How have I been connected to the Asian World?

Korean

바닷물 백가지가

소금 한바가지

우리가 먹는 것은

그저 소금이 아니라

땀과 열정이다

그래서 소금이 짠맛이다.

당신은 가슴에 열정을 품고 있는 가...?

English

One hundred baskets of ocean water produce

one basket of salt.

The salt we eat everyday is not just salt,

but is our sweat and passion.

And

That's why salt is salty.

Do you have passion in your heart?

When Ye-Geun introduced me to her above favorite quote, I realized how much we have in common despite our age and background differences. As I looked at the map of the region, I remembered names of people I met from China, Korea, Japan and Russia. Don Toribio (I wonder what his Chinese name was), Sulan, Ye-Geun, Fumitaka, Takafumi, Takeshi, Mari, and Maya. Their perspectives have had so much influence my life. I think what I remember the most about them is their passion and the way they communicate it to me.

As I search for a title for my project and an image to spark interest, I go back to a line in a book, Humanity has met in a teacup. Ellise Grilli, Forward to The Book of Tea, Okakura Kakuzo, page xvii