"The Hawaii of Korea"
That's what all of my textbooks from Korean language school said about Jeju Island. When I saw that there was a marathon festival [marathon, half marathon, and 10K] there, I decided Este Momento. Although I do not believe that is quite what the song is talking about, I thought I should seize the moment and signed up for the 1/2 marathon.
I had been running much more in Korea than I did in the U.S. [except for that time I got sucked into running cross country so that I would be in shape enough to make the soccer team]. Anyway...I really enjoyed running to learn my way around, to explore Daejeon, to move, to relax [I never would have guessed that I would say that about running], to be outside, to reflect, and to pray.
So...I returned from the gathering in Indonesia early Wednesday morning, went to work Wednesday afternoon, woke up with a fever and no desire whatsoever to leave my bed Thursday, felt less bad on Friday, felt better on Saturday, and headed to Jeju.
Going through security, I realized my toiletries we packed neatly in a quart sized bag...in my bathroom...in Daejeon. I managed to pack my toothbrush, so what I really missed was deodorant and sunscreen. I know I could have found SPF 70+ without a problem, but deodorant is another story. Koreans don't really have the same need for deodorant as Westerners, so it is a little bit of a challenge to find. By the time I arrived, I was already exhausted and knew I had an early morning ahead of me, so I just checked into my hotel and went to sleep. Sunday, I ran the race with clean teeth but sunscreen and deodorant free. It was a nice course by the ocean and quite pleasant but then reeaaallllly long. 힘들어요.
two blind runners with guides [so cool!] - after race lunch: abalone rice porridge and kimchi [so Korean]
everyone warming up together - me [after a post race nap and lunch]
singlet at Cheonjiyeon Waterfall - Gimnyeong beach
Saeseom Island - garlic sunbathing - some nice people I ate dinner with
Thomas, Anna, and my Time for Young Disciples are frequently [or maybe desperately?] inspired by what is going on in our lives, so here is sort of what I talked about during my TYD the next Sunday:
I really enjoy being prepared. I packed a lot of things [yes, probably too many] when I was heading to Korea last August and thought I prepared mentally and emotionally and whatnot. Upon arriving, I realized I did not feel prepared/equipped/qualified for a lot of things: teaching English, leading Bible studies, doing TYDs...I also felt just bad at other things [language school].
When I was a counselor in training at camp, the motto for CITs was "Learn by doing." During this year I have definitely learned by doing [and being, of course!], but I have realized something more important: no matter how prepared I am, what I am doing, where I am, what my challenges are, if things are going really well or really not so well, how good or bad I am at something, and even whether or not I am wearing deodorant - God is with me. Whether it is something just for fun, like a race, or something we tend to think of as more serious like...life - Immanuel: God with us
Also, my sunburn led to a lot of 'wows' from people here. Then when I started peeling, it became sort of a game for my students: "Who can collect the most of Anna 쌤's skin?" Are you grossed out? Sorry...I guess...but...it only shows that God uses our vulnerabilities and mistakes allow us to connect with each other in new ways.
