Day 1 and 2

It's been such a different (but great) experience working in a Christian University. I enjoy being with students who desire to pray before and after class. I love seeing the passion for serving God that many of them have. I am honored to know people with such dreams as some of them have.

Even though there are times of confusion and chaos, it is still worth it. This morning I woke up and could hardly pull myself out of bed. I thought, "Wow, if this is how I feel after every day, I don't know if I'll be able to make it for a year." I knocked on my coworkers door to walk with him to work, and he didn't answer. I thought maybe he'd left early without me, so I walked by myself to work. Once I got here, everything was all locked up and eerily quiet. Well...after looking at my watch, I realized that I'd read the time wrong and was there an hour early! I felt so bad then for waking my friend up that I went back to the apartment to go at the correct time. Well, I guess an hour early is better than an hour late ^^

Yesterday we went to chapel, got to sit in the front row on the risers, and the president had us come forward individually and introduced us in Korean. Then we bowed and smiled. My coworker, Za'chary, said I looked really uncomfortable. Probably, becuase the only thing I could think of while up there was how if this were 3 years ago, I would never have done that. Even sitting up front was a little hard. But it was a really great experience too. There are lots of students who go to KBU. The president told me there were over 1000 day students and a few hundred night students!!

As of now, I'm working on putting together a curriculum and refining a syllabus. Yesterday was pretty much just interviewing students to put them into a level. Today we talked about "Favorite Things" It was interesting to help some of them introduce themselves for the first time and to see more advanced students help the ones who needed help.

Just now, one student came into my class saying that she wanted to interview me about my "Favorite Things". It was really fun. We talked for a good 15 minutes or so about her plans for school and challenges she was having. I love that the students are free in their time to be able to spend time talking with us. I really enjoy that.

I think it'll be a good year! Busy, but good.

Hike #2 Video

Video from the 2nd Hike (A little fast)

Mountain Hike #2

The last "mountain" experience I now realize was not really a mountain... :) This was truly mountain climbing. Last year I had a tremendous experience with a Korean couple literally scaling the walls of a rock face with me in tow. This wasn't quite that dramatic, but hanging onto ropes in order to keep from losing footing was definitely enough to get my adrenaline going!

This last Saturday was when I went to Suraksan with Ian (my friend from the U). I'm so thankful to have someone to enjoy these experiences with. He said that he hikes almost every weekend and invited me to join him whenever I wanted to come, so that'll definitely be up on one of my top things to do!!

This first time climbing in a year was definitely rough on my body, but I'm sure that'll get better through time...
Ian and I at the topChamchari (잠자리) Dragonfly

Oh~I found out that the Korean word for a buzzing insect that I'm not quite sure the English word for is--Meimi--which is what I used to call myself when I was a baby. And "bug" is what my parents used to call me (well, sometimes still call me :) ). We climbed from the sign Surak Station (4.1km) up to the top (.9km) and then back down to the sign (.9km) and then to Jangam Station (2.8km). Which if you add it all up is around 8.5km which is 5.2 miles!! I can't believe that we hiked that much. No wonder we were so sore and tired...
At the bottom, we took our shoes and socks off, and soaked them in the chilled mountain water. It was sooo cold!! But it felt sooo good!!
It was worth it

New Friend?

I usually don't eat breakfast, but since I've been waking up early I get hungry at around 9. I hadn't found any cereal at this point, so I've been going to a little kimbap store just outside of the apartment. I love kimbap restaurants because they're simple and affordable. The prices usually only range from 75 cents to 4.50USD. Not too bad.

Well, since my first meal is usually lunch, I have no problem eating the spicy Korean food early. It is a blessing to want to eat lunch earlier in the day, because the stores are much less busy at those times. So I have the owners all to myself :) I've been hoping to build a friendship with at least one of the ladies who work here, and today I talked with one of them!!

She started talking to me in Korean, and I unfortunately had no idea what she was talking about except for hearing the word Korea...So I thought she wanted to know how long I had been here. I got out my little pocket phrasebook, and started searching for the word "day". She laughed when I told her I'd been here for 4 days...Must not have been the right question :) Oh well. I thanked her for the food and told her it was delicious. I had a kimchi and rice stir-fry. Mmm... She got out a little English book that she had written all over in! She's learning English!! I talked to her with the help of the phrasebook and found out her name and told her it was a pleasure to meet her. I think it might be a good tradition to go here a few times a week as well as get to talk to her more. Maybe she'll be willing to teach me some Korean if I help her in her English!! That would be great.

I'm pleased to introduce my new friend: Shin-dong Il

Pics: Apartment, River, Mountain

Looking down the road towards my apartment
The big, tall Opian building is mine...6th floor
View out the window
View with the window open (better to see) -- if you look close, there are mountains in the dark clouds behind the buildings
Kitchen and bedroom area
My new little friend the cactus
Desk with a pull-out table in the entry-way
Close-up of my desk. Lots of books and computer...with a map of Nowon under the glass!
Outside looking towards the city to the west of Nowon (where I live)
All to the right of the river in this picture is Nowon.Hike to Mount Surak...
Hiking map. If you look at the close-up by clicking on the picture, I was at point number 4. Surak Station where I live is at the tip of the left mountain.

Military, River, Mountain

This morning, I heard a ton of ruckus downstairs with firetrucks and ambulances and such. I figured it wasn't a big deal since there's a police station across the road with lots of traffic in and out. When I walked outside, I saw 4 big military trucks with men inside dressed in camo and face paint. Then, I turned onto a side street, and there were a bunch of military men sitting crouched behind a building with their guns up in the air!! It was kind of scary... But I kept walking and didn't look back :) Later, I saw the same guys laughing and hanging out together near their trucks. I'll bet someone important was coming into town (there's an "Air Terminal" down the road). That or they were preparing for some sort of attack. I guess you can let your minds go wild with this one. I'll never know what that was all about...

Father on that walk, I found the river! I knew there was one close, but didn't quite know how to get to it. It has a really pretty view of the city apartments as well as the mountains in the background. My computer's not working quite right, so I can't upload pictures quite yet. But they're coming :) By the way, the name of the mountains nearby are called Soraksan. And that's the name of the Subway Station in front of my house :) So it's easy for me to remember!

I walked back to the main road and headed the other way. Towards the mountains. On my walk, there was a little stream fountain thing flowing down the road. So I figured I wouldn't get lost if I followed it. When I ran into groups of people talking, most of the time they'd quit talking and watch me walk by. After a few times of this, I started to say, "Annyeonghaseyo!!" (Hello) and they'd all laugh and say the same back :) It feels nice to make them smile...

There are many little shops all along the roads that you can tell are especially for hikers. They have hiking gear, cold soups, snacks, galbi restaurants, benches, etc. It's definitely going to be quite the experience living here. I feel people know less English here than in Bundang. That could be a good thing though--it will force me to learn more Korean!!

Everyone, EVERYONE, was wearing boots, bandanas, hats, hiking pants, long sleeved shirts,
walking sticks, backpacks...It was pretty funny because I was wearing jeans, sandals, and a no-sleeved shirt. In my defense, I wasn't expecting to go hiking!! I love it because it's not too far from my house. Maybe a 15-20 minute walk or so. Half-way up, there was a spicket where I could get water flowing down the mountain, so I filled up my water bottle. On my way back, there was a mom with 2-3 little kids playing in the water. She started talking quickly to her kids, and one little girl about 2 years old looked at me, smiled, bowed, and yelled "Annyeonghaseyo" (Hello!). It was sooo cute!!

I had kimbap today (rolled seaweed, vegetables, and rice). I asked for soy sauce, and they almost wouldn't give me any because they thought that I was joking :) Hopefully I get to know them better like I knew the ladies at the other kimbap store in Migeum.

I noticed that my apartment has 3 floors of shopping inside. So on my way to explore it, I met a kid in the elevator who said hello and asked me my name. We talked for a little bit, and I realized that was the first time in hours that I had spoken English (or much of anything in Korean). When hiking, I don't really talk--and when I do, I'm practicing the few Korean words I know.

Well, that was my story for the day. Kind of exciting, but more just interesting little things all piled into one day. I promise that not every day will be this long of a post. Well, maybe the first few days of school since I'm so excited for classes to start!!

Getting Settled

Well, today marked the first full day of being in Nowon, South Korea. First off, I'd like to say THANK YOU for all of the comments! It was so encouraging to read them and know that there are people out there reading some of these :)

My apartment is really nice. A little smaller than my last one, but the last one was huge! So this is really great. I'm enjoying trying to make it feel like my own home. Holly, one of the first things I did once I got here was hang up the picture of us that you gave me...

I had things strewn all over the room after unpacking, and decided I needed to shop so I could hang the things up and sort through them. So I did all my shopping for the morning and came back to the apartment which was locked--and the battery was dead! So I couldn't get in...I went to the University to meet my friend, Ian, and we hung out there for a while. He introduced me to the President of KBU (where I will work) and to others who work there. One really interesting thing about the President is that his son is 1 of the 5 main actors on "The Mentalist"!! I didn't meet any of the other English teachers yet, but I think we'll meet on Friday.

Once we got back to the apartment, they fixed the lock and came inside to fix a few other things. I felt bad though because my room was a disaster :) Oh well. Nothing to hide now. After they left, I went shopping for the rest of my stuff, and eventually got back to put all the clothes away. It looks better now, but still not quite how I want it to look. Hmm...I'll have to go get a rug or something to throw on the wood floor so it feels more home-like.

Oh, if you think of it, would you pray for me? One of my biggest fears is: needles...And I am getting my blood drawn for a heath check tomorrow!! But I know that it's for the best. Once I get the results back, I can apply for an Alien Registration Card which is like a National I.D. (or International I.D.). Then...I can get internet, a cell phone, and other useful things :)

Safe Arrival

Hello everyone. I just wanted to let you know that I got to Korea safely last night. Yay! The adventure is about to begin. I can already tell that this year will be much different from last year. Not a good or bad difference, just a completely new experience. And I'm really excited about it!

The view is WAY better than last year from my apartment! I can see the road and the shops around the place. Also, over one of the apartments across the road, Bukhansan mountain is visible!! I'm so happy to be here and to begin meeting people.

Now I'm off to explore the area...and get a few things for the apartment :)

Girls Night Out

Tuesday night, my mom, Holly, and I all went out for dinner together downtown. We went to my favorite restaurant--Chino Latino's! I love how they blend foods from around the world into their menu! It was fun to dress up and just enjoy being together ^^ Dad gets his turn for special time tomorrow...

July 12--August 12

This is a day late, but here it is anyway. Most people probably aren't interested, but you can skip this post. It's simply here to help keep me accountable. This month wasn't as much as I'd planned to read...Hopefully next month when I settle a bit in Korea I'll be able to take longer periods of time reading.

Genesis

Exodus 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

Leviticus 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Deuteronomy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Joshua 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Judges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 1

Ruth 1, 2, 3, 4

1 Samuel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

2 Samuel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

1 Kings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,21, 22

2 Kings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

1 Chronicles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

2 Chronicles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Ezra 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Nehemiah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Esther 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Job 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42

Psalms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150

Proverbs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Ecclesiastes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Song of Solomon 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Isaiah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66

Jeremiah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52

Lamentations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ezekiel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48

Daniel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Hosea 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Joel 1, 2, 3

Amos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Obadiah 1

Jonah 1, 2, 3, 4

Micah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Nahum 1, 2, 3

Habakkuk 1, 2, 3

Zephaniah 1, 2, 3

Haggai 1, 2

Zechariah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Malachi 1, 2, 3, 4

Matthew

Mark 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Luke

John 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Acts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation

Blue = Up to May 12, 2009
Green = 5/12--6/12
Orange = 6/12--7/12
Purple = 7/12--8/12

Books

I decided it would be really helpful to buy a few books before going to Korea. One of these books is a Korean Phrasebook. This was one thing that I really regretted not having last year. I know that it will be VERY useful this time around :) Another of the books is a Korean-English Dictionary, and the other book that I bought online is a Korean-English Bible! I'm actually really excited about using the Bible!! Not only will it help me establish some sort of vocabulary, but mostly it will help me practice being able to read fluently. Right now I can pronounce words, but it takes me a while to figure out exactly how to say it. Having something to read (and knowing what the translation basically is) will help me tremendously in this area!

Thank you to those who have also helped me out financially. Even though I will be working in a paid position from the University, having extra money to use for things I might not buy for myself has been really helpful :) Thank you!

Philippians 4:19

Philippians 4:19 "And my God will take care of all your needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ."

I know that God wants me to take this teaching position in Korea, but God has still tested my trust in His sovereign control of all my needs. I need to have patience and trust that He will work things out in his time. The actual situation is this...

In Korea I will be teaching Sunday School in English--but at a Korean church. I am very much excited about this opportunity, but am also a bit nervous about not being able to attend my own church in Seoul. SIBC (my English church) finishes their service at 12noon, which is the same time that I would finish at the Korean church. And SIBC only has one worship service...This service and also a men/women's bible study mid-week.

So I've been praying over this situation, and have been trusting that if this is really where God wants me to be, then things will work themselves out. Well, this afternoon at Caribou, I had some free time on the internet, and was checking to see what book the women's bible study was reading. While looking at their new and improved website, I came across some information that made tears come to my eyes. They have added a service at 3pm Sunday afternoon and another on Saturday nights at 7!!

What a good God we serve. He leads us where we should be, but does not forget about what our needs are. Finding this out has been the biggest blessing from God that I have received through this whole experience. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

August 16th

Yay! First things first...I got my visa today and the plane ticket yesterday!! I also found my make-up bag under my bed :) Well, actually my mom did...

I'm so excited! Things are finally all come together, and all there is left to do it say goodbyes and hop on the plane. August 16th I leave at 7am and fly to San Francisco. From there I fly directly to Seoul!! Korea, here I come!

Sister Day

Oh, I forgot to mention how much I love you, Holly!! Happy National Sisters Day!! Thank you for being my sister and for helping me become a better version of who I am :) I love you with all my heart!!

Ready to go...kind of...

I don't have a plane ticket or my visa yet, but I'm getting so excited to go back to Korea!! Even though I will miss everyone here, I know that this is what God has in plan for me. Today Pastor announced for me in church that next Sunday would be my last Sunday before leaving. Next Sunday I get to play a special on the piano, and I'm so happy that it worked out that that would be my last Sunday as well!

I don't think I formally talked about this, but I got a job at Seoul Bible University in...Seoul ^^ I'll be teaching University students English as well as helping teach at the church connected with the school. It's in a completely different part of Seoul, so it'll be exciting to see new things apart from Bundang. Even though I really, really loved living in Bundang last year. Wow! I can't believe it's already been one year since I left Korea. And two years since I first went there!! Yeah, in fact almost 2 years to the day...

So I've been busy packing and hanging out with friends and family. That's pretty much my life right now. But I'm so happy that God has blessed me with such wonderful people in my life. Today was the last day of shopping hopefully. I think I have everything I need. Well, we went camping this last week and I can't find any of my make-up now...so maybe I'll need to do some more shopping tomorrow!

15 more days until I'm supposed to be in Korea!!!