3.) Church Photo hunt

One of the things that I'm really happy with here in Korea is my church. I found this church my second week in Korea, and I've been there every Sunday since. One of the things I was looking for when I first got here was a good outlet for some energy, the opportunity to grow, and a place to meet friends. So I sought out a church that had a college group, believing that if I found one, the other things mentioned above were sure to follow. And that held true.
I have become ever-more involved since I began attending back in December. I now lead a small group, am involved in the leadership process, and do various other things in the name of "SEC" (SaRang English-College). ["SaRang" is the English way to spell the Korean word for love, which is also the name of the church.]
Being summer, and being the college group, there are many people without a whole lot to do, since a lot of Korean students are on break from school and many Koreans who have been studying abroad have returned for the summer. So at SEC we have hosted various events to keep people involved and entertained in their free time. And since I am jobless, I have been able to not only participate in numerous activities, I have also been able to plan some. This past weekend is one example.
In my high-school youth group we used to have an annual event held downtown Chicago, where we would have to do a scavenger hunt and also try to find staff members throughout the city. So in planning this event, we combined that idea with the convenience of digital cameras and the official excuse to do silly things in public places, and called it "SEC Photo Scavenger hunt." Original, huh?

The list of assigned pictures included the one above, a human pyramid in front of City Hall. What you cannot see are the hundreds of people in one of the only grassy places in Seoul, the lawn in front of City Hall. There was some sort of event going on, and tons of people of all ages were running around, sitting on the grass, picnicking, playing in the water fountain, and giving away free hugs (of which I was the happy recipient... twice.). It was quite a fun atmosphere to be in as we walked about and checked the assigned photos off out list.

One part of 'city life' that I have come to enjoy is the presence of people everywhere, but not just business people and adults, but people of all ages and backgrounds. It also serves to provide fodder for interesting encounters, whether they be drunk old men trying to start fights on the subway, kids coming up and saying "hi!!" and then running away, high school girls giggling at you on the bus as they're on their way to Saturday-school, or tourists who are so lost that you can't help but laugh 'cause you've been in exactly the same situation at some time in your life. Regardless of when and where, there are always things in the city that make me smile. One of my favorites are the little kids that are just doing everyday things in the midst of such a fast-paced environment.

Besides having the excuse of an organized activity to spur on our energy and push the limits of appropriate social norms of behavior, we had another attribute which is quite unique and empowering, the FA, Foreigner's Advantage. I have yet to figure out exactly why it's the case, but almost everywhere I travel in Asia, and especially here since I've had so much time to experiment with it, I am treated more like a celebrity than an American who, according to the mentality and propaganda back home, the world is supposed to hate.
[--One quick side story is when Kyle and I, besides catching glimpses and hellos from countless people around us, we actually stopped people in the street, had them turn around, and say... "wow, you guys stand out!" That comment pretty much made our day, and has been the topic of conversation ever since. That particular instance could be attributed to the fact that we both have red hair (something very rare here), we were both wearing sunglasses (which for some reason over here transforms an average person into an instant celebrity... really weird, but nonetheless strangely true), we each were quite well dressed (including my tailored creme suit and Kyle's professionally styled hair which has been rumored to have caused an international frenzy, particularly in Japan, due to his appearance in BeautyLife magazine), or that we were strutting down the middle of the street... but whatever the case, I still would like to attribute it to a case of FA.--]
Anyway, back to the photo hunt... several of the things on the list required asking people to do favors for us, like posing with a Starbucks' barista, or wearing an official police hat. And when those situations arose, the cause for agreement with the FA theory was only strenthened...

Living in Korea is great. I have experienced things that I never could have back home. And those such experiences have had a dramatic influence on my life's perspective. Something that could not have happened had I not been here in a particular place at a particular time. My church has provided a great foundation for me here, and you can look forward to many more posts regarding the fun things we do and the awesome people there!