대한민국 포장이사, 그 놀라운 속도로 인해서 감격한지 두 주간이 지났습니다. 울산에서 전날 오후에 출발한 5톤 트럭은 뒷날 아침 7시도 되기 전에 도착했습니다. 그리고 현지 고양에서는 사다리차가 조달되었고, 부엌 살림등 자잘구레한 물건들을 챙길 현지인 도우미 아주머니도 나타났습니다. 거실 큰 유리창문을 떼어놓고, 사다리차로 올라오는 짐들을 어떻게 그렇게 재빠르게 옮기는지 바라보고 감탄하며, 물건들을 어디에 두어야 하는지 자리 지정해 주는 일 말고는 주인이 할 일이 없었습니다. 고민이 크게 필요하지 않았던 물품은 침대 두개와 냉장고입니다. 더블 베드는 큰 방에, 2층 침대는 작은 방에 옮겼고, 냉장고는 부엌 한 쪽에 자리를 잡았습니다^^
사실 큰 방으로 옮긴 침대만 해도 단순하지는 않습니다. 어떤 방향으로 어디만큼 놓아야 할지도 결정해야 합니다. 창문쪽으로 머리를 두게 할 것인지 창문을 누워서도 볼 것인지, 아니면 침대 좌우의 여유도 결정해야 합니다. 많은 사람들처럼 한 쪽으로 밀어붙이고 여유공간을 더 확보할 것인지 아니면 서구스타일로 침대좌우에 두 사람이 편히 오르내릴 공간을 확보할 것인지도 선택해야 합니다. 침대가 자리 잡으면 침실 스탠드를 양쪽 어디에 어떤 높이로 둘 것인지 뒤따르는 일들이 이어집니다. 그래도 이런 선택은 어렵지 않게 가장인 제가 할 수 있는 일들입니다. 문제는 그렇게 시작된 이삿짐 뒷정리가 족히 두 주간은 걸렸다는 사실입니다.
이삿짐 센터분들도 크게 정리를 해서 물건을 넣고 떠난 것은 사실입니다. 두 방에 있는 붙박이 장에는 옷들을 넣었을 것이고, 부엌도구는 부엌에, 나머지 자잘구레한 분류가 애매한 것들은 부엌에 딸린 다용도실이나 바깥베란다로 내어보내고, 어떤 것은 거실에 그냥 두고 순식간에 일을 끝내고 떠났습니다. 그러나 이삿짐 센터에서 대충 넣어둔 짐들을, 하나씩 확인해서 제자리를 찾아 주는 일이 본격적인 일들입니다. 물론 그 때부터 아내의 손길이 주로 필요합니다. 달라진 부엌 구조 때문에 일단 가전제품이 갈 자리가 없어서, 급히 선반이나 장을 구입해야 정리를 할 수 있기에 낯선 동네를 돌아다녀야 했습니다. 그 중에서도 시간이 가장 오래 걸린 것은 가스오븐 연결이었습니다. 우리가 살던 시골에서는 도시가스가 아니고 LPG를 쓰다보니, 수도권 경기도 고양으로 와서는 노즐을 바꾼다고 열흘이나 걸렸습니다.
그동안 가구뿐 아니라 소품들을 정리를 하면서, 처음에는 여기에 배치했다가 다음날은 저기로 옮기는 일들도 있었습니다. 그럭저럭 두 주간이라는 시간을 통해서, 없어서는 너무 아쉬울 것은 구입하기도 하고, 시간이 없어서 필요한 것을 아직도 구매하지 못한 것들도 있고, 구매는 했지만 배송을 기다리는 것도 있습니다. 그런데 어느 정도 정리가 된 다음에 새로 생기는 문제도 있습니다. 그것은 필요한 것을 제자리라고 넣어둔 물건을 바로바로 찾아내는 것입니다. 속이 더부룩해서 내가 애용하던 소화제를 찾는다든지, 식탁에서 코르크 마개로 봉해진 병을 따려고 하는데, 코르크 따개를 어디에 넣어두었는지 생각이 나질 않는다든지 하는 일도 많습니다. 두 주쯤 지나고 나서 돌아보니 모든 것이 훨씬 좋아졌습니다. 하지만 이 모든 가구나 물건들이 자리를 잡는 것은 여기에 올라온 임무를 수행하기 위한 부수적인 것입니다. 더 중요한 일은 앞으로 4년간 더 좋은 에스라를 만들어가는 일입니다. 여기에는 상식적인 지혜가 아니라 하나님이 주시는 지혜와 능력이 필요합니다. “주께서 주의 영을 보내시면 그들이 새롭게 창조돼 지면을 새롭게 합니다.” 봄이 와서 지면이 새롭게 되듯이 주의 성령이 임하셔서 에스라 동산이 새롭게 되길 소원합니다.
Two weeks have already passed since I was deeply impressed by the astonishing speed of Korea's full-service packing and moving. The 5-ton truck that departed from Ulsan the previous afternoon arrived before 7 a.m. the next morning. In Goyang, a ladder lift truck was arranged on site, along with a local helper lady who took care of kitchenware and various small sundries. With the large glass window of the living room removed, all I had to do as the homeowner was watch in awe as they whisked boxes upstairs on the ladder lift, merely pointing out where each item should go. The few items that required little deliberation were the two beds and the refrigerator. The double bed went into the master bedroom, the bunk bed into the smaller room, and the refrigerator nestled into a corner of the kitchen. ^^
Yet, even placing the bed in the master bedroom was far from simple. I had to decide which direction and how far out it should stand. Should the headboard face the window, or should we be able to look out the window while lying down? The clearance on both sides also had to be determined. Would we push it against the wall to secure more open floor space as many do, or adopt a Western style leaving room on both sides so two people can get in and out with ease? Once the bed was situated, subsequent decisions followed—such as where and at what height to place the bedside reading lamps on each side. Still, these choices were easily manageable tasks for me as the head of the household. The real challenge was that sorting through the unpacked belongings after they left took a full two weeks.
It is true that the movers did a rough job of organizing and putting things away before departing. They likely hung clothes in the built-in wardrobes of the two bedrooms, placed kitchenware in the kitchen, shifted ambiguous knick-knacks into the utility room off the kitchen or out to the veranda, left other items sitting in the living room, and vanished in the blink of an eye. However, going through the hastily stowed items one by one and finding their proper places is where the real work begins. From that point on, of course, my wife's touch was mostly needed. Because of the different kitchen layout, there was no space for the appliances at first, forcing us to wander through an unfamiliar neighborhood to urgently buy shelves or cabinets before we could finish organizing. The most time-consuming task was connecting the gas oven. In the countryside where we used to live, we used LPG rather than city gas, so after arriving in Goyang in the metropolitan area, replacing the nozzle took ten whole days.
While arranging not only furniture but also minor household accessories during this time, there were days when we placed something here, only to move it over there the next day. Over these past two weeks, we bought essentials we could not bear to be without, left other needed items unpurchased due to lack of time, and placed orders for some that we are still waiting to be delivered. Yet even after achieving some semblance of order, a new dilemma arose: promptly locating an item that was supposedly put in its rightful place. Often, when feeling indigestion, I would search in vain for my favorite digestive medicine, or sitting at the dining table ready to open a corked bottle, I would have no recollection of where the corkscrew had been stored. Looking back after two weeks, everything has improved considerably. Yet settling all this furniture and these possessions into place is only secondary to carrying out the mission that brought me here. The far more vital task is building a better Ezra over the next four years. This calls not for mere conventional wisdom, but for the wisdom and strength granted by God. “When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.” Just as spring arrives to renew the face of the earth, it is my prayer that the Holy Spirit may descend to renew the grounds of Ezra.
Twee weke het reeds verloop sedert ek verstom gestaan het voor die verstommende spoed van Suid-Korea se verhuisingsdiens wat alles self inpak en skuif. Die 5-ton-vragmotor wat die vorige middag uit Ulsan vertrek het, het die volgende oggend nog voor sewe-uur aangekom. En daar in Goyang is 'n leervragmotor dadelik gereël, tesame met 'n plaaslike hulpvrou wat na die kombuisraad en allerhande klein dingetjies omgesien het. Met die sitkamer se groot glasvenster verwyder, kon ek as huiseienaar net met bewondering toekyk hoe vinnig die besittings met die leervragmotor opgetrek en ingedra word; behalwe om aan te dui waar elke ding moet staan, was daar vir my min te doen. Die min items wat nie veel kopkrap geverg het nie, was die twee beddens en die yskas. Die dubbelbed het na die hoofslaapkamer gegaan, die stapelbed na die klein kamertjie, en die yskas het sy plekkie in 'n hoek van die kombuis gevind. ^^
Merkwaardig genoeg was selfs die plasing van die bed in die groot slaapkamer glad nie so eenvoudig nie. 'n Mens moes besluit in watter rigting en hoe ver dit moet staan. Moet die koppenent na die venster wys, of wil 'n mens lê en by die venster uitkyk? Die oop spasie aan weerskante moes ook bepaal word. Moet ons dit teen die muur instoot om meer vloerruimte te skep soos baie mense doen, en of moet ons 'n Westerse styl volg met genoeg plek aan weerskante sodat twee mense gemaklik kan in- en uitklim? Nadat die bed sy plek gekry het, moes daar besluit word waar en op watter hoogte die bedlampies aan weerskante moet kom. Tog was sulke keuses take wat ek as gesinshoof sonder veel moeite kon afhandel. Die eintlike kwessie was dat die regruk van die trekgoed daarna 'n volle twee weke geduur het.
Dit is waar dat die verhuismense die dinge grofweg georganiseer en weggepak het voordat hulle vertrek het. Hulle het waarskynlik die klere in die ingeboude kaste van die twee kamers gehang, die kombuisgereedskap in die kombuis gesit, en al die ander los dingetjies waarvan die indeling onseker was na die opwaskamer of die buitebalkon geskuif, terwyl sommige goed net so in die sitkamer gelaat is voor hulle inderhaas vort is. Maar om daardie haastig weggebêre goed een vir een deur te gaan en hul regte plekke te gee—dít is waar die eintlike werk begin. Van daardie oomblik af was my vrou se hande natuurlik die nodigste. Omdat die kombuisuitleg anders was, was daar eers geen plek vir die huishoudelike toestelle nie, en moes ons in 'n vreemde buurt rondsoek om dringend rakke of kaste te koop voordat ons enigiets kon orden. Die ding wat die langste geneem het, was die koppeling van die gasoond. Op die platteland waar ons gewoon het, het ons vloeibare petroleumgas (LPG) gebruik in plaas van stadsgas; toe ons in Goyang in die hoofstadgebied aankom, het dit 'n volle tien dae geneem net om die spuitstuk te vervang.
Terwyl ons nie net meubels nie, maar ook allerhande klein voorwerpe gerangskik het, het dit dikwels gebeur dat ons iets die een dag hier neersit, net om dit die volgende dag weer daarheen te skuif. Oor die verloop van hierdie twee weke het ons noodsaaklike dinge aangekoop waarsonder 'n mens kwalik kan klaarkom; ander dinge kon ons weens tydgebrek nog nie aanskaf nie, en sommige is reeds gekoop maar ons wag nog op aflewering. En tog, selfs nadat alles min of meer op sy plek was, het 'n nuwe probleem opgeduik: om dadelik iets op te spoor wat 'n mens op sy 'regte' plek gebêre het. As my maag omgekrap is en ek na my gunsteling-maagmiddel soek, of as ek aan die etenstafel 'n bottel met 'n kurkprop wil oopmaak en glad nie kan onthou waar die kurktrekker gebêre is nie, staan 'n mens dikwels hande-viervoet. As ek nou na twee weke terugkyk, lyk alles baie beter. Maar dat al hierdie meubels en besittings hul plek gevind het, is slegs bysaak tot die eintlike roeping waarvoor ek hierheen gekom het. Die veel belangriker taak is om oor die volgende vier jaar 'n beter Ezra op te bou. Hiervoor het ons nie bloot alledaagse verstand nodig nie, maar die wysheid en krag wat God skenk. “Stuur U u Gees uit, dan word hulle geskape, en U maak die aangesig van die aarde nuut.” Net soos die lente aanbreek om die aarde te vernuwe, so is my innige gebed dat die Heilige Gees sal neerdaal om die akkers van Ezra te vernuwe.