Yeosu R & A - - 16th March 2011

Life has settled into a routine so I will attempt to explain some of it is.

But first a Korean joke/story.
You've been in Korea too long when:

1. Your back is sore from bowing.
2. People ask if you want to go by car and you respond, "No, I'm in a hurry."
3. You realize that it is safer to "J" walk than use a pedestrian crosswalk.
4. You wear white socks with a dark suit.
5. You crawl back into your house to get your coat, rather than take your shoes back off and walk on the floor with shoes on.
6. You bow at inanimate objects.
7. Someone says breakfast, you think of "fish, soup and seaweed."
8. You'd rather sit on the floor than in a chair.
9. You select shoes based on how easily you can get them on and off.
10. You carry chopsticks in your back pocket.
11. You enjoy putting lots of red pepper sauce on your salads or French-fries.
12. You don't freak out when the salad arrives with octopus legs still wiggling on top of it.

  Korean History
Korea is a peninsular and has been invaded some 3000 times in it's history.
The most recent was North Korea and China during the Korean war (1950 -1953) during which the country was decimated.
Prior to this they were occupied by Japan (1910 - 1945).  This was, as it is usually, a brutal occupation.

Daily Life at MTI

The MTI building is brand new.
Three floors:
Floor 1 is the office and class rooms
Floor 2 is the Dining room and dormitories
Floor 3 is the staff bedrooms, teacher's bedrooms and a flat for the director and family.

The church is a separate entity to MTI but we are in their building.
It too is new (one year old).
It seats 600?

It has a coffee shop and downstairs a kitchen that feeds some 500 people every Sunday lunch.
Cost is 1000 won ( $1.00) or free for over sixty - YES.  No "T Bone" steaks.  It's usually rice, spicy cabbage ( kim chi), bean sprouts and a bean soup.  Simple but tasty and filling.


The day starts at 7.20 with a breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, fruit, toast, coffee.  This introduces the students  to Western food and table manners (eg, you don't drink from your cereal bowl).  Chapel is at 8.30 and then classes from 9.30 till 12.30.

This is a typical class room with my students.

As you can see it is modern and well equipped.
The students are older (21+) and many have university degrees.  Their histories vary from 10 years in China to just out of Uni. or perhaps a full- time Christian worker.

There is a large library for whole school meetings, presentations, parties and general get-togethers.

All day we speak English. It is against school/institute rules to speak Korean.  Can you imagine, you can hardly speak a language - beginner- and you have to discuss the meaning of life, learn grammar, be a leader at a meeting, say grace, have polite conversation and ask for more rice at dinner. Wow!


After lessons finish for the morning we have lunch at 12.30.  Korean food, but for teachers who do not appreciate spicy sauces there is a less spicy alternative.
After lunch Robin often goes to a nearby gym.
Lessons start again at 2.00. 

 Lunch is in tables of 6.

I guess this is a typical meal.

• soup of processed fish or seaweed or spinach.
• Main is:
• Rice (of course)
• Spinach- like vegetable (in this particular case there was some disagreement on the name!),
• noodles
• kim chi (spicy cabbage)

The more Western meal was tinned chicken, salad and rice.

More of the adventure later.
We feel a great joy and honour just being here.

R & A