I went to the Korean Church Service in Sioux City today.
When Dr. Kang originally asked me if I wanted to participate in this Study Abroad, I was hesitant because of the cost. After explaining my situation to Reverend Oh (yes, that's really his name), the church generously donated a significant portion of the total cost of the trip. There is really no way that I could properly thank them for their kindness, but I thought it would be appropriate to attend a church service to show my gratitude.
I was reminded of a few things:
Firstly, I don't understand Korean. Of course. Seriously though, today was the first taste of what it is going to be like to be in a culture where the dominant language isn't one that I understand at all. Being the only non-Korean speaker there, I felt very... isolated. It wasn't a terrible feeling, I just felt like I was at a serious disadvantage.
Second, I really need to be careful about the food. The congregation holds a Korean meal after each service, and I stayed and enjoyed the tastiness. I took a big helping of some green plant, took a bite, and instantly gagged. The other green plant mixture, however, tasted like bacon and was pleasing. I had seconds.
Gifts! Gifts! Gifts!
Sweet, sweet bribes...
Pictured are the gifts that I am going to be giving. The cheap toys and candy are for the kids that I'll be working with every day. There is a sweet thing that you put in your mouth to make it glow in the center of the picture. I wish I would have bought one for me.
The Bath and Body Works lotion is for the lady that is giving me a place to stay, and the chocolate is for the Dr. Kang's sister. Not pictured are the two pounds of Pine Nuts for Eunice's parents. I hope they like nuts!
That's all for today party people. Maybe tomorrow I'll post some test art and maybe a thought or two.
---CJ
1 comment:
On one of my trips to Russia, I thought I'd make chocolate chip pancakes for my host family. I figured they'd have most of the ingredients except for maple syrup, so I brought a small bottle of Mrs.Butterworth. All they had was a hot plate (w/o a working thermostat). I had to wait until it was time to milk the cow to start mixing up batter. I figured I'd improvise by grating a chocolate bar, but it was a strange chocolate with air bubbles throughout. There was not enough syrup, so I was going to buy some jam. But you couldn't buy jam in this town. However, their homemade jam--which was more like syrup, anyway--was that much better.
In any case, bringing gifts along is a great idea. Some turn out more appreciated than others, I think. You'll have to tell us what are the "big hits" in Korea.
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