Family

Moving home has been challenging and rewarding.  We've had 4 generations here.  That means that there is lots going on at any given moment and zero closet space.  But spending time laughing with my siblings is worth it.

Saying Goodbye

 Images from my last month in South Korea... this is the chapel, which is down a small side street in Seoul.

 Packing my apartment.

 Empty apartment.

 Busan beach

Awesome instructions for surviving rip currents at the beach: "1. Learn how to swim."

What's next

I don't know.

Short term, I am consumed with the details of moving my household across the world.  I will move back home, (Thanks Mom and Dad) while I continue the job hunt.

Goodbye faithful steed

This has been my ride in Korea.

I bought it used and it was a wonderful car for the most part until this last month.  On Tuesday I was delivering groceries to Girls Camp when it's little engine gave up the ghost.  Unfortunately I was right in the middle of an intersection... on a hill.  I turned on my hazards and waved the other cars around me.  I also called my insurance agency, who in turn called a tow truck to come.   It was while I was waiting for a tow truck that two very nice Korean cops stopped to help me.  We eventually got the car started again and drove it to the side of the intersection.
         Since I was just 500 yards away from the retreat where the YW were staying they sent another car down to pick up the groceries.  And I continued to wait with the cops. We hung out in their car with the air conditioning set to max, since it was scorching hot.  The tow truck driver arrived and we had a nice conversation, where nobody understood each other and we all resorted to our smart phones and their maps to show each other where we wanted to tow the car.  The cops left and I went with the tow truck driver.
       Koreans are addicted to their smart phones, you'll notice in the previous post that the cop was playing on his phone while we waited.  The tow truck driver played on his phone while driving the entire distance.  I played on my phone so that I wouldn't freak out about all our close calls.  Scariest ride of my life!!
      At the garage I learned that it would cost about $600 dollars to fix my car.  Since I am leaving next month, it wasn't worth it.  I sold it for parts yesterday and will spend my last month walking and taking public transportation.
       So goodbye Korea, I have one less thing tying me here and one less regret about moving home.  And one more awesome, "Oh, Korea!" story.

One of those months...

It's been one of those months that starts with being laid off and asked to leave the country in no more than 45 days and ends in the back seat of a Korean police car.  I am so glad that June is almost over.  I can't take anymore of this kind of fun.

Picture's worth a thousand words

People always talk about the love of physical books, how nothing beats holding one in your hand.  I agree.  But I would also like to point out that the opposite can be equally enjoyable.  I loved rereading the legendary huge Wheel of Time on my Nook.  So much easier to carry than the 600+ page books.

Symbolism

Spring arrives in Seoul and the cherry trees share beauty and grace with the world.  But if you ask an elder Korean the cherry blossoms mean more than just spring.  The Japanese occupiers are the ones who planted Cherry trees all over Korea.  It's the national tree of Japan and was a symbol of their military and cultural might.  There were national debates after the Japanese were driven out, if the Koreans should cut down all the cherry trees.  Could the Koreans see the beauty of the trees or would they always remain a symbol of repressions and foreign occupation?

North Korea wants and struggles to fight against all foreign interference.  They are sworn enemies of the Japanese and the Americans.  They argue if that everyone would just leave them alone they could have a peaceful unified country.  (Of course, they want that unified country to be communist.)  They rightfully argue that most of the two Korea's problems were created by outside countries and influences.
   History and symbolism are messy.  And this picture shows it perfectly. What is beauty?  Is it the American military's barbwire and presence which enables the democratic South Korea to thrive in the shadow of North Korea?  Is it the cherry blossoms planted by the exploitative Japanese at the beginning of the 20th century?  Is it the Korean spirit that enables them to build a vibrant city despite their history and current border disputes?