Korea and the Red Cross

I spoke with a woman last week at the Red Cross in regards to a volunteer position as a grantwriter. I was pretty impressed with the facility and with her: she had an easy-going yet engaging manner of relating. When she told me that she had spent several years in South Korea, that her parents were missionaries and that she was a graduate of the Yonsei university intensive Korean language program, I felt that she was a kindred spirit of sorts. I told her of my experience in Korea and then asked her if she had been to Soo's Korean restaurant, home of the most authentic Korean food this side of Chicago. When she said that she hadn't, I was adamant about the fact that she needed to try it out.

When I returned this afternoon to visit with her more in depth about the volunteer position, I found out that she was out sick. There was some confusion about who I needed to speak to in regards to what. I met another fellow in the office who said that, indeed, she was so sick that she couldn't even get out of bed. I said, "Oh dear, I hope she didn't eat at the restaurant that I recommended and get sick!"

This picture was taken in approximately September of 1997 at Kyeriongsan Mountain. I had travelled there with these students and new acquaintances and had climbed the mountain in a long parade of families, high-heeled ajummas and high-energy ajushis. Finally, when we got to the top of the mountain, I heard the legend about this elevated place: if you climb it 3 times, you will automatically go to heaven! When I look back at this photo, I feel as if I had already been there.