world's naughtiest puppy...

this picture was taken by my friend, jen, of her puppy who just happens to look almost identically to my childhood pup, goliath "goli" kim.

he was, perhaps, on the top 10 list of world's naughtiest dogs. any bad thing a dog could do, goli did. he chewed up shoes, chewed on the walls, pooped in the house, ate my school supplies (he chewed up my favorite green eraser which i thought i lost until i took goli out to go to the bathroom and saw what he had done with it), knocked over trash cans, attacked the vacuum cleaner, got up on the table to eat food at Thanksgiving, begged for food like no other dog i've seen. he would crawl under the table and rest his head on your lap and make cute whimpering noises, but if you ignored his gentle whimpers for a couple minutes, they became loud moans that sounded like "come on, man. come on! give something up, puhhlease?" he was like a harry houdini in dog form. he could get out of any cage, fence that you put him in. when he was a puppy, only a few months old he chewed through a thick plastic crate in a few hours. when he was only a couple months old, he got out of a fenced area and followed me on my school bus.goli also was notorious for running away. when the door opened he would try to squeeze out of that door like a criminal from prison. once he caught the scent of fresh air, he was gone, especially if there were small animals around. he loved to bark at squirrels and rabbits. if we were outside and squirrels were visible i would always do my best to distract him so he wouldn't try to chase them. heck, i would have thrown down a $50 steak in front of him to avoid an attempted runaway squirrel chase. he was super fast and, to add to the list of all of his "naughtiness", he had terrible obedience skills. when he'd escape we would chase and call him to come to us and he would turn and begin running toward us, giving us a sense of relief, but then at the last second he would dodge us and start running another direction just to "sike" us out. he was kind of a punk. it often took the whole family to catch him. i'm sure we were quite the spectacle running around our neighborhood with treats in hand trying to lure him back into his collar and leash. sometimes my mom or dad would drive the car around with the doors open to try to get him to jump in because he loved car rides.

he loved to snuggle and sleep with you. even though he was a pit bull he was really just a big cuddlebug. he would nose his way under the blankets and wanted every inch of his body covered. i sometimes slept with an electric blanket and he loved it. he would cuddle underneath and stay there for hours. he liked to be comfortable when he slept. he didn't like to walk in the grass after it rained because he didn't like to get his feet wet. he wasn't allowed to get on the couches at home, but he would always sleep on them while we were gone. as soon as we walked in the door i would hear the rattle of his collar and i'd see his ear pressed against his face where he had be laying against the throw pillow. he would have this look of "i didn't do anything wrong. i'm just hangin' out...", but then we'd walk over to the couch to see his body print embedded in the cushion, still warm.

he had other endearing qualities. he was super smart and knew dozens of tricks. he knew how to give kisses where he would press his lips against your face. he could jump in the air and twist (i called it the triple axle), he could play dead and pass out, he high fived, could give hugs and dozens more tricks, he enjoyed music and would lay at my feet when i played piano. he would try to sing along when my mom played guitar. he loved to be scratched. he would sulk when he got in trouble. his sulking hiding spot was under my parents' bed and if you tried to pull him out he would nip at your fingers.

goli eventually got sick and we had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. we had to put him down. we loved him so much and i still miss him and think of him all the time, especially every fourth of july. whenever he heard fireworks he would hide in the bushes because it scared him so much. it always made us laugh. in between the booms and pops he would muster up the courage to come out and bark at the sky to show his indignation, but eventually he would end up back in the bushes and there was no coaxing him out.

i don't know if dogs really do go to heaven, but i hope i'll be able to see him again. when he died, i was so sad and i prayed God would let me see him in my dreams and i do. every once in a while i have dreams of playing with goli, running around and laughing at his quirkiness. he was perhaps the world's naughtiest dog, but i sure do love and miss him.

busan sand festival and the army ball

happy father's day!

to go along with my earlier post, i have been wanting to make a point of thanking my parents for all they have done for us kids. they have overcome many difficult obstacles and have sacrificed a great deal for my siblings and me.

when i hear the national anthem of Korea or the U.S. I think a lot of my parents. as i listen to the melodies and words, i reflect on what it means to love a country or to feel patriotic.

my dad, is one of the most patriotic people i know. he still affectionately refers to korea as "my country" when he references it. he loves the land; he loves the people. i know he must miss his home country terribly. i can only imagine how difficult it must have been for my parents to leave all of their family and friends behind to move to the u.s. having moved to a "foreign" country, i can finally empathize with him. i understand the frustration he must have felt with the language barrier, the cultural differences and misunderstandings, missing what he could have "back home" or giving up a comfortable life so he could provide a better life for his family.

my dad is the hardest worker i know. he worked so hard to be sure all of us could have a beautiful home, an excellent education and the opportunity to go to college. we've all gone to college and even graduate school. we are all healthy and have never been in need. I owe both my dad and my mom a lot of gratitude for those gifts.

dad, happy father's day! you came to the u.s. as a 20-something newly wed, probably not sure what you were getting yourself into and you've been so bountifully blessed by God. thank you for being so brave and all you have sacrificed. you are a great example of the american dream.

tearing up at the movies

have you ever gone to a movie on a military base? well, if you have you know that they play the national anthem before any movie they show. the lights dim a little and a loud crackling recording booms through the speaker system and immediately everyone in the theater jumps up and stands at attention. i learned this this the hard way...i was already in my movie lounging position when the lights dimmed and i saw people standing and i scrambled to stand up from my folding seat without spilling popcorn all over my lap. i wasn't sure what was happening and my date didn't offer any explanation. afterward peter looked over at me and said, "sorry...i forgot to tell you they do that here." well, what i once thought was a strange formality has become something i really enjoy and even look forward to.

since we are in korea our movie theater plays the korean national anthem first then the u.s. anthem. the theater plays an old video featuring different landscapes of korea with an old recording of a large korean choir singing and orchestra playing this beautiful song. every time i hear the korean anthem i tear up. the melody is so rich and lovely. the anthem moves me. i think of the tragedy this nation has experienced, how families were broken apart, so many lives lost from war and how, even still, this nation remains in a state of division.

if you want to hear the anthem, here's a video.

and these are the lyrics in english:

Until the East Sea's waves are dry, (and) Mt. Baekdusan worn away, God watch o'er our land forever! Our country forever!

Rose of Sharon, thousand miles of range and river land! Guarded by her people, ever may Korea stand!

Like that Mt. Namsan armored pine, standing on duty still, wind or frost, unchanging ever, be our resolute will.

In autumn's, arching evening sky,crystal, and cloudless blue, Be the radiant moon our spirit, steadfast, single, and true.

With such a will, (and) such a spirit, loyalty, heart and hand, Let us love, come grief, come gladness, this, our beloved land!

things you see in korea (some of my fav!)

gardens and farmland are all throughout this beautiful country...whether it's in a big open field or in the nooks and crannies of the city, koreans know how to maximize their space.
mountains, mountains, mountains everywhere. this photo is from the winter, but now the mountains are bright green and smile at me every day on my way to work.
this is "chungdo" a city that is considered much more rural. people who live in the country are very hospitable. they are known to invite strangers in their home to allow them to stay with them or feed them meals even though they live quite humbly themselves. while we were there a few elderly people were giving us presents of free peaches and plums. the people are so very kind and the land is very beautiful.

kids run around the streets freely. they have no fear of strangers or crime because korea is so safe. i even see 7 and 8 year olds ride the bus or subway alone. these kiddos ran past peter and i on a walk and yelled out their english they've been learning at their hagwons: hello! how are you! thank you! (this happens all the time and pete loves it!)

we have an amazing market that comes right outside our apartment door selling all kinds of goodies from freshly made donuts to fish. i usually stop here to buy fruit, veggies and eggs. they even sell kitchenware, books, freshly made korean popcorn style snacks. it's rockin' good. nothing beats stepping outside your apartment door to be greeted by an amazing farmer's market!
here's a view of a seat on the KTX train--korea's speed train. i'm sitting in first class because a lady wanted to sit in my coach seat. pretty sweet. they have a rule that you can't talk in first class which makes it an excellent napping opportunity.

nope. it's not the lighting. that car is pink. pepto pink.
my favorite car in korea. i just want to scoop down and pick it up and put it in my pocket. a little grandma walked in front of it and practically blocked the entire view of the car. seriously, it's tiny.
the rose bushes in korea are amazing! either the koreans really know how to prune these bushes to get the most buds for their branches or they are just amazing roses because every bush i see is just bursting with these brilliant beauties.

election day

korea is having a rather large government election this coming wednesday. posters are plastered everywhere with headshots of all of the candidates. the hype of the election is extremely entertaining to me. campaigners line the roads with cards, pamphlets and posters indicating their candidate of choice. the candidates themselves wear sashes (think male beauty pageant) and stand on busy street corners and humbly bow to the lanes of cars hoping to score some votes from the drivers whizzing by.

printing in korea is rather cheap so there are dozens of HUGE color banners hanging from tall buildings advertising the promises of each of the candidates. i must admit i am completely ignorant about this election. i am trying to learn a little, but as of now i'm merely judging the candidates on "how good of a smiler" they are.

my favorite part of this election are the party trucks that buzz by with a bunch of people standing in the back waving to the fast-beat of a Korean tune. They all wear white gloves have permanent smiles and they sway back in forth of a bongo truck saying things like "vote for soandso!" the trucks zoom around on these big and small side streets parading the flag of each candidate. all the candidates have their "truck". I've seen at least 20 of them driving around and they all have their party team in the back waving or rather swaying with jazz fingers spread and big smiles. i'm not sure how a crowded truck with people jammed in the back giving me jazz fingers with white gloves on makes me want to vote for someone, but i guess the koreans dig it or i wouldn't see 20 trucks whiz by.

here are some pics of the festivities. i wanted to take a pic of one of the party trucks, but they were too fast for me!

goodness! a month gone by!

Hello all.

wow. how time goes so quickly, eh? well, we have some more changes in the air. peter has moved to busan to start his new job and i am staying in daegu to finish mine. after looong conversations peter and i have decided that i should keep my job for the next school year and we're praying and hoping that he will be restationed here in daegu this coming winter. the idea of living apart is quite daunting to me. it's hard to live with someone and then suddenly be alone, but i'm hoping it allows me the time to reflect more and feast on God's word. i got a brand new amazing bible (ESV study bible---i highly recommend it!) to keep me company.

i've also been to long beach and come back for my third task force meeting for work. i've made some great friends with people which has made these long trips so much more exciting. i have really enjoyed the work we've done together and I'm hoping we'll be able to offer some really helpful recommendations for the department of defense school system.

i'm missing all of you so very much. i'll post some more soon!