Oh! The Places You'll Go

I have had this phrase running through my mind this afternoon, "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" I think I need to get a copy of this book.

Here are a few excerpts from Dr. Seuss and Oh! The Places You'll Go.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Oh, Korea!

Oh, Korea! It's something you say when living here in Korea. When you don't know what else to say, you say, "Oh! Korea!"--if the moment is beautiful, if the moment is frustrating, it's always a good response.

For example:
Yesterday we were returning from a day trip to the West Sea. The bus ride home was crowded. Thankfully, we got on at the first stop so we had seats. When new riders were picked up, they had to stand in the aisle. When standing in the aisle, they stand over you, literally, over you. The girl standing over me, was texting a lot. Her cell phone was always right in front of my face. Seriously. I do not lie. Zach kept getting whacked in the head by the lady who was near him with her shopping bags. It's a space thing. There is no such thing as space here so you say, "Oh, Korea!"

Or when you're walking down the street or even in the hallway in your apartment building and someone starts hacking, you know, because they need to cough something up, and they just spit, to rid themselves of the gunk, wherever they happen to be--right in front of you. It's disgusting, it's hard to get use to so I just say, "Oh, Korea!"

When we watch middle school aged kids leave their hagwon at 11:00pm at night, you can only say, "Oh, Korea!"

Our taxi rides in the morning are usually pretty uneventful. Occasionally, we get a taxi driver who would like to practice his English skills. I love these moments. Last week, our driver, was so sweet. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and he kept pointing to them as we drove down the road. I then realized he wanted to know the English word for the tree. I said, "cherry blossom" and he repeated me, over and over with a huge smile. That was a beautiful, "Oh, Korea!" moment.

Oh, Korea! You are good to me.

Friday

Decided to do a video post about part of my day. The video cuts off at the end . . . I don't think I really said anything important.



After my morning of affirmations I went for a hike through Central Park in Seohyeon. On my way I grabbed a Iced Venti Black Tea at the Bux and Mandu from a little restaurant and enjoyed a picnic in the woods.

The park is filled with blooming Cherry Blossoms and Rose of Sharon. It was a beautiful day to hike the trails and then to rest at the lake. It's rare to feel like you have quiet and space in a country full of millions of people. As I was hiking at the top of the mountain, I felt like I had entered a little oasis from all the hustle and bustle of the city. It's good for the soul to find places to rest and be still.

Korea is beautiful in the spring! And I'm thankful that there are places to go to enjoy it's beauty.

Abnormally . . . Normal.

As I left the school today I thought about what a normal day it was. Life here feels abnormally, normal.

Here's my Tuesday:

We did our morning routine (breakfast, showers and coffee) and left for school. We get to school by taxi. Every morning we stand in front of our building, City of Angel and we flag down a taxi. It's what's become normal for us here.

School It's pretty normal. Kids. Running. Laughing. Learning. Speaking Korean. Every day the kids are told, "Speak English. Do not speak Korean." It's what's normal for us here.

As I was walking down the huge hill from the school I saw a Korean woman, smiled and said hello (in Korean). We walked on opposite sides of the street for awhile and then she crossed over and began walking along side of me. She then started speaking to me in Korean. For several minutes we walked together, her speaking to me in Korean and I would repeat what she was saying to me in Korean. We smiled and then said goodbye (in Korean). I have no idea what she had been saying to me. But it was so normal and it made me laugh.

As I approached the bottom of the hill I decided that the day was too beautiful to sit on the bus. Normally, I take the bus home but today I decided to make the 30-40 minute walk to the subway station--so glad I did.

There are so many things in my day that are normal but also so "not normal" to what I've always known. It's normal to be the only "westerner" on the subway or bus. It's normal to be misunderstood. It's normal that I misunderstand most things. It's normal to eat Kimchi--everyday. It's normal to be stared at--all the time. It's normal to be pushed and shoved. It's normal to receive a smile. It's normal to feel that I am friends with someone though language seems to separate us.

It's all abnormally, normal. And somehow, it's beautiful and I'm grateful.