Excuse Me Grandma..........May I?

Slow week, well, slow isn't the right word, but uneventful from the dumb foreigner standpoint, so here is one the I have saved for exactly this time.................

The washrooms out here, at least from a male perspective, are similar to ones back home. Urinals, toilets, sinks, hand dryers, soap etc. But there are two differences, one subtle, the other obvious and quite awkward.

The subtle is this, there is no toilet paper in bathroom stalls. At least this isn't always the case. You have to grab it before you go in. Usually at the entrance of most washrooms there is a roll and you simply take what you predict you will need. If you ever ask for my advice on this, too much beats not enough. This is a simple little issue that can become a major one if your not aware, simply read up before you come, standard practice for being in another country really.

The obvious difference however is, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh.......................not sure what word to use here, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh................well it caused me to walk out of the bathroom, shake my head and attempt to understand how this happens and the Koreans don't even blink. Why don't I put it this way, there should be an asterisk (*) beside the sign on the male bathroom to indicate that although it is for males, grandma may come in and clean at any moment, bringing in the unfamiliar (at least to me.........) female visitor into the men's washroom. This to me is a clear violation of the code, and if not the code, at least the sign on the door. So what happens in this instance you ask (if you don't ask, then I'm sure your scrolling down to find the end!!!!!), well, grandma walks in like she owns the place, cleans the mirror, prepares the sink and counter, then puts her head down, grabs the mop and cleans the rest of the joint. She feels no responsibility to stay within a certain "zone". She is free to go where other women are definantly not permitted, at least that is what I thought was known worldwide. The urinals and toilets. When she gets there, she gets every nook and crany, and if she has to wait for to clean the nook you are using, she will clean the nook beside you and wait to get to where she feels she needs to get to and now.

Needless to say, I am still caught off guard when this happens to me, as it has been a few times, and my inclination (never mind what my conscience says to me) is to simply wait. So I usually do. It is strange.

Anywho, other things you should be aware of.......................

a) it looks like the personalized Christmas DVD will not be happening. We have exhausted all the possible options to make it happen, and it just won't work. Instead, I hope to post it online closer to Christmas, and you can all view it there. Not what I was hoping for, as it would have been better to watch in on your TV and the couch as opposed to a computer screen. Sorry.

b) our friends (Jamie and Jennica Graham) have put together a video. You can view it by clicking on the link to their blog on the left side of my page. It was their most recent update. In their video they have generously given Dan and I a section. Its a great video, in fact we have come to know them and all the others that star in their short production as our close Korean friends. It's worth a look if you got the time.

c) Brother Yun will be speaking at the church I have been attending here next weekend. He has an outstanding story of faithfulness to the Lord. He was a leader of the house church movement in China, and I can't wait to hear him. I set a personal recored, reading his 250 page book in 24 hours. I couldn't put it down, therefore I also recommend. It's called, The Heavenly Man. He speaks in the evening, during the morning I will go to the DMZ (N/S Korean border). It'll be quite a day!

d) the sky is blue

e) a "shout out to Tyler Crawford" I said I would do it (a while ago) and here it is.

f) I am a man

I think I have now covered it all
Kev