Am I having Fun?

Sacheon is Beautiful!

This photo was taken from a different area than where I walk alone.  Sherry Anderson and I generally walk together 3 times a week and I was with her for this photo.  If you have a sense of direction (which I don't), you can tell which mountain we were hiking, by where the pagoda appears in this shot.   Lacking that ability, I could show you from here, but can't explain...
I doubt that either of us cares, so I'll move on.  Thanks to Sherry I get in a different walk 3 times a week, from where I generally go on my solo, riverside route.  Despite the fact that we both get worn out and sweat pints of water (I prefer to think of it as a free sauna!),  all of the walks are beautiful and immensely satisfying.  A dozen-plus tries couldn't fully capture this lily pond, stocked with koi, little rock statues and a dragon which appears to weave in and out of the rocks at
Su Yang (or Sansung--I've heard it called by both names) Park.

When I'm with Sherry, we talk about anything and everything because neither of us is a judgmental listener, and neither of us speaks Korean!
So, we talk about our families, life in Korea, politics, beliefs, vexations, worries...
and see amazing stuff every day.
She's great, and I end up walking with her longer than either of us intended,
because, not only the scenery's awesome, but the company's delightful.

While walking solo this morning, however, I wondered if I've forgotten how to "have fun," after reading a post looking for the such this weekend.  Everyone seems to want to go someplace else, as often as possible.  What's wrong--why don't I?  A comment by my teen-aged son, from over a decade ago, remains etched in my memory too: "Mom, you don't have any yellow, do you?"  If you're familiar with the color-coded personality scheme (which, like all pop-psychology and labeling techniques, irritates the heck out of me), you know that "yellow," loosely translated, represents the ability to play and have fun.  Some middle-school Korean boys would absolutely agree w/my lack of "yellow" (if they knew enough English to concur--HA!).  As soon as he said it, I understood why and felt sick.
Yet, in my 20's before I became a divorced mom,
most people would've thought "yellow" was my primary color!
But, as a free-lance muralist, I painted anywhere from 8 to16 hours a day, took care of the house & everyone else, along with my son's needs & making sure he got to have a normal, fun life,
church activities and commitments...there simply was no "play time" left over.
We started changing that, by eating out, going to movies and shopping together.
Still, I wonder...

This morning, like every morning, breathing in included the aromatic presence of dense foliage and vegetation competing for appreciation from vast rice fields, persimmons, sesame, peppers, garlic, onions, soy beans, wild flowers, surrounding forests and wild riverside growth.  As a child in rural Maryland, I wished I could somehow open up my chest to inhale and take all of it in.  It's like that here.  Birds of innumerable varieties, cicadas, dragonflies, frogs, crickets, beetles, miniature goats, chickens and roosters, just to recognize a few of the musicians, serenade every moment of each walk.  Farmers smile, nod and continue to wash in the canals, plant or harvest crops, or lay out peppers to dry.  Regular, early morning walkers and cyclists are my brief companions.  We
exchanging a smile and nod, "hi" or "annyeonghaseyo," as we pass.
And as for what I see...There's no way to record it all with a camera,
especially as the combination of sounds, aromas, and sensations
are part of the visuals, creating a symphonic, immersive experience.
Most of that's lost in a 2 dimensional photo, or even a short video clip.   But I try.

   So, what is play and who defines fun?  I look around and, for the more part, it seems like most people are oblivious to the feast which is theirs for the breathing in, hearing and seeing. Considering the oft repeated adage of "get a life," I wonder who out there decides what constitutes a "life" worth having?  The late nights and sleeping in, which filled the years of my 20's, are pretty hazy now.
What was I doing?  Who was I with?  Some of the friends I hung out with then, remain close friends.  But I've forgotten most of the guys I dated, parties, dances, and
various activities which defined "life" at the time.

"Julia" and "Betty" have attended this academy since I started teaching a year ago, and I won't forget them, along with the crazy, critical obsession Korean girls have over their perfect hair!
These two have transitioned from elementary to middle school since I arrived
and watching them "grow" is definitely fun!

"Luke" is the gentle, insightful type, but he's the star of his class.  An only boy usually feels overwhelmed when there's 4 girls who share the class with him.  Not so here.
Whatever Korean comments Luke makes, they keep the otherwise shy, girls in stitches.  One of my girls is doing great now that she's in this class, when she'd had a very hard time saying anything when she began and it's largely due to Luke.  He's sincerely invested in learning, fascinated by everything and has a huge heart, as is illustrated by how he carried out an assignment,
which embarrasses and/or irritates most young male students.
Look what he wrote, especially the last sentence.
The "......" he inserted implies multiple thoughts he doesn't know how to express yet.

Luke's not THE most gifted, but he's one of the most balanced.  One of the reasons I hate labels is because of how constrictive, false and lopsided they tend to be.  For instance, one of my students, "Eric," is so shy I can barely hear anything he says in speaking class and he avoids speaking until he has to.  However, his homework consistently shows a depth of understanding and ability to read and write in English which outstrips any other student's mechanical comprehension.  Another student, "Antony," has a best friend, "Nicholas" (I've mentioned the latter before) who's one of the brightest and best students in the entire school.  However, the other day, during a memorization assignment, Antony started singing his words, irritating Nicholas, who complained to me, apparently expecting support in silencing his friend.  Nicholas knows he's a favorite of mine, but I not only had no problem w/Antony's singing, I was intrigued to note the little guy has quite a natural singing ability!
He took courage from the support, and has been producing better work since.
Other students find their first voice in art, like this "Julie," who loves to draw:

Since none of her fellow students tease her shyness in this class and I've no problem with her added attention to the drawing portion of class time, she chatters like a happy bird now and wrote one of the most grammatically correct notes I've read for my birthday!
Below, "Grace," on the left, suits her nickname.  "Katy" is an absolute dear, so driven and full of life.  I wish I could hang around with her 24/7 to remind her that she's so far more
than just "ok," and not to worry!

"Stella" is a pint-sized tornado waiting to take on anyone who crosses her.  She has an infectious laugh, plays any sport as well or better than the boys and, like an Arizona storm,
is ready to punch out or scowl down whoever crosses her.
She's chose this pink balloon for her birthday.

The three of them are good friends and I adore them--as well as the boys who drive them (and me sometimes) crazy.

...Boys like "Elliot" and "Eddie."

You don't get wackier than these 2.  On the right, Eddie's a good-hearted, party animal.  But his buddy, Elliot (looking at the camera) is a creative genius when he chooses to be, and happily, for now, he's decided that being moody and difficult is less fun than racing plastic frogs and
using English to write and speak his ideas.

This is a "frog race" in action.  Th class had done well enough on the class work to warrant a game in  between speaking aloud.  Yippy!  Luna and Kate remind me of a pair of cartoon characters, with or without game playing to inspire them.  Luna is tall, rather quiet and very slim (she's the one projecting the frog forward).  Kate, cheering her on, is short, slightly chubby and gregariously cheerful 100% of the time!  I love so many of my students (too many to list),
and can't think about leaving them w/o tearing up.

They're crazy and fun, moody, unpredictable, vexing, infuriating, breathtaking,
thoughtful, inspired, inspiring, heart-warming and heart-breaking, extraordinary and amazing.
Everyday is filled with a combo of long, gorgeous walks, the noise of these fascinating kids, and
the time I take to sing, draw and write,
as well as email friends, visit a few others, cook, clean and do laundry.
If that's not having fun and living, what is?