuban restaurant off Time Square. Certainly there are many really expensive things here, but there are alot of really reasonable things too, you just have to look and be creative. I had a very very enjoyable time chatting with her about NYC life, and her job and where God has us and how wonderful it is to just accept where God puts you and to look for every opportunity to grab life and squeeze every drop from it. Drink it to the dreggs!
After dinner we walked into Time Square and went to the M&M store to see what color we were! (There is a little scanner gizmo on the 2nd floor that tells you your personality color!) We laughed at all of the M&M's (offered at 11.99/lb and up!) Ok, seriously, I think you can go to Eckerd and buy a 1 lb. bag for 2.99 -- I am pretty sure after christmas 07 I got bags for .64 each! And so, we laughed at how people will by the same old thing that they already know and like, but pay a ridiculous amount more just for the packaging. Pretty much like so many relationships. People already have a pretty good thing, or the opportunity at a pretty good thing, but they will toss it away just for a package upgrade. Now, I agree that the aesthetics of certain colors of M&M's are appealing, but seriously, are you buying them to look at them or to eat them? And if the latter, then do you want to pay $8 more just so that you can look at them for the 3 seconds it takes to get them from your hand to your mouth? Really? I often speculate that people are NOT the smartest creatures God created -- maybe the most intelligent but definitely not the smartest!
Some pics of M&M World, NYC:
Though I mocked it, it is fun to walk through the store (and free!) and you can take pictures of all the different colors which will last more than 3 seconds and can be viewed while munching on your 99cent bag from the 7-11. The best of all worlds.
The website for M&M World is Here.
I was trying to upload a video, but I am wiped after this morning/day so I need to go rest for a little while before dinner.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Meant to post these long ago....
One of the fun things about being overseas is hearing what is popular radio there. I remember some horribly annoying songs from both Thailand and the Dominican Republic (I should post them sometime.) But here are two that were very popular during my time in Seoul.
This is the long version of this video but it is kinda funny AND I love the translation. Sometimes it makes you say, "hmmmmmmmm".
Some serious Korean girl pop here, but fun anyway. I would never condone such cuteness stateside, but somehow Asia makes it work.
This is the long version of this video but it is kinda funny AND I love the translation. Sometimes it makes you say, "hmmmmmmmm".
Some serious Korean girl pop here, but fun anyway. I would never condone such cuteness stateside, but somehow Asia makes it work.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
some more
The palace was very nice. It was a cloudy day, threatening rain (which it never did) and warmer than the previous 3 weeks. (I think it might have hit 40 F!)
I thought this was interesting since I had read about the traditional murals of the Joseon dynasty when I was in the Museum the previous week. (Refer to early post.) So to see it in this receiving or announcement hall was pretty neat.
One thing I love (and I think I have mentioned it before) is the detail of the buildings. Most traditional Korean architecture seems much simpler and less overt that south east asia, but the detail in the ceilings, on the metal work, etc. is very beautiful.
These are from an ancient water clock.
I heartily wish I could see this place during the spring and summer. I bet it is beautiful.
I also went into the art museums they have there on the palace grounds. I liked several of the pieces of artwork, but was horribly disappointed when I went to the museum shop and could find no postcards, posters or other prints.
I have done a little hunting on the internet but still cannot find them.
After leaving the palace I stopped for some yummy food.
Greasy gooey goodness and so hot. It was fantastic (I was finally chilly after walking around in the humid though warmer weather.)
I then got on the subway to go back to the National Museum to pick up a few things for friends.
The problem with exploring and sight seeing by yourself is that there is no one else to take pictures of you. I tried placing my camera on a bench and using the timer. Here is the result.
Afterwards rode the subway some more. I love it!
Went to the HRC to pick up something for my nephew and had dinner there.
Then I did a little more shopping and came home. Thus concluded Sunday night.
Monday I went to the Sauna. Very interesting, Korean Saunas. Disneyworld is supposed to be the happiest place on earth, but I beg to differ. These spas are like nothing I have ever seen before. You shower and scrub down, maybe lay around in several different temperature whirlpools. Redress (sexes are separated so the bath part is not co-ed) in little soft pajama type outfits that they give you. You walk out into a huge room that has all these different rooms off of it - Charcoal Room, Oxygen Room, Foot Bath Room, Salt Room. The one I was at had two snack bars and a restaurant. It also had an internet cafe. Most of my pictures turned out too blurry to be interesting (think I needed some different settings for my camera) but these few were ok.
One of the things I loved about it was that whole families go. There are kids playing everywhere. Not being disruptive, just being happy. Clean and happy. Families take naps together, read together, play games together. There is even a Karaoke room. It is such a happy, clean, relaxed place. If I move back here, it will become a weekly ritual for me.
The rest of the week has been hectic and sad. Saying goodbye to students today. I said goodbye to my M,W,F class. I really wasn't sure I would make it out without crying. I will miss them. I will miss the fun and excitement when I get back to charlotte and everything is so winter-blues and ho-hum. But, for the time being, I guess that is where I am supposed to be.
More later.
I thought this was interesting since I had read about the traditional murals of the Joseon dynasty when I was in the Museum the previous week. (Refer to early post.) So to see it in this receiving or announcement hall was pretty neat.
One thing I love (and I think I have mentioned it before) is the detail of the buildings. Most traditional Korean architecture seems much simpler and less overt that south east asia, but the detail in the ceilings, on the metal work, etc. is very beautiful.
These are from an ancient water clock.
I heartily wish I could see this place during the spring and summer. I bet it is beautiful.
I also went into the art museums they have there on the palace grounds. I liked several of the pieces of artwork, but was horribly disappointed when I went to the museum shop and could find no postcards, posters or other prints.
I have done a little hunting on the internet but still cannot find them.
After leaving the palace I stopped for some yummy food.
Greasy gooey goodness and so hot. It was fantastic (I was finally chilly after walking around in the humid though warmer weather.)
I then got on the subway to go back to the National Museum to pick up a few things for friends.
The problem with exploring and sight seeing by yourself is that there is no one else to take pictures of you. I tried placing my camera on a bench and using the timer. Here is the result.
Afterwards rode the subway some more. I love it!
Went to the HRC to pick up something for my nephew and had dinner there.
Then I did a little more shopping and came home. Thus concluded Sunday night.
Monday I went to the Sauna. Very interesting, Korean Saunas. Disneyworld is supposed to be the happiest place on earth, but I beg to differ. These spas are like nothing I have ever seen before. You shower and scrub down, maybe lay around in several different temperature whirlpools. Redress (sexes are separated so the bath part is not co-ed) in little soft pajama type outfits that they give you. You walk out into a huge room that has all these different rooms off of it - Charcoal Room, Oxygen Room, Foot Bath Room, Salt Room. The one I was at had two snack bars and a restaurant. It also had an internet cafe. Most of my pictures turned out too blurry to be interesting (think I needed some different settings for my camera) but these few were ok.
One of the things I loved about it was that whole families go. There are kids playing everywhere. Not being disruptive, just being happy. Clean and happy. Families take naps together, read together, play games together. There is even a Karaoke room. It is such a happy, clean, relaxed place. If I move back here, it will become a weekly ritual for me.
The rest of the week has been hectic and sad. Saying goodbye to students today. I said goodbye to my M,W,F class. I really wasn't sure I would make it out without crying. I will miss them. I will miss the fun and excitement when I get back to charlotte and everything is so winter-blues and ho-hum. But, for the time being, I guess that is where I am supposed to be.
More later.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Several Days of Catch Up Part A
Saturday night Jess, Amanda and I went into Seoul to visit NamDaeMun and Myeong Dong again. Shop for a few things and enjoy the relatively warmer night (it was around 32 degrees, but so much warmer than it had been for the previous week!)
These little street markers are very helpful!
I bought something for my neice here.
We stopped and got some hot chinese bread - one was full of black beans and the other of pork and onions, etc. They were so good.
Sunday I was unable to get to church. I wanted to visit Life Church but realized it is only about 15 minutes from here - which would seem like a good thing, but the truth is that I can figure out how to get somewhere 2 hours from here, but getting around the Seoul suburbs is beyond my ability. I was disappointed. But the day turned out to be quite great!
I rode the 8100 into town and thought I would get off at the Lotte, but ended up getting off at the next stop which is basically in front of this building:
There is a bit of a story to tell about the building that you cannot see because it is behind a large construction wall. What you are not seeing is the #1 national treasure of Korea. Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) is the Great Southern Gate from the Joseon Dynasty. (I am learning that is a very important historic era for Koreans). The gate was damaged by arson in Feb. of 2008 and has remained hidden from the public since then. Apparently the fire was set by a man who was mad about a land deal gone bad. (You get to learn about so many interesting things when you travel!) I am sad that Korea lost the oldest wooden structure in Seoul but I have to admit there is another that looks just like it at Dongdaemun which I saw from a distance when I made a trip to that area last weekend to go shopping.
I decided not to go directly to the subway as I had originally intended and headed instead toward a sign that said something or other palace. On the way I saw this sign which made me giggle.
Just as I was approaching the Deoksugung Palace I heard what sounded like a marching band (drums, trumpets, etc.) turned out to be the changing of the guard. And I was there, just in time, on complete accident! How fantastic!
I have so much more I want to say, but I have to get to bed, so bear with me, another chapter will be included soon!
These little street markers are very helpful!
I bought something for my neice here.
We stopped and got some hot chinese bread - one was full of black beans and the other of pork and onions, etc. They were so good.
Sunday I was unable to get to church. I wanted to visit Life Church but realized it is only about 15 minutes from here - which would seem like a good thing, but the truth is that I can figure out how to get somewhere 2 hours from here, but getting around the Seoul suburbs is beyond my ability. I was disappointed. But the day turned out to be quite great!
I rode the 8100 into town and thought I would get off at the Lotte, but ended up getting off at the next stop which is basically in front of this building:
There is a bit of a story to tell about the building that you cannot see because it is behind a large construction wall. What you are not seeing is the #1 national treasure of Korea. Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) is the Great Southern Gate from the Joseon Dynasty. (I am learning that is a very important historic era for Koreans). The gate was damaged by arson in Feb. of 2008 and has remained hidden from the public since then. Apparently the fire was set by a man who was mad about a land deal gone bad. (You get to learn about so many interesting things when you travel!) I am sad that Korea lost the oldest wooden structure in Seoul but I have to admit there is another that looks just like it at Dongdaemun which I saw from a distance when I made a trip to that area last weekend to go shopping.
I decided not to go directly to the subway as I had originally intended and headed instead toward a sign that said something or other palace. On the way I saw this sign which made me giggle.
Just as I was approaching the Deoksugung Palace I heard what sounded like a marching band (drums, trumpets, etc.) turned out to be the changing of the guard. And I was there, just in time, on complete accident! How fantastic!
I have so much more I want to say, but I have to get to bed, so bear with me, another chapter will be included soon!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Some odds and ends
I have a lot of odds and ends to post again. Lotsa pictures of things, stuff and other things.
First, I went to the stationary store today and bought some things for me and my nephew. A cute pencil box and some pens. Pens like these are usually $3 or $4 in the States, but here they are under $1. Stickers!!!! And a cat shaped 'sleep eye mask' for the plane. I giggled with glee.
This morning, when I left my aparment I found that it was snowing!
Of course, the kids loved it. It was so hard to get them all in a picture.
After lunch we played in the snow.
Lunch today was that weird, not-even-close-to-shrimp shrimp-shaped fried things. They taste good, but more like rice noodles than meat. We also had rice (of course) and soup and pasta salad and yogurt for dessert. Quite satisfying.
James had two bowls of soup. He is often a bottomless pit!
Laura was chatting me up at lunch.
This is Harry and I.
After work today (after my visit to the stationary store - my favorite consumer haunt) a hoard of us when to have dinner for Mark's birthday.
Jess and I at dinner.
We ate Sam Gyup Sal. Here is the meat on the grill and the fixings.
We also had green noodles that are made out of some kind of mountain plant. Not sure what I was eating but it tasted good.
It was a good day. Hard to believe I have less than a week left. Oh, Korea, how I will miss you!!!
First, I went to the stationary store today and bought some things for me and my nephew. A cute pencil box and some pens. Pens like these are usually $3 or $4 in the States, but here they are under $1. Stickers!!!! And a cat shaped 'sleep eye mask' for the plane. I giggled with glee.
This morning, when I left my aparment I found that it was snowing!
Of course, the kids loved it. It was so hard to get them all in a picture.
After lunch we played in the snow.
Lunch today was that weird, not-even-close-to-shrimp shrimp-shaped fried things. They taste good, but more like rice noodles than meat. We also had rice (of course) and soup and pasta salad and yogurt for dessert. Quite satisfying.
James had two bowls of soup. He is often a bottomless pit!
Laura was chatting me up at lunch.
This is Harry and I.
After work today (after my visit to the stationary store - my favorite consumer haunt) a hoard of us when to have dinner for Mark's birthday.
Jess and I at dinner.
We ate Sam Gyup Sal. Here is the meat on the grill and the fixings.
We also had green noodles that are made out of some kind of mountain plant. Not sure what I was eating but it tasted good.
It was a good day. Hard to believe I have less than a week left. Oh, Korea, how I will miss you!!!
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