I, Robin, am here alone.
Aileen will be coming after Christmas as she will be in Australia for the birth of a new grandchild in December. She will come and run a Kid's Camp at the local church. Actually she will be a helper for Katy, Emily and Max who will also come.
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Yes ........ it's lonely. It's just a false smile. |
KOREAN FACT
It's fall or Autumn and the trees have started to have some colour.
Each day it gets a little cooler.
Health and natural remedies and natural food is VERY important. Ginseng as a root, tea or powder is an example. Aileen has her own unique stories so ask her!
The first week of teaching I developed a head cold. The usual things; coughing, sneezing and a sore throat but there was nothing serious. The first question I was asked was, when was I going to the hospital?
What? This is a cold nothing more. My students asked me to take something. Fine I've taken all kinds of stuff, liquids, special teas, powders the list is long. "You know bee propolis Robin? It's famous in Australia." ??? "Yes is very good" and a few drops were placed on my tongue.
Famous in Australia? was certainly new to me.
The next day I was still sick and then there was an independent offer of propolis. Okay so I tried it again. " It's really good for you Robin." "You'll better tomorrow."
I still had no idea what it was, so I looked it up. "Propolis or bee glue is produced by mixing saliva and beeswax as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive." Wow. A bit weird but it must be good for you. I read on, "The National Institute of Health rates propolis as "possibly effective for treating cold sores, genital herpes, and post-surgery mouth pain."
And I thought I had a sore throat!!!
Some fellow teachers gave me paracetamol. Now I'm no doctor but if any of you reading this have a sore throat ---- try .... paracetamol -first.
MTI
The students number 32. They are an eclectic mix.
We have engineering students,a mathematician, a soccer coach, several missionaries home on furlough including one who was almost beaten to death in Zambia. There is one young man who is a graduate of a modern dance department. He is big in K pop. There are Pastors (one of whom is a traditional artist), people who speak Chinese fluently, and a vascular surgeon (seems to do kidney transplants a bit.) There is one man who is totally blind. All these people are seeking God's path for them and are willing to go anywhere in the world.
They are all wonderful committed people who are teaching me much about commitment and faith. I teach them a little about English.
My class is great. They are, as usual, motivated and kind to "grandfather" (that's me.)
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| MY Class 3 "Special Angels" plus "grandfather". |
We had a men's retreat. It was only Friday night and Saturday morning. We ate a lot (a barbecue in the rain), watched an action Movie, "Jack Reacher" (spoiler alert - all the bad guys die), and made closer friendships.
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| Men's retreat prayer time - no chairs. |
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| Oysters at the retreat. |
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| Retreat breakfast + a lot of rice |
ME
I'm fine. I've taken a few bus trips trying out my Korean. I got lost a few times but you will all be pleased to know that when I ask, in Korean, where is the toilet they understand. I also told a nice friendly man at the fish market, again in Korean, that, no I was not American, I was an Australian person. He was a little confused because he then said "You speak Korean very well!" But then realised his mammoth error when he started speaking Korean and I understood Zero.
Please pray for :
- health and safety for me and the students.
- creativity and sensitivity in my English teaching
- the Nation of Korea and the political crisis it is in at the moment
- Today is "Thanksgiving " day in Korea. I give thanks for my family and friends like you
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| Mustard greens for spicy kim chi. |
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| Street food. I think of it as like sausages made from fish leftovers -------but it tastes good. |
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| The view from where we had breakfast after the retreat. |
