Rainy and Cool

Life in Korea is in full swing again. My Korean, which seemed to have abandoned me my first few days back here, has resurfaced, with all of its idiocies and stuttering mistakes. But at least I don’t feel dwarfed by my inarticulacy now, as I did three days ago, and can enjoy laughing at myself along with everyone else. One Korean girl, whom I’d only met once last year, called me the day after I got back. We got together, hoping to become better acquainted, and really hit it off. Her English is about at the level of a two year old, and my Korean is (says she) is as that of a seven year old, so it was almost entirely in Korean that we communicated. We talked for two hours on subjects that would have required, for two individuals sharing a common language, perhaps thirty minutes to canvas, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Especially after I became accustomed to the strong alfalfa taste of our shared green tea ice-cream, scooped over red bean paste. Next week we’re going to begin reading the Psalms together, in Korean and in English. I look forward to that.

Today is rainy and cool. I have my one window open, and am sitting in front of that, enjoying listening to the musical pitter-patter of rain, while bigger splashes of pregnant drops, falling from the eaves of my house, keep time. Today excepted, the weather has been stiflingly humid. And I haven’t any AC. During the day, it’s not so difficult to deal with. I can sit in the stale, hot inside air, watching the heavy, hot outside air, and imagine that somehow the window being open causes the two classes of hot air to become cooler. But at night it’s quite a different matter. At night all my windows are closed, and I lie panting in great gulps of humidity. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to sleep in such a state. But I’ve discovered that, if I hold a pack of ice to my chest and can fall asleep before it melts, then I generally stay asleep for a few hours at least.

Later this afternoon a plumber (I suppose) will come by. I haven’t been able to shower at my house, because whenever I turn the shower on, water seeps up through the floor in my entryway, flooding it. So one of my Korean friends came over two days ago to explain the situation to my landlady, who later informed me that on Monday (today) someone would come by to clear my drains. I objected, ‘the drain isn’t clogged!’ But she’s quite sure it must be, and as her Korean is ever-so-much-more proficient than mine, she had the upper hand in the discussion, and I was forced to smile and acquiesce. Whenever whoever gets here, I’ll try to explain the problem to them, and see what happens with that. Meanwhile, I’ve a friend who lives about thirty minutes away, and she has graciously invited me to make free use of her place. Friends are good to have.

School begins tomorrow. I’m trying not to think too much about all the days that will follow today. I was glancing through my level 4 book yesterday, and it looked really difficult. I remember last year, how I had barely enough time to keep up with class. And I look ahead, and dread it being the same scenario all over again: me wrapped up in my little world of books and lessons and tests. It’s a very introverted world, and when I’m in it, I tend to shut other people out, which is unhealthy. I need to be involved in other people’s lives; it is, of course, why I’m here in the first place. But I don’t know at all how to incorporate both Korean and People. They squeeze each other out, because each is time consuming, and there are only twenty four hours in a day. There’s no lack of desire, but I feel an absolute lack of ability. Please pray for me, that I will know how to use my time wisely and well.

With love,
Elisabeth