Tag Archives: Korean language

The Hana Chronicles: Month 7, Day 2

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Striving

July 23,2026- “Oma!” Hana was worried about her mother, when I mentioned that her parents were on their way home. Both her Mom and Dad got home safely. So, the little girl’s worries were for naught. Still, I can only imagine what goes through a child’s mind.

Aram was with us for part of the day, as he had a medical appointment in late morning. So, the three of us walked together, on our usual route through the park. A neighbour engaged us in conversation, for about twenty minutes, during which Hana slept soundly.

The rest of the day went smoothly. We played a lot, with Hana crawling all over her grandfather, my putting rings on a cone and her alternately tipping the cone over or taking one ring off the cone at a time. The neighbour mentioned above said that, sooner or later, I would treasure my alone time. Right now, I’d say that is off the mark.

HANA’S NOTE- I saw Mommy driving while she was tired, so I called out to her, in Korean. Nothing bad happened to her.

YEAR IN REMEMBRANCE-1975 This was an interesting year. I lived in two different places- a rooming house in Northampton and a shared apartment, in South Deerfield. I completed my baccalaureate, and had a mediocre stint as Teaching Intern. I was determined to up my game, when the actual jobs came about. I worked in the spring as a short-order cook in a country cafe (I was terrible at this one), in the summer as a custodian at Northampton Public Schools and in the fall as a stocker in a package store (alcoholic beverages). I had the unique experience of being fired at the latter, on my 25th birthday. It turned out that the assistant manager’s son needed a job, and the A.M. felt I was doing work that he considered his turf.

The rooming house found me with four housemates-two rather testy older men, a woman who was also at UMass and an 87-year-old widow, who was the nicest of the four. When things got too heated between me and one of the older men, I left and found the apartment. I first shared the place with three stoners, and did painting and small repairs on the place, when they left. A nice couple with a little girl came in after them. We got along well, and I left the place to them, when I graduated.

I spent about a week, between the summer and fall jobs, hiking the Presidential Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. I met quite an eclectic bunch at the various Appalachian Mountain Club huts and actually hauled two bags of trash from the hut on Mount Jefferson to the base of Mount Adams.

1975 was definitely an interesting year.

The Hana Chronicles: Month 6, Day 3

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Family, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 24, 2026- “I love” is the sweetest phrase, especially coming from a six-month old. I don’t expect my granddaughter to speak, but she does so and from her heart. Many times, Hana us repeating what she has heard us say, over and over. Sometimes, as with the comment, two days ago, about the beef, she speaks as her brain has told her, perhaps from having heard others speak, here and there. Her words of love, though, are definitely a reflection of how each of us feels about her. When she said it, this afternoon, it made my day.

I have a new role in my Faith community: Moderating consultation during our Sector’s (neighbourhood group’s) Spiritual Feasts. Tonight was my first time doing this, and I felt it crucial to ask for people to translate from English to Persian, at several points, as 98% of the group is Persian-speaking, and not all of these folks are fluent in English. It is Baha’i practice to provide believers with translation into their preferred language, and not to demand that they learn English for the convenience of native speakers of English. People should learn a language for their own progress or convenience, not for that of others.

Hana is being raised speaking English and Korean. I am also introducing numbers and a few key phrases in French and Spanish also. I have heard her speak English, here and there. She probably speaks a few Korean words to her mother. One needs to listen carefully, though, to the soft, high-pitched voice. As I said earlier, her words tend to come from the heart.

There is much to be learned from a little one, though, in discerning what matters most.

Saeyu

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, collaborating, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Striving

May 20, 2022- Saeyu is the Romanized spelling of the Korean word for shrimp or prawn. A shrimp, in the wild, has the appearance of looking down, its head almost permanently flopped below its neck.

Many times in life, people may resemble the shrimp, looking down either physically or figuratively. The most common instance, in this day and age, is looking down at a laptop, tablet or phone screen. Then, too, many of us have spent decades looking down at a book or at the paper on which we are writing. It takes constant practice to keep the head straight, or looking up.

There are plenty of ways people figuratively look down. One reason is out of sadness or depression, thus adopting a world view that sees only gloom and doom. Another is the notion that one is insignificant, so why bother looking at what is good about life? Yet another is the mindset that it is one’s bounden duty to obey others, whether or not they are legitimate holders of authority.

I am getting better at not being saeyu, in the physical sense. Again, it takes constant reminders. The same is largely true of the figurative state. My game plan is to keep forging ahead with what the spirit guides tell me, whether at Home Base or on the road; in my work or in avocational activities. My chiropractor, and others around me, appreciate this.