Life Style Photos of Old Korea (July 2022)

I have received dozens of photos from a friend, which portray the lifestyles of Old Korea. They gave me a recollection of my olden days and I wanted to keep them on this blog as a reminder.

A significant portion of the photos was related to village life focusing on farming.

In the villages, people had simple transportation means: on foot or slow-going cow-pulled wagons.

The streams were places for washing clothes and for the fellowship and gossips.

The urban life was similar to the village life, but a bit different. This was how we overcame the heatwaves.

The public buses had assistants who collected the bus fare and made announcements for the next stops.

The bus assistants had to push people into the buses to maximize the occupancy loads. How brutal it was for weak young ladies had to endure.

We all had a lot of fun playing this Mal-Dduk-Bak-Ki game. We landed on the backs of those who bent to make seatings to add the impact, and Gawi-Bawi-Bo to see who wins.

At schools, we had heaters in the classes, which were far to insufficient for the number of students. So it became crowded during the breaks.

During the winter times, any sloped roads became the slopes for winter sports. Bamboo-made sleighs were common and gave us a lot of fun.

For almost all, the heating was made by burning coals. All deliveries were made by people on hand-pulled wagons.

These were our lunch boxes, made of unhealthy aluminum.

Oh, precious memories of old Korean life! We did not have a lot, but we had the happiness of our own without a lot of possessions. It is indeed true that life does not consist of an abundance of possessions. (Luke 12:15) - Jeffrey

One Egg Project Cambodia (July 2022)

 One Egg Project is an initiative that my friend Tom Phillips started several years ago. This project is to feed one cooked egg for poor children of age between 1 to 5 when they need protein most for their growth. This project was started in Rwanda and has since grown to more than a dozen nations.

SfK worked with One Egg Project in two nations: Tanzania and Cambodia. The project in Tanzania progressed fast and has since been closed. But, the Cambodian project has moving very slowly and I have been informed that it is now completed.

In Cambodia, the project was carried out with little children in the City Garbage Dump Village. It was heart-breaking to see young children suffering from malnutrition.

The fact that a small amount of money can feed so many children with essential nutrition in their early stages of life humbles me and enforces me to live a frugal life. - Jeffrey

Father's Day 2022 (July 2022)

One of the benefits of returning to the states is getting in closer contact with our children. We are now receiving gifts on mother's day and father's day.

This year's mother's day came while we were staying at Amanda's house and Amanda prepared a meal for us.

On this year's father's day, I received a basket of edible arrangements including strawberries and cookies. I was a happy camper.

Thank you, Amanda and Joyce, for the gift! Love, Dad - Jeffrey

Jones Gap State Park (July 2022)

Kristin and I took a short drive to Jones Gap State Park which is well known and popular for hikers. Due to pain in our legs, we could not hike for long, but it was refreshing to be in the woods. 

I was hoping to try camping in a park like this so that we can broaden our travel experiences. Lord willing. - Jeffrey

Octopus Bokkeum (July 2022)

 While I was in Korea, I cooked a lot. But, after I returned home, I have not had to cook because Kristin is such a good cook and I would not have to cook. She has given me an opportunity to cook with small octopuses and I made an Octopus Bokkeum. It came out good and Kristin liked it. But, I created a mess in the process, and it was a passing grade. Oh well...

I am sure I will resume my cooking journey soon. Perhaps a western foods, next time...? - Jeffrey

Eli and Gabe (July 2022)

 Amanda is calling us, usually Kristin, almost every day during the weekdays. It has been great joy to see Eli and Gabe in action live. I am grateful for Amanda's conscious efforts to do it.

Eli has a beautiful smile and is growing up. Amanda's photo of him with comments made me crack with a burst of laughter.

Gabe is eating so well and is growing fast and big. The following photo that shows Eli's photo and Gabe's photo at about the same age makes me smile again. Left is Eli and right is Gabe.

It is my prayer that they will grow up healthy in God's words under God's gracious care to become instruments for His Kingdom. - Jeffrey