Itaewon and a Little Bit of Buddhism

We decided  to travel up to Itaewon this weekend to check in on the "kids" (Mark and Elysabeth).  We wanted to hear about Elysabeth's trip to the US to put together an article for rewrite magazine and sample a bit of the international culture that swirls around this youth oriented area of Seoul that is a regular stop on the tour bus routes.

First a word about rewrite magazine.  It is ministry bathed in love that Mark and Elysabeth launched some months ago.  Each of them has put their writing talents and journalism degrees from UCI to work in telling wonderful stories of redemption in the lives of God's people.  Articles come out every two weeks and can be followed at rewritemagazine.com.  Most of the early stories have centered on changed lives among young people in Korea that God has redeemed.  Recently the focus has swung a bit more towards the US which led to Elysabeth's visit home.  It is exciting to see this obvious labor of love in creating each of the articles they publish online.  There is excitement in starting a new ministry with a sense that God has prepared them and is leading their efforts. It was quite a step of faith to incur the expense of international travel to conduct interviews for upcoming articles.  Susan and I couldn't be more pleased.

On the drive north to Itaewon, Susan started telling me about a middle eastern shop down the block from their apartment that had delicious swarma style sandwiches (here they call them kebobs) carved from rotating skewers of lamb and chicken covered with vegetables and sauce and wrapped in pita bread at affordable prices.  I was hooked.  After my recent trip to Hong Kong, I've discovered anew that food can quickly overshadow more important things in my life and, true to form,  I was intent on hunting down this place first thing when we arrived.  Sure enough, the sandwiches were every bit as delicious as their description.  Ahhh!  It also seemed a bit strange to pass by a Burger King, Taco Bell and Outback Steakhouse in the short walk to the kebob shop.  This is truly an international city.

The rest of our visit was spent visiting with Mark and Elysabeth.  It is wonderful to see their personal growth and the growth in their marriage.  So often these days young people get married with little thought to the depth of the commitment they are making.  Mark and Elysabeth clearly decided not to choose that path to marriage.  Their communication and commitment is very strong.  Of particular delight to me is that they seem to have adopted the Korean approach to parental relations.  In Korea the parents of a young married couple are still part of the family and are considered a source of wisdom in working your way through problems that come up in life.  I know this concept is entirely foreign to much of the post modern US culture, but it is gratifying that, at least over here, we are still of some use to the younger generation.

One final interesting note.  Yesterday Susan and I went out to dinner to a seafood buffet restaurant here in Pohang next to the city hall.  I'll repress my normal urge to focus on the dinner (suffice it to say that you will want to visit this very Korean style buffet should you stop by for a visit) and describe instead the large event at city hall.  As we approached city hall, there was a crowd and chairs set up near the entrance.   Upon closer inspection we saw several Buddhist monks in their traditional orange/brownish and gray robes and shaved heads.  They clearly were dignitaries for the event.  Behind them we saw a 20 foot tall replica of a temple.  It turns out they were there to celebrate Buddha's birthday.  Buddhism is the largest faith group in South Korea (Christianity is second) and most of Asia.  I was surprised to see so overtly a religious event at city hall.  Apparently Thomas Jefferson's thoughts on the separation of church and state expressed in a letter to a church back in the early 19th century haven't been elevated to constitutional status here in Korea.  I must admit that, as a Christian, I wasn't the least bit offended by this recognition given to the Buddhist faith on government property.  How strange that the US courts are so paranoid about acknowledging our Christian heritage in the US.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of those exotic cities you read about, but never expect to see.  So it was a delight to discover the professors and many of our law students would attend a joint meeting of Advocates International and FLAG (Faith and Law Around the Globe - a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ) in Hong Kong.  I would be able to see the fabled city while participating in a conference of attorneys from around the globe who defend the persecuted church.  I met so many interesting people at the conference who work faithfully in so many difficult places.  And then there were some surprises along the way.  Imagine sitting down to breakfast and talking with an attorney from Sacramento, only to discover that she is the attorney I had heard so much about that helped some students from Handong with VISA related problems while studying at Trinity Law School in preparation for taking the California Bar exam.  It is a small and wonderful world.  One of my favorites experiences was to be able to spend some time with a couple of good friends from Trinity Law School.  It did make me a bit homesick for California.  On the very sad side, there were incredibly tragic stories of religious persecution and human rights abuses around the world.  I'm hoping to find some things I can do to help counter these problems.

Hong Kong is an amazing place with some of the best food I've ever tasted.  At the conference we were provided wonderful meals each day with additional delicacies provided at every break in the conference.  One of my favorite memories was the Dim Sum.  In Korea they have a similar treat called mandoo (meat or vegetables steamed in a bun or pastry wrapping).  In the US we have what we call pot stickers that bear some similarities.  China has taken this treat called Dim Sum to an entirely different level.  They have very delicate, colorful and varied steamed wrappers around delicious mixtures of meat and vegetables that melt in our mouth.  Eating them has the same addictive quality of eating potato chips.  You simply can't eat just one.  Thankfully they are rather small and delicate allowing you to to eat them to your heart's content.  I even had one with tiny fish eggs on top.  All the other food was delicious as well and surprisingly included lots of American favorites like pork ribs, lamb, carved roast beef, crab legs and pastries that were so good that you would have thought you were in Paris.  I was in heaven at every meal.

The sights of Hong Kong were not disappointing either.  We traveled by subway to a ferry terminal to take us from Hong Kong Island to the mainland portion of the city.  The skyline was packed with skyscrapers and beautiful buildings - many dating back to the British colonial days.  We visited Lady's Market which is the most concentrated area of humanity on the face of the earth.  One evening we traveled up to Victoria Peak which affords a spectacular view of the city and the lights.  Everywhere there were crowds of people on the streets with shops and all sorts of exotic food (some of which didn't smell or look all that appetizing).  It is obviously a very wealthy city.  Lots of high rise apartments with views over the water.  Every luxury car dealer imaginable had show rooms along with every sort of fashion designer you've ever heard of (and many you hadn't.)

I was delighted to be able to visit Hong Kong and hope I can figure a way to take the family there as well some day soon.  It will take some serious saving to afford the trip. The Marriott is about $230 a night and up.  Ouch!

War Clouds Over Korea?

We've had several friends express concern to us over news coming out of the Korean peninsula about North Korea's threats of a nuclear strike directed at South Korea and the United States.  Although the news is, on the surface, alarming, it is not really news here in South Korea.  North Korea has a long history of threatening war when it wanted money and goods from its neighbors and the US.  Unfortunately, they pour most of their resources into the military where the soldiers enjoy a nicer standard of living than the general population, much of which is near starvation.  This time the threats have, thus far, not resulted in the usual aid.  All this is however exacerbated by a young and inexperienced new dictator in the north and a new president in the south who does not want to appear weak in the face of the threats.

 

The current threats are receiving much more news coverage in the states than in Korea.  This has happened so many times in the past that Koreans have largely become immune to the threats.  The US, on the other hand, is not used to being threatened with imminent destruction by another nation that either has, or is the process of developing, nuclear weapons.  Understandably, this all appears rather alarming in the states.

 

I must admit, I did feel a bit of anxiety when one of the other professors during my Hong Kong trip asked if Robert had taken any of his stash of fireworks with him to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) tour.  You might recall in our last post my mentioning that Susan was heading up to the DMZ with the kids and the McCormick family while I was heading to Hong Kong for a conference.  This was at a particularly tense moment in the threats coming from the North.  They had just effectively shut down the Joint Enterprise Zone in Kaesong, just north of the border.  There were scores of cameras at the DMZ to film the South Koreans returning from Kaesong.  I had this image in my mind of Robert setting off fireworks at the border and igniting another Korean war.  I could picture him on television saying he was sorry and promising to never do it again (we've had similar conversations many times in the past.)  Instead, Daniel prompted the wrath of one of the camera men at border by smiling into the camera and waiving.  Here the camera men were filming  this solemn occasion and a tourist pops into the camera's view with a big smile and waiving.  No doubt Daniel was edited out of the filmed report.

 

For those who might be worried, we live near the port city of Pohang, about 4 hours south of the North Korean border.  In the extremely unlikely event that a battle should break out, we are a logical site for evacuation of US citizens by the US Marines.  As for us, we're not worried a bit, and are hopeful the politicians don't bend to blackmail and extortion  techniques from the north.  Mark and Elysabeth live near Seoul and are much closer to the border.  They would have reason for greater concerns, though they could come down and stay with us should things heat up.

 

All this does serve as a reminder to pray for the people of North Korea.  There starvation is always on the doorstep of the poor farmers and villagers in rural communities.  Christian pastors and believers are regularly locked away in prison camps where the conditions are deplorable.  All this is well documented by refugees who manage to escape through China and work their way to South Korea.

Sad Daddy

Susan and the kids just headed out the door with Jane and Alana McCormick to drive up to Seoul for a few days.  Daddy is stuck at home since I am traveling to Hong Kong tomorrow for a conference.  I did not expect the strong emotions I felt as I waived good bye to the family.  As I walked back to an empty apartment I could almost feel tears welling up inside.  Thankfully work will keep me busy today and the conference in Hong Kong will fly by.

In Seoul, the Chinns and McCormicks will visit the DMZ separating North and South Korea.  I am told this is a wonderful tour which helps to understand the deep conflict in this area of the world.  Unfortunately, there has been a rash of angry and threatening broadcasts from North Korea in recent weeks and an expectation that North Korea will at least stage an international incident - many of which have been violent in the past.  I'm not really worried about something happening during the tour, but it heightens my concerns that I ought to be with them.  They also will be touring Seoul and enjoying the street food in one of the largest cities in the world.

Having Jane and Alana here for a visit has been a complete delight.  It was so good to see friends from home and catch up on what everyone is doing.  Unfortunately Ed was not able to make the trip due to still being in the recovery process from some recent foot surgery.  He has missed a fun time exploring Korea.  Yesterday we went to Kyung Joo - a historical city about an hour away from Pohang.  Korea is in the midst of the cherry blossom season which only lasts a couple of weeks.  They were in their full glory in Kyung Joo everywhere we went.  The kids and I had been there before, but it was Susan's first visit to see the historical sights.  Our explorations took us to beautiful temples that are 1500 years old and burial mounds for the ancient kings.  The mounds are often 40 feet high and conceal wooden chambers used to lay the kings to rest along with all they needed to equip them for the afterlife.  What a wonderful way to spend a Spring time day in Korea.

My trip to Hong Kong tomorrow is primarily to attend a conference for Advocates International.  There I will hear attorneys from around the world describe their work in areas where Christians are being persecuted for their faith.  I am  told it is a heart wrenching experience.  It is good to know my chosen profession takes such an active role in protecting the human rights of the weak.  It is a reflection of God's heart for his people.  We're hoping to find like minded Christians at the conference interested in attending HILS (Handong International Law School) in Korea where I have been teaching for the past year.  It will also be fun to see Hong Kong for the first time.  It is incredible how much our lives have changed in the past year.  Who would ever have imagined travel to Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and now Hong Kong.  Mary has tucked a note into my suitcase reminding me that Hong Kong is a wonderful place to find souvenirs for your children.

So, we'd appreciate prayer for everyone's travels over the next couple of days.  Jane and Alana fly back to California on Saturday and Susan is thinking of driving back home that same day.  The soon to be happy again Daddy will be flying back, souvenirs in hand, on Monday. 

Daniel Gets His Braces Off!

Happy Daniel with his braces off.  Backup choreography happily provided by Robert and Mary.

Earlier this week Daniel had his braces removed.  He seems a bit shy about his face full of straight teeth, but hopefully Susan can get a picture of the metal free new smile (see above).  We celebrated by taking the family out to lunch after the orthodontist visit.  Another professor had introduced me to a Korean BBQ buffet up a steep staircase on what we call "fun street".  It has the BBQ style grill at every table and delicious marinated pork steaks, octopus and assorted other goodies to cook at your table.  Susan especially liked the thin Korean style unsalted bacon that you wrap in lettuce and mint leaves after grilling.  There was even a dish for Robert who is our picky eater.  Robert found that he could eat endless bowls of chocolate cereal with milk.  The best part was the price, which came to under $10 a person - really inexpensive by Korean standards for a BBQ restaurant.

While we are on the subject of Daniel, I should mention that he is turning into a computer geek - not unusual for his generation.  He runs circles around us on the computer and handles all things having to do with technology at his ripe old age of 13.  The current project is building a computer.  Surprisingly, computer parts are much cheaper when purchased in the US even though most all are manufactured here in Asia.  The McCormicks are coming for a visit in about 10 days, and Aunt Mary back in Anaheim has been busy assembling the parts Daniel will need for them to carry here for their visit.  This is one of the down sides to visiting the Chinns in Korea.  We actually had a family bring us cans of Bush's Grillin Beans cause I like them and they aren't available in Korea.  That goes for pudding, bulk bags of M&Ms, and lots of other tasty items.  So, if you're planning on a visit to Korea, expect a laundry list of items to bring.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Daniel was going to audit a class on beginning Korean at the university.  He wasn't enthused about attending a class with much older students, but agreed to go if I would tag along at the beginning.  The professor is a vivacious young lady who made the first day fun by using some games to introduce the international students to the Korean language.  The students are a melting pot from around the world and Daniel fit  right in.  By the end of the second class (which I also attended) they had started to memorize all the sounds of the Korean vowels, consonants and combinations of the two.  Notice I say "they", for I was hopelessly confused.  The students would run through a whole series of sounds from the combinations of vowels and consonants and they all basically sounded the same to me.  Daniel, on the other hand, had no difficulty at all since he'd already mastered this part of Korean with his tutor last semester.  Thankfully I wasn't added to the class roll sheet, so my future transcripts won't reflect me dropping out of an introduction to Korean language class.  Daniel, on the other hand, is still faithfully attending and building his language skills.  Mary and Robert will have tutors this semester since they are a bit young still for the university class.

While on the subject of the Korean language, we now have a GPS device for the car which is entirely in Korean.  Pretty soon I will be the only one in the family not able to use the GPS system for our car, a bit of a humbling experience.  Thankfully, I've had plenty of experience in in the area of humility over the course of a life time.  That just may be my spiritual gift.

Denny's Dilemma

One of my favorite pleasures in the states is an occasional breakfast out with the boys.  Of course this was also an excuse for biscuits and gravy and other fattening fare that doesn't make it too often to the breakfast table at home.  Still, it was always fun to solve the world's problems with another couple of guys as we consumed plates of sausages, hash browns, scrambled eggs and, of course, a fresh glass of orange juice.  It occurred to me that I should try and spark a similar breakfast meeting here in Pohang.  All I needed was a good American style breakfast place serving ham and eggs and all the other favorites.  I soon learned about what the local expats refer to as the Denny's Dilemma.  Korea has not yet discovered the joys of the calorie and cholesterol laden Southern style breakfast offerings like biscuits and sausage gravy with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs.  The closest offering (and this will show how desperate the need is) is the breakfast menu at McDonalds.  You seldom read anything critical of Korea in this Chinn family blog - it is a wonderful place.  However, it is not paradise, and any hopes of attaining  that status will require a solution to the Denny's Dilemma.

Spring arrives in Korea

Spring officially arrived today in Korea with a cool (as opposed to "cold") day.  The cherry trees are in bud and promise to explode into glorious blossoms in a few weeks.  They have a saying in Korea that Winter is jealous of the Spring and often brings a cold spell before surrendering to the warmer temperatures.

 

Here at HILS (Handong International Law School) we had a retreat to celebrate the new school year with an outing to the historical city of Gyeoungju - about an hour drive away.  I took our kids along as Susan stayed home to enjoy some peace and quiet as she continued her recovery from a recent bout with the flu.  We had a wonderful time visiting a fully restored ancient complex of Buddhist temples and a national museum filled with relics dating back to around 700 A.D. 

 

A primary goal of the retreat last Friday was to initiate family groups for the upcoming school year.  Each law professor has about 14 law students assigned to their family group.  I met my group and we spent the day together visiting the historical sites and getting acquanted.  It is a wonderful group of students and I am very excited about our weekly times together.  We will get together for chapel on Tuesdays with a lunch afterwards, followed by attending a Christianity and the Law class on Fridays with a meeting thereafter to dig deeper into the course material.  Today was our 2nd Tuesday chapel and Susan prepared a taco lunch for my family group afterwards at our apartment.  We've discovered that the Korean students really enjoy western food as a break from the standard Korean fare offered at the campus cafeteria.

 

Daniel is auditing a beginner Korean class at the University.  He is not excited about the class, but admitted that it was better than he expected after his first class session.  Last semester each of the kids had a Korean tutor.  Our goal is that each of the kids is fluent in Korean by the time we move back to the states.  To my surprise, all of them are making nice progress.  I, on the other hand, have only accomplished a rather poor Korean version of "Thank You" which often brings a puzzled look from the Korean listener.