HaewooJae Museum (Mr. Toilet House) in Suwon, South Korea

Introduction:

Credit: Imagine Korea

After demolishing the house in which he lived for 30 years, Mr. Toilet, Sim Jaedeok, built this house in the shape of a toilet in order to celebrate the establishment of the World Toilet Assosciation (WTA). He named it Haewoojae, which means "a house to reliive one's concerns." This is a term that is used temples when referring to the restroom.  Construction began in May 2007 by architect Go Giung, and finished on November 11, 2007. Haewoojae was credited as being the biggest toilet sculpture by the Korea Record Institute in 2007, and it got a lot of attention by domestic and foreign media outlets. After Sim Jaedeok passed away, his family donated the house to the city of Suwon in July 2009. According to his will, the city of Suwon followed through on making his house a cultural exhibit. In turn, they used it to commemmorate Mr. Toilet.

The Founder

A Date to Remember:

Almost fittingly enough, the museum was opened on October 30, 2010 the day before Halloween. Did Mr. Sim know about this date and was he trying to create a place meant to horrify the locals? Just kidding!

Rodin would be proud!

My Experience

My wife and I made our trek to this place and when I say, trek, I mean it. Mr. Toilet House was NOT easy to get to. It was a really hot day, so we got a couple of iced lattes at the cafe next to it before exploring the Toilet House. Once we got there, we saw most of the funny or unique displays outside and saw them within 30 minutes. The statues were pretty humorous and one was a coped statue of the famous "The Thinker" by Rodin. At this place you can see him thinking on "the throne" (toilet). Haha!

Just a mother and son staring at poop

Other displays show funny sculptures of people squatting as they're about to relieve themselves as you can see above. There are also other displays showing what Koreans did with feces before toilets came into existence. Overall, it was pretty educational and interesting. There just weren't that many displays to see in total. After doing that, my wife and I went inside the first building and saw other displays regarding the history of toilets and household plumbing. The bad thing about it was that the displays didn't have many English explanations and they were mostly in Korean. Personally, I could only read a word here or there, so my wife translated some of them for me. My wife and I spent about 10 minutes inside that building, which was a small two-story building. On the other side there's one more building that has funny displays of animal poop based on what they eat, which poop is healthy, and which poop is not healthy. Kids and parents had fun with this and you can imagine and I thought it was pretty entertaining.

Here's a side note: Even though Koreans are fairly conservative, they aren't afraid to talk about poop and they have an interesting fascination with the subject. There's even a poop cafe in Seoul that many expats have blogged about. Here's just one "crappy" (pun intended because of it) blog about it among many! The blog is actually good, so I'm being literal in this case. Haha!

Now let me finish telling you about our experience at Mr. Toilet's House. The last thing we did was go up to the roof of the second building, which has a nice view of the museum and its surroundings. You can also see the beautiful scenery of Suwon around it. After my wife and I finished enjoying the view, we decided to find something to do next. However, keep this in mind. There's nothing to do around the museum and there aren't any subway lines near it, so you need to take a bus to your next destination. We ended up checking out a lake in Uiwang, but we took a couple of buses to get there. Because of the inconvenience of getting to this place and because it's so small, this will probably be my first and last visit to this museum. But if you live in Gyeonggido or you want a very unique experience to post on your blog (smile) and/or post a ridiculous picture of yourself there (see below), you should go and check out Mr. Toilet House.

How to Get There:

[Subway + Bus]

Sungkyunkwan University Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 1.
- Take bus 64 in front of Yuljeong-dong Catholic Church.
- Get off at Dongwon High School Entrance at Haewoojae bus stop.
- Take a right at the Imok Sageori (four-way intersection).
- Cross the street and continue walking 700 meters to reach Mr. Toilet House.

Admission: Free

Parking: Free

More Information: Mr. Toilet's Website

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

60 Things I Have Learned While Living and Traveling Abroad

1. The world doesn't revolve around the United States although the U.S. media would like you to think that it did.
2. People outside of the United States have a much more negative view about the United States than I had realized.
3. Americans are even friendlier than I realized after visiting other Western countries worldwide.
4. Chinese people can be loud but they're not being rude. It's just how their language is. They're very friendly people and straight forward once you get to know them.
5. When Vietnamese locals tell you to not expose your camera in public, you listen.
6. Tea ceremonies and art galleries in China don't sound as good as you would think. (See Beijing and Shanghai for details).
7. If someone ask you in English to have a drink with you in Shanghai, you will end up paying for it and then some.
8. You might leave your cell phone on the table at Starbucks in a mall in Seoul and come back 30 minutes later without it being touched.
9. Taking a train in Italy isn't as easy as it seems. Not only do you buy a ticket, but you need to get it stamped or you'll pay a steep fine.
10. If you go to Venice, Italy, you must visit Burano Island or else you will regret it.
11. The food in Rome matches the hype and then some. You can also order tap water or ones with "gas" (carbonated).
12. Don't accept any roses as gifts around any of the plazas in Rome. You will end up paying for them.
12. London has better food than I expected but the best food there is Indian hands down.
13. Ho Chi Minh has the best Vietnamese food in all of Vietnam. Hanoi comes in second.
14. Korean food is excellent in Seoul. Every other kind of food in Seoul will not match your expectations.
15. Los Angeles has the best Mexican food. How do $0.99 tacos in East L.A. sound to you?
16. Chinese food has a variety of flavors from sweet, spicy, and sneaky spicy. My favorite kinds of Chinese foods are malatang and Chinese dumplings. Delicious!
17. Ramen noodles in Tokyo are the best I have ever eaten. Sorry Seoul, but you don't come close.
18. Grilled pork in Korea is the best. That's one reason why I've lived in Korea for 15 years.
19. Southeast Asia has the people with the best smiles. (See Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines for details).
20. Don't wander around Southeast Asia after dinner time alone. It's dark and dangerous. Get back to your hotel room, relax, and prepare for your next day of traveling.
21. You might get called 'sir' or 'ma'am' in the Philippines quite often because people are so polite there.
22. Don't give out money to children in the Philippines or Cambodia or you might have an army charging you soon after.
23. London has the best museums in the world and they're free. My favorites include the British Museum and the National Gallery.
24. I've met three people from Scotland. I've concluded that they don't particularly like Americans, never talk about Scotland, yet always mention the fact that they're from the U.K.
25. People in Seoul start and stop trends very quickly. Gangnam Style is old news now.
26. Koreans conform to each other when it comes to fashion. Japanese people are very individualistic and try to be very different from each other.
27. Koreans tempers can flare up quickly but they can also forgive others just as quickly.
28. Seoul has arguably the best subway system in the world. Just avoid Line #2 and #9 during rush hour or you will get very familiar with a lot of people.
29. Seoul and Tokyo are two of the safest cities to walk around at 2am. However, you might come across a few drunk businessmen that just finished their company dinners.
30. The Eiffel Tower is beautiful at night. Just don't get sucked into buying champagne and flowers from people that are desperately trying to force romance on you.
31. Ankor Wat in Cambodia is one of my favorite places to see in this world, but you need a minimum of two full days to really see it in all its glory.
32. Although Bangkok is known for its sex tourism, there's only one main area I would definitely avoid there. The Grand Palace and Floating Markets make it a very desirable destination.
33. People in Tokyo may not speak English well, but they will try very hard to help you in spite of that.
34. Most working class people in China don't speak English well, but if someone approaches you and speaks English, be careful (See #6).
35. People in Seoul think they don't speak English well, but they are better than they think they are.
36. Korean dramas and Mexican telenovelas have one thing in common. They are extremely dramatic and unrealistic.
37. I haven't been to Mexico in a long time but if I went there again, I would eat a lot of food but avoid drinking the water.
38. If you go to Hawaii, avoid Waikiki Beach, which is on the south side of Oahu. Get an AirBnB on the north side of Oahu or head on over to Kauai and Maui for more beautiful beaches.
39. Kyoto is bigger than you would imagine, but it's still the most majestic city in Japan. The seaports in Kobe and deer in Nara will also make your trip worth it.
40. Seoul has a great mix of palaces, parks, and modern architecture which all are reachable because of its amazing public transportation system.
41. People outside of Korea don't know much about Busan but is also a city you should visit if you have time.
42. Vietnamese people treat American tourists very nicely despite the tragedy of the Vietnam War. But you might come across a couple of Vietnamese people at the Vietnam War Museum in Ho Chi Minh that want to remind Americans of what happened.
43. Although The Great Wall of China wasn't as amazing as I imagined it to be, it's still a must see. Tienamen Square was surprisingly better than I expected.
44. Staying on a boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam is inexpensive and a wonderful experience. Put that on your bucket list.
45. Teaching kids in a foreign country will get you a free apartment and a salary. The experience is great, a bit challenging, and will make you grow.
46. You'll enjoy the lights, shows, and buffets in Las Vegas. But if you aren't into gambling, two days is enough.
47. The Grand Canyon is best from the South Rim. You can walk down the canyon or take a donkey ride. The Canyon has a different look as the sun goes down.
48. Lake Tahoe is the most beautiful lake that I've experienced so far but I've only seen Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead outside of that one. I have yet to see Crater Lake, which is on my bucket list. Lake Tahoe on the border of California and Nevada.
49. Must see places in Paris: The Louvre, Orsay Museum, the Opera House, and Jardin des Tuileries.
50. The Vatican in Rome is mind blowing especially the walkway leading to the Sistine Chapel.
51. Halla Mountain (Hallasan) has the best view of South Korea. It will take your breath away.
52. People in New York City are very abrasive but don't go there for the people. Go for the pizza, Broadway, and The Museum of Modern Art.
53. The cobblestone streets and lobster are two reasons to visit Boston. Just make sure you're not wearing a Yankees jersey (not that I would ever want to do that). The same can be said vice versa.
54. Clam chowder and the Golden Gate Bridge are two of the best things in San Francisco. Parking, not so much.
55. L.A. has the best laid back lifestyle and the worst traffic.
56. Hoi An, Vietnam to see the rural side of Vietnam with beaches. Go to Danang, Vietnam to see the urban side with beaches.
57. As an American, you might get interrogated by immigration at Heathrow but an Asian with poor English might have a difficult time if they see an immigration officer at LAX.
58. The easiest yet busiest airports to fly through are Incheon (Seoul), Changgi (Singapore), and Narita (Tokyo). The busiest and worst ones are Seattle-Tacoma and LAX.
59. When you travel, some things usually don't go as you expected. Go with the flow and enjoy the ride.
60. Traveling is stressful and amazing at the same time. It challenges you and makes you learn a lot.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea

National Museum of Korea

Seoul doesn't quite match up to London in terms of amazing museums that are free. However, there are a few museums in Seoul that you must visit if 1) if you are the type that loves museums and 2) if you have more than a week vacation in Seoul.

One of these museums that I would like to talk about is the National Museum of Korea. It is located in the Yongsan-gu area of Seoul and the admission is free. 

What You Will Like About This Museum:

1. You'll get a good glimpse of Korean history from the Gorguyeo Dynasty, Choseon Dynasty, Baekjae Dynasty, etc. You'll see this through old documents that are on display, pottery, and paintings.

2. You'll also see other Asian works on display at various times. Two months ago, I visited the museum and saw Japanese paintings and Indian sculptures being showcased.

3. Obviously you'll enjoy the free admission. But not only is the main museum free, but also the Children's Museum is free as well.

4. It's conveniently located. See below for details.

5. There's a nice lake just outside the museum, which will give you yet another picturesque view of Seoul.

6. I'm not Buddhist but the Buddhist statues are pretty large and are interesting to look at.

7. You can get a clear view of N Seoul Tower from the north side of the museum especially on a clear day.

What You Might Not Like About the Museum:

1. If you're not into Korean history, this might not be the place for you. You might get bored especially since it's a very large museum.

2. There's only one cafe that serves food and drinks. It gets a bit crowded especially during peak times.

3. I'm not a big fan of pottery and you'll see a lot of it at this museum. You can just skip those rooms and check out the rooms that interest you more.

Pictures of the Museum:

The lake outside the museum

N Seoul Tower in the background

A huge pagoda on the first floor of the museum

Japanese calligraphy

A large statue of Buddha

A view of N Seoul Tower from the north side

Website: National Museum of Korea Directions: Take Line 4 or the Jungang Line (Munsan-Yongmun) to Ichon Station. Go out Exit 2, and walk 150m toward Yongsan Family Park.

• ※ Wheelchair accessibility: If your train is bound for Oido, the elevator is at the front end of the platform. If your train is bound for Danggogae, the elevator is at the rear end of the platform. Take the elevator up to the ticket office level, then take the elevator located at Museum Nadeulgil near Exit 1 & 2.

Scott Worden (The L.A/Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

What Am I Thankful for in 2018?

Although Thanksgiving has passed, I can still be thankful because one of the most important holidays as a Christian is approaching: Christmas. Therefore, let me go over my list of things to be thankful for as 2018 comes closer to ending.

1. I am beyond thankful for my wife. She's amazing and does so much for me! She cleans the house so well, she irons my clothes, cooks wonderful meals, and she's so supportive. Most of all, she loves God and we can talk about meaningful and deep conversations. She also is very expressive towards me when she has problems that she wants to talk about. She's definitely my best friend. I love you sweetie!

2. I'm also thankful for our home. We almost moved in July but our landlord made a deal with us. We had gone on vacation to Vietnam and the plan was to move right as soon as we got back. That would have been extremely stressful. However, the Lord had other plans and I'm very thankful for that. Despite it being on a hill, it's in a quiet neighborhood, and our house has a good amount of space for a home in Seoul. I really can't complain!

3. I can't leave out the true friends that I have and you know who you are. These are friends that hold me accountable as a Christian, those that I can talk to when I have some problems, coworkers that are there when I'm frustrated with a student, and ones that just enjoy hanging out with me. I'm very happy to have each one of you as a friend. I'm truly blessed. I lost one friend out of greed (I'm thankful that God helped cut that friendship off) this year, but there are plenty of other good friends that have stuck by me. Thanks for your love and support guys!

4. Most people have a hard time being thankful for their boss or manager and I would have to say I would have been one of those people in 2017. Fortunately, 2018 was a different story. I have a manager that doesn't micro-manage, trusts his teachers, and has the same expectations for everyone- not just for a certain few. When I see him walk in, I'm genuinely happy to see him instead of dreading his presence like I did when a previous manager arrived at work.  Having a good manager makes work a lot easier to handle and I'm very blessed that I have had this blessing in 2018.

5. I'm thankful to have a place of worship. In some countries, proclaiming God's Word is a crime or seriously looked down upon. In some cities in Europe, people might not think you're that bright for believing in a God. Thankfully, South Korea is a wonderful place to express your love for Jesus. I sometimes forget to realize how important that it is, but it's huge.

6. I lost a friend this year (Ben Coyner), but I'm thankful that he's in Heaven with the Lord. He loved being on the praise team at church and I'm 100% certain that he's singing with the angels in Heaven. I miss you Ben, but I can't wait to see you again!

7. I'm thankful for my dad. He truly has unconditional love for me. I know that he and my brothers would love to have me move back to California, but my dad supports me no matter what. I do get a guilt trip once in awhile. On the other hand, my dad knows that my wife is amazing, so the guilt trips don't happen nearly as often as they used to. When we talk on Face Time on our I-Phones, we just continue where we left off in our previous conversations. Thank you very much for that Dad. I love you!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Seoullites Are Addicted to Technology Especially Cell Phones

Photo Credit: psychguides.com

Living abroad will help you get over culture shock but there are certain aspects of your adopted country's culture that you just can't seem to get used to. I will pinpoint one culture in Seoul, South Korea that I will probably never get used to. People in Seoul are addicted to their cell phones or other forms of technology. Cell phones and tablets seem to be an extra limb for people that live in a country that has the fastest internet in the world. And it's only going to get faster according to this article, which will probably just make people want to use their cell phones more. Samsung is also introducing a folding phone in order to continue competing against Apple's latest I-Phones. One of my students says that her son wants this phone badly, so that he can play games on it. However, she knows the addiction that it might cause and has denied his frequent requests up to this point.

I'm just one expat living in South Korea who feels this is a problem. Another expat's viewpoint of cell phone addiction in South Korea can be found here. And if you want a perspective from Koreans, a very short Korea Times article written by two Koreans can be found here. One interesting tidbit is that 1,042,000 people could have been addicted to smart phones in 2016. The population of South Korea is 51,047,000 people. That means about 1 in every 55 people is addicted to their phones. Yikes.

I take the subway twice a day since I work on a split shift, so I see people using their cell phones all of the time as I'm walking from home to the subway, commuting on the subway, walking from the subway station to work, and walking from the subway station to home. And it's not just the subway. I see addiction to technology at cafes, restaurants, the bus stop, etc. Here are just a few instances that show how much people in Seoul are addicted to their phones or other forms of technology:

1. My biggest pet peeve is when people drive while on their cell phones. It's bad enough when people are talking to someone on their phones. Furthermore, it's even more frustrating when someone is texting someone while driving on a very narrow residential street. I actually gestured to a guy in his 30s to get off his phone because he was texting someone while he was driving near Nakseongdae Station. Worse yet, a woman was backing out of a parking spot while talking on the phone. When I said "dangerous" in Korean, she was embarrassed and immediately realized it was wrong. Sadly, even though it's a law in Korea, not driving while using a cell phone isn't a law that is strictly enforced along with other traffic violations.

2. One situation that I see quite often is people walking while using their cell phones. What other people do is not my business until it starts affecting my commute to work. Sometimes women in their 20s are sending Kakaotalk (Korea's version of WhatsApp) to their friends or young teenage boys are playing Overwatch or Fortnight. I get it. I'm sometimes guilty of texting while walking myself. However, in Seoul, people are not aware of people behind them and when they are on their phones, they walk at a snail's pace. This situation can get very irritating when you're on a crowded subway behind someone going up the stairs and they're playing with their phones. This happens so often that I can't even count how many times I've experienced it.

3. Another instance which is irritating is when parents use their cell phones as a distraction tool for their children. One time I was at Suji's and the mother and father were eating. After the kids ate a little bit of food, the parents gave them both a tablet and let them play on it for about a half hour while the parents talked. If the kids were a bit older, I could've understood it but the kids were about 6 and 7 years old respectively. Two months ago, I was at Starbucks near Samseong Station. A whole family was sitting there: a mother, father, son, and daughter. All of them were on their cell phones and none of them were talking to each other. On occasion, you'll see people on a date but focusing on their cell phones more than their dates.

4. As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, selfies are huge in South Korea. But it's pretty crazy when ladies use their cell phones to take selfies at the weirdest places. I saw four girls taking a few selfies at McDonald's. I didn't know McDonald's was a venue that would help me get more "likes" on Instagram, but I might have to try it! Last year, I saw one woman at Coffee Bean taking 35 selfies. How do I know it was 35? Well I started counting after I heard a multiple amount of cell phone camera clicks. I guess you can say 35 was a conservative estimate. It must have been more like 50 shots.

5. An irritating thing I see at work as a teacher is when adult students come to practice their English. Our academy promotes small class sizes. Our main classes have between one and four students in an Encounter class where the teacher evaluates their performance. Since the students determine the class based on their schedule, they don't always have an Encounter class with the same students. Due to that, students constantly meet new students, although in Korea, students don't enjoy talking to each other in English in the Encounter class. They prefer to only talk to the native English speaker. As a result, two students might get to class before the teacher does, but they don't introduce themselves to each other. They just play with their smartphones until the teacher gets there. However, it's even more annoying when they actually met each other in a previous class, but still prefer being on their smartphone instead of talking to that student.

Overall, cell phone addiction is a worldwide problem, but it's definitely a more serious problem in Korea. Why is that? Technology is everywhere here and the internet speed is the best in the world. On top of that, Koreans don't generally enjoy talking to strangers, so Koreans will always use their cell phones to shield themselves away from awkward experiences with people they don't know. I hope and pray that people can realize that addiction to technology is a serious problem in South Korea and that something gets done about it. People need to enjoy lives without staring at our screens all of the time and that includes me as well.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Dream Forest in Seoul, South Korea (Summer 2018)

You can see the Observation Tower at the top

Dream Forest (also known as 북서울 꿈의숲) in Seoul, South Korea and formerly known as Odong Geullin Park is one of the most underrated parks in Seoul. It's the fourth largest park in Seoul after World Cup Park, Olympic Park, and Seoul Forest. All of my students (who I teach near COEX Mall and Samseong Station) talk about Olympic Park or Seoul Forest, but then again these are students that live on the south side of the river. They think going to the other side is too far. Haha! Maybe people that live in Gangbuk talk about this park and I just don't know it. Nevertheless, I love this park for various reasons:

First, the park is quiet. A moderate amount of people come here even on weekends. You can walk around and find a bench or sit on the grass without being bothered. It's amazingly peaceful and relaxing.

Secondly, it has a few hiking trails. I have yet to do that but there is an area full of trees that you can hike up. It's very well preserved and maintained.

Next, if you have children, you can take them to the children's museum (not free), which is on the premises. There's also a little creek and a baby pool where kids can dip their feet or play in the water.

If none of these convince you, there's a big area full of grass! You can have a picnic, play catch with your child, or put up a tent which some people do here. Koreans love to camp in parks and this place is no exception.

So much grass!

Finally, the best feature is the observation tower at the north end of the park. You take a cable car up about 50 feet. Then you go inside a building and take the elevator to the top. There is a cafe, which overlooks the surrounding area of the park. Surprisingly the drinks are reasonably priced and you can easily get a seat there. One floor above that is an observation deck, where you can see a vast amount of landscape of Seoul including the local mountains Dobok Mountain(Doboksan), Surak Mountain(Suraksan), and Bukhan Mountain (Bukhansan) to the north. In the south you can see Lotte Tower far off into the distance, N Seoul Tower, and the Han River.

Lotte World Tower in the distance on a cloudy day

N Seoul Tower on the right side of the picture

How To Get Here:
[Subway + Bus]
Miasageori Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 1. Take Maeul Bus #9 or Bus #11. (10 minute-ride) and get off at Dream Forest Bus Stop.

OR

Dolgoji Station (Seoul Subway Line 6), Exit 3. Take Bus #147 (5-minute ride) and get off at Dream Forest Bus Stop.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Hoi An, Vietnam (Part 3): Ancient Town At Night in Pictures

Ancient Town in Hoi An, Vietnam is very quiet during the day on weekends. You can walk around and grab lunch and you might be the only person in that place. It's laid back, you might get a few tourists here and there walking around, and many of the locals are probably at home relaxing.

However, at night, it's a completely different atmosphere. Tourists are everywhere including Vietnamese tourists from other cities in Vietnam. You'll see backpackers, Chinese tourists, some Koreans, and a lot of locals trying to get you to pay for a  boat ride along the river. The Japanese Bridge is the most crowded. Although it's not a very long bridge, it will take you about 10-15 minutes to get across the bridge. You also have to dodge people as many people want to take pictures while on the bridge. The main reason it's so crowded at night is the beautiful and colorful lanterns that adorn each bar, shop, restaurant, cafe, and massage parlor. Here are just a few pictures that I took while in Ancient Town at night. Enjoy!

In front of the Vinh Hung Hotel

In front of a two-storey cafe

In front of the same cafe

Gotta love the color choices!

In front of a restaurant and cafe

Large lanterns on the first floor and small ones on the second floor

Different shapes and colors of lanterns

Waiting for business

Illuminated with lots of orange with a touch of blue and yellow

Green and white lanterns

The locals guarding a shop

The Japanese Bridge

The Japanese Bridge

Near the Japanese Bridge with a Chinese touch

Lanterns in front of an array of restaurants

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Sermon: Marriage and Divorce by Pastor Eddie Chun (October 21, 2018)

Mark 10:1-12

Why are the Pharisees asking Jesus about divorce? They're trying to test Jesus but why would they bring up the topic of divorce? It was a very controversial topic at that time, yet everyone agreed that divorce was LAWFUL. They always went back to this verse in the Bible: Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

Most Jews said it was okay and it was very common. However the reasons to divorce your wife were based on two main views: 1. If your wife cheats on you, you can divorce her (the minority view) and 2. Anything you don't like about your wife, you can divorce her (the majority view). If she can't cook well, she loses attraction, doesn't make you happy, or anything as trivial as that, then it was totally okay.

It sounds a lot like today. The Pharisees are not asking because they want the truth. They're testing him because they expected him to have a radical view. More importantly, they thought his view would upset Herod Antipus, who beheaded John the Baptist. Jesus is under his jurisdiction.

Jesus goes to the Bible to answer their question: "What did Moses command you? They responded "Moses allowed us." The Pharisees were wrong in that response alone. Jesus said it was their sin that caused this law to come into existence and Jesus said they were asking the wrong question. They should have been asking "What's God's design and purpose for marriage?"

Jesus tells us three basic things: 1. Marriage is between one man and one woman (vs. 6). 2. Hold fast (glue yourself) to your wife. In marriage 1 +1 = 1. It's no longer about ME. It's "WE". 3. Marriage is inseparable. Marriage is meant for life and divorce happens because of sin. It was never intended that way. See verse 11: Divorce equals committing adultery. These words sting. However, this is not a passage about God not loving you. God loves you and will forgive you or he has already forgiven you if you have repented of it.

In this passage, Jesus is talking to men who aren't really interested in saving their marriages. The Pharisees are seeking legal ground to divorce their wives. If you got divorced for this reason, then Jesus is definitely speaking to you.

There are only two possible permissible reasons for divorce: 1. Sexual immorality (Matthew 19) and 2. Marriage do a non-believer and that non-believing spouse wants to leave the marriage (1 Corinthians 7).

Unless you're in one of those two categories, then it's strictly forbidden. However, that's not really the point. Divorce wasn't God's design in the first place. Ephesians 5:31-32 tells us that God created marriage between Christ and the Church. If that's what marriage is all about then we can understand Malachi 2 where it shows God hating divorce since God hates sin. What does that say about God's love if the covenant is broken? It tells us that God's love isn't unconditional and it's breakable. It's a total distortion of the Gospel. It also destroys families and relationships.

Singles: Make sure your view of marriage is God's. Make it stick in your head that you will never divorce your spouse because God won't divorce me.

Single men: Love your wife like Christ loves the church. It's a huge responsibility since Christ died for the church. You die to yourself so that your spouse can live.

Single women: Submit to your husband like you submit to the Lord.

Married couples: God understands your situation. He knows how to live with difficult people, who spit on him, rebuked him, and even killed him. He died to save those people. Do everything you can to save your marriage if you're having a really difficult time. Pray, fast, and get your brothers and sisters involved. God never intended for divorce and you have to remember that.

Divorced/Remarried people: God loves you. Nothing can change that. There's no sin that isn't covered by the cross. God will forgive you and there's a day coming when everyone will be married to the perfect husband: When Jesus unites with us forever. You will be spotless and blameless and will love Jesus perfectly.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Experiencing the Power and Care-Free Nature of "Ajummas" in South Korea

I have to admit something to you Korean readers. I have a love-hate relationship (mostly strongly dislike) with middle-aged Korean women, also known as "ajummas" or "아줌마" in Korean. Sometimes they can be very nice and accommodating, but I've had mostly negative experiences with them (sometimes the servers are rude and many times ajummas can be selfish on the subway) in my 15 years of living in South Korea. Today was no exception.

Today I went to Haneul Park, which is near World Cup Stadium in Seoul. I climbed the stairs up to the park with many people in line as they made their way up the small mountain that overlooks the Han River. The right side of the stairs was for people going up to the park and the left side was for people going down.

Everyone was following each other in an orderly manner except for one middle-aged woman (an ajumma) that wanted to walk up the left side to get past all of the people. When she saw people coming down, she would quickly go back to the right side and then go back to the left side when the people on the left side passed her going down. She repeated that process at least four times. Then I thought to myself, "Well there are other middle-aged ajummas that are actually going up the stairs the right way. There's always one rude one in every bunch no matter where you go, so I let it go and dismissed it.

Then I got to the top, made my rounds around the park, took a lot of pictures, enjoyed the scenery, and then sat down on a bench to finish watching Game 6 of the Major League Baseball National League Championship Series between the Dodgers and Brewers on my phone. After the game was over, I walked around the park a little more and then realized that I had to use the restroom.

When I got to the public restrooms at the park, there was an extremely long line for the women's restroom, so I checked to see if the line was long for the men's one. As I walk over to the men's restroom, I notice three ajummas standing in line. Yes, they were in line for the MEN's restroom at 2:30pm on a Saturday. In front of them was a father with his daughter. I couldn't believe it. Surprisingly, no one really said anything until one Korean guy said "This is the men's restroom" and I repeated in Korean "right" and that it was the men's restroom. Their response was a weak "yes" (네) in Korean, but in this situation it really meant "Yeah we know but we don't really care."

The kicker was when the cleaning lady walked into the men's restroom with her mop. As she walked in the look on her face showed that she wondered why there were ajummas in line but didn't know what to say. Because of that she just started to clean and just accepted the situation as it was. After she started cleaning, she noticed three vacant urinals and says to me that I could use one of them. I said in Korean "There are women here!" and gave her a look as if to say "Isn't it obvious that I need my privacy?" Then she tells the women that it is indeed the men's restroom, but they ignored her. She gave up telling them and continued to clean. Finally, a couple of older men came in, seemed surprised by the ajummas in line, but eventually didn't care and just did their thing at the urinals. It was my turn and I used the stall. After I got out, an ajumma was right there waiting for me to use my stall....in the men's restroom.

So why do ajummas have such a strong-willed and nonchalant character? I might just have to talk about that in my next blog post. Until next time....


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: laseoulguy

Surreal Shanghai Story #2: Tea Ceremony Scam (March 1, 2011)

On my first day of traveling in Shanghai on March 1, 2011, I took a taxi from my hotel to The Bund (Huangpu River). My taxi driver didn't speak any English but was very friendly and even sang a song to me. My first impression of Shanghai people was very good!

Then once I got to the Bund on a bit of a windy day, I walked down the boardwalk that was parallel to the river and came across two young people in their 20s, a male and a female. They approached me first and asked where I was from, what I was doing in Shanghai, and said that they were college students from another province in China. Their main purpose was to travel around Shanghai. Then they had mentioned that it was a bit cold (which was true), and they were heading to a tea ceremony, and asked if I wanted to join them. Thinking that it seemed like a nice gesture and a great opportunity to experience Chinese culture, I didn't hesitate and accepted their offer.

As we were walking to this "tea ceremony" place, they told me that they liked Americans. They said they thought British people were a bit formal and felt Americans were a bit friendlier. Little did I know that they were just buttering me up to pretend that they wanted to become my friend. They laughed and we seemed to be having a wonderful conversation as we were strolling to this unknown place. I should not fail to mention that their English was impeccable. They were almost like native speakers and I had no problems conversing with them whatsoever.

Once we arrived at our destination, I was very underwhelmed. We walked into this very random building that had a small tea room as you can see in the picture above. Though the room was small, I expected the ceremony to be a great experience. We sat down and a lady in a qipao (pronounced CHEE-POW), which is a formal Chinese outfit, served us about five types of tea. I started enjoying the atmosphere with my new Chinese acquaintances and they even gave me a tea flower as a gift (nothing that special but I liked their generosity so I thought). This made me enjoy my first activity in Shanghai very much until the experience began to crash down on me.

After we all drank our tea, the male student asked if I could help pay for the girl since he said that Chinese men were very chivalrous and wouldn't allow the woman to pay for her drink or meal. I said "No problem. I don't mind helping out." Then he mentioned that we also had to pay for the room. Then a red flag popped into my head. I thought to myself, "We're actually going to pay for a room that is the size of my small bedroom at home?" Then the lady in the qipao and the two Chinese students discussed the price together in Chinese and I was starting to get concerned.

After the discussion ceased, the news came which felt like a punch to the gut. I can't remember how much it was in Chinese RMB at the time, but I still remember how much it was in US dollars. They asked me to pay $70. At that time, there were no smart phones and I didn't want to come off as an "ugly American", so I ended up paying for it.

Afterwards, they still pretended to be friendly with me and they even gave me their email addresses but something just didn't feel right. I felt like I had been taken advantage of, but I couldn't prove it at the time. They asked where I was going and I told them that I was heading to Yuyuan Gardens. They asked me if I wanted them to show me where it was but I declined. I was still feeling like I had been used. However, I really wasn't sure if it was them or if it was just an expensive "tea ceremony". We said our goodbyes and I was off to Yuyuan Gardens not feeling great that I blew away $70 with just one lousy tea experience in one hour.

I was dying of curiosity to find out if I had been scammed. I went the whole week searching for internet cafes and I couldn't find any, which was extremely weird. When I was in Beijing in 2007, they were everywhere. The government must have cracked down since then and it really frustrated me because I still couldn't figure out if those two people robbed me or not.

Ironically, two days later, I was walking outside of the Shanghai Museum and three young college students approached me (two men and one woman). They asked me if I had been to a tea ceremony before. I played dumb because I was curious if they would take me to the same kind of place or not, so I lied and said that I hadn't. We ended up walking inside this building that was definitely not meant for tourists. It was a bit dingy and the building had a very boring grey color inside. It had shops and floors like a shopping mall but the interior had no character whatsoever. Then we go up to the 5th floor of this random building. We walk for a couple minutes and we approach a door. As soon as they open the door, it looked like a carbon copy of my first experience two days prior to this experience. There was a lady in a qipao and the room looked exactly like the tea room I had been in before. I tell them, "Sorry guys. I've been to this kind of place before!" A normal response would have been "What? Where are you going?" However, their response was "Oh. Okay. See ya!" It was very strange and at that moment, I was 70% sure that this "tea ceremony" was a scam to lure foreigners.

When I got back to Korea, I did my research. And sure enough, it was a well known scam in China. I read a blog post that they even use singing rooms (Koreans call them "norae bangs". In China they're known as KTVs) as a way to take advantage of people. An Australian couple went out with five Chinese people and had drinks with them and sang with them in a private room. By the end of the night, the five Chinese people told them that they needed to pay $500. They were so afraid of their safety that they ended up paying for it all. I couldn't believe it and I was thankful that I had only lost $70. Be careful when you travel alone and always be on guard even if you're a man!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Thankful for National Health Care in South Korea

Before I brag about the cost of health care in South Korea, I will admit that I have insurance. However, because I have insurance, it makes the cost of health care in Korea even cheaper than it already is. Now let me tell you the latest experience I had:

I had been suffering with a cold including a cough for the past week. I even woke up a couple nights in a row at 1:30am and 2:00am respectively. My wife was probably thinking "Enough is enough!" She then told me that it would be best that we visit the doctor.

The latest amazing experience began when my wife and I walked into a small clinic at 10:30am on a Wednesday near Nakseongdae Station, which is the station near my home. I wrote down my name and Alien Registration Card number and within 10 minutes, the doctor checked my nose and throat. A minute later he shows the screen where you can get a visual look of my throat and nose. He tells me that I have some inflammation in my throat and that it's just a minor cold. He lets me know that I need to drink more water and types out a prescription on the computer.

Five minutes later, I have a prescription in hand and we are done. My wife and I head to the pharmacy to get some pills and cough syrup that are to last three days. After a short five minute visit at the pharmacy, I get my medicine. The total came out to a whopping 4,000 won (approximately $4). If I didn't have insurance, it would have cost me about $10, which is pretty amazing in itself. The whole process was quick, cheap, and convenient.

To make a long story short: I love the health care system in South Korea and I hope it never changes!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Surreal Shanghai Story #1: Nanjing Road (March 3, 2011)

I would like to share a story about my experience in Shanghai between February 27, 2011 and March 4, 2011. During the course of the week, Shanghai went from intriguing to very annoying in just only five days. I'll save the other two stories for another blog post, but I will tell you the weirdest story first. While visiting Nanjing Road at night, you can see various stores, movie theaters, and restaurants that are lit up at night with various colored lights. It's quite the scene. And because of that, many tourists flock there to take pictures and to capture all of the photographic eye candy. Unfortunately, it also attracts scammers of all sorts because they know that's where many tourists will be.

While I was walking from West Nanjing Road to East Nanjing alone at night, a total of about 17 different people approached me in less than an hour. This is not an exaggeration. A few people were guys that were trying to lure me in get a "massage" somewhere. The flyer they showed to me seemed to imply that the massages were sexual in nature and I moved along rather quickly.

But here's the weirdest part. Of those 17 people that approached me, 14 of them were women asking if I could have a drink with them. I was on guard and very careful because on my first day, I got sucked into the notorious Tea Ceremony Scam, which I will share in my next post. Because I was so careful, I even rejected a very beautiful woman who supposedly just wanted to get to know me and have a drink. I was an average looking guy and out of the blue this gorgeous woman approaches me. It was so suspicious it was hilarious. Even on a couple occasions two women approached me at the same time and asked if I wanted to have a drink with them.

However, the curiosity was starting to get to me. The last girl to approach me seemed to be your cute, but somewhat average looking Chinese girl. She asked me if I wanted to go to a cafe and have a drink with her. I asked her, "Who's going to pay for it?" She replied, "You can pay for your drink and I can pay for mine. I just want to practice my English." Thinking that she seemed normal, I accepted the offer and we headed to a cafe. As we get there, we sit down. We both look at the menu, the server takes our orders. I order a cafe mocha and she orders something, but she ordered in Chinese. I ask her what she ordered. She tells me that she ordered coffee and juice. Then a red flag pops up in my head. I thought to myself, "Who orders two drinks at the same time?" I ask her "Who's going to pay for it?" She says "I thought we could share." Immediately, I get the impression that she was going to make me pay for her drinks and I rush over to the server to cancel the order. The girl asks me "What's wrong?" I say "You said you were going to pay for your drink and I would pay for mine?" She responds, "Well it's just one drink." (another lie). I retort, "No. You ordered two drinks." Then she didn't know what to say except "Sorry." Then I say "Me too. This could have been a nice experience but I need to go." And that was that. I heard about "Shanghai girls" and I experienced it firsthand.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Hoi An, Vietnam (Part 2): Ancient Town During the Day

Our hotel, the Tropical Hoi An Resort gave us free rides to and from Ancient Town until 9:00pm. Ancient Town was about a 10- minute drive from our resort.

What is Ancient Town? (Source: Vietnamtravel.org)


It's a port in Hoi An that was very active between the 15th and the 19th centuries. It was first settled by the Champa people who were Malay-Indonesian people from Java. They settled in Hoi An in 200 BC. The Cham people had a strong Kingdom but had conflicts with the Viet people in the north, the Khmer people in Cambodia, and in the 13th century Kublai Khan invaded the Champa Kingdom. The leader of the Cham people Che Bong Nga ("The Red King") reunited his people once again. However the Viet people overpowered the Cham people in the 15th Century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An, which was called Hai Pho ("seaside town") at that time, became a very important port city in Southeast Asia. The Japanese built a settlement on one end of the town. Various merchants from different countries came to do global trade before the term even existed. They included the Chinese, Indian, and Dutch. Hoi An was an important stop along Silk Road as it exported ceramics all over even as far as Egypt.

However, during the Nguyen Dynasty, open trade was slowed down in order to stop the influence of foreigners, which hurt Vietnam for the next two centuries. In turn, this brought stagnation to Hoi An. By the time the lords changed their mind, it had already damaged Hoi An's economy permanently. The French started to rapidly influence Danang making it the most important port in Vietnam. Also, stronger trading vessels were being constructed, which required a deeper port. This officially eliminated Hoi An as an international trading port city once and for all. However, there is a positive thing to look at here. Danang became influenced by the culture, style, and wealth of Europe while Hoi An kept its mainly Vietnamese roots and kept its Asian heritage and traditions in tact.

Today, Hoi An welcomes many backpackers with bars, restaurants, and internet cafes. You can also find many craft shops, stores that cater to Vietnamese fabric, and stores that sell Vietnamese ceramics. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and is not yet overrun with tourists.

The distinct conical hat in Vietnam (see two pictures below), is called the Non La, and it can be seen everywhere. It is used to prevent people from getting wet during the rain, shade themselves when it's hot and sunny, and even used as a basket to put fruit and vegetables in. The origin of this hat began from a legend and you can read about it in this article.

I loved the unique style of some of the buildings. This style was influenced by the French.

Japanese Bridge

A guy relaxing on a hot day with many motor bikes lined up down an alley

A cafe with French style exterior

Vietnamese fashion

We stopped by a local foreigner bar to see if we could get some food.

We had good but not the best Pho that I have ever had...The best Pho I had was in Ho Chi Minh City.

Banana Pancakes

Here is it for just $1. Mmmm...Delicious!

Overall: It's very quiet during the day but can be a bit overwhelming at night. The tourists come to see the lanterns and take a lot of pictures of them. You'll see a lot of Chinese tourists, backpackers, and Vietnamese people from other regions. Be aware of pickpockets as you cross the Japanese Bridge since it's the most crowded area at night.

However I enjoyed Ancient Town. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and got some Vietnamese coffee. It's a vibrant and an enjoyable area of Hoi An!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.saeoulguy