Christmas Party--Yonsei Severance Hospital (2014-12-17)

Two words that don't go together--"kids" and "cancer." Yesterday HOPE (Helping Others Prosper through English) hosted a Christmas party at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in the Childrens' Cancer war. It was the second year in a row, first inspired October 2013 when my buddy Nick Adams visited South Korea. Jungah Ji joined us last year, as she did for the Christmas Party last year and then again this year! Some of you may recall that I decided to hold a Christmas Party at the hospital in late 2013. I wrote about it here (with photos).
http://caseylartigue.blogspot.com/2013/12/inspiration-from-lousy-visitor-korea.html

The man of the day: Edward M. Robinson. He is the one who really pulled it together. He is really busy, doesn't have much free time, but he found the way to get it done. I will add the names of the volunteers when I get the complete list.

Thanks to all of the volunteers who made yesterday's party at the kids' cancer ward at Yonsei's Severance Hospital. 

But there were two scene stealers. Volunteer Nevada Rhodes and one of the children. Scroll down below to view the photos.

In one corner: The young boy was the first to arrive. He was running around, entertaining himself. His mother was loving every minute of it. The kid was so active, I had the feeling that no one has told him or he doesn't understand what it means that he has cancer.

Then he began to engage our volunteers as they arrived. he was challenging me at one point in a balloon contest.

In the other corner: Nevada Rhodes. A big, tall American who has been living in South Korea since c. 1996. He speaks fluent Korean, is constantly kidding around, and bringing energy to the room.

Then, the two encountered each other when Nevada was blowing up balloons. Of course, they then began a long balloon battle. Finally, the young boy fought through Nevada's defenses, landing a fatal stab.

Of course, Nevada didn't go easily. He then had the longest death scene in history, much to the delight of the boy, his mother, and everyone else in the room who had the misfortune to witness it. 

They continued bonding, but the boy also battled with another young cancer patient, with Jungah Ji, all the while laughing and running around.

His mother loved it, she couldn't stop taking photos. It is a reminder how short life is, and I guess that having a son with cancer she doesn't need to be reminded, she is enjoying every moment with her son. He may be rambunctious, but considering the context, it was a truly beautiful thing.

The staff warned us when we visited from room to room that we should be careful, no joking around. Thankfully, Nevada didn't listen. He was light-hearted, unable to stop being himself. And the kids and their parents clearly enjoyed it.

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube

Helping North Koreans 'strike the blow' (Korea Times)

H ave you ever engaged in action not because you were sure it would change the world, but to satisfy your own heart? That, I emailed to an American friend, is why I have joined the effort to help North Koreans who are trying to escape from their homeland. I can’t change the direction of policy in North Korea or China but I can row the boat I am sitting in rather than lamenting that I can’t steer the yachts somewhere else. So I have tried to do what I can: Attending protests in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul (and I plan to do so when I visit America in April); donating money to the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights ( www.nkhumanrights.or.kr ); educating myself, writing articles and emailing friends; and, as a member of the board of trustees, I recently submitted a resolution to the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (FDMHA) in Washington, D.C., to try to call attention to the plight of North Koreans. Our organization’s missi...

"Yoegi Anjuseyo!"

* I have a short reflection in today's Korea Times about an encounter with an unfriendly looking Korean man on the subway. It was a reminder not to be too quick in judging people in Korea. 09-13-2011 16:47 'Yeogi Anjeuseyo!' By Casey Lartigue Jr. The recent incident in which an American English teacher bullied an elderly Korean man and other passengers on the bus reminded me of a more pleasing incident from years ago. I was on the subway, taking the train outside of Seoul for a work assignment. I have the habit of standing on the subway to strategically position myself near the doors in case my stop magically appears. On that particular day, there was a Korean man STARING at me. Not just looking at me, but intensely staring at me. He had an incredible frown on his face. Not just for one stop, but for several stops the guy just kept staring at me. If I had known more Korean then I would have been able to curse him ...

Still writing (Korea Times, 2023-12-19)

Still writing by Casey Lartigue Jr. The Korea Times December 19, 2023 https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2023/12/626_365284.html

Chang Ha-Joon's foolish consistency (Korea Times, January 1, 2013)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. Is the sky blue? Is the ocean water? If you suspect those are trick questions, you are right. The sky isn’t always blue ― it is reddish at sunset, dark at midnight, gray on an overcast day. The ocean isn’t water ― there’s also fish, plant life, submarines, dissolved minerals, surfboards, sunken ships, even people swimming in it sometimes. As Hoover Institution scholar Thomas Sowell wrote in his 1996 book ``The Vision of the Anointed,” people who use “all-or-nothing” reasoning can deny a statement because it is not 100 percent true in every circumstance. Such word games might be fun for college students or debaters, but there are some distinguished people who are respected for making such childish arguments about serious issues. In his book ``23 Things They Don’t Tell you About Capitalism,” Cambridge University economist Chang Ha-Joon argues that 1) “[T]here is really no such thing as a free market” and 2) “The free market doesn’t exis...

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