2014.1.10 Feeling like a tourist in Seoul

"Visiting Street Jongro-3 for the First Time"

 

First time in my life, I visited Street Jongro-3. Because it's along the subway line #3, I am already very familiar with the name of the station. However, I have never been to the place until this day! Jonro-3 Street is totally different from places I usually go. Usually, there are franchise stores like Twosome Place, Starbucks, Coffee Bean, OliveYoung and etc. So, I expected those shops to be along the sidewalk. However, but, there were stores quite different. Mostly, there were jewelry shops. Not like Tiffany&Co, or Lloyd, but brandless and traditional  jewelry shops. There were also a lot of shops for hearing aid. I felt like,

"Where am I?"

"Ummmm..."

"Wow, I feel like I traveled in time to 90s."

"So many old grandmas and grandpas..."

Yes. I saw sooo many old people wandering on the street or even saw old couples walking along the street. I felt really weird.

The buildings were really old. there were only as high as fifth floor and the paintings are outdated, tiles on the walls are peeled. Well, to be honest, the views were not as aesthetically attractive or something. But, aside from that, I felt that this place had many memories of people mid 40-50s. It's not as modernized and clean as places like Kangnam, Yangje or Sinsa. However, Street Jongro-3 somewhat maintains memories of South Korea's past.

So, when Dayoung arrived, we both went to Gwang-Jang Market to eat Yukhoe, Korean-style raw beef. I heard that there is a popular street only for Yukhoe. So, I was excited to really visit this place.

Tadaa! strings of darkish red meat are Yukhoe. This place tasted really really good. It could have been sweeter and saltier. But it was more like well balanced and yet not blend. We also ate bibimbap with Yukhoe. Both taste AMAZING. I loved it. The taste of Yukhoe remained on my tastebuds. So delicious. I miss it already. :( Hope that foreigners taste Yukhoe without any strange and disgusted look because seriously, they are DELICiOUS!





some healthy information about food for preventing constipation

 

1) food that exacerbate constipation
- dairy food: fresh milk, ice cream, yakult (Do NOT consume more than once. the more, the worse!)
- fruits: banana, well-ripened and soft persimmon, boiled carrot.
- snacks: biscuits, chocolates, bread made up of white flour.
- different kinds of instant foods!

2) food that helps defecation (bowel movement)
- fiber.fiber.fiber!
- crops: sweet potatoes, wheat bran, brown rice, barley, peas, adz-uki, whole-wheat bread, barley breads, tofu, plantango seeds
- vegetables: chives, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, a burdock, cucumber, chili, tomato, small tomato
- fruits/nuts: kiwi, plum, peach, apricot, raisins, chestnut, peanuts, walnut, almond, sesame seed, western plum juice (prune juice)
- seeafoods: seeweeds, green laver, kelp, fragrant mushroom (표고버섯. no idea why it's called this way.), dried black fungus ( is this edible? really?)
- others: soybean paste, red pepper paste, curry powder.

Let us be healthy!

1) 변비를 악화시킬 수 있는 음식
- 유제품 : 생우유, 치즈, 아이스크림, 야쿠르트(많이 먹이면 역효과, 하루 1개 이상 먹이지 마세요.)
- 과일류 : 바나나, 연시 감, 삶은 당근
- 과자류 : 비스킷, 초콜릿, 백색 밀가루로 만든 빵
- 각종 인스턴트 음식류


2) 변을 무르게 하여 배변 리듬에 도움을 주는 음식
섬유질이 풍부하게 포함된 식품으로 다음과 같은 것들이 추천됩니다.
- 곡류 : 고구마, 밀기울, 현미, 보리, 콩류, 팥류, 통밀빵, 보리빵, 두부, 차전차,
- 채소류 : 부추, 양상추, 양배추, 시금치, 우엉, 오이, 고추, 토마토, 방울토마토
- 과일 및 견과류 : 키위, 자두, 복숭아, 살구, 건포도, 밤, 땅콩, 호두, 아몬드, 참깨, 서양자두 주스(프룬 주스)
- 해조류 및 버섯류 : 김, 미역, 파래, 다시마, 표고버섯, 건목이
- 기타 : 된장, 고추장, 카레가루

12.24.13~12.26.13 Merry Christmas

Christmas Blessing @ Soya Island, Incheon.

I feel Christmas when I hear familiar Christmas carols on the street and see gigantic and extravagant Christmas trees in middle of the road. My Christmas was, always, with my dear family. I go to worship in the morning with attires with color red. And have good and warm family dinner. I thought that was how I should spend for Christmas. But, this time, I spent Christmas in Soya Island with nineteen Hub friends who decided to go to Soya Island.

 

When we arrived, we straightly went to the town center-- so-called 마을회관  in order to prepare for what we prepared for elders. It was happy to meet elders whom I saw last summer. They were all the same. We ate lunch together, we did small biblical drama (Birth of Jesus story), we danced and we sang together. I do not expect that we delivered the core meaning of Christmas. But I was happy to see people enjoying the small Christmas celebration and feeling gratified with what we prepared.

 Another thing we prepared was for children. We practiced a short but entertaining skit based on recently famous gag corner: 두근두근.

I gave them the idea and they made it so good!
They are great actors God prepared. :) Hope children enjoyed it. (I could not watch it because I was washing dishes.:P)



 

Aside from the skit, we prepared art class! Before coming to Soya Island, on a brown paper, we made a christmas tree with our hands painted in green painting, stamped and amassed one another. Children were to write letters to Jesus. And, some of teachers wrote it too :) I think this idea is cute. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Hm, how shall I explain this? we bought some kits for making candles. It's like clays. I was a bit anxious if children would feel bored doing this. But this time, they were very amenable while instruction was given. :) Happy to see they were all concentrated on making these.

They were all engrossed with making their own candles. It was an amazing time to see their creativity and cooperation with teachers.

 

 

 

 

Children and we played several games too; One card, and Hali-Gali.

In fact, I really love this picture.

I drew this when coming to this place; Children and teachers playing games together :)

Look at them, they look intimate and fun :)

 

We also gave them Christmas gifts: a warm blanket with a ring candy.

 

 

 

Two nights and three days are short yet long days. Compared to other Christmas blessings, works are tougher and we all need to stay for one extra day.

Aside from the Christmas feast preparation, special choir presentation and Christmas  recreation, guys need to do lumb works a lot. Lumbs soaked with rain and snow are very heavy. so it is very exhausting.

 

To make matters worse, we heard the news that weather would be bad that ships would not embark on 26th. BAD. VERY BAD.

We prayed desperately for the weather from the moment we decided to come to Soya Island and until before we leave the island.

Thank God, we were able to get on the ship at noon, even earlier than we expected. (we boarded earlier because the news warned that the weather would get worse in the afternoon.)

 

 

On 25th night, we wrote spiritual diary. We wrote a letter to God, and from the perspective of God, we wrote to ourselves. We shared our letters and unveiled our 'manito.' My manito is, in effect, in the picture on the right. She is the one wearing black shirt, with red candy ring!

 

I could not understand why God had put me in the leadership. I was afraid of leading nineteen unfamilir and new people. I even am fearful of becoming a leader among people I know. I circumvent such opportunities as much as possible because I do not want to be responsible for something big and I do not want to be judged.

 

But on friday 20th, four days before leaving to Soya Island, I laid everything on God's feet. I showed him how I am insecure. I was not ready to become their leader because I, for myself, was unclear about my sprituality. I was still struggling from the relationship with God. Feeling of loss, feeling of emptiness and feeling of insecurity all accumulated in me. I grabbed everything to solve them all on my own. But I could not resist myself to collapse in front of God. I cried so hard because I knew I could not solve them on my own. Instead of praying for what I wanted for this blessing, I did prayer of confession. I laid everyting down on Him.

Then I realized I was recovering. I saw nineteen mates who were on different lanes but aiming for the same ultimate goal of life: living the life of God's love. 

Do I know of God's love? I don't know. I am still figuring out because God has shown me tons and tons of different types of love. And yet, he still has more to show. So I say, I don't know yet.

 

But, one thing for sure, after this blessing, I am so grateful that I have gained nineteen trustworthy mates in Hub. I consider them as my Christmas gift. I am like, "God, you are really trying hard to fill up the empty part in me. :)"