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| Well, it sure has been awhile. I really don't have anything to write about in particular. I think the music I was listening to was the actual motivation in writing this. One of those "emotional impulses." I don't get that very often, so I figured I'd better see where it takes me. It's been so long that I couldn't figure out how to write a new blog! hahaha. whatever. This is the part where I'm supposed to prove to you that I have been thinking really hard lately and have a new "wisdom nugget" to share. Well, for one, I am seeing more and more that my "wisdom nuggets" aren't as cool and unique as I had once thought(or hoped). I am finding that at times; the more I analyze and "philosophize," the less my findings are relevant to life. For example, one of the top 5 questions in everybody's mind, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"(especially small children). On one hand I can laugh at other's textbook answers which seem to give them peace of mind. At the same time this person is normally right where they want to be in life or close to it. No pain, no hard questions. At the same time I will somewhat delve into the issue and attempt to come up with a more thorough answer which brings into it the fact that sin exists along with a just and loving God......yet, it never makes total sense. At the point that pain really doesn't seem fair, logical, in any pattern, or avoidable, you return to somewhat the same place as the first fellow who stopped at the easy answer by forming a more complex yet flawed answer. Or, it can eat you up, cause you to go insane and rock your faith......which is a good place for God to show up. Even after following all three of these paths, pain still exists, and life goes on. I have found that I actually become dis-attached from life when I try to analyze it. I will quote someone who quoted someone else "shit happens." I believe that living through hardships and persevering is more commendable than understanding why it is all happening. I think that is one thing that the "Christian" mentality has stumbled on. When we get burned, we spiritually try to find the "hot stove" we just brushed up against. Sometimes this causes us to pause long enough for life to run us over. I read the other day a verse that says something about mortality being swallowed up by life(2 chor. 5:5 me thinks). Yeah, I've never really thought about just .....living. | | |
| If anybody still reads this thing, I'm sorry for not writting anything for a long time. It seems like things have been flying the past few months. In short I am back in the US with quite a few new experiences under my belt and friends and memories kept in my heart. Well, there ya go, a new blog. I hope to revive this thing and get writing again. | | |
| Well, what can I say? It's been quite a while since I typed anything on here. You will have to forgive me because sometimes I just block out anything that is not directly connected with living and learning in Japan. With that....
So we ended up having a looong spring break because it is like our summer break in the U.S. I got to travel quite a bit. We went to Korea and saw friends, which I spoke of in a previous blog, Indonesia, and Thailand. While we were in Indonesia, we stayed with Rob's family which was quite a blast. We all swam in their pool about every day. We also found cheap tickets to Bali, around $100, so we headed on over there for 3 days. It was a lot of fun and we got to play in the ocean on three different beaches. If you ever go to Bali, you will be followed around constantly by people who want to sell stuff to you. Ignoring them is not bad because if you don't you will be wasting their time as well as yours. At least that is the reason I came up with. Also, never buy something at the price they first tell you. You can always get it cheaper. After our fabulous time in Bali, we headed to Thailand for a conference. This conference had to do with different aspects of our "christian religion" and how to make Christ more pertinent to people especially Muslims. It was hands down the best conference I've ever been to.
After all these travels, I returned to Japan for my last semester of school here. Rob went on more travels with his family in New Zealand, so I came back alone. One of the biggest changes this semester is that all the previous Asian exchange students left and new ones have replaced them. It was quite a change, but it has been really good. Rob and I often get a kick out of the new exchange student from England. Since she's nice, outgoing, and likes to party she has quickly adapted to the Japanese culture and has made quite a few friends. Now that she is here, Rob and I have a new classmate, so this semester our class size grew by 50%. hahha. Sometimes she talks to us and we don't understand her. I can't think of specific times, but she sometimes uses England English which is quite foreign to us Montana foke. For example: if you want to ask somebody if they are joshing you or pulling your leg you would say in England "Are you taking the piss?". Quite commical and fun. Anyway, thinks are going pretty well, we had tests this week, so this must be near a halfway point of our semester. I think I am going to get rather busy the last month of the semester with presentations and tests, so if I don't write another blog for a bit that may be the reason. Here are some parting shots from the spring break.
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| So, lets pose a hypothetical situation shall we. You are walking along with a friend of yours and you know by how they talk and the culture they have come from that they have never drank a full glass of water. Now you may think this is silly, but just hold on. He has previously lived in a community that makes 99% of their income from making Pepsi products. Because of this fact, everyone drinks Pepsi products for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now the water in this area because of it's location and the small amounts of pollution from the factories is not drinkable without purifying it. Now why purify it when you can just drink Pepsi like everybody else has forever..... Now this community isn't perfect. Of course you can't drink Pepsi everyday and not have negative side effects. Few people in the community have real teeth and the life expectancy is rather low compared to the rest of the nation. Yet they won't drink water because somebody knew somebody that drank water and instantly got sick or died from the toxins in the water.
Ok, the stage is set, oh one thing. You drink water everyday, have all your teeth, and know the benefits of drinking PURE WATER. Now, how in the heck do go about telling your friend that he needs pure water? See, in his mind, he can't get pure water where he lives. So, when you tell him that he needs to drink pure water, he thinks you are actually telling him he needs to leave his family and community in order to get this water. So, what if you ask your friend if he is content that his teeth are rotting out and he gets sick a lot, and he answers, "Well, I guess so." See, maybe he sees something different in you, like you have teeth and a strong body, but he's grown up in this, so it's normal right......to get dentures at 20? You pull out the old science book and try to show your friend that he needs to drink something other than Pepsi, but he just looks at you funny as he takes another swig from his half empty Pepsi can. See, "those water drinkers" wrote that book, it can't be trusted. Besides all those words and ideas don't make sense anyways.
How do you tell a generation or an entire culture that they are living their lives for themselves and they aren't fulfilled when they don't agree? How can you make Truth (Pure Water) relevant to people who either believe that Truth (Pure water) is a lie or irrelevant (not in our community)? Why do they seek money, fame, long life, a good job, a huge home, an expensive car, etc. when all the other people who have those things aren't any more satisfied or happy? So here we are with an easily fixable problem, but everybody is too content with the their dentures and perpetual sicknesses to care.
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| Last week Rob and I got the chance to visit our friends in Korea. We stayed at Ji-won's house while we were there. All of them pretty much spoiled us and took us all over Seoul. Here is the reunion in Korea with our friends that we made last year in Bozeman. 
Here we are at some place or grounds or something. 
Well, when you saw the title of this blog you probably thought "Yeah, North Korea, funny hahah." But.... the picture below is at a spot near North Korea. We took a tour of the border between North and South Korea. Although we didn't really get to see North Korea because of all the fog that day(blasted weather), we were about as close as we could get without going to a US military base. If you can see the sign in the back it says "DMZ." I think is stands for De-Militarization Zone. At this particular spot we took a tour of a tunnel that North Korea dug under the border with the intent to take over South Korea in the 70's. 
So, we had a good, fun time seeing all our old friends and traveling around S. Korea. We went to several palaces, the capitol building, building 63, a broadway show(about breakdances and balerinas), and various other places. | | |
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