A Moving Experience...
Farewell, O Sole Soul Scene of Seoul
Not that this was my scenic view...
(Image from Wikipedia)
The Gypsy Scholar -- as befits a Gypsy -- is moving today, so this brief but boring note is posted by way of explanation.
Technically, of course, this blog isn't going anywhere, and since "Gypsy Scholar" is an online persona, then Sir Gypsy Scholar also isn't going anywhere.
In the offline world, Jeffery Hodges and his family are picking up and moving all of the material accoutrements of their lives from the 23rd floor of Saehan Apartments to the second floor of a different apartment complex several blocks away.
The major advantages for me are that I'll no longer have to wait so long for the elevator but can simply walk down the steps and that I'll be able to catch bus 273 directly and ride to Kyung Hee University without transferring.
The major disadvantages for me are that I'll have less room for my books in our smaller apartment, I'll have no broad view of Seoul from my balcony, and I'll no longer be able to notice and report upon any minor earthquakes that rattle the Korean peninsula.
I reckon that I can live with these. I hope to be online again tomorrow.
Labels: Family
posted by Horace Jeffery Hodges @ 5:34 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I presume that you have chosen an auspicious date for the direction in which you're moving to avoid those roaming spirits. :)
Which "roaming spirits" would those be? I must be missing an allusion.
I'm about to leave the Kyung Hee University campus, so I'll be offline until later, possibly until tomorrow morning or even Monday.
Jeffery Hodges
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תתחדש על הדירה החדשה.
Thinking you might be able to read Hebrew.
I was wondering if you heard about the event in which Leed University canceled a series of lectures about Muslim Antisemitism because the Muslim students "were not happy".
Made me not happy.
For some reasons I like the advantages of the old apt... :) Waiting for the elevator Vs. view... MMMmmm let me see.
Good Luck !
Well, I'm home on Saturday evening and already online, but I don't have my Hebrew lexicon handy, and my Hebrew's not so good. I assume that the expression is a blessing of some sort.
Does it have the words "new" and "apartment" in it?
I hadn't heard about Leeds University, but antisemitism in the Muslim community will have to be addressed, and I think that it soon will be.
I did like the old apartment, but this new one is smaller and cozier. I'll miss the early warning system for sensing earthquakes, however.
Jeffery Hodges
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Jeff,
Sonagi's talking about a fairly well-known bit of Korean folklore. There are certain days considered auspicious for moving because you're likely to avoid evil spirits.
I hope the following link works; I found it on Google and had to look at the cached version of the information because the actual site wasn't coming through on my browser:
LINK
The link is in Korean, but I think your wife can confirm that it offers an explanaton as to why certain days are considered more auspicious than others for activities like moving.
Sonagi can translate this in much more detail than I can, but the page appears to be some sort of Q&A message board where, in this case, the question was, "What does 'son eop-neun nal' mean?", i.e., "What does a 'day without son' mean?" (손(損)없는 날 이란 ?)
"Son" (손/損) refers to things like loss, ill fortune, harm, or disadvantage. The reply goes into the folklore a bit and discusses the roaming spirits that harm people who move about on particular days. Below that is a pretty comprehensive list of dates on the lunar calendar describing when (and where?) the spirits are moving about, and when it's a good day for people to move.
Kevin
Thanks for the interesting link, Kevin. As Jeffery's wife has probably already explained, spirits move around in a clockwise direction E-SE-S-SW-W-NW-N following the lunar calendar. According to folklore, it is inviting misfortunte to move into a sector where the spirits are active.
It is troubling to hear that Leeds University cancelled those lectures under pressure from Muslim students. Universities are supposed to be a vanguard of free speech. Muslim anti-semitism is not controversial to anybody who isn't Muslim. Has Leeds held lectures on the Intifada from a Palestinian standpoint? Probably. The US Muslim population is approaching that of Jewish Americans. Equality in numbers makes it harder for one side to monopolize the debate.
Kevin and Sonagi, my wife doubtless knows about these son and probably took measures to avoid a dissonant moving experience.
Thanks for the cultural tips.
Jeffery Hodges
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