M*A*S*H*

Richard Hornberger was a US army surgeon during the Korean war. He wrote under the name Richard Hooker and his book M*A*S*H, was a memoir of his time as a surgeon during the war which was eventually made into a movie and a TV series.

The Korean war started because the Russians tried to take over South Korea during the cold war to install a communist government. Russia and the USA, had agreed after WWII that Korea would be temporarily divided into North and South. They were there in order to oversee the removal of Japanese forces that tried to dominate Korea at that time.

Japan occupied Korea for 35 years- 1910-1945. During this time the Japanese closed Korean schools, forbade the Korean language and even made people change their Korean names to Japanese names. Unspeakable atrocities happened as with most invasions of one country over another. Japan was forced to leave but Korea never did become one country as planned.  The north adopting the communist governing and the south adopting a U.S. way of governing.

However South Korea did not adopt the U.S. democracy right away. A dictator, General Park Chung Hee ruled South Korea and introduced a system called  “chaebols” which revolutionized the country. Yet despite his repressive rule, South Koreas economy grew rapidly and was transformed from a poor, relatively underdeveloped country into a thriving Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, LG producing country. He was assassinated in 1979.

I am teaching English at a Language Cafe three hours a day in exchange for a bottom bunk bed in a small apartment and all the eggs, noodles, cabbage and rice I can eat. Please send new recipes!!

My dorm and teaching mates are young people from France, Italy, Slovenia, Canada, Germany, Azerbaijani and Senegal.  One young woman is Muslim and wears the traditional Hijab. We have had some great conversations and I am learning a lot from her. We are 8, sleeping in bunk beds and sharing one bathroom, kitchen and dining area. As the oldest I am up early and go to bed early and therefore never have a problem waiting for the bathroom to open up.

My job is not to actually teach grammer or structure but just to sit and converse in English. We talk for 50 minutes, then a ten-minute break and the student rotates to the next teacher. Most of my students are young and want to learn English to travel and sometimes for work. I am a little bit of a rock star being the only American with a “real” American accent. And even young Koreans know about the USA helping them to overcome the communist government and are very appreciative of our help.

It amazes me how different Korea feels from Japan. Koreans even look different. Japanese have lighter skin and more defined facial features. The language does not come close to Japanese and Korea is not nearly as clean as Japan.

Why South Korea?  Five years ago, I read Lisa See’s historical fiction book “Island of Sea Women” and was memorized.  It takes place on a small island off the coast of South Korea called Jeju Island and is about two young girls who are sea divers. They dive, as most women in the area do, in all sorts of weather for sea urchins, octopus and other delicacies in the ocean.  It spans 70 years of their close knit lives and what they go through during the Japanese occupation of Korea, WWll and the Korean war.  It is historical fiction at its best. A must read – it did motivate me to visit Korea!

Quote for this post: If it is peace you want, seek to change yourself, not other people. It is easier to protect your feet by putting on a pair of slippers, than to carpet the world. Anthony De Mello

Owner of the Language Cafe

The cafe

Enjoying a Korean meal with room mates at our apartment.

Our Korean cook for the evening

They love Spam and I was told it was becasue of the tinned food the G.I’s brought with them during the war.

Heels anyone? All are a good 2-6 inches high to make you taller!

I did not try it- looked too spicy.

Hope you will read it!

My son, Anthonys wedding in June in LA, fun and unconventinoal, both are comedians and they were roasted all night by comedian friends. Google “Dad and Step Dad” and Sorry/Not Sorry to see more about them and their work. This is a paid advertisement!