Recently Read Korean Book

I finally finished reading "Offspring of Empire: The Koch'ang Kims and the Colonial Origins of Korean Capitalism 1876-1945". I started this at least a year ago and after putting it down because of the rich content, I picked it up and read it on my way to my office and back home again. It's amazing how much reading I get done this way, actually more reading than I get done when I am at home or in my office. Anyway, I won't spoil all of the contents for those who want to read this book but I do want to give it some serious attention. Although it wasn't written in this millennium it is certainly worth a good read. It helped me fill in the gaps on how Korea got its start. I've heard plenty of Koreans complain about why they don't like Japan and the author of this book, Carter J. Eckert gives a controversial, yet well-grounded argument on how what was intended as something for Japan's gain was actually beneficial to Korea's development as an independent country. This seems to be Eckert's premise through a lot of the book, until the reader gets to the last few chapters, where one sees how Korea got to be what it is today while also being fair to those Koreans who still have ill feelings towards Japan for what it has done to Korea. I would say the most valuable part of this book is the end of it, but that one cannot appreciate the latter part without suffering through the earlier parts. I read in another book, "The Happiness Project" how one doesn't have to finish a book just because one started it. I suppose that it true but I certainly feel like I have a better understanding of South Korea because I did finish this book.

A Tribute to My Grandmother: Nora Casper Dirks

Today is my paternal grandmother, Nora Dirks’ birthday. Of course she passed away when I was a university student but my memories of her continue. In fact, I would say I have a much greater appreciation for her now than I ever have before. The more I get to know my wife, Sinae, the more I see similarities between her and Grandma Dirks. Although Grandma was an American, there was a rule at her house (I’m not sure if she made the rule or not) that you took off your shoes at the door. This was a nuisance at the time but after living in Korea for five years, it makes sense. There are two areas where I think it is really a shame that the two of them couldn’t meet. One of those is in the area of cleanliness/organization. I remember seeing my grandma be the first one out of bed in the morning (I know this from sleeping on a hide-a-bed and seeing the light on before dawn) and the last person to sleep. And her house always seemed to be perfectly clean with everything properly organized. Sinae is the same way. In fact I don’t think either of them would have it any other way. The other area is in regards to flowers. I think Sinae loves flowers as much as Grandma did. I remember the garden Grandma had behind her house in town. She really loved flowers. I remember seeing her smile from ear to ear when she looked at flowers (Of course I also remember how hard she worked at keeping her garden as clean as her house and how she tried to teach me to do the same, including pulling weeds. Yuck!). I really wish the two of them could’ve met. Sometimes I feel like I’ve traveled back in time and that I have married my grandma. Which leads to something else I remember about Grandma that I also see in Sinae: a strong work ethic. My dad has often repeated the words that Grandma’s dad told her: “whatever you teach your kids, make sure they know how to work” (or something to that effect). That she did. Not only did she make sure her kids knew how to work, but also her grandkids. Something else I remember about Grandma which I also see in Sinae was her ability to smile even when she didn’t necessarily agree. Now, lest I paint a picture that is unrealistic, Grandma didn’t ALWAYS smile (After all, she had a hard life like all women who marry into the Dirks family) but she seemed really good about it, especially with her kids. I remember my dad telling her about every detail of his mobile home business and how she would smile and say, “Oh, gee, Merlin”. I came to find out later that she didn’t agree with EVERYTHING my dad did but that she was very supportive. To be honest, I didn’t get along real well with Grandma Dirks (And yet she is the one I find myself remembering on her birthday more than my maternal grandmother whom I was much closer too). When I was a child, she seemed worried about me getting hurt so I couldn’t ride a tractor very easily and Grandma was very reluctant about letting me play outside on a hot, summer day. Then, one day, when I was about 16 years old, something changed. I had just returned from a youth conference that cost more money than my grandma thought I should’ve spent. As far as I was concerned, it was a grace-filled conference and since I paid for it myself or had worked for it at youth group fundraisers, I didn’t see what the fuss was about. Actually, I got upset and left the table. I’m not proud of it but I cried in spite of being a high school guy. And for the first time, Grandma seemed to take my opinion seriously. Now Grandma was a Christian, a strong Lutheran Christian. She was faithful to the church she and Grandpa Dirks attended for so many years and the faith she had went with her everywhere she went. She spoke of God in a way that showed she knew God and had a personal relationship with God in Christ by the Spirit. I guess that’s why she didn’t see the point of spending lots of money to meet God when as far as she knew, God would meet you before you even laid down a penny. There are two conversations I had with Grandma that I consider priceless conversations. One was when she compared me to her eldest son, Don, who was killed in a train wreck before my older brother was born in 1975 so neither of us got to meet him. I didn’t know a lot about him except that all of his brothers, who don’t always get along real well, all seemed to respect him. Grandma said, “You remind me of Donny”. The other time was when Grandma and I stayed in the car while my dad and his younger brother, Kenneth, went inside to look at the first house that Grandma and Grandpa Dirks owned. I don’t remember exactly what the subject was. It must have been about old houses or classic cars. I just remember my Grandma, who never seemed to disagree with my dad in front of me when I was younger, turned to me and said, “I don’t know why your dad gets so excited about older things” or something to that effect. The subject was not as important as the fact that Grandma was being honest with me. Another area where I see similarities between Grandma Dirks and Sinae is in regard to family. Grandma Dirks often told her sons, “Blood is thicker than water”. Now I realize that statement may be often used out of context but the lesson is still applicable: to Grandma, family was important. If she wasn’t able to contact all of her sons, she worried about them. And of course having lost her oldest son to a train accident, one could hardly blame her for never quite getting over that. Perhaps that is why she seemed so protective of me and why it looked like she favored my older brother over me. Honestly, I’m not always an easy person to get along with. And I think Sinae would agree with that. It’s funny the things we remember about a person. If Grandma were sitting next to me now, and she saw me writing all of these things out, I envision her smiling. But she wouldn’t stop with a smile. She would also offer her thoughts which I hope I’d be a lot more receptive to than I was before. Yes, I would even let her cut my pizza into little, bite-sized pizzas and maybe even comb my hair.

This I Believe Part 1: Conversion and Christian Experience

I'm starting a reflection in preparation for an ordination interview in April 2014. As I consider all of the factors which I will be required to speak to, I realize there are a lot of loose ends from being a religious studies student in college and a divinity student in seminary. So I'm taking the advice of a trusted friend and starting with what I know. That, of course, doesn't mean that I'm certain. But I hope I can eventually take these thoughts and develop them into a coherent creed that I can give to family members and friends who really want to know what I believe. For me, my journey started sometime when I was a child. I attended a Berean Christian School, and one of my teachers is reported as telling my parents I "asked Jesus into my heart". I don't remember that but I am sure I asked Jesus to be my savior numerous times. The one I remember and report as my "conversion" experience was when I attended a revival service with my family. After the sermon, the evangelist and my pastor, Ken Heller, opened up the altar, which means they invited anyone to come forward to trust Jesus as their savior for the first time or to surrender their lives and experience God's transforming grace which Nazarenes call "Entire Sanctification". My older brother turned to me and said, "Brent, we should go." I don't remember if I was willing or reluctant but as I did many times, I chose to follow my brother. So we went to the altar and Pastor Heller led us through the "sinner's prayer". I don't remember feeling any different that night but perhaps it felt good to follow in the faith of my family. From there on out, I don't remember much except that I eventually started reading the bible more regularly than my brother and my father and maternal grandfather always urged me to be a preacher. I told people at church about my desire to be a preacher and they eventually talked to me about becoming a pastor. I always thought I should be a preacher but since that was the lingo, I followed suit. I never went to camp until I was sixteen years old. I remember because I had a driver's license but I didn't have a car. I just went because my youth pastor encouraged me to go. I really wasn't all that interested. More than anything I was afraid. I didn't have a very high self-esteem. I got picked on more than I made friends so I had learned to stay quiet most of the time. Then I was amazed to see how emotional the services were. I think people cried so much you felt like something was wrong if you didn't cry. I didn't respond to the altar call the first night but I started the second night and every night after. I confessed that there were some things I was doing that weren't right and believed I experienced immediate victory over. When I went home, it wasn't too many months later that I was tempted in the same areas but I experienced victory with God's help. I went to the following camp and learned more about how to sustain the "fire" that young people often experience in a camp meeting like that. Unfortunately, many difficult struggles lied in front of me that threatened to take my passion for ministry away. The first was a struggle over whether or not I was really "called" to be a preacher. I got so sick and tired of hearing that word as a kid. I couldn't figure out why my brother was being encouraged to follow his dream of going into auto body with or without God's direction but that I couldn't become a pastor without God's direction. I struggled with that for a long time but it really came to a crossroads when I got my first car and was approaching my high school graduation. I enjoyed doing minor mechanical work and even seem to be able to get the job done with little guidance from others. I couldn't figure out why God would give me this desire if God wanted me to be a preacher. After much consultation with my pastor and youth leader, I remember sitting in the living room of my parents' house one summer day. As I was watching tv, I thought I heard a voice or had the sense of someone talking to me whom I couldn't see. The voice or the peace said, "I want you to be a preacher." That was enough to help me make up my mind as to what direction to go after I graduated from high school. I wanted to major in religious studies at a denominational university but my dad was opposed to liberal arts education so he found a bible school that he thought would give me a good foundation. I wasn't all that crazy about that idea myself but since I didn't have the means to support myself at an expensive private Christian university, I went to what seemed to be the only viable choice at that time. More to come later, I hope.

FREE Method for Viewing Hangeul Word Perfect (hwp) Documents on a Mac

I don't typically write this sort of thing on my blog because I figure there are enough technology experts out there that what I have to say won't mean much. But one of the most frustrating things I have experienced living in Korea is not being able to open .hwp files on my Mac. It seems that nearly every time I use my wife's Samsung I am always complaining about how slow or confusing her computer is. So, while I was eating lunch that my wife prepared so well (as usual), and granted her some alone time, I was looking for ways to print things from .hwp files off of my Mac which I thoroughly love in spite of the fact that it is about three or four years old. Sorry for the drama. I'm just not stating things simply and to the point. Just click on the link below. http://member.thinkfree.com/member/goLandingPage.action When you get to the website, just click on "View Document" under "Viewer". Then click on the "browse" button and find your file. Double click on the .hwp file and voila, there is the information. Just copy the text and paste it into your favorite word processing program (I use Pages as a way of protesting Microsoft, though I have to admit there are a few features that I hope Pages adapts in its future versions) and there you are. Yet another way to use a Mac and still live in Korea at the same time. FYI, I only did this with one to two-page files my students sent me. Feel free to comment on how it works out on larger files. I hope this makes somebody's day like somebody made mine. http://hangukdrama.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/how-to-view-hwp-files-on-mac/

"Korea Unmasked"

My most recent success in my recently developed "reading while I walk" routine is reading the comic book, "Korea Unmasked" by Won-bok Rhie, originally written in Korean and later translated by Jung Un and Louis Choi. I remember a former colleague telling me about this. At that time I was much less interested in reading. I didn't see how reading could make a difference in the way I think about Korea. One day, my wife was at Kyobo Bookstore, the Barnes & Noble of Korea, and she stumbled across this book in English and apparently my name was written all over it so she bought it for me. At that time, I wasn't quite convinced of my need to read more so I put it on a shelf. Also, I've never been interested in comic books to that degree which didn't help me in reading it as soon as I could have. After I finished the book about Boston which I posted about on this site I was desperately trying to find something I could read while walking to and from my office. So I grabbed "Korea Unmasked" and it turned out to be much more fascinating than I originally thought. The author of this book did a fine job of being frank about the strengths and weaknesses of Korea. One of the things I found helpful was the way in which the author compared Korea with China and Japan. I've always tended to think that the countries were basically the same but now I know the error of that way of thinking. Who would've thought that one country could be so monotheistic (Korea) while another could be so polytheistic while also being individualistic? Perhaps the parts I found the most intriguing were about church, education and the reunification of North and South Korea. There were times when I wanted to shout an Amen and there were other times when I must have been laughing hard enough on my way to work or home that students who saw me may have thought I was paranoid. It's really difficult to criticize a book like this. Naturally, being translated into English by non-native English speakers, the expressions were sometimes slightly unnatural and there were a few typos along the way. But I didn't find those shortcomings to be hindering in terms of my own understanding. I also think the book sometimes errs on the side of exaggerating but I think that is necessary to make the point to people from other countries. Now of course there are some aspects that make their way into conversations with Sinae, which she sometimes wishes I didn't remember and sometimes reminds me that is a generalization. But I think that just makes my point stronger that this book is worthwhile not only for people living in Korea but for people who want to know about Koreans who seem to be scattered throughout the world.

Koreans: The "Silent Immigrants" of Germany

Here is a link to a very interesting article on Koreans who either permanently immigrated to Germany or lived there short-term. There reason for going there would seem to vary from making more money than they could make in Korea at the time to making a significant difference in the Korean economy. The writer of the article above points out that Koreans became known as "silent immigrants" because they adapted so well to living in Germany. The Koreans' strongpoints were putting their all into education and studying as well as working hard. This would seem to be the trademark of Koreans around the world. I also found it interesting that Koreans who were involved in mining were hesitant to talk in-depth about it with Germans, presumably because of the stigma of mining in Korea. I'm glad Korea is paying tribute to what those Koreans did to contribute to the development of Germany while also making a big difference in their own country's economy. Korea Times is covering this story for several days. I think Goethe Institute is also worth mentioning for making a big deal out of this.

Reading Report: "The Happiness Project"

I just finished reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. I purchased this book a year-and-a-half when I visited the US for three weeks while Sinae stayed in Korea to focus on writing her master's thesis. She told me to freely buy books that I can bring back to Korea. I took her advice and as a result I wound up having to cram more books in my carry-on bag in order to avoid paying the surcharge for having an overweight bag. This book was certainly not the most earth-shattering read of all the books I've read, but it was indeed well worth the time I invested. The writer claims to be agnostic but displays herself as being very open to spiritual viewpoints and even speaks directly to churches interested in using her book as a sort of advertisement at the end of the book. As I read this book, and especially as I have finished this book, I think that this could easily be classified in spiritual formation circles as a rule of life because that seems to be exactly what the writer formulates. The basic premise of this book is that the writer dedicated a year to living a happy, more meaningful life and she did so by changing her outlook on life. Some things were very simple, like getting rid of clothing she hadn't worn in quite a while. But other things are more challenging like trying to respond to children without getting angry with them or simply managing one's mood more efficiently. To tell you the truth, the thing this book has enlightened me on the most is the necessity to be happy and that one isn't simply born happy without any struggle. I think it is safe to say that I have spent most of my life being unhappy. Before reading this book, the need to be happy never really dawned on me. I think I've lived my life as if I couldn't be happy because of the circumstances (Having to work for a live from the time I was in elementary school, having to support myself in college and seminary, not being supported by my dad when I went to college for the first time, not feeling "smart enough" to finish the assigned reading in my classes in college etc.). But now, looking back, I realize that I wasn't really trying all that hard. I tend to think that one of the influences that somehow unintentionally swayed me from seeking happiness was my class on the book of Philippians in bible school. The teacher emphasized that happiness is based on what happens and that joy is this Providential emotion Christians can experience. That somehow made me think seeking happiness was bad. So I didn't even seek after it. I still think I would complement what Rubin says about happiness with a more fundamental spiritual aspect (I would be Agnostic if I could but I became convinced that it is incongruous with reality given that we have to make choices every moment regarding things we can see, let alone things we can't see) but that doesn't take away from the strengths of her "argument" if we can call it that. I definitely resonate with what Rubin has written. The first semester I taught at the university where I'm currently employed, I often went into class feeling depressed because students didn't respond to what I said. As a result, I received low evaluations. As an attempt to improve those evaluations, I started every class with a big smile as much as possible. I tell you the truth, I don't think I've ever tried so hard to be more happy. And it apparently worked. Rubin calls this principle, "Act the way you want to feel". Without regurgitating the entire book, other relevant points include being oneself (not expecting "fun" things other people enjoy to necessarily have the same effect on me and also to not let that bother me), taking time to write down things one is thankful for, developing some sort of accountability group (My words not hers) and trying things that one might not normally engage in. There are many more things which I may try to develop more of but as I try to tell my friends when recommending good advice I read in a book which doesn't seem to have the same effect when I try to explain it to them in my less than eloquent manner, read the book and see what you think yourself.