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
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