New Year

The last week has been rather extraordinary for me. Koreans have a superstition/tradition/saying that in life you get three big opportunities, and it's what you do with those three chances that determines your success and future and happiness. I don't subscribe to that theory, but I would say that my chance meeting with Ji Hyung on the airplane back from Tokyo certainly would seem to qualify. We had both traveled alone to Tokyo for four days, coincidentally having gone to and returned from Tokyo on the identical flights. We both live and work near each other in Daegu, a large city of three million people, and we are both Christians, scuba divers, travel enthusiasts, etc. We hit it off immediately on the airplane and continued our conversation as best as we could on the bus ride back to Daegu (despite a bus driver saying we were ruining his concentration), and had a great first date on New Year's Eve. All that (and much more I could say) to relate that I think this relationship has lots of potential. Ji Hyung studied English for a year in Australia, giving her an understanding of Western culture that few other Koreans have, and I think that will be valuable to work through any differences that might arise later down the road.

As for actual events that have happened recently--Ji Hyung and I went to the Daegu bell-ringing ceremony on New Year's Eve and saw lots of performances before the clock struck 2009, upon which the massive bell was struck thirty-three times and spectacular fireworks went off. After that, we went to a restaurant with David and Hye Song, and from there we watched Star Wars Episode 1 in accordance with David's wishes to see all those movies. We tried to stay up until sunrise, as is Korean custom, but ended up calling it a night at 6am. The next day, I got a call from some of my Bible study members, so I joined them for a dinner of broiled chicken before meeting up with Ji Hyung to see the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey.

Since then I've talked a good amount with JJ and Kris via Skype, and it's been good to stay in contact with them some. I'm also looking forward to helping Jessi with her class as they try to Skype with me for a project. 

The craziest thing in the past week was playing soccer on Sunday morning. David came with me on a whim, and we witnessed what was certainly a unique thing. During a break in between the games, a severed pig's head was brought into the middle of the field and placed on a table. All the players then gathered around to begin the New Year's ceremony. They placed money in envelopes and then took turns bowing to the pig and placing the envelopes in the mouth of the pig. Apparently the prayers were offered for safety for the players, and they weren't directed towards anyone or anything in particular. The ceremony wasn't all that serious--some players were laughing and chuckling as the wine oblations were being poured out around the table. It was a strange ritual to see, particularly when given the non-serious nature of soccer. David and I shook our heads and watched as this all took place, and I wondered what the pig's head was going to do with all that money...