I'm Nate Crew. My wife Jessica and I are from Tennessee. We're currently teaching English in Seoul, Korea. Enjoy our site, and feel free to comment to your heart's content.
Facebook friends can see picture albums from our travels. Organizing photos on this site is too much headache, so it's mainly just for writing. Also, I can't help mentioning these two pics above and below are from North Korea.
The day after tomorrow, Jess and I fly to America.
We originally started this blog two years ago to keep everyone up to date on our experiences living abroad. Since we’re coming home now, and since I won’t have long afternoons in the office to opine about politics, the blog seems to have passed its prime of usefulness.
I’ll keep it up, but probably won’t be active on it for months to come. Facebook is perfect for keeping in touch. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a reason to return to blogging in the future.
Word has probably reached most of you by now that I’m enlisting in the army. This Wednesday I’ll be swearing in on the Yongsan base in Seoul. I’m signing up for a September boot camp and infantry training in Georgia.
It was surprising to find I’m part of a fast-growing number of EFL teachers joining the US Army while in Korea. But the main response I hear from friends is, “Why the heck would you do that?”
Reasons…
It first came up when Jessica mentioned it as an option based on my personality, etc.– something I never, ever would have expected to hear from her. Since she was fine with it, I finally started thinking and praying about it.
I had to agree with Jess: the infantry would match my deep-seated interests more closely than other jobs have.
Also, both of us are in love with travelling, but I’m not really sold on the idea of doing it as a career English teacher.
With my bachelor’s degree, I’ll be able to go to OCS and pursue an army officer’s career, which I’ve seen turn out very well for my grandpa and uncle.
Army health insurance is ideal for Jessica’s needs, both now and in the case of future pregnancies, etc.
Army housing allowance is an answer to our desire to keep life simple, and to avoid having to decide yet how to invest our Korea savings.
While periodic desires for other careers always fade, my interest in and respect for the military has been constant for as long as I can remember.
Why not try it while I’m still young and mobile enough? I spent two years teaching, which I’ve never really wanted as a career. If for some reason I don’t want the army after three years, then so be it.
You may call it peer pressure or jealousy, but I call it family tradition: Grampa Crew was in the US Army before he was actually a US citizen, and his offspring ever since then seem stuck on the military. I grew up in an army family.
Ok, I’ll admit it. When my brother Caleb got deployed to Afghanistan, I got a bit jealous. I’ve always been intrigued by the Middle East, and want to be where news and history are being made. Then another brother, Amos, joined the Marines. I hesitated no longer.
After living in a feminine society, surrounded constantly by female coworkers, it’s time for a break from all the estrogen. Boot camp might be a good detox.
Living and travelling abroad, I initially went through a phase testing the waters of liberalism. But as time goes on and my understanding of the world develops, I’ve actually become more appreciative of America, and more patriotic than I was before. I’m excited for this chance to serve.
I recently heard a brief summary of someone’s reason for choosing atheism. The logic is so undeniable, surely it can be applied to other things in life as well. Money, for example. Let’s replace the word “god” with “money.” Here’s the basic argument.
Talk science and philosophy all you want, I just can’t take the idea of money seriously. I mean, look at all the horrible things people have done for money. Look how many lives have been ruined or taken in the name of money. And yet so many still believe money exists. That kind of blind faith just makes no sense to me. I simply can’t believe in money. Also, even if it did exist, I wouldn’t see anything good about it.
Ok, so there’s really no comparison between money and deity (real or hypothetical). But I thought the parallel was fun, anyway.
If I tell you I have $100 and then punch you in the face, will my meanness make you disbelieve in my $100?
It’s careless logic, but I’ve seen it shaping too many people’s worldviews. The idea is that since religious belief seems to hurt humans it can’t be good, and thus even if God does exist, he shouldn’t.
Here’s my main issue with that: Despite knowing that we’re dust on a tiny speck called “earth” drifting in an infinity of which we know next to nothing, why do so many humans think anything that makes us feel good must be ultimately good, and what makes us suffer must be ultimately bad?
How is human wellbeing the indicator of ultimate truth and reality in this universe?
Humans have also harmed each other for the sake of land, ethnic pride, and political ideals. Does human ignorance and evil negate any truth or merit inherent in those things? Of course not. Humans are experts at taking what is good and pure, and making it vile. The same is true with religion.
As far as reasoning just from scientific knowledge, there’s probably as little reason to strongly believe in the supernatural as there is to strongly disbelieve. But how does human meanness or suffering become evidence against God’s existence? Someone explain that to me.
I may be a jerk, but the $100 is there nevertheless.
Just like scientific knowledge, human morality can be used to argue either way. Augustine reportedly said, “If there is no God, why is there so much good? If there is a God, why is there so much evil?”
In its own indecisive way, Seoul is finally getting warmer. Greenery is popping out. The air is less parched. We bought a football. Several friends and I will probably be playing ball fairly regularly now Saturday afternoons, after guys’ Bible study.
Summer will be moist and nasty again, but Jess and I can’t wait. We plan to make this one especially memorable. Two things remain on our to-do list before leaving Korea: a visit to Beijing, and a visit to Osaka. We hope to do both during the coming summer months.
In other news, this semester is shaping up as an enormous improvement over my last 1 1/2 years of teaching. I finally have a classroom and a Korean co-teacher (an excellent one). Instead of trying to teach nearly 1,000 kids of all ages each week, I now co-teach only 5th and 6th graders. I see them twice a week, and my co-teacher Moon-Jung will help remember names, organize evaluation, and make sure they understand what’s going on. Now, they can actually ask questions and make progress. We’re also using a textbook and its materials. Overall, I’m immensely relieved. Even the simple fact that Moon-Jung can hold an intelligent conversation with me is unbelievably refreshing. It somehow makes work in Korea seem not so rough after all.
As far as long-term plans, we’re not sure what will happen come September. As discouraging as the U.S. job market and current exchange rate are, I’ve been thinking more about buying a home in Tennessee, even if it may mean joining the military to pay our bills. But of course, there’s always the tempting option of taking another year or two teaching abroad. If not in southeast Asia, we’d probably do it either in the Middle East or Europe. I assume Latin America may be an option as well, but we haven’t really discussed that possibility.
Anyway, we have one more Korean spring and summer to decide. Feel free to toss us any arguments pro or con. Anybody know of jobs opening up in the Jackson area?
(Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner received failing grades for their efforts to revive the world’s largest economy, according to participants in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey.
A majority of the 49 economists polled said they were dissatisfied with the administration’s economic policies, according to the paper, a stark contrast to Obama’s popularity ratings with the general public.
It’s recently come out that Caleb will be deployed to Afghanistan with his Marine unit at the beginning of May. It will be a seven-month tour of duty. He and Andrea aren’t known for complaining, but with the newborn, this isn’t exactly what they’d been hoping for now. Let’s keep them in our prayers.
I’ve been looking at my blog and how it’s evolved over the months. I just realized it’s become really political, for no particular reason I can identify. Funny. Maybe it’s a phase I’ll eventually get over. Who knows?
So to interject a bit of honest blogging: There’s been a lot going on with us lately. Nothing big and interesting, except maybe my lasik eye surgery. I can see straight now. WOOHOO!
It’ll be a busy break time between now and the end of February, when Jess and I will finally get to take a couple weeks away in Cambodia and Vietnam. I’ll probably get back on here before then, whether to vent political bull or otherwise.
Until then, God bless you all this holiday season, as we look forward to a fresh new year. To all you friends and family we won’t see or talk with, we miss you and wish you all the best. We thank God for you all, and most of all for the Savior whose first coming we celebrate this time of year, and who unites us together in faith and hope of his second coming.
We spent this year’s Chuseok (a major Korean holiday) relaxing with friends on the beach a short distance from Seoul. The islands we were on are called Muido and Silmido (do=island). It was a cheap and very fulfilling last getaway of the summer.
After our ideal vacation in America the beautiful, Jess and I are now back inside the colorful little square box that is life in Seoul. We’re slowly getting settled in our new apartment and figuring out or schedule as we detox from the excessive freedom we were exposed to in August.
Here are a few choice snapshots from August. As always, much more can be seen via Facebook.
