After teaching Sunday School at KBU, I headed off quickly to near Bundang (about an hour away) to meet one of my students. He was performing in a festival for his church young adults program, and invited me to come as a "VIP". It was so fun! I met him and his pastor at the subway station, and they drove me to the church building. I was pleasantly surprised to meet so many people who spoke really good English. The singing was so uplifting, and their performance was easy to understnad even though I didn't understand any of the words.
The message was about how we are sometimes lost sheep. We stray away from God. Yet even when one of us comes to repentance for our sins, the angels in heaven rejoice! What a good reminder to return to the grace and loving arms of our good God.
After the message and skits, they brought me and the other invited guests to the front and had us say a little something. Then they gave us a gift bag. Mine had a towel and a Korean plate/bowl made of china.
It was kind of funny because I was the only international person there. Everyone else was Korean. But they would translate little things for me during the day. It was so considerate. They said that they hold this kind of event 3 times a year, and this was their first time to have a foreigner. Everyone was so warm and kind. Plus, they were all about my age, so it was really great to be around young adults--especially who speak such good English.
On the way home I was craving pizza for some strange reason (I usually don't really care for pizza), so I headed to the pizza store named "I Love Pizza" after getting back from church. I ordered it to go, and while sitting down waiting for it, an older man sat down at the table with me. I was a little surprised, but the rest of the small room was packed already and my table was the only one unoccupied. I said hello in Korean and didn't expect the conversation to go much further, but turns out that he spoke perfect English!! He told me about how when he was 22 (my age), he defected to South Korea from the North, and joined the American Army. He knew Russian and was a translator for the Americans. He told me about how he knew many languages: Russian, English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and one or two others that I can't remember. What an amazing ability! We talked about Suraksan Mountain around where we live and how beautiful they are. He hikes them every morning he said! I was a little surprised since he looked in his upper 70's/low 80's, but that seems to be pretty common here: people in their retirement age hiking every day.
I left Sunday feeling blessed and encouraged from the beautiful service with my student and the conversation with the older gentleman in the pizza store.
November 23, 2009
November 21, 2009
Thursday Night
Thursday after school, my 8am class and I went out together! We had such a great time eating and talking together. We went to a galbi restaurant down the road from school, and then went to a fun "hang-out" area (Nowon) after. We wanted to remember our special night together, so we went to a picture place and had our pictures taken in a little booth. It was soo fun!! The pictures were really cute, and we split them up over Korean style "ice cream". I don't think I've ever seen/eaten this anywhere else. Obviously there is regular ice cream that you'd think of, but there's this other stuff (I don't know the name) that is basically shaved ice with ice cream, red bean, and fruits all mixed together. Hmm... :) It was fun to try anyways...
I love each of my classes and value so much the times we've been able to spend together. I can't believe the year is almost finished! 2 more weeks and we're done for the winter. Korea starts new University semesters in March instead of August like in the States.
I love each of my classes and value so much the times we've been able to spend together. I can't believe the year is almost finished! 2 more weeks and we're done for the winter. Korea starts new University semesters in March instead of August like in the States.
Konkuk University
Last weekend I was supposed to meet WanSeok downtown to hang out, but he had to work late and cancel. He is one of my best friends here, and it was so disappointing to not be able to meet him even though I completely understood his situation. However, on Wednesday he called and said he could meet for dinner! Yay!! I was so happy!!
So we met at Konkuk University where we went out for dinner and met one of his other friends. It was so nice to just relax and talk about whatever without pressure. It's nice having friends where you don't feel the need to act/be any certain way. You can just be you. Especially with WanSeok, I don't feel any stereotype about being American or female or any specific way. I know that however I act or whatever I do/say, we'll always be friends.
So we met at Konkuk University where we went out for dinner and met one of his other friends. It was so nice to just relax and talk about whatever without pressure. It's nice having friends where you don't feel the need to act/be any certain way. You can just be you. Especially with WanSeok, I don't feel any stereotype about being American or female or any specific way. I know that however I act or whatever I do/say, we'll always be friends.
November 14, 2009
Holly
Well, last weekend was my little sister's birthday. Happy 21st Birthday, Holly!!
Holly has been a great sister to me over these last 21 years. When she was only 1 day old, I got to hold her for the first time. After a few seconds, I looked at my parents and said, "All done..." Now I can't get enough time with her!! She's my best friend. I think that sometimes we don't realize how important something is until we don't have it anymore. Last year was tough being away from her, but during the middle year I was back in the states, we grew closer friends than I could have ever imagined, and I'm so thankful for that!
Thank you Holly for always being there for me, for listening to my random (and often long) stories, and encouraging me in so many ways. You encourage me to be a better friend to others, to have passion for whatever I am doing, and to be a more generous person.
I love you! Happy Birthday!!
Holly has been a great sister to me over these last 21 years. When she was only 1 day old, I got to hold her for the first time. After a few seconds, I looked at my parents and said, "All done..." Now I can't get enough time with her!! She's my best friend. I think that sometimes we don't realize how important something is until we don't have it anymore. Last year was tough being away from her, but during the middle year I was back in the states, we grew closer friends than I could have ever imagined, and I'm so thankful for that!
Thank you Holly for always being there for me, for listening to my random (and often long) stories, and encouraging me in so many ways. You encourage me to be a better friend to others, to have passion for whatever I am doing, and to be a more generous person.
I love you! Happy Birthday!!
November 11, 2009
Sin and Salvation
It's amazing how when we mess up, God still draws us back to Himself in forgiveness. I've been convicted of not only sin, but the fact that I'm a wretched sinner who returns again and again to my sin. I hate being that way. I want to be more and more like Jesus, but it seems like one step forward produces 2 steps back towards my old sinful self. I guess that's what it means when we're to die daily to our old lives. And nothing we can do on our own can make us become more like Him. It is in drawing near to God that will allow us to reflect His goodness.
I'm reading a book by Watchman Nee, and he wrote how when we are convicted of sin, we know that we cannot face God because of His holiness. He is perfect, and we are not. BUT, dwelling in our weakness will never make us strong. Doing penance will not help us to be holier. God is light, we are called to walk in "the Light", and when we allow God to see our exposed lives He still loves us. He loves us in spite of our sins, not because of anything that we have done, but because of Jesus who took our place of penalty by dying for us. John 1:9 says that by the Blood of Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed from every sin.
What marvelous truth. No matter our sin, God will forgive us if we allow Him. It's nothing good in what we do. It's not in feeling guilty. It's only through Jesus blood that covers our sins that we can have renewed fellowship with God.
Thank you, Jesus, for being my mediator so that I can have communion with Your Father. I love you.
I'm reading a book by Watchman Nee, and he wrote how when we are convicted of sin, we know that we cannot face God because of His holiness. He is perfect, and we are not. BUT, dwelling in our weakness will never make us strong. Doing penance will not help us to be holier. God is light, we are called to walk in "the Light", and when we allow God to see our exposed lives He still loves us. He loves us in spite of our sins, not because of anything that we have done, but because of Jesus who took our place of penalty by dying for us. John 1:9 says that by the Blood of Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed from every sin.
What marvelous truth. No matter our sin, God will forgive us if we allow Him. It's nothing good in what we do. It's not in feeling guilty. It's only through Jesus blood that covers our sins that we can have renewed fellowship with God.
Thank you, Jesus, for being my mediator so that I can have communion with Your Father. I love you.
Overflow of Blessings
I was talking with a student after school yesterday about how good God is in helping us when we need it most. Some may say that things happen by chance and good fortune, but I truly believe that God has a good purpose for everything--good and bad.
This last week was tough for a number of reasons. But God always revives our spirits when we need it most...
Monday: Jamie (my friend who did the nail dying) invited me to meet her parents for dinner. I thought we were going back to their house to eat, but they "kidnapped" me and we drove out of Seoul!! I guess I should back up and tell you that I've met them before, and they're the kindest, most Godly people who I've ever met. Her dad's one of the assistant pastors at their church, and her mom is so generous. Anyways, as we were driving, I couldn't unglue my face from the window. I NEVER get the opportunity to get out of Seoul, let alone in a car! I got to see my favorite mountains: Bukhansan, Suraksan, Buramsan, and Dobongsan. We drove about 45 minutes, and had a wonderful time talking in the car. It felt like being home. I didn't think of myself as a teacher. I didn't think of myself as a foreigner. I only relaxed and joked around with Jamie while making conversation with her parents. It was so comfortable. We finally arrived at our destination, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was a really warm atmosphere, and home-like. They brought us out a black circle cut open with orange coming out. It was a pumpkin! They take a green pumpkin, steam it so that the inside is nice and soft, and then fill it with pork that is then steamed inside also. It was amazing!! I don't think I've ever eaten pumpkin out of the rind before...After we were so full we could hardly move, we went out for hot chocolate and coffee. At the beginning of the night, the dad would open and close the van door for me, but when we were leaving from the coffee shop, he just hopped in the driver's seat. Then looked back quickly and apologized. He said something softly in Korean, and Jamie said that he felt like we were both his daughters, and he forgot that I was Jamie's friend. It was one of my favorite memories of the night...
Tuesday: At the Children's Center where I work twice a week, I started to become friends with 2 girls who also work there. They're a little older than me, but not by much. They told me that they want to learn English, and asked for English names. I named them Grace and Joy as fit their personalities. They also gave me a Korean name! Eun Joo. It means "Jesus' grace".
One of the small children ran up to me and gave me a little something that she had made in class that day. Then about 4-5 students ran around me and gave me hugs and wanted to sit on my lap! I love the kids, and it made me so happy to have their little arms around my neck for the first time!!
Also at the Children's Center, the director gave me a big bag full of special surprises. There was an expensive looking box full of Korean rice cakes. There were also some special noodles to make Kimchi Mariguksu (my favorite Korean food that I had told her about). Lastly was some brown powder to make a breakfast drink with. It's a special Korean, 7-grain mixture that is apparently really healthy. When you stir it up in milk, it tastes just like the brown pieces in Lucky Charms. Yummy!
After the Children's Center, I came back to teach one more class, and a student gave me a big bottle of vitamins so that I have more energy and stay healthy.
Today (Wednesday): Today is Pepero Day. Pepero is a cookie stick covered by chocolate, and today is 11-11, so the 1's look like pepero sticks...anyways...people give each other these pepero things to each other. It's a fun holiday completely made up by the Pepero companies.
This morning, I received so many boxes of pepero!! Regular chocolate ones, chocolate filled ones, chocolate with almond pieces on the outside...and it goes on and on...
One student gave me a Christmas wrapped package, and after opening it home, I found that it had not only a cute bag full of pepero, but it also had fancy, warm gloves and "sleep socks". I've been teaching about sleep the last 2 days, and most of my students said that in order to fall asleep, they wear "sleep socks". I had no idea what they were talking about, so I guess this student wanted to help me understand better :) It was soooo sweet and really thoughtful.
Also today, the student who stays after school to talk with me gave me a cd by Tommy Walker (a CCM artist)! I have heard of him, but never really listened to him. Little did I know that he wrote one of my favorite songs: He knows my name.
What an amazing few days I've had. And the week isn't even over yet...I know of a few more blessings to come! Thursday night and Saturday are also going to be good gifts from God. I'll write more when those days are passed. When I have low days, I need to remember these times. God has really, truly blessed me with great students and thoughtful people surrounding me. I hope and pray that I'm as giving and generous to others around me. I'm overwhelmed by the love and generosity of those people around me. It makes me so thankful to know them, and to know that we share a good God who is watching over our lives.
This last week was tough for a number of reasons. But God always revives our spirits when we need it most...
Monday: Jamie (my friend who did the nail dying) invited me to meet her parents for dinner. I thought we were going back to their house to eat, but they "kidnapped" me and we drove out of Seoul!! I guess I should back up and tell you that I've met them before, and they're the kindest, most Godly people who I've ever met. Her dad's one of the assistant pastors at their church, and her mom is so generous. Anyways, as we were driving, I couldn't unglue my face from the window. I NEVER get the opportunity to get out of Seoul, let alone in a car! I got to see my favorite mountains: Bukhansan, Suraksan, Buramsan, and Dobongsan. We drove about 45 minutes, and had a wonderful time talking in the car. It felt like being home. I didn't think of myself as a teacher. I didn't think of myself as a foreigner. I only relaxed and joked around with Jamie while making conversation with her parents. It was so comfortable. We finally arrived at our destination, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was a really warm atmosphere, and home-like. They brought us out a black circle cut open with orange coming out. It was a pumpkin! They take a green pumpkin, steam it so that the inside is nice and soft, and then fill it with pork that is then steamed inside also. It was amazing!! I don't think I've ever eaten pumpkin out of the rind before...After we were so full we could hardly move, we went out for hot chocolate and coffee. At the beginning of the night, the dad would open and close the van door for me, but when we were leaving from the coffee shop, he just hopped in the driver's seat. Then looked back quickly and apologized. He said something softly in Korean, and Jamie said that he felt like we were both his daughters, and he forgot that I was Jamie's friend. It was one of my favorite memories of the night...
Tuesday: At the Children's Center where I work twice a week, I started to become friends with 2 girls who also work there. They're a little older than me, but not by much. They told me that they want to learn English, and asked for English names. I named them Grace and Joy as fit their personalities. They also gave me a Korean name! Eun Joo. It means "Jesus' grace".
One of the small children ran up to me and gave me a little something that she had made in class that day. Then about 4-5 students ran around me and gave me hugs and wanted to sit on my lap! I love the kids, and it made me so happy to have their little arms around my neck for the first time!!
Also at the Children's Center, the director gave me a big bag full of special surprises. There was an expensive looking box full of Korean rice cakes. There were also some special noodles to make Kimchi Mariguksu (my favorite Korean food that I had told her about). Lastly was some brown powder to make a breakfast drink with. It's a special Korean, 7-grain mixture that is apparently really healthy. When you stir it up in milk, it tastes just like the brown pieces in Lucky Charms. Yummy!
After the Children's Center, I came back to teach one more class, and a student gave me a big bottle of vitamins so that I have more energy and stay healthy.
Today (Wednesday): Today is Pepero Day. Pepero is a cookie stick covered by chocolate, and today is 11-11, so the 1's look like pepero sticks...anyways...people give each other these pepero things to each other. It's a fun holiday completely made up by the Pepero companies.This morning, I received so many boxes of pepero!! Regular chocolate ones, chocolate filled ones, chocolate with almond pieces on the outside...and it goes on and on...
One student gave me a Christmas wrapped package, and after opening it home, I found that it had not only a cute bag full of pepero, but it also had fancy, warm gloves and "sleep socks". I've been teaching about sleep the last 2 days, and most of my students said that in order to fall asleep, they wear "sleep socks". I had no idea what they were talking about, so I guess this student wanted to help me understand better :) It was soooo sweet and really thoughtful.
Also today, the student who stays after school to talk with me gave me a cd by Tommy Walker (a CCM artist)! I have heard of him, but never really listened to him. Little did I know that he wrote one of my favorite songs: He knows my name.
What an amazing few days I've had. And the week isn't even over yet...I know of a few more blessings to come! Thursday night and Saturday are also going to be good gifts from God. I'll write more when those days are passed. When I have low days, I need to remember these times. God has really, truly blessed me with great students and thoughtful people surrounding me. I hope and pray that I'm as giving and generous to others around me. I'm overwhelmed by the love and generosity of those people around me. It makes me so thankful to know them, and to know that we share a good God who is watching over our lives.
November 8, 2009
Halloween Party
I invited my 8am class over to my house for hiking and a Halloween party this weekend, and it was a blast!! 3 guys and 1 girl met me at the subway to start our hike at 1. We went to Suraksan (the mountain by my house), and I think it was bigger than they imagined...It was hard for me too since I haven't really been hiking in quite a while. We got pretty far though. The mountain goes through stages. There are pieces of really hard hiking, but between are easy transitions. We had 1 more really hard piece to go before getting to the top. But when we were done, we had reached "our top". So we were really happy about that. The leaves were still changing colors, so it was beautiful. I only have one picture of our time together, and the students have the other pictures. So I'll post the other pictures sometime this week.
It was fun to go hiking with people my own age and to have a more friendly atmosphere. We joked around and they tried so hard to speak English all day. I know it was difficult, but I was so proud of them!
At home, one more girl came for the party, so there were 3 guys and 3 girls including me. We ordered pizza and chicken. We also made deokboki (a ricecake spicy stew) in my house and steamed sweet potatoes!! It was really fun, and I loved seeing how to make this very traditional Korean food. We just sat around and talked, and then I brought out the pumpkin. It was huge!! We drew a face on it, and then cut it together. I showed them how to scoop out the seeds with their hands (as children typically do in the US), and then we put a small candle inside. They took pictures of it and we must have sat there for 20 minutes or so just looking at the pumpkin and talking about Halloween. What a great time!!
November 6, 2009
Cafeteria Sights
I've been thinking about the differences of Korea and America in terms of food and social etiquette. It's been a fun little exercise to think about as I eat in the cafeteria each day for lunch and have time to observe many things. I'll share one example of a day not so uncommon. Imagine these things almost every day...
I was sitting down to eat lunch and looking down at my tray to see what was given to me. It was rice with octopus/squid (I couldn't tell which it was) tentacles reaching into the air. At first it was really off-putting, but now I just eat the food leaving the bumpy little legs in a pile at the bottom. After eating what I could, I started people watching...I noticed one of my students (who is about 40 years old) feeding another older man with chopsticks. His friend definitely had the ability to feed himself, but feeding each other delicious food is a symbol of love and friendship.
Earlier that day, before lunch, I was teaching but distracted by a couple of boys touching each others' legs. Both are in their 20's, and one has a girlfriend. One was rubbing the other guy's leg and stomach. It was soooo awkward looking!! I couldn't help but stop teaching and smile at them until I got their attention. They were wrapped up in some discussion apparently about their stomach and legs, and didn't notice my stopping teaching. Finally, one of the other guys in class muttered something to the boys touching each other. They quickly stopped and looked horrified saying, "Not gay! Not gay!!" I know they're not gay, but it was so cute to see them concerned about each other. Where in America could you see two guys care so much about each other that they physically touch each other? Usually even if two guys accidentally touch, they make a big deal about it because they're embarrassed. Not so here! I see guys walking arm in arm all the time!! It's kind of nice to see guys have both a strong and sweet side.
I was sitting down to eat lunch and looking down at my tray to see what was given to me. It was rice with octopus/squid (I couldn't tell which it was) tentacles reaching into the air. At first it was really off-putting, but now I just eat the food leaving the bumpy little legs in a pile at the bottom. After eating what I could, I started people watching...I noticed one of my students (who is about 40 years old) feeding another older man with chopsticks. His friend definitely had the ability to feed himself, but feeding each other delicious food is a symbol of love and friendship.
Earlier that day, before lunch, I was teaching but distracted by a couple of boys touching each others' legs. Both are in their 20's, and one has a girlfriend. One was rubbing the other guy's leg and stomach. It was soooo awkward looking!! I couldn't help but stop teaching and smile at them until I got their attention. They were wrapped up in some discussion apparently about their stomach and legs, and didn't notice my stopping teaching. Finally, one of the other guys in class muttered something to the boys touching each other. They quickly stopped and looked horrified saying, "Not gay! Not gay!!" I know they're not gay, but it was so cute to see them concerned about each other. Where in America could you see two guys care so much about each other that they physically touch each other? Usually even if two guys accidentally touch, they make a big deal about it because they're embarrassed. Not so here! I see guys walking arm in arm all the time!! It's kind of nice to see guys have both a strong and sweet side.
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