Lemonade Scones

Aim: To make scones that are tasty, light, fluffy and easy.

Hypothesis: These scones will be the best you've ever made.

Equipment:

• 4 cups of white flour
• 4 tspn baking powder
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 300 mL cream or coconut cream or melted butter or yoghurt or fatty liquid of choice. (I've had the best results with coconut cream - the coconut flavour does not come into the scones.)
• 300 mL carbonated drink of your choice. (I tried fanta once, results didn't taste like oranges though.)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper - easier clean up.
3. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.
4. Add cream and then lemonade.
5. Stir until you get a doughy mess - just enough to mix the flour and liquid together, too much and your scones will be rubbery.
6. Tip the scone mixture onto the baking paper and then cover it with a dusting of flour and a sheet of plastic-cling-film, brand of your choice. You have to use the flour dusting or the cling film will stick to the dough. (Ask me how I know this...)
7. Press the mixture into the shape of a large rectangle.
8. Remove the cling-film and cut the dough into squares.
9. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 10-15 mins - until fork comes out clean.
10. Serve with jam and whipped cream.

Results: Perfect every time!!

Conclusion: These are the best scones I have ever made.

The Week That Was ...

Tonight's post is yet another collection of randomnesses from the last 7-ish days. Everything from answered prayer to Korean students scarily honest conversations.

They've been painting the stairwell in my building. Whenever I open my apartment door I'm assaulted/allured by the smell of evaporating solvents - mmmmmm solvents ;-). Makes me just a little bit home sick for my lab - but just a little bit! Also annoys me, because I recognise the smell but can't for the life of me remember the solvents name! Grrrrrrrrrr

Last night I was praying that God would give me a Bible study with just one person who actually wanted to study the Bible. This morning one of My students said they wanted to study the Bible with me :-D We start Sabbath week at 9 am!!! (Sabbath School starts at 10am here.) God is amazing the way He answers prayer!

I used to wonder why Australia had big communities of immigrants who moved to Oz and then never learned English. Since being in Korea I have leaned that it is quite easy to survive in a foreign country without knowing the language. There is a good size community of English speakers who don't speak Korean here, some who have been here for many years. I'm finding I can relatively easily get around, find what I want and if occasionally I need some extra help there are always people who are willing to help in exchange for a bit of 'tutoring' on their English. Basically it's a good life, but I miss out on sooooo much. Things happen around me and I can tell by peoples reactions that it's unusual but no one tells me what's going on! I'm coming to admire some of my students in NZ who came to LAC with little or no English and became fluent within a very short amount of time because they were determined not to miss out on anything. So far I've learned to read Korean very slowly, but have no idea what the words mean. Once I am a bit faster I will be hitting the streets with my phrase book.

I've also been reminded this week that some of my friends don't have and don't want Facebook, but they still want to hear about my adventures. Here are some of the Facebook posts I made this week - mainly about memorable conversations between students in class. Sometimes it is impossible for me to keep a straight face!!

**************

Apparently conversation time in class is a time for brutal honesty:

Student 1: "What kind of healthy food do you eat?"
Student 2: "My wifes cooking. It is not very delicious ..."

*******************

Today's Conversation Stopper:

Student 1: When did your young adulthood end?
Student 2 (Male) : When I got married!

He then went on to elaborate that when he got married he had to be responsible and care for his wife and prepare for a family :-)

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This morning my level 1 class had the topic of 'Relationships' for conversation time.

Student 1 (Male): "How many boyfriends do you have?"
Student 2 (Female): "I have 8 boyfriends." (She works in a kindergarten, all of her six year olds want to marry her :-D)
Student 1: "Are they blind?" which was very quickly changed to "Are they like you?"

I had to hide behind the book I was laughing so much.

*********************

Have a lovely week my beautiful friends!

Driving Out The Canaanites or Why God Leaves Problems In Our Lives

I came across and interesting passage in Exodus a few weeks ago, Exodus 23:20-33. I've been thinking about it ever since. The passage is God talking to Moses, giving promises and instructions about what is to happen to the Children of Israel when they enter the Promised Land.

I am particularly intrigued by verses 28-30.

I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.Exodus 23:28-30

I've been thinking about my life and how God has dealt with me. It seems He has used the ‘little by little’ policy with me in many areas. With some things, the moment I acknowledge it is a problem and ask God to remove it, it is gone the next moment. With others I have struggled with for what seems like forever.

Take fear for example. I’ve prayed and agonised over that for years and for the longest time it felt like God was ignoring those prayers. In the last 3 months, since I’ve been in Korea, He’s suddenly started working in this area and I feel fear loosening its grip – for real this time, it’s not just doling out the chains for the pleasure of yanking me back, it’s actually shrinking and I have peace. Thank you God!!!!! However I’ve already talked about fear extensively so I’m not going to go into that again today.

What I find interesting is that looking back in my life, the fear has actually been a protection for me. In the years when I was not following God the only thing that stopped me from doing some really really stupid and self destructive things was the fear. I see this as an example of God allowing the ‘Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites’ to stay in the land until I had increased enough to take possession of it, stopping the ‘wild beasts from becoming too numerous and the land from becoming desolate.’ Basically the fear has stopped me from destroying myself and my future.

In the last three months God has ‘increased’ me; shown me things about myself, taught me lessons I needed to learn, helped me to accept some things, forgive other things, and let go of still others, and most importantly to give everything to Him and rest in the promise that He is the one who works in my life, who sanctifies me, reminding me that it is not me!

While I am exceedingly thankful that God is finally in the process of driving out the ‘Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites’ I can actually look back at the fear now and be thankful. I have an exciting future ahead of me! No idea what God has planed, but I know that whatever it is I’m really going to enjoy exploring this new land!!!

Maybe you should take stock of your own life, what is in your way, stopping you from progressing the way you want to? Maybe God is leaving it there for a reason. Maybe it is a protection – yes it’s not the best circumstance; but, is it better than what is very likely to come in its place if it wasn’t there? Maybe instead of fighting this thing you should thank God for His protection and ask for His help to ‘increase’ you. Then He will be free to drive the ‘Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites’ out of your life and bring you into the land He has prepared for you too. 

Money, Money, Money ... It's A Rich Man's World ...

This is what Korean money looks like, I'm showing you this because this evening my bog post is mainly about shopping. 'Won' (as in the first part of 'I wandered down the road') is the name of the Korean currency. 1000 won is worth about US$1 and NZ$1.20. In general things are much cheaper than they are at home, I feel like forever in a bargain hunters paradise!!!!!

Today I went to Itaewon. Itaewon is the part of Seoul that caters to foreigners. I really don't like it, feels kind of seedy. However all the shop keepers speak English and there are some things that you can only get there; like Milo, Timtams, certain herbs and spices, and green lipped mussels from New Zealand, no I didn't buy them. There is lots of touristy trap type items and people hawking fake brand names on the streets and it is the dirtiest place I've seen in Korea. There is also lots of traditional Korean things as well, with a large mark up in price when compared to just about any other shop in Korea. Basically if you can buy it somewhere else then do!! However I have to go there sometimes because that is the only place I know of where I can shoes and clothes that actually fit - and Timtams ;-).

Today I was not shopping, I was playing tour guide. Showing the new teacher how to get there on the subway and where the important shops are - that would be the Foreign Food Mart and a store on 'Africa Street' that sells a bunch of other imported stuff - that shop is known to me as 'The Timtam Shop.' Then I made him figure out how to get us home again. Next time he wants to go to Itaewon he's on his own - unless I actually want to buy something there. Actually kind of dreading my next trip, have to buy new shoes and I HATE shoe shopping at the best of times, and these are not the best of times!!!

 After finishing our shopping we went to Taco Bell for lunch and I have to say that Mexican food loses a lot of substance/flavour/reason-to-eat-it, when it is translated from Mexico into an American fast food chain and then re-translated into a Korean variation of an American fast food restaurant pretending to be Mexican! I think I only went to Taco Bell once or twice when I was in the States but this was nothing like it. Half the size, twice the price and none of the flavour. The only thing that was consistent was the paper the burritto was wrapped in when it was delivered. Won't be going there again! On the other hand I do know where there is a fabulous Indian restaurant that makes the best Palak Paneer I've ever eaten!!! And it is closer to my house than Itaewon too!

The centre of the 'suburb' - for want of a better word - where I live is called Nowon. It is the second last stop on the subway before I get off. Always makes me laugh, in my mind Nowon means Flat-broke!

Night all, I'm off to move the sofa and them I'm falling into bed. I've been alternating writing this blog and checking facebook with rearranging the furniture in my apartment. Once I have it arranged to my satisfaction I shall take pictures and post them to facebook so that you can see what my apartment is like.

Cheers

Cat

PS There was no rain today, so no gumboot pictures.

Random Time

I want this Umbrella!!!!!

So today's blog is going to be fairly random. I will be musing about my thoughts on God's Timing, describing this afternoons adventures, and discussing a couple of the stranger things I have seen recently.

But first I am going to complain about the weather and my hair!

Currently we are in the middle of what I have been told is Monsoon season. Basically that means it rains. A-LOT! Either it is a light continual drizzle or the bottom drops out of the clouds! Interspersed by occasional muggy moments when there is a lack of water falling out of the sky - instead it evaporates off of the ground, returns to the sky and gets ready to fall on us all over again.

Now I actually don't mind the rain - stops me feeling too homesick for Palmerston North ;-) What I want to complain about is what it does to my hair. No matter how hard I try it will NOT stay straight! I can get it straight in my bedroom and before I've even left the apartment it is beginning to curl with gay abandon. Have been trying to tame it by pulling it back, or up into a bun - but those curls have a way of escaping all the restraints I try to place on them. (They even have their way with hairspray - and Koreans make some heavy duty hairspray!) I've been assured that this monsoon weather should be finished within the next week, but also warned that it will be followed by a few weeks of extreme heat and humidity. Have basically resigned myself to wild curls for the next six to eight weeks, and am going to stop wasting my time trying to straighten it - maybe I'll finally learn how to do curls - who would have thought that was a lesson I would learn in Korea? A country where almost everyone has naturally straight hair.

Fashion Oddities: With the onslaught of the rain a new object has been making it self known as the latest 'must have' fashion accessory. Gumboots!! (For my US friends I think you call them Wellingtons?) I have now seen several women in beautiful, dainty, frilly, and/or lacy dresses - generally very short dresses - that have chosen to finish off their ensemble with a pair of gumboots. And what gumboots they are; black ones that look like they just came straight off a farm in New Zealand, bright neon yellow ones, purple ones with pink polka-dots, and even on one particularly memorable occasion gumboots with three inch heels. Sadly I did not get any photo's but will be going to Itaewon tomorrow so hopefully I can get a few surreptitious photos on the way ... Now pragmatically I know these are the most practical footwear for the current weather, (except for that pair with the three inch heels, can't think of anywhere they would be appropriate,) but aesthetically ... they hurt me!

Signs: Korea has lots and lots and lots of signs. They are everywhere!! Anybody that feels the need to tell his fellow Koreans anything goes and puts up a sign! Today I saw one that said "Beer Bang, European Free Pub." I then spent the next ten minutes wondering what that means! Before I tell you my cogitations I better explain the word Bang, Bang means room, and it is pronounced so that the 'a' has the same sound as the 'u' in cup. Here are three of the more reasonable explanations I came up with for that sign:
1. There are no Europeans in this bar. But why they would think that would be a great selling point is beyond me, there are no Europeans in most bars in Korea, simply because the European to bar ratio is so low!
2. Europeans can drink here for free. But I think if that was the case then they would go out of business very very quickly because every European in the country would go there - well every European that drinks ...
3. Drink here and we'll give you one free European for every ten drinks you buy ... And after that my explanations became progressively more ridiculous!

Direction Giving: When going somewhere new in Korea the best way to give directions is to say "I'll meet you in front of ... and lead you in from there." Even the simplest of directions can become exceedingly complicated. "Leave the subway by exit 6, go straight down the street for 10 metres, turn right at the hot-dog vending machine, follow the alley for 3 minutes, enter the building on the left beside the kimchi shop, take the first staircase you come to and go down five flights, turn left again at the bottom and wend your way down the hall  round the corners until you find the sign with a lotus on it, go into the cafe diagonally opposite from that sign - I'll be the one that's not Korean." Or, you can say "I'll meet you at exit 6!"

Puddles: Today I was meant to join an evening Bible Study group, so I followed the directions and arrived at the meeting point and the person who was supposed to meet me to guide me the rest of the way to the apartment where the Bible Study was to be held did not show up. Major miscommunications - no hard feelings :-). Anyway as I was about to make my way back to the bus stop to go home again the sky opened above my head and the street turned into a river in no time flat! I had a nice big umbrella but even it was unable to stop me from becoming soaked through from the waist down. I figured that since I was already soaked there really was no reason not to take advantage of the invitation offered by the puddles and spent a lovely five minutes stomping down the street and splashing in every puddle I could find. No idea what all the Koreans I went past thought, and really who cares, I'm never going to see them again anyway :-)

Timing:
This week I've been reading in 2 Kings, and I came across the story of the Shunammite Woman - the one that builds the room for Elisha, God blesses her with a son, the son dies, Elisha brings him back to life. (2 Kings 4:8-36) Well I discovered that that is not the end of the story. In Chapter 8:1-6 the Shunammite Woman turns up again. This time there has been a famine, Elisha warned the woman in advance and tells her to leave Israel for seven years. She obeys and escapes the famine. At the end of the seven years she comes back to Israel and goes to see the king to reclaim her lands. When she gets there she discovers that Gehazi, Elisha's servant is there, the King had asked him to tell some of the stories of how God has worked through Elisha. At the exact moment when the Shunammite Woman enters the throne room Gehazi has just finished telling the story of Elisha bringing her son back to life, he ends the story with "... and here she is!" The king is so impressed with this that he gives back the woman's lands AND all the income the land has earned in the last seven years.

In this story God's timing was absolutely perfect - as we would/should expect, Him being God and all. However I often don't trust God's timing. I find myself doubting that God can achieve these perfect results in my life, not because he is unable but because I am so ... (insert demeaning adjective of choice) ... "Did I wreck God's plan because ... ?" etc! But the fact is God knows the future, He knows my insecurities, my weaknesses and my plain stupidities, and He takes these into account when He is making His plans. I only have to trust that at just the right time things will fall perfectly into place, no fuss no bother, no effort on my part. In the mean time my job is trust in Him, ask Him to be the Lord of my life every single day, follow His promptings, do the things that are directly in front of me to the best of my ability, and STOP worrying! How easy is that? And liberating, peaceful, guilt free, etc. No more angst about "Did I just wreak another of God's plans??" or beating myself up because of the afore mentioned insecurities/weaknesses/stupidities. The beat free zone of course then leaves my mind free to focus more on God which then allows Him  to work on and in me, healing my insecurities, growing my weaknesses and correcting my stupidities.

Can't help but love a God like that!

Security Guards

We have a small security station at the bottom of our building. It is staffed by old men in blue uniforms that have patches proclaiming Security on their shoulders. I find them very useful when I'm given food I really don't want to eat, I just give it to them. They all say "Hello" and stand up, wave and smile when they see me coming now.

I have noticed that they seem to do a lot of everything except actual securing. I've seen them fixing bicycles, gardening, sweeping paths, sorting rubbish on recycling day, taking away trees that got knocked over in thunder storms, gossiping for endless hours with other old men, and generally just being there.

Tonight as I was walking home at 8pm I went past the Security station and one of the guards had taken his shoes and socks off, his feet were propped up on one chair and he was leaning right back in another, fast asleep with his mouth open - but he was still there. Had to smile as I tip toed past.

First Holiday

So now I've had my first holiday in Korea, and what a fantastic time it has been.

Started on Tuesday morning - with a quick tip on the KTX to Busan to visit friends (Hi Mpho, Ica, Novia, Sakhelle and Chloe and Jaegi). The KTX is one of those super fast trains like they have in Europe. The picture of the monitor is from when we were going 299km/hr.

Arrived in Busan mid-Tuesday afternoon and we used the subway - just like the Subway in Seoul but less complicated - visited a water and light show - awesome, more pics on Facebook - and had dinner at a vegan restaurant! So nice not to have to worry about what might be in the food. Have given up trying to be vegan and am settling for staying vegetarian. However have a few times had to pick the meat out of food. Gross!!! (Last week I ordered a veggie dish and when it arrived with little shreds of beef - added extra for 'good service.' So under-whelmed by their service!!!!!) And met one of Mpho's students Chloe, she joined us to show us around for the evening. Everybody say 'Hi' to Chloe, she just friended me on facebook :-)

Busan is an overgrown fishing village that turned into a city. It is also very lovely! The city contains approximately the same number of people as all of New Zealand. That is kind of freaky, a smallish city space-wise and my entire country's population is squashed into it.

Wednesday another of Mpho's students, Jaegi, drove us round and attempted to show us the sights - he would have had more luck if it not been so foggy, but still was a lovely day.

That evening I learned an expensive lesson. On my ticket said it 6.29 in big numbers followed by Korean characters and 18:00 in smaller numbers also followed by Korean characters. I arrived at the train station at 6:03pm thinking I was half an hour early. Sadly my train was gone. I had to buy a whole new ticket - Jaegi did get me a 15% discount which was great. However I now have a new 'Note To Self' which says: "Even though the ticket is written in 'foreign' make sure you know the difference between the date and the time."

Another lesson I learned in Busan from Ica and Novia; If a man offers to carry your bag you have to let him, even if it only weighs like three pounds and you could carry it yourself without burning any extra calories.
They were both shocked and disapproving of my unthinking refusal to hand my clothes bag over for 'man-handling' when we arrived at the train station. I had tossed it over my shoulder and was about to set off into the station, but apparently independence is not feminine or something. Anyway I duely handed over the bag when the offer was repeated and then trailed along behind it until it was time to climb on the train. Then it was solemnly handed back to me. lol - apparently I still have a lot of things to learn about men and their ego's.

Thursday was a sad day. My lovely flatmate Sinny left Korea. Woke up at 4:45am to hug her goodbye and wave her off. Then I moved into the big room! Since then we have discovered that the new teacher who replaced Sinny is a guy so he was moved into Chan's apartment, which I think is quite fabulous as it means I get to live by myself for the next 2 months. No garrantees after that, but I shall totally enjoy these next two months. Been sooo long since I've lived entirely on my own!! All the people I've lived with have been lovely and I miss them all but I'm going to luxuriate in the space!!

The holidays were finished with a retreat at the English Village at a place about an hour out of Seoul that I can't spell. Was a Bible camp - Korea's equivalent of GYC in America. Justin Kim was the main speaker. A very inspiring weekend. Here is the link to all the messages. The English Village itself is very odd, a little piece of idealised America, made me think of Stepford, lovely buildings with shutters and stuff - complete with a mini statue of Libery (Mini-Lib.) All very nice but I never saw anything like it in real life the whole time I was there last year. Was planning to take pictures on the Sunday but then the weather was dreadful. Will be going back in just over a week so will take pictures then.

Now I am back at work, one week down, 7 to go before the next weeks holiday :-) Not that I'm counting or anything ... This term I have a lovely timetable. Start teaching at 6am, and teach right through till 11am 3 days a week, and 12Pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. Then I am free until 6pm, when I have two classes of teenagers. Finished and going home by 8pm every night. So not complaining!!!!!

Today I put my plan of relearning piano into practice, after lunch I went into the chapel and practised for half an hour. Am planning to do that every day and work my way through the hymn book. Tomorrow am planning to put my plan of joining a gym into practise - there is one about 10metres from the door of my building - it is underground.

And on Friday I found a place that sells canvas, so I am the proud owner of a nice blank canvas - just have to finish the plan and then I will spend some time painting most days as well :-)

Hope you are all enjoying life as much as I am,

Hugs etc.

Cat

Rebirth

One of my favourite poems:


Break a pot,
No regrets,
Take it to the Potter,
                    and be reborn.


This poem is in a book by Charles de Lint, who is one of my favourite authors of all time. He is a wordsmith and a master in his craft!! However one thing you can not accuse him of from his writing is Christianity. Which is one of the reasons finding this jewel of a poem in his book is so amazing for me.


One of the things that has amazed me about God is how He can use anything to draw us closer to Him. Early on in my journey He used my love of Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories to make me consider ideas and how they related to my personal beliefs,and for that matter, 'What did I actually believe and why?' This thinking was an important step in my spiritual growth. 


However I digress. 


This afternoon I was thinking about clay pots and potters. There is a passage in Jeremiah where God tells Jeremiah, "Go to the Potter's house and I'll talk to you there." And then when Jeremiah gets to the Potters house the Potter is making a pot, but it becomes misshapen, so the potter breaks it and then remakes it. (Jeremiah 18:1-4)


Every single one of us is a clay pot. A Jar that God is waiting to fill with His Holy Spirit. And every single one of us is damaged in someway. We can only do one of two things, either we can struggle along on our own, denying that there is anything wrong or maybe acknowledging our imperfections but refusing to get help. Or, we can go to the Potter's house, we can ask for help, and that is where it gets interesting.


Sometimes the Potter takes those pots and repairs them and so that it is impossible to even see that there was a break. Sometime He mends that pot in such a way that the break becomes a feature of the pot, a thing of beauty to all who view it. And sometimes he takes the pot and smashes it, and then from the pieces makes something completely different. Mosaic's are amazing works of art made from the broken bits of pottery.


When we take our broken pots to the potter we never know what we will be reborn as but we can know that whatever it is, it will be a thing of beauty, a piece of art. We know this because God is faithful and always does as He has promised. And He has promised us a hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.