Did that title catch your attention?
I experienced something ridiculous tonite. I experienced divine healing. I am not kidding. I almost feel ridiculous writing it or considering it, but I experienced it. I was at Wednesday service. I have been praying about my knee. Going to the doctor for physical therapy, I have been dealing with the "fact" that complete recovery will take at least 6-8 weeks. This is a fact that was not sitting too well with me. I even went into to my director today and told him I didn't think I could do most of the dances.
I met a man last week who approached us with a very interesting question: Where is your faith? This question, of course, he is relaying from God. It is easy to claim you have faith, but what if God were to say, you have gotten pretty good at praying and reading My Word, and attending church, but what about showing me your faith. That was tonite's message, a little bit of a rehash of last Sunday's guest's message.
Background on the guest: Dr. C, for the sake of safety and privacy.
He is a man with top credentials from both universities in S. Korea and in the states, with impressive post-doc work to boot. Despite all of this he said that in in his fist-sized heart he felt the vast emptiness of the entire universe. With the following question echoing in that endeless emptiness: " What have you done for God?"
To make a long story short (go to myjubileechurch.com to hear the entire sermon, amzing stuff really) he quit all that and decided to move to China. He initially went and taught as a professor and he befriended many of his students and would invite them to his apartment, and through that kindness and the wonder it sparked in his students, he showed them Jesus.
I really am not doing this man's story justice, so if you have time, please listen to the sermon; it is also quite entertaining. I promise you will roll around laughing, in pleasurable pain. He then decided he wanted to start a Christian school in Harbin, China, the place I will go this summer, however, he had no money. Despite the fact, he set a date and an ammount. January 10th. After months of praying, nothing came. As you may have guessed though, with the date approaching, he had acquired 50,000 dollars. On the night upon his departure to China, he had dinner with a pastor's wife who gave him a check. He figured it was money, and non-chalantly said, "anything helps," or something of that sort. When he arrived home, it irked him to find out how much was helping him get closer, on top of the already grand sum of 50,000, to the intended goal of 60,000 dollars. He was expecting 100 dollars or so. You may have guessed it...It was a check for 10,000 dollars! You really need to hear the sermon. This man is hilarious in his relating of this account. To only give a snippet, as he got on the plane to Beijing that night for a thirteen hour plane ride, being so excited and giddy, he found no other way to let out his joy than to go into to the bathroom stall, hug the toilet and scream into the flushing toilet. What a story, what a man, what a God!
Now with that out of the way. Tonight. My knee injury has truly been a struggle for me. I was praying for it and performing all the other procedures to make it better. However, being more humbled than ever tonite, I asked several people to pray over it. Sixth time is the charm as they say. When the sixth person laid hands on me and on my knee, I felt a literal something in my leg. At first, I just thought it was my leg going to sleep or something. It was a subtle kind of pins and needles feeling. The interesting thing is that she had asked me to get up from kneeling for her to pray for me. I was only on my knees for a couple of seconds, but that in itself was painful. But I was asking myself, "where is my faith." I know this my be hard for a non-believer to wrap their heads around, if you are still reading this at all. I would have been laughing at this post two paragraphs back myself a mere couple months ago. I really challenge anyone to read the Gospel. Read Mark or Matthew. I am sure you will like it. Remember, Christianity is one thing. I have not mentioned it once. It is not about Christianity. It is about Jesus Christ. A man I believed lived and still lives who is the Son of God. Read those books in the Bible. It says that Jesus performed miracles; he also said that those who believed in Him would have similar abilities. I have experienced several miracles and wonders in the past couple months, and now that I really think about it, my whole life. Tonight simply took it to an even more palpable realm.
After she prayed for me, I began to feel that my knee was different. I began to bend it, and there was no pain. I got down on my knees, and again, no pain. I am not one to make up stories, really. I was actually not sure what to make of it. Was this some sort of psychological trick? I guess, if I end up writing a blog tomorrow about how my knee is terribly stiff and broken, perhaps. However, I have a 100% faith that that is not the case. Our pastor asked us to go up and testify. Due to my awe-strickenness and not wanting to make a scene, I did not. I actually had gathered the courage towards the end, but he was wrapping it up. I did go up to him afterward to let him know. Being the man that he is, and of course believing, as I do, that we should proclaim His power and lift glory to Him, he called me back in the back of the church to testify in front of the mass that had gathered there to chat and fellowship. At first I felt awkward, but He gave me the words to say.
I will be honest. I saw faces filled with joy and encouragement, and some also with skepticism an "come on give me a break". Funny thing, the latter really did not matter to me. I know what happened. It is my knee. When I got to the bus stop, although I didn't have a toilet to scream into, I screamed with joy. When I arrived at my friends place, I did all the dances outside of his place, ballet jump and all, and I felt completely fine. I will dance tomorrow and on opening day and night. God is good. That is all I know. I have rejected Him my whole life. I am simply glad that I have let Him find me.
Before I get into my closing statements, I would just like to point out some things that have brought me to this point, which in my eyes is just the beginning of things which I cannot even imagine. First off, new experiences. Anyone living an existence where they do not feel uncomfortable or try new things is bound to get caught up in a skewed view of oneself and of the world. I am not trying to convert anyone to Christianity. I have seen this with my secular friends too. They find new sides of themselves and realize who they thought they were was simply who people had been telling them they were. About the whole Christianity thing, I am not proud of the Christian institution in a lot of ways. It has screwed up a lot and continues to do so. That is what kept me away for so many years; I ain't no cherry pie either. All I know is that knowing Jesus Christ personally is a real trip and this is from a guy who has taken plenty of trips, of all sorts, if you know what I mean.
On a simpler note, some music that is extremely inspirational is Sufjan Stevens. If you want something new and interesting musically that will stir deep thoughts and spiritual bowels, listen to this. Give it a try. He isn't Christian music. It ain't no lame Christian music. Just because I love Jesus doesn't mean I can't listen to good music. This guy is considered one of America's best songwriters and is one of the most respected musicians in the world today, particularly on the indie circuit. I also recommend Blue Like Jazz to everyone by Don Miller. This book was recommended to me for several years, but I am glad I have only read recently, because I would have only dismissed it before. I had to learn the things the hard way. Stories of God by Rainer Maria Rilke is also good. If anyone knows Literature, they know Rilke, so don't play dumb. One of humanities most brilliant poets. Most definitely, of course, the Bible. Start with Matthew or Mark if it seems daunting. I have read the other stuff, it's not as good, Buddhist texts, the Koran, etc. Give the Bible a chance, honestly. I am being objective. I wanted to be a Muslim for quite sometime, and I also took Buddhism quite seriously for quite some time. It's just a trend people.
If anyone wants to ask me any questions, comment, please feel free to email me:
adam.young-valdovinos@yale.edu
There is a story about my childhood that I would like to tell, but I think I will keep it for a future post. It has become quite clear to me how this strange occurence in my childhood is more relevant than ever now.
Finals and the musical are in His hands and they will be great, for his Glory.
Peace,
Adam
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Adam on a Light
The past twenty days have been quite eventful. We are only eleven days from the musical, I am also the same number of days away from the end of my term with Sogang and the Light Fellowship.
Perhaps the most decisive event in the past twenty days has been my knee injury. Yes, knee injury. I hyper-extended my MCL, a ligament in my knee. It has hindered my ability to walk properly, and it goes without saying that it has indeed hindered my ability to dance. However, I remain faithful; I know I will be up on that stage come May 17th.
I have been in the hospital a lot for the last couple weeks, for phsyical therapy, cortizone shots, and all those sorts of things to help my knee recover. As may be guessed, given this mot recent development, this final term at Sogang is potentially becoming an absolute train wreck, and that is Ok. I have missed a lot of school, particulary due to my injury. I will have my finals next week, but it really is one of the last things on my mind. I am more than satisfied with my Korean ability, and I know the teachers are equally impressed, regardless of any printed numbers. If anything, it will be quite nice to take a break from formal language study this summer, especially before I begin to tackle Chinese in September.
Regarding my injury, I appreciate all and any prayers. Not only for that but for the rest of my summer. As I mentioned in my previous post, I will not be returning home this summer. I probably will not be leaving Asia until perhaps December or January, if that.
This summer will revolve around missions work both in Korea and abroad. I am hoping to move in next door to the church I have been attending and get involved in ministries this summer, orphanage ministry, North Korea ministry, college ministry, etc. There is also a trip to Harbin, China this July that I am set on going on to help out at a private Christian school in China. All of this I will be doing to bring aid and relief to many who are in suffering and with that, and most importantly, bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This summer has made me reconsider a lot of my goals and aims in life. Books that could help shed light on what I am talking about are Blue Like Jazz, and of course, the Bible itself. None of this means that I am not going to finish college; I am going to finish college indeed. This is what I will be doing in Beijing next year, learning Chinese and returning to Yale there after.
I thought it was clever to call my blog, at least in the URL, "adam on a light". At that time I was of course referring to the Light Fellowship. Well, I will keep this blog, and continue to post about the amazing things that I am sure I will witness this summer. However, it is funny to think that I named the blog before I even realized what it really was going to mean. I am indeed Adam, on a light, if not the light itself, of the world along with others. Putting service above self, as I was taught by Rotary all these years ago, and coupling it with the only place from where that sort of truly selfless service can come, the inspired word of God, and his son Jesus Christ.
I have been transformed this year; I will have to write a testimony at some point. I don't feel like I am chasing a pipe dream anymore. For those of you who have read this far, I come with a humble request.
There is no way for me to work in Korea, particulary because of visa issues. Moreover, I am engulfed with volunteer activities, and school for now. But once school ends, I will be dedicating all of my time in effort to service and the exapansion of God's kingdom. (If any of this sounds ridiculous, trite, or humdrum, I challenge anyone to pick up the Bible). I will be doing this here in Korea and in China over the summer. I honestly have no real idea about how I am going to completely subsist, but I am faithful. Therefore, I come to any of you who read this blog humbly, asking humbly, that if any of you feel you have a heart to help support me in the aiding of North Korea, North Korean refugess, orphans, the opressed of China, and the spreading of the message of Jesus Christ to all the corners of the world, asking humbly first and foremost for prayer, and secondly, and obviously I would assume, with monetary contributions. Anything at all, to help me accomplish His will.
If you have a heart to aid me with anything at all, please contact me at:
adam.young-valdovinos@yale.edu
Also contact me, if you have any questions, or comments.
I am not the kind of person to to this, however, my spirit has been humbled in a massive way this year. I have realized that no matter where I go to school, what skills I may have, what I may look like, I am as broken as the next guy. We all feel this and the emptiness the accompanies it. I do not want to sit back and fool myself anymore. I don't want to tell myself I will do things for others and for Him later, because that later may never come. I pray many of you are moved to help support me, and moved to share in me in the activities I will be undertaking this summer and beyond, not for myself, but for others, and for the edification of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as it is in Heaven.
Grace to all,
Adam
Perhaps the most decisive event in the past twenty days has been my knee injury. Yes, knee injury. I hyper-extended my MCL, a ligament in my knee. It has hindered my ability to walk properly, and it goes without saying that it has indeed hindered my ability to dance. However, I remain faithful; I know I will be up on that stage come May 17th.
I have been in the hospital a lot for the last couple weeks, for phsyical therapy, cortizone shots, and all those sorts of things to help my knee recover. As may be guessed, given this mot recent development, this final term at Sogang is potentially becoming an absolute train wreck, and that is Ok. I have missed a lot of school, particulary due to my injury. I will have my finals next week, but it really is one of the last things on my mind. I am more than satisfied with my Korean ability, and I know the teachers are equally impressed, regardless of any printed numbers. If anything, it will be quite nice to take a break from formal language study this summer, especially before I begin to tackle Chinese in September.
Regarding my injury, I appreciate all and any prayers. Not only for that but for the rest of my summer. As I mentioned in my previous post, I will not be returning home this summer. I probably will not be leaving Asia until perhaps December or January, if that.
This summer will revolve around missions work both in Korea and abroad. I am hoping to move in next door to the church I have been attending and get involved in ministries this summer, orphanage ministry, North Korea ministry, college ministry, etc. There is also a trip to Harbin, China this July that I am set on going on to help out at a private Christian school in China. All of this I will be doing to bring aid and relief to many who are in suffering and with that, and most importantly, bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This summer has made me reconsider a lot of my goals and aims in life. Books that could help shed light on what I am talking about are Blue Like Jazz, and of course, the Bible itself. None of this means that I am not going to finish college; I am going to finish college indeed. This is what I will be doing in Beijing next year, learning Chinese and returning to Yale there after.
I thought it was clever to call my blog, at least in the URL, "adam on a light". At that time I was of course referring to the Light Fellowship. Well, I will keep this blog, and continue to post about the amazing things that I am sure I will witness this summer. However, it is funny to think that I named the blog before I even realized what it really was going to mean. I am indeed Adam, on a light, if not the light itself, of the world along with others. Putting service above self, as I was taught by Rotary all these years ago, and coupling it with the only place from where that sort of truly selfless service can come, the inspired word of God, and his son Jesus Christ.
I have been transformed this year; I will have to write a testimony at some point. I don't feel like I am chasing a pipe dream anymore. For those of you who have read this far, I come with a humble request.
There is no way for me to work in Korea, particulary because of visa issues. Moreover, I am engulfed with volunteer activities, and school for now. But once school ends, I will be dedicating all of my time in effort to service and the exapansion of God's kingdom. (If any of this sounds ridiculous, trite, or humdrum, I challenge anyone to pick up the Bible). I will be doing this here in Korea and in China over the summer. I honestly have no real idea about how I am going to completely subsist, but I am faithful. Therefore, I come to any of you who read this blog humbly, asking humbly, that if any of you feel you have a heart to help support me in the aiding of North Korea, North Korean refugess, orphans, the opressed of China, and the spreading of the message of Jesus Christ to all the corners of the world, asking humbly first and foremost for prayer, and secondly, and obviously I would assume, with monetary contributions. Anything at all, to help me accomplish His will.
If you have a heart to aid me with anything at all, please contact me at:
adam.young-valdovinos@yale.edu
Also contact me, if you have any questions, or comments.
I am not the kind of person to to this, however, my spirit has been humbled in a massive way this year. I have realized that no matter where I go to school, what skills I may have, what I may look like, I am as broken as the next guy. We all feel this and the emptiness the accompanies it. I do not want to sit back and fool myself anymore. I don't want to tell myself I will do things for others and for Him later, because that later may never come. I pray many of you are moved to help support me, and moved to share in me in the activities I will be undertaking this summer and beyond, not for myself, but for others, and for the edification of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as it is in Heaven.
Grace to all,
Adam
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Beijing Here I Come!!
It has been a hectic past couple of weeks. Musical rehearsals are on full throttle. It is coming together quite well, and the show is quickly selling out. It is mostly good to be getting back in to dancing and acting, something I was afraid I wouldn't have the opportunity to do over here. However, the most rewarding part about the musical is being able to do it for our church and for missions and to tell the magnificent story of Joseph and his colorful coat.
Referring to the above title; I was accepted into the Yale-PKU joint program. This means that I will not be at Yale next year. I will be doing my sophomore year in Beijing. I am very excited. A new language, a new culture, and new horizons to continue with myriad kinds of growth. It will also be nice to get back into an academically challenging environment with Yale classes. I am particularly excited about the fall term class called Religions of China, a class that will incorporate field trips to religious centers near Beijing, including mosques, temples, and churches. I know China will be my most eye-opening sojourn yet.
I had my midterms, and they were decent. Somewhat lackluster compared to my previous terms where I did quite well, but then I again I didn't have as much on my plate as I do now. However, Korean language-wise things are going great. This musical is giving me so many more opportunities to actually use everything I have learned in the classroom. For example, today during my oral exam, my teacher said I was spot on with pretty much everything, particularly pronunciation and fluidity, except for the incredibly pedantic things that are forced on us in the classroom that will seldom, if ever, be used out in the real world. So regardless of my final grade this term, which will for sure be at least passing and most likely in the above average range, I am very satisfied with my level of Korean. To be completely honest, and this is my usual approach to language study, I am not studying as thoroughly for the tests as I maybe should. This is completely on purpose, however; I like to use these tests as a measuring device of my actual Korean and not how much I can memorize short-term for the test, which tends to be the case with most instances when learning a language in the classroom. I am very practical with my learning, particularly when it comes to language and very long-term. And I believe I have set down a more than proficient foundation to continue learning Korean in the long-term sense.
A testament to this approach of mine with language, which may also have to do with certain natural ability, is my recent use of German as well. There is a Korean girl in the musical who grew up in Germany whom which I have been talking up the German--the language I never get to practice, and it is all there! It always worries me, but it is there. But that is because when was in Germany I focused very practically on a practical foundation for the language, with a realistic goal of having it be a long life process of incessant learning. The first thing to learn in a language, to truly be able to communicate on any level, is what I call a language's melody. Each language has a different one, and is what determines how the language is exchanged and understood. I know people who have studied a language for years, but because they never got the melody down, no one ever understands what they are saying. More than mere memorization, language study is pure mimicry. An act of mimicry that comes out of a primal necessity to survive, the main reason I find it so important to not waste any time learning a language if I don't have the opportunity to be completely immersed in the culture. Also, the mere nature of mystery is appealing to me, not knowing things and constantly being like a child learning knew things is exhilarating. Also, you will remember something long-term if there is some sort of event attached to it, rather than just having memorized it from a page. Although doing the latter with the former helps even more. All I am saying is that to really achieve fluidity and particularly the all-too-important melody of the language, learning like a child is key; something that is only made possible by study abroad and the willingness to look stupid often, which has never been a problem for me.
On that note, I am planning on staying in Korea through September, or at least August. To truly get to be 100% in the real world and not in the linguistically padded walls of Sogang. I have learned all I need to know in the classroom, for now at least, but now it is time to actually time to get out there and apply all the theory to the real world and keep building real linguistic muscle memory and reflexes. I will be moving to the south part of Seoul and volunteer for the church I have been attending and get involved in several ministries. I am very glad that I have opted out of the "build my future/career" option this summer, for a more introspective summer of spiritual growth, something I will couple with a lot of nature and rock climbing, ideally. And of course the polishing of the Korean language. Korea has truly become a huge turning point for me, and I am very excited for what lies ahead. More news to come, and hopefully some pictures sooner than later. Greetings to all.
Referring to the above title; I was accepted into the Yale-PKU joint program. This means that I will not be at Yale next year. I will be doing my sophomore year in Beijing. I am very excited. A new language, a new culture, and new horizons to continue with myriad kinds of growth. It will also be nice to get back into an academically challenging environment with Yale classes. I am particularly excited about the fall term class called Religions of China, a class that will incorporate field trips to religious centers near Beijing, including mosques, temples, and churches. I know China will be my most eye-opening sojourn yet.
I had my midterms, and they were decent. Somewhat lackluster compared to my previous terms where I did quite well, but then I again I didn't have as much on my plate as I do now. However, Korean language-wise things are going great. This musical is giving me so many more opportunities to actually use everything I have learned in the classroom. For example, today during my oral exam, my teacher said I was spot on with pretty much everything, particularly pronunciation and fluidity, except for the incredibly pedantic things that are forced on us in the classroom that will seldom, if ever, be used out in the real world. So regardless of my final grade this term, which will for sure be at least passing and most likely in the above average range, I am very satisfied with my level of Korean. To be completely honest, and this is my usual approach to language study, I am not studying as thoroughly for the tests as I maybe should. This is completely on purpose, however; I like to use these tests as a measuring device of my actual Korean and not how much I can memorize short-term for the test, which tends to be the case with most instances when learning a language in the classroom. I am very practical with my learning, particularly when it comes to language and very long-term. And I believe I have set down a more than proficient foundation to continue learning Korean in the long-term sense.
A testament to this approach of mine with language, which may also have to do with certain natural ability, is my recent use of German as well. There is a Korean girl in the musical who grew up in Germany whom which I have been talking up the German--the language I never get to practice, and it is all there! It always worries me, but it is there. But that is because when was in Germany I focused very practically on a practical foundation for the language, with a realistic goal of having it be a long life process of incessant learning. The first thing to learn in a language, to truly be able to communicate on any level, is what I call a language's melody. Each language has a different one, and is what determines how the language is exchanged and understood. I know people who have studied a language for years, but because they never got the melody down, no one ever understands what they are saying. More than mere memorization, language study is pure mimicry. An act of mimicry that comes out of a primal necessity to survive, the main reason I find it so important to not waste any time learning a language if I don't have the opportunity to be completely immersed in the culture. Also, the mere nature of mystery is appealing to me, not knowing things and constantly being like a child learning knew things is exhilarating. Also, you will remember something long-term if there is some sort of event attached to it, rather than just having memorized it from a page. Although doing the latter with the former helps even more. All I am saying is that to really achieve fluidity and particularly the all-too-important melody of the language, learning like a child is key; something that is only made possible by study abroad and the willingness to look stupid often, which has never been a problem for me.
On that note, I am planning on staying in Korea through September, or at least August. To truly get to be 100% in the real world and not in the linguistically padded walls of Sogang. I have learned all I need to know in the classroom, for now at least, but now it is time to actually time to get out there and apply all the theory to the real world and keep building real linguistic muscle memory and reflexes. I will be moving to the south part of Seoul and volunteer for the church I have been attending and get involved in several ministries. I am very glad that I have opted out of the "build my future/career" option this summer, for a more introspective summer of spiritual growth, something I will couple with a lot of nature and rock climbing, ideally. And of course the polishing of the Korean language. Korea has truly become a huge turning point for me, and I am very excited for what lies ahead. More news to come, and hopefully some pictures sooner than later. Greetings to all.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Already April
April showers bring may flowers, or at least that's what they say. However, there are very few places I can imagine flowers popping up in Seoul.
Most people are cursing the gloomy weather, saying things like, "this is why I left London." However I find myself reminding me of home, Oregon that is. Every once in a while when I am riding a bus, If I try to not focus on all the Korean writing all around me and the obvious nature of the fact that I am indeed in Korea, I can, if only ten seconds or so, get the feeling of what it's like to be in Oregon on one of its ubiquitous rainy days on my way up into Portland. Enough Nostalgia.
My first midterm tomorrow, and it will be a challenge. Level 5 is a lot more challenging than I had given it credit for. The jump from 4 to 5 is quite big. I find myself learning terms and grammar that I was also touching upon in Japanese in the higher levels at Yale. This is definitely a good thing, but we'll see what the number at the top of my corrected test has to say. My transcript up until now looks pretty good, As and Bs, this term may even see some Cs sneaking in. We'll see.
I sent off my application for going to China next year. I we'll back from them soon I suppose. I get a lot of mixed responses about China. Good and bad, and plenty indifferent. Hopefully, I will have something insightful to write about this coming week. Annyeong!
Most people are cursing the gloomy weather, saying things like, "this is why I left London." However I find myself reminding me of home, Oregon that is. Every once in a while when I am riding a bus, If I try to not focus on all the Korean writing all around me and the obvious nature of the fact that I am indeed in Korea, I can, if only ten seconds or so, get the feeling of what it's like to be in Oregon on one of its ubiquitous rainy days on my way up into Portland. Enough Nostalgia.
My first midterm tomorrow, and it will be a challenge. Level 5 is a lot more challenging than I had given it credit for. The jump from 4 to 5 is quite big. I find myself learning terms and grammar that I was also touching upon in Japanese in the higher levels at Yale. This is definitely a good thing, but we'll see what the number at the top of my corrected test has to say. My transcript up until now looks pretty good, As and Bs, this term may even see some Cs sneaking in. We'll see.
I sent off my application for going to China next year. I we'll back from them soon I suppose. I get a lot of mixed responses about China. Good and bad, and plenty indifferent. Hopefully, I will have something insightful to write about this coming week. Annyeong!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Beginning of the End
It has been almost a month; may the light fellowship gods have mercy on my blog-writing soul. No pictures forever. I will put some up some too, in mass, of course. Apologies to those requiring such, it has just been out-of-handedly hectic, especially after Thailand; talk about a change of pace.
Thailand was glorious as always. Three weeks of pure goodness. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chantaburi, caves, rock climbing, Koh Chang, Ban Boong, and so much in between. It was mostly just great to see my brother, and hang out with some exchange students. Some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. I won't go into depth about Thailand, because I could rave for pages. All in all it was great. It is probably the most inspirational place I have ever visited and will certainly continue to be in my heart and travels for as long as I can walk. You guys get the idea.
Back to Korea;
By the grace of God and the universe, I was placed into the next consecutively corresponding level of Korean, level 5!! Not much to say about it really. The pace is still equally and painfully slow as it was before, which, as I have mentioned before, is only something I half-heartedly complaining about. It permits me to focus on so many other things as well. So, school is good. Sogang continues to draw very interesting characters that I am quite happy to learn Korean with, particularly, in my current class alone, a Muslim girl from Indonesia, a nun from Vietnam, and a Mormon from Utah. It gives last term's combination of Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Italy a run for its money. If there is anything that I am truly grateful for about Sogang is the vast range of people from different faiths and lands that I have had the pleasure to meet in a very conducive environment to tackle all the big questions, and in Korean, of course, for the most part.
School now has a video class; it is a welcome addition. Midterms are in a couple of weeks or so, and, as always, I shall be prepared.
On to other things:
I was originally planning to have a somewhat subdued and relaxed last couple of months here in Korea, but out of nowhere, I got super busy. Although grateful, I am slightly overwhelmed. However, I will pull through. No worries. The largest addition, lately, perhaps, is my participation in the production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Theatre is something that a mere year ago I was cursing, but I began to miss it, so here I am. I have also become a lot more involved with the church I have been attending throughout the year. Great place, great people, if I may say so myself. This is also something surprising to me, and maybe even those who know me well. A mere year ago I was also cursing organized religion, yet here I am. Go figure. My latest contribution was playing the voice of Jesus for the Easter play, in Aramaic of course, something that really tickled my polyglot fancy.
Also, a couple of weeks back I was contacted by a record label interested in my music and myself as an artist. So I have also been stressing about my music, getting into the studio and recording professional demos to send in to their executive board. I really have no idea, how this might work out, but it adds another beautiful layer of uncertainty to my life which is always bittersweet.
That's the status in a nutshell. There is of course, always more, in the nooks and crannies of life, but this is a good update. Keeping busy, and fighting off the flu, and trying to salvage my voice at least until I am finished recording.
Lastly, I just really want to thank the Light Fellowship and all of those involved in getting me here. Not only has my Korean gotten to a level unattainable at home in the States, not to mention an in-depth and up-close understanding of the culture, but it has also given me the chance to explore so many of my interests to a substantial and tangible degree. I often sit in awe and wonder thinking of all the wonderful things that have come from this year, and I just know that they would not have been possible without the Light Fellowship. And, if any Yalie is reading this and thinking about a Light Fellowship, an academic year, at least (because you can do the summer along with it too) is really the way to go. I can see myself coming back to Korea, and having it be a type of launching pad to Asia, and just to my future in general.
To close, I will try to be a little more on track with weekly blogs, and picture should soon follow. Thank you for reading. Shalom.
Thailand was glorious as always. Three weeks of pure goodness. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chantaburi, caves, rock climbing, Koh Chang, Ban Boong, and so much in between. It was mostly just great to see my brother, and hang out with some exchange students. Some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. I won't go into depth about Thailand, because I could rave for pages. All in all it was great. It is probably the most inspirational place I have ever visited and will certainly continue to be in my heart and travels for as long as I can walk. You guys get the idea.
Back to Korea;
By the grace of God and the universe, I was placed into the next consecutively corresponding level of Korean, level 5!! Not much to say about it really. The pace is still equally and painfully slow as it was before, which, as I have mentioned before, is only something I half-heartedly complaining about. It permits me to focus on so many other things as well. So, school is good. Sogang continues to draw very interesting characters that I am quite happy to learn Korean with, particularly, in my current class alone, a Muslim girl from Indonesia, a nun from Vietnam, and a Mormon from Utah. It gives last term's combination of Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Italy a run for its money. If there is anything that I am truly grateful for about Sogang is the vast range of people from different faiths and lands that I have had the pleasure to meet in a very conducive environment to tackle all the big questions, and in Korean, of course, for the most part.
School now has a video class; it is a welcome addition. Midterms are in a couple of weeks or so, and, as always, I shall be prepared.
On to other things:
I was originally planning to have a somewhat subdued and relaxed last couple of months here in Korea, but out of nowhere, I got super busy. Although grateful, I am slightly overwhelmed. However, I will pull through. No worries. The largest addition, lately, perhaps, is my participation in the production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Theatre is something that a mere year ago I was cursing, but I began to miss it, so here I am. I have also become a lot more involved with the church I have been attending throughout the year. Great place, great people, if I may say so myself. This is also something surprising to me, and maybe even those who know me well. A mere year ago I was also cursing organized religion, yet here I am. Go figure. My latest contribution was playing the voice of Jesus for the Easter play, in Aramaic of course, something that really tickled my polyglot fancy.
Also, a couple of weeks back I was contacted by a record label interested in my music and myself as an artist. So I have also been stressing about my music, getting into the studio and recording professional demos to send in to their executive board. I really have no idea, how this might work out, but it adds another beautiful layer of uncertainty to my life which is always bittersweet.
That's the status in a nutshell. There is of course, always more, in the nooks and crannies of life, but this is a good update. Keeping busy, and fighting off the flu, and trying to salvage my voice at least until I am finished recording.
Lastly, I just really want to thank the Light Fellowship and all of those involved in getting me here. Not only has my Korean gotten to a level unattainable at home in the States, not to mention an in-depth and up-close understanding of the culture, but it has also given me the chance to explore so many of my interests to a substantial and tangible degree. I often sit in awe and wonder thinking of all the wonderful things that have come from this year, and I just know that they would not have been possible without the Light Fellowship. And, if any Yalie is reading this and thinking about a Light Fellowship, an academic year, at least (because you can do the summer along with it too) is really the way to go. I can see myself coming back to Korea, and having it be a type of launching pad to Asia, and just to my future in general.
To close, I will try to be a little more on track with weekly blogs, and picture should soon follow. Thank you for reading. Shalom.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
3 weeks no see
Light fellowship is gonna kill me; not really. I just haven't found the time these last three weeks to sit down and blog. I find myself in Thailand. It is great, although I find myself getting stressed when I am not able to do anything productive. I am a freak of nature. I won't talk about Thailand; I will talk about the last couple weeks that lead up to Thailand.
School:
Finals were pretty decent. I am quite sure I will be moving right on up to level five this coming term. My last term in the land of Han (Korea's word that means something vague between regret and sorrow, and a bunch else). My favorite teachers were definitely those in level two, oh how long ago that was. Not much more to say really. This term may be my worst mark, given the amount of school I missed this term given illness brought about by the extreme cold, etc.
Korean ability wise, all is more than well. I have finally hit that "oh I get it phase" in Korean, where less and less do I have to put things together in Korean before I speak, and I can just express myself naturally. It really did happen from one day to the next, and it has been noticed by all those around me. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to finally feel like I have a level of Korean that will indelibly stay with me, just like knowing how to ride a bike. It is becmoing intuitive rather than just rehearsed and memorized.
Other:
The whole documentary ordeal has finished, and it has simply sparked a new, and final, era of my Korean sojourn. Candy, the lady who directed the documentary, has become something close to an adoptive mother to me here in Korea. The funny thing is that I always manage to find one, or they manage to find me, everywhere I go.
So she took me to Everland, Korea's Disneyland-esque locale, and I spent some tiem with her son, and have spent some time at her home. It makes me realize how much I wish I had a host family. If Beijing works out for me next year, I am very glad that I will have a Chinese roommate; I also hope we get along. My track record with roommates, though short, is not stellar. I also got to go to the concert of this Korean indie tock group that was the subject of another documentary. It was really great, because it took place at this underground club, where all the good music in Korea happens. Lord knows that what is on the radio is 20 years behind and not very insightful.
Another great thing about Candy is that she believes in all of my crazy aspirations like 10 times more than I do. Which brings me to the next wild development. Candy one day asks me if I wanted to meet a producer friend of hers, saying that there was a possibility I could meet some of my favorite directors before I went back to the states, guys I wrote papers about last year!! I said of course.
The day of the meeting, in what stated as a somewhat akward conversation, Cansy said she wanted to be my manager. She said we'd go 20/80 on everything. I naturally got giddy. I really don't know if anything will come of this, but I am open to anything, especially if it means making my experience here in Korea more interesting.
The producer who we met and I hit it off immediately; she is a wonderful lady and has the virtue of understanding my eccentric nature a little better than most. So this meeting led to a very intense week leading up to Thailand and gave me a taste of what it will be like through May.
On Thursday, I went to a Valentines day party at Korea's nicest hotel, ran into Bjork, whom I saw in concert later that week, and enjoyed a great performance by a former Broadway star turned Universal records signee, Sojeong Lee. She played Miss Saigon on Broadway for several years. I didn't bother Bjork, because she was with her family, and I know that she is not to keen on fans messing with her privacy;plus, I have aggravated a number of other celebrities in my day.
Later in the week, I had the privelege of having dinner with my new producer friend and Miss Saigon and got a lot of great advice. I am not doing the week justice, but it was definitely one of those defining weeks, especially the fact that it totally made me feel like I was supposed to be in Korea this year. My existence in Korea will continue this way through May, I presume, going from socialite party to socialite party and meeting important people ni Korea. Regardless of whether it leads anywhere, it is great experience. The day before Thailand, I went to an opening of some new offices of some bank, and a bunch of famous people, which I obviously don't are famous were around, and I got to meet many of them; I was more amused by the Picasso posters that lined the room. In other words, the last couple months of Korea are going to be a number of things, and boring is not one of them. And no worries, school is still, and always will be a priority.
I know it's jumbled, filled with gramatical and spelling mistakes, slightly stream-of-consciousness, etc. But if you did take the time to read it, I greatly appreciate it. Brief on Thailand coming up, and smoe impressions of Korean lifestly that I have been cooking up. Sawadee!
School:
Finals were pretty decent. I am quite sure I will be moving right on up to level five this coming term. My last term in the land of Han (Korea's word that means something vague between regret and sorrow, and a bunch else). My favorite teachers were definitely those in level two, oh how long ago that was. Not much more to say really. This term may be my worst mark, given the amount of school I missed this term given illness brought about by the extreme cold, etc.
Korean ability wise, all is more than well. I have finally hit that "oh I get it phase" in Korean, where less and less do I have to put things together in Korean before I speak, and I can just express myself naturally. It really did happen from one day to the next, and it has been noticed by all those around me. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to finally feel like I have a level of Korean that will indelibly stay with me, just like knowing how to ride a bike. It is becmoing intuitive rather than just rehearsed and memorized.
Other:
The whole documentary ordeal has finished, and it has simply sparked a new, and final, era of my Korean sojourn. Candy, the lady who directed the documentary, has become something close to an adoptive mother to me here in Korea. The funny thing is that I always manage to find one, or they manage to find me, everywhere I go.
So she took me to Everland, Korea's Disneyland-esque locale, and I spent some tiem with her son, and have spent some time at her home. It makes me realize how much I wish I had a host family. If Beijing works out for me next year, I am very glad that I will have a Chinese roommate; I also hope we get along. My track record with roommates, though short, is not stellar. I also got to go to the concert of this Korean indie tock group that was the subject of another documentary. It was really great, because it took place at this underground club, where all the good music in Korea happens. Lord knows that what is on the radio is 20 years behind and not very insightful.
Another great thing about Candy is that she believes in all of my crazy aspirations like 10 times more than I do. Which brings me to the next wild development. Candy one day asks me if I wanted to meet a producer friend of hers, saying that there was a possibility I could meet some of my favorite directors before I went back to the states, guys I wrote papers about last year!! I said of course.
The day of the meeting, in what stated as a somewhat akward conversation, Cansy said she wanted to be my manager. She said we'd go 20/80 on everything. I naturally got giddy. I really don't know if anything will come of this, but I am open to anything, especially if it means making my experience here in Korea more interesting.
The producer who we met and I hit it off immediately; she is a wonderful lady and has the virtue of understanding my eccentric nature a little better than most. So this meeting led to a very intense week leading up to Thailand and gave me a taste of what it will be like through May.
On Thursday, I went to a Valentines day party at Korea's nicest hotel, ran into Bjork, whom I saw in concert later that week, and enjoyed a great performance by a former Broadway star turned Universal records signee, Sojeong Lee. She played Miss Saigon on Broadway for several years. I didn't bother Bjork, because she was with her family, and I know that she is not to keen on fans messing with her privacy;plus, I have aggravated a number of other celebrities in my day.
Later in the week, I had the privelege of having dinner with my new producer friend and Miss Saigon and got a lot of great advice. I am not doing the week justice, but it was definitely one of those defining weeks, especially the fact that it totally made me feel like I was supposed to be in Korea this year. My existence in Korea will continue this way through May, I presume, going from socialite party to socialite party and meeting important people ni Korea. Regardless of whether it leads anywhere, it is great experience. The day before Thailand, I went to an opening of some new offices of some bank, and a bunch of famous people, which I obviously don't are famous were around, and I got to meet many of them; I was more amused by the Picasso posters that lined the room. In other words, the last couple months of Korea are going to be a number of things, and boring is not one of them. And no worries, school is still, and always will be a priority.
I know it's jumbled, filled with gramatical and spelling mistakes, slightly stream-of-consciousness, etc. But if you did take the time to read it, I greatly appreciate it. Brief on Thailand coming up, and smoe impressions of Korean lifestly that I have been cooking up. Sawadee!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Deserted City of Seoul
This is the first time I have opted to stay in Seoul during a break. As many of you may now, we are currently in the midst of the Chinese New Year. I am glad that none of my plans panned. Reason being, that experiencing the same city that is usually bustling be nothing more than a ghost town is something I definitely wanted to experiencing before this sojourn came to an end.
It has been hard at times, even, to find places to eat. Another predicament, although I view as a sweet turn of fate, is the fact that my cell phone has run out of credit, and it is even impossible to recharge cell phone minutes while Korea welcomes the year of the rat. It has been quite refreshing to be cut off, while at the same time feeling relatively alone in one of the cities with the densest populations. It has also shed some light, although very meager, to a project I hope to undertake this summer. Recently, I have been reading a lot of wilderness literature, everything from Gurdjief's final work to Thoreau's Walden to Into the Wild by Krakauer. All of these have sparked a keen interesting, in precisely that, the wild. I have been hiking on the weekends and doing calisthenics to get in shape for the wild. Korea has some wonderful mountains. I am also very excited for Thailand in a couple of weeks. There will be a lot of nature and climbing. The superficiality and hopeless consumer society of Korea is beginning to grow very very old for me. The mountains are sufficiently redeeming though.
Need to get to sleep, going to Everland tomorrow, Korea's largest amusement park. Time permitting, I will title my next entry: The four types of people at Sogang, should be pretty hilarious, until then.
It has been hard at times, even, to find places to eat. Another predicament, although I view as a sweet turn of fate, is the fact that my cell phone has run out of credit, and it is even impossible to recharge cell phone minutes while Korea welcomes the year of the rat. It has been quite refreshing to be cut off, while at the same time feeling relatively alone in one of the cities with the densest populations. It has also shed some light, although very meager, to a project I hope to undertake this summer. Recently, I have been reading a lot of wilderness literature, everything from Gurdjief's final work to Thoreau's Walden to Into the Wild by Krakauer. All of these have sparked a keen interesting, in precisely that, the wild. I have been hiking on the weekends and doing calisthenics to get in shape for the wild. Korea has some wonderful mountains. I am also very excited for Thailand in a couple of weeks. There will be a lot of nature and climbing. The superficiality and hopeless consumer society of Korea is beginning to grow very very old for me. The mountains are sufficiently redeeming though.
Need to get to sleep, going to Everland tomorrow, Korea's largest amusement park. Time permitting, I will title my next entry: The four types of people at Sogang, should be pretty hilarious, until then.
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