Indomitably Plunging

Family o' mine,

Today is Saturday, and what a lovely day it is. Overcast and cool. I don't usually like autumn, being the forerunner of winter. But always before I've possessed some means of dominating summer's ruthless heat. Now I have no AC, no fan, and even open windows at night are taboo, because this is mosquito season. So, while I still stand in dread of the coming frigid temperatures, today's coolness is very welcome.

I write, not because I really have anything to say, but because I miss you all. Saturdays are slow and lazy, which is nice in some ways. But it does leave me with a lot of unoccupied time on my hands. Mom is sending me two boxes of books, which I expect to get any time now. I look forward to that.

Meanwhile I continue to plod doggedly along. But perhaps the words 'plod' and 'dogged' are too arduous. I have, after all, been back at it for only two weeks. Maybe I should save that expression for some five or six months down the road, where it may be more applicable, and be content at present to 'plunge indomitably forward.'
Ah yes, that's much more apt! When I picture a man standing to take an indomitable plunge, I can see fire burning in his eyes, and can feel the charge of electricity coursing through his body. That same thrill of vigorous life has been my experience since being back in Korea. I love to wake up every morning. I love to breath, and to flex my fingers, and to shiver with delight at God's all-ness. I love to sing to myself, and to wait for the traffic light to turn green, and to watch the sky grow dark every evening. I love all the wonder of feeling and thinking and breathing and doing that comes with being alive.

I picked up a bug, while in China, that I just don't seem to be able to shake. This morning my head was feeling particularly uncomfortable. But later, after school, I slept for two and a half hours, and hopefully the rest will help me to be able to fight whatever this is that's taking me out.

I had my first dream in Korean. Yay! Well, maybe it wasn't really in Korean, but I dreamt I was studying, and through the whole dream all of my hundreds of vocabulary words and phrases were shooting themselves through my mind, over and over and over and over again. It was actually kind of stressful, but hey! If I can sleep and learn at the same time, I'll be the last to complain.
I really love the challenge of learning Korean. Studying this language stretches my mind. It focuses my energy. It tantalizes and teases, laughing at my efforts. It dances and skips just out of reach. But someday I shall get the better of it, and I love to hope for that time.
I appreciate my language teachers, too. Last year, I took one level at Ewha, and there's no comparison between my present experience and that. The Sogang teachers enjoy their job and want us to learn, and the program here is really student friendly. Lots of speaking/listening time, which is what I need more than anything. My strong points are reading and writing, but the oral skills just kill me. I feel, though, like I'm finally breaking through that. It's still a challenge, and often frustrating, but I'm on the up-hill, and that excites me.

My back has been aching lately. It's the same old story, from when I fell on the ice several years ago, in New Hampshire. It hurts especially when I sit for long periods of time, so three hours in the morning during class, and two or three hours of study in the afternoon leaves me with a sharp pain between my shoulders that sometimes goes away quickly, but other times lasts for days. So please be praying for me.

I'd like to thank you again for your emails. I'm sorry that I've been so bad about responding in a timely fashion. I still don't have a phone line in my house, hence no internet connection, so communication with the outside world is really slow right now. But to be unable to reciprocate as I would like to, makes me appreciate your friendship all the more.

Missing you all,
Elisabeth