grubs & soju. korean specialities.

We went out for some drinks and a bite to eat one night after work. This is Carrie, another teacher at my school. She is lovely!

Joey and Stella, the directors of my Hogwan. They introduced me to bandegi...which are silk worm cacoons. They also introduced me to soju (a very strong liquor which tastes very much like rubbing alcohol!) I'm told its an acquired taste. yuck!

Here they are. yummmmm. They actually have a really good flavor. I might venture to eat them again, but for now, one was enough!

week 3. teaching. living. learning.

Week 3 in Korea!!! I’ve now been here for about two and a half weeks. It is starting to feel a bit more permanent here, but still kind of dream-like. I don’t think I’ve fully accepted that this is my new home. I think part of what makes it hard is that I started “normal life” (working a full time job, living in an apartment, buying groceries) so quickly, but still feel really disconnected in many ways. I don’t really have a community here yet…and I’m missing my people back home!! The language barrier is quite difficult as well. Its hard even going to a restaurant by myself…what on earth do I order? I rule out places that don’t have pictures! I have met people, made some friends (Korean and American), but still mostly feel that I’m on my own here. During the week, I don’t see too many people other than my coworkers and students. The quite time has been nice in some ways. I’ve done a lot of reading. Read Princess Bride and Left to Tell and am reading Radical Reformission. I’ve also been praying a lot and have had time to think about things that were easier to shove aside when life was fuller with friendships, events, socializing, and school. When life was more comfortable, some of the harder, deeper things in my life were easier to ignore. Things like doubts, convictions, questions, things I don’t understand, dreams, hopes…etc. And I’m thankful for time to meditate. To question. To work out my faith with fear and trembling.

There are days, like thursday, where teaching is hard. Ugh. And frustrating. Sometimes it’s the kids. They are a handful…and drive me nuts (not always…they are really cute and wonderful and great plenty of the time)! But other times its me. I feel that I have so much to learn as a teacher. Still figuring out how to teach well. Its so frustrating and discouraging when the kids seem bored/unenthused/bouncing off the walls/totally disengaged (you get the picture). I just wanna make sure that I’m doing the best I can to make class interesting. One of my worst fears is being boring. I remember what it was like to have boring teachers! So I’m trying really hard to explain the material, teach it well, and do it in a way that is engaging. And even fun. I think that good teachers can make learning something that is life-giving and inspiring. I remember teachers like that. But right now I’m still at the “just keep total chaos from breaking out and get through the material” stage. J

I also feel like I’d enjoy it more if I felt more prepared, and I had more tools under my belt. I’m amazed at all the little games that Carrie, one of my coworkers, busts out. She has a game for everything! And the kids love them. The problem is, I don’t know many games. Hangman. I can do that! Where do you learn those though??! Do teachers just have a knack for knowing a bazillion children’s games? The kiddos are teaching me some of their favorites, and I’m picking some up from other teachers. But, games aside, I feel that I’m learning more about myself…the good, bad and the ugly. I realize that I can get way too worried and down and overwhelmed and perfectionistic. Especially when you get little to no feedback..and I think that happens a lot in teaching. So, I’ve been praying that I’d keep learning how to do this whole teaching thing. And living in another country by myself thing. And how to trust in God, who has empowered us to do more than we can imagine. Even when we’re unsure. Especially when we’re unsure.

More than anything, my heart goes out to these kids. They are on summer vacation right now, yet still have incredibly packed days, going from one hogwan to the next, to English camp, to tae-kwon-do, piano. It goes on. One kid was falling asleep today in my class. And I called him out on it a couple of times, but just felt like I was doing a bad job of teaching. After class he told me that he woke up at 6 am this morning and had had a really long day. Poor guy. So, although discouraging for me at times, I’m reminded that these kids have a LOT on their plates. And English is just one more thing, for many of them. They’d probably much rather be off playing in the dirt and roaming their neighborhood with pals. Also, these kids are under serious pressure. So, although some days its hard, I am excited to learn more about this country and the people here. To learn about teaching. To learn more about who I am, what I’m good at, what I’m terrible at, what gets me excited, what I feel passionate about, etc. And mostly excited to learn more about my role in helping bring about God’s kingdom…err…shalom (thank you Calvin College for permanently engraving this word into me). I’m more and more overwhelmed that God wants us…me… to take part in the process of healing, redeeming and bringing life and justice. I am every bit the same as the rest of creation…broken, twisted, hurting, sinful and desperately in need of God’s grace and renewal. His mercies are new every morning. Thankyou Lord.

my journey across the pacific.

Anyo Haseo!! That’s how you say hello in Korean (and happens to be one of the few Korean words in my vocab…although I’m learning new words everyday!). Well it is now Saturday morning here in Korea. Hard to believe I’ve already been here nearly a week! It has been jam packed with so much…I feel that I have so much to write about already.

My trip here was incredibly long. I left Rockford, at 3 AM on Saturday (July 3) with my two very large bags and headed out to the airport. My parents had already planned a trip to Virginia to visit my dad’s family, and because my trip was delayed week, they weren’t able to be at the airport when I left. Ben and I drove off at that ungodly hour and got Chicago in plenty of time for my 7 AM flight. One of my bags was nearly 10 lbs. overweight. Oops! Being a light packer has never been a strength of mine. I managed to do some rearranging and it worked out just fine. J

I flew to San Francisco first, had a short layover there, made some quick phone calls to say last minute goodbyes, and boarded the plane. Destination…Seoul, Korea. It finally started sinking in (a little late, huh?) when I boarded that last plane, that I was really leaving. And I was going far. All the way across the Pacific Ocean. Oh my. I sat next to a guy that I was convinced was some sort of secret agent. He looked the part. When asked what he did, he replied with a vague “I work for the government…department of defense.” Suspicious, don’t you think?! Anyways, he grew up in Korea because his dad was in the military, and we had some friendly chit-chat about life in Korea.

Unfortunately, I was in the emergency exit row- so the only view I had was of the wing. Dangit. But on my next flight I got to see a bit of the Korean countryside, and the brightly colored rooftops when we landed. My travel agent decided to have me switch airports in Seoul. They told me not to worry, it was really very simple to get from one to the other! After I went through customs, got my bags, searched for the shuttle bus to the other airport, arrived at the other airport, and got in line, I only had 5 minutes till my flight left! So I missed it! I then attempted to use a pay phone to call my recruiter (who hooked me up with my current job). Amidst this process of looking for a phone, and trying to communicate with people who kept telling me different things and pointing in different directions, I had a small meltdown. A few tears were shed. And then I was fine. =) I made it safely to Pusan (a large port city about an hour away from where I’m living). My last leg of the trip was an hour bus ride to Daegu (my city), where I was pleasantly surprised to meet a fellow American! She is also a teacher here, and we exchanged numbers. She is going to show me around Daegu later today.

My first week here was a whirlwind. I got to my apartment on Sunday night and started teaching Monday morning! After a 20+ hour trip, I went to bed at midnight and woke up at 5 AM thanks to the jetlag. I got out of bed around 9 am and had myself some cornflakes and coffee in a French press. My director filled my fridge with random food items…such as cornflakes, milk, tomatoes, bread and peanut butter! I journaled, read my Bible, talked with God and felt an incredible peace about being here. Thankyou Lord! I knew that was from Him, because the previous day I had felt very anxious. My directors (Stella and Joey) were wonderful from the very beginning. They and their three adorable kids met me at the bus station. They are both very wonderful. And I am thankful!

Monday I had a few hours to sit with the other teachers on staff (all Korean, all so great!). They gave me a quick briefing on what to do. I am teaching classes ranging from kindergarten through 8^th grade, with a wide range of English abilities. On M, W, and F I teach about 8 classes that are 40 min. each. On T, TH I only teach four. So I have some down time/prep time, which is very nice. Some students have great English, while others don’t really seem to understand much of anything that I’m saying! It is hard to see them get really frustrated and discouraged because they don’t understand. It can be a bit difficult. But it is motivating me to learn Korean! This whole week I felt pretty unprepared. Everyday I had a different schedule with different classes. So there is much to learn! Sigh. But I made it through, and I think that the hardest week is over! And I am happy to be here. Continued prayers would be much appreciated!

Below: One of the diretor's kids...Cathy & I in front of the world cup stadium

My new classroom.

Some of my highlights have been:

1. Taking the subway downtown with my director, Stella.
2. Trying kim chi (the spicy cabbage stuff…its delicious!)
3. Window shopping
4. Seeing women power walking along “exercise trails”…people are really into that here!
5. The street vendors (remind me of South America)
6. learning about “Korean time”, which is much more compatible with me than American time! (anyone who knows me will know what this means;)
7. Students with English names (they pick them) such as “King”, “Texas” and “Dude.”

only in Korea...some things I've noticed

*note, this is probably full of stereotypes, as most of my conclusions are based off of one (or a very limited number of experiences!) read with a grain of salt.

1. strange english messages on apparel/signs (pretty much anything that has english on it tends to be kind of bizarre).

2. colorful rooftops. (it looks really cool from above...next time you fly over korea look out your window!)

3. when you are in large groups of people, it is strangely quiet.

4. korean soap opera's (called dramas) are JUST like telenovalas.

5. "warning high heels" message before getting on escalators (brilliant..why don't we warn heel-wearing girls of the danger that likely awaits them?)

6. everyone here is so trendyand petite!

7. they drive on the same side of the road.

8. whatever you do, don't cross the yellow line at the subway station. you will be yelled at!

9. koreans are very welcoming.

10. no ovens! (at least in my apartment)

11. my life will be much easier if I learn korean

12. karaoke bars are all the rage.

13. there is a small mountain that people climb up for exercise right in the city ...with an outdoor gym at the top of it!

14. when koreans offer you something (food, a gift) just say thankyou!

15. kim pap shops are the place to go for food.

16. kim chi is quite good!

17. koreans are big into sharing things (food, etc.)

18. the korean alphabet is called hangul. the vowel symbols were formed after heaven, ground and people, while the consonant symbols were formed after voice organs (like lips, throat and tongue). it sounds confusing, but it actually makes sense when you see the symbols!

19. the world cup stadium is awesome!

20. Christians hand out free stuff all the time (while going for a walk with my director, they handed us hand wipes and free iced coffee!). i was informed by another foreigner that this is normal.

21. korean kids are adorable.

22. capris amongst korean guys are very popular.

23. heated toilet seats. (also brilliant!)

Thats all for now. I'm sure i'll had more to this list later!