Monthly Archives: July 2011

Ch07 Guilt: Self-Deprecating Laziness

During my first meditation class, I had a shocking moment. My teacher was guiding us through a series of steps designed to help balance our energy systems. At one point, he directed us:

Take your right hand, reach around in front and then set your hand down on our left neck/shoulder area. Look to the right, and then say 16 times, “I am not guilty.”

Try it and listen to the internal conversation that quickly erupts!

By about the 13th repetition, I finally managed a little internal silence. It was a startling change from the normal chatter in my head. Wow, what a relief. That feeling is something I immediately experienced as ‘valuable’, and have since made it a point to reconnect with.

Many of us have been raised on guilt, so it’s difficult to imagine life without it, or even why one would want to live that way.

In this context, I am talking about guilt as the repeated pattern of thinking about the past and feeling badly about it, rather than the simple fact of accepting responsibility for an action.

The 12-step program developed first as Alcoholics Anonymous has a beautiful method for thoroughly and systematically cleaning up our relationship with the past. The process begins with a written self-inventory, counseling with a sponsor, and then making amends.

Repetitive guilty thinking is a stake that pins our attention to the past. It makes us feel unworthy. It makes us feel stuck and ‘wrong’ in a way that can never be ‘righted’.

But we all know that it’s ‘perfectly human’ to make mistakes. Ah, yes, that’s it. We are perfectly human and we make mistakes. We commit errors, lose money, say or do hurtful things, and feel regret. Yes, that is perfectly human.

When you’ve done something wrong, you can’t undo it. The guilty thinking approach keeps you in internal turmoil, and fosters depression and inaction. In this state, inner peace is not to be found…which is a signal  that something in our thinking or attitude needs to change!

Guilt keeps you replaying a story that starts with, “I’m such a bad person. I should have …” It’s a complete waste of time that keeps you bound to the past. Doing so, means you are unable to move freely and be present for what’s in front of you now.

What’s a more useful course of action? Admit promptly when you’ve done something wrong. Spend some time sorting out any complexities of each situation. Then consider, “What can I do now to make amends for that situation. How can I ensure it doesn’t happen again?” Take actions now.

Start with a thorough, deep-cleaning guilt removal program. By addressing each issue honestly in the present, you’re snipping away the web of tiny threads that have tied your attention to the past. This alternate approach cultivates inner peace. You’ll feel the difference immediately.

Once you’ve experienced the freedom associated with cleaning up some of the past issues, you’ll want to find a way to keep this intact. Develop a daily ritual for repentance and guilt cleaning. This makes it a cinch to see your responsibility for today’s actions, what needs to be done and what needs to be changed. While guilt fosters depression and inaction, an honest analysis is a much more practical and effective approach. It heals and liberates you to experience the present fully. And that’s really living!

“[Guilt] often turns out to be a form of  self-deprecating laziness.”

- View on Buddhism, http://viewonbuddhism.org/guilt.html

 

“Guilt:

The gift that keeps on giving.”

- Erma Bombeck,

comedienne and author


Exercises

  • Day 1: find a place to sit by yourself. Try saying to yourself, 16 times, I am not guilty. And listen to the internal dialog that follows. Later, make a list of the top three to five things you feel guilty about.
  • Day 2: Consider the items on the list. Consider each situation compassionately, as if you were talking to a friend. What happened? Why? What did you learn from that experience? Were there some misunderstandings? Did you act in haste? Forgive yourself for being ‘perfectly human’. Brainstorm some actions for making amends. (Take as many days as necessary for this step.)
  • Week 2: Talk to a trusted friend about these situations. Develop a plan of action. Actions could include calling, writing a letter, making an apology, or doing something else to make amends. Next, take one action for each situation.
  • Do an inner peace check. Are you feeling more at ease, more loving and compassionate toward yourself and others? Continue to identify and address other areas of residual guilt.
  • Add a review and repentance check up to your daily routine. Are there any sticky spots that didn’t go well? Why? What can you do to apologize, right or avoid repeating that mistake?

Ch23 A Powerful Alternative to Complaining

 

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.”

- Dale Carnegie

 

Complaints commonly fill our heads, our days and our lives:

  • I dread walking into this stupid meeting.
  • I don’t want to be here.
  • I can’t stand being with her like this.
  • I can’t believe I have to wait here for another hour.
  • I hate this traffic.

 

How does it feel when you think those thoughts? Perhaps powerless, frustrated, upset, unappreciated, or  trapped?

 

What do all complaints have in common?

What is happening in the present?

What is happening in the past or future?

 

Each complaint has two parts. The first part is the truth of what is already happening.

 

For example:

  • You are already walking into that meeting.
  • You are here.
  • You are with her.
  • You are waiting.
  • You are stuck in traffic.

…already!

 

And the second part of a complaint. Here you express your dissatisfaction with the present moment.

 

But, of course, it’s too late to change it. It’s already in progress.

 

Thus, of course, you feel:

Powerless, frustrated, upset, unappreciated, trapped

 

We’ve been trained to see this lashing out and complaining as a powerful response. But, it’s not. It’s simply a place to get stuck and wallow.

The typical approach to complaints is predictable: feel dissatisfaction, then complain. Is this any different than a baby’s reactions?

I’m hungry! Waaaaaah.

 

There is another way. There is a point of power.

 

What if instead you stopped before reacting and complaining, and took a different course?

 

When you feel dissatisfied, what if you started with fully noticing what is true, now?

 

The powerful response is based completely in acknowledging reality first. Before proceeding, here you can pause in gratitude and awe. This step helps you appreciate the unique value of this moment, the magic that brings people together in this time and place, and the brief time you have on the planet. It helps you take the long view and puts small problems in perspective.

 

From there, you can consider what is best to do now. You can also use this discomfort as a sign that you could explore the past and future to consider what you can do differently.

 

Instead of zooming straight from dissatisfaction to complaint, try this alternative path.

 

Step-by-Step Alternative to Complaining

 

Dissatisfaction:

I dread walking into this meeting.

 

Step 1: Notice the feelings generated by the thought.

Uneasiness. Feeling unworthy. Upset with others.

 

Step 2: Acknowledge the reality now.

Now…

  • You are walking into this meeting.
  • You’re not as prepared as you wanted to be.
  • But, you can’t change that now.

 

Step 3: Choose gratitude and awe now.

Now…

  • What can you appreciate and be in awe of now?
  • What magic brings you together for this hour, here and now?
  • What a gift it is to be alive and have fulfilling, challenging work to do!

 

Step 4: Determine what is best to do now.

Now…

  • What can you do to make this the best meeting possible?
  • How can you honor yourself and the people you will spend this time with?
  • How can you savor this hour and this experience?

 

Step 5: Consider the past.

  • What led you into this situation?
  • What could you have done to be more prepared?
  • Did you commit to doing more than you actually can do?
  • Did you say yes, when you meant no?
  • Or, were there circumstances beyond your control?

 

Step 6: Consider the future.

  • If you want to feel satisfied walking into the next meeting, what could you do to make that happen?
  • What do you need to accept?
  • What do you need to change?

 

Step 7: Peace of mind check

Usually, you’ll feel immediately better! At this point, you should be chuckling! If you’re still feeling dissatisfied, focus on now first. Later, try the steps again.

 

When you take a complaint and stop it in its tracks, you avoid the negative feelings. Instead, you have a proven method for examining and moving forward. You feel powerful, calm, appreciative of yourself and others, more understanding, and liberated to accept things as they are and make needed changes.

 

Exercises

  • For the next few days, make a note of any complaints that surface in your own thoughts or words. Notice what is already true.
  • After observing complaints for a few days, use the step-by-step process to work through complaints that surface for you.
  • End with a peace of mind check. And finally notice, do you feel more powerful when you complain or when you fully analyze the complaint?
  • Do your analysis with a light and curious attitude. Be gentle with yourself. Try to avoid using “should”. Use “could” instead. Enjoy the process!

 

“It’s my belief we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.”

- Lily Tomlin, comedienne

 

“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.”

- Benjamin Franklin

 

 

 

Love in the Milky Way Cafe

My students recommended this song for me to learn. In fact, I signed a contract. I have to learn two Korean songs by September 1, or I think I have to go to prison, but first throw them a pizza party. My students (just two in this class), agreed to learn four English songs or buy me pizza. (I don’t want to talk about my poor negotiating skils!)

This song is a big change from k-pop songs and anything else I’ve heard here.

I like a lot of things about it: they’re playing a djembe drum with the adinkra symbol that I have hanging in my apartment (art done by a young kid in Ghana), their sound is reminiscent of sounds I grew up with of my dad’s singing and harmonica, and my brother’s bands.

And the lyrics are light and engaging, easy enough to understand with some poetic imagery to make it bigger and fun. Oh, I’m not a big fan of analyzing music. If you have a few minutes, just listen to it!

Lyrics are translated into English here

Modesty …more

Two items: beach & elderly

At the beach, so far this year, I’ve not seen one Korean woman wearing a swimsuit at the beach. This is different than in Busan where beginning July 1, it was ‘beach season’ and string bikinis were the norm. Here in Jeju, walking into the water with whatever you’re wearing is the norm.

The good thing about this is that it eliminates that whole “oh no, I forgot my swimsuit!” problem!

Second…

It wasn’t the same older lady that buttoned my friend’s blouse up just one higher…

but when I walked home from school, there was an older lady (ok older than me!) standing on her front porch one foot from the main walkway to the beach, bathing. naked.

It’s all ok with me, but it’s a little hard to figure out the rules! haha!

K-Pop youtube playlist

I started a playlist on youtube to keep an easy list of the songs I’ve been checking into. I’m following leads from students, friends and websites, pursuing songs that I like the sound and others that are on my list because they’re helpful mainly for language learning. For most songs, I’ve been able to find a video version that has lyrics in Korean (hangul) and English. Pretty incredible resource!!!

I’ve already learned that the song “Americano” isn’t actually about someone that loves an American person. It’s about a guy that loves coffee, and how he likes to order it. haha

Many of the songs mix some English with the Korean, in the chorus and titles such as “Lonely”, “I’ll Be Back” and “Don’t Cry”.

Ch06 Letting Go of Chaos

I used to have a daily ritual of running around the house, saying, “Omigod, where are my keys? Have you seen my phone? Where did I put my purse?”

 

My roommate (who happened to also be my offspring!) asked diplomatically, “Mom, don’t you have a system for this?”

 

I took this as an insult. Indignant, I replied, “Hey, I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve managed.” (And that’s how I managed to not answer the question.)

 

Her calm retort, “Yeah, I’ve traveled the world too. And I do know where my keys are.” She didn’t have to add, “as well as my phone and my purse.”

We talked and I learned that she had a whole set of small rules about where she set things when she came home, and in which rooms she took her phone, and where she put it when she was finished with a call.

 

As we talked, I had a visceral reaction, thinking this was entirely too clinical for such a small issue. I mean, I had a system: Put stuff down anywhere. Run around like a crazy person and hope to find them. Hmm, yes, over time, I realized she was right.

 

Chaos is a Choice

Like most of what we perceive to be problems in our life, chaos is more often than not, a choice.

 

Certainly, if you’re in the midst of a natural disaster or a war, chaos is not a choice. But most of us, on most days, are the chief architects of our daily life schedules.

 

If every morning is chaotic, every lunchtime is hectic, and every hour after work is a mess, those result from your choices to live that way. If your desk is piled high with stuff, and you can never find that important piece of paper, it’s time to ask yourself, why? Why do I choose to live like that?

 

Chaos as part of our normal routine relies on deliberately ignoring reality.

I used to show up fifteen minutes late to every appointment. Why? Because I chose to send one more email, run one more errand, make one more phone call or do just one more thing before I left. Then, I’d rush out the door frazzled and hoping that somehow the traffic lights and the universe would shift to allow me to arrive in 15 minutes less than it always takes to get there.

 

Excuses that admit chaos but don’t accept responsibility for creating it, sound like this:

  • I’m sorry I’m late, but I had to stop for gas.
  • I wanted to be there, but I just got too busy.
  • I never have time to eat before I leave the house.
  • I always forget to bring my lunch.

 

Being surprised by chaos relies on consistently ignoring reality:

  • I can’t believe it! It’s Sunday night already! The weekend’s over and I didn’t even have time to do my laundry.
  • Time always flies by so fast when I’m on the computer!

 

Really? Does the pace of time actually change? No, time marches on predictably. It’s only our awareness of time that varies, and fortunately we are in control of that!

 

When you are at home with small children, taking care of an ailing friend or facing declining health, you’ll have even more unpredictability in your schedule. In those situations, you have to be even more humble about what all you put on your ‘to do’ list. You have to scale back even further the promises you make to yourself and others about what you will do.

 

Why chaos?

It may be surprising to realize that chaos has served many useful purposes in your life. Chaos:

  • Provides an excuse to not take responsibility for managing your life.
  • Gives an excuse to blame external factors (traffic, weather, bad luck, others).
  • Provides a distraction from more serious issues by sustaining an atmosphere of consistent turmoil and drama.
  • Provides a way to rebel against others indirectly when you don’t have the courage to do so directly.
  • Creates a sense of confusion and murkiness, so it’s hard to pin down what’s actually happening and why.

 

If you grew up with chaos, you’re likely to be a chaos addict by training. You may unconsciously create that atmosphere as you move through adulthood. Didn’t most of us grow up with this, in one form or another? It can come in the form of families with addictions, parents that are controlling, insecure or abusive, financial or health turmoil, or a host of other factors.

 

Chaos definitely does a whammy on inner peace. When you’re running late already, can’t find your keys, didn’t put gas in the car, and don’t have any idea what you’ll feed your kids for dinner, peacefulness is (like your keys) nowhere to be found.

 

Feeling Good without Chaos

The good news is, unlike other addictions, kicking the chaos habit is pretty easy. Once you start identifying the areas that cause chaos, you’ll find simple strategies that will obliterate these pockets of confusion one by one.

 

When I worked as an engineer, I could get away with sliding in late to a cross-town meeting, cursing the traffic gods, “Aw, sorry I’m late! Traffic was terrible!”

 

That approach does not work for teachers! When I began teaching in Denver, I honed my morning ritual to include eating a nutritious breakfast at home, packing an easy, delicious lunch, walking to catch the bus, and arriving 30 minutes early. In that extra time, I would sit in a coffee shop or bookstore, send emails, write, rest and recharge before teaching.

 

When you get in the habit of starting your day in a state of peace, it’s hard to go back to chaos.

 

Systems Thinking

Eliminating chaos requires a systems-thinking approach. Instead of running from one hectic situation to another, step back a bit and look at the big picture. It’s not just today’s lunch you’re packing now, but it’s your overall plan for how you will handle lunch every day. Having ingredients on hand, ideas for what to prepare and a regular time to do it, will increase the likelihood that you’ll be able to easily prepare a nutritious lunch every day.

 

Giving up chaos is a process. It will require you to pare down your “to do” list. You’ll feel more moments of contentment and peace. As you DO less, you’ll find that you’ll more often BE that person you want to be.

 

Giving up chaos comes only via personal growth! This comes as you acknowledge that you can’t do everything you’ve been trying to do (unsuccessfully, I might add!)

 

As you look at your schedule realistically, you’ll see that there are things that you will have to change if you want to eliminate chaos. You’ll have to say ‘no’ to someone or some unrealistic tasks you’ve set for yourself.

 

This takes courage, strength and honesty. Enter these discussions with the intention of improving harmony and understanding, and forge ahead. Do it! The people around you will benefit when you give up chaos, so don’t hesitate to discuss it with them. As you begin to confront these sticky areas and smooth them over, you’ll find your life beginning to flow more easily.

 

Exercises

  • Tomorrow, notice what parts of your day are chaotic. Then, think back over the past month, and consider, does this happen regularly? Is this a pattern? Each time, notice how you feel and what your thoughts are about this chaotic time. Are you berating yourself or others? Are you blaming external factors? How do you feel?
  • The next day, consider what the underlying issues are. In what ways have you overpromised yourself or others about what’s possible? Is there someone you need to talk to about changing your commitments or your schedule? When is a good time to discuss this? How can you best express your intention for change in a loving way that improves harmony?
  • The third day, choose one part of your chaotic day to address. Brainstorm three or more ways that you can alleviate this chaos. Choose one approach to try the following day. If your new strategies impact others, talk with them clearly and honestly, keeping your focus on improved harmony and understanding.
  • Try one approach. In the coming days, try this approach again or try something new. Give yourself several iterations to come up with a system that works well for you.
  • Once you’ve got a new pattern in place, check again, how do you feel and what are your thoughts about that time of day, now? If you’re feeling more peaceful and more harmonious with life, you’ve got it! Once a week, focus on another sticky spot. Repeat the steps.

 

In a matter of weeks or months, you’ll notice a dramatic change. Life will feel freer and lighter, and more fun!

 

In the future, when you have something that repeatedly pops us in chaos and confusion, you’ll notice it sooner.  And you’ll know just what to do to let it go!

 

 

Giving up chaos

is going to require you to say ‘no’,

and that requires personal growth.

 

 

 

Therapeutic benefits of black sand?

Over the past few weeks the beach season has officially started. Umbrellas, wind surfers, a tented restaurant serving beer, soju and some food is now in action.

On Saturday morning, for the first time, I saw the older women (known here as ajjumas) burying themselves in the sand. It was an interesting sight to see this more traditional practice happening, while just behind is a hotel, and in front the school kids walked in a pack searching for trash to pick up before they were allowed to play.

Finding K-Pop Songs to Learn

There’s a lot more to language learning than individual words and grammar. The rhythm and melody of each language conveys a lot of the meaning. And the best way to get that down is to do a lot of listening. What better way than to find some songs you like and learn them? And be able to sing them with friends at the Noraebang (singing room)!

Last year I tried a couple times, but failed! We made progress on a couple songs only to find out that they were not available at the noraebangs. Other songs I tried were too fast or the vocabulary was too esoteric to understand!

So, I’m on a mission to find songs that are:

- in the noraebang (popular!)

- slow enough or lots of repetition — better for a beginner to learn

- common vocabulary and expressions

K-Pop first brings to mind boy or girl groups and electronic dance music, but there’s a lot more out there. Korea’s a big country so obviously, there are a lot of styles and personalities to explore …including some male and female ballad singers, jazz, rap, etc. You’ll see some of the same bands on the top of most lists: BoA, Big Bang, Wondergirls, 2NE1, 2PM, T-ara, Girls Generation, CNBlue and MissA:

Here are a couple sites that have some suggestions.

1. My Daily Dose of K-Pop

- this is a good intro with videos of one person’s favorite k-pop songs

2. The Grand Narrative – K-Pop songs with translations, videos with English subtitles, and grammar and culture commentary. Fun site to explore! James Turnbull, with help from his Korean wife, presents a fun, insightful analysis of several songs:

3. Korean Through Lyrics

 

Walking up Samyang’s Oreum – Temples, Nature and Views

This symbol signifies Buddhism

A hefty elevation climb, but a short distance from my home is an oreum. Oreums are little volcanic burps under the surface that dot the island. These little hills generally have walking paths and at the top, a Buddhist temple or two.

So, it’s a lovely Sunday morning walk to head up to the top, about a 25 minute walk from my apartment.

Even though this is ‘tourist season’ and it was a Sunday, there were very few people. (Nothing like the crowds I got used to on paths in Busan, or even in Boulder!)

Buddhists generally put their temples in a natural setting to enhance the peace of mind of those who visit. As I walked up, listening to birds singing, seeing butterflies and moths flit in and out of the shade, I felt more peaceful with every step. A monk once explained that temples are positioned so they have a good view, so the temple itself can feel that same good feeling that we do when we enjoy a beautiful view.

On this oreum, there are actually three Buddhist temples. They differ in some ways, but share: lovely setting, and colorfully painted eaves, detailed pictures on walls, and beautiful sculptures.

As I approached, I could hear the bop,         bop,         bop,      bop,   bop,  bop, bop, bop,bop,bop  banging of the little percussion instrument the monks use.

I wandered around the grounds of one temple. Unlike a busload of about 20 tourists that showed up, I didn’t go inside this time. Instead, I took a few turns at the exercise park on the edge of the grounds: lifting weights, stretching my arms by twisting a big wheel back and forth, and another arm flexibility exerciser that involves reaching up with alternative arms, pulling a cable up and down. These outdoor exercise parks are sprinkled about in towns and parks. A really cool idea!

 

Jeju Stone Park

Saturday, I was lucky enough to get picked up by a friend for a walk in Jeju Stone Park. We stopped first at the forest and Jeju traditional village across the way. There they have built eight and are planning to build 50 total Jeju traditional houses that you can rent and stay in (up to 8 people). Very cool …stone base, thatched roof.

The Jeju Stone Park itself has paths through the forest, which is lush and dripping with ferns and usually water. It rained on  and off as we walked. It’s a worthwhile excursion with the forest paths, aesthetically placed interesting stones, harebaungs, and an underground museum about the geology of the area, plus exhibits about the universe!

Jeju is known for Stone, Wind and Women. We got all three on Saturday as we walked.

The guy on the right is thinking, "What is with her hair?" Ok, it was windy! What can I say!

Damp

It’s monsoon season here, which means that every day or two it dumps rain like crazy! When there’s that much moisture in the air (understatement!), inside my apartment I can’t detect anything dry anymore.

When I walk on the floor, my feet are sticky/wet on the floor.

When I move papers, there’s no crisp shuffling. Instead they bend wanly, nearly sticking to each other.

And the potato chips I bought two days ago, are more like a cold french fry than a crisp!

Funny sensations for a girl from the near-desert-dry of Colorado!

Saunas…scrubbing, splashing and soaking naked

In our small town, there is a large sauna. You pay 4000W (less than $4) for entry and a few towels. Bring your own shampoo, soap, plastic bucket to hold them, and a scrubbie. (We didn’t know to bring them so were loaned these items. Apparently, this would be like going swimming but not bringing a swimming suit. We were the only ones this didn’t occur to.)

Walk into the first room where you take off and leave your shoes in a small locker. Grab the key bracelet and proceed to the locker room. Here, take off all your clothes, lock your locker and bring one of the little towels. Wearing only the key bracelet, head to the women-only sauna area with your toiletries (I was going to say ‘cleaning supplies)’.

You can rinse off at the standing showers first, but most of your pre-bath cleaning is done at the sit-down area. Here you sit on a plastic stool. Spray it off before you plop down. Then use soap and scrubbie and the showerhead at each station to clean yourself off. Shampoo your hair there too. If you’re with a friend, it’s common to scrub each other’s back. While this sounds odd, it feel pretty natural to do so here.

Then take your pick of temperatures, sizes of pools: very hot, mildly hot, cool, with whirpool seats, or the small ‘swimming’ area. This is long enough to swim 10-15 strokes of breaststroke and deep enough (almost 3′) to make it pleasant for swimming or walking. Take a turn in the steam room, where you can rest your head on a wooden block that has a head-size niche in it. Or head to the dry sauna. Repeat.

Soak quietly near the old ladies, or frolic in the largest area with the little girls. (The girls were the same ages as our students. We wondered, would be strange if they were? I think the answer is, that it wouldn’t be strange to them, so really, no!)

When you’re ready to leave, stop at the scrubbing stations again and wash or rinse off, then head into the dressing room, where combs and hair dryers are available for common use.

Feel great! The community sauna was born of necessity here since most Korean homes don’t have tubs. But, more than that, it’s a lovely part of Korean culture.

Modesty

Modesty is defined differently in every culture.

At the grocery store one day, my American friend was wearing a blouse buttoned modestly for American standards. But as she was selecting vegetables, an older Korean woman (an ‘ajumma’) reached over and mumbled something as she buttoned my friend’s blouse…just one button higher. My friend was in shock and  was at first speechless. Then we managed a few kamsamnida thank yous and slight bows.

Meanwhile, Korean girls of all ages wear shorts so short, that ‘hot pants’ is the nearest description that comes to mind. A combo that includes the tiniest shorts with a blouse buttoned up high is a common fashion here. And culturally acceptable.

And a third difference between Korea and the US is the bathhouses, or ‘saunas’ where females of all ages bathe nude together.

It reminds me that in Niger we were supposed to cover our hair, and wear skirts down to our ankles. And what freedom it was to get to Ghana where girls could wear tank tops and ride bicycles in shorts!

I can only shake my head and chuckle to see us humans taking it all so seriously, when totally different norms apply …all intending to convey the same common ideals of humanity.

Summer Delight …Red Bean Shaved Ice with Cream

Patbingsoo (팥빙수) is the Korean name for this beautiful summer treat. The one pictured was the best I’ve had. It was at my friend’s bakery: Paris Story Bakery in Jeju.

Paht – sweetened azuki beans (red beans)
Bingsoo – ice (shaved ice)

Fruit -  It  had bananas, strawberries, kiwi, and cherry tomatoes!

Tak – rice cake i guess you’d call it (slightly sweet, chewy)

Topped with chocolate sauce.

When you eat it, you pour on the cream …thus you have ice / cream!

Sunday Afternoon at the Swimming Hole


In addition to the beach…(which sounds very greedy!)there’s a wonderul spot just in front of my apartment building. It’s a combination harbor, washing area and swimming hole.
On Friday night after work and food, we swam there at midnight. The cool fresh water from the small mountain (called an Orem) meets the sea here, so it feels very refreshing.Late at night, people stop by and wade around or stick their toes in. From early in the morning to the early evening, kids and parents splash around. Squirt guns, inner tubes, shivering kids, lifejackets, moms sitting together in the shade, and bicycles leaning on the wall.

In the morning on Sunday, the tide was in so it was deep enough for a dad and his two sons to dive into the water. Later that day, there was no water at all at that spot! Timing! The cool thing is that since the water changes levels so drastically all day long, it’s like water world with different activities depending on the time of the day (kinda!)