Since I have become a teacher I have loved more than I have ever loved before. I have loved about 200 students, each one amazing in their own way. Even the ones that made my eye twitch, I loved them. I didn't love them perfectly, some I didn't even really love well. But I loved them. I have 17 babies this year that I love.
Our students make up a majority of a teacher's life. At least 5 days a week (sometimes more) and about 8 hours a day (sometimes more then, too) we are with them. And when we aren't with them, we think about them. A teacher's goal is to do everything they can to ensure not only that their children learn and do their best, but that they grow up knowing how to be a good person. We want them to feel loved, cherished, important, unique, and safe. We, as teachers, try our hardest to provide that. We structure our classrooms to best serve the learning community within. We talk to our kids and "get to the bottom" of what they are feeling. We pull them aside to help them achieve. We discipline them to help them learn.
But we can only do so much.
My head popped off my pillow around 5:30 am on Saturday morning. (Don't ask me why... I have NO idea.) So, naturally, as a child of the facebook generation, I open up my facebook to see how Friday was shaping up for my friends and family back home. 5:30am on Saturday in Seoul is about 2:30pm on Friday in Texas. The horror had already happened. For over an hour I read articles, watched live coverage, read posts, and cried. I truly don't know a single teacher who didn't cry.
You see, it's hard for a teacher to not picture THEIR school, THEIR friends, and THEIR BABIES in that situation. I pictured my school from Irving and my amazing principals who I have no doubt would have given their lives for our students. I pictured my classroom, our lock down procedures, and knew that even with locked doors, no lights, and 30 kids huddled in the corner, we were always so exposed.
I don't understand it.
What adds to the sadness is the anger, finger pointing, and name calling that has been going on. Anger is a natural part of grieving, but putting your anger up on a political stage is over doing it right now.
I'm all for having your own opinion. In fact, one of my favorite things to teach is argument essays. But, I teach my kids how to have their own opinions, but be respectful of others as well. Differing opinions are always around. If you don't listen to other opinions or always count yours as better, your brain is stagnant.
There are no quick fixes to any problems. There isn't really a right or wrong way to go about fixing a problem. But there is a way to be kind, respectful, loving, and empathetic.
As a teacher, I am sick about the happenings on Friday in Newtown. I am sick about the way some people are treating others. And I have renewed my energy to teach my students to be kind, respectful, loving, and tolerant.
I pray we take this chance to teach our children how to love. Show them how to be kind. Remind them to always cling to God.
God, please heal us all.
-Sara
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Seoul City Life part 2
Since I am fresh from a trip to the local grocery store, Home Plus, I think I shall go ahead and finish what I started yesterday with part 2 in my new city life.
This lovely post will cover a few things that are new to me such as- grocery stores, smoking, chain restaurants, and apartment living.
The grocery store-
Now, few things make me sigh deeper than when I need to go to the store. At home it was no problem! Hop in the car, drive the mile to Kroger, find EVERYTHING I need for whatever I wanted to cook, place bags in car, and drive home. The only "adventurous" part was when I would morph into a body builder and carry groceries 6 times my weight up the stairs in one trip... and people call that lazy! Pshhh!
In Korea, however, there are a few things that are either really hard to find, nonexistent, or ridiculously expensive at the store. Don't get me wrong, I am surviving just fine, but it is hard to be staring at a delicious Pinterest recipe and you see the one ingredient that you just can't find in a normal grocery store here.
So here is how a trip to our Home Plus goes. Like Target (Oh, how I miss you!), Home Plus also sells clothing. The first floor is where vendors sell clothing. They aren't affiliated with the store. Ride the awesome flat escalator down one floor and you have the non-food section of Home Plus (think small Target). Clothing, Games, Decoration, Kitchenware, and the like can be found on this floor. Head down one more floor and you have the grocery section. In the grocery section your senses will be awakened by the different sights, smells, sounds, and other amazing new sensations at this store. Maybe it will be the smell of the mystery meat they grill everyday by the $8 cheese; or the fish smell that is coming from something in the cracker section. It could be the sound of people yelling in Korean over the loud speaker shouting what I can only imagine are beckonings to try a product on sale; or maybe it's the ladies who bring you into their isle to help you find the items that are on sale. (This is actually really helpful. I have never paid full price for laundry detergent... it's always 2 for 1!) You might experience the feel of your shopping cart careening to the left when everything in your might is guiding it on a straight path. You could see the entire isle of ramen in all its glory. Whatever it may be, your senses will be on overload as you search through the Korean lettering to see if there is a little English to help you better understand what you are purchasing. This is grocery shopping in Korea. When you are done, be sure to load up your grocery bag with wheels, pay for any extra bags you need, and try not to break you leg on the snow-that-is-now-turning-to-ice on your 7 minute walk home.
Here is a giant picture of me and my awesome grocery bag on the way to Costco. I've only been once and I hate it. There were too many people in one place shoving each other. Yuck.
I am beyond blessed to have food and be able to buy it without worries. All I'm saying is I'm bringing some stuff back with me after Christmas and when I get home, I may go to Kroger or Tom Thumb and just sit at the little Starbucks there and relish the quiet. :)
Another thing that was truly shocking here was the amount of smokers in Korea. It looks like literally everyone smokes. I never would have thought it. It's truly sad. And with that, here is an anti smoking ad from Thailand that my friend April posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO0qwl5k9R4
So, I mentioned in my last post about how I get lost very easily. Well, that is still true. Things haven't changed in the last few hours. But, you would think that I would remember places I've been by land marks, right? That's how my mom helped me figure out where I was when I was growing up. We turn LEFT at the High School and RIGHT at the Whip In. The thing with Seoul is that... there are the same exact corners everywhere. There is always a Paris Baguette (bakery chain), GS25 (like 711), Skin Food, Fruit Stand, Street Food Stand. I can't ever figure out where I am because it all looks the same. It's a little shameful, but I'm okay with it.
The last thing that is really new is my apartment. Now, I would upload pictures, but that would mean I have to take pictures, which would mean I would have to clean up everything... and I'm not going to do that. It's almost my bed time. I promise to take pictures of my apartment when it's clean... but not now. So, my apartment is actually much bigger than I thought it would be. I have two rooms. One small one (I could fit a bed and a body in there with some room to put my feet on the ground) and the main room. The small room is where I do my laundry and store my recycling. (I'll get to recycling later.) I don't have a dryer so I hang my clothes to dry on a rack and on an extra hanger bar thing (I don't know the name of it) and let them air dry. Then there is my kitchen in my hallway with my two burners. My stove has two settings- Hot and Hell. I've burned more food here than ever in my life at home. It's sad. Across from my kitchen is my bathroom with my beloved heated toilet seat. (Side story- I walked into our school's bathroom this morning only to find ICE ON THE TOILET SEAT! That is how miserable it is to potty at my school. At least I get a leg work out while I avoid placing the buns to the seat. I'm semi afraid they will stick like that kid's tongue in A Christmas Story.) Then you enter the main room. I have a bed that is slightly wider than a twin bed, a couch, a dining room table with two chairs, a coffee table, a bedside table, a bookcase, and a chair. Right now there is also a Christmas tree that I bought at Home Plus. Brownie points to anyone who can tell me which floor I probably found the tree on!
I have all I need. It can get a little cramped, but it's pretty great. The trash is interesting in that I've been illegally throwing recycling into my trash since day one. There are three days set aside for recycling at our building. I've been too afraid to take too much stuff down there because I've heard stories of the old men yelling at people who do it wrong. I usually take my trash out on my way to work or late at night to avoid the same old men so they don't see that I have an empty water bottle in my trash. I sometimes run to the dumpster and back. Hmmm.... after writing that down, I sound horrible. Welp.
Back to apartment living. I don't own keys. I have a magnetic key CARD that lets me in our little elevator rooms and a code entry for my apartment door. It's actually very nice. I just hope this doesn't make a bad habit for me when I go home. I need keys when I go there! There are definite down sides to a keyless entry though. It runs off batteries. When they run out, it stinks. If you accidentally type in one wrong number the keypad locks for about 10 minutes and makes you take a walk. (It doesn't actually make you take a walk, but it's best to do this so you don't keep trying to punch in your code thus delaying the time the keypad will unlock.) For the most part, though. It's great.
The best thing about my apartment is the HEATED FLOORS! I love them. They are genius. They are wonderful. I hope I will be saying the same thing when I get my gas bill for December..... we shall see.
Well, that is all for now.
I am off to my warm bed in this 19 degree weather.
12 days until I go home! Ooooh, that is very Christmasy!
God has been good.
Please keep praying for Rebecca. She has surgery Monday morning and it won't be too much fun. God is good and everything works for His glory.
Love from,
Sara
This lovely post will cover a few things that are new to me such as- grocery stores, smoking, chain restaurants, and apartment living.
The grocery store-
Now, few things make me sigh deeper than when I need to go to the store. At home it was no problem! Hop in the car, drive the mile to Kroger, find EVERYTHING I need for whatever I wanted to cook, place bags in car, and drive home. The only "adventurous" part was when I would morph into a body builder and carry groceries 6 times my weight up the stairs in one trip... and people call that lazy! Pshhh!
In Korea, however, there are a few things that are either really hard to find, nonexistent, or ridiculously expensive at the store. Don't get me wrong, I am surviving just fine, but it is hard to be staring at a delicious Pinterest recipe and you see the one ingredient that you just can't find in a normal grocery store here.
So here is how a trip to our Home Plus goes. Like Target (Oh, how I miss you!), Home Plus also sells clothing. The first floor is where vendors sell clothing. They aren't affiliated with the store. Ride the awesome flat escalator down one floor and you have the non-food section of Home Plus (think small Target). Clothing, Games, Decoration, Kitchenware, and the like can be found on this floor. Head down one more floor and you have the grocery section. In the grocery section your senses will be awakened by the different sights, smells, sounds, and other amazing new sensations at this store. Maybe it will be the smell of the mystery meat they grill everyday by the $8 cheese; or the fish smell that is coming from something in the cracker section. It could be the sound of people yelling in Korean over the loud speaker shouting what I can only imagine are beckonings to try a product on sale; or maybe it's the ladies who bring you into their isle to help you find the items that are on sale. (This is actually really helpful. I have never paid full price for laundry detergent... it's always 2 for 1!) You might experience the feel of your shopping cart careening to the left when everything in your might is guiding it on a straight path. You could see the entire isle of ramen in all its glory. Whatever it may be, your senses will be on overload as you search through the Korean lettering to see if there is a little English to help you better understand what you are purchasing. This is grocery shopping in Korea. When you are done, be sure to load up your grocery bag with wheels, pay for any extra bags you need, and try not to break you leg on the snow-that-is-now-turning-to-ice on your 7 minute walk home.
Here is a giant picture of me and my awesome grocery bag on the way to Costco. I've only been once and I hate it. There were too many people in one place shoving each other. Yuck.I am beyond blessed to have food and be able to buy it without worries. All I'm saying is I'm bringing some stuff back with me after Christmas and when I get home, I may go to Kroger or Tom Thumb and just sit at the little Starbucks there and relish the quiet. :)
Another thing that was truly shocking here was the amount of smokers in Korea. It looks like literally everyone smokes. I never would have thought it. It's truly sad. And with that, here is an anti smoking ad from Thailand that my friend April posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO0qwl5k9R4
So, I mentioned in my last post about how I get lost very easily. Well, that is still true. Things haven't changed in the last few hours. But, you would think that I would remember places I've been by land marks, right? That's how my mom helped me figure out where I was when I was growing up. We turn LEFT at the High School and RIGHT at the Whip In. The thing with Seoul is that... there are the same exact corners everywhere. There is always a Paris Baguette (bakery chain), GS25 (like 711), Skin Food, Fruit Stand, Street Food Stand. I can't ever figure out where I am because it all looks the same. It's a little shameful, but I'm okay with it.
The last thing that is really new is my apartment. Now, I would upload pictures, but that would mean I have to take pictures, which would mean I would have to clean up everything... and I'm not going to do that. It's almost my bed time. I promise to take pictures of my apartment when it's clean... but not now. So, my apartment is actually much bigger than I thought it would be. I have two rooms. One small one (I could fit a bed and a body in there with some room to put my feet on the ground) and the main room. The small room is where I do my laundry and store my recycling. (I'll get to recycling later.) I don't have a dryer so I hang my clothes to dry on a rack and on an extra hanger bar thing (I don't know the name of it) and let them air dry. Then there is my kitchen in my hallway with my two burners. My stove has two settings- Hot and Hell. I've burned more food here than ever in my life at home. It's sad. Across from my kitchen is my bathroom with my beloved heated toilet seat. (Side story- I walked into our school's bathroom this morning only to find ICE ON THE TOILET SEAT! That is how miserable it is to potty at my school. At least I get a leg work out while I avoid placing the buns to the seat. I'm semi afraid they will stick like that kid's tongue in A Christmas Story.) Then you enter the main room. I have a bed that is slightly wider than a twin bed, a couch, a dining room table with two chairs, a coffee table, a bedside table, a bookcase, and a chair. Right now there is also a Christmas tree that I bought at Home Plus. Brownie points to anyone who can tell me which floor I probably found the tree on!
I have all I need. It can get a little cramped, but it's pretty great. The trash is interesting in that I've been illegally throwing recycling into my trash since day one. There are three days set aside for recycling at our building. I've been too afraid to take too much stuff down there because I've heard stories of the old men yelling at people who do it wrong. I usually take my trash out on my way to work or late at night to avoid the same old men so they don't see that I have an empty water bottle in my trash. I sometimes run to the dumpster and back. Hmmm.... after writing that down, I sound horrible. Welp.
Back to apartment living. I don't own keys. I have a magnetic key CARD that lets me in our little elevator rooms and a code entry for my apartment door. It's actually very nice. I just hope this doesn't make a bad habit for me when I go home. I need keys when I go there! There are definite down sides to a keyless entry though. It runs off batteries. When they run out, it stinks. If you accidentally type in one wrong number the keypad locks for about 10 minutes and makes you take a walk. (It doesn't actually make you take a walk, but it's best to do this so you don't keep trying to punch in your code thus delaying the time the keypad will unlock.) For the most part, though. It's great.
The best thing about my apartment is the HEATED FLOORS! I love them. They are genius. They are wonderful. I hope I will be saying the same thing when I get my gas bill for December..... we shall see.
Well, that is all for now.
I am off to my warm bed in this 19 degree weather.
12 days until I go home! Ooooh, that is very Christmasy!
God has been good.
Please keep praying for Rebecca. She has surgery Monday morning and it won't be too much fun. God is good and everything works for His glory.
Love from,
Sara
Sunday, December 9, 2012
City Life in Seoul part 1
These past few months I have been collecting information, thoughts, and stories to tell so I can wow you all with awesome information on my life in Seoul. I've been working hard at all this data collecting that I now feel like I can write a truly amazing post. (It hasn't been, as you all think, that I have just been too lazy or busy to write. Watching TV and taking naps are very important to my new life in Seoul.)
So, I think I will start with City Life. Most of the people in my life live in the suburbs. Some live in small towns and others live in Dallas. Now, no offense to Dallas--- but if you still have to own a car in order to function in your life, you don't live in a real "city." I hope that has been clarified. Let's move on.
I've been to New York City. Seoul is much like that, except for the fact that Seoul is in South Korea. There are different things that come with living in a city in the states but pile up some whipped cream in the shape of a foreign non-english speaking country on top of it, and you have life in Korea. Is it bad? Nope. Is it amazing? Nah. How would I sum it up? Weird. (Please keep in mind that "weird" is a perspective thing and is in no way a reflection of Korean people, customs, or cities--- food on the other hand- that can get weird.)
First thing to tackle in a big city- FOOD.
Now, my friend Sarah and I made a video of the first floor of our apartment complex (which is actually an officetel because we live about businesses). I can't get it to upload, but I'm working on it. It is quite long. But, it will give you an idea of how many places there are to eat without really stepping too far outside my building.
There are two things you need when you go out to eat in Seoul- bravery and a sense of humor. It is very easy to eat at the same safe places that we know and love-- there is a McDonald's nearby-- but that just isn't practical, nor is it healthy. I have found that when one first lands in a new place, bravery just comes out of necessity for eating.
I believe Aristotle said, "We need to be fed; therefore, we need to be brave and walk into the place that smells the least funny and has pictures we can point to."
Expats in Korea live by those very wise words.
One such place nearby is the Korean BBQ place.
Wondering where the bravery and sense of humor comes in? Here it goes-- even at a the BBQ place that we have been to several times, there are things that we were hesitant to try. Such as the crab. I didn't know what to do with it, so we just left that little crab (the size of my hand) to sit alone in his poor little bowl. (The crab is dead, by the way... just wanted to clarify-- I eat dead and cooked things. Yes, even in Korea.) One day, as my friends and I were leaving, we saw a small child put the crab on the grill to cook! You would thing we would put that together the first 5 times we went to this restaurant, but no. I happened to remember the child's genius move when Sarah and I went the next time. I bravely placed the crab on the grill-- (I say brave because the Korean ajummas tend to yell a little menacingly when we do something wrong). It cooked for about 3 minutes when our ajumma (a Korean woman who is about 40 or older) came back and gasped with horror. Apparently it is wrong to put the crab on the grill. She, of course, calls all her friends to our table to laugh at what the stupid wangook (foreigner) did. And what did Sarah and I do? We got up and left because of her rudeness.......
That's not really what we did. We laughed! They laughed, we laughed, and we learned not to do that again. Now, you may be wondering-- "What are you supposed to do with the crab then?" Your supposed to suck the gelatinous, uncooked innards out and eat them with rice. :) You're welcome.
The next one needs to conquer in a foreign city- transportation.I travel by four different modes here- subway, bus, taxi, and my own two feet.
I'll start with the subway
The subway is nice and clean compared to New York. The city of Seoul has about 12 Subway lines. And if you know anything about me or how I know my way around any city, this next bit should not surprise you---- 90% of the time I have no clue of where I am going and I follow the lovely friends who came with me. I have been on the subway twice by myself and, though I didn't get lost or go the wrong way, I may have been suffering from a mild and consistent panic attack. I have a great app on my phone that helps me get around, but that is only a guide. I, myself, have to be alert enough to know when to get on and off and follow the signs to transfer to the other line. Most of the time, I just follow the person or group of people that I am with. It's safer for them and me that way.
The subways are nice, but different. It's not my first choice of transportation, but it is cheap and efficient. It's about a $2, one way ride to anywhere in Seoul.
The second way I get around is the bus. I have been taking the bus to school for most of the year. It is efficient, but I have no clue of the routes the buses take and where to get off. I've twice been on the wrong bus and that has freaked me out so bad that I stick to the bus that takes me to and from school-- and it happens to be the bus that takes me into Nowon when I need it. The buses are okay, but it's hit or miss on the bus drivers. I have not yet fallen over, but I've come very close. The starting and stopping is not my favorite thing in the world, but the bus is pretty efficient.
My favorite way to travel is by taxi. With the horribly freezing weather we have been having, I have a little taxi group that take a taxi to school. Split three ways, the taxi is cheaper and quicker than the bus. The key is to be able to pronounce places in Korean correctly. Sometimes this doesn't happen so we have to know how to say, "left, right, straight, and stop here" all of which I know how to do. 90% of the time, taxi drivers are nice and friendly. Some know a little bit of English and ask where we are from. There have been taxi drivers who won't stop because we are foreign or who will yell at us for one reason or another. We have no idea what they are saying when they yell, but it doesn't matter what language you are yelled at in-- it makes you want to yell back. I have restrained the urge to do that, but I have slammed a door or two when I got out. I enjoy most of my taxi rides. They are pretty honest (the ones that yell are usually the ones that want to take us the long way and get angry when we tell them where to turn) and like to try to engage us in conversation-- but we just say "yes" in Korean no matter what they say. They laugh, we laugh, and we go on our merry way. We could have just said "yes" to saying we would like them to murder us-- but whatever.
My second favorite way (until South Korea turned into the North Pole-- Santa lives here, I'm sure of it) to travel is walking. Walking home from school was really fun during the fall weather. It takes about 30 minutes to walk home from school and it's a nice way to see our neighborhood up close.
Sarah and I have a favorite game to play when walking in Seoul. We call it: City Chicken. It's much like the dangerous driving game Chicken, but with people. If you need a refresher, watch this clip from Footloose circa 1984.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwGQDtC-h18
So, City Chicken is when you are walking along a sidewalk with a stranger walking toward you. The person who gives and moves to the side loses. This is mostly played with teenagers, 20, 30, and 40 somethings. Any older and I move as a sign of respect per the Korean culture. If moms, the blind, little kids, or any type of handicap are in front of me, I don't play. How am I faring so far? Well, I am losing. Mostly because if I don't move, the Korean people generally run right into me and shove me out of the way. So, I chicken out.
I am determined to have a winning score by the end of the year.
Another walking game I like to play is: Smile for the Wangook! Korean people don't generally smile at strangers. I set goals for myself to get one person to smile at me (young children don't count) per day. It is very hard. I have only met my goals twice.
In addition to the previous two walking games- I play Name that Smell. Now, there isn't really a way to verify what the "phantom smells" are when they slap you right in the face, but I think I'm better off not knowing.
That's all I am going to write about now. Next time I will talk about grocery shopping, more walking games, and city randomness.
On another note- I am VERY excited to be home in two weeks. I can't wait to hug my mom and daddy. I plan on going to see Rebecca and pray that I get to go see her at her house and not in the hospital. I get to see my nieces and nephews. I'll hug my brothers and sisters-in-law. And I will get to catch up with more family and friends.
Please keep Rebecca in your prayers. She is so sick and it is so not fair. I know God is in control and has a plan, but it is hard to understand why she has to suffer so much. Pray for healing, no more pain, wisdom for her parents and doctors, and peace for her family.
Love from Seoul,
Sara
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Three Weeks...
doesn't seem that long until I actually type it out.
I sincerely apologize for not updating my blog. In some aspects I forgot, in others I just didn't know what to write about. So I will do my best here.
Everyone has asked me how school is going--
It's awesome!!
I have been so blessed with this school, the people I work with, the friends I have made, the new things I will get to try because I actually get to TEACH!!!
Is it perfect? No, nothing in life is. Point me to the man or woman who claims to have a perfect job and life and I will call them a liar and it will be true.
There are things that the school, myself as a teacher, and others need to work on- but that is always the case. Bettering ourselves to do the best we can for our students- Isn't that a big part of what a school should be doing? And I feel that my school is trying it's best to do that. It's a slow process and sometimes purposefully delayed because the school is new. APIS has only been open for 5 years. And what it has done in 5 years has been great, but there is always room for growth. :)
In short- this is what I thought teaching was going to be. Hard work, good work, fun work. Easy? No. Children that behave all the time? No. Academically sound students? No.
But God has shown me that I still love teaching!!! I don't really think I realized this, but I think part of coming here was to really figure out if I could teach long term. God has answered me- Yes! Does it mean that is the path God will lead me down, not definitely. But he has been faithful through the tears, confusion, discontent, and shown me that I am meant to teach right now. I needed a fresh start. :)
So, how is school going?
I'm tired. It's hard work. I'm busy. I'm joyful. I'm smiling all the time. I really love it.
In other news- I am blessed to be able to help out with our church's children's ministry. What church do I attend, you ask? Asia Pacific International School... Church. I don't think it really has a name. I attend the church at our school. The pastors from our school also conduct church and a small group of teachers (including myself and some great friends) rotate in helping with the children's ministry. It's small, but it's a great community of believers who encourage each other and are sincere in their actions and words.
In even other news- I have made some great friends here already! God has been so faithful and awesome! It's funny how being in a foreign country can make friendships form fast and deep. I'm grateful to God for it, though.
It's really fun to have such close friends work with me. I had some of that at home and I'm grateful to have that here. We mainly eat together... quick bonding can be done over food. We go on little adventures in Seoul. Work together outside of school (there is a great coffee shop next door with excellent wifi). And hang out in each other's apartments. It's fun that a lot of other teachers live in our complex.
I've been asked about food- So all of this is my opinion, but I find my opinion seems to be pretty close to other foreigner's opinion as well. Food in Korea is pretty solid. Kimchi is pretty gross (some people like it, I do not) and we normally leave it in it's tiny bowl untouched the entire meal. Food here is "spicy." And by that I mean, it's delicious and has the perfect amount of heat. My mom might need it less spicy, but it's perfect for me. I have had a few lip burning sensations, but it alleviates quickly. :) My favorite is:
Shabu Shabu. I had it my first day here and wasn't extremely impressed (I think I wrote on my blog that it was great... but it really wasn't. I was just being nice.) The place next door is amazing. The lady who owns it doesn't really like us that much... I don't think. I think it's because we don't always cook it the way it's supposed to be done and we don't really like it when she snatches the ladle out of our hands to do it the "right way." Our way is more delicious. Here is what it is- There is a big bowl of broth on a burner (how's that for some alliteration!!??) and they bring out a giant plate of vegetables- bean sprouts, onions, leaves of different kinds, mushrooms, and some gross fish cake things that we leave on the plate. There is also a large plate of thinly sliced beef, a plate of raw noodles and one dumpling per person, a bowl of rice, vegetables, seaweed (not gross in this, but gross in everything else), and a small bowl with a raw egg. So, the first step is to cut up the veggies (with kitchen scissors-- very efficient) and cook the meat with the veggies in the broth. Spoon them into your personal small bowl, add the delicious red sauce, and enjoy. Then once you have eaten a lot of the veggies and meat, add the dumplings and noodles. Let those cook, then spoon into your bowl and enjoy. Then once most of that is gone, dump the bowl of rice and stuff into the broth (there's only a little left by this point) and let cook, then add the egg and let cook-- and you have delicious rice porridge with all the flavors from everything you already cooked in the broth. Spoon that into your bowl and enjoy. Then they bring you a prune juice slushie... just because, well... apparently Koreans think prune juice needed after Shabu Shabu. It's delicious, though.
Mandu (dumplings) are amazing- the kimchi dumplings are actually good. Go figure.
Fried Chicken- Now this is not like home or Grandma Hall's fried chicken. (unfortunately) It is fried chunks of chicken usually smeared in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce with rice patties. Good, but home is better.
Korean BBQ- Again, not anything like home. This is another place (like shabu shabu) where you cook it yourself at the table, but I find that it is pretty good, but not all that people rave about. Maybe I'm not going to the right places... but I find the meat has a lot of fat and folding it into little lettuce tacos (while good) take too much time. When I'm hungry, things should not take a lot of time. :)
Tofu Soup- Delicious! I know, it sounds gross. But there is actually meat in it!!! It's boiling soup in a bowl- you crack and egg in it and stir it up, ladle it into another bowl over rice, and enjoy. (The Koreans love their tiny bowls here).
Bibimbap- Pretty good. This is a bowl of rice, meat, veggies, and a raw egg. I like the Bibimbap that is in a hot bowl-- so you stir everything up and add Korean red sauce and eat up. I like Bibimbap especially because you get to eat it with a spoon and not mess with crazy chopsticks. Chopsticks are hard!
Truthfully, that's about all the Korean food I've had. It's all really close to my apartment (as in downstairs or next door) and super convenient. I've had American food here as well. I don't miss it too much yet, but I'm sure that will change.
I'm truly blessed here. I miss home and wish I had my own internet and phone so I could contact family and friends more easily, but it might be a blessing that it hasn't worked out that way yet because I have been forced to get out and do things. God works in everything! Even little things like that!
I have my alien card and can get my internet and phone! I will hopefully be doing that this coming week. So you should all get your skype ready, because I like to chat!!
I will update more on my students and things that I've been doing later. I miss you all and love you. I'll leave you with the awesome verse that my students and I studied this week:
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and who make the Lord their hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7
May you trust in the Lord and his workings, timings, and actions. May your hopes be His Will. May you confidently walk in the knowledge that you are His and truly loved by His perfect love. Please pray that I remember this as well.
-Sara
I sincerely apologize for not updating my blog. In some aspects I forgot, in others I just didn't know what to write about. So I will do my best here.
Everyone has asked me how school is going--
It's awesome!!
I have been so blessed with this school, the people I work with, the friends I have made, the new things I will get to try because I actually get to TEACH!!!
Is it perfect? No, nothing in life is. Point me to the man or woman who claims to have a perfect job and life and I will call them a liar and it will be true.
There are things that the school, myself as a teacher, and others need to work on- but that is always the case. Bettering ourselves to do the best we can for our students- Isn't that a big part of what a school should be doing? And I feel that my school is trying it's best to do that. It's a slow process and sometimes purposefully delayed because the school is new. APIS has only been open for 5 years. And what it has done in 5 years has been great, but there is always room for growth. :)
In short- this is what I thought teaching was going to be. Hard work, good work, fun work. Easy? No. Children that behave all the time? No. Academically sound students? No.
But God has shown me that I still love teaching!!! I don't really think I realized this, but I think part of coming here was to really figure out if I could teach long term. God has answered me- Yes! Does it mean that is the path God will lead me down, not definitely. But he has been faithful through the tears, confusion, discontent, and shown me that I am meant to teach right now. I needed a fresh start. :)
So, how is school going?
I'm tired. It's hard work. I'm busy. I'm joyful. I'm smiling all the time. I really love it.
In other news- I am blessed to be able to help out with our church's children's ministry. What church do I attend, you ask? Asia Pacific International School... Church. I don't think it really has a name. I attend the church at our school. The pastors from our school also conduct church and a small group of teachers (including myself and some great friends) rotate in helping with the children's ministry. It's small, but it's a great community of believers who encourage each other and are sincere in their actions and words.
In even other news- I have made some great friends here already! God has been so faithful and awesome! It's funny how being in a foreign country can make friendships form fast and deep. I'm grateful to God for it, though.
It's really fun to have such close friends work with me. I had some of that at home and I'm grateful to have that here. We mainly eat together... quick bonding can be done over food. We go on little adventures in Seoul. Work together outside of school (there is a great coffee shop next door with excellent wifi). And hang out in each other's apartments. It's fun that a lot of other teachers live in our complex.
I've been asked about food- So all of this is my opinion, but I find my opinion seems to be pretty close to other foreigner's opinion as well. Food in Korea is pretty solid. Kimchi is pretty gross (some people like it, I do not) and we normally leave it in it's tiny bowl untouched the entire meal. Food here is "spicy." And by that I mean, it's delicious and has the perfect amount of heat. My mom might need it less spicy, but it's perfect for me. I have had a few lip burning sensations, but it alleviates quickly. :) My favorite is:
Shabu Shabu. I had it my first day here and wasn't extremely impressed (I think I wrote on my blog that it was great... but it really wasn't. I was just being nice.) The place next door is amazing. The lady who owns it doesn't really like us that much... I don't think. I think it's because we don't always cook it the way it's supposed to be done and we don't really like it when she snatches the ladle out of our hands to do it the "right way." Our way is more delicious. Here is what it is- There is a big bowl of broth on a burner (how's that for some alliteration!!??) and they bring out a giant plate of vegetables- bean sprouts, onions, leaves of different kinds, mushrooms, and some gross fish cake things that we leave on the plate. There is also a large plate of thinly sliced beef, a plate of raw noodles and one dumpling per person, a bowl of rice, vegetables, seaweed (not gross in this, but gross in everything else), and a small bowl with a raw egg. So, the first step is to cut up the veggies (with kitchen scissors-- very efficient) and cook the meat with the veggies in the broth. Spoon them into your personal small bowl, add the delicious red sauce, and enjoy. Then once you have eaten a lot of the veggies and meat, add the dumplings and noodles. Let those cook, then spoon into your bowl and enjoy. Then once most of that is gone, dump the bowl of rice and stuff into the broth (there's only a little left by this point) and let cook, then add the egg and let cook-- and you have delicious rice porridge with all the flavors from everything you already cooked in the broth. Spoon that into your bowl and enjoy. Then they bring you a prune juice slushie... just because, well... apparently Koreans think prune juice needed after Shabu Shabu. It's delicious, though.
Mandu (dumplings) are amazing- the kimchi dumplings are actually good. Go figure.
Fried Chicken- Now this is not like home or Grandma Hall's fried chicken. (unfortunately) It is fried chunks of chicken usually smeared in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce with rice patties. Good, but home is better.
Korean BBQ- Again, not anything like home. This is another place (like shabu shabu) where you cook it yourself at the table, but I find that it is pretty good, but not all that people rave about. Maybe I'm not going to the right places... but I find the meat has a lot of fat and folding it into little lettuce tacos (while good) take too much time. When I'm hungry, things should not take a lot of time. :)
Tofu Soup- Delicious! I know, it sounds gross. But there is actually meat in it!!! It's boiling soup in a bowl- you crack and egg in it and stir it up, ladle it into another bowl over rice, and enjoy. (The Koreans love their tiny bowls here).
Bibimbap- Pretty good. This is a bowl of rice, meat, veggies, and a raw egg. I like the Bibimbap that is in a hot bowl-- so you stir everything up and add Korean red sauce and eat up. I like Bibimbap especially because you get to eat it with a spoon and not mess with crazy chopsticks. Chopsticks are hard!
Truthfully, that's about all the Korean food I've had. It's all really close to my apartment (as in downstairs or next door) and super convenient. I've had American food here as well. I don't miss it too much yet, but I'm sure that will change.
I'm truly blessed here. I miss home and wish I had my own internet and phone so I could contact family and friends more easily, but it might be a blessing that it hasn't worked out that way yet because I have been forced to get out and do things. God works in everything! Even little things like that!
I have my alien card and can get my internet and phone! I will hopefully be doing that this coming week. So you should all get your skype ready, because I like to chat!!
I will update more on my students and things that I've been doing later. I miss you all and love you. I'll leave you with the awesome verse that my students and I studied this week:
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and who make the Lord their hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7
May you trust in the Lord and his workings, timings, and actions. May your hopes be His Will. May you confidently walk in the knowledge that you are His and truly loved by His perfect love. Please pray that I remember this as well.
-Sara
Saturday, August 11, 2012
aw'eoijnwekvawo;r q!...
... and all that it implies.
So.... I'm a little stressed right now. This is normal for a teacher, but I feel it double because I'm a new teacher in a foreign country and access to cutesy teacher stuff isn't readily available.
Let me back up a little bit.
So the first week went great! We were shown around our neighborhood and around Itaewon (the foreign/new york-y place) and I really REALLY like it here! The weeks have smushed into blurs. So keeping track of when everything happened is really hard.
Friday night, a lot of the newbies and some of the veteran teachers went to Itaewon to have dinner (club sandwich and fries, thank you very much!) and hang out. It was a lot of fun! It was more relaxed and nice to be able to hang out with people rather than work/"hang out" with people. :)
Saturday a big group (of old and new... mostly new...) went to Namsan Seoul Tower and back to Itaewon to have lunch.
Seoul Tower was great! The view was amazing! It seems crazy to me that not too terribly long ago this huge city was torn apart (and down) in war. Seoul is know as "The Miracle of Asia" and I believe it! Rome may not have been built in a day, but I think Seoul might have been.
We then went for "Mexican Food." I ordered fajitas and guacamole-- it was okay. I will miss the homemade goodness that was a-plenty at Brown. All my teacher friends are SPOILED. Be THANKFUL for such delicious food!
The next day I went to church at my school. I liked it! It was small, but I could tell that it was a nice little community of believers. They are needing volunteers to help with Sunday School, so I'm thinking I would love to help with that. After church, Sarah and I worked until 5ish and Suanne Forrester (our new Literacy Coach) made us leave. The three of us went to E-Mart and got some necessities for the home. We ate Mandu for dinner (delicious dumplings). Sarah and I actually went BACK to EMart later that night because Sarah wanted a cool mattress pad thing. Sunday was a fruitful day. :)
Monday, we met all of the veteran teachers (I don't want to call them "old" because they aren't) and thus started our week of in-service.
Basically, it was a week full of working, working, meetings, working, working, eating, working.... and you get the idea. Truthfully, I know lots of fun stuff happened in there, but everything is blurred together. It was a lot of fun meeting all of the veterans. They are really great and helpful! We have had a good bit of time to get to know our collegues, so it has been really good.
As I mentioned before, though. I'm a little bit panicky. The kids come tomorrow and I feel VERY unprepared. I know it will be fine. I know kids are very forgiving about 1st day stuff. I just like to be on top of it and there doesn't seem to be enough physical time to do that. Plus, I have been FORCING myself to get out of the classroom and hang out with people. It's important!
Friday night, Sarah and a group of teachers (myself included) met up with her cousin, his girlfriend, and part of her family. We had some great food and then went to a noraebong (karaoke). They are small rooms for about 10 people and, well, you sing your heart out! It was a lot of fun! The best karaoke songs are ones that remind you of the "olden days." MC Hammer, N'SYNC, Aerosmith, and the like.
Yesterday, was new student orientation. I have one new student, but he wasn't here yet. He arrives today, but I've already met him. He is Suanne (our Literacy Coach's) son. Last night we had a pot luck roof top party on the other apartment's room. There is a nice little garden area and a great view. Pot Luck in Korea is more like, buy some type of food and bring it. There were only two foods brought that were actually made in someone's home, but it was all delicious! I pooped out early because, well, I'm lame. But Brittany came over to use the internet I'm borrowing since she isn't able to borrow any in her apartment. It was fun to sit and talk a while.
I'm going to stop this post here with some pictures from Seoul Tower. It was beautiful.
So, my posts won't be about everything that is going on anymore. I just don't have the time or energy. I will post about big or fun things going on, though. And I promise to make more of a point of taking my camera with me at all times!
Tomorrow is the first day of school, so expect a post on that! Prayers would be helpful!
God has been good!!!! It's not easy, but He doesn't promise easy. Please pray that my time here will bring God glory and that He gets ALL the praise!
-Sara
So.... I'm a little stressed right now. This is normal for a teacher, but I feel it double because I'm a new teacher in a foreign country and access to cutesy teacher stuff isn't readily available.
Let me back up a little bit.
So the first week went great! We were shown around our neighborhood and around Itaewon (the foreign/new york-y place) and I really REALLY like it here! The weeks have smushed into blurs. So keeping track of when everything happened is really hard.
Friday night, a lot of the newbies and some of the veteran teachers went to Itaewon to have dinner (club sandwich and fries, thank you very much!) and hang out. It was a lot of fun! It was more relaxed and nice to be able to hang out with people rather than work/"hang out" with people. :)
Saturday a big group (of old and new... mostly new...) went to Namsan Seoul Tower and back to Itaewon to have lunch.
Seoul Tower was great! The view was amazing! It seems crazy to me that not too terribly long ago this huge city was torn apart (and down) in war. Seoul is know as "The Miracle of Asia" and I believe it! Rome may not have been built in a day, but I think Seoul might have been.
We then went for "Mexican Food." I ordered fajitas and guacamole-- it was okay. I will miss the homemade goodness that was a-plenty at Brown. All my teacher friends are SPOILED. Be THANKFUL for such delicious food!
The next day I went to church at my school. I liked it! It was small, but I could tell that it was a nice little community of believers. They are needing volunteers to help with Sunday School, so I'm thinking I would love to help with that. After church, Sarah and I worked until 5ish and Suanne Forrester (our new Literacy Coach) made us leave. The three of us went to E-Mart and got some necessities for the home. We ate Mandu for dinner (delicious dumplings). Sarah and I actually went BACK to EMart later that night because Sarah wanted a cool mattress pad thing. Sunday was a fruitful day. :)
Monday, we met all of the veteran teachers (I don't want to call them "old" because they aren't) and thus started our week of in-service.
Basically, it was a week full of working, working, meetings, working, working, eating, working.... and you get the idea. Truthfully, I know lots of fun stuff happened in there, but everything is blurred together. It was a lot of fun meeting all of the veterans. They are really great and helpful! We have had a good bit of time to get to know our collegues, so it has been really good.
As I mentioned before, though. I'm a little bit panicky. The kids come tomorrow and I feel VERY unprepared. I know it will be fine. I know kids are very forgiving about 1st day stuff. I just like to be on top of it and there doesn't seem to be enough physical time to do that. Plus, I have been FORCING myself to get out of the classroom and hang out with people. It's important!
Friday night, Sarah and a group of teachers (myself included) met up with her cousin, his girlfriend, and part of her family. We had some great food and then went to a noraebong (karaoke). They are small rooms for about 10 people and, well, you sing your heart out! It was a lot of fun! The best karaoke songs are ones that remind you of the "olden days." MC Hammer, N'SYNC, Aerosmith, and the like.
Yesterday, was new student orientation. I have one new student, but he wasn't here yet. He arrives today, but I've already met him. He is Suanne (our Literacy Coach's) son. Last night we had a pot luck roof top party on the other apartment's room. There is a nice little garden area and a great view. Pot Luck in Korea is more like, buy some type of food and bring it. There were only two foods brought that were actually made in someone's home, but it was all delicious! I pooped out early because, well, I'm lame. But Brittany came over to use the internet I'm borrowing since she isn't able to borrow any in her apartment. It was fun to sit and talk a while.
I'm going to stop this post here with some pictures from Seoul Tower. It was beautiful.
 |
| This doesn't look impressive, but we had already ridden up the trolly to this point of the tower. So, be impressed. |
 |
| So, there are trees and fences full of locks where those in love lock their love forever in Seoul... |
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| "Fajitas" They were okay. |
 |
| This is at the park right by my apartment. It's fun to watch everyone play in the water! |
Tomorrow is the first day of school, so expect a post on that! Prayers would be helpful!
God has been good!!!! It's not easy, but He doesn't promise easy. Please pray that my time here will bring God glory and that He gets ALL the praise!
-Sara
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Settling in...
will take a while.
I think I will make this post short, but it may be longer because so much has happened in the last few days. First I will start off with the photos you were promised in the last post.
I've been trying to upload the video of my apartment, but since I'm borrowing/using without permission internet, it is slower than needed.
The following photos are from Sarah and my trip to Insadong- Hanuk Village. It is a neighborhood that is made up of museums, a palace, and very traditional housing. There are a lot of small streets and shops, too.
There aren't a ton of photos mainly because I was SUPER jet lagged and ready to go home and go to bed.
I am ready to go to bed right now, so I will have to update ya'll tomorrow!
Our days are packed, so please be patient that I have a lot to write about and not a lot of time. I will keep everyone updated!
Love you all!
-Sara
I think I will make this post short, but it may be longer because so much has happened in the last few days. First I will start off with the photos you were promised in the last post.
 |
| I'm eating well! This is my typical breakfast (and sometimes dinner if I'm just that stinking tired! |
 |
| This is my view. Very "Rear Window"ish |
The following photos are from Sarah and my trip to Insadong- Hanuk Village. It is a neighborhood that is made up of museums, a palace, and very traditional housing. There are a lot of small streets and shops, too.
 |
| I really wanted to go to the Chicken Art museum... but we couldn't find it. |
 |
| Traditional scary, steep stiars. |
 |
| Blurry Traditional doors! |
 |
| Traditional housing. Very pretty! |
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| Traditional meets modern. Traditional house- modern electric gate. |
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| View of Seoul Tower! I will go there on Saturday! |
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| Traditional meets modern. A view of downtown over traditional roofs. |
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| Korean women (especially older women) wear bonnets to protect them from the sun. These two were really cute. |
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| Bart Simpson LOVES Beer and Coffee! What a combination! |
I am ready to go to bed right now, so I will have to update ya'll tomorrow!
Our days are packed, so please be patient that I have a lot to write about and not a lot of time. I will keep everyone updated!
Love you all!
-Sara
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
I'm a....
Seoul (wo)Man!
Here I am! I made it! I am so excited and proud that I was able to navigate three international flights by myself (and God, of course) and not have any big problems! There was a screaming baby on two flights (the same one) and the Shanghai Airport apparently doesn't believe in air conditioning, but all in all it wasn't so bad.
My principal, Steve Massiah, picked me up at the airport and drove me to my apartment. My apartment is quite big for what I was expecting! I have an extra room with a desk in it, but it doesn't have A/C, so I won't be spending that much time in there right now. It is HUMID! The only time I am not sweating is in my apartment and when my classroom cools down enough.
I took a video literally 10 minutes after I got into my apartment, but I'm having trouble uploading it. So, due to the time constraint of my laptop dying, I am going to have to get back to you on that.
This morning, I woke up at 6am and immediately made a list of things I need to get at the store (which is across the street, through the park, over the rainbow bridge, and through the other park.) It's about a 7 minute walk. I put a lot of my clothes away and decided to head on downstairs because I was being picked up to go take a quick tour of my school and be able to work in my classroom. I left my apartment early to walk a few blocks around my apartment to see what is around me. There is a Dunkin Doughnuts, Baskin Robbins, Paris Baguette, 4ish coffee places, 10ish Korean Restaurants, a bank, 2 hair salons, a cell phone store and 2 Seven-eleven type places. That is just in the bottom of MY building. Next door has a movie theater, stores, the bank I'll use, and other useful things! I couldn't work up the courage to go into Dunkin Doughnuts and order a coffee myself, so I went without this morning.
I met up with three other brand new -to-Korea teachers. Sarah Wood will be teaching 4th grade this year, lives in my building, teaches next door to me, and is awesome. She is from Asheville, NC so I told her about our Christmas there. She is really sweet.
We decided that the two of us would stick together and man am I glad!
Matt and Charlie are two other new teachers that live in the apartments by the store (that is the 7 min walk away). Another Matt picked us and my co-teacher, Jeff, up at 10 and we headed up to school. Matt showed us where the bus stop is so we will know for when school starts. We took a tour of our school (it's awesome!) and then went to our rooms to begin working, where I promptly skyped mom and dad. :) We were treated to a delicious Korean lunch with dumplings, kimbap, fried pork with korean sauce, and other delicious treats. It was great!
We then went back to school and I actually worked then! Sarah and I decided that we wanted to leave early so we braved the bus (where the driver didn't give us the appropriate change back (he acutally gave us NO change). But we made it. We then changed out of our sweaty clothes and into clothes we didn't mind being sweaty in and made our way to the subway station.
Yes, that's right! My first adventure in Korea! Sarah and I mastered (for the most part) the subway system and went to Insedong. There are many small neighborhoods that are made up of mostly traditional housing. We walked around for a while, got completely exhausted when our jet lag finally kicked in, and had to stand the majority of the way home on the subway because people were coming home from work and the subway was packed. We then walked to the store because we both HAD to get an alarm clock so we aren't late tomorrow morning. Sarah has a great app on her iPad that is a korean translator. So she typed in "alarm clock," in comes up in Korean, and will say it as well. When I get my phone, that is the first app I get! It was so helpful!
I won't be getting my own internet (I'm borrowing from someone or some place right now) my cell phone, or my transportation pass, until next week sometime. Pictures are to come later!
So for now, I am signing off because my computer is about out of juice and my eyes won't stay open.
God is good all the time! All the time, God is good!
-Sara
Here I am! I made it! I am so excited and proud that I was able to navigate three international flights by myself (and God, of course) and not have any big problems! There was a screaming baby on two flights (the same one) and the Shanghai Airport apparently doesn't believe in air conditioning, but all in all it wasn't so bad.
My principal, Steve Massiah, picked me up at the airport and drove me to my apartment. My apartment is quite big for what I was expecting! I have an extra room with a desk in it, but it doesn't have A/C, so I won't be spending that much time in there right now. It is HUMID! The only time I am not sweating is in my apartment and when my classroom cools down enough.
This morning, I woke up at 6am and immediately made a list of things I need to get at the store (which is across the street, through the park, over the rainbow bridge, and through the other park.) It's about a 7 minute walk. I put a lot of my clothes away and decided to head on downstairs because I was being picked up to go take a quick tour of my school and be able to work in my classroom. I left my apartment early to walk a few blocks around my apartment to see what is around me. There is a Dunkin Doughnuts, Baskin Robbins, Paris Baguette, 4ish coffee places, 10ish Korean Restaurants, a bank, 2 hair salons, a cell phone store and 2 Seven-eleven type places. That is just in the bottom of MY building. Next door has a movie theater, stores, the bank I'll use, and other useful things! I couldn't work up the courage to go into Dunkin Doughnuts and order a coffee myself, so I went without this morning.
I met up with three other brand new -to-Korea teachers. Sarah Wood will be teaching 4th grade this year, lives in my building, teaches next door to me, and is awesome. She is from Asheville, NC so I told her about our Christmas there. She is really sweet.
We decided that the two of us would stick together and man am I glad!
Matt and Charlie are two other new teachers that live in the apartments by the store (that is the 7 min walk away). Another Matt picked us and my co-teacher, Jeff, up at 10 and we headed up to school. Matt showed us where the bus stop is so we will know for when school starts. We took a tour of our school (it's awesome!) and then went to our rooms to begin working, where I promptly skyped mom and dad. :) We were treated to a delicious Korean lunch with dumplings, kimbap, fried pork with korean sauce, and other delicious treats. It was great!
We then went back to school and I actually worked then! Sarah and I decided that we wanted to leave early so we braved the bus (where the driver didn't give us the appropriate change back (he acutally gave us NO change). But we made it. We then changed out of our sweaty clothes and into clothes we didn't mind being sweaty in and made our way to the subway station.
Yes, that's right! My first adventure in Korea! Sarah and I mastered (for the most part) the subway system and went to Insedong. There are many small neighborhoods that are made up of mostly traditional housing. We walked around for a while, got completely exhausted when our jet lag finally kicked in, and had to stand the majority of the way home on the subway because people were coming home from work and the subway was packed. We then walked to the store because we both HAD to get an alarm clock so we aren't late tomorrow morning. Sarah has a great app on her iPad that is a korean translator. So she typed in "alarm clock," in comes up in Korean, and will say it as well. When I get my phone, that is the first app I get! It was so helpful!
I won't be getting my own internet (I'm borrowing from someone or some place right now) my cell phone, or my transportation pass, until next week sometime. Pictures are to come later!
So for now, I am signing off because my computer is about out of juice and my eyes won't stay open.
God is good all the time! All the time, God is good!
-Sara
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Goodbyes...
suck.
The past week has gone by SO fast and yet so slow! It's hard to explain. I'm ready to get this show on the road, but I am not ready to say goodbye to family and friends. The anxiousness of the unknown about all that is this new experience will be elevated when I get there, but it's taking a long time to get to that point. Yet, the sadness of saying goodbye has happened way too fast.
Such is life.
I said a lot of cheerful goodbyes a few weeks ago at my going away party. It hadn't (and still hasn't) really hit that I am leaving so I hugged and said goodbye to some great college and work friends. It was a great party. If you don't believe me, read the post below.
Sunday night I spent the night in Denton with my friend Lacy who was working at a clinic up there on Monday the 16th. So we had a slumber party where I couldn't keep my eyes open and had no idea what Lacy or I were talking about. (I've never been good at slumber parties. I always just want to go to sleep.) So we woke up the next morning and had a good, long breakfast at Panera before Lacy had to go into work. It kind of got a little real at that point, but I talked to Lacy later that day as she drove home... so I still wasn't too sad. Yet.
Fast forward through a week of packing up my apartment to dinner at my Aunt Susie's. It was so great. She made the enchiladas that I dream about. They are a childhood staple for me and I was so glad to have them once more before I left! My Aunt Judy, Uncle Steve, Tracy (cousin), Vanessa (cousin), Aunt Susie, Uncle Van, Granny, PawPaw, Mom, Dad, and the rest of my family (little ones included) were all there, so it was a fun family gathering! The little ones played outside on the swing and in the water table while the adults chatted and got caught up. My granny made me a travel quilt that I am so excited to take to Korea with me, and my PawPaw supplied me with more hand and feet warmers for the bitter cold that I will endure. Both will keep this Texas girl warm and happy. Toward the end of the evening we went through old pictures of my parents, my brothers, and myself. Pierson got to see what Grandpa looked like when he was his Daddy's age. The resemblance confused Pierson for a little bit when we pointed at my dad and asked "Who is that!?" He hesitated and pointed to Nathan and said, "YOU!?" As much as I've always thought Nathan looks more like the Gillis side of the family, there is no doubt he is a Hall.
The past week has gone by SO fast and yet so slow! It's hard to explain. I'm ready to get this show on the road, but I am not ready to say goodbye to family and friends. The anxiousness of the unknown about all that is this new experience will be elevated when I get there, but it's taking a long time to get to that point. Yet, the sadness of saying goodbye has happened way too fast.
Such is life.
I said a lot of cheerful goodbyes a few weeks ago at my going away party. It hadn't (and still hasn't) really hit that I am leaving so I hugged and said goodbye to some great college and work friends. It was a great party. If you don't believe me, read the post below.
Sunday night I spent the night in Denton with my friend Lacy who was working at a clinic up there on Monday the 16th. So we had a slumber party where I couldn't keep my eyes open and had no idea what Lacy or I were talking about. (I've never been good at slumber parties. I always just want to go to sleep.) So we woke up the next morning and had a good, long breakfast at Panera before Lacy had to go into work. It kind of got a little real at that point, but I talked to Lacy later that day as she drove home... so I still wasn't too sad. Yet.
Fast forward through a week of packing up my apartment to dinner at my Aunt Susie's. It was so great. She made the enchiladas that I dream about. They are a childhood staple for me and I was so glad to have them once more before I left! My Aunt Judy, Uncle Steve, Tracy (cousin), Vanessa (cousin), Aunt Susie, Uncle Van, Granny, PawPaw, Mom, Dad, and the rest of my family (little ones included) were all there, so it was a fun family gathering! The little ones played outside on the swing and in the water table while the adults chatted and got caught up. My granny made me a travel quilt that I am so excited to take to Korea with me, and my PawPaw supplied me with more hand and feet warmers for the bitter cold that I will endure. Both will keep this Texas girl warm and happy. Toward the end of the evening we went through old pictures of my parents, my brothers, and myself. Pierson got to see what Grandpa looked like when he was his Daddy's age. The resemblance confused Pierson for a little bit when we pointed at my dad and asked "Who is that!?" He hesitated and pointed to Nathan and said, "YOU!?" As much as I've always thought Nathan looks more like the Gillis side of the family, there is no doubt he is a Hall.
Nathan and Pierson at the beach in Vancouver June 2011
Dad and I near Galveston in summer of 1986?
Hopefully you see some resemblance.
My first hard goodbye was to my sister-in-law Melissa while leaving Aunt Susie's house. She is at a retreat this weekend and that was the last time I got to see her in person before Christmas. She has been a part of this family (in my eyes) since I was a freshman in high school-- 1999? I cried most of the way home.
I went home and continued to pack up my apartment and get ready for the move. Jared came over on Tuesday and we moved most of my apartment into a tiny storage facility! I stressed out the majority of the time we were moving because I was convinced it was not going to fit. Early on Jared said that we might have to take the legs off my table to make everything fit and sure enough, the packing Yoda was right. I am always amazed at how he is able to tetris things to get everything to fit just right. It's a gift. Even though the weather was hot and moving was hard, I had a really fun time with my brother. He is one of my best friends, and he made moving fun!
I cleaned the rest of the day and went over to my mom and dad's to go to sleep. Wednesday was probably my most productive non-teaching day I have ever had. I ran errands from 8am to 6pm and got everything done! Well, except one thing. My AC adaptor for my computer blew out on Monday and I went to Best Buy to get another one. I quickly called the computer savvy brother and Nate didn't recognize the brand of the only adaptor that would supposedly work for my computer. So, he ordered two off Amazon and had them here by Friday. And as you can tell, my computer is alive! Thank you, Nathan! (I have the best big brothers. In case anyone was wondering.)
Wednesday was also the day I said goodbye to Molly. She is one of my best friends and worked with me at Otis Brown for 3 1/2 years! We were blessed to get hired at the same school! God is pretty cool! We had lunch at Chipotle and said goodbye-- and it sucked. I love Molly, but I am really going to miss her.
My mom took off work on Thursday and we got to spend the day together (minus some time at the dentist, but with my screwed up mouth what else is new?). We ate at Twisted Root (great burgers) and got our nails done. Then I bought a new backpack (since Jared found out that I have had his for 6 years-- stupid moving). We met Nancy and Bill Yates at La Hacienda Ranch for dinner and had a great time. The Yates are basically family and I am going to miss them so much!
Bill and Nancy outside of La Hacienda Ranch
We missed you, Lindsey, Tim, and Kyle!
After dinner I drove up to Lewisville to say goodbye to Jim and Patricia Welch. We had snowcones at Bahama Bucks and chatted for a while, then said our goodbyes. I held it together until I got in the car, and again, I lost it. I love those two. They are such great friends and we always have a fun time together. I will miss our "Real Food Mondays" with Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Dancing with the Stars.
Friday morning I woke up and met Ashlee at our coffee shop, Java Me Up. We, as usual, sat outside on the patio and drank our coffee and got caught up. Ashlee was my roommate for two years, then we lived across the street from each other for another two years. She has become one of my best friends and has been such a blessing. I couldn't hold it together for that goodbye and had a nice cry before I got in the car and continued to cry all the way to lunch with my parents. My mom and I ran errands after lunch then went home to get ready for dinner at Babe's. I drove myself to dinner because I am one who likes to cry by myself. I need no consoling nor do I want it, and I knew I was going to cry.
Uncle Hadley, Aunt Gaynell, Brady, Courtney, baby Callan, and the whole Hall gang (minus Melissa- we missed you) were there to enjoy the good food. I ate WAY too much (as usual there) and had a good time seeing everyone. I said goodbye to my extended family, then had to say the dreaded goodbye to Nathan, Erin, and my nieces and nephews. Not fun. I tried not to cry because I didn't want to freak Macy or Pierson out, but it couldn't be helped. Jared is going to see me off at the airport, so I wasn't too worried about saying goodbye to him yet. I hugged the kids, hugged Erin, and hugged Nathan for so long his shirt was wet (sorry, Bubs). I hugged Jared mostly because he was holding Reid. Reid apparently thinks my ugly cry face is HILARIOUS as he was laughing the whole time. I love that kid. I left first because it could have dragged on longer than needed, and headed home.
The night was spent watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics and teaching my parents how to use Skype.
I woke up this morning and started unpacking and repacking my bags for Korea as all three are over the weight limit. After repacking, now only two are over the weight limit. Today will be spent reassing all of my luggage until most of it is under the weight limit (I'll let one go over).
I'm pretty overwhelmed and distracted which is good right now. Once I get everything in order and run out of things to do, I will probably start to get more nervous.
I can still feel God in control, and I know who to run to when I start to freak out. As much as my friends and family love me, they can't calm my anxiety. I continually go back to February when this all began and remind myself of how perfectly this all aligned. It is God. I am doing what He wants me to do, even though I'm scared. It's exciting to be called, though. I have no idea what exactly I'm in for, but I know it will bring God glory.
Hallelujah!
-Sara
Friday, July 20, 2012
My Cup...
Overflows....
Words cannot describe how amazing my friends and family are. I don't deserve them, but they are always there for me. My closest friends threw me a going away party last weekend and it was awesome! I am not a huge fan of being the reason for a party, but it was amazing to see a lot friends before I go. Plus, it wasn't the night before I leave so I wasn't weepy and such! While I did bring my camera, it was charging upstairs for half of the party. I promise to get better about picture taking!!!
Jim and Patricia Welch hosted the party at their AMAZING new house! Those two used to live right across the street from me and it has been awesome to have such good friends so close! Patricia's dad and Jim smoked the BEST BBQ I've ever had! They started it the night before and it was cooked to perfection! Lacy came up from Marble Falls, Megan and Ross came from Midland, Molly and Zach, and Ashlee all helped host the party.
I could write up a play by play, but really. No need. It was simply amazing.
Here are a few photos of me and my nephews. (The nieces were not interested in pictures.)
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| Sweet Nephew!! |
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| Pierson Everette! (Reagan smiled in the back, but refused to smile with me!) |
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| I love this kid!! |
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| Lacy and Molly stole the camera! |
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| Molly, Megan, Zach, and Ross play "Redneck Golf." |
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| More Redneck Golf |
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| Washers! Sorry Mr. Doug! I guess that game was a warm up. |
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| Mr. Gary is pretty pro at washers! He and Ashlee did great! |
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| Jim and Patricia Welch! (Their mom had the camera... I know have several "couple" pictures of them! Haha!) |
The next day Jim, Patricia, Ashlee, and I got out on the lake early and went wakeboarding. It was greatness!
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| Jim got a new wakeboard that he was breaking in. |
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| Captain Patricia!! |
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Ash and I on the boat!      Just kidding... I freak out when I even start to get out of the wake! |
Dinner with the bubs!
My brothers and Macy!
Throwback!
This was Lacy's tiny bathroom in her house from college that was always an adventure to use! You could use the restroom, brush your teeth, and stick your feet in the shower all at the same time!
As Lacy would say,"You kind of have to sit on the toilet sideways... otherwise it's a little awkward."
Jared replied, "Oh really!? Let's just see."
(I actually made that conversation up. I wasn't there when this photo was taken.)
As for now, I am basically just panicing... I mean packing. I have my bags for Korea packed, but after weighing them I have realized that I will have to downsize. If I take 3 bags (one extra bag than allowed for overseas) I refuse to have them over the weight limit! I will have my clothes and most of my kitchen packed by the end of the day. (Yay!) And will be on to my living room and all the other odds and ends later on.
God has blessed me and it is increasingly evident every day. Praise Him!
Sara
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Oklahoma...
is actually pretty cool!
Last week, my family and I went on vacation to Beaver's Bend State Park! I'd never been there, and it was beautiful! My parents rented a large cabin that we all stayed in together. We had a BLAST!
We all got there on Wednesday and hung out for the 4th of July. I, unfortunately, don't have any pictures from our trip. I hope to get some from Melissa, but that will have to wait.
Thursday morning, Mom and Dad went canoeing early while Nathan, Melissa, Jared, and I went later on in the morning. We were really excited because we knew there would be rapids and rope swings. As it turns out, we are not as great at canoeing as we thought. Jared and I kind of bent our canoe after being dumped out of it twice. It still floated and we did not have to pay for it, but we still broke a canoe. It turns out that we come by it honest because our parents, hours earlier, were dumped out on the rapids and did some damage to their canoe, too. I'm a little worried that we are on a "black list" for canoe rentals. No lie, it was pretty fun.
Friday, Nathan and Melissa were generous enough to rent a wake boarding boat for a few hours in the morning, so we were able to play on the lake with the kids all morning! Unfortunately, the wake board was missing a few key pieces that made wake boarding pretty hard. But Nathan, Jared, and Melissa got some pretty great skiing in! We also had a blast on the tube. I will post pictures of some of us standing up on the tube while it was moving. (Mom and Dad had already gone home by this point or I'm sure we would have been scolded. All is well!) Pierson and Reagan had a great time going VERY slowly on the tube for the first time, too! We all went home and took naps. It was glorious!
Saturday we went into Beaver's Bend Park with the purpose of riding the train and doing fun things with the kiddos. The only problem (and blessing for those who live in that area) was that a thunderstorm came through and dumped water on us for a couple of hours. We found a place to eat in the park and went home. Nathan and Melissa took Pierson to the train after the rain to see if it was running then as Pierson was disappointed and would only take the conductor's word that it wasn't running. Alas, it wasn't, but he got ice cream and had a great afternoon! We spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Sunday we all got up early, packed, and headed home. It was a great, relaxing family vacation. I promise to get pictures up as soon as possible.
I leave for Korea in less than three weeks! I am currently packing up and cleaning my apartment. It's a little slow going. Unfortunately, I have ADD. I start something, think of something else and get distracted. Needless to say, there are a lot of piles on the floor and I'm a little overwhelmed.
It will get done, I know it. I may just need to stay up late since friends are coming in town this weekend to hang out. Tomorrow starts my "Molly and Sara Day," so I need to have my house clean... maybe not packed away, but clean and somewhat organized. I'm sure I'll find my zone.
As far as the shock of moving to the other side of the world. It hasn't set in and I've been told that it won't until I get to the airport, or board the plane, or get to another airport, or get to Seoul.... something like that. Meanwhile, I am just continually praying for peace and courage.
Sara
Last week, my family and I went on vacation to Beaver's Bend State Park! I'd never been there, and it was beautiful! My parents rented a large cabin that we all stayed in together. We had a BLAST!
We all got there on Wednesday and hung out for the 4th of July. I, unfortunately, don't have any pictures from our trip. I hope to get some from Melissa, but that will have to wait.
Thursday morning, Mom and Dad went canoeing early while Nathan, Melissa, Jared, and I went later on in the morning. We were really excited because we knew there would be rapids and rope swings. As it turns out, we are not as great at canoeing as we thought. Jared and I kind of bent our canoe after being dumped out of it twice. It still floated and we did not have to pay for it, but we still broke a canoe. It turns out that we come by it honest because our parents, hours earlier, were dumped out on the rapids and did some damage to their canoe, too. I'm a little worried that we are on a "black list" for canoe rentals. No lie, it was pretty fun.
Friday, Nathan and Melissa were generous enough to rent a wake boarding boat for a few hours in the morning, so we were able to play on the lake with the kids all morning! Unfortunately, the wake board was missing a few key pieces that made wake boarding pretty hard. But Nathan, Jared, and Melissa got some pretty great skiing in! We also had a blast on the tube. I will post pictures of some of us standing up on the tube while it was moving. (Mom and Dad had already gone home by this point or I'm sure we would have been scolded. All is well!) Pierson and Reagan had a great time going VERY slowly on the tube for the first time, too! We all went home and took naps. It was glorious!
Saturday we went into Beaver's Bend Park with the purpose of riding the train and doing fun things with the kiddos. The only problem (and blessing for those who live in that area) was that a thunderstorm came through and dumped water on us for a couple of hours. We found a place to eat in the park and went home. Nathan and Melissa took Pierson to the train after the rain to see if it was running then as Pierson was disappointed and would only take the conductor's word that it wasn't running. Alas, it wasn't, but he got ice cream and had a great afternoon! We spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Sunday we all got up early, packed, and headed home. It was a great, relaxing family vacation. I promise to get pictures up as soon as possible.
I leave for Korea in less than three weeks! I am currently packing up and cleaning my apartment. It's a little slow going. Unfortunately, I have ADD. I start something, think of something else and get distracted. Needless to say, there are a lot of piles on the floor and I'm a little overwhelmed.
It will get done, I know it. I may just need to stay up late since friends are coming in town this weekend to hang out. Tomorrow starts my "Molly and Sara Day," so I need to have my house clean... maybe not packed away, but clean and somewhat organized. I'm sure I'll find my zone.
As far as the shock of moving to the other side of the world. It hasn't set in and I've been told that it won't until I get to the airport, or board the plane, or get to another airport, or get to Seoul.... something like that. Meanwhile, I am just continually praying for peace and courage.
Sara
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
THIS MONTH!
I leave this month for Seoul!
I've been really worried about my Visa because it hasn't been sent back to me in three weeks. I've called and called and had to learn how to be assertive and more stern with people on the phone to get answers. (I am a HUGE pushover when it comes to that.) I wish I could say it was their mistake, but it wasn't. I forgot to send in one tiny thing that makes a HUGE difference. I should have my visa by the end of the week. I will be able to sleep MUCH better now!
Not too much has happened the past few weeks. I've been having lazy days and reading books for my new school.
I did get to go see my friend Lacy and spend a long weekend at her parent's lake house again! I went down to Marble Falls on Thursday afternoon. Lacy's group of friends in the Falls haven't been out to Camp of the Hills to see the Crucifixion Reenactment before, so I went with them to dinner at camp then watched to reenactment. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a little background.
I worked out at Camp of the Hills (COTH) in 2005, 2007, and one week in 2008 and 2009. It's a Christian camp for inner city youth from Texas and Oklahoma. Just like there is a Kenya shaped room in my heart, there is a COTH shaped room in my heart as well. I love it there. Every Thursday, the staff reenacts the crucifixion of Christ. Now, it is not bloody nor is is gruesome, but it is there to show the kids how much Jesus loves them. After the reenactment, the kids are split back up into their cabins and have a devotional where they are allowed to ask questions and speak their minds about what they have seen. On Friday mornings the staff reenacts the Resurrection, communion is explained to the kids, and another devotional takes place. God is all over that camp and it was nice to see new people experience camp.
Friday morning, Lacy and I left for her parents house and made a small (and by small I mean large and deliberate) detour to the San Marcos Outlets. I may have bought some stuff. Don't worry, I'm going through my clothes again to make room for my new clothes in my wardrobe! We made it in time for some fun on her parent's new wave runners!!! I am definitely a lake person and riding a wave runner is probably my favorite thing. The only problem was that Lacy and I spent WAY too much time on those toys and our rear ends felt as if we had just gotten on a bike for 3 hours after a 10 year hiatus. OUCH (but fun)!
The next day more friends came over- Jim and Patricia, Asa and Bethany, Ashley and Matt, Laquita and Curtis, and Lacy's brother Robby. We had a GREAT weekend on the lake and catching up. Mr. and Mrs. Haney are truly great for letting a bunch of 20-somethings invade their home for a weekend.
This, unfortunately, is the only picture I have from the weekend:
The extra large bag with 2 down coats, 2 northface jackets, 2 peacoats, snow pants, rain jacket, 3 sweaters, and 2 pairs of gloves
I didn't feel like getting my cute serving trays out.
I leave this month for Seoul!
I've been really worried about my Visa because it hasn't been sent back to me in three weeks. I've called and called and had to learn how to be assertive and more stern with people on the phone to get answers. (I am a HUGE pushover when it comes to that.) I wish I could say it was their mistake, but it wasn't. I forgot to send in one tiny thing that makes a HUGE difference. I should have my visa by the end of the week. I will be able to sleep MUCH better now!
Not too much has happened the past few weeks. I've been having lazy days and reading books for my new school.
I did get to go see my friend Lacy and spend a long weekend at her parent's lake house again! I went down to Marble Falls on Thursday afternoon. Lacy's group of friends in the Falls haven't been out to Camp of the Hills to see the Crucifixion Reenactment before, so I went with them to dinner at camp then watched to reenactment. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a little background.
I worked out at Camp of the Hills (COTH) in 2005, 2007, and one week in 2008 and 2009. It's a Christian camp for inner city youth from Texas and Oklahoma. Just like there is a Kenya shaped room in my heart, there is a COTH shaped room in my heart as well. I love it there. Every Thursday, the staff reenacts the crucifixion of Christ. Now, it is not bloody nor is is gruesome, but it is there to show the kids how much Jesus loves them. After the reenactment, the kids are split back up into their cabins and have a devotional where they are allowed to ask questions and speak their minds about what they have seen. On Friday mornings the staff reenacts the Resurrection, communion is explained to the kids, and another devotional takes place. God is all over that camp and it was nice to see new people experience camp.
Friday morning, Lacy and I left for her parents house and made a small (and by small I mean large and deliberate) detour to the San Marcos Outlets. I may have bought some stuff. Don't worry, I'm going through my clothes again to make room for my new clothes in my wardrobe! We made it in time for some fun on her parent's new wave runners!!! I am definitely a lake person and riding a wave runner is probably my favorite thing. The only problem was that Lacy and I spent WAY too much time on those toys and our rear ends felt as if we had just gotten on a bike for 3 hours after a 10 year hiatus. OUCH (but fun)!
The next day more friends came over- Jim and Patricia, Asa and Bethany, Ashley and Matt, Laquita and Curtis, and Lacy's brother Robby. We had a GREAT weekend on the lake and catching up. Mr. and Mrs. Haney are truly great for letting a bunch of 20-somethings invade their home for a weekend.
This, unfortunately, is the only picture I have from the weekend:
It's a small photo, but there's most of us floating and catching up!
It was a great weekend! Since then, I have slowly been getting ready for the move. Today I decided to put my mom's mind at ease. She is nervous that I am going to freeze to death in Seoul. So, I made a Walmart run and bought the Space Saver Bags. Here's a little photo story about how great they actually are!
The extra large bag with 2 down coats, 2 northface jackets, 2 peacoats, snow pants, rain jacket, 3 sweaters, and 2 pairs of gloves
The Before Pictures
After some repacking- here are the after pictures!
The Before of towels and some kitchen things
The after pictures with another bag full of sweaters and scarves.
I will not be freezing!!
In addition to packing for cold weather, I am also cooking to get rid of a bunch of food so that it doesn't go to waste! I have been trying new recipes and been mostly pleased. I've expecially been pleased with my complete from scratch chocolate cupcakes! I took them to my parents house and they were delicious!
Now, just for fun, here are some cute pictures of my sweet neice Reagan Leigh
Cheese!!
Hanging out in Mommy's shoes!
Hanging out in Aunt Sara's boots!
I'm getting more excited about moving!! Thank you, GOD! He has been good and patient with me as I slightly freak out about all of this!
Tomorrow I will be leaving for Oklahoma for our family vacation and I cannot wait!! I pray that God blesses us with some great family time!!
-Sara
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