You Know You've Lived in Korea Too Long When...

1) You forget to use articles when speaking
2) You can only remember the Korean word for something and not the English word
3) You bow to everyone...even Americans...
4) You give your money to the cashier using two hands
5) You have no problem with pushing people out of the way
6) You stop at the top of the escaltor to plan your day
7) You stare and comment when you see a foreigner
8) You barely notice people staring at you
9) Konglish comes naturally
10) You own plenty of forks but never use them
11) You're ok with eating in barefeet in a restaurant
12) You feel safe all the time except when you're around foreigners
13) You find it strange if there is no corn on a pizza
14) You answer every phone call with "Yoboseyo?"
15) You see a roll of toilet paper on a restaurant wall and think nothing of it..in fact, you use it because you are thankful for the abundance of napkins
16) You use scissors to cut all your food
17) You can walk down the street at 2 in the morning and not be afraid at all
18) You refuse to hang out in Itaewon
19) You don't bother lining up
20) You replace the word "yes" or "ya" with "uh uh uh" (grunt)
21) You see a kindergartner on the subway alone and think nothing of it
22) You don't have to turn around to see if cars are coming...you just know and glide to the side
23) You ALWAYS take your shoes off before going into a house
24) You're really good at rock, paper, scissors
25) You can hum the song that plays in the subway and mimic the announcers
26) You take multiple pictures of yourself with your cell phone all the while not cracking a smile
27) YOu use instant coffee packets but you only fill the cup half full
28) You don't drink water with your meals
29) You carry toilet paper around with you because you know the public bathrooms might not
have it
30) All white people look the same to you
31) You see a real bathtub and stare at it in wonder
32) You're used to having the door swing shut in your face
33) You don't even flinch when the taxi driver cuts off a bus and misses it by inches
34) You're shocked when you see a trashcan
35) You can stand up in a bus without holding on

more to come...

"Rejoice always" 1 Thess. 5:16.

I love that verse, but I forget it so easily. Rejoice always. A simple command that means so much in 2 short words. Does it mean "rejoice unless you have a trial" or "rejoice when everything is going great?" No, it means just what it says : rejoice ALWAYS. Dictionary.com defines "always" as : all the time; continuously; uninterruptedly; forever; in any event; at any time." There is never a reason for a Christian not to rejoice. What about trials? I like to ask myself some questions when I'm tempted not to rejoice because of a trial. 1) Is God always in control? (yes) 2) Does God always give His children what is best for them at the time according to His perfect will? (yes) 3) Will God always give the strength to get through each trial? (yes) 4) Does God know the outcome of the trial (yes)....and the questions could go on and on. Point being, God knows, He cares, and He's with us. There's never a time when God says "Here's a trial. I'll be back in 2 days. You handle it for now." No. God never leaves and never stops helping us carry our load. So, the question again: What about trials? A Christian can rejoice in trials. Trials help us to see our inadequacies and turn to God for strength. They also teach us about who God is, and they help us to become more like Him. He knows what we need, and that's what He'll give us.

Rejoice always. So important to remember, yet so easy to forget. Don't just rejoice when the sun shines, but rejoice when it rains.

When you say:

“I can’t figure this out”
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

“I can’t do it!”
God says: “You can do all things (Philippians 4:3)

“I feel so alone”
God says: “I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

“I don't have what I need ”
God says: “I will supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19)

“I’m afraid”
God says: “I have not given you a spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7)


"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, they are plans for good, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

"I love the Lord because He hears my voice and prayer for mercy. I will pray as long as I have breath." Psalm 116:1-2

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Psalm 91:2

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair. 2 Corinthians 4:7-8

For I the Lord God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not, I will help thee. Isaiah 41:13

I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my Rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalm 18:1-2

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee. Isaiah 26:3

But thanks be to God who giveth us the VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians15:57

"There is no need to worry about what will happen tomorrow, because God knew what would happen tomorrow before yesterday happened." (Hope that doesn't confuse anyone!)

Things here have been pretty busy what with the Christmas program and all. That was Friday night from 7:30-10, but the kids came at 1 and we had class until 3 and then practice. Because my kids are in 5th grade, they are in the elementary program and then they are in the beginner band and orchestra with the high school. So, right after the elem. program finished, I had to whisk them upstairs to change. I'm running from basement to 3rd floor down to 2nd back to 3rd then up to 4th then back to 2. I get them down the the basement on the stairs where I find out they're way too early so I take them back up to 2nd then back down. Still too early so back up then back down. It was really crazy but SO fun! At least I had fun! :) Not sure how some of the other teachers felt. But, it's done. Praise God it went well. A few mess ups here and there, but overall it was great.

I leave for China on Saturday afternoon! YAY! I couldn't be more excited! We'll be in Shanghai from the 19th to the 22 and then onto Xian until the 25th. We'll be in Shanghai again from Christmas day until January 2nd. I'm so excited!!! :D I'll get to use my limited Chinese once again. And when I say limited, I mean LIMITED!

Well, I'm off for now. I have a lot of work to do still in the classroom. Peace.

It's Dark Outside

Actually, it is dark outside right now. That's because I am sitting at the computer in the library staring out the window while I attempt (key word being attempt) to enter grades into the new online grade book. It would be easy expect that sometimes I'm a little electronically slow. I got 2 classes put in just in the later hour. I'm pretty tired so I think I'll head home very soon.

Nathaniel left *shed a tear*, but I will see him in 10 days. Actually, less that that. I'm very excited to go to China!! I've been studying Chinese again the last couple days. I can read and write 你 (you), 好 (good), 叉 (fork). 公园 (park), 船 (boat), 出租汽车 (taxi), 茶 (tea), 我 (I), 也 (also), 高兴 (happy), 哥哥 (older brother), 很 (very), and a few more...pretty good for 2 days! haha It's going to be slow, but I actually enjoy learning the characters rather than sounding out a word letter by letter ( because each character=one word) They're random words, but I can say simple sentences like "Hello, how are you? I'm fine and you? I'm fine as well." At least I can be polite!!

The Christmas program is coming up on Friday. It will be a long day, but I'm sure all the parents will enjoy it. The elementary is doing the story behind the song "Silent Night." It's going to be very cute, and they've worked very hard! I can't believe it's less than 2 weeks until Christmas break! I feel like just yesterday I landed in Korea in August!

I'm looking forward to going home this summer to visit my family and go to the wedding of my 哥哥. It should be fun! I love Korea, though, and I'm starting to think of it as home.

Oh, glory be! April, one of the women in our church and also a friend of mine, got saved on Sunday!!!! I had been praying for her since I met her a few weeks after I came to Korea, and others had been praying for her for a looooong time before that. But, God drew her to Him and saved her! Now I have a new sister!! I was so excited for that!

This Saturday is the last week of Korean class. I've really enjoyed it, because I haven't taken any kind of language class in so long! Korean is a HARD language. I think Chinese will be easier. MUCH easier.

Well, better run. My bed is loudly calling my name. Pardon any grammar/spelling/punctuation mistakes...I've found my English going downhill since I came here. :) Peace!

Oh and also it snowed yesterday!

Twinkle

So, life has been fun but seemingly uneventful. I mean, the event of the year! Seeing NATHANIEL! Yeah that's right...he's here in Korea, and I couldn't be happier. We've just been hanging out and talking and going to fun places in Korea. I learned that he really...I mean REALLY...likes doughy white pancakes and he will eat the batter too. I'm so thankful that God brought him here!

Other than that school has been going well! My kids are cute as ever. The Thanksgiving party for the kids went off well, and the one for the teachers was even better! We had all the American fixin's and a lot of laughing and smiles. It was really nice to have a bit of American stuck in my life. Although, I do consider home to be Korea right now.

I played kick ball with my kids today. I didn't know what to do so I just kept running around the bases and they told me that I was not supposed to run because our team wasn't up to kick. Hmm...very smart teacher. :) It was fun anyways.

Our class will be India for international day. I'm pretty excited about that. Korean's already like curry, so that should be easy and fun!

Christmas is coming fast...and we all know what that means! CHINA!!! 2 whole weeks in the country that I love the most!! I'm soooooo excited and blessed that God is giving us this opportunity to go even just for a short time. I'm so excited to see what we'll be doing there.

I went to Korean church on Sunday after my church was done. It was really interesting. They had us stand up, focused the camera on us, and sang to us. After that they presented us with a rose each. It was strangely wonderful. I was carrying my Korean friend's Korean baby and, of course, got many strange stares. Overall it was a wonderful experience.

Well, time to clean the classroom, put in book orders, write a quiz (or 2...or 3) and then go to someone's house for dinner! The madness never ends, but I wouldn't change a second of it.

Peace!

***praying for grandma who is in the hospital***

저 는 영 어 선 생 님 이 에 요.

I think that's right...haha

Things are good. :) A little boy fell fast asleep on my lap at the orphanage, and then while walking home, it started to snow! I love snow! It's been pretty cold here lately...that meant me giving up my flip flops for the dreaded shoes. But, it's ok because it means snow will fall!

Tomorrow is the day! Nathaniel comes in tomorrow evening. I'm so excited! I'm sure there will be many things to write about while he's here and after he leaves, so I'll keep this one free of mindless chatter.

We went to the zoo today for our elementary field trip! May I just say that I love the elephants and rhinos and baby tigers. We saw a seal/dolphin show with a tiny monkey in a pink dress thrown in there for the cute factor. It was cold, but the kids had fun not sitting in a desk all day. We even had a gorrilla smoosh his mouth against the window and rub it around. We now can truly see where humans evolved from... :)

Well, I'll enjoy the snow and animals and coldness. More to come.

Peace.

Run, children, run!

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.

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.