a Sabbath rest

it's sunday morning in grand rapids, and soon i will leave for church. i look forward to being a part of a church here tho i don't yet know which one that will be.

the past week here has been good. there are about forty first-year students in the m.div. program, and i've had a chance to meet many of them. we've been discussing reformed hermeneutics with prof. weima this week. thankfully, i find myself agreeing with what he says as it echoes my education at dordt; i figure it's better to have a review of concepts i know than find that i vehemently disagree with calvin sem's perspective in the first week.

while there are other things i could share, i'm going to opt not to. in fact, i've decided to take a break from blogging. perhaps i'll revive this blog again at a later day. until then, feel free to call or email me.

movin'

tomorrow morning i'm leaving for grand rapids. the two weeks that i've been able to spend in iowa have been a delight as i've had the chance to catch up with some friends and family and even a few former teachers. the time has now come for me to leave the farm and head for the big city of GR; doesn't the name even sound a bit scary? (think "grrr...") even if it is scary, tho, i'm looking forward to getting out of the transition stage.

i have a sort of orientation course that begins on monday. it's a two-week deal for first year students that involves a bit more than just the campus tour and a visit with a financial aid rep. i just perused the syllabus that was sent out via email and it looks like Week 1 is about learning a reformed approach to scripture and Week 2 is about understanding the elements of a good sermon. how nice; i already have lots of questions on these topics.

lately i've been thinking about the name of the degree that i'm pursuing, the M.Div. or the Masters of Divinity. really? are they really going to make me into a master of divinity? just how does one master divinity? i just don't think this is possible. what about the name Masters of Ministry? we could call it the M.Min and run around eating little chocolate candies that melt in your mouth, not in your hand. if times get tough over the next couple years, i might try to sell this idea to the mars candy company's advertising and promotions team.

i miss rice

one of the simplest pleasures of being back has been feeling the grass between my toes. i think i can safely say that this never happened once in korea.

i have also chuckled to myself every time i pick up a spoon here. i wonder how i can grasp that little thing in my big hand. korean spoons (pictured below the american spoon) have much longer handles and bigger scoops on the end. the longer handle makes sense because koreans eat out of common bowls placed in the middle of the table, so the longer handle can reach further. somehow i managed to eat with those little spoons for the first 22 years of my life, so i suppose i will readjust quickly.

what hasn't been so easy to adjust to is that no one has bowed to me or called me handsome or commented on how tall i am in the past four days. these were daily occurences in korea, and my self-esteem is taking a bit of hit here.

on the flip side, thankfully i've become less conscious of my appearance. korea has large mirrors seemingly everywhere, in the classroom buildings, cafeteria, subway, etc. my students were also always looking at themselves in little hand-held mirrors during class. living in that environment, i picked up a bad habit of always messing with my hair since i was always seeing my reflection. i don't miss the mirrors.

i've also had a few moments when i've caught myself about to do something and remembered, "oh yeah, i don't live in korea anymore. real americans don't do this." in church on sunday morning it was time to shake hands with the people next to me, and as i stuck out my right hand, my left hand automatically went to support my right forearm. it's a sign of respect in korea, but i don't think the other guy noticed. also, before being served a meal in korea, i would normally say "jal mokessubnida!" (i will eat well!) to my host as a sign of respect, but that only draws strange looks here. i've successfully refrained so far, but it feels awkward to eat without saying it. and on my first morning back, i spent about five seconds thinking about how to turn the hot water on for my shower before i realized that i don't need to do that here.

it's the little things that make me miss korea, that jolt me and remind me that my reality is now radically different. i'm ready for the change though. admittedly, i am a bit sad, but it's good to be back in iowa. and, every day i get more excited to be a student again. i just wonder if calvin knows what they're getting into--or if i do.

surprise!

i'm back in iowa. that august 10th arrival stuff that i posted about a while back was a complete bluff (or lie, i suppose). my plans all along were to arrive on the 7th in des moines where adam would pick me up and drive me to my parents' farm to surprise my mom for her birthday. it worked quite wonderfully!

my flights went well. i had prayed earnestly for a bump to business class after emily got one last week, but i didn't get it. i did get exit rows the entire time and flight attendants and immigration officers who weren't crabby. that was a blessing. the last few times i've been flying internationally have been around christmas, and i think everyone is a bit on edge during that busy time. people in the airports generally seemed more relaxed now. maybe they forgot that our national security threat is at orange. orange! come on, people! wipe those smiles off your faces!

saying goodbye wasn't really fun. when i said goodbye to people at dordt, for example, i knew there was a pretty good chance that i'd see them again, maybe on a road trip or at a wedding or something. but when you say goodbye to people on the other side of the world, things are a bit different. i'm not just going to run into these people randomly when their visiting their grandma at the local CRC. it makes saying goodbye tough because i've grown quite close to the people there. i mean, i wasn't just taking a trip. south korea was my home for two years; it was where i clipped my toe nails and bought toilet paper and paid utility bills. and, it was where my friends and students and church were, and they will be missed.