Warm Moments

Sometimes in the midst of freezing weather I like to think of warm weather. Of course, people would respond, "well when summer hits you will be thinking of wool sweaters, hot showers, and hot cocoa, so you just wait!" That's true, so I try to take stock in all the blessings that four seasons bring. Like, in the summer time, I notoriously sweat more liquid than one NBA team combined so it gets my clothes wet and all that, winter time, I never have to worry about that.

Through it all, though blessed with a roof over our heads, I like to think of warm moments to warm a heart.

I was teaching an extra class in 2008 at the ladies' high school in Korea. I remember the class was from 6:30PM to 8PM, and I was given free reign to teach whatever I wanted, so I thought I introduce American culture through a film called "Finding Forrester." The kids were intrigued since they were viewing life through the lens of a talented high school student named Jamal, so it was a film they definitely liked. Yet I remember, watching that film in the English Zone, looking outside the windows...the sun setting, the rest of the school virtually silent (enforced study time), warm night coming out, and good discussion afterward about the film. I am still amazed of how I traveled halfway across the world to teach in another country's school.

Teaching an extra class in 2007 at the guys' high school in Incheon, South Korea. Same class time as previously mentioned, but with guys, you can relate to them as a big brother type of person in their life. Also, sports. After we finished extra classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, we used to grab the basketball, go out there, and shoot some cord. It was really fun. Don't let the stereotype fool ya, Asian brothers can ball. Some of them showed me up! With the sun setting those nights, the cool night flowing in, crickets chirping, bouncing noises of a rubber ball, and sounds of Korean commands of "pass-shoot-get him!" running across the night sky, you just have to thank the Lord for a moment like that.

I remember as I finally started to get used to my surroundings in my city in 2007, I started to branch out more and explore at nights. Yeah, cities in America are fun to explore, but sometimes a major turn off is the actual safety of a place during night hours. In Korea, safety is a proud feature of their society as many can walk around liberally at night without fear of malevolence. An added bonus is that exploring in Korean cities is a dynamic thing, meaning that there are always neat things right around the corner. Their people are very dynamic and energetic: restaurants buzzing at night, people still working in the streets, students returning from academies and clicking on their cell phones. Neon lights everywhere, seafood restaurants with "free aquariums" selling their wares out front, people chatting it up late. So one night, with much time to kill, one of my favorite things to do was to pop in my iPod and walk around new districts of the city. I love people watching, seeing new parts of the city, watching life go by. That particular summer night in 2007, I was listening to a band called MuteMath. A very good rock band with laced electronica to their sound. At the end of their self-titled album, they have a song called "Reset." The track has no lyrics. Its simply a filler song/instrumental. Its just beats with great rhythms and ambient sounds. It was THE perfect exploration song. That night I just walked! When "Reset" came to an end, I came back and re-played the track. It was such a fun night to just be free after taking all that time to get adjusted to my surroundings.

Its warm moments like these that were made courtesy of the Lord God Almighty...who paved the way there for me to explore.