So, I'll start with most recent news. I have a roomie now. On Tuesday afternoon I went to the office and was told that I was getting a roomie the next day. Merry Christmas! Thankfully, she's very nice and sweet so it's fine.
This evening I went to a place where they have a whole huge floor covered in bead shops!! A dream come true!!! I bought some beads...but I'm telling you...there were SO many!!! After that we went to an Uzbekistanian restaurant. We walked up this tiny staircase, opened the door, and almost walked out. It was litterally a hole in the wall with about 4 tables. At one of the tables there were 5 or so fast talking Uzi's. We were served by a girl who we later learned didn't even work there but was just a friend of the owner. Hmm...anyways, before our food came out (which, by the way, was AMAZING and soo tasty!) one of the men came over, set two shot glasses down on our table, and poured some vodka into them. He proceeded to tell us that he wanted us to drink. When we refused and told him we were Christians, he told us that he was muslim and was not allowed to drink either but did. We refused and refused and refused some more. So, he poured more into our glasses. Finally, his friends told him to leave us alone, and he did. He told us he was hurt inside. Well, needless to say, we never drank it.
I've decided that I love parent teacher conferences because the parents almost always bring a gift. :)
I decorated my classroom for Christmas!! :D I bought a 4 foot tall Christmas tree and a strand of 650 white lights which I put up around my blackboards and on the tree. I made a star for the tree and my kids cut snowflakes to hang from the ceiling and also made paper chains to hang on the walls. We need more lights, but it looks very festive!! :)
It's been a pretty slow week overall. Fun things are COMING in the form of NATHANIEL! Next Saturday. We're going to the zoo on Friday...hmm....
We've booked our hostels and plane tickets for China. Tomorrow we'll be going to get our visas and then all we have to do is wait until December 19th. Oh when that day comes! We're going to Shanghai and then to Xian for a couple days and then back to Shanghai for Christmas and New Years. Then back to Seoul on January 2nd.
I was able to go to my Korean friend's houes on Thursday. We ate and then read 3 chapters in Philippians together and talked about them. It was a really good time. God's been so good in helping me have enough strength to do everything I need to do and giving me wisdom in teaching and giving me awesome friends. He's so good!!
Other than that, not much is really going on. I'm baking a cake for the church pot luck tomorrow. Then I will sew buttons onto my winter coat. It's getting very cold here. I bought pink ear muffs which really help in keeping my ears warm. I've heard it gets much colder than this, but I am ready. I like the cold. I heard it gets so cold at times that you don't even want to go outside. Bring it on.
There's a song I really love:
Verse 1:
Before the cross I kneel and see
The measure of my sin
How You became a curse for me
Though You were innocent
The magnitude of Your great love
Was shown in full degree
When righteous blood, the crimson spill
Rained down from Calvary
Chorus:
Oh, the precious blood
That flowed from Mercy's side
Washed away my sin
When Christ my Savior died
Oh, the precious blood
Of Christ the crucified
It speaks for me before Your throne
Where I stand justified
Verse 2:
And who am I that I should know
This treasure of such worth
My Savior's pure atoning blood
Shed for the wrath I'd earned
For sin has stained my every deed
My every word and thought
What wondrous love that makes me one
Your priceless blood has bought
Bridge:
A crown of thorns, pierced hands and feet
A body bruised, and Mercy's plea
Ok well, time to be done rambling.
Peace.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Ha ha YAY! Pumpkin Puree!
I was on the metro last night and we had 14 stops before home so I was standing up working on my Korean homework. This younger Korean guy was standing very close to me since the metro was pretty full, and he kept glancing down at my paper. They're always curious. Anyways, I turned the paper over and wrote "I am American" in Korean. Then, to see if he was really watching, I crossed out American and wrote Korean. He was watching and he chuckled. So I crossed that out and wrote Canadian. Then I wrote "what is your name" and he told me and asked mine so I told him. I said nice to meet you, and he wrote something long that I only got bits of. Then he translated it and I wrote that his English was good and he said no and I said yes!! And then he said something else and I said cool and then he wrote that he had to get off because it was his stop and I said bye. No words at all, just writing. It was interesting.
My English is failing me! I just said "it looks very pretty color." Oh dear...I'm doomed!!
Last night we went to this market (very large) and it was gushing rain. It's so interesting to look around at all of the things that they have everywhere...so much stuff. Some cheap, some expensive. Very cheap jade and expensive clothes all mushed together with isles through which you can barely walk. I learned the Korean word for "cross" which I...amazingly enough...still remember.
The field trip went well. A few downs, bust mostly ups. Right when we got off the subway when we got there, one of my kids said that he had left his cell phone on the train. Of course, there was no consoling him, and so we went to the metro police where one of my kids translated so we could find a number to call lost and found. As it turns out later, he found it. Then we went out of the metro and really had no idea where to go from there. We asked around and finally found a bus that we hoped would take us to the museum. It did. We had a blast! We ate lunch in this basement room that had a bunch of tables and a big open floor space. There was literally no one else at the museum that day except the workers, and so we had the whole room to ourselves. After lunch (and thanks to the grumpy kids) we turned off the lights and made them take a nap. Of course, the teachers didn't mind a little shut eye. This all went well until a man came down and ordered us to turn the lights on and open then doors because this is a public room for everyone to use (because all the people were banging on the doors wanting in...) It was great fun!
Well, time to eat some dinner. Peace.
My English is failing me! I just said "it looks very pretty color." Oh dear...I'm doomed!!
Last night we went to this market (very large) and it was gushing rain. It's so interesting to look around at all of the things that they have everywhere...so much stuff. Some cheap, some expensive. Very cheap jade and expensive clothes all mushed together with isles through which you can barely walk. I learned the Korean word for "cross" which I...amazingly enough...still remember.
The field trip went well. A few downs, bust mostly ups. Right when we got off the subway when we got there, one of my kids said that he had left his cell phone on the train. Of course, there was no consoling him, and so we went to the metro police where one of my kids translated so we could find a number to call lost and found. As it turns out later, he found it. Then we went out of the metro and really had no idea where to go from there. We asked around and finally found a bus that we hoped would take us to the museum. It did. We had a blast! We ate lunch in this basement room that had a bunch of tables and a big open floor space. There was literally no one else at the museum that day except the workers, and so we had the whole room to ourselves. After lunch (and thanks to the grumpy kids) we turned off the lights and made them take a nap. Of course, the teachers didn't mind a little shut eye. This all went well until a man came down and ordered us to turn the lights on and open then doors because this is a public room for everyone to use (because all the people were banging on the doors wanting in...) It was great fun!
Well, time to eat some dinner. Peace.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Bunnies In the Metro
Yes, walk through the metro in Sillim and you are bound to find cute brown, black, and white bunnies sitting in a tiny box with an old lady gaurding them. They are so preious, in fact, that one of the teachers saw them, loved them, and bought one. We were on our way to Krispy Kreme, and so can you guess the name? Krispy. Precious. The lady takes a tiny cage about the size of a 3X5 card (ok, so a BIT bigger...) and plops not one, but TWO bunnies into the cage, shoves the lid on, holds it out and smiles. Bunnies in the metro...imagine the possibilities.
Yesterday was my class party. Every time the students turn in all their homework (sometimes they have 5 assignments a night, they get a sticker on their chart. When everyone in the class fills up their charts (20 stickers each), we have a party. I brought them to my apartment, which looks big when it's just me living there. Try stuffing 14 rowdy 5th graders into a living room and not having Mt. Popcorn erupt. Thankfully, they have able hands and swept up MOST of the popcorn, chips, frosting, and sanity that was lying on the floor. There were only a few pieces jammed into the couch cushions. All in all it was a success. They laugh during the movie, were too full to eat cake (fancy that) and had a blast at the park. I'd like to see the day when someone else can fit as many bodies as they did onto my couch.
Tomorrow we're going to 서대문 자연사박물관. It's a museum of natural history. AKA many dino bones and plenty of evolution. A whole floor dedicated to it. What a great teaching opportunity. We just got done studying fossils and dinos in Science and we also had a section on Creationists and Evolutionists. Hopefully they can remember all that we discussed and apply it.
My favorite word in Korean so far is 화장실. Don't know why. Oh, it means bathroom btw. Just in case you were wondering. I guess it's just a very useful word to know.
It cracks me up when little kids look at me and whisper to their friends or parents "미국 사람" which means American. I just look back at them with an awestruck look on my face and say 한국 사람 which means Korean...and is very obvious yet brings gladness to my heart to see their confused faces. I just laugh, say 안녕하세요 (which means hello) and walk away. It's great!
Well, not much else to say...I mean, I'm sure I could say more, but the spacebar on this computer is sketchy. And so, I shall bid you goodnight. Or goodmorning...wherever you are.
Peace.
Yesterday was my class party. Every time the students turn in all their homework (sometimes they have 5 assignments a night, they get a sticker on their chart. When everyone in the class fills up their charts (20 stickers each), we have a party. I brought them to my apartment, which looks big when it's just me living there. Try stuffing 14 rowdy 5th graders into a living room and not having Mt. Popcorn erupt. Thankfully, they have able hands and swept up MOST of the popcorn, chips, frosting, and sanity that was lying on the floor. There were only a few pieces jammed into the couch cushions. All in all it was a success. They laugh during the movie, were too full to eat cake (fancy that) and had a blast at the park. I'd like to see the day when someone else can fit as many bodies as they did onto my couch.
Tomorrow we're going to 서대문 자연사박물관. It's a museum of natural history. AKA many dino bones and plenty of evolution. A whole floor dedicated to it. What a great teaching opportunity. We just got done studying fossils and dinos in Science and we also had a section on Creationists and Evolutionists. Hopefully they can remember all that we discussed and apply it.
My favorite word in Korean so far is 화장실. Don't know why. Oh, it means bathroom btw. Just in case you were wondering. I guess it's just a very useful word to know.
It cracks me up when little kids look at me and whisper to their friends or parents "미국 사람" which means American. I just look back at them with an awestruck look on my face and say 한국 사람 which means Korean...and is very obvious yet brings gladness to my heart to see their confused faces. I just laugh, say 안녕하세요 (which means hello) and walk away. It's great!
Well, not much else to say...I mean, I'm sure I could say more, but the spacebar on this computer is sketchy. And so, I shall bid you goodnight. Or goodmorning...wherever you are.
Peace.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Does Anyone Have A Giant Bow?
Wow, it's been FOREVER since I've posted! Much sorryness (is that a word?) Things have been in uproar lately with my visa and then getting my alien card. Where to begin.
Well, for starters, I still LOVE everything about what I'm doing right now. God confirms every day that this is where He wants me. My kids keep my laughing all the time (even when they're bad they're cute!) and I love teaching them. I look forward to school each day. Sure, it's work, and lots of it, but seeing them learn is amazing to me. I'm so thankful God allowed me to come here and teach them.
I've gone to the orphanage a couple more times, and I still melt every time I see the kids. They're so precious!! Blessed be! I wish I could take them all home. They seem to be catching on with the English, but of course they don't speak it except on Fridays, so I don't know how quickly they will retain it. Please pray for this ministry that we'll be able to reach them. We have a Bible story each week, and they are very attentive and they answer questions readily. Please pray they will be saved.
I had a marvelous time in Guam! Everything worked out, and I was able to stay with a friend from college. The island is AMAZING! Blue water, lush green countryside, and really bad drivers. I got a chance to go to Harvest Baptist Church and the school, and it was such a blessing! They were just starting their revival meetings, and I got to help with the bus ministry one night. A supertyphoon was rollin' in, so it rained off and on and everyone was expecting the worst, but it passed us and hit other islands farther north. I got to go snorkeling and get lots of rest. When I got back, though, I had mounds of papers to grade and kids who asked upon my arrival, "Did you bring us jello?" I was just glad I was so missed...and my jello apparently. And yes, I did bring them jello and we all enjoyed it. :)
I've been enjoying Seoul. I've been many many places...huge malls, outdoor shopping at night, an old palace and museum, the Drum Festival, tons of Korean restaurants (I bypassed the fresh--and I do mean fresh--fish, eel, and octopus...) and a bunch more places. I've worn bunny ears in public, sang on the metro, twirled in the street, laughed in the taxi, walked around until my feet were dirty and sore and then walked some more, photographed little children, been told by old ladies who collect cardboard that they love me, made a shopkeeper upset because I said her goods were too expensive (in Korean, of course), been on a sardine packed metro carrying my big backpack on the way back from the airport, helped announce over a microphone at a little shop that had a sale, laughed much about many random things, seen a stuffed bear hanging on a clothes line, swept up tons of cat hair, used a broken shower for 3 weeks, sang "This Little Light of Mine" with the bus kids in Guam, attempted to gesture to ask for directions after getting hopelessly lost (and it worked), navigated my way around the city...successfully, stayed up way too late, graded hundreds of papers, tripped up the stairs, got caught in the rain and had to buy an outrageously priced umbrella or suffer the consequences of not getting one, got really excited, pet bunnies in the metro, bought cute pink nail polish, driven through the crazy streets, got my blood drawn and didn't faint, sat next to a crying baby on the plane, got my picture taken in one of those crazy Korean photo booths...wearing a giant rainbow wig, ate strange food, had chocolate pancakes for dinner, gone to the top of a really tall building, spoke Korean to the shop keepers and pretended to know what they meant when they spoke back, threw a coin backwards over my shoulder into a replica of the Trevi fountain, and oh so much more. And loved every minute of it.
I went to Korean class on Saturday. We learned the alphabet, and the teacher listened to our pronunciation individually and she said mine was good except for a couple letters. I'm going back every Saturday for a couple months, so hopefully I'll pick it up.
I found an iceskating rink at a mall near my house, and they have my size skates!! I was surprised because Koreans have such small feet. I'm excited to go soon. :)
THis week is spirit week. TOmorrow is fashion disaster day, so I will look very strange. I have a mental image of what it will look like, and it won't be pretty!
Nathaniel is coming in a little over a month! I'm so excited to see him! And then I get to go see him again for Christmas because my friend found super cheap roundtrip tickets to Shanghai. The hotel is dirt cheap and everything else it too. It should be a cheap vacation. We'll be there for New Years too.
Thanksgiving is coming up, and I can't believe I've been here almost 2 months. It sounds short, but I feel so comfortable here. I'm picking up some useful phrases. I can say hello and goodbye, how much, I am American, you're mean, I'm tired, stupid, that's too expensive, thank you and please, and a couple other ones that I can't remember. It's fun to learn it and I can't wait to pick up more because I just want to be able to talk to and witness to the people! With God's help!
So, that's basically my life in a nutshell right now. Nothing overly exciting. I'm having lots of fun, staying safe, washing my hands regularly, and just trying to swim through the mounds of grading. It's my fault because, after all, I do give them homework in almost every subject each night.
Time to write a worksheet so I can go to bed and be up bright and early tomorrow morning. God really had been good, and I've enjoyed getting to know Him more. I'm so thankful for His forgiveness and love, and I really wouldn't be anything without Him. I give all the glory to Him for everything everyday. He's everything to me.
Peace.
Well, for starters, I still LOVE everything about what I'm doing right now. God confirms every day that this is where He wants me. My kids keep my laughing all the time (even when they're bad they're cute!) and I love teaching them. I look forward to school each day. Sure, it's work, and lots of it, but seeing them learn is amazing to me. I'm so thankful God allowed me to come here and teach them.
I've gone to the orphanage a couple more times, and I still melt every time I see the kids. They're so precious!! Blessed be! I wish I could take them all home. They seem to be catching on with the English, but of course they don't speak it except on Fridays, so I don't know how quickly they will retain it. Please pray for this ministry that we'll be able to reach them. We have a Bible story each week, and they are very attentive and they answer questions readily. Please pray they will be saved.
I had a marvelous time in Guam! Everything worked out, and I was able to stay with a friend from college. The island is AMAZING! Blue water, lush green countryside, and really bad drivers. I got a chance to go to Harvest Baptist Church and the school, and it was such a blessing! They were just starting their revival meetings, and I got to help with the bus ministry one night. A supertyphoon was rollin' in, so it rained off and on and everyone was expecting the worst, but it passed us and hit other islands farther north. I got to go snorkeling and get lots of rest. When I got back, though, I had mounds of papers to grade and kids who asked upon my arrival, "Did you bring us jello?" I was just glad I was so missed...and my jello apparently. And yes, I did bring them jello and we all enjoyed it. :)
I've been enjoying Seoul. I've been many many places...huge malls, outdoor shopping at night, an old palace and museum, the Drum Festival, tons of Korean restaurants (I bypassed the fresh--and I do mean fresh--fish, eel, and octopus...) and a bunch more places. I've worn bunny ears in public, sang on the metro, twirled in the street, laughed in the taxi, walked around until my feet were dirty and sore and then walked some more, photographed little children, been told by old ladies who collect cardboard that they love me, made a shopkeeper upset because I said her goods were too expensive (in Korean, of course), been on a sardine packed metro carrying my big backpack on the way back from the airport, helped announce over a microphone at a little shop that had a sale, laughed much about many random things, seen a stuffed bear hanging on a clothes line, swept up tons of cat hair, used a broken shower for 3 weeks, sang "This Little Light of Mine" with the bus kids in Guam, attempted to gesture to ask for directions after getting hopelessly lost (and it worked), navigated my way around the city...successfully, stayed up way too late, graded hundreds of papers, tripped up the stairs, got caught in the rain and had to buy an outrageously priced umbrella or suffer the consequences of not getting one, got really excited, pet bunnies in the metro, bought cute pink nail polish, driven through the crazy streets, got my blood drawn and didn't faint, sat next to a crying baby on the plane, got my picture taken in one of those crazy Korean photo booths...wearing a giant rainbow wig, ate strange food, had chocolate pancakes for dinner, gone to the top of a really tall building, spoke Korean to the shop keepers and pretended to know what they meant when they spoke back, threw a coin backwards over my shoulder into a replica of the Trevi fountain, and oh so much more. And loved every minute of it.
I went to Korean class on Saturday. We learned the alphabet, and the teacher listened to our pronunciation individually and she said mine was good except for a couple letters. I'm going back every Saturday for a couple months, so hopefully I'll pick it up.
I found an iceskating rink at a mall near my house, and they have my size skates!! I was surprised because Koreans have such small feet. I'm excited to go soon. :)
THis week is spirit week. TOmorrow is fashion disaster day, so I will look very strange. I have a mental image of what it will look like, and it won't be pretty!
Nathaniel is coming in a little over a month! I'm so excited to see him! And then I get to go see him again for Christmas because my friend found super cheap roundtrip tickets to Shanghai. The hotel is dirt cheap and everything else it too. It should be a cheap vacation. We'll be there for New Years too.
Thanksgiving is coming up, and I can't believe I've been here almost 2 months. It sounds short, but I feel so comfortable here. I'm picking up some useful phrases. I can say hello and goodbye, how much, I am American, you're mean, I'm tired, stupid, that's too expensive, thank you and please, and a couple other ones that I can't remember. It's fun to learn it and I can't wait to pick up more because I just want to be able to talk to and witness to the people! With God's help!
So, that's basically my life in a nutshell right now. Nothing overly exciting. I'm having lots of fun, staying safe, washing my hands regularly, and just trying to swim through the mounds of grading. It's my fault because, after all, I do give them homework in almost every subject each night.
Time to write a worksheet so I can go to bed and be up bright and early tomorrow morning. God really had been good, and I've enjoyed getting to know Him more. I'm so thankful for His forgiveness and love, and I really wouldn't be anything without Him. I give all the glory to Him for everything everyday. He's everything to me.
Peace.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
I Love Cat Hair
Actually, I don't. But it's one of those mental things...if you tell it to yourself enough, you'll start to believe it. In this case, if I tell myself I love cat hair, eventually I won't mind the natural rug that so gracefully covers my "wood" floor. I do, however, love the cat which makes the rug.
I am happy to say that I have a clean house once again. It took some doing. I was scrubbing my fridge and I looked at the clock. "It's getting late" I thought, but kept scrubbing. There's no Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for this job, so nothing's going to get rid of the nasties except scrubbing. So I did. And as I did I was thinking...it's kind of the same way in my walk with God. I'm not going to keep the dirties of sin out of my life unless I work work work at keeping in the Word and prayer and trying to obey God. There's no Mom to pick up after me (thanks mom!) and it takes time and dedication. If I want a clean house, I have to break out the elbow grease. If I want a clean heart and life, I have to work at building my relationship with God.
I was also thinking about soap. I was at a friend's house tonight, and I mentioned that their handsoap smelled really good! And, by George, it did. By the way, I've never understood the phrase "by George" and yet I use it anways...hmm. Anyways, off topic. So I was thinking that soap smells really really yummy but tastes just awful if you put it in your mouth. And it can make you sick too. It's the same way with sin. It might look, taste, sound, smell, feel appealing, but really it's nasty and it can raelly hurt you. Just a thought.
I've had quite the interesting yet fun week. Four, possibly soon to be five, teachers have turned into pigs. Rather, they have H1N1 swine flu. So, 4th grade teacher is home sick, so I have been teaching them as well as my 5th graders. It's been...interesting...to say the least. I'm afraid today I felt a bit grumpy inside...I don't think I took it out on the kids, but my patience was a bit short and I had to pray a lot today. Anyways, the poor 4th graders have been handed around a lot (seeing as this is only our 3nd week of school.) I think their teacher has had them a grand total of 2 days because she's been sick, bless her heart! They seem to being going with the flow, but we'll see how they hold up this week.
I have to say, I've been very blessed to have the kids I have. They have their (sometimes many) moments, but God has been with me and given me strength and patiences and wisdom and many other things that I need to help train these kids. I know He'll continue to do that.
Here goes nothing! It's actually 12:30, and I need more sleep than I've been giving myself. Fancy that. So, goodnight all. Sleep well or have a great day...whatever floats your boat at this time.
Peace.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith.
I am happy to say that I have a clean house once again. It took some doing. I was scrubbing my fridge and I looked at the clock. "It's getting late" I thought, but kept scrubbing. There's no Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for this job, so nothing's going to get rid of the nasties except scrubbing. So I did. And as I did I was thinking...it's kind of the same way in my walk with God. I'm not going to keep the dirties of sin out of my life unless I work work work at keeping in the Word and prayer and trying to obey God. There's no Mom to pick up after me (thanks mom!) and it takes time and dedication. If I want a clean house, I have to break out the elbow grease. If I want a clean heart and life, I have to work at building my relationship with God.
I was also thinking about soap. I was at a friend's house tonight, and I mentioned that their handsoap smelled really good! And, by George, it did. By the way, I've never understood the phrase "by George" and yet I use it anways...hmm. Anyways, off topic. So I was thinking that soap smells really really yummy but tastes just awful if you put it in your mouth. And it can make you sick too. It's the same way with sin. It might look, taste, sound, smell, feel appealing, but really it's nasty and it can raelly hurt you. Just a thought.
I've had quite the interesting yet fun week. Four, possibly soon to be five, teachers have turned into pigs. Rather, they have H1N1 swine flu. So, 4th grade teacher is home sick, so I have been teaching them as well as my 5th graders. It's been...interesting...to say the least. I'm afraid today I felt a bit grumpy inside...I don't think I took it out on the kids, but my patience was a bit short and I had to pray a lot today. Anyways, the poor 4th graders have been handed around a lot (seeing as this is only our 3nd week of school.) I think their teacher has had them a grand total of 2 days because she's been sick, bless her heart! They seem to being going with the flow, but we'll see how they hold up this week.
I have to say, I've been very blessed to have the kids I have. They have their (sometimes many) moments, but God has been with me and given me strength and patiences and wisdom and many other things that I need to help train these kids. I know He'll continue to do that.
Here goes nothing! It's actually 12:30, and I need more sleep than I've been giving myself. Fancy that. So, goodnight all. Sleep well or have a great day...whatever floats your boat at this time.
Peace.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Flea Fly Flo
Well, camp is officially over, and I'm back. It was amazing! Pretty much wonderful. We got there on Monday and the kids started coming around 3pm. The two teams were red Army and blue Navy. As the kids were sent to their teams, all the counselors were going crazy jumping up and down and cheering. I don't think the kids really knew what to do...I've seen confused Koreans in class but not like this. It took the girls about a day to warm up and then they started cheering and getting into it. The boys, however, waiting until almost the last day. :) But that's ok because we had fun.
The girls cabins were actually in a big house. It had a livingroom/dining room, a "bigger" bedroom and 2 smaller bedrooms downstairs and a "bigger" bedroom upstairs. Blue team had the livingroom/dining room and the bigger room downstairs and my cabin had the 2 smaller rooms and the other red team had the upstairs. THere was one bathroom for about 40 girls. Throw in 4 girls with the flu, several more with coughs and stomach aches, amazing games, a smelly bathroom, great food, the water turning off randomly, an uphill hike in flip flops, and a language barrier, and you've got yourself a great week! No really, it was awesome!
The preaching was just stellar. I learned some new things, and the kids really seemed to respond. I was able to talk to 4 girls one on one about things like assurance of salvation, choosing the right friends, controlling your tongue, etc. It was amazing the opportunities God gave me to help these girls see from His Word how they should live their lives. Many times it was a rebuke to me. Many kids responded to the messages, and a few got saved. Others had sin in their lives that they confessed. It was awesome!
The food was great! A couple times they made things like fried chicked and mashed potatoes with gravy and rolls, French toast and eggs, and the like. The rest of the time it was Korean food...rice, various veggies, noodles, and meats. It was delicious! I've never had such amazing camp food!
The camp was set at the foot of a mountain. It was smaller, but the buildings were nice. There was much dust and dirt (it wouldn't be camp without it!) and flowers here and there. The girls and guys took turns hiking the mountain. The counselors were asked to go, so I said ok...even though I only had flip flops to wear. So, about 5 mins into the hike...no surprise...I tripped climbing up a rock because my shoe caught on the edge and I skinned my knee and shin and twisted my wrist. I tried for about 5 more mins, but then I headed down. Dangerous lol...but fun nonetheless.
My team (red Army) won by literally one person saying one verse...10 points. It was close all week. THe kids had so much fun, and so did everyone else. It was great to see them relax and get into the fun.
When we got back, I didn't want to sleep because I knew I'd sleep for way too long and get groggy. So, I put on fresh clothes and showered and ventured out. We went to the foreign zone (where all the foreigners are) and walked around. I saw some interesting shops and ate at a Turkish restaurant. Then we decided to go around the...block? haha We came across a Mosque so we went up the big stairs. We started to go up to the men's prayer room (without realizing it) and we were called down. Ooohhh....of course the men and women are apart. So, we found the women's prayer room, put on the head dresses and ankle length skirts, took off our shoes, and went up. It was heartbreaking. I saw women there bowing and praying. Then I looked over the edge (I'm not sure if that was taboo) and saw countless men...I stopped counting at 100...bowing in unison to...nothing. There really was nothing. So we watched for a bit, I prayed to my God, the one true God, and we left. We went downstairs and started exploring and then this woman came up to us and started talking to us. She gaves us books on Islam. We talked to Eve for about 15 minutes until her husband asked her to come to go home. She asked me for my e-mail and I got hers. She told us all about Islam and verses kept popping into my head. I'm praying I can build a relationship with her and witness to her.
After this, we saw a little alley way and went down it, only to get lost (which we were trying to do. Sucess!) We walked around for a bit and eventually found a bus that took us to the metro stop. I got to swing around in revolving door, ask directions from someone who didn't speak English, and laugh a lot. We caught the metro to our next stop and squeezed into the crowds. It was a ton of people in a ton of stores with lights and stuff everwhere. We ate at an amazing restaurant where you have a big pot of water on your table cooking over a gas stove thing. You put bean sprouts and other veggies into the water and then, when it's boiling, you put very thin strips of extremely lean meat into the water. The water cooks it and then you eat it. It was so healthy and very yummy. In the shops here, the people have mics and they announce their sales and stuff to get the people to come in and buy it. So, I asked this nice looking lady if I could announce for her shop which had a deal on 1,000 won earring, and she let me! It was fun! THen we got icecream and coffee. The coffee place was darkened and it had plush couches with curtain and tables. Like private rooms almost. It was interesting.
Well, I'm tired of writing for now. My diploma should be here soon so I can go to Guam and get my visa! Then I can have my health check and get my alien card! And then...the process will be done! Time to get ready for another day.
Peace.
The girls cabins were actually in a big house. It had a livingroom/dining room, a "bigger" bedroom and 2 smaller bedrooms downstairs and a "bigger" bedroom upstairs. Blue team had the livingroom/dining room and the bigger room downstairs and my cabin had the 2 smaller rooms and the other red team had the upstairs. THere was one bathroom for about 40 girls. Throw in 4 girls with the flu, several more with coughs and stomach aches, amazing games, a smelly bathroom, great food, the water turning off randomly, an uphill hike in flip flops, and a language barrier, and you've got yourself a great week! No really, it was awesome!
The preaching was just stellar. I learned some new things, and the kids really seemed to respond. I was able to talk to 4 girls one on one about things like assurance of salvation, choosing the right friends, controlling your tongue, etc. It was amazing the opportunities God gave me to help these girls see from His Word how they should live their lives. Many times it was a rebuke to me. Many kids responded to the messages, and a few got saved. Others had sin in their lives that they confessed. It was awesome!
The food was great! A couple times they made things like fried chicked and mashed potatoes with gravy and rolls, French toast and eggs, and the like. The rest of the time it was Korean food...rice, various veggies, noodles, and meats. It was delicious! I've never had such amazing camp food!
The camp was set at the foot of a mountain. It was smaller, but the buildings were nice. There was much dust and dirt (it wouldn't be camp without it!) and flowers here and there. The girls and guys took turns hiking the mountain. The counselors were asked to go, so I said ok...even though I only had flip flops to wear. So, about 5 mins into the hike...no surprise...I tripped climbing up a rock because my shoe caught on the edge and I skinned my knee and shin and twisted my wrist. I tried for about 5 more mins, but then I headed down. Dangerous lol...but fun nonetheless.
My team (red Army) won by literally one person saying one verse...10 points. It was close all week. THe kids had so much fun, and so did everyone else. It was great to see them relax and get into the fun.
When we got back, I didn't want to sleep because I knew I'd sleep for way too long and get groggy. So, I put on fresh clothes and showered and ventured out. We went to the foreign zone (where all the foreigners are) and walked around. I saw some interesting shops and ate at a Turkish restaurant. Then we decided to go around the...block? haha We came across a Mosque so we went up the big stairs. We started to go up to the men's prayer room (without realizing it) and we were called down. Ooohhh....of course the men and women are apart. So, we found the women's prayer room, put on the head dresses and ankle length skirts, took off our shoes, and went up. It was heartbreaking. I saw women there bowing and praying. Then I looked over the edge (I'm not sure if that was taboo) and saw countless men...I stopped counting at 100...bowing in unison to...nothing. There really was nothing. So we watched for a bit, I prayed to my God, the one true God, and we left. We went downstairs and started exploring and then this woman came up to us and started talking to us. She gaves us books on Islam. We talked to Eve for about 15 minutes until her husband asked her to come to go home. She asked me for my e-mail and I got hers. She told us all about Islam and verses kept popping into my head. I'm praying I can build a relationship with her and witness to her.
After this, we saw a little alley way and went down it, only to get lost (which we were trying to do. Sucess!) We walked around for a bit and eventually found a bus that took us to the metro stop. I got to swing around in revolving door, ask directions from someone who didn't speak English, and laugh a lot. We caught the metro to our next stop and squeezed into the crowds. It was a ton of people in a ton of stores with lights and stuff everwhere. We ate at an amazing restaurant where you have a big pot of water on your table cooking over a gas stove thing. You put bean sprouts and other veggies into the water and then, when it's boiling, you put very thin strips of extremely lean meat into the water. The water cooks it and then you eat it. It was so healthy and very yummy. In the shops here, the people have mics and they announce their sales and stuff to get the people to come in and buy it. So, I asked this nice looking lady if I could announce for her shop which had a deal on 1,000 won earring, and she let me! It was fun! THen we got icecream and coffee. The coffee place was darkened and it had plush couches with curtain and tables. Like private rooms almost. It was interesting.
Well, I'm tired of writing for now. My diploma should be here soon so I can go to Guam and get my visa! Then I can have my health check and get my alien card! And then...the process will be done! Time to get ready for another day.
Peace.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
2 down....tons to go
Chicago, the kitty I'm looking after.
On the street near mine
Mia!!! So precious!
A shop on my corner
One of the 6 kitties that live on the roof across from the school. I've "made friends with them" but in reality they won't get close to me."
My street! My apartment is on the right just past that brown thing.
My classroom
More of my classroomSo…an update. That’s what everyone wants, so I guess I have to churn it out, huh? Well, I’ll start off by saying school has been AWESOME! I’ve really seen God at work in my own life just keeping me from getting stressed and helping me slow down to really get to know my students. My students…they’re A-MAZING! I have some…hyper…ones, but once we establish our routines, they will be ok. I technically have 13 students, but 5 of them only have me for Bible, so I realistically have 8. I love having a smaller class because I can really focus on each student a bit more and help them understand and get them involved. God is working things out perfectly and giving me new ideas all the time. My greatest prayer is to see all my students saved. I don’t know who is and who is not, but my journal question tomorrow will be “I know I’m going to Heaven because…” So, please pray that they understand and will respond correctly so I can really know if they have accepted Christ into their hearts and have their sins forgiven. I know God can use me in any way He wants, and I pray that I can make an impact on these students for His glory.
I’m learning every day about Korea…for example, trash is not a simple task (not for someone who doesn’t know the system anyways.) Food trash (only food) goes in the small yellow bags. Recycling (bottles, cans, paper, etc.) goes in the white bags. Trash (all other) also goes in the white bags. They don’t take it if it’s not in the proper bags. I went to Costco the other day and saw not so yummy (but very dead) looking whole fish. I tried to find one with a peaceful expression. Alas, it was not to be. All of their faces were contorted in a horrific display…very interesting. I stuck with the VERY dead beef. It’s amazing how the little side roads can be quiet and slow moving and then turn the corner and BAM! Trucks, busses, cars, bikes, motos and people everywhere…moving so fast! It’s amazing. The people are so friendly here too. As you pass they stare like they’ve never seen (very) white skin before. Then, you greet them in Korean and their faces light up. It’s great! My little apartment is amazing! Although I often go to sleep without washing the dishes (yes, folks, I AM the dishwasher) it stays…relatively clean. J I blame it on the kitty. There’s a lot of dust here. It sort of bothers my eyes, but I’m learning to deal with it. Guess I have to, huh? I learned that *gasp* boys don’t hold doors for girls! I was told that by one of my students who then added that the boy often shuts the door in the girls face. I said “Not in my class they don’t!” And they all laughed. I think they thought I was joking… I don't think the children ever sleep here. I'll be walking down the street at 11:30pm (no joke) and there will be children walking with parents, other children, alone...I guess it's safe and no one gets tired. Some older people go around and collect cardboard so they can recycle it for money. I come across this one lady...she really did look like she was in her 70s or 80s...carry this cart FULL (I'll have to take pictures some time) of cardboard. She saw me and promptly repeated, "Hello! I love you" several times. That was nice. I doubt she knew what it meant, but I said it back. The bigger the car, the faster you should get out of the way. I recognize where to turn by things such as "the 7-11, turn at the shop with the cartoon pigs on the window, look for the tires stacked out front and take a left, pass the pet shop, look for the stationary store and take your first left, turn right at the restaurant with the movie poster faces as the sign, if you pass the hole in the wall toast shop you know you're going the right way" and so on. It's fun to learn my way around! :) I saw the PERFECT bike. Pink with a basket in the front...I drooled. Alas it was out of my price range. For now... Don't put kitty litter in the black bag because they will dump it all over the sidewalk and then clean it up later. If you leave your door unlocked, the landlord will walk right in. And lastly, asian babies are very cute (but we already knew that.)
On Friday night and ALL day Saturday we have training for camp. We’re going to camp with the Junior high and High School students from Monday to Friday. Please pray that they are saturated with God’s word and that the devil doesn’t have a chance to sneak into that camp (as he’s so good at slithering…) I would love nothing better than to see every student make a true profession of faith or accept Christ. I know that camp can be a great place to have that happen.
I can’t tell if I’m getting a cold or if it’s all the dust, lack of sleep, and excitement. In any case, yes Dad, I’ve been taking vitamins and the like, so hopefully it clears up. I was actually able to get all of my lesson planning done and leave school by 6 pm last night and be in bed at 7:30 at which point I fell into a deep sleep that lasted until 6:30am.
On Sunday afternoon we had a joint birthday party for another teacher and me. It was great time…everyone came! We had an interesting time making cakes the night before. The BUTTERcream icing was…different. Let’s just say that the cocoa and icing sugar and BUTTER here must be a bit different. It sorta of…slid around the bowl in a big ball. But we mixed it with peanut butter and it tasted phenomenal. I’ve been surprised by what they sell here…EVERYTHING. I mean, more things that even in the states. There are a FEW (and I mean very few) things you can’t get here. I learned that their smoke alarms are required by law to be built into the ceilings in every building, so that’s nice to know.
Well, as I think of more and have time I’ll keep you posted. Until next time!
Peace.
I’m learning every day about Korea…for example, trash is not a simple task (not for someone who doesn’t know the system anyways.) Food trash (only food) goes in the small yellow bags. Recycling (bottles, cans, paper, etc.) goes in the white bags. Trash (all other) also goes in the white bags. They don’t take it if it’s not in the proper bags. I went to Costco the other day and saw not so yummy (but very dead) looking whole fish. I tried to find one with a peaceful expression. Alas, it was not to be. All of their faces were contorted in a horrific display…very interesting. I stuck with the VERY dead beef. It’s amazing how the little side roads can be quiet and slow moving and then turn the corner and BAM! Trucks, busses, cars, bikes, motos and people everywhere…moving so fast! It’s amazing. The people are so friendly here too. As you pass they stare like they’ve never seen (very) white skin before. Then, you greet them in Korean and their faces light up. It’s great! My little apartment is amazing! Although I often go to sleep without washing the dishes (yes, folks, I AM the dishwasher) it stays…relatively clean. J I blame it on the kitty. There’s a lot of dust here. It sort of bothers my eyes, but I’m learning to deal with it. Guess I have to, huh? I learned that *gasp* boys don’t hold doors for girls! I was told that by one of my students who then added that the boy often shuts the door in the girls face. I said “Not in my class they don’t!” And they all laughed. I think they thought I was joking… I don't think the children ever sleep here. I'll be walking down the street at 11:30pm (no joke) and there will be children walking with parents, other children, alone...I guess it's safe and no one gets tired. Some older people go around and collect cardboard so they can recycle it for money. I come across this one lady...she really did look like she was in her 70s or 80s...carry this cart FULL (I'll have to take pictures some time) of cardboard. She saw me and promptly repeated, "Hello! I love you" several times. That was nice. I doubt she knew what it meant, but I said it back. The bigger the car, the faster you should get out of the way. I recognize where to turn by things such as "the 7-11, turn at the shop with the cartoon pigs on the window, look for the tires stacked out front and take a left, pass the pet shop, look for the stationary store and take your first left, turn right at the restaurant with the movie poster faces as the sign, if you pass the hole in the wall toast shop you know you're going the right way" and so on. It's fun to learn my way around! :) I saw the PERFECT bike. Pink with a basket in the front...I drooled. Alas it was out of my price range. For now... Don't put kitty litter in the black bag because they will dump it all over the sidewalk and then clean it up later. If you leave your door unlocked, the landlord will walk right in. And lastly, asian babies are very cute (but we already knew that.)
On Friday night and ALL day Saturday we have training for camp. We’re going to camp with the Junior high and High School students from Monday to Friday. Please pray that they are saturated with God’s word and that the devil doesn’t have a chance to sneak into that camp (as he’s so good at slithering…) I would love nothing better than to see every student make a true profession of faith or accept Christ. I know that camp can be a great place to have that happen.
I can’t tell if I’m getting a cold or if it’s all the dust, lack of sleep, and excitement. In any case, yes Dad, I’ve been taking vitamins and the like, so hopefully it clears up. I was actually able to get all of my lesson planning done and leave school by 6 pm last night and be in bed at 7:30 at which point I fell into a deep sleep that lasted until 6:30am.
On Sunday afternoon we had a joint birthday party for another teacher and me. It was great time…everyone came! We had an interesting time making cakes the night before. The BUTTERcream icing was…different. Let’s just say that the cocoa and icing sugar and BUTTER here must be a bit different. It sorta of…slid around the bowl in a big ball. But we mixed it with peanut butter and it tasted phenomenal. I’ve been surprised by what they sell here…EVERYTHING. I mean, more things that even in the states. There are a FEW (and I mean very few) things you can’t get here. I learned that their smoke alarms are required by law to be built into the ceilings in every building, so that’s nice to know.
Well, as I think of more and have time I’ll keep you posted. Until next time!
Peace.
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