A Day at the Park

(From the left: Me, Eddy, Brian, Anna, Steven, Ji Yong, Grace, Lisa and my Korean assistant Sarah)

Hana, duel, set....Kimchi! Children's Grand Park was the latest stop as far as Poly field trips go. And, Friday was a great day to meander in one of Korea's largest parks, as the sun burn attests to. Here is my homeroom class, Holly, completely bored as they smile for the fifteenth picture in a row.

Steven and Lisa check out the heat stroked lionesses.

Skyla and Suzie, two girls from Oak class. I have the pleasure of teaching them writing, reading, art, p.e., and computers.

(Kevin, June and Jeffrey)

And no day in Korea is complete without a poser... or two... or three!

A Birthday for Buddha

Today is one of the most celebrated days in Korea. Rivaling, and quite possibly out-doing Christmas day, Buddha's Birthday is a very important part of life for the 23.2% of the population who profess Buddhism.

We attended a festival in the heart of Seoul which began this week. The Lotus Lantern Festival was a crowd-drawing event which, I believe, boasted more foreign folks than I have seen in a LONG time. All had gathered to watch and participate in a nighttime parade of beautifully constructed lanterns. The main focus was the Lotus flower which symbolizes the birth of Buddha himself. Lighting the Lotus flower lanterns is a practice which originated from the Shilla Dynasty (AD 866).

As we walked along the parade street Sunday evening we were in awe of the many elaborate luminaries. The lanterns came in a variety of shapes and sizes, including fire breathing dragons, elephants, pagodas, lotuses, and more. It became quite clear to us throughout the ceremonies that Buddhists sure do know how to celebrate the birth of their leader. However, can they celebrate his death with the same joy, freedom and thanksgiving with which we remember the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus?

Konglish II

We love Konglish so much that we thought that we would share more of our knowledge with you.

Signs
Starbucks Coffee

• Please avoid smelly food carrying in so that can feel Starbuck's own coffee aroma.

Amusement park precautionary sign for ride users

• NO DRUNKEN RIDE
  NOT ALLOWED TO MEDICAL SENSITIVITY
  NOT ALLOWED TO PREGNANT
  DO NOT REACH YOU HANDS, FEET OR ITEMS OUT
  

Train station ticket counter

• Old, Feeble & Disabled Person First

T-shirts

• Your better look you back.

• meel
  strucks to float
  
  with makt shaikdf lafalg wee bajkkafk dak djkkl gkkgl aklfka
  wee djkkl gllfgl aklfka lfafl ghsjg lfafl ghsjg gllfgl aklfka
  lafalg wee djkkl gllfgl aklfka lfafl ghslg gllfgl aklfka
  shaikdf lafalg wee djkkl gllfgl aklfka lafaflwith
  with makt shaikdf wee djkkl gllfgl
  

• Mickey
  Is Independent,
  A positive Thinker
  And
  Burn Leader
  

Food Menu

• Red Crap Soup................................ ₩18,000
• Spaghetti with Crap Cream Sauce.......... ₩6,000
• Salad with Thousand Ireland Dressing...... ₩5,500

Konglish

An ode to chocolate (translated from Korean to English).

Chocolate Chocolate
I love you so I want to you
and live forever in the
flavor of your brown

I know what you are thinking and no I did not make a few grammatical errors. The above poem is taken, word for word, from the cover of a published English notebook. Fluent indeed!

The New Miss Maley

We were not there to welcome Rowan Maley into the world on May 4th but we can hardly wait to meet her this summer! 8 pound 3 ounces, she was born to her proud parents, Tanya and Anthony, and her beautiful older sister Imogen.

We hear that everyone is healthy and happy. I am sure they are enjoying being back at home and are ready to enjoy a wonderful summer of swimming and cooling off in the lake. While Rowan is a few years behind Imo, I am sure that if she is anything like her sister she will take to the water like a fish. Congrats Tanya and Tony, we love you and we are excited to see the family grow!

Fan Death

Please try to keep an open mind as you read the justifications for this seemingly far-fetched theory of Fan Death.

Fan Death is a South Korean legend which states that any electric fan left running, in a closed room, can be fatal to all individuals in the immediate premises. The electric fan is not the only criminal belonging to this myth; Koreans also consider air conditioners and car fans to be killers as well. Koreans, including highly educated medical personnel, believe:

1. Electric fans will create a vortex that sucks the air (oxygen) out of a sealed room creating a vacuum inside.
2. Fans consumes the oxygen within the room leaving high levels of carbon dioxide.
3. If the fan is directly blowing on a persons face, it will suck all the air away leavening the sleeping person without breath.
4. The fan blades slice and dice the air molecules until the air is no longer breathable causing the unsuspecting victim to suffocate. (This one might be my favorite)
5. The fan will slowly lower the surrounding air temperature which in turn will cause a body in rest to slip into hypothermia.

Any of these or a combination of any of the above will overtime prove to be fatal.

Points to ponder:

• Fan death is commonly accepted by many Korean medical professionals.
  
• Fans that are manufactured and sold in South Korea are equipped with a timer that will automatically shut the fan off.
  
• In the summer major Korean newspapers regularly run articles and warnings about the victims and hazards of this silent killer. One week in 1997 claimed 11 lives!
  
• My favorite: Women in South Korea are appalled and revolted when I tell them my mom let me sleep in a room while a fan was operating. The look on their faces speaks of disgust and down right contempt at the thought of a woman hating her child so much that she would leave them in a closed room with a fan running.

1095 nights and counting my wife and I have slept with the fan on. If this is the last correspondence that you receive from me know that I have led a happy life.