Relieved

So the biggest day of worry had passed on Monday and everyone has breathed a sigh of relief. Then the North opened their mouths and threatened a 'Sacred Nuclear War'.

There were live fire practice drills going on on the island of Yeonpyeong (the one that has been disputed over since the ceasefire in 1953) and the North said that they would retaliate swiftly if the South went through with their show of military strength. However, all went well. Again, I don't want to go into the details about the history of reasons why these things are happening now but they are.

Instead I would like to take a moment to talk about my friends here. I have no idea why I encounter such wonderful people in this world but my friends are some of the finest people I know. A dozen of us just got together for a Secret Santa gift exchange. Of course this is nothing like the Whitle elephant/ dirty santa/ etc games that others play (including the Miller fam). Last week we all chose names and got a gift for the chosen person less than 20,000 Won. ($20 if you haven't been paying attention). So we all met tonight at the "all you can eat meat buffet bbq) where you get you grill your own food. All for under $10. It is a truly Korean experience and i hope pictures to follow soon. So we exchanged presents, I got a bottle of California wine (good), a pair of underwear that has no description suitable for the internet (think childrens Batman), and a box of chocolates. Most people know their secret Santa's but i think the world may be safer if mine remains a secret.

This week we still had class. The hagwon (academy) I work for as well as every other academy in Korea doesn't close for Xmas. If  Xmas day was on a weekday we would still have school.

And now since I am talking about favorite students I have to mention my favorites Rachel and Emily.
OK, so they arent my students anymore. I have taught them for 6 months and now Anne teaches them, i still make it a point to say HI to them every monday and friday. Please check out the videos of them trying to teach me "I am very angry" (na jjin ja hwan na so). They are sure to make you laugh.

This quarter I have equally cute students.

Two if by sea....

So, I'm feeling much better now that my throat sickness has passed me. But now there is a new worry; North Korea. In case you haven't heard North Korea attacked the island of Yeonpyong 8 days ago killing four people and forcing the evacuation of nearly all 1500 residents.

I don't wont to write a complete summary of the situation or go into too much details of the long history of the Korean War which has technically never ended. But I will say this; there are many factors that are at play here, a regime change as Kim Jong-Il is sick and his son Kim Jong-Un is about to take over. There is the fact that N Korea relies on aid from all over the world just to survive and that aid has been drying up. China's relationship with the North has been slowing decaying over the past years and even they do not seem to be backing their neighbor anymore, and that is just to start with. Many people are angry here, even more are scared. I fall into neither category.

I think the kids summed it up best during the World Cup this year as well as during the Asia Games these past few weeks. I asked a student why they cheered for N. Korea to win a game (not against the south), their response "We are still all Koreans. Even if we are separated by two governments." It was a very touching moment. A lot of my students have talked about wanting Korea to be one again. As the pacifist that I am, I hope for this, too. There is a lot of hatred and anger but this is not the thinking of the entire N. Korean population. Most are malnourished and living in bad conditions, brainwashed to believe in the Eternal President (Kim Il Sung) and the Korean Worker's Party.

Anyway, as I mentioned, most of my co-workers are scared. I am not however. I fear more about getting hit by one of the crazy cab drivers here than the chance of Ansan being attacked by the North. I still believe that an attack might happen, but I believe it will be swift and retaliation by the USS George Washington even more so. I still plan on transferring my money back home when I get paid on Friday just in case the attack will make the Korean Won less than it already is.

Class is over now. BTW new classes are working out pretty good. about 8 kids per class is pretty awesome and I haven't had any rotten children yet. My favorite students are in Anne's class now and I do miss them. In other news it also snowed on Sunday. Not a lot but it did stick on the ground for a little bit. Made everything white for a while, but gone in the morning.

Your homework assignment for the next couple weeks is to pay attention to the news and listen for sounds of attacking. Also, do some research on what WikiLeaks is and how it is affecting international relations worldwide.

Peace (I hope)