Airport

I'll possibly write the details of stuff someday... but not right now.  Simply I wish to express... I'm at Incheon Airport.  It is almost 9am.  My flight doesn't leave until 5pm.  I can't check in until 3 hours till the flight leaves.  So I have lots of time to chill.  I would wonder around a bit but... have a LOT of luggage.  So I opted to sit here and look pretty ;)

Korea Ending

Over the last two years, I have had many experiences in South Korea.  I have enjoyed seeing new places and learning more about cultures that are different from my own.  In all that time, the main purpose of this blog has been to share as positive as possible the experiences of Korea.

That purpose is about to be fulfilled as I soon will be leaving South Korea.  The school I have worked at is no longer my place of employment after tomorrow.  My contract ends August 31, 2013.  At that time, I will be canceling my phone, taking care of paperwork for the Korean pension, and arranging transportation to the airport.

My Dad is taking care of bringing me home.  It is rather urgent that I not stay for a variety of reasons that I feel are not appropriate here.  Just wanted to start bringing this blog to a close as well as let those who read it know of my immediate return to the States.

Coffee Tree

Today Janell and Insun accompanied me to a cafe called Coffee Tree for our Monday tea and Bible Study.  It was a really good idea.  I had no idea how little Insun gets off campus.  She is unfamiliar with this area so she doesn't know where places are nor how to use the bus system.  So we showed her some basics and enjoyed our time out by Jain.

Coffee Tree has a horse so we sat by the window where we could watch him while enjoying our time there.  It was very pleasant and we were able to discuss some recent happenings.  I felt that Isaiah 30:20,21 was appropriate and showed the text with them.

On the way back, we stopped at an elementary school to enjoy the swings, peaceful stars, and cool air.  It was relaxing and I am Insun got that break.  I will try to keep an eye out for more opportunities to help her.  She is so sweet.

Sabbath

With all the drama at school in the last 48 hours, I decided to spend my Sabbath elsewhere.  I went bright and early into Daegu to meet up with a few friends.  On the way there, I ended up walking from Gyeongsan Market all the way to Sawol Station.  That is quite a hike.  Eventually we all got together and went to Suseong Lake.  Located on the south side of Daegu where the more expensive property is, we had a pleasant view of the mountains hidden in clouds and rain.  The weather is a result of a typhoon that hit someplace nearby, so we had a break from the heat.  Felt like the Pacific coast in it's freshness.  We hung out, talked, slept, enjoyed the view of the lake.  It was all very relaxing.  When it got late, we ate supper at an Indian restaruant.  I had a choking experience with some spicy curry that I gladly gave away for more mild food.  My favorite was of course the naan.  Bread that is amazing in itself, I enjoyed it with dipping sauce.  Afterwards we went walking some more and finally parted ways.

I learned something while hanging out with my Korean friends.  That they are treated better when they are with us Americans.  That we are given discounts and service because we are American.  I didn't know that.  I assumed everyone was treated this way and lauded Korean society.  Now I know and so I plan to take them with me if I ever go out to hang out in town again.

Preparing for the Agape Feast

I wanted a picture of the preparations for the Agape Feast and realized my camera didn't have a card in it.  So forgive me, but I am using my blogging account to get the picture.

It might be hard to tell, but we have the bread on three plates ready to use.  Grapes and cheese and bananas... the place settings are white and pink themes and there are two large candles on the table.  The table clothes I bought are fancy, throwable table clothes that smell like disinfectant so I am burning lavender incense.  The place is starting to look great.  When the others arrive, we will add their food items to the table and gather for our Agape Feast.  Even have Christian music playing :D

Teaching Pics

Good Morning Everyone!

Been having pictures taken in my classes of ... well... me!

This first picture is my first high school class of the semester.

We are doing Geography!

So they get to use English terms in relations to maps ;)

I was told that "he" was a "she".... I was certain that they were pulling a prank on me. 

But Teacher Geoffrey turned and looked at the student, then said that she was indeed a she.

Needless to say, it amused my sophomore middle school students.

This student right here is a girl.  

I know, how do you tell when the hair is short?

Also, she chose to wear pants instead of a skirt like the other girls.

So I was really confused.

Umbrella

I was walking back to the main building after lunch when I ran into an administrator.  He is a good guy who always speaks to me.  As I was walking in, he was walking out and opening his umbrella.  I said hi and he explained, "Fire rain."  I paused and he pointed at the sun.

Summer Break (pics)

Hello Everyone!

Well the first day of school went well and now a second day has started.  I figured you might like to see some pictures from over my two weeks of summer vacation.  Granted I didn't travel or anything, but I still have a decent time.

This is a BBQ we had last week.

I am chilling while waiting for Geoff's family to arrive and the chicken to arrive.

Vegetarian Linkettes and chicken... we had food for everyone's tastes :)

Geoffrey and Amy's daughter, Hana.  She likes that water gun :)

My scrapbook project almost done.  Now it is done but at this point it wasn't.

Two pages of the scrapbook.  I had a lot of fun making them.

Some art I had done over the last several months.

A request by Sarah, a friend, for her youth group.

My own fun drawing without any references or research ahead of time.

Kind of a test to see how my skills were progressing :)

Tea in town at iBrik with Janelle and Emma on the last day of summer break.

Janelle had just gotten back from Kenya and we were so happy to see her again.

Sunday night, Geoffrey picked Janelle and I up from our tea time with Emma.

We went to school to work on lesson plans and turned it into a pizza party too :)

First World Culture class of the semester.  Well, history class.

Is that... Korean... I hear?

The students are only supposed to use English in the International Classes.

Janelle and Insun decided we needed some R&R weekly. 

So every Monday at 6pm we are meeting for tea.

Then at 6:30pm we are having a Bible study.

Very good ladies time :)

Returns

Yesterday was an exciting day for me.  Not only was it the last day of my two week summer break, but Janelle returned from her mission trip to Kenya.  Eager to hang out with her again, I started walking to town.  I didn't even get outside the school gate before a car pulled up.  Three Korean teachers offered me a ride.  They were going to Daegu and my stop was on the way.  Happy that it was so easy to arrange, I settled in for a convenient and pleasant ride.  The three guys turned out to be rather enjoyable company and soon we were joking around.  There was a language gap as neither of us knows the others' language well.  Still, it was a good time.

Upon reaching town, I was dropped off to wait for Janelle.  Emma and I wanted to try out a coffee shop and meeting Janelle before going there was the plan.  Since I was half an hour early (thanks to the teachers allowing me to skip the bus ride), I pulled out my notes on the book Dorian Gray and went over those.  It was hot out, so I moved inside Baskin Robbins to wait there.  Finally, Emma and I met up.  Janelle sent a text saying she was on the way and finally came too.

Then we all got onto the subway together and went to the subway nearest Teacher Geoffrey's house.  One block from his place is a cute and relaxing little cafe called "iBrik."  They play gentle and often classical music.  The Peach Tea that is served there is delicious and very inexpensive.  It is easy to access via Geoff's car, the bus, and the subway.  A perfect place with a good and friendly atmosphere for a small group of friends to gather.

We sat and made sure Janelle felt welcomed back.  Indeed, I was so happy to be with them that I could barely sit still.  She talked about her trip and we made plans to hang out more than we did last semester.  I especially want to have more activities with friends in order to have more memories.  Taking a rest at home is nice, but unfulfilling.  Nowadays, it is easy to meet for a meal and spend an extra two hours after the first hour just relaxing and talking to each other.  This is more enjoyable than going home by ones self.

Eye Examination

So I went in yesterday for an eye examination.  Not your normal eye doctor that gives you glasses or contacts.  An actual hospital devoted to eyes and, in this case, to international relations.  We went to Suseongu area of Daegu which is very expensive.  Everything there is considered higher class than most of the city and is highly sought after.  The main intersection that the hospital is located near is also the most expensive piece of property in the entire city.  So when I learned this, I looked at my friend shocked.  Why did she choose this place of all places?

We went inside and I learned right away that because my friend had booked an appointment instead of just walking in like most Koreans, we got a discount.  Instead of costing $50, it was only $25.  In Korea, that is a lot of money to most families.

We sat down, enjoyed cool water, and then started the examinations.  I went in and had tests at two machines.  Then I was given cool tea and eye drops.  Then I went in and was examined at two new machines.  Then I was given more eye drops (evidently I blink too much) and my eyes became more dilated.  Then I went to two new machines for more testing.  Then I talked to the doctor.  Then I got more eye drops.  Then I went to two new machines.  More eye drops. Talked to the consultant.  More testing.  More testing.  Talked to the doctor one last time about my options.

This is what they said.  They used a machine that was top of the line (forget all the quotes, names, and statistics) to create virtual replicas of my eyes at all levels.  They showed me what mine were like for different parts compared to what another person's eye that is unhealthy looks like.  I passed all the tests with above average (good) scores.  This meant I could have any surgery I wanted with the same degree of safety.

That actually made the choices harder for me.

During all this time that we were in there, my friend kept asking the consultant for discounts.  So when I narrowed my choices to two surgeries, LASEK and Laser LASIK, I was presented with both the original prices (more expensive part of town, remember) and the new discounted prices.

Before discounts, the Lasek surgery was $2,000 and the Lasik was $2,500.
Middle discounts they offer most persistant people was $1,800 and $2,200.
The final discounts they offered, because of my friend, was $1,500 and $2,000.

I chose the least painful option, Laser LASIK at $2,000.  My friend saved me $500.  That is a big deal.  So I told her that after I get paid, I am taking her out to eat at VIPs.  A buffet place I have been really wanting to go to but unfortunately is super expensive.  She paid for my supper last night, this is the least I can do to say thanks to her for all she has done.

At the end of the examination, I was given a snickers bar while talking with the consultant.  It was wrapped differently (because I am in Korea) than it would have been if I had been in the US.  My eyes weren't focusing so I fumbled with it for awhile before I figured out how to unwrap it.

After the examination, we went out to catch a bus to supper and finally home.  I was a bit miffed because my eyes weren't focusing easily.  I could only see things clearly that were across the street.  By the time we got supper, I could focus on things a table away, but reading was hard.  After supper, my eyes were thankfully back to normal so my friend went home and I made my way home.

The End.

The surgery is in like four months so not something happening anytime soon.  There is an examine to double check my eyes one last time on December 6th, a Friday, at 6pm.  I'm going to see if Geoffrey or his wife can come along to translate when to blink, open my eyes, etc.

Then the surgery is on December 11th, a Friday, at 8pm.  My friend can come then and I will stay overnight at her house to sleep off the worst of the effects.  It should only take one day to recover.

I'm told that after the surgery, for a week, not to wash my face or touch my eyes.  When I sleep, I will have to have plastic things covering my eyes.  No using computers, TVs, phones, etc either.

For 6 months afterwards, I should use sunglasses when going outside.

The End - for real this time ;)

Fountain Light Show

First week of break went by both slowly and quickly.  I ended the first week last night in town with Teacher Geoffrey's family.  We went to the lake between City Hall and Gyeongsan Boys High School to watch a fountain light show.  It was very enjoyable with both American and Korean music.  We hung out afterwards, ate fruit pieces and relaxed until 10pm.  Then they brought me home.

Summer Camp Pictures

This is a picture of the first day we are all together, more or less.  More people came the next day.  This is Sabbath School and our first lesson in being flexible :)  We got to know each other a little more and discussed the issues that we would face in this culture and with this age group.

All of us taking a tour around the building Sunday morning.  Though the foreign teachers know the place, the visiting Americans needed to the update :)  So we got our exercise in!

What is a summer camp without a few group pictures.  We are wearing our green polo shirts.  The kids all had yellow polo shirts.  Very professional right?  I love green so I didn't mind.  Because it was so hot outside, I somehow convinced Janelle to french braid my hair for me almost every morning the entire ten days.  The Americans brought with them a lot of fresh energy and were a breath of fresh air.  They also broke a lot of the tension that had built up around the school from the previous semester.

If you are going to do group pictures, make sure you include the principal and a banner ;)  They love their banners and I must admit that it gives the environment a certain new aspect that I like.  We had a lot of fun even though it was hard work.  We started at 7:30am and had our staff meeting at 9:00pm.  Sometimes the staff meeting was only 30-45 minutes long.  There were several nights though that were after 10pm as we discussed the events that would happen in the next day or two.  The people that came and worked here with us have a wonderful sense of humor and excellent team workmanship.  So as long as I was near one of them, I couldn't help but be happy.

This is Shan and I.  Out of all those who came to our school, she is the only one who wasn't American.  In fact, she is Chinese.  Her English is very good and I love listening to her speak because she is more clear than most native English speakers.  Shan made life a lot of fun and I enjoyed hanging out with her.  She wasn't a teacher but she assisted wherever she could.  One day she asked if I watched a lot of Japanese animation.  I was surprised and said that I indeed did.  She said she could tell from the way I talked and acted.  I apparently have adopted some of the anime culture into my communication habits.  I'm not complaining as that makes life more fun and interesting.  Anime is very expressive :)

Jen and I became friends as well.  She is very gentle and always positive.  She takes life slowly but is thorough in all that she does.  When others were becoming grumpy with tensions, she was still be talking in her happy and calming voice.  Her talent with music is amazing and I would love to encourage her to go onto Britain's Got Talent because I think she would definitely get through a round or two of that.  She writes her own music and sings with a voice I thought only existed on TV.  Also, she provided a supporting shoulder when I was uncertain helping me to find the clarity needed to keep going strongly.

This year we only had 97 students which is about 53 less than two years ago when the school last held a summer camp.  This is my class, The Papayas!  Are theme was the Fruit of the Spirit and my topic was on peace :)  From left to right in the picture, there is Mindy, Don, Simon, Elven, Rachel, Max, Sally, Sandy, Sam, and Amy.  Don originally didn't want an English name so I told him I would learn his Korean name.  After about 30 minutes of calling him Dong Hyun, he said he would accept an English name.  I suggested Don since it was close to his legal name.  He appreciated that.  Next to him is Simon, the one boy who didn't bully another student.  I tried to model and explain what bullies look like, but until I said that those in the class were bullying the people they were bullying, they didn't know.  It is so much a part of Korean culture to "tease" others.  Elven was the student bullied the most and when his mother's name got used, he started a fight in defense of her.  I am hoping I was able to reach him.  Rachel was a sweetheart for me.  She strove to please me even when I wasn't looking.  I'm hoping to see her again.  Max, the main bully, was one out of ignorance.  He worked hard, studied hard, practiced for the talent show hard, and made sure the other students knew the instructions of what to do and where to be.  He was truly appreciated in my class and I hope he returns.  He has a lot of potential as a leader and I want to cultivate that.  Sally was one of my quiet girls and the student I learned the least about.  Despite her uncertainty and shyness, I saw a glimmer of something wonderful and hope that she also returns so that we can learn more together.  Sandy and Amy are artists... need I say more.  I have a special interest in my students who are artists, especially in this culture where art is not cultivated.  Perhaps out of the two, Amy is the better artist, but Sandy is the better scholar.  They were a wonderful duel to teach.  Finally there is Max, the tallest student in my class and the second most bullied because his hair is poofy.  A sweet kid, he was always enjoying life but quick to take his seat when I started the next class period or activity.  This group of 9 students stole my heart and I truly hope to see them next January at winter camp and then next March in class.

It was incredibly hot outside.  Our first day at recreation, we were playing games out on the artificial soccer field.  I wasn't sure how to keep moving in such heat, but put in as much energy as I could for the kids.  We had to set the tone for the camp after all.  Then a Korean came outside and hooked up a sprinkler.  Once it was turned on, the game we were playing became a lot more interesting.  I happily made my way throughout the game to one time and time again letting myself slowly become soaked in the cooling liquid.  Didn't know there was a camera on the field :)  Turns out that those sprinklers were a heaven-sent idea.  In Daegu, just half an hour away, there were some other summer camps going on at other schools where some students collapsed out on their soccer fields... and were dead within minutes.  So the heat was a problem.

You might want to click on this picture to see it larger.  It doesn't do justice for the 97 kids we had.  They were a lot of fun and songs was a fun activity for them.  I learned a few new ones myself as well as the motions.  I hope I don't forget them.

Our last night together.  We had already had Mexican food for a late lunch and gone shopping in downtown Daegu.  Now we had all met up in the Siji area at Readers Coffee before splitting up again.  I told Geoffrey I was stealing his wife and told Amy she was coming to the Norebang with us.  She couldn't bear to be separated from Hannah, her little girl, so the whole family came.  The American guys went back to school but those that remained (Geoffrey was the only one) had a lot of fun at the Norebang singing song after song.

Summer Camp

It was Friday, July 19.  The last class was finished and five weary foreign teachers made their way to their apartments to collapse in relief.  The semester was over!

The next morning blurry eyes stared in annoyance at the ceiling.  It was 5am and I was wide awake.  Cursed sleep schedule!  Pulling myself out of bed, I made my way outside and started walking towards the track.  Might as well get a mile or two in.  Seeing that the cafe was lit up, I made a mental note to show up to breakfast.

Got to breakfast and walked inside.  The place was deserted except for three very American men.  The Americans were here!  The staff for summer camp had arrived.  Five teachers, four leaders, and two assistants (though one was Chinese, not American) had come ready to teach English to elementary kids in promotion of our school.

Spending the weekend with them was a breathe of fresh air and I felt new life flowing into my veins.  However, it was a mixed blessing as I listened to them talk about being on vacation for the last month or so.  American schools have more than twice as much time off as Korean schools in a year.  So this was slightly maddening.  It was worth it though to be with our new friends.

Our schedule was easy once we got past the first and second day.  Staff worship at 7:30am, classes, lunch, classes, recreation, supper, the morning and evening assemblies, and family time.  Our staff meeting was at 9pm and on a good day we were done around 9:45pm.  On the longer days, it was after 10:30pm.

I cut the morning walks out of my routine quickly.  Was getting plenty of exercise at the assemblies and recreation alone, not to mention all the other stunts I was doing to keep my kids interested in class.  Was also getting good food.  The cafe prepared as much American foods as they knew how.  French toast for breakfast, pizza buns for lunch, and breads at supper.  Was heaven I assure you.

We taught classes in rotation.  My first class was "election" and I figured I would start the morning off right by making sure it was done in the gym or eleswhere in a way to that used up my kids' energy.  Then I had story time and man was that fun to do.  Then it was workbooks.  We covered summer themes for games and vocabulary, wrote essays, kept a journal, learned famous American cities, and memorized US states and capitols.  After lunch, my kids had had gone to the store and picked up sugar.  So now I was striving to drain their energy and keep their attention both.  We did A&P involving lots of paper, tape, yarn, and other artsy stuff.  The 5th and final class was in the Kitchen and ranged from paper items to food items.  Then I chased them to recreation to drain more energy from them.  If I was lucky, during out family time that was 8pm to 9pm, they would be tired enough to stay in their seats while we did last minute essays or worked on their skit for Talent Show.

Tens days later it was graduation.  We performed for Talent Show.  I gave the kids diplomas and awards.  Then with gleeful giggling I sang, "I'm gonna sleep sleep sleep, I'm gonna dream dream dream.  I'm gonna sleep.  I'm gonna dream.  Praise the Lord!  When those blankets are open wide, I'm gonna dance on inside.  I'm gonna sleep.  I'm gonna dream.  Praise the Lord!"  The principal took us all to Pizza Hut the Saturday night before.  Now we went to a Mexican place downtown, went shopping, hit Readers Coffee (cafe), and ended at the Noraebang.  Sang to our hearts content.  We even dragged Geoffrey's family with us.

Then I came back and slept.

My two weeks of summer break has started... and yes, I will be spending half of break in the classroom preparing for next semester.  Praise God for down time :D

Americans!

Friday, the last requirement was done, and all the teachers went home and collapsed.  I woke up this morning wondering if the Americans were here yet and what they were like.  Went walking out on the track and saw that there was activity in the cafe so there would be breakfast served.  Yay!  

Went to breakfast and there were three white guys sitting there.  Double Yay!  I gladly hugged Lon and was introduced to the other two.  Over the course of the day I was introduced to more the of group.  Really excited that they are here.  

We had our own Sabbath School and then joined the Koreans in an absolutely wonderful church service.  It was truly a blessing and one of the best Sabbaths I have had in a long time.  Enjoy a good lunch with them.

Spent part of the afternoon with them too.  Just talking and hanging out.  Then Lon told me he brought his wireless device so I grabbed my laptop and waltzed to the English dorms where I am chilling now.  Listening to the English conversations around me and floating out of the rooms is pure heaven.  I look up and see snacks that are English laying around.  They brought me spiced apple cider packets that I will hoard more preciously but have already dipped into lol.  

What had I been worried about?  With this amazing group of people, it doesn't matter if I am tired or anemic.  They are a team and this summer camp will be a good ten days :)

Signing My Signature...

My daddy gave me a gorgeous pen last December with my name engraved on the case and on the pen.  I am now going to be using that pen to place my signature 32 times onto 32 pieces of paper that will be going out to the parents of students of my International classes.  Very grateful that I am not doing this for my other 88 students from my conversation classes.  We only give grades to our International students.  The other students are not graded, which is why class participation is the teacher's dream only in conversation classes ;)

Dorm Visit

Well I decided that I had to write another entry tonight to post in the morning.  It is simply too wonderful not to.

As I mentioned before, I was in a melancholy mood.  Knowing the joy that my students can bring, I eagerly gathered my decks of cards and headed to the dorm.  I was not disappointed.  One of the freshmen met me at the door and offered me chips.  I kindly declined, explaining that it was so hot out that if I ate, I would surely become sick.

This was not a lie.  It is pretty warm out.  In consideration for the school and the electric bill that they pay for me for my apartment, I had turned off my AC before I left.  Now despite it being hours later, my apartment is still not completely cool.  I've even turned on a fan to no avail.  I simply can't seem to bring my core temperature down.

This is an eternal problem.  In summer, I can't seem to get cool and stay cool.  In winter, once cold, I am frozen forever more.  Though I am trying to control this discomfort, I can only do so much.
Back to my story though.  I went on it and called out to the sophomores that I had arrived.  Being the end of the semester, it was no surprise how cluttered and unkept the dorm had become.  We cleared the table of scattered items and sat down to play.

Bless the freshman students, they brought in cool water for us to drink.  It was very kind of them and definitely not the first time my boys have looked after me.  Once last winter, when they were wolfing down ramen, one boy found chocolate for me to eat since I was hesitant to eat out of the communal bowl.  Us foreigners are known for being afraid of germs.

It was also fun to see that they looked after each other despite giving others a hard time.  It is true that joking can easily and accidentally lead to bullying and hurt feelings.  However I think tonight everything was in jest and saw no reason to be alarmed.

That was all I really wanted to say.  Afterwards I left and stopped by the girls English dorm for worship.  Their singing might not be as energetic as the boys, but it is always friendly and welcoming.  They were happy for me to join them and I was blessed by their presence as well.

Awesome Students

I might not have internet in my apartment anymore, but I do have my laptop and a USB drive.  So I am typing this out tonight and will post it in the morning.  Because the thoughts and feelings I have now inspire writing the most compared to mornings and just trying to look coherent until I am more awake.

Having the time this evening, I started a new anime that is sitting on my desktop.  It is short and so when I finish the TV series, I can delete it and have more hard drive space for pictures or something.  Got to episode 5 and this episode put me into a melancholy mood that should not have lasted.  It dealt with home and being where the people are that are family to you.  Since I am so lonely, it hit home easily.

Then at the end of the TV episode, two guys were acting like they normally do (basically awkward) and is meant to cause the viewer of the show to laugh and smile again.  It reminded me of my students.

I have randomly throughout the day had some girls wish me a good day or some boys walk up to me and say hi.  It always brings a smile to my face and I love my students all the more, even though I didn't think it possible.

There are in particular the English Dormitory boys.  I'm thankful sometimes for Koreans extra observational powers.  The boys in the dorm have a way of pulling me out of a bad mood.  Last night, I had gone over and taught the freshmen a card game I enjoy called Red Devil.  Why it has that name baffles me, but is about strategy and speed.  I can win despite being at a disadvantage of having no one on my team.

Anyrate, some other boys saw me and looked startled, then shrieked and screamed like girls.  You see, when I first started going over there, they weren't very mindful that visitors might come in and came out of the showers not as covered as I would have preferred.  So it evidently has become a joke.  They did so last night even though they were decent just for fun.  I was startled but realized their joke and laughed with them.

Today in class, I warned them I was coming over again to hang out with the sophomores.  Instantly, one of my sophomores did his dramatic shriek.  It brought an instant laugh.

So when I finished my TV episode, I thought about how I have to go to the dorm tonight.  The first thing I imagined was the welcome I would get when I walked through the doors.  Exaggerated scream and wide eyes of shock... followed by laughter.  It instantly made me laugh, pulled me out of my melancholy mood, and placed me in a more positive frame of mind.

As much as I might miss my dear family and friends, I am not alone.  God gave me wonderful students and placed coworkers in my life to help me while I am here gaining skills and experience.  Everything is fine :)

Song lyrics of a song I am listening to is this:

"All this time, spent in vain, wasted years, wasted gain, all is lost, hope remains, and this war is not over... there is a Light, there is a Son, taking over shattered ones, to the place where we belong, and His love will conquer all... and His love will conquer all."

It doesn't matter what happens, God is taking care of me :)

Cause and Effect

Something that most Americans understand is cause and effect.  When an event occurs, there are results from that event.  The basics of this concept is understood in Korea, however the more difficult the thinking process then the harder it is for my students to grasp what is being taught.

For example, letting go of a cup while it is in the air will result in it falling.  This can lead to breaking or spilling.  Koreans understand this.

However, changing lanes while driving while not looking over your shoulder first can lead to a crash... is not something they seem to grasp.

So I am determined that critical thinking be introduced and learned.  I'm starting with cause and effect which is part of their summer homework.  Before summer starts for them though, I am spending time in class giving examples.

Yesterday was particularly fun.  I drew pictures!

First we did something simple to build on.  A picture of a peaceful island.  A rock hitting water.  Ripples.  Only later did I think of how I could of expanded that to the rock hitting a fish and giving it a headache.  After all, a cause can have more than one effect.

Then I made it harder.  I drew a delightful stick figure standing in the dark.  I said that the person was afraid.  Why?  It was fun hearing their reasons.  "Because it is dark Teacher."   "Okay, and why is the person afraid of the dark?"  Oh man, the answers were numerous.  Learning where those ideas came from showed who influences my students.  Another reason was "violence."  Evidently bad people are out at night.  This comes from media, news, police, and moms.  Right as I was showing how there can be many causes to create one effect... I was interrupted.

Another teacher came in and told the kids that there was another school assembly on violence and to please go to the auditorium where the police waited for them so that they could give a lecture.

Ironic.

PS - I know, why talk about this.  Well, I wanted to post something and this was the only thing I could think of to say to show you Korean life at my school.

Internet, Storms, and Gandhi

Hello family and friends,

So my laptop no longer works with an ethernet cable.  This means I can only access the internet at work. Yes, I came to school at 6am on Sunday just so I could check emails, facebook, and menewsha.  This also means that in the evenings I can no longer get online unless I go to school.  I most likely won't.

I am going to bed now days by 9:30pm and getting up at 5am, so spending that much more time at school is not a welcome idea.

Yesterday, as I was chilling in my apartment, a sudden noise had me looking up at the window.  The once bright sky was dark and stormy with wind blowing in through all the badly-sealed places around the window.  I jumped up and ran outside where I saw Valentina and heard girls screaming in delight.  I also was met by a strong wall of wind blow debris, dust, and sand into the air.  Automatically my arms were up to protect my face and I asked Valentina, "What the heck?"

I thought there was a tornado coming.   But we are not in Kansas.  She said as much, "Feels like a tornado huh."  I worked my way out onto the street and where I could get a clear view of the west.  There were darker clouds and white coming.  Rain.  Realizing that we were in for a drenching, I let the wind blow me back into my apartment where I cleaned the grit out of my eyes and mouth.

Never had something like that here before.  Must be close to what the rest of Korea experiences when a typhoon comes.

Without internet, and the rain keeping me from walking around the track, I started reading an autobiography by Gandhi.  In it he talks about child marriages and some of those customs which truly surprised me.  But so far I have found some gems in his words, the latest pertaining to art.  He feels that handwriting is an important aspect of education.  To be good and graceful in your handwriting, you must first learn art: observation and then drawing what you observe will lead to a natural observation and elegant writing of letters.  YES!  Art is important :D

Morning Mishap

I had just finished breakfast in the cafe (amen for tofu!) and was walking down the street to my school building.  The elder was outside directing traffic.  The youth pastor was standing beside him with a flat cart.  Victoria, a female teacher who had broken her ankle (but doesn't use crutches because Koreans say it is too much work) was standing there.  The youth pastor talked her into standing on the flat cart and letting him pull her closer to the school buildings.  

They started along with a group of middle school girls and myself trailing them.  The youth pastor, sweet James, accidentally tilted the cart forward.  The front edge caught on the street and Victoria flew off.  In order to not fall down, her broken foot took her full body weight.  She immediately started hopping to the sidewalk and stone wall.  Needless to say she was in pain and was kindly not going to let James forget it.

As she started hopping down the street, I quickly slipped to her side to help support her.  Also, thanks to previous experience, I started talking to encourage her how close she was to her destination.  I figured it was more or less listening to me talk than anything I actually said that helped her.  Her English is good.  When we managed the stairs and finally she got to her office, she turned to scold James playfully as only a Korean can one last time, thanked me, and went inside with a dramatic air of one who is frustrated and knowingly has an audience.

Cleaning Stories

My last year in college, I took up an extra job working janitorial over in the old science building.  I was responsible for the first floor including the teachers' offices.  One day a teacher was in his office who was usually not there.  Uncertain since I didn't know him well, I cleaned the entire rest of the floor.  Two hours later, he was still there.  There was no getting out of it.  I knocked and opened the door, "Excuse me, may I please clean your office?"  Mr. Webb replied, "Wow, you're actually asking permission?  Of course!"

At this school I work at, when the group of girls that are responsible for this room come to clean, there is one in particular who is in charge of sweeping.  She comes up to me and asks, "Teacher, may I clean around your desk?"  Cute!!

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

It has been raining a lot in the last few days.  I had wanted so badly for all the rain in the US to come my way.  Looking outside, it would appear that this is the case.  Keith suggested that monsoon season is finally starting.  Whatever the reason, I haven't been walking in a week.  Suddenly the stairs to my classroom are a lot harder to traverse.  I'm drifting out of shape so quickly, losing my two months of work.

Still, I like the rain.  It is soothing and allows me to not have to use the AC in my apartment.  If I can help my school save money, I want to try.  Wish it wasn't so humid though.

Yesterday we didn't get to use the grill because of the weather.  So we used a skillet in my apartment instead.  Everyone enjoyed the food and we sent the leftovers home with Geoffrey since his wife and daughter didn't come.  Then it stopped raining long enough to shoot the fireworks.  Was a pleasant experience.

However everyone was too full to eat the dessert I made.  So now I have homemade ice cream and stained-glass cookies sitting in my freezer.  Will have to find someone to eat them ;)

We were going to go to a cafe this afternoon.  With Geoffrey's daughter still sick though, his wife asked that we meet at her place.  Consequently she wants us to help eat that food we sent over.  I might have made a wee bit too much?

Happy 4th of July!

Was up late last night working on cookies for the BBQ this evening.  Have a lot of plans in store.  Potato salad, linkettes, boca burgers, homemade ice cream, and of course fireworks!  Happy 4th of July friends and family!

Being Noticed

There is something energizing and encouraging about someone noticing your existence, your worth, your effort, your time.

We each have our jobs in life where we much work hard to the best of our abilities.  It is what is expected of us in life.  I knew when I became a teacher that external praise for a job well done was not something often given in my line of work.

So when someone notices when I spend extra time on my appearance or am working extra hard on a project for the kids... and says "good job"... it makes life a lot easier.

Day Excursion

Today was a really good day.  If you take out anything and everything negative, what is left is something amazing.  Janelle and I went to my massage person for Swedish massages.  When it was my turn, she asked if there was anything I wanted worked on specifically.  I told her about grading and finishing up paperwork and how my neck was all out of sorts.  Then I remembered all those foot pains I have been having whenever I try to walk long distance.  She fixed me.  I walked a long ways today without limping or pain in either of my feet!

Afterwards a serious of unhappy events occurred but that isn't important.

Finally I got on the bus to head back home... (more thoughts on that later)...

Stopped at Coffee Tree, a quaint little cafe with a corral in the back.  The horse is a Jeju horse so it is rather small.  I can't ride it since I am not 75 kg or less.  However I did get to enjoy some horse love.  Ordered an ice peach tea to go and then started walking.  Walked to Jain and cut across on one of the front roads so I could stop at a store.  Passed a wooded area that brought back good memories and feelings of Broken Arrow Ranch the youth camp I worked at.  Passed a machine shop for tractors that had strong smells which took me back to my grandparents' farm.  Walking down that street reminded me of my hometown.  Walking into the small grocery store was oddly familiar, like I was back stateside.

I'm oddly more comfortable here.  Though I was comfortable getting around to where I needed to for shopping and whatever other reasons arose, there was always a sense of not belonging.  Now I am even more comfortable, to the point where my apartment feels a little bit like home, my coworkers a little bit like family, my school a little bit like my school, and this large area like my city.

It doesn't change that I am moving back to the states in 2014 during the month of August.

However it does show that though you think you are used to a place and comfortable there, you can eventually settle in more.  I've started calling my apartment home, something I used to not do.  I would try, then discard the notion.  Now it is not so bad.  Heck, I'm finding more and more food I can eat.  That right there makes things good.

Plums

Yesterday when I first arrived in town, I stopped by the guy at Sawol that sells vegetables and fruits.  I had bought some potatoes from him when he gave me a gift.  Two small, slightly redish yellow fruits.  I figured they were some form of peach since the peaches here are impeccably small.  Took a bite and a long familiar flavor burst upon my tastebuds.  My eyes opened wide in amazement and pleasure.  It was a plum!  I haven't had one of these sweet and juicy treats in a long time.  When I lived in Colville, Washington there were two plum trees in our backyard that we enjoyed immensely.  So I was thrilled that he had such wonderful fruit to buy.   I pulled my wallet back out and bought more from my laughing host.

Town and Homeplus

I was paid Friday the 28th and excitedly went into town to spend some of my money.  There were several facebook groups that were made for people living in South Korea or Daegu.  On their main page, you can post questions, advice, or advertise what you are selling before you move back home.  I had talked to several people who were moving away and decided to go ahead and buy a few things, with the main purchase being a TV.  I had never imagined actually buying myself one as I had grown up viewing them as an expensive luxury.  To have bought and now own one left me praising God for giving me such an opportunity.

Before meeting up with the lady who was selling it, my friend Janelle and I went to Homeplus.  It if very much like E Mart, full of wonderful things you need to live your life.  Only Homeplus has a larger selection.  By a great degree more.  Their selection is so large that they do not have an international aisle.  Instead you simply go to where the pasta is and there is what you are looking for.  You go to the tea section and there is that much beloved Arizona Raspberry Tea.  You go to the sauces section and there is the much beloved Prego sauce in more than one flavor!  In the canned goods, I found with excitement cream corn (have yet to try it), Cambell's Chicken Noodle Soup (tried and loved it, so familiar), and various other things.

In Korea, it is normal to buy what you need for that day and the next.  Rarely do you buy more than you need for more than a few days.  Janelle and I bought what we needed for at least two weeks, if not more.  The cart was definitely full and then some.  The Koreans kept turning and staring at our cart in amazement.  It is a normal sight in the states, but definitely not a normal sight here.  We finally got checked out, bagged and boxed everything, and went outside to the taxis.  It became a joke of what kind of expressions we would get if we attempted to drag it to a bus.

The lady who was selling me the TV was waiting outside and together we got all our stuff into the taxi.  Then with worn out bodies, Janelle and I returned to the school.  Pleasantly happy that we were back by sundown, we paid the taxi driver and dragged our stuff inside.  We had pasta last night.  It was yummy.  I have leftover pasta for lunch today.  Overall super happy.

With the discovery of Chicken Noodle Soup, I relayed the information immediately to Geoffrey.  He heard what brand it was, yelped in shock, and vowed to get over to Homeplus that very day.  So I bet you anything he bought more than the Koreans are used to seeing too.  *Giggle*  Us foreigners are entertaining to Koreans... as well as baffling :)

Hello everyone!  Just sending out an update.  Been chilling the last few days.  Giving the kids all self study time during class with the upcoming finals they have in their Korean classes.  I have gotten all the grades done and all the comments for my main classes finished.  Just have comments for the conversation classes left to go.  Not sure who will have time to translate those.

Got a package today.  Well, technically yesterday.  I found out about it after supper.  By the time I walked down to the gate, the guard had locked up and left.  So I got it after breakfast today.  On the bright side, I enjoyed the walk.  Was actually raining outside and pleasant to experience.  Some things I had ordered on Amazon I had shipped to a  friend.  She kindly then sent them on to me.  Not everything online ships straight to Korea :(  Was nice of her family to help with that.

Been spending time in the evenings just drawing.  Most is just worthless doodles but every now and then inspiration hits and I spend extra time with something that I have in mind.  Turns out decent.

Mornings...

So it has been awhile since I have sent a morning picture of myself.  Can't say I'm wide awake at the moment.  Despite trying to get to bed earlier last night, it didn't happen.  Had a conversation class until 9:30pm.  Had worship with the girls before then making my way back to my apartment.  So the picture is not as bright and cheery as I wish it would be.

It is finally raining.  Yesterday it started in the afternoon and is still here.  The beautiful gray clouds are calming and help cool the otherwise hot air.  I ended up after school running back and forth with my umbrella helping students get from point A to point B.  Particularly those who had to carry packages from the front gate to wherever they were headed.  It was good exercise.

Tyler and Eggs

Grandma, this photo is for you.  In fact, Teacher Geoffrey took the picture when I asked for it because I wanted to show off just how many eggs I had had to deal with while preparing this meal.  For the record, 3.5 dozen.  Two dozen for egg salad and 1.5 dozen for devil eggs.

Then the next day, another dozen for french toast and scrambled eggs.  We had a lot of protein.

This weekend, Janelle's friend Tyler came to visit.  He is the only SDA teacher in the English department at his SDA school and so wanted more SDA friends.  At least that was my understanding of the situation.  He stayed the weekend in the English Boys' Dorm.  Spent the day with Janelle and I.  We invited students to hang out.

New Flower

I had recently acquired a new flower.  The person who sold it to me told me it was called a woo-goo-she-a but I can't find anything on it online.  It is beautiful though and I thought I would share it.

Edit:  Have since learned it is called a Fuchsia.

Pictures from Spring Photoshoot

I had a lot of pictures taken of me last month.  Out of the several hundred pictures, my photographer managed to narrow them down for me to choose from.  I had difficulty but finally picked out a few favorites. Here are some that didn't make the final 3 but are still enjoyable.  You can click the picture to see them in a slideshow and bigger.