Yogurt Drinks and Ajuma Fashion Tips

Reason #73 Korea is awesome: No need for a gym membership

Everywhere you go here there are parks with exercise equipment in them. Some of it is quite silly; contraptions where you kind of just swing from side to side, or stand on a platform and twist. But they also have bench presses and bars for doing pull ups, dips etc. With a little creativity you can get a great workout. And all while being outside in the beautiful sunshine.

So I'm in the park today at one of these little fitness areas, getting after it Korean style. A grandfather has his two grand kids, a girl and a boy, maybe 3 and 5 years old, with him playing in the park. They were fascinated by my strange machinations and came in for a closer inspection. There I'd be, straining for one last sit up, when what should appear? A smiling tiny face and shiny black hair! The little boy would literally get inches from me and make a silly face and in keeping with decorum I would of course make one back. It really made my workout a lot more fun and kept me from taking myself too seriously.

Then out of nowhere the little boy brought me one of the tiny little yogurt drinks they have over here, handed it to me and bowed and ran off giggling. He even included a tiny straw! My heart just about melted. I've worked out in plenty of parks back home, and never had a random child bring me a refreshing beverage before.

So that was pretty cool.

Reason #112 that Korea is awesome: mingling with the locals

A little while back I was in the market for a new sweater. It was chilly, and it's been about 12 years since I bought any new clothing, so yeah, it was time. I headed to Home Plus, sort of like Walmart over here. Pretty quickly I spot it, a hip green number, all fleecy and zippy just like the kids are wearing these days. They had my size in 2 colors: moss green and dark gray. I can't find anyone to let me into the changing room, so I just start trying them on in the middle of the store. I think I like the green, but the dark gray may be better in the long run as it would hide stains better (I'm a messy and voracious eater OK?). I'm going back and forth here more than Federer and Nadal, unable to make a decision.

After a few minutes of this, an ajuma (middle aged/old woman, all of whom have the same sort of short perm for some strange reason) approaches me, motioning to put the green one back on. She looks me over thoughtfully, then gives the universal hand motion for, "now try on the other one." Another captive look. Then, pointing to green " yong." Then gray, "ajushi (the male counterpart to the ajuma). It took me a couple minutes, but I finally figured out she was telling me the green was young and hip, while I looked like an old man in the gray. So there I was, getting fashion tips from an ajuma. Now, if you've ever seen how most ajumas dress, you know that may not be a good thing, but you still gotta love it.

Needless to say, I went with the green.

These are just two small examples of what makes living here so amusing. I'm not sure what the future holds, but as I outlined in earlier posts, this really is a great place to let God work on me while I work on myself. I don't plan on staying forever, but when the time comes it's gonna be hard to leave. I've got a ton of friends and am becoming heavily involved in the community. Combine that with good health care, money in the bank, random Asian amusement and child provided yogurt drinks, I think you can see why....

Korea, a great place to get your *&^% together....

Sometimes you get what you want. Sometimes you get what you want, leave it in the backseat of your car and forget about it, think you lost it, then find it six months later, only to realize it's only gotten better with age and you never would have really used and appreciated it at the time you got it in the first place.

What's my point?

Coming to Korea six and a half months ago, I had two main goals:

1. To save money and get out of debt
2. (Most important) To finally be so far out of my comfort and security zone that I would be forced to learn what it means to be a man

No sooner had my plane landed however, that a vortex of incredible energy enveloped me. I was consumed by the veritable cornucopia of activity and excitement that is Seoul, South Korea, and six months passed in the stuttering blink of two blue eyes.

Then about a month ago, and for no identifiable reason, I woke up. After hitting the snooze button several time, I fixed breakfast, scratched my belly, and looked at my life. Against all odds, I liked what I saw.

Without even meaning to, I had hit my stride. Maybe it was the volunteer work I started doing. It could have been the strenuous exercise I started putting my body through. It may be the time spent in prayer with God. My money's on C: all of the above.

All that time, I thought I was putting off my goal of learning what it means to be a man. Turns out I was neck deep in it the whole time.

Now, I'm not saying I've become the man I want to be. Far from it. And Lord knows there's much work to be done in all areas of my life. All I know is that here I am, exactly where I need to be, being prepared for a purpose, getting ready for my big date with destiny.

You see, I'm filled with passion. God blessed me with a soul on fire. A soul that yearns to give, to grow and stretch itself, to bring joy and love and good things into the world. To make an impact that ripples through eternity.

As of publication however, I don't have a clue how the heck that's gonna happen. Schucks, I can hardly get prepubescent Korean kids to listen to me consistently while I teach them the difference between right and write, how am I supposed to impact the world?

The answer?

I'm not supposed to.

Not yet.

I'm not ready. To paraphrase an incredible mentor of mine, I'm like a five year old who wants a Ferrari. Sure it sounds cool, but if I got one, I'd immediately crash it into the nearest ice cream truck, and, best case scenario, spend the rest of my life with chronic injuries, debilitating pain and horrific scarring. And what good would I be to the world then?

So here I am. In Korea. Being prepared. Learning to drive a Ferrari by starting with what's in front of me: a Batman Big Wheels. And you know what? Big Wheels are pretty sweet. And a Batman Big Wheels? Shoot, I'm totally over blessed on that one. I deserve a Barbie one that has all my friends making fun of me and crying for mommy.

To put it another way, I'm like Rocky in Rocky IV when he goes to Russia to train and fight Drago. He's out of his comfort zone, he's forced away from his family to train and become hardened by the Siberian winter. If he fought that big Russian monster right away, he'd get killed just like Apollo. But he puts in the work and prevails in the end (If you're wondering, I'd say I'm about six months, maybe a year, until the scene where he climbs the mountain, thrusts his hands in the air and screams, and about 3 years until, "If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change").

But I digress. I want to make the point that it's so funny and incredible how God works.

Back in the states I owned and operated my own business. Great business plan and model, completely proven, this thing worked and still does. I worked my tush off. I had a great attitude. I did everything a business owner is supposed to do. And then I did more. I did everything right. I should have been a huge success.

Nope. Abject failure.

So I fell back on my trade: cooking. I worked at some of the finest restaurants in San Diego and tried to convince myself I wanted to become a chef. Why not? I love to cook, I've been doing it since I was four. I'm fascinated by all things food, from how it's grown to how our bodies process it and turn it into energy. As a chef there's no staring at a computer screen all day, no talking on the phone. No sales calls. No suits.

Just action, immediacy and adrenaline. Great food and wine. And let's not forget the steady stream of college-aged cocktail waitresses who just love a man who can cook and looks good in his whites.

I tried and tried to sell myself on becoming a chef.

Turns out I'm a terrible salesman. Sure the good is good, but the downside is huge: ridiculous hours, terrible pay till you make it big, insane rates of burnout, alcoholism and drug abuse.

I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I was miserable. So I looked for other options, a way out. And suddenly there it was: Korea.

"Come to Korea to teach English. No experience or certification necessary, just a BA in any subject. Save money. Travel."

Done, done and done. Where do I sign?

As always happens when God is moving you, everything went smoothly. My belongings were sold easily and for a good price. I was given a good job in the exact area of Korea I wanted to be. Everything felt right and good.

And now here I am. Riding my Big Wheels (copyright Mattel. Not to be combined with other promotions. One per household). Learning to drive that Ferrari. Living. Laughing. Loving.

Thank you Korea for bringing me here. Thank you God.