If you was to ask me a couple days ago what I was gonna be doing over the weekend, I would have said that I have no idea. Then I was invited to visit a island called Mu-we-do. Of course, I'z excited about it. They ain't much time that goes by that I'm not busy doing something..., but this seemed super fun. I had almost no information about where I was going. My friends organized this and I trusted that they knew what was up with this place. I took the subway from my station and got off at the transfer stop. My friends wadn't there, so I found me a spot on the floor and used my backpack and a pillow. A worker come up to me and ask me to not lay down, so I got up and sit where he ask me to. It wadn't even 2 minutes after when he come up to me and told me in perfect English that I should sit some place else. He ask me where I was going. Of course, I didn't know so I seemed like an idiot. I just said that me and my friends was going to go to a island. He said that they wadn't no islands around there. This was a total joke because it was less than 10 minutes from the sea. That was really funny.
So, I met up with my friends and took the subway to the national airport. This place is right cool. There's a huge garden in it. There are even people that drive these carts to sweep the floor. It don't get no better than that. We continued on in a taxi and finally took a very very short boat ride over to the island. When we got there we walked a couple miles or so to the beach. We seen a dead beast a ditch alongside of the road and many random animals that was alive too. I was surprised to see many deer that were ready to be eaten. Finally we got there and paid $7 a person to rent a hut on the beach. Are you kidding??!! It was amazing. So small, yet perfect for the weekend. They was 4 of us that need to pack into this small place with all of our stuff. Luckily, these 4 people are quite easily content with whatever rolls their way.
This is when the day took off in the right direction. I took me a nap and the three others took them out a walkin' on the beach. God knows what they did while I was sleeping. I don't want to know! We went and had supper at a seaside restaurant and had some amazing food. Sometime during all of this, my friend decided to say hi to a school group as we passed by. This is totally a normal thing to do here. Then they invited us to participate in a watermelon and three legged race. I took 2nd in the first and they put me with the most tiniest kid for the second. I fell once during the race and I was laughing harder than you could ever imagine. Then, we were somehow included in this soccer team trip for the rest of the evening. We went off and done our own thing and were invited to join them for so-ju and three layer pork along with kim-chi and various other fixins. Wow! Just after eating they set up a singing screen and some microphones on the beach. Good thing they give me some so-ju because I sung a song with my friend. We were terrible. They still cheered and was more than excited. We were rock stars for the evening.
After this we went walking on the beach and through various tidal pools. I left a funny voice message for my language exchange partner and then slept like a baby in a tuna can. In the morning, I realized that I was burnt on just half of my body. I have NO idea how that happened. We went back to the mainland and took a few subways back to our area. Then we decided to go to and all you can eat buffet. It is a weird mix of food from around the world and nothing is exactly right on, but I eat my heart out. All I can say is that even this was glory and then some.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Fun Times and Then Some
Well, I ain't wrote in a while. Time's a tickin' and life just keeps plowing ahead. I can't find enough time to do all that needs done and my random variety of sicknesses and problems keeps me behind all of the time. There just ain't enough time to do all that I need to do.
However, this weekend was great. I was invited to visit an Anglican church in Seoul with a friend. He is into that sort of thing more than anyone I've ever known. I never would have gone if he had not invited me. When you are in Korea, more random things happen than most places in the world. So, I went to an Anglican church. It was in English and that was a plus. There were world leaders from the English speaking world among the 50ish people. It was random.
Every detail of this two day trip was planned by a nun I had never heard of in a city that is 5 hours away. 5 hours away means the opposite side of the country. My friend knows this lady, so she was cool and arranged that we visit this place. We was greeted by the owner of a Korean packaging company who is just plain rich. I doubt I've ever talked to anyone richer. He let us know that we'd be staying at their 'guest house'. It was nothing short of a mansion. I ain't never even heard of a fireplace in a Korean house. This one had one and a library to boot. We toured a university or two with the dean of the university giving a personal tour. Of course, we had coffee with him as well. These are the things that only happen in Korea. This guy had no idea who we were. However, he give it his best shot to give us a tour and show us around.
After dinner with the host family, we went to a crazy expensive chocolate store and then off to the bar and finally to a 'singing room'. I sung several country songs which made them very very happy. My friend from New Zealand told me that he didn't think people like me existed anymore. It was funny. The really funny thing is he meant it as a genuine compliment. In the morning we went their house after getting picked up in a luxury car. We drove into the gated community and parked in the underground parking lot. I was shocked to see the crazy expensive cars lined up. We got out and went up in the most fanciest elevator I ever seen in my life.
Then we went into the house. The living room was bigger than my house. It was crazy. We was so awestruck, but we had to act like it was totally normal. This is not normal in Korea and I don't think I know a Korean who has even had such an experience or anything similar. We are talking rich and famous type house. Way crazy! We ate some really good food and then did our day of touring Anglican stuff. I saw the first Anglican church built like a Buddist temple. It was sorta like a church inside, but you had to take your shoes off. On the outside it was more like a temple. There were pictures of all people that was killed for their faith during the Korean War. The priest was more than excited to greet us. It was cool. Then we went to visit another church with similar history on a remote island. The early Christians would hide on these remote islands so they wouldn't get killed. The woman drove us everywhere and paid for everything during this voyage. He great-uncle was one of the first priests here. I could see just about the whole history of the message of Jesus within this family. What a great thing to have seen from the inside. Just amazing. The impact that this family had for the Kingdom of God is just insane. The largest church in the world is in Korea now. Without this family, it wouldn't have happened. Just amazing. They were the first. They risked their lives and the Gospel is rather well known here now.
However, this weekend was great. I was invited to visit an Anglican church in Seoul with a friend. He is into that sort of thing more than anyone I've ever known. I never would have gone if he had not invited me. When you are in Korea, more random things happen than most places in the world. So, I went to an Anglican church. It was in English and that was a plus. There were world leaders from the English speaking world among the 50ish people. It was random.
Every detail of this two day trip was planned by a nun I had never heard of in a city that is 5 hours away. 5 hours away means the opposite side of the country. My friend knows this lady, so she was cool and arranged that we visit this place. We was greeted by the owner of a Korean packaging company who is just plain rich. I doubt I've ever talked to anyone richer. He let us know that we'd be staying at their 'guest house'. It was nothing short of a mansion. I ain't never even heard of a fireplace in a Korean house. This one had one and a library to boot. We toured a university or two with the dean of the university giving a personal tour. Of course, we had coffee with him as well. These are the things that only happen in Korea. This guy had no idea who we were. However, he give it his best shot to give us a tour and show us around.
After dinner with the host family, we went to a crazy expensive chocolate store and then off to the bar and finally to a 'singing room'. I sung several country songs which made them very very happy. My friend from New Zealand told me that he didn't think people like me existed anymore. It was funny. The really funny thing is he meant it as a genuine compliment. In the morning we went their house after getting picked up in a luxury car. We drove into the gated community and parked in the underground parking lot. I was shocked to see the crazy expensive cars lined up. We got out and went up in the most fanciest elevator I ever seen in my life.
Then we went into the house. The living room was bigger than my house. It was crazy. We was so awestruck, but we had to act like it was totally normal. This is not normal in Korea and I don't think I know a Korean who has even had such an experience or anything similar. We are talking rich and famous type house. Way crazy! We ate some really good food and then did our day of touring Anglican stuff. I saw the first Anglican church built like a Buddist temple. It was sorta like a church inside, but you had to take your shoes off. On the outside it was more like a temple. There were pictures of all people that was killed for their faith during the Korean War. The priest was more than excited to greet us. It was cool. Then we went to visit another church with similar history on a remote island. The early Christians would hide on these remote islands so they wouldn't get killed. The woman drove us everywhere and paid for everything during this voyage. He great-uncle was one of the first priests here. I could see just about the whole history of the message of Jesus within this family. What a great thing to have seen from the inside. Just amazing. The impact that this family had for the Kingdom of God is just insane. The largest church in the world is in Korea now. Without this family, it wouldn't have happened. Just amazing. They were the first. They risked their lives and the Gospel is rather well known here now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)