what i've been up to

Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve been up to lately. Still teaching (obviously), and really, really enjoying it. I still have much to learn, but I feel a lot more comfortable teaching. The kids are really adorable..mostly. I love being and working with kids everyday. They are so uninhibited. And always keep me on my toes! Its never boring, that’s for sure. I look forward to getting to know them better. I had a week long vacation at the end of July, and I went to Seoul to visit my friend Ana from high school. It was so good to be with her and to have a break. Not like I had been here long enough to merit a vacation, but hey, I had to so I made sure that I enjoyed it. :) We visited a lot of historical sites and saw some beautiful architecture. We went to an amusement park called “Seoul Land” and had a blast riding the miniature and slightly sketchy rides. Apparently its one of the oldest parks in korea, so it reminded me a little of peruvian fairs…a few notches above those. We talked and ate some delicious food and successfully got ourselves from a to b on the crazy seoul subway system. The next weekend, I was able to visit my cousin, Erik, who lives and also teaches English in Busan. Busan is the second biggest city in Korea on the coast. He's going on his second year here, so he is pretty connected in Busan. It was fun to meet his friends and just to be with family! We went

to the most crowded beach I’ve ever been to…where people wore life vests in waste deep water. And life guards blew their whistles when people got too near the rope which prevented people from going past waste-deep. I made friends with a shop keeper near my house, who has really taken me under her wing. She is single and older and a christian…and speaks great English. She lived in New Zeeland for seven years. I pop in her shop a lot to chat, and we eat dinner together sometimes. Among other things, I went to a baseball game last weekend with some friends from the church I’ve been attending. It was my first baseball game ever. Kind of ironic. :) Daegu’s team won with flying colors…so that was a lot of fun. I also got a visit from a friend who went to Calvin with me, Gina, who recently moved to a city right outside of Daegu. She stayed with me this past weekend with me. It was wonderful and so refreshing! I’m thankful God has placed her nearby! I have found some really wonderful people here, and I am excited to continue building new relationships. Oh, almost forgot to mention that this weekend I had my first experience with Korean karaoke…called noreabang. It was wonderful. Why haven't we adopted this in the states? you get your own private room with comfy couches, microphones, a big screen and even a bathroom (though ours was only for men. not very female friendly!). I’m also learning some Korean…and can now successfully read most things. I still have no idea what they say, but hey, it’s a step. Will write more later. much love!