Planet Zacchaeus

Here in China there's a lot of interesting things about this community.  I've been itching to write about some of them for a while now, partially out of frustration, partially out of how unusual it is. I'll just write a couple things for this post.

In Y we can have students over for meals during the week.  I live in a university dorm, like most of the other teachers and my room is really small (but all my own).  Every Friday night the 11th grade boys come over and play computer games and hangout.  The fact that students can come over, eat meals with the teachers and generally hangout is really cool.  The community at the school is more casual. I've shown some of the 11th grade girls how to bake scones, counseled the soccer club's leaders when they needed advice, and done "pomodoro" (a time management technique) with another student to get things done. My 5th and 6th graders nag me for my phone number and ask to come over at least every week (I haven't had them over yet). Other teachers have students to their house every week as well for studies, homework help and talk/game time. It's pretty cool.

In Y the parenting system is often broken. This is a huge frustration for us as teachers. Too many families have one parent who's in Korea while the other is here in China. Parents keep themselves so busy that they don't have time for their children. They send them to school in the morning before the school is even open, and hope that the school will raise their kids. Students at home frequently have no supervision and so play video games and watch R-rated movies at will. They sleep crazy hours (a student told me today that he feels he does best with just 2hrs of sleep a day). Some students have no will to study or grow, feel bad only when caught doing wrong, and know nothing about the Bible (their parents are "workers" here). I believe these problems are largely from poor/lack of parenting. Some of the parents go through significant gymnastics to get their students into our school (from Korea).. it's really almost insane.

Anyway, that's just two facets of life here in Y. Hope (as always) to write a bit more regularly.
Peace and joy.

I.. well, uhm... hello readership.

Back to the blog, I guess!  There's been so much going on, in my head, in life, etc.. but isn't busy busy, just things going on. Right now I'm in Seoul, Korea, staying with some friends here.

You longer-term readers know that I did a roadtrip back in July with a close friend of mine (Collin), he's the one in Seoul who's hosting me during this vacation. And it is a vacation! My schedule has been pretty much open, but my goal to see people has also been met.

I've been using the non-social time to get rested up, as well as get some studying done. There's a lot of learning that I want to do, and some of it is getting done.  I probably post a new link/video on facebook every day from things I'm processing.

Here's a few things that I've been reading:

St. Augustine's "Confessions" (a podcast from librevox, I'm a little more than halfway through this)
While I wish that I had read this before, I think this time in my life is particularly well suited to receive it. Even a couple years ago, I know it would have had little effect, but not so at this time.

A lot of Alastair Robert's posts:
Tarrying with the Tragic
A series of thoughts on Edwin Friedman's book about Leadership.
  Plus many others.

Also been reading through Proverbs, and that's been more than insightful. I want to encourage it's reading everywhere. Go! Read! Ok.

Collin's church here is Onnuri (English Ministry), and I have been really blessed to be attending there this past month.  It isn't perfect, and doesn't "match" my desire for my own church, but! But, I love this church's zeal for justice and the gospel. I'm excited for the ministries they are developing, especially in the area of human trafficking. I've glimpsed a real resonance here of God's heart for the oppressed and it is moving. Seeing the Body in action like this.. is beautiful. I wonder if your church is actioning as well? May it be so. Network, unify in love, make Christ known. I'd love to see more churches/denominations talking with each other to share ministries.

I'm completely divided about returning to China for the Spring semester. I miss my students and am eager to hear about their lives and help them grow. I'm looking forward to the men's group that I'm a part of, which has been a great blessing to me the last couple months I was there. That is about the extent of my anticipation for returning there.

Leaving Seoul is already sad, and, as is the case with leavings, it feels like death? Pain? Maybe loss is the closest word. I don't like to be melodramatic, but trying not to be can sometimes deny genuine emotions. I love my friends here and the community they have, lso the fellowship and deepening of faith I see. There have been many evenings of significant conversations (which are critical for me to even feel alive) and creating (which also makes me feel alive).  I've spent time with four different friendship circles, with close friends in each. One roommate from high school, Josh Choi, even became a father since I've been here! The baby (Yul Choi) is precious and I feel so blessed to be here and have a chance to see/share this time. Though still two weeks from now, leaving back to China feels... yeah, like dying a bit.

On that note, I'm extremely thankful.  The time so far has been rich, though not without some idleness. Call it rest if you like, but I know it isn't entirely so. One way that I've managed to keep busy is through baking for the guys who're hosting me. I'm really enjoying that, and they seem to like it as well. "Earning my welcome."

In our area of China they have a lot of "char": putting little pieces of meat put on a spear and roasting it over a fire.  There are whole restaurants that cater to this format, every patron roasting their own meat to the degree of their liking.  Meats vary in a lot of ways, but all must be spitted in one way or another.

Bacon wrapped mushrooms.

Beef and Lamb.

Yesterday, a few of us teachers went out to celebrate the fact that it was Friday, and went to each char. Another reason for going was because most (all?) of us had never had the delight of eating cocoons. Yes, large butterfly cocoons can also be skewered and roasted over the hot hot coals.

Cocoons. They were still wiggling from being skewered.

While in Korea, and especially during the winter, you can find street vendors everywhere selling steamed "silk worm" also known as beondegi. The ones they sell in Korea tend to be smaller than the ones we ate yesterday. Oh, and it stinks. I think it smells terrible.  Turns out it tastes a lot like it smells.

Miss Joyce, who can't stand things with less than two legs or more than four.

Miss Lily, who looks bold in this photo, but... only ate a much diluted (with rice and kimchi) cocoon fragment.

Miss Megumi, instigator of the evenings events. Especially the cocoon eating.

Miss Stella, who declined to eat the cocoons but was a good witness.

Marshmallows brought by Miss Megumi.

Shmores.

Hot hot coals.

As I mentioned a couple posts ago, there's been some challenging things happening of late.  Yesterday I learned that the Nepalese death is less likely to be a suicide than they say. Dark stuff.  With these and the things back at "home" at my church in SoCal going on, there's been a round of encouragement to take time to pray. Some of the people from that church group have set aside Thursdays for fasting and prayer, so I decided to do likewise.

Today being Thursday, it was the day to fast. I admit to it being easier for me to fast than for some people. Food.. doesn't call to me like it does to many people.  I also don't "starve".. I just get hungry. I'm used to the feeling of hunger, so it doesn't demand like I know it does for some people. When THEY fast, it is a greater sacrifice and I honor that. It's very good.

Fasting... is something I haven't done for quite a while.  I miss meals easily here and there, doing some snacking to make it by, but not in earnest fasting, with a purpose.  Today definitely had a repeated prayer as I hungered: "I need You more than food." This is what I instructed my stomach, and what I also told my soul, and it was not in vain. I feel like my spirit has deepend (refreshed?) and my thoughts are elevated. My concerns for my students and for their personal growth are more earnest.

What surprised me was the familiarity/link I remembered between my time in high school when I used to fast regularly. I've seen that time in my life to be one of the strongest single-minded pursuit of God in my life.. and fasting today brought all of that back. The link to my past and a lost passion.

It's Friday and tonight we're having the lock-in for the high school students.  The teachers and 11th grade students want to celebrate my birthday, so I got to choose the movie selection. I voted for the original Star Wars series, since so many students haven't seen it yet.  As a large cultural icon, I figured it'd be worth seeing.  Hope they like it.

Easing into the evening, there's a lot of Pepero sticks and even cake! Woo! Pepero is a  Korean pretzel stick snack, coated with chocolate, made by Lotte. They made up the holiday, Pepero Day, to celebrate 11/11, much like Hallmark invented some of it's own holidays. Good for sales. Today is particularly special with the 11/11/11 deal. I bought some sticks for my students earlier in the day. Movie is on, time to watch!

Well, mid-way through the second movie, the room is only half as full of students as it was for the first movie. I guess their generation just isn't with it. It has action, but it feels old, less professional in some ways. That's part of what I like about it.  I tried explaining to them that Luke Skywalker isn't the figure of interest to culture... it's Darth Vader, and Han Solo.

Finished the second movie! I'm not sure anyone can last through the third. I'm drowsy and feel like we should just call it a night, maybe finish the marathon during breakfast. Floating the idea, I'm quickly shot down. No! We'll watch all three, by golly! Ok ok! And here's a cake and birthday song for us November births! How kind! The other teachers got me some handy gifts. I'm surprised by their thoughtfulness.

Now in the third movie, and there's one student among all of us teachers. He's trying to fight the sleep that keeps him nodding off.  All the other students are in the hallways and rooms, playing games, talking and eating ramyun.  I take breaks from the movie now and again to see how the non-watchers are doing.. no worries. Time to finish up this movie.

Alright, students are now either talking or napping in various places, and it's 4am. I'm really tired, and regret having my contacts in instead of my glasses. Sandy, bleary. Because of a series of recent student murders in the area (from the University), plus the guy who "suicided" (which I mentioned a couple posts back, possibly murder), we are under orders to keep all the doors locked and not go anywhere all night. I'm sure it's paranoia, but I'll abide, scratchy, tired eyes and all. We're easing onto 5:30am and they've started making waffles in the kitchen for when it is breakfast time.

6:15am, time to let myself have a nap. The teacher's lounge has a beckon-some sofa.

7:15am, and almost all the students are gone. I missed breakfast. Wandering through the nearly empty school I can see that everything is cleaned up already. Amazing what can happen in a single hour.

I head home for some sleep. Waking, dozing, waking, it's time to go to a singing practice.  Three other teachers and myself are going to be performing next Saturday for the Thanksgiving festivities. This is one of three singing deals I got myself into. It's fun reading music again, and doing harmony parts. We have four part harmony, so I need to hold my own.  I love all this singing.

Time to rush, joining the Filipinos and some other nation-ers for char (meat skewers) and karaoke!  The meat is ok, but part of me feels like they're giving us the bad stuff. Chicken isn't cartilage.  I burn the toast which is on skewers as well. Terrible at this nonsense. Good fellowship, though. On to the singing!

The noraebang/ktv/karaoke place is the same one I've always gone to with the filipino group (I think this is my fourth time).  We get right into the familiar ones: the Carpenters, Mulan (the animated movie), BeeGees, and on to other more diverse stuff (Africa by TOTO).  Lots of fun. I think I'm getting better at singing loudly, with control. One of the filipinas dedicates a song to me, and I try not to reveal my discomfort. It's a very love songy song. We're here to celebrate my birthday. (c:

Sorry I don't have pictures included, I actually do have pictures from these events but they're still on the camera.

In the 5/6th grade science class we've been studying Wind.  The book started out with the atmosphere, circled through grand winds (via Hadley cycle), land-ocean breezes, etc.. next was cloud types, then basic meteorology (think cold/warm fronts) and finally tornadoes and hurricanes.  Fun stuff, right?  It's been good.  Today we were supposed to talk about air pollution, so I started out by asking them what they thought of when they hear the word "Pollution".. lots of answers, and so we got a list up on the board.

With the list I started connecting various things together and spent quite a while talking about how much energy we actually get from fossil fuels. They are the significant source of energy, and of our everyday plastic, actually. The students were surprised that so much comes from fossil fuels (petroleum and coal), and then, just as I was opening the book to read the tiny section the book has on air pollution, we ran out of class time.

I'm very new to teaching.  My inexperience is constantly before me while I teach, and I recognize so many missed opportunities for learning.  People who I tell this to (usually other teachers) are really encouraging in response, saying, "Noticing missed opportunities is a mark of a great teacher!" Well... that IS encouraging, but not if I don't actually improve.

There's a level of professionalism in teaching that I haven't achieved yet, and I actually have a friendship relationship with all of my students (more so with the older ones).  I feel like this may be the only year where I allow this level of closeness because it feels like it might be overly familiar.. to the loss of authority somehow. Sometimes the students know the material better than I do, and I find that a bit embarrassing. Perhaps I should have introduced the course by saying they will often know more than me in the subject, but my role is to be as a facilitator to their learning. This is certainly the case in practice. If I were teaching the same course over and over again, I'd definitely be the more knowledgeable.

I feel older. This isn't a bad thing. I better understand the tension between encouraging lively-ness and sobriety than I did when I was younger. I recognize how my leniency as a teacher has encouraged apathy, and that it's possible to challenge the students in a way which brings out creativity and intelligence. I haven't the skill to do that yet, but I can see the need for it. A good teacher can do it. I see the need for it in my own life, anyway, which is perhaps even more helpful. I should get the book "Do Hard Things" and challenge the kids with it. Some suggestions from you readers are more than welcome, of course!

We had parent-teacher conferences this past week and I felt an added burden for my students after talking with their parents. These are their kids, and they have high hopes for them. They trust that we're doing our best, but their ambitions for their children are much greater than I can see myself fulfilling as a teacher. I suppose this saddles me with a sense of guilt. I naturally feel like I've failed in some way or another, so it is hard to gauge if there is more guilt added or not. I just do what I do, and sometimes that could be more. Or could it? Maybe some of my idealism is wearing away, and that's why I feel older. My own developing ideas of what a "good life" is is probably at odds with that of the parents. It seems I should be reading more Plato, yes? More of the Word, at least. "Life and life abundantly" is probably going to look different than some of the parent's visions for their children, but that future isn't my battle or responsibility. Phew! It is a sweet promise to claim for them, though.


I had a birthday last week and didn't do very much to celebrate. A bunch of my 11th graders came over in the evening to review for the next day's US Gov't exam. We spent the evening talking about the Executive Branch and the Civil Service System. Is it fair to say that I'd rather not be doing that for my next birthday?  My students did write a card for me, though, and that was really encouraging. Apparently I'm their "most interesting" teacher and they're glad I'm a "man teacher" as well as being happy that I'm up for being social with them. They're also glad I'm their homeroom teacher, and I'm glad too! Fun kids. It's easy to forget that I have nieces that are older than them. At the parent-teacher conference I was struck by how young some of their parents are.


Big topic change warning.


There's been a lot of death and hardship going around lately.. I don't mean to darken anyone's day or anything like that, but it does seem to be the case.  We had a professor die last week (at the University.. I didn't know him), he had taught in the Chemistry department and it was a complete surprise. Just 53yrs old. His wife in Korea (and children in the US) are coming to retrieve his body. Also this past week was a student suicide (apparently). The student was from Nepal and doing an international program of some kind. Though I never met him, I heard today that he was a really nice guy and so friendly.. his death was equally unexpected. These things are uncommon in this area, or at least, at this University, and everyone is feeling the effect of it, in big or small ways.


Some other hardships... we have a student who struggles with "sticky fingers" and a mouth that won't admit it. Dealing with this has taken it's toll on the administration (and teachers). Two students have a father who is in Korea, dying of cancer, plus a dying uncle and grandfather. They're only in 5th and 6th grade. It's a hard enough time in life as it is. Outside the school life, a good friend of mine in the US recently had a stroke (but he's recovering well!) and that's been an intense time for them (he and his wife). I think he's younger than I am.
As I think of hardships it seems like the count just keeps going up and up. It is not bad that these things are happening.. only hard, and I have hope that they will yield good in the longer term.  Though they aren't happening to me directly, they are happening to people I care about. They do check my heart and beckon me to my knees. I can't say my knees have had much use recently, so this is at least one immediate good. I'm thankful.


I need to finish this up. We're starting on the Judicial System/Branch of the federal government this week, and I'm not sure how we'll tackle it yet. Lots to plan!  I appreciate your prayers for me as I become a better teacher/mentor/role-model/friend, etc... there's a lot in me that I'd like to change, but I need to know where the lines are. I shouldn't be more or less than I'm made to be, right? Wisdom. Oh, and discipline. Insight. Compassion. Strength. Humor. Gratitude.

These past two evenings I went to the singing rooms (Noraebang, KTV, Karaoke) twice!  Friday night I went with some of my 11th grade students for a couple hours, and then yesterday it was part of a birthday celebration for one of the filipino families kids. I think the larger the group that goes, the more fun it tends to be. 
My students sang a lot of K-pop songs, and this helped me practice my Hangul (Korean writing) skills. I still read too slowly to sing along except to the slowest of songs.  One of the things we (my previous co-workers) encountered before when doing Karaoke/Noraebang in Korea was realizing that so many songs have bad lyrics.. worse than we thought. I'm happy that almost all the songs my students and filipino friends chose had good lyrics, if a bit cliche/sappy. The Carpenters are pretty classic like that. Somehow I kept getting the microphone last night, and yet today I still have a voice. Maybe talking loudly to my 5/6th grade science class has made my chords a bit stronger.

These past couple weeks at the school have been particularly rough for a number of reasons.  There's the first quarter grades to complete.. which, if I'd graded things as they were submitted, could have been easier. We also had some theft to deal with.. and as a very small school the injustice seems just a little sharper, I think. We still have to move and breathe around the likely suspect(s) and that's just uncomfortable. It was also hard for the administration to take firm action because of previous engagements/conflicts. One other point of strain for me personally was attempting to teach Federal Bureaucracy. I don't understand it, and honestly feel a bit of an aversion to the thing, and yet I was presenting it. Ugh. I could feel the mutual frustration of the class.

One of my resolutions in coming here was to make sure the students had a good level of writing composition (essays and such), and that hasn't really been happening yet.  Essays take a lot of time to grade well, and taking time to write the essay slows down how much material we can cover. Making the US Gov't class into a semester course is already rushing, so it is hard to figure out what should be dropped.  But drop things we will! This new quarter will have essay days, perhaps once a week, where the students will write use the 50minutes in class to write.  I'm sure some of the students will be discouraged at first.. so please remember them in your prayers. English isn't the first language for most of them, and natural English grammar doesn't happen. Even my grammar is lacking, and I don't feel competent enough to correct their writing well.

Weather update: The past week has gotten progressively warmer! Overnight the temperatures didn't even dip into freezing. Jackets still seem a little too warm, but I think my blood has also gotten thicker from the cold period before they turned on the building heating.  Since the heating is on in my dorm it has been quite warm indoors. I wake up sweating sometimes and have to open the window to make it comfortable. With the heating turned on all over the city, the air pollution has also increased significantly. One of my students had breathing trouble this past week, and it seems like everyone is suddenly getting coughs and colds. The primary source of heat in the area is through burning coal, so the coal smoke goes up and everywhere (unless there is a good breeze). I just did some reading up on it, and it seems that it isn't tooo great of a threat to health, but still not optimal. Just got the text update on my phone for tomorrow: 2C low and 18C high, practically balmy!

Finally, I need some serious routines.

Hey Z men,

Even though we're easing into the winter, it seems like we've barely started with Fall.  The leaves outside are just yellowing this past week, and many are already blown away to who knows where by a couple days of westerly winds.  The ground isn't crunchy underfoot and my jacket was too much warmth this past afternoon.  It's a gentle way to go into winter, for sure.

There's ton of construction going on all over China. Apartments, primarily.

So!  I'm sure you're curious how I'm surviving and all that.  Things are going well and I've even been given another class to teach.  Next week I'll also be substituting for the upper-level math teacher as well, but she's prepared all the work already.. so it should just be.. handing out the work and silencing the students. "Question? Refer to your book, I'm sure it's there." I think that will be fun.

This is a self-assembled sauce for "hot-pot" extractions to be dipped in.

Here's the hot-pot (shabu shabu) with it's two differently flavored sides. So good!!

The new class I've been given is 6th grade math and it has gone fairly well this week.  The students are noisy and playful, but not disrespectfully so, and (so far) it's easy to bring them back to earth and on to the next problem sets.  Our curriculum is Saxon Math (I think they're doing level 87) which I like. It's boring, but also.. well, math. That class is only seven kids, three girls and four boys.

We've recently moved into the newly constructed upper floor of our school.

Ah, Math! I enjoyed every (pre-college) math teacher I ever had... they were all very good.  Starting with my Dad when I was home schooled, then freshman year in HS it was Mr. Schutt, sophomore year was Mrs. Stoa (Alg. 2) and Miss Turner (Honors Geometry), then Jr year I had pre-calc with Miss Poplin (who later became Mrs. Landers (marrying the Chemistry teacher, oooh!)), and finally Miss Mac who got me started in AP Calculus. I'm not a huge fan of memorizing equations, so Calculus 2 in community college was a quick downhill for me. Plus I was massively distracted in class (since it was my first year back in the US). Ah, good times.

All that said, I'm slow at math these days. I simply haven't needed to use use it until teaching this class.

Alvin (12th grade) and I in Shenyang, he had to go there to take the SAT.

Other things I've been up to.. I took a 14 hour train ride to Shenyang a couple weeks back and visited some old friends of my brother Peter (now they're friends of mine). Jonathan  and Monika were onboard the ship with Peter while he served from 2000 until 2002. I barely crossed paths with Jonathan when I joined, but met his younger brother, Mark (who now lives in France), many times.  Great family with a lot of creativity/out-of-the-box thinking. One of our activities was to go slack-lining and unicycling around the park with some of Jon and Moni's co-workers (who're also a neat bunch).  I admit to being slightly envious of their community there.

Candy balloon animals, along with interested onlookers.

Jonathan doing fairly well on the slack-line.

Jonathan and Monika with their (hopefully)soon-to-be-adopted foster child Jeremy.

While in Shenyang we made a trip to IKEA to pick up various domestic articles for my apartment/dorm room. One very mild preoccupation has been trying to figure out how to make the space.. "home" for now. One of my previous roommates, Erik Floyd, has a real knack for crafting lamps and artwork to make a space comfortable, and I've since been inspired by what he does.  My sister Ariana (Mullins) also has quite a talent for design and seeing her work has gotten me to say to my hospital-white, sparely furnished room, "No.. this will not do."  I might have gone too far, though, in putting up huge squares of brilliant red fabric on the walls. It's a process and I'm no interior designer (yet).

Candied fruit. Sold on the street near Shenyang's Forbidden Palace.

Sweet mother/grandmother and baby. (i'm getting bolder with taking stranger's photos)

Gloria and Manuel, resident Filipinos at my school. Gloria speaks my dialect. (Manuel is an amazing cook)

Some of the Filipino community in Shenyang. We were celebrating Manuel's 55th.

This kid is both a character and a talker. (and in my math and science class)

On my way back from Shenyang I was in a bunk above a couple elderly Koreo-Chinese ladies. I don't know much Korean, and even less Chinese, but I know they were mixing the two languages. It was pretty fascinating listening to them talk. At least for the first hour or two. Can't quite say the same for the latter hours. They had such a gossipy tone to their conversation.

Our kids at chapel.

It's me!

There's more to write, but more urgently is the "more to grade and prepare for tomorrow". I was uncharacteristically sharp with the 5/6th grade science class today when many of them didn't do their homework. (very very very easy homework). This is the same class which got an average of 15% on their last test.. hrm!! Something must change! One thing that will change on my side is planning for more focused classes and frequent comprehension checks. I feel sorry for the class genius who got 100% on the test and is still perpetually bored.  Any ideas on presenting about Atomic Theory?

Our next day was spent hiking up Slide Canyon to the benches below Mule Pass. This was a beautiful and lonely area. We didn't see anybody all day, and it was a bit like having Yosemite Valley to one's self.

The next day of our backpack trip was our layover day, except it wasn't a real layover day.  Instead, we hiked from Sister Lake cross-country to Doe Lake.

We did get a late start, though.  When we woke up in the morning, it was cold.  The little ponds of melt water nestled among the rocky slopes around our camp had frozen over during the night.  Oh, and so did any open water on the lake.  Fortunately, the snow's surface froze in a rough texture that allowed us to move freely on it.  And, as soon as the sun came over the western ridge, the air warmed about 30 degrees in just moments.

We spent most of our long morning doing laundry.  Then, Dad and I hiked over to the outlet of Sister Lake to catch a glimpse of Smedberg Lake.  It was a very pretty lake.

This is a bit of an introspective post, so.. you're warned.

I've been thinking about how little I remember of the past.  Really, it's amazing how much I've forgotten.  Often when I get together with siblings or close friends they talk about something we did together, or that I said, or some crazy endeavor.. and I have no recollection whatsoever.  It can even get so bad as me feeling like a stranger to my own past.. not knowing much more about myself than people I'm meeting for the first time. Little that is particularly vivid.. just a few markers:  Worked at Biola, on a ship with tons of people, went to school in the Philippines.. grew up over there too and I've a couple stories about each of those.  More than that?  Not much more.  It makes me a bit sad to realize that the memories are gone and have faded that quickly.

Maybe most people live with those around them long enough that they're constantly reminding each other "of the time when.." and so things remain remembered.  I have moved so much and so significantly that I don't have those people around me.  I don't remember the time, and I rely on people to TELL me about the time when I (we) did something. Really, we did? How weird, cool, exciting, etc... They help me remember who I am (and who I was).  Without them.. I'm only my most recent memories, and a few select, precious memories beyond that.  This might be why I'm such a terrible story teller.. since I don't remember my own stories.  My brother Peter has a much better memory, and I love to hear him talk about things we did when we were younger. He tells them well.

What I can do about it... I was talking with my grandma and grandpa about this issue some months ago.  They said that if I start writing down a biography/journal of sorts, remembering the past, more and more will come back to me.  I'd like to start this practice, maybe making time daily to meditate/dredge up dusty memories of interest.  Some might go up here on the blog, but that's counting on them actually showing up.

What you can do about it.. when we talk, if we talk.. let's be sure and reflect on exciting/rich times in the past.  Feel free to write me an email about things we did together, memories we made (which I may not be able to remember) but are precious to us.  I know I have a network of deeply meaningful friendships (and family members) who've been in my life in defining ways.  Even without remembering all the key events and such, I know the impressions and gratitude I bear toward each of them.  In concluding, I constantly look forward to reconnecting and finding those memories again and making more of the same.

Extra: I'd love to hear your thoughts on memory as well. How much do you remember?  Is there a technique or idea you've employed in preserving your memories? What is it that helps you to know yourself as you were (and are today)? Is this even a sane contemplation?

The hike from Matterhorn Canyon to Sister Lake was a really hard one for Libby.  She was struggling with an energy-sapping cold that seemed to take the most out of her on that day.  Combined with some hot uphills and lots of snow, it was just tough.  Still, we all made it to the end of the day, and camped in a really beautiful place.

As we were packing up in the morning, we were visited by our neighborhood doe.  She showed no fear as she spent the early hours picking at grass anywhere and everywhere around our campsite.

Last weekend I bought some wheat at the supermarket and took it to a German lady on campus who has a mill.  We milled it.. and then decided that it was probably not wheat, but most likely oats! Ok...  Well, I then went about trying to make oat bread. Pure, coarsely milled oats, plus the other ingredients.

Mixing it.. it doesn't seem cohesive. More mixing, breaking apart.. is there even gluten in this?! I knead it a while and then try to set it in a warm pan to rise. One of the other teachers comes over and I proudly present my rising.. brick.  It's solid. Hrm. I cut slices off of it and heat them in a pan as bars.. and discover that it's waaay too salty.  So, salty-oat bars.
The rest of the brick gets crumbled up, and I add brown sugar and banana slices, mixed into a pan and heated. It's a granola of sorts and actually manages to taste a bit better, still too salty though.

Verdict: Bread #1 Failure.

Bread #2!!  I went to the market and bought what looks like flour.  It claims to be "wheat dietary fiber"...  on the bag is some pumpkins. ?! Ok. It's in the flour section, and they also have a similar bag with dumplings on the bag. So the pumpkins are significant.. but it's flour, right?  We'll find out.

Now at home, I mix all the ingredients together.. looking good, kneads alright (yes!). Set aside to rise in a basin of hot water (in the bathroom), since that's the only warm area I can make.  Now closing on midnight, I check it and it has risen! Victory again! On to the second knead and putting it in the fridge.  Good good.

I'd plans to use the dough for breakfast, but Sandie is having a couple of us teachers over for breakfast before service.  Morning time, we head on up there (she lives uphill) and are treated to bacon! biscuits! eggs! tea (legitimate UK tea)! It's a feast and so delicious.

We have English service and I rush home to make my lunch bread attempt.  Whoa! The bread rose a LOT even though it's been in the fridge. Maybe less yeast next time.  I pull off part of it and slap it into a pan and turn on the inductive heating element. Cooking! Rising! It looks and smells like bread!  Tastes good too! (the bread is a bit orange/yellow. i think this is the pumpkin influence)

Verdict: Bread #2 Success!

Before cooking the bread I put some star anise and cinnamon sticks in water and heated it up. This made my apartment smell really good.  I'd been wracking my brains to come up with a non-fakey smell to make my place more comfortable. Well, this works great.

The third point of making-home-ness is getting some pictures I've taken printed.  There's six "artsy" ones that I had printed in glorious 14 inches, and I just got back from that adventure.

After our typical late start in the morning, we made our way merrily down Virginia Canyon, pausing now and then to ooh and ahh at the beautiful streams and dramatic avalanche swathes flowing down from Excelsior Mountain.  One particularly attractive spot was a point just before we met the Pacific Crest Trail where Return Creek plunged into a granite fault for few dozen yards.

Well, it seems like my responsibilities are expanding as quickly as the approaching winter (which is pretty quick).  I'm on my second week and I learned yesterday that I'm the fire marshal for the school and will be duly tasked to make signs, and choreograph the fire drill. Grand.  I'm thankful to have been on the firefighting team on the Ship a while ago, plus following general safety consciousness at the Power Plant.  All will come in handy with this duty.

Another duty I got saddled with is taking our senior to a city fourteen or so hours away so he can take his SAT at a certified facility. Ok, no biggie.

Yet another, and one considerably taskier, is to be the editor (in chief?) of the year book for the school. Phew.  They say it takes a lot of work.. but only for a month or two. I'll break out my camera more often now since I've got a "license to shoot". Yeah!

Earlier today I was requested to be the Standarized Test.. manager? Basically spearheading a way to do standardized testing here, and being the go-to person for all of that.  My major issue with picking this ball up is that I don't feel permanent enough..  at this point I expect to be here for this school year and then? Then.. is then.  Judging by how I FEEL right now, I want to come back to a place of people I already love.  Which isn't to say I'm pity-partying it up or any such nonsense. Just growing in my appreciation for constants and community. I love me some people.

So, besides these sundry hats that I've acquired, what do I do?  Teach! I'll bullet point for brevity.

• Fifth/Sixth Grade Science
• US Gov't to Jr/Sr (High School)
• Epistles to Jrs
• Economics (to two Jr students)

I teach all of these almost every day.

When we finish the construction at the school we'll have a computer room.. and I'll be teaching one or two computer classes. With the whelmingness I feel right now, I like to think that I won't be teaching that class so much as moderating it. (may it be so!)

There's extra curricular stuff as well, but I've largely passed on those "opportunities". Maybe I'll come back to those after I've got a handle on what's on my plate already.

Teaching actually, is hard on me. It is hard knowing that I'm not that great of a teacher and I feel like the kids deserve better. I've got bad habits, poor organization, poor methodology, confusing presentation, lax discipline.. are there any other things that could be added? At least I present course related information and give related homework assignments (which seem to duly challenge the students). That seems to be going for me. Grace upon grace (mainly from the students). Teaching to various learning styles seems like a dreamy aspiration for single-subject, multi-year'd, degree-related teachers.  I'm still on the survival track.

Sunday I've been helping lead the singing. That's been grand. I think once a month I'll be leading a group.. and I'm excited about that.  Hoping to bring some songs from Walt Harrah's site to sing. It'll take some teaching, but it's a teaching opportunity I'm looking forward to.

On this final note, I've been adding pictures (and occasional captions) to my flickr repository of photos. I hope to keep it cycling while I'm here, putting it to good use. They've some spectacular sunsets and the University is located on a hill overlooking the city to the southwest. Sorry I'm not including any photos in this post.. it's kinda long enough.  Thanks for the comments, it's great hearing from you!

It's my second day here.  Morning is foggy, but it clears up quickly. I try to make some eggs, but the electric cooking device that Megumi so graciously lent to me doesn't work with my materials.. I nearly destroy a stainless steel bowl in the attempt. (it bends itself from the sudden heat and starts to stink) Coffee will have to do for the meal.  Diane is waiting for me already when I manage to leave my room and we make our way down to the school. This is my second visit and it's already starting to feel familiar. We wait around a while and I meet a filipina, Gloria, and her husband Manuel. She's a kindergarten teacher at the school, and more importantly, she speaks the dialect I grew up with in the Philippines. !!

Mrs. Lee arrives at the school and has a moment to give the proper directions for my medical stuff.  Apparently, if I'd brought the forms from the US with me, they'd be able to just transfer them to a legitimate Chinese document, but I was not informed that I should bring them. I was simply told that I would be getting another physical examination upon my arrival.  So!  So Gloria has some time available and takes me to the medical place for the exam.  She's so delighted to have a cebuano speaker here and takes the time to tell her story, though she talks so fast, and the bus we take (for only a yuan/ 60c) is so noisy that I only get the half of it.  Her Chinese is understandable to the people at the medical place and so we get properly directed to all the various offices for the form.  It's very very quick.  This is also the first time I've ever gotten an ultrasound.  I'm a boy! Heh, but they didn't find anything interesting.  I think the only test I failed was the vision test, and that was pretty obvious since I had to do it without my glasses.

We head back to the school and there's a tumult of cleaning, moving desks and books and otherwise rearranging of spaces.  I help out a bit, but reach a point of feeling "in the way" and also particularly tired.  My first meal of the day finds me somewhat ravenous and I readly partake with the others in enjoying some Kimbab (california rolls or "korean sashimi").  It's so good!  Afterward, I help out a bit more here and there, but then make my way back to my room and for a nap. Three hours later and I'm already being woken up for a dinner engagement at Gloria and Manuel's house, with Lily and Diane.  Manuel is from Illongo, an area of the Philippines which is renowned for it's excellence in food making, and the pancit (noodles) and chicken (adobo) do not disappoint.

Soon after we eat, a couple filipinas arrive who Gloria had told about a "new filipino" coming for dinner.  They're so surprised to see that I am that filipino, and that I can speak cebuano as comfortably as I do.  It's not perfect by any means.. and I noticed myself erring in using words that are closely similar.  But it's beyond merely understandable.  The other filipinas are from Bukindon (the mountains above the area I grew up) and Surigao (a surfing place on the eastern side of the island).

We talk for a long time, and another filipina arrives, adding to the conversation.   Isabella, from Kenya, also arrives and is supremely patient with all our indicipherable chatter.  The Filipinas declare possesively that I belong to them and their community.  Gloria (and Isabella and G&M's daughter) walk me home and are a great encouragement. They seem very well centered and polished to shining by many trials.

What a day!

As it stands, it looks like I'll be teaching a semester of US History, a semester of Gov't.  Probably not economics.  6th Grade math. PE. Lead an after school study once a week.  Maybe a science.  NT letters and Rev. (over the year).
Thursday! The third day.

I had some coffee last night before returning home and it kept me up quite a bit. The long nap didn't help much either for my sleep-fulness, and this morning I kept being surprised that my alarm hadn't gone off already.  I still have a very 5:20am wake up impulse.  Breakfast... is coffee again.  Gotta get a steel pan.

I'm scheduled to go to YUST orientation at 8:30am, but I have a couple passport photos that I should have left at the YIA office, so I set off early to there.  Done. And now for orientation.  It's interesting and boring at the same time.  They allot 10 minutes each to various department heads, but some only take a few minutes while others take 20.  On the whole it seems like the department heads are agreeable people with a sense of compassion towards us foreigners. Not a whole lot more to say about this stuff.

They give us a long lunch break and I manage to find a little wifi spot in the adminstration building.  Handy!  I only use my iPhone at the point though.. otherwise I would have posted this whole mess up.  You'll just have to wait, like me.  I do log in to Skype and immediately get a call from Grandma!  We have a nice talk, and it doesn't seem like there is even much lag on the line. So sweet.  I manage to update all my news apps, but there's not much intersting news.  Something about Steve Jobs stepping down.  And Libya stuff.  And Euro-zone instability. Probably could have waited a few days and gotten about the same.  Sending email doesn't seem to work, and the email I try sending seems to have gotten lost. Ah well. (and creepy)

In the afternoon we have more orientation and it becomes clear that we need quite a few copies of our passport and multiple multiples of our visa photo for various bank, library, internet, personnel card, etc.. Also quite a few yuan (RMB) to get all this done. 

Evening plans for dinner are ambiguous, so I end up hanging around my room until no one shows up to get some food.  That's alright.  I'm getting some of this writing down, anyway.  And some attempts at quieting my mind a bit.  This transition has had it yelling almost non-stop, especially about leavings and such. Shush. The time has also been good to go through my exhaustingly large photo library to find pictures I'd like to make "real".  So far the count is at about 27, but I'm sure it'll grow larger every time I give it a chance.

Flowers of dusk.

The first full day of our pack trip dawned in tingly expectation of facing the challenges of a snowy pass.  We got a late start, a pattern that proved to be typical (and beneficial, as it allowed the snow to soften) on this trip, and started out for the pass.  The pass above Frog Lakes is a little over 11,000', but it's not over the main crest.  Our path would take us up and over this unnamed pass, down into a valley to meet up with the trail from Green Lake, and then up and over the crest at Summit Lake -- much lower at about 10,200' -- before plunking us down for the night in Virginia Canyon.

This year, we went on a pack trip from Virginia Lake to Bridgeport's Twin Lakes in the eastern Sierra.  Our campsites were at Frog Lakes, Return Creek in Virginia Canyon, Matterhorn Canyon, Sister Lake, Doe Lake, and a bench below Burro Pass.  The trip was unique for its abundant water - frozen and otherwise - and all together beautiful!

Our original plan was to start hiking Monday, but we wanted to get an early start that day.  The result was that we started Sunday afternoon and camped at Frog Lakes after only a short walk in.  The real highlight was having lunch with Grandma Brown in Bridgeport.  Then she helped shuttle us over to Virginia Lake so that we could leave a car at the parking lot in Twin Lakes.

I'm at the airport and waiting for the flight to start boarding. Actually, I'm waiting in line to check in my luggage. The line isn't moving and it feels like I'll miss my flight. It's sooo long, and sooo slow. No worries though, because my flight is reporting a delayed departure. Phew!
One of my surprises for this trip was the realization that I'd be spending the night in Shanghai on my way to Busan. I knew there'd be a transfer, and maybe a bit of a layover/wait.. but overnight? Not what I expected. What makes it complicated is that I have to pick up my luggage at Baggage Claim on arriving in Shanghai, only to redeposit them in the morning for the flight out. Sigh. This is particularly unpleasant because I decided to be outrageous and check-in an unprecedented THIRD piece of luggage.

Line is moving along nicely now and all is checked accordingly. TSA is surprisingly quick. Now is the time I'm actually waiting to start boarding. The original flight time passes, and so does the estimated new departure time. Still nothing.. aaand 40min past the adjusted time, it's time to board. We leave kinda late.

The lady I sit next to seems kinda spoiled. I get a bad vibe.
The meal we're served comes with wipes that are described as "AwesomeWipe". I meant to stick it in my carryon for proof, but you'll just have to take my word for it.

Entertainment for the flight is Manalive by GK Chesteron, a book that I've started a few times but never gotten much into. It's a very exciting read, and descriptive, and mind-boggling. I like Mr. Smith. There's a lot of passages that I want to write down for memorable quotes, but I haven't.

The lady next to me asks if my travel is for business or pleasure, and we start talking for the next four hours. She's actually a fascinating lady, and we share a lot of common views, particularly on domestic (house) economics. She's quite frugal and has employed a number of strategies to teach her sons the value of money. We talk about the US Gov't and the whole debt-crisis debacle, and wander on various other fine points of conversation. She's a natural conversationalist and the talk keeps flowing. She also does a lot of name-dropping for big companies that she has connections with that are high up, and I gather that she's at a very very very successful point in her life. Her company does work in one of the few areas that I actually find interesting in relation to my degree.

Topics discussed: Economics, social roles, politics, justice, freedoms, reform, TCK's, sustainability, other things.

Parting ways she gives me her card and mentions that if I have interest in her company, especially in that area related to my degree, that I should write. Thoughtful. Maybe I will.
Arriving in Shanghai, I wonder if I have to fill out my arrival and departure card since it is only a transfer. Yes. Yes I do. Of suddenly greater urgency is the fact that my Visa for China is a single entry only. Whoa! I can't use this yet! My trip entails first going to Korea, and THEN going to China for reals. If they use my Visa on this overnight transfer... I'll have to get a new Visa, and that's terribly not ideal. Stress, but calm. Talk to the immigration officer. He seems to want to help. He calls over a security guard. I follow her and get a 2-day transfer Visa. Phew!!

Now for the overnight wait. This airport is boring and inconducive to waiting overnight. I've had worse. I'm a master at waiting.

It's half-past 2am and the airport is very quiet. Lots of people sleeping everywhere. I think I'm the only white kid in the place.
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I make it onto the flight, but am dismayed to find that they won't even consider checking in the third article. It's completely out of the question, apparently. So I've a gigantic carry-on of dubious ability to stow in the overhead. Nice. Wrestling it through the cabin, I am completely surprised that it actually fits. Mustn't forget it when I disembark.

The flight is scheduled to fly at 9:30am or so, but we're already promised a delay. Once we all get aboard the aircraft we sit tight for a couple hours because of inclement weather. The air hostesses/stewardesses/flight attendants are very efficient at keeping everyone happy and calm. The man seated in front of me requests frequent cups of coffee. We are served our meal which was for during the flight. We finally get off the ground and have a pleasantly bumpy ride to Busan. Erik is there and has been waiting for a few hours for the flight to arrive. The notification system doesn't say how delayed the flight is.. so he had to just wait around to see when the flight would actually arrive. The wait doesn't dampen the happy reunion and we're soon off to his apartment for a quick shower and then headed by subway to the Korea famous Haeundae Beach.

The beach is packed, as it is still "beach season" here. In September they say beach season is over and there is an immediate dissipation of beach goers. Like the quick evaporation of a wave on the sands, so they are gone from one day to the next. Today the water is cold and I don't feel very eager to go much in. Erik is gunghoe and plunges far out, but not so far as to get a "free jetski ride" courtesy of the harbor watch. The waves are decent and conducive to a bit of body-surfing.

A brief side-note. There are a lot of foreigners at Haeundae beach. As we approached the point where we'd go in the water, there's a british girl who's obviously had too much to drink. She spots us and loudly declares, "There's SHARKS in the water there. Sharks. Yeah." We brush past and enter the water despite (because of?) her warning. I look back and she yells over the short distance, "You see? I told you there were sharks!" I'm sure she's making a great impression for her kind.

Erik cuts his foot while body-boarding. Maybe it was a shark. I get a rash from the water and it itches. Not cool. Meanwhile, a friend of Erik's joins up with us and we head out to get some foreign food since I won't be getting much of that in China. Fish and Chips! Delicious. We part ways from his friend and head back to the apartment.

I'm reminded of the fact that Korean kids are THE cutest kids in the world. I should have some biases toward my own neices and nephews, and I do... they're better looking than other american kids. Korean kids are adorable. It's just a fact.

Another fact: I'm against the double-eye surgery. It's a cosmetic surgery for asians to make it so their eyes open wider. Basically, they're adding that extra crinkle above the eye when it is open. It's a vanity thing, and so very desirable, but I think it is fueled by a market of false self image that says they aren't made beautifully already. This is from someone who only grudgingly approves the use of make-up, though, so.. grains of salt.

Erik has never heard of RadioLab so we listen to the episode on "Help" while smoking pipes and drinking wine. It's ironic that the episode is largely about people trying to quit smoking, and here we are with pipes. Not addicted to them, that's for sure. Erik blows some phenomenal smoke rings and even manages to ring the top of the wine bottle. Twice. He's got some serious talent. He'd easily admit that the reason why he likes the pipe is for making smoke rings.

Next up is a couple episodes of IT Crowd, a British show that highlights the joys and awkwardness of working in IT. I've only ever seen one episode, so he takes me to the first and second one. It's hilarious, but I'm fading super fast. Can't keep my eyes open between laughs. I sleep more solidly than I've slept in months.

I wake up at 5:43am and feel like it is later than that. Jet lag will do that to ya. Not sure whether or not I'll have to leave at the same time as Erik (when he goes to work), I start packing up my stuff. Erik wakes up and there's plenty of time for breakfast. Cherrios, and then pancakes. Yes! Breakfast of champions! Plus the luxury of both orange juice and french press coffee. Glorious. And I don't have to leave at the same time, so I'm good for a while here.

The domestic flight from Busan to Seoul doesn't have much luggage allowance. I realized yesterday that this might be an issue. I find out from their website and decide that it'll be better to take the KTX to Seoul, since they've no such luggage restrictions. Have I mentioned that I hate traveling with anything more than a backpack? Well, I do. And here I am with three gigantic bags. KTX's earliest eco class tickets are 6:30pm, so I grab those. It's about this time that I also realize that I need to change my phone and computer's times to Korea time, instead of Shanghai. Suddenly I'm an hour closer to the departure time than I'd thought. Hoo boy, time to rush. Executive decision: I'm taking a taxi to the station, because the Subway would be a pain with the bags, and I'd only have 20minutes to pick up my ticket and get on the train.

Taxi driver makes good time to Station and I'm happily waiting for the KTX. KTX is the high-speed rail-line that runs the length of Korea, from the southeast corner (Busan) up to the northeast (Seoul). It makes the trip in less than three hours and trains leave every 15 minutes or so (at some times of day). It's a bit ridiculous how many people travel back and forth between the cities. I think most trains are nearly full. The cost of a ticket is about $50.

Gosh, this country is beautiful. I know the hills/mountains make it difficult for agriculture and transportation, but it makes for a majestic view from this train. I hold my breath almost every time we come out of a tunnel because the view is so amazing. There's a thick, humid atmosphere which produces a haze and the distances between the hills is heightened by the effect. Boniver's live concert recording (from NPR) is an enjoyable travel accompanyment.

Speaking of beauty, I've been woefully underusing my camera since I began this trip. Actually, I haven't taken a picture with it since I was in LA. That MUST change. I regret not taking pictures of/with Erik while I was there.

Sometimes you go looking for a certain bird, and you don't find it.  Such was the case this last fourth of July weekend.  We left Friday evening for Fresno with the goal of finding Great Gray Owl in the early morning in Yosemite, and then Sooty Grouse in the later morning at Glacier Point.

Well, it didn't quite turn out that way, but it was a great excuse to drive through beautiful Yosemite, and to enjoy the flooding waterfalls and late snow.

We woke up at 2:30 in the morning to get a good early start.  Our goal was to be at McGurk Meadow, a grassy patch off of the Glacier Point road, well before sunrise.  We parked the car around 4:30, and hiked in the gloom of the early morning down the short trail to the meadow.  We got there in the first light of morning, hiking through the forested meadow edges and intently watching for any large nocturnal predators.  Nothing hooted, nothing flew by, and so we admitted defeat around 7:00 in the morning and headed back to the car.  On the way we flushed a Junco from the ground and wondered at its tiny little nest in a scrape in the duff.


Then it was off to Glacier Point, where we enjoyed the spectacular waterfalls in the light of the early morning and from a thousand or so feet above.

Big snow in the Sierra this year.  Record-breaking amounts of snow!  Piles and piles on feet upon yards of the white stuff in big rolling drifts.

So, when we went up to open the cabin in the last weekend of June this year, we were all tingly with expectation to see the extent of the mountain frosting.  Last time we were there was back in February, when though there was a lot of snow, it wasn't yet at record-setting levels.  Now we knew there would be less, but we also knew there would be a lot more than normal.  Normal in late June for the immediate area around the cabin being none.

We drove up Friday night, got in around 9 or 10, hiked up to the cabin and dropped into bed.  In the morning we awoke to a brilliant spring wonder-land.


The long and the short of it is that Dad hit a tree going much faster than above, and he was OK.  Thank God.

On Sunday morning, we took a hike up to Hart Lake.  We figured that trail would be fairly open due to its open treeless slopes and more southerly exposure, and we were right.  To get there, we hiked up the Coldwater Creek Campground road, which was still closed, enjoying the Pine Siskins and Cassin's Finches busying themselves in the trees around us.