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He's like a rainbow

The most interesting person I've met on campus thus far is an older ThM student from Korea named Sung. Well, his Korean name is Sung. His English name is a bit more colorful...Rainbow. I've yet to hear anyone call him Rainbow, but that's how it's listed in the directory.

I first met him in my class over the winter short term. He and I were in the same group for a group presentation in Christianity's Cultured Critics. My group was like the UN. We had two Koreans, one Indian, one Nepalese, and two Americans. Although English was not his first language, Sung had an economy of expression, a way of maximizing the meaning of each word he uttered. Our project involved presenting and critiquing the work of John Dominic Crossan. At one of our preparatory meetings, Sung was saying how he understood that the disciples would want to lay low after the crucifixion (before being emboldened by the resurrection) because "they were cowards...like me." That "like me" just crushed me with its honesty.

Upon learning that I am half Korean (at least by marriage), Sung began inviting me to his apartment for weekly dinner with some other Korean students. Thinking that I was not accustomed to the spiciness of Korean food, he took to rating the level of spiciness of each meal in educational terms, e.g., introductory, master's level, PhD, etc. I still don't think he realizes that I possess multiple PhDs in Korean cuisine. I would never tell him, but his wife's Yook Gae Jang could have been spicier for my taste.

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