Thanksgiving pictures and video

Mark and Elysabeth joined us for Thanksgiving 2012.  Elysabeth made a short video of the trip to Pohang.  Scroll down to the end of the pictures of her most recent post on her blog.  Enjoy!

Susan

http://sansborders.blogspot.kr/

Thanksgiving Irony and a Mystery

I'm starting to get a bit confused over holidays.  Our kids assert that all holidays in the US and Korea are holidays from homeschooling.  What is it about these little rug rats that makes them so adept at bold assertions that adults find somehow logical and surprisingly compelling?   Perhaps it is the attraction adults also feel to the idea of "doubling up" and celebrating two sets of holidays.  Thanksgiving in Korea is a perfect example.  What is not to like about avoiding the traffic jams, crowded grocery stores and the stressful silliness of "Black Friday" in America while enjoying the wonderful benefits of a holiday still centered on the idea of giving thanks for God's bountiful blessings.  We had a wonderful time sharing overflowing tables at a traditional Thanksgiving feast with a multitude of new friends among the ex patriot community of professors and their families here at Handong University.  Americans, Canadians, Australians (I don't think they have a Thanksgiving holiday, but are happy to join us in celebrating ours) and even a student or two joined in the progressive dinner at three homes.  

Stuffed and ready for a nap at the end of the evening, I searched for my shoes among the dozens piled up at the entry to one of the professor's homes (shoes aren't worn inside in Korea.)  Spying an extraordinarily large pair of brown shoes that must have been mine, I put them on and started on my way home. The shoes didn't feel right on my feet.  I figured an evening of wandering around in my socks and a full stomach must have changed the shape of my feet.  Upon closer inspection after arriving home, I realized they weren't mine at all.  I had worn someone else's size 13 brown shoes home.  I quickly sent Daniel back to the party to return the shoes and find my missing pair.  Thankfully he arrived just as another professor of my stature was searching for his shoes.  Still, after checking the piles of shoes at all three homes, Daniel returned having failed to find mine.  One of the hosts of last night's dinner sent out an email to the faculty this morning  explaining that a pair of very large brown shoes were left at the party and wondering how someone had managed to find their way home, shoeless, in last night's cold.  There's also a bit of irony along with the mystery.  I can't help but wonder at the irony of feeling a greater sense of thanksgiving 6,500 miles away in Korea than most Americans experience in the U.S. where the holiday has largely become just another over commercialized reason to spend money.

Ken Chinn

p.s. I enjoyed sharing with the other professor after church this morning that I now knew what it was like to walk in his shoes.

A smile here, a smile there . . .

Pictures that make mom smile.  It appears the kids' favorite toy is mom's phone.  Many of the pictures were discovered when uploading onto the computer today.

Robert's breakfast of choice.   

Robert's shot of his brother.

and sister.

Mary and her chocolate rocks.

A Festival treat for Robert.

The Festival stage with lots of great HGU talent.

Dad and the kids trying out some food booths at the Festival.

The kids' favorite~the Mission Booth served Tim Tam Slams.  Tim Tams are Australian biscuit like cookies.  Ken said it's the best cookie he's ever eaten.  You bite off both ends of the cookie, sip hot chocolate through it, slam the Tim Tam into your mouth as soon as you feel the hot chocolate (before the cookie falls apart). :-)

  

Fall colors.

A great day for a walk along the beach with a friend. 

A sweet friend taking shots of the beach scene during our walk.

The kids loved seeing chicken run loose behind a restaurant in Kyeong Ju (a historical city an hour away).

Mary and her friends' fort #1.  

Robert trying it out.

The girls found a better location for fort #2.  A path leading to their spot.

The "scaffolding" for their new fort.

They found yet another (BETTER) place.  Pictures of the new place coming soon.

We attended another wedding.  The bride and groom looked like they walked off the pages of a wedding magazine.  It was a beautiful ceremony.

 Apparently the kids were not impressed with the wedding that mom was "oohing and aahing" over.  They wouldn't allow mom to post the shots they took with mom's phone during the ceremony.  Let's just say, I saw way too many pictures of their eyes.

Dad multi-tasking.  Reading and blogging.

Hot chocolate at HisBeans Coffee Shop on a cold day!

Lawsuits in Korea

By any measure, the U.S. is a litigious country.  Car wrecks, slip and falls, product liability - all of this and much more keeps our courtrooms busy and our insurance industry profitable - not to mention the byproduct of employment for hundreds of thousands of attorneys.

Korea is very different.  Interwoven brick and occasional cobblestone walkways are almost always uneven and a bit of a hazard to the unwary.  Still, they are part of the charm and beauty of Korea.  I'm told that liability lawsuits are almost unheard of if someone slips and falls.  It is part of normal life and not a big deal.  The boys and I were invited to a birthday party the other day for one of their friends here in the faculty housing.  We started the evening out with trampolines, followed up by a trip to McDonald's for bacon burgers and incredibly delicious homemade bacon cupcakes (our boys are already insisting that mom get the recipe), and ending up with a trip to the batting cages with an adjoining driving range for young golfers.  Refreshingly, there were no warning and disclaimer messages posted everywhere.  No need for helmets at the batting cages (really they are a protection from misdirected pitches by real human beings, not machines).  All of it was perfectly sensible and enormously fun for the boys.  I doubt that any of the businesses had a bit of liability insurance and they probably really didn't need any in this country where common sense seems to prevail when dealing with most common hazards in life.  I'm told when conflict arises, most disputes are settled informally relying on common bonds of family, community or business to settle differences without resorting to the courts.

It is very difficult to become a lawyer in Korea where admission to law school is very restrictive and, reportedly, less than 1% of the takers pass the Korean bar exam.  Surprisingly, hiring an attorney in Korea is not necessarily an expensive endeavor.  Susan had to have a translated document certified by a Korean notary public.  The notary needed to have an attorney review some aspect of the document.  The attorney's review was included in the really modest price charged by the notary. I'm sure that is not always true in Korea, but I cannot image such inexpensive service if the document had to be reviewed by an American attorney.  My suspicion is that most attorneys in Korea work for either the government or large companies that engage in international business (probably countering the hoards of U.S. attorneys employed by other nations).  All of this makes me yearn for the era of the "handshake" deal where integrity was the primary underpinning of business affairs.

All this reminds me of an incident over the Chusok holiday about a month ago.  We rented a 12 passenger van to see as much of Korea as we could during the 5 day break..  The car performed beautifully and we were very happy with it.  After the rental company picked up the car at the university, an employee drove back to see us.  It seems the car had some fairly serious damage to a tire and rim from having hit some object.  It would take $390 to make the needed repairs.  This was a surprise to us, because I didn't remember hitting anything that would have caused the damage.  Still, I did remember hitting a flexible plastic pole when  I needed to make a sudden lane change to stay on the proper roadway due to a lane spit in the highway.  Perhaps there was a metal device holding the plastic pole to the roadway that might have caused the damage.  In any event, the damage was there and the employee was quite certain it must have happened during the rental period.  We decided to trust the rental company that had a long a good relationship providing vehicles to the university.  They knew we were part of the university and we paid for the damage.  It's the Korean way with their common bond of using relationships to resolve disputes in this fascinating country.

Ken Chinn

Thanksgiving

I've been told it costs about $100 to purchase a turkey in Korea.  I've yet to see one in a grocery store.  If we are able to find one, we could probably air ship it to to the states overnight and bring the total cost in under $250.  That does seem a little steep since the cost in the states is probably around 12-13 dollars.  Still, if you would like a Korean turkey, let us know and we'll try and work something out.

I don't know why turkeys and Thanksgiving aren't a big deal here.  Perhaps the Pilgrims didn't make a stop here on their way to America.  The closest holiday is what they call Chusok which is kind of similar to our holiday.  The families members all travel back to their childhood family homes as the businesses, schools and government offices all close.  Traffic on the roads is almost at gridlock.  In that respect, it does remind me of our Thanksgiving holiday.

The ex patriot professors and their families are getting together for a Thanksgiving meal on Friday (which is Thursday - and Thanksgiving day - in the states due to the international date line).  We will have a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, stuffing etc.  It should be a lot of fun and a nice reminder of home.  For the rest of Korea, it will just be another day.  We are thankful Mark and Elysabeth will be able to travel down to join us and perhaps bring a friend or two as well.  The most important part of the tradition is that we will be able to be together as a family and remember all the things we have to be thankful for.  This year, the list is pretty long.  Thanks especially to the many family and friends who read this blog and are such an encouragement to us during our adventure in Korea.  May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.  God bless you all.

The Chinn family

Fall is Magnificent

The fall colors are in glorious bloom as Korea starts to brace itself for the coming winter.  Everywhere you see bursts of bright yellow, orange and red on campus.  Even the grass had a surprise in store.  Unlike Southern California, the grass grows long in Korea.  Pale green when we arrived in summer, it recently turned yellow with the colder air.  Now it is turning a shade of orange, painting a lovely foreground for the trees and bushes as they prepare to shed their leaves to the advancing cold.  This morning the hills were shrouded with fog and a slight mist was falling from the gray skies.  It all has a very magical look and feel.

Our apartment has south facing balcony like area that is completely enclosed with screens and glass.  Susan's sister Mary planted seeds in small tubs during her visit in September and October.  The seedlings have now grown into thriving tomato and pepper plants along with a crop of cilantro.  Susan has been busy transplanting her garden into larger pots and containers with the hope they will survive the winter in this greenhouse like area. Look for future crop reports as the winter sets in.

Heating our apartment during the winter can be quite expensive with the cost of electricity in Korea.  The house is heated by electrical pipes under the floor that emanate heat up into the room through the floorboards.  To keep costs down, residents often further insulate the windows with heavy plastic sheeting and even blankets.  We have turned off the heat to portions of the apartment and will wear warmer clothes.  In a happy break for Ken and the kids, Susan has decided to take up baking with our gas stove in order to provide both fresh bread and heat for the apartment.  After some initial disappointing results, she has now acquired a knack for baking.  I have high hopes of encouraging this talent with the goal of producing a talented pastry chef.  It is a delight to come home to the smell of fresh bread, cinnamon rolls and perhaps (someday) even a home made pie in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Despite the increased cold outside, the warmth from the south facing windows and oven has keep us comfortable without the need to use the electrical heating so far.

We are continuing to love our simple life in Korea.  The kids are busy with their new friends building forts, working on crafts and exploring the woods.  The kids often bring me a home cooked freshly grilled sandwich for lunch at my office, just minutes away from our home.  Evenings are whiled away reading books (each of the children has read over 30 since our arrival), movies, special performances and lectures on campus, a board game, or reruns of Leave It To Beaver on the DVD.  Amazingly, although we have a t.v., it is rarely used.  The channel offerings are mostly Korean language with CNN and BBC newscasts as English alternatives.  The t.v. was almost always on at home, but it has faded away with nary a complaint.  Speaking of complaints, I've yet to hear the words "I'm bored" from the kids or any inkling of homesickness for Southern California.  As I'm writing these words, Susan is off on a visit to town via the shuttle to meet a new friend from South Africa for coffee and the kids are busy playing with their friends around the complex.  Dad is enjoying this quiet time to pen a few thoughts on the family blog.  Life is really good and we are very thankful.

Ken Chinn

Integrity and Christian Education

Education in extremely important in Korean society.  Parents will sacrifice enormously to ensure that their children have the best educational opportunities.  In many homes much of the traditional Korean carefree childhood is sacrificed in the endeavor to be admitted to the best schools.  Children start at very early ages to attend Hagwon private schools designed to supplement the education supplied in both private and public schools.  At the Hagwon the students will study English and other academic subjects at very early ages.  Finishing their normal school hours, many students study well into the night at the Hagwon schools.  As you might imagine, the pressure is enormous on students in Korea to excel and obtain admission to the best university possible.

I mention all this to explain that cheating is a serious problem in the Korean educational system.  For years I've heard that cheating is epidemic in the U.S. educational system.  That this problem existed in Korea surprised me since honesty is such a virtue over here.  Theft is only a minor problem in Korea, and usually found only in the largest cities.  A lost wallet or cell phone is usually returned to its owner with nothing missing at all.   My strong suspicion is that cheating is a product of the enormous pressure and competition in the educational system.

At Handong Global University, there is an honor code that is taken seriously by students and professors.  One of the major components of the honor code is unsupervised exams.  There are no professors or proctors in the classroom when students take exams.  It is not unheard of for a class to even have a take home exam.  Such an idea is virtually unheard of, even in Christian education, in the U.S.  I've read a bit about this practice at Handong Global University and spoken with other professors about it.   I wish I could report that there are no instances of cheating at Handong.  I can, however, report that cheating is uncommon.  The student government conducted a study in 2000 of the entire student body on compliance with the honor code.  They learned that 60% of the students reported that they had observed the honor code with a clear conscience before God.  20% of the students reported they had been tempted from time to time, but had not erred.  16% reported that they had failed several times, but had repented and were determined not to do it again.  4% reported that thy had violated the honor code before and would continue to do so in the future.

In my conversations with other professors I've learned that there are serious repercussions for violating the honor code - usually a failing grade in the course.  Now here is the really interesting benefit of the code.  I am told that HGU graduates are highly sought after by employers.  Their graduates tend to be more successful in the job market than those of the most prestigious universities in Korea.  The employers report that they are attracted to HGU graduates because they know they are students that didn't cheat in obtaining their degrees and would really know the skills they obtained through their education.  Students deeply appreciate the trust they receive under the honor code.  The honor code calls on all the students to uphold the code.  It is based on trust and respect.  If a student witnesses a violation of the honor code, they have a responsibility to go privately to the offending student, with respect, and encourage them to self report their violation to the professor.  If the offending student does not respond within 2-3 days, the other student must approach the professor and explain the circumstances.  This is undoubtedly difficult, but it is part of the culture of the school.

As a professor with an extensive background in the criminal justice system, I can't help but think that HGU is onto something important.  Integrity is a virtue that seems to have diminished greatly in my lifetime.  I like the idea that Christian education can reintroduce integrity to the classroom.  It seems to be working at Handong Global University.  I hope it spreads.

Ken Chinn