Mass Media

I've developed a bad habit. I'm finding that Facebook has slowly overtaken the other forms of communication that I once used. For example: In 2005, a year after I had graduated from college, I had a friend send me an email suggesting I join Facebook. I had always been reluctant to join any chat site or anything because I remembered spending hours chatting with friends on Instant Messanger. The conversations had been somewhat meaningless and eventually I got fed up with it and quit using it when I went to college. I felt like I was wasting away my time. So when I got this email, even though I had known about MySpace before, I was intrigued because my friend said it was more filtered than MySpace and was just a way to see what friends were up to. So I joined.

Initially, it was really fun to see who was on Facebook. I would search people all the time and add them as friends. Rebs and I started comparing how many friends each other had, kind of a competition to see who had the most. It was fun to catch up with old friends that I hadn't talked to in a while. And then there were these fun applications you could dowload and make a cartoon family, giving names of your real family members that you didn't like to the dog and cat. Or you could see how "likable" you were by taking a quiz. And there were groups you could join or become a fan of a band or a person. Eventually, somewhere between updating my status and finding out which "80's heartthrob you are", I realized how ridiculous it was all becoming.

Since then, I've also noticed that my friends, though I have many, don't really write on my wall much to say hi. Instead, they just update their status to let everyone else know what they're doing. On top of this, twitter was created, so now you can update your status and see other people's statuses (statii?) every minute of the day. It's all too much for me. I miss calling people up to chat with them about life. If I have something important to say that is immediate, then I can email. And yes, it's fun to see my friends' picture albums, but I remember as a kid, looking through real life photo albums together, laughing at the memory of a good time.

I know some of this is my fault because we do have the option still to send emails and print photos and call friends on the phone. But this technology, that which is supposed to make life more fruitful and prosperous and easier, is encouraging me to exchange depth for quantity. It pushes me in the direction of getting on Facebook 5 times a day just to check and see what other people are saying about their lives, but never interacting with them myself. Basically to become a voyeur. Our culture or society, or whatever you want to call it, encourages this. Even this blog is for the world to see but to say nothing. (Yes, I know there's a spot for people to comment, but how many people actually do that?) It's just so easy to hide behind the computer. To feel like you have so many friends when you actually know none of them.

I've actually deleted a few friends from Facebook. I did it one day when I was passing through my friends list and was having trouble remembering how I knew this and that person. I looked at a couple of their pictures to make sure I could remember, and then after some thought, I deleted them. It's not that I don't want to be friends with those people, it's just that they are so far removed from my life that it would take twice the effort to include them. i've decided that a hand-full good friends is worth more than two hundred acquaintances. That doesn't mean that I'm going to delete everyone from my Facebook (I'd be more tempted to just shut my page down). But there is a lot to be said for the effort it takes for a person to handwrite and mail a letter. It shows that the author cares enough to take the time to do it, rather than it just being a convenience.

A Moment in Passing

We got up to see the sunrise for the first time on Sunday morning. It had rained fairly hard all day Saturday, which was actually a blessing in disguise because it helped to clear the air somewhat. We had a couple friends in town, which was the perfect excuse for it. I don't know if I could have convinced Rebs to get up otherwise. So we dragged our bodies from their slumber at 4:30am with just enough time to throw on clothes and drive over to the beach. We were a little surprised at how many people were there at the time, but none-the-less, it felt serene.
There is something about sunrises that is inspiring to me. Maybe because I've only seen a few in my lifetime that I remember and enjoyed. Personally, I like being one of the only people to do something. It could be the elitist in me, but knowing that not everyone is experiencing what I am, that I am different in some way, makes me feel good. And so it is with sunrises. Even though there were students still drunk from a night out laughing and throwing each other into the water next to us. And even though we went home and fell asleep for another 4 hours, it just made my day to reflect back at moments and relive the peace that comes with a new dawn.

Where Have We Been?

It's been a little over a month since either of us wrote because we have been really stinkin' busy. The past 3 weeks or so have been consumed with preparing for our final exams and finishing up grading and other obscure administrative tasks that come with the job. Everything kind of hits all at the end, and the Korean way is to throw something at you with a short deadline and see how badly you squirm. It's similar to putting salt on a slug, except you don't die. :)

But today--this morning actually--I gave me last final exam. So after I submit my grades in the next week or so, I'll be work-responsibility-free except from 4:20-6;10pm, Monday through Thursday, for the next 2 months or so. And considering those hours are overtime pay beyond our base salary, it's a very lucrative deal.

So after my final this morning, Rebs and I came home and I have been piddling around the house for the past couple of hours. I finished reading a children's book on Barak Obama that a student gave me as a gift for Teacher's Day. I cleaned our newly purchased toaster oven from head to toe with Windex, and washed its innards. Then I decided to test out the skewer that came with it and had a cheddar brat (from Costco) with fixings and some leftover homemade coleslaw and watermelon. And I watched Monday and Tuesday's world news on ABC. Sad to hear about the two American girls being convicted to 12 years in labor camps in North Korea.

And I start to wonder if this is what summer is going to be like for me. Piddling... I don't think I do so well without purpose. I don't entertain myself well unless I have a goal in mind, even if it's just a simple one. I don't rest well. Maybe it's my upbringing, maybe it's my nature, but I think I'm going to have lots of practice this summer. This isn't to say that I won't have anything to do. I actually have already made a list of things I'd like to do/accomplish. I heard once that if you write down something you want to do, you're 60% more likely to go through with it. I don't know if it's true or not.

Though we have been busy with work, we've also been busy seeing new things. Over the past two weeks, we got to experience the Dano Festival, climb at Seoraksan with friends, and go to a get-together at one of our colleagues' pension (a Korean bed-and-breakfast) in the country. I ate authentic Indian curry and Nan (oven baked flat bread) at the festival, got to climb a multi-pitch route with my friend Greg (with bolts so run out that you dare not contemplate the idea of falling), and ate fresh cherries off a cherry tree. All in all, every moment was unique, enjoyable, and memorable. Here are a few pictures to enjoy.

Baby Steps

There's always something to be done. Whether it's dishes, cleaning, something once a year, or something once a day, it's always something. When can you think when there was a time that you had nothing to do? Okay, maybe when you're driving in a car or on an airplane. But that's only temporary. You probably start thinking about the things you need to do whenever you get to wherever it is you're going. I know whenever I sit down to read a book, my mind starts to wander. I know my busyness level by how many times I have to re-read a paragraph because I've been sidetracked by my own thoughts. Sometimes I even take a notepad or my planner with me to read so I can jot down all the random thoughts that come up. It's my way of channeling my ADD.

So I'm breaking it down to the ol' "Baby Steps" plan. If you're not sure what I'm talking about or are a fan of Bill Murray, click on the title of this post. I'm taking one day at a time and trying to knock off one or two of the important things that will jump from today's "To Do" list to tomorrow's and then the next day's until it gets done. Today, we got a copy of the car key made for Rebs. It's leopard spotted--yeow! And I (hopefully, if all goes well) ordered a couch online. Check, and check.

Just two things to tick off the list. Why do I do this? Because it allows me to ease up on myself and live more in the moment. That's the pitfall, really. If I get too focused on the lists then I forget about right now. I forget to live and enjoy right now. So, a little work can equal a little play. Gotta keep things balanced. And... I got a load of trad climbing gear in the mail so now we can go climbing wherever, without limitations! Ah, the job of doing something I can fully focus on and be wrapped up in and not consider it work in the least. The End.

New Car! Meet Powder.

We bought a new car last Friday afternoon. Then took it climbing that evening. It goes about 130... kilometers per hour on a good downhill on the highway. No, not miles. That would be a little crazy. 130km is about 80 miles per hour. That's pretty good for a car whose tires are all the same size as a donut spare. They're no more than 2 feet in diameter. On the uphills, we would start to lose a little momentum, but that's okay considering it was Rebs, myself, Jen, and Jenna, and all our climbing gear. And we get half-priced tolls, which is great because most highways in Korea are toll roads.

It's been 2 and a half years since we had a car and it feels really good. It's very freeing at the moment. We don't have to worry about a taxi driver taking us the long way to work and almost getting in a wreck along the way. Words can't describe how much more convenient it makes our lives.

This week has been a little hectic because Rebs got sick Saturday night and still hasn't fully recovered. It started as the flu and developed into tonsillitis by the time she got to the doctor on Tuesday. One thing about Korea is they typically don't take sick days. You apparently have to be "having diarrhea, vomiting, fainting, or hospitalized" to get out of work. A fever and lack of voice just don't cut it. But by showing her face at work, they realized how sick she was even though she didn't meet the "sick" criteria. so they collaborated and sent her home.

She's been on antibiotics the past couple of days and even though she sounds like she's been a chain smoker for 20 years, she says she's feeling better. On top of it all, mid-terms are coming up for our university students, so we have to turn them in by friday to have copies made and such. Yeah, so this week's been busy... again. But tomorrow starts another 3-day weekend and the weather has been AMAZING!!! 60+ degree days with minimal wind. There are cherry blossom trees throughout the city and they all bloom with tiny pink/white flowers at the same time. So it's really beautiful.

Okay, that's a good note. Now I can be finished.

Sharmania!

This week has been really crazy for us, otherwise I would have posted it sooner. We went to Seonunsan last weekend. It's probably the best place to do hard sport climbing in Korea and climbing legend Chris Sharma was there. I shook his hand and talked about climbing shoes for a bit. I have to say, I was a little intimidated which doesn't happen very easily. I like to think that everyone's equal on this planet. But one can't help feeling like certain people are larger than life and this man fit into that category for me.

He showed up under the radar and I didn't even know he was there until I looked over behind me on the opposite wall of where Rebs was climbing and saw a man climbing something that I would likely climb as a project, but he was doing it as a warmup. I noticed his hair was a medium brown instead of thick and black like a Korean's. Then I noticed the crowd of about 20-30 people standing around watching and video taping with professional cameras. I put the pieces together to realize that this WAS Chris. Wow, I thought. He's about 30 feet from me. "Hey Rebs, look behind you," I said. She turned from the warm-up climb she'd been focusing on to see him and then looked gleefully down at me and whispered, "Is that HIM?!?" She hurried and finished her climb and then we went over to sneak a peek, feeling very voyeurish. His climbing was very fluid and relaxed on what looked like really small holds and moderately overhung.

When he finished, people clapped even though it wasn't that difficult of a climb. Then his girlfriend/fellow sponsored climber Deila did it, also with ease. They clapped for her too, but not as many people watched. Then, for the next 15 minutes, people talked with them and took pictures. Koreans are very big on picture taking. After a bit, Chris went off to rest a bit. His girlfriend was sitting by herself, so I figured this was the opportunity to go introduce ourselves to Deila. I wanted to actually talk to them without feeling just like a fan getting an autograph. If any, this was the time.

So while I introduced myself and got the story of their tour of Asia, Rebs stood about 15 feet away behind a tree, straining to hear our conversation. Deila kind of had her back turned so she couldn't see Rebs, but she was in full view of me. So finally, I said loudly, "That's my wife over there, Rebs. Rebs come meet Deila." She sheepishly obeyed and we had a good conversation, but I still laugh about how giddy she was around this girl we'd never even seen before.

Later in the day, I tried to joke with Chris to tell him he was next as we watched a really strong 14-year-old attempt this 5.13+ (read: really hard and completely beyond my ability). He was like, "Uh, that's okay." I couldn't tell if he didn't get that I was joking, or if he was like who is this weird guy that's trying to be my buddy, or like I've never heard that one before. So I slowly backed away, caught speechless by his response.
But eventually, another guy I'd been talking to started a conversation with him again and I was able to join in. Deila, whom we'd given an apple for her upset stomach (all the new food), motioned toward me and said something in Spanish. So Chris struck up a conversation with me, which I thought was really cool. Okay, enough rambling about a conversation that doesn't really have a point.

The point I think I want to make is that I don't really look up to Chris Sharma because of his ability or what he's accomplished, though he has done some amazing stuff that no one has repeated in the sport of climbing. I look up to him because of his attitude amidst all the fame and strength. I see those things as traps almost. The more powerful you are or the more influence you have, the more susceptible you are to the pride that goes with it. To me, Chris seemed more the opposite--humble. That, and the fact that he does what he loves in life as a profession. There are few people in this world who are able to do that.

Hit By the Full Swing of Things Like a 2x4 to the Head!

So it's been a bit since we wrote last and there is good reason for it. School is in full session now, and we found the climbing wall that's 10 minutes from our house...and Rebs is sick. In fact, we've been passing it back and forth for about a week and a half now. No fun, except to see who can make the biggest, most colorful loogie.

Yes, teaching is kicking our butts right now. it's not so much the teaching as it is the planning and prepping and re-adjusting to lower functioning classes. i find myself scratching my head a few times a week trying to figure out how to relay my English message about English to a Korean student that isn't understanding. Sometimes I draw stick people. The creative part of my brain is working doubletime.

In the midst of all this was my birthday yesterday. I thought about de-friending some people on facebook because of so many messages (not really). It was a blessing to be reminded of how many people were thinking about me, even if just for a moment. To celebrate, we went downtown to a nicer restaurant/coffee shop for some italian food. I got the spaghetti with mozzerella and it came in two square chunks next to the pasta and sauce. Made me laugh, but that's just Korea for you.

I'm finding 3-day weekends can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessings I think are obvious, but the curse comes when you realize that you've played all weekend and have to jump back into the same busy routine that you did last week, cramming 5 days of work into 4. Eventually we're going to have to slow down and probably take (at least part of) a weekend off. But not this weekend because Chris Sharma, one of the great names in rock climbing, is going to be climbing here in Korea. I've never met the man, but I expect to feel something like a 6-year-old does on Christmas morning. I'm very excited and may lose sleep. I can't help it, it's just how I feel.

So this will have to be it for now. I have a class in about 10 minutes. And if anyone reading this is wondering why I have time to write a blog but Rebs hasn't written you back, don't take it personally. She has 2 more teaching hours than me, and her schedule is set up in a way that she doesn't really get much of a break.
-----dusty--<><--