Inarticulate...

It is in my nature to search for answers-- to always strive to make sense out of things; to find meaning in paradox. But sometimes-- often times-- I can't. And right now, as I look forward to my trip to Haiti and as I delve deeper in my knowledge of both the spirit and the suffering of the people there, I feel that inability perhaps as acutely as I ever have in my life. I am living in a kind of in between world-- knowing that I am about to experience something in which I will certainly be changed, knowing that my heart is necessarily already being given to people I have never met, and yet remaining committed to my day to day life in the here and now. And each time I sit to write about the tangle of anticipation, fears, hopes, sadness, uncertainty, sureness of purpose, burdens and blessings that all seem to somehow move together fluidly through my spirit during this time of preparation, words fail me.

In many ways music has been a lifeline for me through this time. One song in particular has given me rest by articulating what I feel I cannot. Its lyrics are unafraid of paradox, of ellipses, of the unanswered. And when I feel incapable of doing it myself, this song speaks the turmoil of my heart out into the world, and speaks the turmoil of the world into my heart.



Oh my God, can I complain?
You take away my firm belief,
And graft my soul upon your grief.

Oh my God.

Happy Birthday Buddha

I think Korea in May has the greatest number of holidays that I have ever experienced in a single month. Not that I'm complaining.

This past Friday we had the day off (once again) for Buddha's birthday-- a very festive day in a country that has historically been largely Buddhist. Around 15-20 percent of the population currently identifies Buddhism as their religion, but the cultural impact of the Buddhist tradition, especially prior to the relatively recent rise of Christianity in Korea, is much more widespread than these numbers suggest. Festivals surrounding this holiday, considered by many Buddhist's to be the most important holiday in their tradition, have lasted the better half of the month-- the largest being Seoul's Lotus Lantern Festival.


I spent most of the day in Samcheon-dong, home to Bongeun Temple, where, as a part of the festival, the monks featured a colorful exhibition of handmade traditional lanterns. The streets in Samcheon-dong have long been my favorite place in Seoul to spend a laid-back afternoon of shopping or just general meandering. The neighborhood is a seamless melding together of historical Korean landmarks, districts and homes with quaint galleries, shops, cafes and restaurants that often give off (what I imagine to be) a rather European feel.


There are also numerous "tea gardens" in the area, which offer the setting of a traditional Korean tea house, while allowing patrons to enjoy the open air and a beautiful view of traditional homes- or even a Joseon-dynasty palace- against the backdrop of low Korean mountains. I soaked in the view while sipping on strawberry flavored "five-taste tea," a sweet drink made from the fruit of the Chinese magnolia vine, chilled and served with ice cubes that had tiny flower buds frozen inside.

It was lovely, and I don't know that I could have come up with a more idyllic way to have spent the holiday. Days like Friday leave me thoroughly convinced that moving into Seoul when I return to Korea would be the right choice for me.

The Dark Underbelly of Teacher's Day

The Month of Family, as May is often referred to in Korea, includes Children's Day, Parent's Day, and finally Teacher's Day on May 15th. The inclusion of teachers in a month set aside to honor the most intimate and foundational of social systems reflects the high regard with which the teaching profession has long been held in Korean society. And while this sentiment may be waning somewhat among younger generations, teachers are still widely acknowledged as one of the most important influences on a young person's development and ability to succeed in life. Teacher's Day is a day set apart to acknowledge the hard work that teachers invest in the future of the nation.

The respect and honor traditionally shown to teachers has, of course, a direct correlation to the extraordinarily high emphasis placed on education in Korea-- something I have mentioned here many times before. And with the exponential rise in educational and professional competition featuring so prominently in South Korea's recent history, it comes as no surprise that this enthusiasm and competitiveness has infiltrated the celebration of Teacher's Day as well.

My extensive Wikipedia research on the subject [;)] returned the following...

Originally [Teacher's Day in Korea] was started by a group of red-cross youth team members who visited their sick ex-teachers at hospitals. The national celebration ceremony had been stopped between 1973 and 1982 and it resumed after that. On the celebration day, teachers are usually presented with carnations by their students, and both enjoy a shorter school day. Ex-students pay their respects to the former teachers by visiting them and handing them a carnation. Many schools now close on Teacher's Day because of the rampant bribery implicit in the expensive gifts often given to teachers.

At my own school, Teacher's Day is treated just as any other school day, a conscious decision having been made to avoid any school-wide celebration or endorsement of the day for exactly the reason mentioned above-- bribery and extravagant gifts have in the past caused scandal and dissension among the parents and within the community.

As a native English-speaking teacher with little say over the children's grades, I am fortunately not impacted by these kinds of politics, and for me it has proved a sweet day. Knowing that they will not see me tomorrow (school is held every other Saturday, but I only work Monday through Friday on any given week), a few of my students have given me gifts of cards, candy, and various little origami creations. They also asked to sing for me in class this morning, and while I know that atleast 80% of their motivation in this was to avoid having to do work for the day, it nonetheless put a smile on my face.

Happy Parent's Day/ Mother's Day!

Parent's Day in Korea and Mother's Day in the US happen to fall on the same weekend. Parent's Day, as you might have guessed, is essentially like a Mother's Day and Father's Day rolled up into one, and follows only a few days after Children's Day. On Parent's Day, children and adults alike typically present their parents with a gift and a carnation each.

Right now, it is still Mother's Day in the U.S.-- a day I have been looking forward to for the past few weeks. This morning I surprised my mother and grandmother with a video gift of myself singing a traditional Korean song that I have been working hard to learn. (Woohoo! Korean lessons paying off!) I thought of posting the video here, but my rendition is really something that only a mother's ears could love. Instead, I've posted the lyrics and translation below... translates a little awkwardly, but is really a beautiful song and a sweet tribute to a mother's self-sacrificial love.

*Transcript and translation:*

낳실제 괴로움 다잊으시고

She forgets all her pain when she gives birth

기를제 밤 낮으로 애쓰는 마음

She does everything to raise me day and night

진 자리 마른자리 갈아뉘시며

She always finds a warm dry place for me

손발이 다닳도록 고생하시네

She goes through so much hardship in her life

하늘아래 그무엇이 넓다하리요

What would be greater under the sky

어머님의 희생은 가이없어라

Her sacrifice is limitless

P.S. Shout out to my three AMAZING best friends who graduated from UNC today!! Julia, Jamie, and Freda-- so proud and excited for you girls! You are my role models-- can't wait to witness all of the amazing things you are going to do with your futures. The world has no idea what's coming... :) Love, with all my heart!

HAITI: Art for Change

The following is an email I received from the president of GVN, the organization through whom I will be traveling to Haiti in August. I read it and felt compelled to share.

Dear Mary,

The devastation that occurred in Haiti touched every one of us and I think we have all dealt with the pain and sadness in our own way. From volunteering to fundraising to prayers, each of us are giving what we can. Today I would like to introduce you to Kelsey Montague, a remarkable young woman who is helping in the best way she knows how - through her art. Kelsey has created a series of Haiti pen and ink drawings exclusively for GVN Foundation. Her unique work incorporates 'drawings within drawings', giving each print multiple meanings, emotions and perspectives. The drawings were inspired by both the plight of the Haitian people and by their indomitable spirit.

"After the news broke about the earthquake, and the immense loss and suffering of the Haitian people, I felt a terrible sense of helplessness. I wanted to contribute in any way that I could, and the most natural way for me was through art," says Kelsey.

"I was incredibly fortunate to travel to Haiti and to see the fortitude of a people who have lost so much but have such a will to recover and try to re-build their lives. I was most struck by the beauty and kindness of the Haitian people. On our last day in Port-au-Prince, after a gruelling 10-hour day, we were meeting with a group of GVN volunteers when the camp leader leaned over to tell me that some of the Haitian women who were cooks in the compound had rushed to prepare a meal for us. Even though we had only been there an hour, they had managed to put together a feast. These women had endured so much loss, and yet they wanted to share with us. I was both humbled and inspired by their generosity.

"It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the situation in Haiti because the needs are so great, but this is exactly why we must get involved. When a nation of people has lost everything, even the smallest gesture is a great gift. Every effort, no matter how large or small, will have an impact, whether through donations, volunteering or spreading the word and encouraging friends and family to get involved," says Kelsey.

The common theme running throughout Kelsey's drawings is the message of hope for a people who have endured so much, yet have such strength, passion and faith in the future. Please show your support by sharing her artwork with your friends and family or by purchasing one of the drawings which will give the gift of hope to so many. 50% of the sale price of each print will go directly to the Haiti Relief Fund. [The other 50% goes directly to the artist.]

HAITI - ART FOR CHANGE: http://www.gvnfoundation.org/programs/art_for_change/


With gratitude,

Colin Salisbury
Founder and President

Global Volunteer Network
http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org

In Celebration of Children's Day

International Children's Day is officially recognized across the world on June 1st, but in South Korea is celebrated on May 5th.

And it is a BIG deal here. EVERYONE has the day off on Children's Day. It is a day for parents to shower their children with gifts and take them on excursions to zoos, movies, parades, amusement parks, and even air shows. All of Korea caters to children on this day, with stores giving away free treats and having all kinds of characters-- from Batman to Hello Kitty-- line the streets to take pictures with the kids. It made me happy to be able to walk around all day and see kids being celebrated and loved on. And in a culture that requires so much of it's men in the workforce, it was especially great to see so many fathers take this opportunity to spend time with their children and families.

I also learned a tid-bit about the history of Children's Day today that took my appreciation for the holiday to even greater heights. Apparently, under Japanese colonial rule, May 5th was celebrated as "Boy's Day," but in 1975 the Korean government replaced that holiday with "Children's Day," making the simple statement that, "Even though many families may still want a son, since a son must look after his parents when they get old, we are all important." Thus, Children's Day is a marker of Korea's progress towards embracing the value of *ALL* it's children, and is a tangible picture of this country's desire to overcome cultural norms and stereotypes that have served to devalue women and girls. Knowledge of this history lends even deeper value and meaning to the holiday, and certainly deepens my own love and appreciation for the fact that my mother chose to celebrate Korean Children's Day for my sister and I growing up.

So, in honor of Children's Day in Korea and in keeping with the values that the holiday affirms-- those of equality and the right to life and happiness for ALL children-- I want to share this video from UNICEF with you, and ask you to join me in prayer for the children of our world. (BTW-- the precious faces at 1:32 belong to Korean children, dressed in hanboks, or traditional Korean garb. A-dorable.)



And, on a very directly related note, I'd also like to share and recommend a book that I have recently read. The words "powerful" and "gut-wrenching" fall far short of an apt description for this autobiographical account of Ishmael Beah's experiences as a child soldier in Sierra Leone. To coerce a child into a life of slavery and violence is one of the worst violations against humanity imaginable... And on a day when I am surrounded by the faces of so many children filled with life and joy at the opportunity to simply enjoy being children, I cannot help but mourn for those who have been robbed of that same right. Read this book-- it will be impossible for you to walk away unchanged.

Book Reccomendation for Travelers

It's midterm time at Choji Middle School, which means I have an unusual amount of free time on my hands. And taking this reprieve as encouragement, I have finally gotten around to reading The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton-- a book that has been collecting dust on my shelf for quite a while but that ended up requiring no more than one subway ride and half a morning to finish.

"A jewel of civility, wit and insight; de Botton has produced wondrous essays. An invitation to hyperbole.... A volume to give one an expansive sense of wonder." -The Baltimore Sun

I'm glad I picked this book up-- it is thoughtful, entertaining, and philosophically rich. There are certain passages, especially from essays titled "On the Sublime," and "On Possessing Beauty," to which I'm sure I will return again and again. For any person who has the spirit of a traveler or artist, or who wonders what it might be like to discover enthusiasm and joy in both the fantastic and the everyday, this is a book well worth checking out.