I live in a very small world. That is what I have decided after visiting with my friend Juyon (pronounced "Jew-won").
I met Juyon when I started doing "FriendSpeak" (an "English as a Second Language" course). He is from South Korea and - to be honest - before I met him, I knew nothing about South Korea and (frankly) I didn't care and was not interested.
Over the past six months, though, he and I have become buddies (I even took him to his first live hockey game before Christmas) and I have to say that I have been blessed by getting to know him (and the others in the group). I really admire them - leaving everything that they know - everything that is familiar - just to come here because they think it will be a better life for their family.
Juyon was feeling badly about his English skills (he is actually an excellent reader), so I have been having him teach me Korean - one word every week. I now know.... jib (house).... guk (soup)..... tone (bowl).... nun (snow or tear)...... and (for some odd reason) he laughs at me every time I try to say the words. :)
Anyway - tonight we did not read - in fact he taught me. He brought 141 pictures on his computer and showed me around Korea with them.... Korean houses, beaches, mountains, markets, highways and food (The food one was the funniest! He showed me several things and then came a picture of an Octopus. I asked, "How do you cook it?" He said, "You don't. It wiggles - you chop - eat. Wiggle - chop - eat!" Then he showed me - using charades - that the sucker on the tentacle sometimes gets stuck on your tongue. Yum!)
Anyway.... it was not a good night for reading English, but it was a great night for conversation and sharing...... and a good night for reminding me that my way is not the only way. It is a good lesson to learn (even if it is just a start)
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