Seoul—A Whirlwind Winter Break

I spent my winter break in Seoul from the end of December to the end of February and squeezed in a lot of activity during those nine weeks. I stayed at Hanshin Seminary in a room by myself, which was quite a change of pace from the communal rhythms of Neutbom School. There were many times where I felt like a potted plant, isolated from my natural ecosystem, from community. Looking out from my window, an endless expanse of glass and concrete, manmade monuments making it difficult to see the work of the Creator. But in the midst of this urban loneliness, I also made many friends, visited different churches, and participated in various events—a social life I lacked at the school. It was a time of many ups and downs, but it was in the depths of the downs that God met me and rekindled our relationship, leaving me with nothing but gratitude for that period of darkness (see previous post). Below is a recap of my time in Seoul:

Internship with Your Voice Christian Center Against Sexual Violence 기독교반성폭력센터 (기반센)

I had the opportunity to work with these amazing women advocating for reform within a church culture that often silences and discredits women. I learned about their workshops on gender sensitivity, maintaining healthy boundaries, and preventing sexual violence within the church. I also read stories of victims of sexual violence within the church and learned how Your Voice offers legal and psychological support and care in the aftermath of such incidents, their primary role being to empower survivors to pursue the path of recourse of their choice. As an intern, I helped design their 2024 annual report, but mostly, I had the honor of learning from the faithful, compassionate, sensitive, and fierce example of the Your Voice staff.

Pictured above is our visit to 따뜻한밥상 "A Warm Meal", a restaurant serving affordable 김치찌개 (kimchi stew) run by a pastor, who also happens to be the husband of Your Voice's office manager. I'm ashamed to admit that I was expecting a messy, frenzied environment with people clamoring to get their $2 meal, but what I experienced was an immaculate restaurant with staff who seated us at our table and treated everyone with dignity and warmth. What an awesome ministry.

Internship with 508호 Office of Ecumenical Organizations

Office 508 of the Korean Christian Building is home to several Christian organizations. Originally the office of the Korean Student Christian Federation (KSCF), KSCF invited other organizations to share the space to foster an environment of collaboration and solidarity. Thus, I not only had the opportunity to work with KSCF, but also with the Ecumenical Youth Council of Korea (EYCK); Q&A, an organization that advocates for queer Korean Christians; and the NCCK (National Council of Churches Korea) Human Rights Center. I split my time between Your Voice and Office 508. On Christmas eve, we visited different sites as an act of solidarity, including 별들의집 Home of the Stars, the memorial center for the victims of the Itaewon disaster, who now shine as stars in heaven. I had the honor of presenting gifts to parents of the Itaewon stars and was able to feel their pain in a way I could not when I was oceans away in the US. I was moved by their message of not wanting to impart just grief and heartbreak to visitors but instead wanting to extend an invitation to celebrate the lives of the stars with them in light and hope. I also participated in prayer gatherings and worship services to protest gentrification in Myeongdong and President Yoon's abuse of power. I am so proud of my fellow Christians for putting their faith into action and inspired by their perseverance and passion.

EYCK Workshop

One project I worked on was planning a workshop with EYCK to bring together Christian activists and explore ways to further collaboration. Using 전쟁없는세상 World Without War's Guidebook for How to Change the World as a foundation, we presented about Bill Moyer's Movement Action Plan, a theory about the way social movements progress and the different roles we play in those movements. We also did activities such as Solidarity Spectrum, which entails making a list of different parties and assessing where there may be potential for partnership, solidarity, or at the very least, discussion. My favorite activity was From the Future to the Present. Assuming that you have reached your goals, you work backwards to come up with the events that led up to your success.

Above are pictures of my last day at Office 508. Here is an excerpt from the letter I wrote to them:

"I learned many things from you all, but the most important lesson I learned was about how to live out your faith. It's not about loving that person over there, but the person next to me, here and now. The relationship between me and my neighbor is the most basic unit of the body of Christ, so I believe that if we can simply love our neighbors well, we can manifest God's kingdom."

"가장 중요한 배움은 믿음을 실천하는 방법이었습니다. 그때 거기서 그 사람이 아니라 지금 여기서 내 바로 옆에 있는 사람을 사랑하는 것 말씀입니다. 내 이웃과 관계는 그리스도의 몸의 가장 기본적인 단위이기 때문에 내 이웃을 잘 사랑할 수 있으면 하나님의 나라도 분명히 이룰 수 있다고 믿고 있습니다."

They surprised me with a cake they said they picked out because of the rabbit on it (my zodiac sign). It was such a sweet moment. I miss them already!

Church Visits

I visited several different churches during my time in Seoul and had the pleasure of worshiping God in a variety of ways. One of my favorite moments was during the benediction at 새맘교회 New Heart Church (left), where we all said the benediction together holding hands, blessing one another.

I visited the historic 한빛교회 Hanbit Church (right), church of the late Rev. Moon Ik-hwan, as well as celebrated the one-year anniversary of my friend's new church 희년다문화교회 Jubilee Multicultural Church (below).

희년다문화교회 Jubilee Multicultural Church One-Year Anniversary Celebration and Potluck

Korean Student Christian Federation (KSCF)

Through Office 508, I was connected to KSCF and their weekly fellowship. I made great friends and learned about intentional Christian communities in Korea that many of them were a part of. I visited 없이 있는 마을 "Village that Exists Without" (hard to translate 😅) in Namyangju as well as 밝은누리 인수마을Balgeun Noori's Insu campus, right next to Hanshin. There were so many young children in both of those communities which was absolutely delightful to see. I was filled with hope and joy at their laughter and little footsteps.

밝은누리 Balgeun Noori village restaurant. Affordable, vegan home-cooked meals open to the community and the public.

One of two cafes run by Balgeun Noori community members. Serving vegan baked goods and homemade kombucha.

My Daily Bread Part 2

I tried even more new foods this winter break including:

크로플 croffle (croissant that's been pressed into a waffle shape—crispy & delish!)
족발 jokbal (pig feet)
즉석 떡볶이 (on-the-spot tteokbokki (spicy rice cake))
굴국밥 (oyster rice soup)
돼지 곱창 (pig intestines)
닭한마리 dak-hanmari (chicken soup)
닭갈비 dakgalbi (Korean grilled chicken—so juicy and tender! 😍)
만두전골 (dumpling hot pot)
두루치기 duruchigi (stir-fried pork & bean sprouts) with tons of 반찬 (side dishes)
Famous 꽈배기 Korean twisted donut at Gwangjang Market—YUM!
London Bagel Museum bagels 👌 (Not actually an English company)
Seoul Mac—first burger since I arrived, it was okay
German pancakes, similar to crepes, made by my fellow German volunteer 🥰
계란빵 (sweet bread with an egg on top—reminded me of a McGriddle)

Speaking of McGriddles...

There's no sausage in the pasta or pizza in Korea, and I was craving sausage, so I had a sausage egg McMuffin at McDonald's on New Year's Day for breakfast. Tasted just like the original! Plus the hash browns were a reasonable price.

Drumroll...

But out of all of these delicious dishes, I would have to say the 들깨칼국수 perilla seed noodle soup I had at 엘림 was the best. I went there a total of six times in those nine weeks (it was conveniently located close to my dorm). If you ever come to Korea, please visit this restaurant. It's up there with Jeju's 고사리 육개장 fiddlehead spicy beef soup.

Other things I did in Seoul were visit the memorial for the victims of the Muan airport plane crash (rest in peace), learned how to play 바둑 Go, and visited Lotte Tower, which had a Studio Ghibli store inside.