Saturday morning while in Daegu for my medical exam I noticed that some of the cherry blossom trees are starting to fade. It was really beautiful. In any direction I looked, there would be hundreds of white-pink petals drifting to the ground; it was like walking through cherry curtains.
Gyeongju is amazing in the spring. It's super people oriented. You can be walking around and stumble upon a park with benches hugging the trunks of the biggest trees. There are people biking, hiking, skateboarding, eating sushi outside of 7-11s, holding hands, taking in the scenery. The locals are starting to recognize me which is almost kind of nice. Case in point: last night Diane and I were about to part ways at Lotte when a Korean man walked past us and said "Lo-La?" pointing to Diane. And I said, "No, I'm Laura". And he goes "Sisters?" And Diane says, "Nai". Nai meaning yes, we are sisters, and why do you know my name? I suppose it's good though. They need a shock of culture in their homogeneous town. At least they aren't staring as much as they were in the beginning.
Anyway. You know how I said it better be warm by the time I post again? :)
It's in the high 60s/low 70s all week this week. And according to my lifeline, the coolest it is going to get in the next 15 days is 62. I know it's snowing back home. But hey. At least the Michigan weather keeps you on your toes!
I bought a guitar yesterday after my trip to the acupuncturist. The guitar is a Charpel. I got it from the man who owns the Yamaha shop in Sunggong dong-- my new favorite Korean. He's super old, super funny, a total hippie and laughs like he's never laughed before. He included a free "kah-po" and a case which I thought was kind.
I had acupuncture for my back which has been murder and for my legs which also haven't improved, even with the physical therapy. And the acupuncture helped a lot. I am going back tomorrow morning so she can work on my balance. When I saw her yesterday she put her hand on my back and said, in a very soothing voice, "You have... five vertebrae in your back. One, two, three, four, five. Vertebrae four is... mm.. how do I say... behind other vertebrae. I fix it and in three weeks you will be well." I felt amazing after seeing her. And it was also really nice to have her say specifically what was wrong with my back. I went with my friend Maria, whose right shoulder, if touched, would make her wince in pain. She's had this problem for years. As we were walking out of the office, I could touch Maria's shoulder and it didn't hurt her for the first time in a long time. Pretty incredible. I highly recommend it.
Yesterday sort of dragged on, though. I have a feeling this week is going to be like that. I just want it to be Friday again.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Me Likey
Current play(life)list:
Kings of Leon: Sex On Fire
The Band: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Fionn Regan: Hunter's Map
Guster: Come Downstairs and Say Hello
Jack Johnson: Breakdown
Jason Mraz: After An Afternoon
Old Crow Medicine Show: Wagon Wheel
Silversun Pickups: Three Seed
The Avett Brothers: Swept Me Away
The Prize Fighter Inferno: The Going Price For Home
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: You Really Got a Hold On Me
The Fugees: Fu-Gee-La
James Taylor: Mexico
Jeff Lynne: Lift Me Up
* * *
Twouble with Twitters-- "Don't you twitterstand? You can become a twitter-elbrity!"
Hilarious! Although it makes me feel guilty for updating my facebook status. =/
Anis Mogjani-- "Rock out like the mangoes are in season. Rock out like the record player won't skip. Rock out like this was the last weekend, like these were the last words, like you don't wanna ever forget how." Slam poet.
* * *
It has been a fairly slow week for me here in Gyeongju. First of all, it is damn cold, making me not want to go out and do much. According to AccuWeather (which you know I live by) it is 37 degrees with a "real feel" of 28. Brr. It made my hot and fresh mendu dinner all the more delicious. Well that, and I also forgot to turn my heat off when I left today so I came home to a surprisingly warm apartment. Not the worst thing in the world!
The other night Diane and I had dinner at some chain restaurant in wonsungdong. It was delicious. My meal consisted of spicy ramen noodle soup with egg and mozzarella. Immediately after we treated ourselves to ice cream from Baskin Robins (boom batty much?). They serve the babiest of sizes there, and all for fairly cheap (2500W/cup). I am going to have to really try to not go there frequently. Instead of grabbing a cab home, we decided to walk. We walked past the Gyeongju stadium where our home opener is being held. It is huge and beautiful and says "Gyeongju" in the stands. It is definitely a professional stadium, with flood lights and room for 10,000 fans. I hope my leg is feeling up to it.
We also walked past this statue of a Korean general on a horse pointing his sword onward and upward. It was really amazing. It's got to be like, 20 feet tall or so. Huge. I estimate that it's a couple hundred years old. I don't know the name of the General, just that he fought off the Japanese. I have heard Koreans say that Japan has invaded Korea "2,000 times in 2,000 years". Not to be taken literally of course, but an interesting indigenous perspective all the same.
In other news, North Korea has a (test range) missile on a launch pad. The images from GoogleEarth that have been shown in the media show it clearly. The North Korean government is saying they are sending a satellite into space, but from what I've heard and read, nobody believes that. Supposedly the missile could reach somewhere as far as Alaska. The whole thing has got the Japanese military protecting the sea as well as part of their territory that the North Koreans have mapped out as "missile zone". The Japanese are concerned that debris could hit near Tokyo. I don't know. I try to keep myself informed and I keep reading about it. The conclusion I've come to is that ultimately North Korea is calling a nuclear weapon a satellite; China, who is a distant ally of the North has remained relatively quiet about the situation; Japan has urged the North to scrap its' plan, saying that it would "damage peace and stability".
The U.S. and South Korea, along with Japan, are strongly opposed to North Korea testing long range missiles, and say that the North would "face international sanctions under a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting ballistic activity by Pyongyang (NK President)".
I'm not worried, and I won't be worried until the Koreans worry, which here in SoKo, they are not. Just something to think about. To end this rant-tacular blog on a positive note, here are a couple pictures of the Gyeongju crew from Aleesha's birthday last Friday.
George and Steve
Nightmare Before Soju (props to Diane for the pic)
Beau, Diane, and Simon
Bill, Simon, and Aleesha
Kelly, Beau, Lena, and Dave
Diane and ITuesday, March 31, 2009
This Is What You Shall Do
“This is what you shall do: love the earth and sun, and animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, have patience and indulgence towards people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown, or to any man or number of men; go freely with the powerful uneducated persons, and with the young, and mothers, of families: read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life: re-examine all you have been told at school or church, or in any books, and dismiss whatever insults your soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its' words but in the silent lines of its' lips and face and between the lashes, and in every motion and joint of your body.”
-Walt Whitman
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Boys and Girls
E1-B-- 1st graders. Unfortunately, they were shy with the "oh my god". Still super cute though.
This game consists of them having to say one line of the memorized chant and pass around the pouch that holds a ticking timer They were supposed to do the hand motions (biting an imaginary apple) with the chant, but after a few kids got out they were too concerned with the time to care about doing the motions.
"See the apple.
The apple on the alligator.
See the book.
The book on the bed.
See the cat.
The cat on the cap."
* * *
E2-A-- first graders. We've got the twins, Julie and Sally, who I still can't tell apart as you will see in the video. Then there's Thomas who I have twice in a row, then Gary who's brand new and doesn't know any English (named him after my dad), and Tommy who, although can be cute, is essentially a consistent irritation.
Sally is so, so, SO cute.
This is another chant they had to memorize. Most of the students have a really hard time with "this is" and "it is", as well as differentiating between "a" and "an". But Thomas is a pro. He also has me for two classes back to back so he has an advantage.
"This is a dog. It is my dog. It is on the desk.
This is an an egg. It is my egg. It is on the elephant.
This is a frog. It is my frog. It is on the flag."
* * *
K-A-- Kindergartners.
Shoot me.
* * *
E3-D-- 5th graders? I have no idea how old these kids are. In Korea they might say 11-13, but really that means they're 9-11. They tack on two years. I have yet to find out why.
I'm trying to talk to the kids about their plans for the weekend. I speak to Alan for a minute about his friends birthday, Sue tells me about computer games, etcetera.
* * *
E4-B-- 3rd graders. I think...? They're really cute though and really sweet. Always eager to learn.
* * *
E3-C-- 6th graders, perhaps. They're extremely smart. Sarah, Ray, and Kelly are excellent conversationalists as you will see when Sarah turns the camera on me. She asks me how I'm doing and then apologizes for taking the camera. They all really love fast reading, which I didn't record because it's impossible to understand. They are reading a story called "Igloos, Houses of Ice" and whenever I'm looking for a time filler I just take out my phone and time them to see how long it takes for them to finish. The second video is of Sarah reading the Igloo story at a normal pace.
* * *
E-4 C-- same as E-3D, I believe they are 5th graders or so.
This is Sunny. Every day I ask him how he's doing, and he said "I am... SURPRISED!"
Holy hell. That was a lot of uploading. Who knew blogging could be so exhausting? :)
This game consists of them having to say one line of the memorized chant and pass around the pouch that holds a ticking timer They were supposed to do the hand motions (biting an imaginary apple) with the chant, but after a few kids got out they were too concerned with the time to care about doing the motions.
"See the apple.
The apple on the alligator.
See the book.
The book on the bed.
See the cat.
The cat on the cap."
* * *
E2-A-- first graders. We've got the twins, Julie and Sally, who I still can't tell apart as you will see in the video. Then there's Thomas who I have twice in a row, then Gary who's brand new and doesn't know any English (named him after my dad), and Tommy who, although can be cute, is essentially a consistent irritation.
Sally is so, so, SO cute.
This is another chant they had to memorize. Most of the students have a really hard time with "this is" and "it is", as well as differentiating between "a" and "an". But Thomas is a pro. He also has me for two classes back to back so he has an advantage.
"This is a dog. It is my dog. It is on the desk.
This is an an egg. It is my egg. It is on the elephant.
This is a frog. It is my frog. It is on the flag."
* * *
K-A-- Kindergartners.
Shoot me.
* * *
E3-D-- 5th graders? I have no idea how old these kids are. In Korea they might say 11-13, but really that means they're 9-11. They tack on two years. I have yet to find out why.
I'm trying to talk to the kids about their plans for the weekend. I speak to Alan for a minute about his friends birthday, Sue tells me about computer games, etcetera.
* * *
E4-B-- 3rd graders. I think...? They're really cute though and really sweet. Always eager to learn.
* * *
E3-C-- 6th graders, perhaps. They're extremely smart. Sarah, Ray, and Kelly are excellent conversationalists as you will see when Sarah turns the camera on me. She asks me how I'm doing and then apologizes for taking the camera. They all really love fast reading, which I didn't record because it's impossible to understand. They are reading a story called "Igloos, Houses of Ice" and whenever I'm looking for a time filler I just take out my phone and time them to see how long it takes for them to finish. The second video is of Sarah reading the Igloo story at a normal pace.
* * *
E-4 C-- same as E-3D, I believe they are 5th graders or so.
This is Sunny. Every day I ask him how he's doing, and he said "I am... SURPRISED!"
Holy hell. That was a lot of uploading. Who knew blogging could be so exhausting? :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Flashing Lights.
It has been a few days. I do apologize. I notice that the counter goes up each day and I feel slightly pressured to write a blog every other day, but I have been super busy, hence the small delay. Hmm. That rhymed and it was unintentional.
I pretty much only have time at this moment to talk about three things; the incredible mountain that is my backyard, the dance clubs and foreign bars in Daegu, and my CouchSurfer.
First, the mountain. My friend Steve said we should hike it at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, and I figured he was full of it, so I called his bluff. Full of it he was not, my friends. This mountain/20 minute "hike" if you walk fast is about 10 minutes from my apartment.
One of the temples is supposedly the oldest in South Korea, although I'm not sure which one. My favorite part of that morning was the sight opposite the city, which was just layer upon layer upon layer of mountains. It looked completely surreal. I also loved the bamboo forest (last picture)... it was totally novel and unexpected to see towering bamboos just ahead of me as we were descending the mountain. There were also people praying up and around where we walked inside of these little mini-temples that were lit with what looked to be about 100 tea lights. It was really beautiful. I was told you can also stay the night in those temples, although nobody seems to know how to arrange it.
I do have more pictures from Saturday night in Daegu, and I want to talk about my CouchSurfer Johanna from Sweden, but I have officially run out of time.
More later. :)
Update: It is currently 11:50 p.m. Wednesday night. Johanna is fast asleep, as she has to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a 6 a.m. train to Busan, and then a ferry to Japan. Brave girl. She's really sweet and has been a perfect guest. She stayed for a total of 3 nights with me, in which the time we spent together has been pleasantly educational. I don't know what else to say about it, really. She just kind of did her own thing during the day while I worked, helped me cook dinner, taught me about Sweden, and talked to me about her boyfriend.
Love is the language.
Update: 12:23 a.m. Friday morning. T.G.I.MF.F! Here are some pictures from last Saturday in Daegu. :)
My room at the love motel.
Daegu by drizzle.
George kissing Steve's hand.
Flashing Lightskies. ;)
This is my official video test. Crossing my fingers!
And thus concludes my most prolonged post yet. Tomorrow is another birthday celebration, this time for my friend Aleesha. Saturday I'm going biking with Diane, Beau, Sherwin, Sarah, and Simon. It's getting really beautiful here with all of the cherry blossoms blooming and I hope to have some really incredible pictures for my next post. Til then. :)
I pretty much only have time at this moment to talk about three things; the incredible mountain that is my backyard, the dance clubs and foreign bars in Daegu, and my CouchSurfer.
First, the mountain. My friend Steve said we should hike it at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, and I figured he was full of it, so I called his bluff. Full of it he was not, my friends. This mountain/20 minute "hike" if you walk fast is about 10 minutes from my apartment.
One of the temples is supposedly the oldest in South Korea, although I'm not sure which one. My favorite part of that morning was the sight opposite the city, which was just layer upon layer upon layer of mountains. It looked completely surreal. I also loved the bamboo forest (last picture)... it was totally novel and unexpected to see towering bamboos just ahead of me as we were descending the mountain. There were also people praying up and around where we walked inside of these little mini-temples that were lit with what looked to be about 100 tea lights. It was really beautiful. I was told you can also stay the night in those temples, although nobody seems to know how to arrange it.
I do have more pictures from Saturday night in Daegu, and I want to talk about my CouchSurfer Johanna from Sweden, but I have officially run out of time.
More later. :)
Update: It is currently 11:50 p.m. Wednesday night. Johanna is fast asleep, as she has to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a 6 a.m. train to Busan, and then a ferry to Japan. Brave girl. She's really sweet and has been a perfect guest. She stayed for a total of 3 nights with me, in which the time we spent together has been pleasantly educational. I don't know what else to say about it, really. She just kind of did her own thing during the day while I worked, helped me cook dinner, taught me about Sweden, and talked to me about her boyfriend.
Love is the language.
Update: 12:23 a.m. Friday morning. T.G.I.MF.F! Here are some pictures from last Saturday in Daegu. :)
My room at the love motel.
Daegu by drizzle.
George kissing Steve's hand.
Flashing Lightskies. ;)This is my official video test. Crossing my fingers!
And thus concludes my most prolonged post yet. Tomorrow is another birthday celebration, this time for my friend Aleesha. Saturday I'm going biking with Diane, Beau, Sherwin, Sarah, and Simon. It's getting really beautiful here with all of the cherry blossoms blooming and I hope to have some really incredible pictures for my next post. Til then. :)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Well you can't stop nothin' if you got no control.
I realized after talking to a friend last night that I didn't have my favorite Jack Johnson CD, In Between Dreams. The moment I got home from the bar I downloaded it, and as I was walking to work today (and back) with my iPod on I was reminded of how much I love that album. Listening to those songs (specifically Breakdown, Better Together, and Never Knowin') took me back to a place I haven't been in years, yet at the same time gave me this fresh perspective that I have been needing to hear. The juxtaposition of both old and new emotions felt particularly powerful as I walked past friendly Koreans (annyoung haseo!) and waved to the school kids playing in the park, all the while with my own little life soundtrack supporting my every move in my ears. Music, man. There is so much that it invokes in a person. For me it has always been an affinity for lyrical prowess mixed with a catchy melody and a beautiful voice (hence my favorite, Jason Mraz). Or anything with a good beat, a dystopian theme (Deltron), a song that will make you nod your head (311), instrumental jam-dance-groove (Lotus), the utmost simplicity of a guy and a guitar (Avett Brothers), or anything my family and I get down on (Jeff Lynn, XTC, Fountains of Wayne, John Mayer, Death Cab For Cutie). Hmm. Nostalgia is creeping in.
* * *
School today was a blast. I love Fridays. I was sitting on the floor in a circle with my E1-B class (1st graders, I believe) and observing them play Uno. I really am going to bring my camera next Friday because you have to see these kids. They are so damn cute. Since a lot of what I teach them is learned through repetition, they have a tendency to copy what I say. Today I had a class of 10 of the cutest Korean kids repeating "oh my god" over and over again. I couldn't get enough of it. They are like trained animals, and I mean that in the best way possible. I was saying "oh my god" with every type of voice inflection I could think of. Valley girl style (oh my gahd!), irritated style (Oh. My. GOD), freaking out style (ohmygodohmygodohmygod!), et al. I will have all of these uploaded on video by next Friday; I figured out how to upload them by the way, and it only took a change on one of the camcorder settings. Psh.
With my older classes I played Apples to Apples for Kids, which is quickly becoming another favorite of mine. If you haven't played the game, it's really simple. Everyone gets a certain amount of red cards (I do 4 for my students), and I choose one green card. On the one green card it might say "small", or "clean", or "colorful", or "fuzzy", or "spooky"... a plethora of adjectives. On the red cards that the students have it would say anything ranging from Ronald McDonald, My Teacher, Bears, Clowns, In the Basement, Sharks, etcetera. They have to pick 1 of 4 red cards that they think matches the adjective the best. Can you imagine the hilarity of playing this game with Korean students who are just scratching the surface of the English language? I had a green card and it said "dirty". The red cards I receieved were My Grandpa, Sunshine, Spaghetti, and Sand. Another good one was "fancy" and I got Hot Chocolate, My Mom, Ice Cream, and Fireworks. My favorite today however was "pretty", to which I received My Teacher, Rainbows, Fishing, and Mountains. A difficult decision, but I always choose My Teacher when they relate to a positive adjective. It makes the brown noser feel good and it makes me think that they actually might have an idea of what the adjective means. It's a win win situation.
* * *
On a different note, I am going to Daegu tomorrow with a bunch of foreigners for the soccer game on Sunday. The Gyeongju team, which I am now officially apart of, is playing Daegu United. They are a team of US military guys and originally, the field was going to be the one on the Airforce base, but now it is somewhere else in Daegu which I've heard is good because anyone can go. When it was supposed to be held at the base, anyone who was playing or who wanted to attend had to give their full name and nationality to someone in advance, as well as bring their passport and a second ID to get escorted onto the field. It's more lax now which I anticipate will bring more people out. Maybe. I really don't know what to expect from Daegu. I've been told there are a lot of Western restaurants, as well as a Western crowd which makes sense seeing as it is an American Airforce base. I will let you know though.
I am late for someone's birthday dinner. I do not know who this someone is, but everyone is going out for drinks and apparently a karaoke bar (aka norebang, prounced nore-ree-bong). Should a novel night.
Til next time.
* * *
School today was a blast. I love Fridays. I was sitting on the floor in a circle with my E1-B class (1st graders, I believe) and observing them play Uno. I really am going to bring my camera next Friday because you have to see these kids. They are so damn cute. Since a lot of what I teach them is learned through repetition, they have a tendency to copy what I say. Today I had a class of 10 of the cutest Korean kids repeating "oh my god" over and over again. I couldn't get enough of it. They are like trained animals, and I mean that in the best way possible. I was saying "oh my god" with every type of voice inflection I could think of. Valley girl style (oh my gahd!), irritated style (Oh. My. GOD), freaking out style (ohmygodohmygodohmygod!), et al. I will have all of these uploaded on video by next Friday; I figured out how to upload them by the way, and it only took a change on one of the camcorder settings. Psh.
With my older classes I played Apples to Apples for Kids, which is quickly becoming another favorite of mine. If you haven't played the game, it's really simple. Everyone gets a certain amount of red cards (I do 4 for my students), and I choose one green card. On the one green card it might say "small", or "clean", or "colorful", or "fuzzy", or "spooky"... a plethora of adjectives. On the red cards that the students have it would say anything ranging from Ronald McDonald, My Teacher, Bears, Clowns, In the Basement, Sharks, etcetera. They have to pick 1 of 4 red cards that they think matches the adjective the best. Can you imagine the hilarity of playing this game with Korean students who are just scratching the surface of the English language? I had a green card and it said "dirty". The red cards I receieved were My Grandpa, Sunshine, Spaghetti, and Sand. Another good one was "fancy" and I got Hot Chocolate, My Mom, Ice Cream, and Fireworks. My favorite today however was "pretty", to which I received My Teacher, Rainbows, Fishing, and Mountains. A difficult decision, but I always choose My Teacher when they relate to a positive adjective. It makes the brown noser feel good and it makes me think that they actually might have an idea of what the adjective means. It's a win win situation.
* * *
On a different note, I am going to Daegu tomorrow with a bunch of foreigners for the soccer game on Sunday. The Gyeongju team, which I am now officially apart of, is playing Daegu United. They are a team of US military guys and originally, the field was going to be the one on the Airforce base, but now it is somewhere else in Daegu which I've heard is good because anyone can go. When it was supposed to be held at the base, anyone who was playing or who wanted to attend had to give their full name and nationality to someone in advance, as well as bring their passport and a second ID to get escorted onto the field. It's more lax now which I anticipate will bring more people out. Maybe. I really don't know what to expect from Daegu. I've been told there are a lot of Western restaurants, as well as a Western crowd which makes sense seeing as it is an American Airforce base. I will let you know though.
I am late for someone's birthday dinner. I do not know who this someone is, but everyone is going out for drinks and apparently a karaoke bar (aka norebang, prounced nore-ree-bong). Should a novel night.
Til next time.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Dear Buddhist Monks,
Where are you? People tell me you wander the streets of Gyeongju, but I have yet to see you. Are you phantom monks? I think I heard you chanting outside my school yesterday, although I think this would be strange because it sounded like it was coming from a megaphone of some sort. I guess I just assume you would be more traditional than to preach Buddhism via a modern amplifier. Perhaps this is stereotypical of me.
Do you give advice to those who seek it? Because I would love to meet one of you and ask you some questions, assuming of course that you speak my language. But I would learn Korean in a heartbeat if I knew that the questions I had for you would be answered. Such as:
Are you an egg, a carrot, or a coffee bean? I know this is a strange question, but roll with me here. Assume you were to boil three pots of water. In one pot you put an egg, in another a carrot, and in the third ground coffee beans. After letting the water boil for 20 minutes, you take out the egg and put it in a bowl, you take out the carrot and put it in the bowl, and you ladle a cup of coffee from the coffee beans and put it in a bowl. What do you see?
An egg, a carrot, and a cup of coffee, right?
But if you were to feel the carrot, you would notice that although it went into the water hard, unrelenting, and strong, it was now seemingly weaker and softer than it had been prior to being boiled.
The egg, prior to being boiled, had been fragile and could have broken at any moment, spilling it's liquid interior. But now, if you were to hold it in your hand after it was done boiling, you would notice that underneath the thin, outer protective shell, the liquid had hardened.
But what about the ground coffee beans? They had changed the water entirely.
You see Buddhist monks, each of these things faced the same adversity which was boiling water. But each reacted differently. So which are you?
Are you the egg which has a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break up, a financial hardship or any other type of trial, do you become hardened and stiff?
Are you the carrot who seems strong, but when faced with trials and tribulations you become soft?
Or are you the coffee bean? The one that actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
So I ask you again, my dear Buddhist monks whom I will probably never actually have a conversation with: are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Love,
Laura
P.S.
I think I am definitely the egg. But I am striving towards the coffee bean. What are you?
P.P.S.
I have none of these things in my refrigerator and I am craving a caramel macchiato.
Do you give advice to those who seek it? Because I would love to meet one of you and ask you some questions, assuming of course that you speak my language. But I would learn Korean in a heartbeat if I knew that the questions I had for you would be answered. Such as:
Are you an egg, a carrot, or a coffee bean? I know this is a strange question, but roll with me here. Assume you were to boil three pots of water. In one pot you put an egg, in another a carrot, and in the third ground coffee beans. After letting the water boil for 20 minutes, you take out the egg and put it in a bowl, you take out the carrot and put it in the bowl, and you ladle a cup of coffee from the coffee beans and put it in a bowl. What do you see?
An egg, a carrot, and a cup of coffee, right?
But if you were to feel the carrot, you would notice that although it went into the water hard, unrelenting, and strong, it was now seemingly weaker and softer than it had been prior to being boiled.
The egg, prior to being boiled, had been fragile and could have broken at any moment, spilling it's liquid interior. But now, if you were to hold it in your hand after it was done boiling, you would notice that underneath the thin, outer protective shell, the liquid had hardened.
But what about the ground coffee beans? They had changed the water entirely.
You see Buddhist monks, each of these things faced the same adversity which was boiling water. But each reacted differently. So which are you?
Are you the egg which has a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break up, a financial hardship or any other type of trial, do you become hardened and stiff?
Are you the carrot who seems strong, but when faced with trials and tribulations you become soft?
Or are you the coffee bean? The one that actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
So I ask you again, my dear Buddhist monks whom I will probably never actually have a conversation with: are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Love,
Laura
P.S.
I think I am definitely the egg. But I am striving towards the coffee bean. What are you?
P.P.S.
I have none of these things in my refrigerator and I am craving a caramel macchiato.
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