Goings on

I still haven't bought the new Coldplay album. New as in, this past Spring. Oops. Any way, I've been enjoying this track from Ghost Stories: A Sky Full of Stars.

I thought it was about time for a little update!
I'm sure you are all dying to know what it's like being an administrative assistant as an NP.
It's like this: you have way more files then is probably necessary because how the heck can you even decide what folder to put something in? If it could go in one of three folders then it gets its own spot. Also what about those little notes to oneself with info that could come in handy one day? I assume there is a better method than a patchwork of sticky notes/ pieces of paper paper clipped together. But I haven't figured that out.
But those are the really the only struggles. I've been so lucky to get to help edit a book, which is one of my favorite things to do, and impress my boss with my "look stuff up on the internet" skills. Bet you didn't know that tracking down info on the web was a life skill, but it certainly makes me look good when I can come up with a phone number deemed lost forever--because like me, my boss writes important information on little pieces of paper. Oh brother ㅋㅋㅋ

I've also gotten the chance to do a little tutoring on the side many days after work with a Korean staff member here. Mostly just conversation based, giving help with pronunciation and article use and such, but it's been so very nice not to give up all my teacher-y doings.

Which brings me to another fun thing I've been up to: being one of the acting coaches for our church's Kids' Club/Christmas play program. I've been dragging my memory for every fun activity I can remember from Voice and Drama camp and Spotlights and Showstoppers and all that. (Some of the games I realized also could be modified for ESL use as well, which is super...always trying to expand the toolbelt!) This week we're holding auditions, and I am super pumped! It is really fun to be around kids again, but I have realized that American kids are more squirrelly than Korean kids...or at least they take a longer time to listen. So I need to practice being a little firmer. I also have been so used to speaking slowly and clearly with young kids that when other more seasoned teacher types get up and give instructions, my first thought is, "Woah slow down no way can they understand!" then, "oh right...native speakers..."

So I'm trying out some new sections, mostly for myself to keep track of stuff, but maybe you'll enjoy it too! The first one is a book review:

September Books (and why you should read them too!)

1. Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery

Beside's Montgomery's delicious descriptions of landscape and her fantastic dialogue, let's talk about the main character. Anne Shirley/Blythe is one of the most glorious characters in fiction--s a woman who is smart, witty, wise, imaginative, ridiculously caring and decidedly not boring. You know how sometimes you read books and there is a character who is flawed, definitely, but who you still want to be like? This is one of those for me. I've dreamed of being a combination of Jo March and Anne Shirley, because both of them grow. They know where they're weak, and the strengthen those areas. And they listen to criticism. The Anne series also is such a lovely picture of growing up, and how each stage of a person's life has its own wonderful people and places. You think no other place but Green Gables and the people of Avonlea could be so wonderful, but then you go to Redmond, and Windy Poplars and the House of Dreams and then Ingleside and each one is full of joy and beauty. A good reminder to me, who so often looks wistfully at the past, that what is to come has its own unknown delights.

2. The Little Book of Restorative Discipline in the Classroom by Lorraine S Amstutz and Judy H Mullet

If I could write a subtitle for this powerful 70ish page book, it would be "How to treat students like they matter a lot--even when they mess up big time." With those not familiar with restorative justice practices, in a nutshell it's looking at justice (and discipline) as primarily an issue of broken relationships, not of broken rules. That means that when misbehavior happens, the focus on discovering what relationships have been broken and how to restore them. That means that victims and offenders both have a voice in the proceedings and Zero-Tolerance strategies that cause more harm than good are done away with. Basically, it's a call to be more creative in discipline so that instead of simply receiving doled out punishment, students receive an education in how healthily resolve conflict and understand their responsibility in the relationships around them. It's a quick read, but I really recommend it, especially to teachers.

3. Stephen Fry's (In)Complete and Utter History of Classical Music as told to Tim Lihorean

My favorite way to learn stuff is while I'm laughing. Making a joke about something helps you remember right? Gabby was telling me the other day about a joke her class had about a composer, Hildegard of Bingen, and you can bet your socks they aren't going to forget about that feisty nun anytime soon. So besides this being written by Stephen Fry, one of the funniest guys out there, it's actually quite informative and I am learning a lot about music history! Here's one of my favorite bits about composers who were quite popular in their day, but are kind of unknown now:

"Of course, I have a personal theory, which I am willing to share. You see, Gluck...largely out of fashion isn't he? Hmm? And Dittersdorf? Also, more or less forgotten. And now Hummel. Revered by Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Liszt in his day, but now the dodo of classical music. And why? Well, my theory...mildly amusing middle names.

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf

Cristoph Willibald von Gluck

Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Need I say more? QED, as the French call the famous cruise ship." (pg 114-115)


So happy reading! I hope you enjoy those books as much as I do!
And of course, wouldn't be a proper post without out a few quotes:


Quotes from the Community:

"My whole body is smarting!" --Yoonseo bemoans having to ride his bicycle home after playing soccer.

Gabby: "Do you know why the Wise Men went to see Jesus?"
Nicholas: "To give him some....valuables?"

Gabby: "I spy something red."
Nicholas: "Your cheeks?"

Trying not to "make the best of things."

These days, I've been having more "Missing Korea" moments than I had before in the hustle and bustle of friends and fun events. One CD I've been listening to is a Korean worship album that Yoonseo helped Josiah pick out for my Dad, and which I have been borrowing for a week or so. My favorite track is this one: 소원 (Hope). I really love the melody, and have been trying slowly to work out the meaning of the lyrics. From what I can figure out, it talks about the desire to live like Jesus, walking a road that is narrow, deep and high.

My title seems a little bit of a downer, but it's a description of my deep-down wish that I could get past the ever-clinging feeling that I'm just slogging in the trenches towards some unnamed and unidentified goal or life landmark or something fantastic--the "making the best of things" while you're waiting for something to happen. I really have a tendency to gravitate toward that feeling...the trouble of course is that I never can really figure out what it is I'm waiting for. And that is when melancholy likes to reel you into yourself, making you a navel gazer and a false martyr...something that I have felt happening to myself every now and again.

Part of it has to do with the stress of moving, I know (very glad to be just about finished with that and settled in with darling friends!) but I have a feeling I'm still dealing with some reverse culture shock too. Some of that is that America isn't like Korea. I never thought I would admit it, but I got so use to the 'hurry hurry' culture in Korea, that now I bothers me when problems  or projects can't be taken care of in a day or two. I miss eating rice and eating spicy food. I  miss teaching. I miss being able to get places without a car.

Boy did I really miss that last one this morning, when I locked my keys in the car. I found myself in tears not because I was going to be late, but because I realized that suddenly, needing help was kind of an inconvenience to other people. In my community in Korea, I never once felt that way. We all lived together, it was no problem to ask someone to bring your backpack home from work, or pick up something at Lotte. Now asking for a favor usually means someone has to get into their car, or rearrange their schedule or something like that. I regret not thanking people more for their daily love that way. Thank you my family in Korea (now some of them in America and Canada!) for never letting me be an inconvenience to you! (or at least never letting me know it, hehe) I hope to be able to make others feel that way too. I want to learn to be as generous with my time and money and care as you all were; to not do anything begrudgingly.

So though this morning left me feeling, to quote Anne of Ingleside, "about as brilliant as a piece of grey flannel," it got me thinking about readjustment and things to help in on it's course a little more. Of course, since my brain only seems to start working after I jump start it with some reading, I read some blogs and came away with some good tidbits.

1. I need to find ways to tell stories, and to let people be a part of what I experienced, not just what I "did." It's harder than it sounds, because stories don't bubble out of me like they might have if I was an extrovert. I feel almost connected myself to Evi's trip to Chile, because she let us know all about it, and described "her people" there until I felt like I met them myself. I need to talk about those things
And not just the "captain's log details" please. I've told the 'how long I was there-what I did-how did I like the food-what am I doing now-do I think I'll go back" shpeal enough. 14 months. Taught English to the best students on the planet. Korean Food is magic. I am an administrative assistant. Yes. There are all the answers, for you. Instead, as Nacho once wisely said, "Let's get down to the neety greety."

2. I need to find ways to hear others stories and be a part of what they experienced. I read that on one blog and felt a little sheepish. It's easy to feel like since you were away in a new place that you're the one who had all the adventures and stories, but that's a little big headed and very untrue. In order to feel like you belong again somewhere, you have to learn about your home again, just like you did when you went to a new place. And try not to ask the same sort of not-captain's-log boring questions you don't want to be asked either.

So here's to having a good cry every once and a while, and to not "making the best of things." Most of the best things are here already, if you're willing to look.

Being here.

While driving back from dropping off Yoonseo in Harrisonburg, Dad and I were jamming to some good old Second Chapter of Acts. I heard from good trivia about them, including the fact that the beautiful alto that I thought was one of the sisters of the group was actually Matthew Ward as a young teen. The kid (and the man) have some pipes! Here's a song that showcases his sweet vocals: Star Light, Star Bright.

Well, it has been some time! I originally thought that I would give up writing this blog, but somehow it's therapeutic to write out happenings. It also helps me with my attitude, to not view my life in the U.S. now as an ended adventure, but simply a continued one.

The first part of the continued adventure begins not even 24 hours after I landed in the U.S. I called to check about a job lead to see if I could get more information, and instead was asked to come in for an interview. That day. As soon as I could. So after hanging up the phone I headed up the road to Winebrenner Theological Seminary to interview for the administrative assistant to the vice president position they had open. Less than a week later I found out I got the job! It will pay enough to allow me to live with my bestest of friends, Gabby before she leaves for South Africa next year. One more little personal message from God telling me to stop worrying so much about stuff. It's covered. This year has had so many moments like that, where God shows me a specific worry I've had and then shows me how it is small beans because he happens to be the one getting things done and taking care of people around here.

The second part of the adventure was a trip to the Philadelphia area for a Fickett wedding! Weddings tend to be joyous in general, but Fickett weddings are extra joyous. A very big congratulations to Seth and Natalie! It was so fantastic to be surrounded by so many beloved people at once after being of the country for so long. Love and hug tank was "oversploding" by the end of it. It's a very good thing to come from being surrounded by lovely people in Korea to being surrounded again by lovely people in the U.S.

Which only continued with a week at Roxbury Camp! Not only did I get to visit with some of those nearest and dearest to me, but I also felt like I got a much-needed, direct-in-the-vein spiritual nourishment. I was blessed immensely by Grace and Peace Mennonite Church in Korea, and by the wonderful people who translated for the English speakers week after week (thanks Yoonseo and Jae!). However, there is just something about hearing spiritual truths and encouragement and worshiping in your own native tongue. It's like speaking on a real telephone after listening through a walkie-talkie or something. You just get it a little more deeply. The two biggest things that have stuck with me from the week:

1. When you hear some spiritual truth, don't be looking around or busy thinking about who you think "needs to hear it" the most. Instead of farming off nuggets of God's word on to other people, how about examining yourself? It most likely applies to you! 

2. We have to be digging into the Bible. Calling myself a Christian and not spending time reading and studying the Bible is  like trying to say I've got working lights when all I have is a light switch attached to nothing. No source, No life. Also, any study of the Bible should conclude with me asking the question, "So what does this change?" Because as John Fickett once wisely said, it's not just Bible study, it's Bible "do-y." 

Phew. Those are toughies. Still working on implementation...

Then, after Roxbury came one of the most exciting parts! Yoonseo finally arrived in the U.S! I want to personally give a high five and a slow clap of honor and amazement to those of you who have been in/currently are in a very long-distance relationship. Because it's not easy, especially ones that deal with conflicting time zones. I did it for only three weeks and it was kind of the worst. It's very easy for one or both of you to feel very isolated, left out, and in my case very insecure. I need a lot of reassurance that people still like me and care about how I am doing (even from boyfriends) and I like to know how people are doing themselves, what they're up to, how I can pray, etc. So, having to receive or not receive that mostly through impersonal methods like texting because of distance and timing was very, very difficult. It was fantastic to see him again, like my heart could breath a little easier. We're still kind of far away from each other, but the same time zone helps a lot. Also, two hour drives are kind of small beans by American standards. It's hard to get much of anywhere in a country this big without driving that long.

So what's next? Three days into my new job, I am excited for students to arrive, and excited to soon be finished creating a computer (instead of paper)-based contact list. Data entry unfortunately does not make my heart sing, but I recognize my need to learn better organizational skills, something I think this job will give me some excellent training in! Though Excel may not be the most interesting, I am also getting to do some book editing, which I do very much like.

The main thing is learning to be here. And really be here. I guess it's an ailment of many young adults, and especially ones that travel, that you're just kind of 'hanging out' until the next big change. And that feeling of just 'hanging out' can make you feel a little detached and anxious for things to 'finish' and be on their way. It's also a little tough to realize that I'm going to have to take a break from being a teacher for a while, which really made my heart sing. The obsession with 'having the proper documents' in the U.S. can be a little frustrating sometimes, though I understand why it exists. There is always volunteer work needed, so I'm hoping to get involved somehow in some ESL classrooms along the way.

I sure to miss those little kiddos though, with their funny Ls and Rs and verbs at the end and their fancy pencil cases and their silly conversation questions. Who will ask me now whether I like dinosaurs or dragons better and why? Who will ask me if I would rather eat a chameleon or my own hair? At some point I think I'm going to grieve a bit for the loss of that experience.
Grieve, and then work on letting what I experience now be just as meaningful and full of delight.

Delight is easier when you have such great people around...check out the quotes!

Quotes from the (New) Community:

Overheard at Sapporo Sushi in Waynesboro:
Little Boy: "Girls have armpit hair too when they grow up."
Little Girl: "Well my mom doesn't have any."
Little Boy: "Well, my dad has a bunch! a whole pile of it!"

Evi: "These apples are really soft!"
Dad: "Those are peaches."

"I see how it is! you think I'm a dog just because I'm a brother!" -Josiah's dramatic reaction to being told he had to share the sink while brushing his teeth.

Abby: "Danny! It's past curfew! the Roxbury security is going to come get you!"
Danny: "No! it you're silent then you are legal!"

Mom: "Dr. B knows what he's doing..."
Hope: "I don't know, he's pretty old...He hasn't been to doctor school in a while. Maybe you better look it up on the internet."

Abby: "Evi! gross!"
Evi: "You know what? Jesus smells my farts and says, 'mmmm I created it!" soooo..."

"Strike anywhere? My granny's fanny!"- Hope's reaction after trying to light a match on the underside of the table.

Abby: "I couldn't get a whole row to apply the wrap text function in Excel today."
Hope: "It wouldn't (w)rap text? that's Ludacris!"

And finally, I leave you with this:

A Fart Haiku by Abby and Hope and Evi

First fart of the day
that broke wind in these panties.
Will I sail away?

Thanks for reading!

The Week of Lasts

My current jams are those from the Inside Llewyn Davis film soundtrack. Here's a favorite, Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan's cover of Peter, Paul and Mary's 500 Miles.

Well here it is. My last Korea blog post! I feel like it should be extra special so I'm feeling some pressure...let's see what I can do.

It's been a few weeks since, but I suppose the beginning of the end started with Kate leaving. It's hard to see a good pal slowly taking their figurative steps out the door...you're confronted with a parade of lasts, where it's kind of hard to figure out whether you should feel something different or behave differently because it's the last Teacher's meeting together, or the last bible study, or if you should just embrace it as a Teacher's meeting or a bible study, with the fact that it just happens to be the last as a side note. I guess it's even harder when it's your own turn to do that...I'm working out how to best do it.
At any rate...I miss you Kate! I can't wait till we get to meet again stateside. Soooon!

In the last month I've been trying to do some fun things, and make last time visits to places. One of those places of course was Gangneung, Yoonseo's home town! We went together to visit his parents for part of the weekend, driving in late on a Friday night and driving home late Saturday night. Last time we visited, I let the pressure of it get to my head and did a very poor job of being friendly, trying to speak Korean and just be an all around normal and polite person. So I was glad to have a chance to kind of redeem myself and also get to know his parent's better.
It was a fantastic visit. After a welcoming late night snack of fruit and delicious cookies, I got to sleep in late and have a delicious breakfast..even though I was a little embarrassed about how bad I still am at eating grilled fish with bones with chopsticks. You would think that after a year I would have gotten better at it, but no, not really. Haha.
We went to visit Yoonseo's grandparent's tomb after breakfast. I helped his mom pick out some new faux flowers to put next to the graves, and then we drove out to 옥계 into the country. The area around the tombs was just absolutely lovely! We had a little snack of cake and tomatoes, and I wore a huge straw hat/visor that Yoonseo's mom lent me. I secretly loved it. He he.
After visiting the tomb, we went back to Gangneung by route of the most beautiful seaside drive I've ever seen. The water was seriously almost azure blue, with huge brown/black craggy rocks sticking out everywhere. The contrast was one I could have looked at for a long time.
When we got back to the house, Yoonseo's mom taught me how to make Japchae, a Korean noodle dish that I have been wanting to learn how to cook. It was such a neat time, because even though I can't speak Korean very well, we could still communicate and have a time to connect with each other.
After eating some of the delicious japchae, Yoonseo and I went on what we thought was a short bike ride, but coming back we met his dad coming out on his bike, and he wanted to show us a bridge that he likes to bike to, so we turned back around and went back out for over an hour! My bum was not happy at the time, but afterwards I was so glad we had gone for a longer ride. It was so nice, biking while watching the sunset, and seeing huge fish leap out of the river to catch bugs in mid air. It's one of my favorite memories from the weekend.
We left after dinner and got in pretty late Saturday night, and the next day we headed out early again to Paju to Hanjoo's parent's house for a church service/barbecue. It was pretty hot, but there was a nice platform gazebo thing that many older houses have built as a sort of outdoor shaded work area, so we sat underneath there for church. We had the most interesting communion I have had to date: sponge cake and Makgeolli. Taste and see that the Lord is good! hahaha.

Lots of changes at Connexus of course. New students have come and new teachers as well. So excited to have met Michaela and Michelle and spent some time with them. They are  going to be BRILLIANT. I am so excited for what's ahead for Connexus and them. We also have a new vice principal, since Yoonseo is headed off to the U.S., Jae's brother Jaesung is taking over. It's been great to have him around to help us out. He will be invaluable to the next batch of teachers.

I just realized I always refer to the incoming teachers as the "new batch." Maybe I should say "fresh batch" to go even more into the cookie metaphor. Yes. Michaela and Michelle, you are fresh and delicious cookies. ㅋㅋㅋ.

One funny story from the classroom: the Backpack songs are notoriously fast for the kids to try to sing along to, and some time their garbled attempts to keep up are pretty hilarious. The Green 3 song line "that tall man is my grandfather Bill," proved hard for Sungyeon, who belted out "That tall man is my grandbrother Mill!" We had a very long laugh in class about that. Oh man. Still cracks me up.

Before Michelle came, we also had a great birthday party at Jaesung's house for Omonim. The highlight of the evening was definitely Heather's gift of a homemade Miss Korea sash for her to wear, and when Abonim told her to show off her legs and she hiked up the leopard print. Oh man, I wish I had a video of that. Too funny.

Before leaving, I had my 4:30 class over. I gave them a queen's tea! They loved the scones and lemon curd but were less enthusiastic about the tea and cucumber and egg salad sandwiches. No problem for me though, I just ate them for lunch the next day. We played halli galli and labyrinth together and they danced to some EXO and AOA songs. It was fun to have one last special time with them!

My last saturday, we went to a soccer game in Suwon. Now, Korean soccer is a little low-quality compared to the stuff we've been watching during the world cup, but I love watching a sport where I can understand all the rules. Not to mention the gloriousness of eating cold fried chicken and drinking Cass.

Leaving Korea was a whirlwind and a half. I taught the last day I was there, went to eat with my host family, and then was in the car on the way to their airport after saying goodbye to everyone outside the apartment. Surreal. It was hard to even really internalize it all on my last day: this is the last time I see Joy and Hyemin. This is the last time I see Sungyeon and Eun (Joy). This is the last time I see Susan and Eileen and Cindy and Christina. This is the last time I see Yoobin and Yoochan and Jiwon and Dongwon. This is the last time I see Daniel and Dohyeon and Raphael and Juyun. This is the last...this is the last... It's tricky to know how to really understand it in your heart. How could it all be over in one day? And yet, there it is.

Even after arriving here in the U.S. it feels like somehow Connexus is just around the corner, or in a city several hours away. I feel like I should be able to walk long enough in Waynesboro and find the street with Mcdonalds and Moa and the Apple Man and Daiso...but that's not how it is. So it will be hard. Right now it just feels good to be home, to see the people I love, to cuddle our cute animals...but I know the tough time is coming, when my heart is breaking because the people I love are so far away from me.

The good news is that Jesus is the same here as he was in Korea, and I am resting in the truth that he's going to take me through the rough patches here just like he did there.

Anyway, here's some last quotes from Korea, with one from America too!

Quotes from the Community:

"He's standing beside a statue without a head...He's so cultured!" -Anna

Abby: "I don't feel like teaching today."
Sarah: "Yeah, my mouth feels dry."

"I predict that in your future there will be more chickpea." -Anna's parting fortune-telling for Kate.

Anna: "Peace Camp sounds really cool."
Sarah: "I bet your children would go."
Anna: "My children?"
Sarah: "Yes..."
Anna: "My children in my body?"

Sarah: "Ok, who has done Yellow Review?"
Heather: "Uh...You and I did!"
Sarah: "Oh..I did?"
Heather: "Yeah you wrote the backpack lessons!"

"Oh shoot my hair...I went to the salon this morning but now it's like Omonim's." -Yoonseo

Abby (after walking into Jaesung's office): "Oh sorry! I forgot the copy machine isn't here anymore.."
Jaesung: "It's ok. I can do it for you with handwriting."

"Oh man. My underwear is downstairs. First world problems." -Mom

Newness all around

Haven't posted any Korean music for a while, so let's go back in with a new release by an old favorite. Big Bang's Taeyang came out with a new album and this song from it is my current kpop jam: Stay With Me by Taeyang.

I'm not apologizing anymore for length, but I will warn: this is a mini-book. I hope you still read it!

Kate and I went to Busan two weeks ago, and it was a fantastic trip! Being a holiday weekend, we headed out from Seoul at 9:11 and it took seven hours instead of the usual four and a half to reach Busan. It was a loooong trip. On the bus, I watched most of a movie about the Korean war in Korean, which seemed really good. Granted, I couldn't understand more than a few sentences of the dialogue but it was pretty interesting. I had better success watching a program that was talking about a man who had been separated from his family during the war, and eventually found his daughter, who was living in Japan and had been raised there. Or at least...I think that was maybe what it was about. Watching T.V. in a foreign language must be partly what it's like to be a baby who is just learning to understand things.

When we got Busan we had to take the subway to central Busan to reach our lodging, The Blue Backpacker's Hostel. If anyone has the chance to visit Busan I highly recommend it. The staff speak very good English and were more than willing to help us figure out how to get places and even suggested fun places to go. The hostel itself was also one of the cutest places to stay that I've seen here. Many times minbaks or pensions are really kind of tacky looking, like the owners just got the cheapest stuff no matter if it matched or not and just jumbled it all together (remember the lovely decore at the pension Sarah and Kate and I stayed in on Ganghwado? hahaha). Blue Backpackers had coordinating decoration, matching walls, and fun quotes on the wall. Our room had a beautiful, albeit sad poem about autumn by Yeats right by the door when we walked in. The English Major part of my heart was very warmed.

After eating some delicious sushi and donkkaseu, we bought some fresh fruit smoothies from a food cart and listened to some street musicians give a concert. They did a great cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Sound Of Silence, so it was nice to sing along to something! Then we went back to the hostel, and after unsuccessfully trying to find it free on the internet, rented Annie Hall from Amazon, one of Woody Allen's films from the 70's, which was really good!

The next day we ate our breakfast on the roof, eggs and toast in the bright sunshine. It was sunny, but suprisingly (since we were more south than Deokso) it was several degrees cooler than at home. We visited Gamcheon cultural village first. During the Korean war, many refugees fled to Busan which was one of the only parts of the country where it was relatively safe. From what I remember from the museum, a large part of the group that settled in the area that eventually became the colorful and art- filled cultural village were followers of a religion started by a man named Cho Chol Je. According to Busanhaps.com : 

 "Cho founded Taegukdo, a religion that believes that the Taeguk, or yin and yang symbol, represents the true meaning of life and the universe. Practicing again after persecution and suppression during the Japanese occupation, Cho and his followers converted nearly 90 percent of the refugees living in Gamcheon with their gifts of rice and candy. With this help, residents were then able to funnel their earnings into rebuilding, and in 1955 the area became known as the Taeguk Village when Cho moved the religion’s headquarters there."

Because refugees settled there, it has historically been a pretty poor area, but in 2009, a project began to revitalize the area with art, and the results are awesome. So many amazing murals and little shops are there now. The alleys are narrow, the buildings colorful and the shadows soft. It has a bit of Miyazaki film feel, except it has a definite Korean flavor. 

From there we headed to the Jalkachi fish market. Like most markets in Korea, it was crowded, with warm light filtered through big red awnings and umbrellas set up to shield the seafood from the sun. There were so many people that if you weren't careful, your leg might brush up against a fish tail or an octopus tentacle set up for sale on either side. Kate and I had some fresh roasted fish for lunch, grabbed right out of a tank in front of the restaurant. It was too good. Wow. That's the way to have seafood. On the way out, we bought about a pound of raspberries for around $6 and took it with us on our way to the beach.

We started beachcombing right away, and found dozens of pieces of sea glass in pale blues and turquoises and greens. I think we walked that way for at least an hour, picking up sea glass and eating raspberries, hair blowing in the sea breeze. How perfect! For a change, we sat and ate hard boiled eggs and read and journaled. There's something about that sea that makes you very contemplative and quiet. I loved it.

After a pizza dinner, we found a cute little coffee shop and settled there to wait for it to get dark enough for the Diamond Bridge light show to start. We saw a great show choreographed to CrayonPop's Bar Bar Bar song, last summer's jam here. The next morning we headed back to Seoul at 11:30, but this time we drove in the express lane and got there before dinner time! It was such a refreshing time, and so wonderful to have one last big adventure with Kate before she leaves. 

The weekend after we came back was a busy one. Kaia came back form her month visit with her family on the Friday and then Saturday was Yongjin and Soyoung's wedding! It was so neat to be able to celebrate them, sing them a song during the ceremony and just be together on such an important day. I'm so excited for them and what God has for them together as a couple! They are fantastic. The ceremony was really meaningful and personalized too, which isn't always usual in most Korean weddings (from what others have told me) because they often follow the same layout and have very similar content. This wedding was really special, and it was an honor to be a part of.

That's isn't the end of the season of excitement however. Two days later, on Tuesday night, Michaela arrived! When she came to the office the next day the kids were so excited. I am so happy to have her here and can't wait to see how God's going to use her as a teacher here. Having new people here also kind of makes me see my daily life in a new light, trying to remember what it was like to be a part of all this for the first time. I feel like I have an extra dose of energy!

Today me and Kate and Kaia and Michaela took a trip to Changdeok palace and Insadong. It was so fun to go to a new place! I have been to Insadong quite a few times, but had never visited this palace or it's "Secret Garden" so it was great to be able to show Michaela one of our favorite areas while having a bit of a new adventure as well. The garden behind the palace was marvelous...I haven't seen that many trees at once in my entire time here in Korea. The air tasted healthy, it was that fresh and clean under the shade. Totally worth the 8,000 won entrance fee. Later after shopping a bit in Insadong, we of course went to Slow Garden. One original and one strawberry bingsoo were devoured in record time. Tomorrow we're planning on having some more, this time at the Goddess cafe: mango bingsoo made with mango milk ice. Too delicious.

One the Connexus side of things, other than having a new face in the office, I feel like these days class has been pretty fun. I'm still trying to get one class to do their homework, but otherwise I feel like things are going quite well, and I've been writing down tons of funny things the kids have been saying. Here's one quote that needed some back story:

I have one student, Joy, who really mixes up P and F sounds. She usually says F instead of P, which is really strange because Korean has a P sound, but does not have F. Anyway, she is getting better at correcting herself with some prompting, but this tendency sometimes leads to some pretty funny mistakes. Case in point, this happened yesterday in class:

Abby: "Ok, let's remember what happened last time. I will read, and you clap when you hear a wrong word: 'The ducks hug the ugly duckling.'"
Joy: (claps) "not hug!"
Abby: "Not hug, so what word?"
Joy: "p...ff.f..fff F*CK!"
Abby: "Ohhhhh my......do you mean Peck?"
Joy: "Oh yes yes Feck!"

Please enjoy the rest of the jewels that come from the mouths of Connexus students. Thanks for reading!

Quotes from the Classroom

Eileen: "If you were in Abby's mouth, what would you do?"
Susan: "I would sleep and Abby's tongue is my blanket."
(another gem from the Unintentionally Creepy Duo)

Me: "Susan, no homework?"
Susan: "I draw your face in my notebook for homework!"
Me: "Good try."

"Would you rather eat a live chameleon or a....what is very yuck and very ew?" Susan tries to stump me with a Would You Rather question.

Daniel: *coloring a character's blanket silver* This girl is very rich!
Dohyeon: "Rich do you like better?"

"This stamp store is like North Korea!"- Jihwan expresses his dislike for having to work together with Hyunseo to buy things.

"Heather, on group games day this week I will be nice. Early birthday present!" - Tommy

Raphael (proudly showing his mood bracelet): "Teacher, this is magic!"
Daniel (indignant): "No! it is a science!"

"Tomorrow I will go to meeting with my girlfriend <3......but it is lie."--Tim's journal.

Quotes from the Community

"What is that..the fire distinguisher?" - Heather

"Is that another satan doughnut?" -Anna

"Where did I put my moldy pear?"-Heather

"Ooh, friend request from sixpackdoctor!"-Anna

"Doughnuts where?" -Lomie the little snack scrounger.

"Woah this coffee is thick...I really dumped the beans in there...or grounds..whatever."- Heather

Summer is cutting it's first tooth!

Sara Groves never gets old for me, and this song really feels relevant to me these days: The One Thing I know.

It has been a really long time. Sorry about that! It seems when you're nearing the end of something time suddenly is like "punch it, Chewie!" and you're rocketed forward before you know what's happening. According to my countdown on timeanddate.com, I have 49 days left in Korea.
What the heck. When did that happen? It's been sneaking up on me.

I think the most interesting thing that has happened on the Connexus side of things in the last month was my Open Day. On this day, parents of your students can come and sit in on their child's class for 30 of the 50 minutes. It's special because then parents can kind of visualize what we do on a daily basis and kind of nerve-racking because there are parents right there watching your every move. On the plus side, this means the kids are usually really well behaved, which means you have to have a lot of extra activities up your sleeves because all of a sudden you've actually finished the lesson plan instead of wasting ten collective minutes waiting for kids to:

* Finish their deokbokki and get into class already
* drink water after finishing said deokbokki
* possible bathroom trip depending on the age and maturity of the child
* take their books out of their back pack and not also pull out a toy, a hat, candy, the wrong book or all of the above.
* Stop playing the "game of air" with their pencils, erasers, flashcards or anything at all.
* Quickly ask and answer questions and don't interrupt each other or stall.
* Actually listen to you and so that you don't have to repeat yourself three or four times. "Open your storybooks!" instead of "Open your storybooks....It's reading time, please open your storybooks...Now is not drawing time, please open your storybook."

But on the downside, they also are a lot more timid and it's a shame that their parent's can't see the full potential their students have and get to witness the great creativity that many of them have in class.

Mine went well and I got a lot of positive feedback. Only one class didn't go as well as I would have liked, but it was less about what I did, and more that the kids didn't really try to impress their parents, so I kind of felt a little embarrassed for them...they were finishing their homework in the last two minutes of class and eating their deokbokki too, right in front of their parents. I heard from Juyoung that the parents of that class were a little shocked to see their children acting like that. Since then, that class has been a little more serious and better at having work done and starting class on time, so that's been great.

Outside of Connexus there's been some big stuff too. I have been learning some important stuff lately about communication in relationships. Some of it's pretty obvious, but since I am a total newbie, a lot of it was kind a first time realization:

1. Actually communicate. This is really important for dating relationships I think, but obviously for others at well. Intentionality is vital. If something is bothering you or there is something else you feel  needs to be talked about, don't assume it's just going to "come up naturally." That rarely happens with important topics. Make a plan to talk about it, or specifically bring it up when you're talking about other things. True communication I think rarely happens without intentionality and making an effort.

2. Don't settle for 'kind of understanding.' I really need to make an effort to truly understand people and to make sure they can understand me. Miscommunication causes frustration, offense, and feeling that you've be unheard, so even if it feels tiresome at points, it's worth it to make sure thoughts are fully expressed and understood. If you feel like someone hasn't quite caught your meaning, it's worth it to make the effort to make sure they do.

3. The Silent Treatment never works. Either it prolongs the offense, or damages the person you are using it with. Even if you need time by yourself to process or calm down after an argument, still be in communication. Tell the person when you think you'll be ready to talk. This will help them not be as worried about what's going on, and it will help you be intentional about getting yourself ready to come back together and talk. Open-ended "rest" from each other is not really beneficial in my own opinion. Everything related to conflict resolution should be productive and not destructive or stagnant.

4. Be aware of your communication style, and the style of the person you're trying to communicate with. I read this in a book Kate lent me which has the kind of cheesy title "True Love Dates," but that has some really neat ideas in it. It's important in relationships to realize where you've come from, and this includes the way you grew up communicating: about emotions, thoughts, conflicts etc. My family has a very transparent and deep communication style when it come to talking about emotions and thoughts, so when I try to communicate with someone who didn't grow up like that, I can feel like I am either over-sharing, or the other person seems so closed off and is only "opening up the wading pool" so to speak instead of "diving into" communication.

Even though I wrote that out in confidence, I'm not trying to be pretentious. Truly I know very little about being in relationships, but this is one big way I learn, taking in information and processing it through writing. I guess the main thing I am really taking from all this is being intentional. You can't just be in a relationship and think that all the kinks work themselves out. If you're in a relationship and it seems like that is the case, you better get your rear in gear because that means the other person has been working their booty off to make it work in spite of your lack of help.
So there it is! my humble advice that mostly I need to take myself.

What's a blog post without an update on the weather? It's getting HOT. Yoonseo is wilting like a daisy. The man doesn't deal with heat well. I'll have to feed him popsicles to keep him peppy. Speaking of which, some of you may not know but Korea is a paradise of popsicles and icecream bars. I have never seen such variety or deliciousness. My current favorite is this guy:

Tetris bar...a delightful mix of pineapple and apple, with that kind of juicy starburst kind of fruit flavor, and a soft tooth-scrapable texture. Too icy and it's no good, and Tetris does it perfectly.

On the non-fruity side, my favorite is the Yogoyam Coconut yogurt bar. It doesn't skimp at all on the coconut flavor and is ultra creamy with that kind of flexible fudge-bar quality. Dang it...I want one now!

                   It was actually a dream last summer to write popsicle reviews. Is it my new calling?

Fun things recently and coming soon:
* Trip to Juyoung's mother's house this past Sunday! She was so hospitable and happy to have us there. I haven't eaten such delicious meat in such a long time and get ready for it... SWEET CORN. Manna from heaven. She was also hilarious and told us how she had visited her son four times when he was studying abroad for a year... "Helicopter mom!" she said. Also how her son was getting pulled over during one visit for speeing, which might have meant deportation, so she faked stomach pains and pretended they were driving to the hospital...in her words "the power of mom's love." Oh man, too great!

* Mini vacation to Busan with Kate! Can't wait to check out the beach and the fish market and all that jazz. Also a 6 hour bus ride full of reading, yippee!

* Kaia's return, Yongjin's wedding and Michaela's arrival!!! Seriously, June is a hurricane of events.

Finally, enjoy some of the gems that come out of the mouths our community members.

Thanks for reading!

Quotes from the Community:

"I've been taking good care of my moustache lately."--Me

Yoonseo: " I want to be a what is it...Bench potato?
Abby: "Couch potato?"

"I love that kind of joke...mental hospital joke. Something that touches our mentality." -Yoonseo

"Jesus is coming! Clean my room!" -Lomie

"These are not my panties, these are not my panties!" Yoonseo wants to clarify what his boxers are to his roommates.

"Now that I know about that coin change machine, my life is going to run a lot differently!" -Anna

"I am not a man....I am....Amanda." -Yoonseo

"I feel like I've been born again!" Michael after getting his ears cleaned.

엄마! today your body is so cute!" --Lomie. What a charmer.

There and Back Again

Today's music is Sara Groves' song based on of one of my favorite hymns: He's Always Been Faithful.

I feel that I've gotten the chance to really experience the words of this song in the last couple weeks. It's almost as if I have been on a long journey, and am now making my way forward after returning.

The journey begins with a skype call finding out that my grandfather a bit unexpectedly went to be with Jesus. It was strange how even in the suddenness of the loss, I felt a little bit at peace about it. It felt like it would have been harder to see our Papa, so strong in so many ways, wasting away little by little. But, it would have been easier to prepare hearts for it then, I suppose. I still had to teach that day, after finding out, but somehow it was better that way--keeping my mind off of it.

For me, one of the biggest fears of being away from home and of thinking about possibly living overseas longterm has been the fear of losing someone close to me, and just being stuck in the grief: unable to go home because of lack of funds, or inability to take time off or something. I always assumed that if it happened, I would have to deal with it alone and far away from my family. And this time, I figured it would be the same, until one of my coworkers asked, "Will you go back for the funeral?"

I had never even dared to hope that was an option, but as my community here surrounded me with love that day, no one ever made any comments that discouraged that idea. So I dared to hope, and talked with Jae and Karen, who let me know that whatever I decided to do, they would help me work it out, whether that meant covering my last couple classes before our vacation week, or asking community members for funds to help cover the plane ticket.

I was really embarassed to have to ask for money. It wasn't for a missions trip or for a charity thing, it was just little old me, for my personal use. It felt like too much to ask of anyone, and a test for my pride even when I deperately wanted to go.
Well, I didn't even have to make a formal request; I merely mentioned that I would need to ask for money and my fellow teachers stepped up and paid for 1/3 of my trip costs. Not only this, but Karen and Kaia took over my classes, so I didn't even have to worry about that at all. I was floored by my community's generosity.

It felt like it was a direct message from God letting me know that he was looking out for me, specifically providing the things I really needed right at that moment. I can't thank my family here enough for being the hands and feet of Jesus in a time where I really needed it. I love you guys!

So, I headed home on April 25th in the morning, to get home on April 25th in the afternoon...time zones can be useful when you want to get somewhere quickly!
Seeing Mercy at the airport for the first time, I was struck by how big her head had gotten. Not in a figurative sense; she wasn't arrogant or anything. Her actual noggin seemed to have grown. And as every older sibling knows, nothing brings out the waterworks like a little sibling being a lot bigger than you remember. It was so nice to fit back into my family so well...other than growing taller, nothing seemed to have changed. The gps in the car was still finicky; our car was still messy. The sky was just as blue and high as it was, and fields just as wide.

I went directly to my Grandmother's house where all my extended family had gathered and we spent some good time just being together that evening. I got to practice speaking a little Korean with my Aunt and enjoyed the antics of her oldest son, my cousin Josh. In the midst of a room with mostly adults, he marched in and asked, completely seriously, "Ok...who wants to play minecraft in real life?" Cracked me right up.

The next morning, we attended the least funeral-like funeral I have ever been too. It felt like a farewell party! The rollicking Salvation Army tunes, funny and meaningful stories from Papa's life and a rousing gospel message left me crying not from emptiness but from a profound sense of fullness. What a life! and what a gift that I got to be a small part of it and get to be blessed by Papa's legacy even now. There was as much laughter as there were tears on that day.

Coming away from reflecting on Papa's life and how he blessed people, I want to be more intentional in a few ways.
Papa was a champion prayer, and I want to be someone who comes to Jesus constantly like he did. Many people mentioned as well how much Papa saw the potential in people instead of their faults; he was positive when it came to people. I want to call out the best in people like that! including in myself. I want to work at using every opportunity that I am with people to make Jesus a little more real to them. Papa was amazing at never missing chances to show Jesus to people; I want to be that kind of person too. I also want to be a person that checks up on people and show genuine interest in how they are doing. Too many times I am too wrapped up in myself to show care toward other people, and I would like to work on changing that.

Time at home was a real blessing, hanging with some of my best people and getting a chance to talk with my parents, siblings and friends in person was amazing. I felt like it was a great time of spiritual and emotional rejuvenation and left me feeling hungry for growth in those areas.

I feel ready to make these last three months in Korea be extremely rich! Pray for me as I try to live a more intentional life here.

Thanks for reading!
-Abby