2002-09-12 - 10:09 p.m.

Thursday, September 12

11:30 -- Yesterday, I read memorial pages and thought of the 3,000 people-shaped holes in a million peoples' lives. War is not the answer.

Last night, at our meditation group, there was an Iranian man. He is my friend. The label "from Iran" does not mean anything. We met last December. In all these months, when he enters the room, he brings an atmosphere of happiness and loving-kindness. Everyone I know trusts and welcomes this fellow we call "Magic." He has been through the crucible and came out compassionate. When "New York John" respects someone, I've found they are worthy of respect and he respects Magic. [N.Y. John is a tough old former cab-driver and lumberjack who lifted himself by his own bootstraps to become a professor of linguistics.]

At any rate, to fulfill a commitment I made to my notify list, here is the Sunday supper story. Between meetings, New York John rounded up a bunch of us to go and eat Pakistani food in Itaewon. We were N.Y. John, Montreal John, Maryanne, Magic, Yong and myself. Despite his nickname, New York John is from Canada (that's where he lumberjacked), as are Maryanne and Montreal John. Yong is a Korean who lived in New York for several years. It's hard to remember all the topics we discussed, but "home and family" were right up there, along with surviving adversity and living a spiritual life. NYJ said the times he felt the best spiritually were when he was alone in the woods, with just his dog and his horse.

As to what we ate, lots of little dishes of fiery meat and big hunks of what I call pita-bread, but they called "rota." I got a bowl, about 12 ounces, of "raita," yoghurt with chopped cukes, tomatoes and dill. It proved to be just the right counterpoint to the spicy dishes. I think "red curry" would most adequately summarise the sauces in which the extrememly tender cubes of beef, mutton and chicken swam.

We all divided up and went our separate ways afterward. Magic, Montreal John and I walked back to the Lutheran church for the evening meeting.

In the gloaming of a clear and lovely day, the sky was shifting from peach to royal blue. All the street colours got richer and darker, then greyed out to that dimensionless quality just before true dark. The big, wooden, flower containers on the sidewalks, filled with mini-mums and ruby-leaved plants, looked like treasure boxes heaped with jewel-studded velvet.

21:20 -- Met a possible student this evening, Han Hyun.

She is keen to learn English. She has enough for basic conversation but she needs to learn more words. She works nights in the wholesale export clothing market near Dongdaemun, not far from here. She has worked nights for ten years and wants to better herself. She's a very pleasant young lady.

She was very embarrassed because she was late meeting me at Anam Station. She insisted on picking up the tab for supper. I didn't mind her being late; one of the advantages of meeting in Anam Station is the "educational" TV in the waiting area.

I watched a documentary about a traditional Korean singer and her composer husband who live on a small-holding (homestead) up in the mountains. She's 74 years old and sings like a bird in that wonderful open-throated way, like the Balkan Women's Chorus or Ethel Merman.

I took Han Hyun to a restaurant near here that has Western food. We had toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. "Okay, but not the best." I taught her what the comparisons meant in that phrase. She was curious about what sort of group would include both Magic and me. I gather she thinks he is an Arab. I didn't get into that, but said we met at various churches, renting space, but were not affiliated with any of them, then changed the subject.

I brought her to my "pad" after we ate and showed her some of my teaching tools. She's Christian and had quite a "snake-bite" reaction to seeing Seung Sahn's "Buddhist" book. I explained that he was Corean and the he had also learned English as an adult, so I use his book to show how a Corean can get good in English, not to teach Buddhism. Her reaction to the book told me a lot about religious prejudice in a multi-faith society. Maybe I'd better keep an eye out for "Christian" books written in English by Coreans.

At any rate, Han Hyun and I left it that she would call me tomorrow after 12 noon, when she has looked at her work schedule, and we will set up a time next week for her first lesson.

Now it's time to go home and prepare a lesson for tomorrow's student. And then to bed. I've altered the bed-pad into a couch during the day by folding it and propping it against the wall. It looks like a love-seat with the bedding tucked under the "seat," and my pillows for armrests.

Good night and sweet dreams.

Happy Trails!

~ Sil in Corea

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