A weekend of cooking

the different doughs we used....

the mixture we put into the dumplings

Should've taken pictures of the final product...but was too busy eating...

This past weekend I spent time in my small town to relax and enjoy a couple of days with no school. Saturday morning the kindergarten teacher picked me up and took me to her house for a day of learning to make Korean food. We ended making dumplings from scratch, and I spent 3 hours spreading out the dough with a rolling pin and cutting and pieces to put in the mixture. I also squeezed out the water in the smelly tofu so that it could go in the mix which we inserted into the dumplings. I had romanticized the day by imagining splendid smells and laughter. Instead, it was hours of manual labor and sore legs from sitting down so long. However, the dumplings were certainly delicious! The kindergarten teacher’s husband came from Seoul (he works there during the week) and steamed a couple chickens, so we enjoyed a meal of chicken stew, dumplings, and random side dishes. During the afternoon, the 6th grade teacher came by as well as a couple of my students who live in the neighborhood. I learned that the 6th grade teacher had married her husband 4 months after meeting one another at church. Other random things were discussed as well, such as the name of a Korean alcoholic drink called 백세주which supposedly refers to the health benefit from drinking it. In the evening, we had a bonfire outside and roasted up some chestnuts. I regret not taking some pictures. The kindergarten teacher’s house is right by the river and is surrounded by mountains. Quite an awesome location. Well, after spending hours cooking, talking, watching television, and snacking, I was dropped off at home at around 10pm with a bag filled with a container with soup, some dumplings I had made, and fresh kimchi that I enjoyed during lunch.

The next day I woke up and took a bus to the neighboring town, Bongpyeong, in order to buy some cereal (my town’s market has the same bland cereal so I take a bus to get different cereals). As I was walking through the town, a random grandfather-like farmer called me over and started talking to me about some bicycles that were left on his farm. He asked if I was a high school student, and when I said no, he continued to tell me what he wanted to say. Basically some high school students left bicycles on his farm and he wanted me to tell him what to do about it...either I go to the high school and tell them to get their bikes or give him advice. I told him that I wasn’t from the town, so I would have no idea who the owners of the bikes were. After that interesting episode, purchased my cereal and then took the bus back to my town. The rest of the afternoon was spent listening to John Piper, watching UFC 105, exercising at my school’s playground, and playing with some neighborhood dogs. Tomorrow marks another week at Jangpyeong Elementary School.

With only a little over a month left, I am going to make a conscious effort to spend as much time with my students as possible. Going to school early, playing with them, and helping around school. Through all of this, I cannot depend on my own strength. Lord, let your will be done.