Lives of Others

I like to talk to strangers.  I suppose that's the opposite of what parents teach their kids, but I've also found some very interesting stories.  I usually don't ask for people's names, but perhaps I'll meet one of these people again:

• While waiting for the plane, I met a couple from Alaska who just went to see their kid graduate from a Christian college to be a missionary in Japan.  
• I met this teacher who used to teach in Kentucky.  She's taught both lower income population and upper middle class kids.  She was describing how the new testing laws regarding grade school has put more pressure on teachers and kids.  While more effort is raised to bring kids up to par, it has also pressure more kids to drop out.  Hm, I wonder to what extent it's true.  Towards the end of the flight she told me she has MS and that's partly the reason she's reconsidering going back to work at Starbucks.  She was saying that although her condition is somewhat stable now, her last intensive course of medication wasn't doing anything, so now she isn't on anything.  The initial symptoms consisted of difficulty with balance and gait (foot drop).
• A couple where the wife is a pharmacy student and the husband considering changing careers.  
• This mother with a really adorable little kid.  Her husband actually works at my school and plays tennis!  We actually became facebook friends...haha. 
• A pilot who used to be the pilot for the director of some famous movie (sadly, I forgot who).
• Student in Utah who's going to college for degree in computer science and ballet.  Yup, he's a ballet dancer. 
• Child who travels alone back and forth via the plane every year because his parents are divorced.  When asked what his favorite hobby is, he says "computer games." Oddly enough, I sat next to him on the flight back.
• Somebody gave me the book he was reading, "Tao of Pooh."
• While I was in Korea...
• I met this British man while trying to figure out the bus system in Korea (not knowing how to read/write/speak Korean), who helped me find the right bus to reach Bukhan San (sp?)
• On one of the buses, I finally found a girl who spoke a tiny bit of English.  Turned out she's getting off the same stop as me, so she said she'd show me the way to the National Park.  Better yet, her mom is going to hike there too, so she told me to just go with her mom.  When she saw I had flip flops on to go hiking/climb a mountain, she let me borrow her shoes. They were kind of small, so it kinda hurt.  
• Hiking with the girls mom was amusing.  I didn't speak Korean, and she didn't speak English, so we had to mime most things.  I tried to learn a few words of Korean, but I think all I learned was "water"...which I'm still not sure whether it's "bul" or "mul."  The mom was so nice she even invited me to eat lunch with her after our hike.  
• While hiking at Bukhan San, I met one of the forest patrols for the park.  He spoke pretty good English! 
• The forest patrol guy had to go a different route, so then later I got directions from this other elderly man who once again didn't speak English, but he helped me take pictures :)
• On the way down from the hike, I ended up mostly getting directions/talking to this consultant (not sure what he consults).  Can't remember most of what he said, but one time he asked if I wanted a drink once we get down to the bottom of the mountain.  I thought he said "beer," so I said, oh no, I don't drink.  But it turns out it had been some other typical refreshing Korean drink that just sounded like beer. hahahaha...I think I kindly rejected the offer, and we parted ways after we reached the gate.  
• As I was walking through a traditional korean village (Namsangol Hanok Village) when I saw this white guy.  Having not spoken English for the whole day, it was nice to strike up a conversation in English.  Turns out he's half Korean and half Swedish, going to school in Sweden, and didn't speak any Korean either.  
• While in China we met this guy at one of the hotels who was just traveling through various parts of China for a couple of months.  He kinda tagged along with us for a little while at Yangshuo, and then we parted ways.
• While in Sierra Leone...
• While staying at one of the school's guest houses, I met this apparently popular Sierra Leone band. Sadly, I don't remember their names or the names of their band.  I didn't know they were well known in Sierra Leone until I later talked to my driver, Lahai, who started listing off his favorite songs by them.  
• There was a scientist from Belgium? Germany? (bad memory) who was also staying at the guesthouse.  He came to help out the Njala School's biochemistry lab for two weeks.  He also bought us drinks - how nice!  Although he did smoke - and I was half trying not to breath. 
• Some students from the states who were teaching the farming department how to properly handle livestock.