As hard as it is to believe, my time here in Korea is almost halfway over! I am sorry for not being more communicative in the past couple weeks. I am so blessed by the technology of the day, skype, facebook, emails, but I keep forgetting who I’ve told what and who I still need to talk with. For those of you who have kept in touch with me, I’m sorry but this will be mostly review. Review, ha, that’s the teacher in me coming out! I have discovered that I love teaching! I love the puzzle of trying to communicate to second language learners in the best possible way. I love coming up with new topics for class. I love being called “teacher” and asked for extra help on homework or English. And I adore the fact that this week is midterms and I am giving them not taking them!!! Oh the power! :) This trip has been quite the success in this area. Before coming here I was unsure about my abilities to be a teacher after just a couple quarters of classes but, praise the Lord, I can do it! I make mistakes and talk too fast at times but I love my job and desire to perfect my teaching skills! I’m going to be a teacher when I grow up! :)
Korea University gave me my own class a couple weeks ago to teach twice a week for an hour each time. This class is optional for the students and doesn’t have any grading requirements so my students all come because they want to come not because they have to. The difference in their attitudes is remarkable. I chose American Holidays and Culture as the topic of my class and aim at trying to give my students an opportunity to learn about America and practice their conversational skills. It’s been very exciting as I have been able to use the holiday part of the class to discuss Easter and the reason Christians celebrate it. Koreans are very open to discussions about religion but I still went into class with fear and trembling since I was talking about such a personal subject. The class went very, very well and we had a nice discussion afterwards about secular Easter vs. Christian Easter. Buddha’s Birthday is coming up next week and I foresee another witnessing opportunity there.
On a humorous note, or at least I hope you will find it humorous, I do. I have realized that half my “friends” here on campus are merely adding me to their repertoire of latest fashions and trends. I have gotten more requests for my phone number because they want a “foreign friend” than I can count. I swear, Sarah and I are the new fad…the foreign friend fad. I just want someone to like me for me! ;)
Time and time again I thank God for allowing me to travel with a friend. Sarah has been the biggest blessing during our time here. Her gung-ho attitude pulls me out from my safe-zone and makes me explore even when I’m shaking in my boots and I never regret it. Last week we found an English church in Daejeon, a city about a 45 minute train and subway ride away. After church we toured around the city a bit and got dinner all by ourselves. I would never be brave enough to do these things on my own but with this fireball beside me,…well I have no choice…:)
This week are heading down to the coastal city of Busan to visit one of our professors from Western who is teaching over here for the semester. The amount of people I know in Korea is staggering! I have already met up with one of my friends from Western who moved over here to teach last year, and through her and a friend back home I met another Western Alumni also teaching over here and now we are off to visit Dr. Krogh. For being in a foreign country I am feeling quite at home.
Couple quick prayer requests to finish this off. First I would ask for continued boldness as I share my faith in my classroom and individually. The students assume that I am a Christian because I am an American so they aren’t terribly curious about why I am a Christian. Boldness and the right words would be greatly appreciated. Also, both Sarah and I are struggling with food and body image. When you are surrounded by teeny tiny little girls with adorable little figures it’s very easy to become self-conscious about your weight. And the fact that they have mirrors’ everywhere including the shower and toilets doesn’t help. This week both Sarah and I haven’t found the cafeteria food very agreeable and are struggling to eat enough to keep us healthy. Prayers for good digestion and blinders when it comes to comparing our figures with theirs would be greatly appreciated!
Love from Korea!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Week One in Korea
It’s hard to believe it but I have been living and teaching in Korea for over a week now. The time flew by and yet day by day, some of the hours dragged on! Acclimating to a new culture is always a series of ups and downs. Hidden surprises spring out at random times, some for good and some for bad. Overall, I am loving it here! The sun shines every single day! The past two days has been in the upper sixties (a far cry from the snow we got off the plane into) The birds are singing and the air smells like spring. I love it!
I am living in a large dorm room with two Korean girls that speak very good English. They are so sweet and take me under wing everyday to make sure I am getting along with everything alright. Sarah’s roommates are also so helpful and sweet so between the four of them, we are never lacking a helpful guide when we want it. :) Sarah and I eat in the cafeteria for two meals a day during the week and have found that cafeteria food is the same quality anywhere in the world… :( My favorite part of eating there, however, is seeing what their version of a Western breakfast is. I am thoroughly enjoying the Korean food but for breakfast, pickled eggs and Gimchi (pickled cabbage) is just too much for this wussy American stomach. However, eating the Western breakfast is adventurous enough for anyone. Whether it’s coleslaw sprinkled with powdered eggs or cornmeal porridge or black bean milk, breakfast is always a fun way to start out the day. :)
My teaching schedule is the most exciting part yet. I am TA three different classes with my mentor teacher and scheduled to teach an elective on American Holidays starting April 11. They have also scheduled Sarah and me to have two hours of conversation with our roommates and two hours working in the English only café on campus. With all these teaching and conversing opportunities I hope to find out if this really is something I want to do for the rest of my life. Right now I say a resounding yes! But we shall see at the end of ten weeks. ;)
On a God note, I am amazed at how good He is every day! The flight over here, while long, was uneventful and our living/teaching schedule fell effortlessly into place, something I know only He could have arranged. And after a week here I think I am seeing an area He is going to work on in my life.Before I left Washington, I was struck by the realization that I don’t know how to relax. I am always thinking I need to be doing something, accomplishing something and have a quick answer to prove that I am being efficient with my time. Since being over here, there has been a lot of down time. I don’t have the network of friends to hang out with during my non-teaching hours and I have been spending a lot of time with God and just “relaxing.” During this time God has confronted me with the idol of busyness and the need to “prove myself” to others. I foresee some heart work in these areas over the next couple months as I am forced to relax and fit into the laid back Korean lifestyle. Alright, God, you have my attention, teach me how to relax without guilt!
Love from Korea!
I am living in a large dorm room with two Korean girls that speak very good English. They are so sweet and take me under wing everyday to make sure I am getting along with everything alright. Sarah’s roommates are also so helpful and sweet so between the four of them, we are never lacking a helpful guide when we want it. :) Sarah and I eat in the cafeteria for two meals a day during the week and have found that cafeteria food is the same quality anywhere in the world… :( My favorite part of eating there, however, is seeing what their version of a Western breakfast is. I am thoroughly enjoying the Korean food but for breakfast, pickled eggs and Gimchi (pickled cabbage) is just too much for this wussy American stomach. However, eating the Western breakfast is adventurous enough for anyone. Whether it’s coleslaw sprinkled with powdered eggs or cornmeal porridge or black bean milk, breakfast is always a fun way to start out the day. :)
My teaching schedule is the most exciting part yet. I am TA three different classes with my mentor teacher and scheduled to teach an elective on American Holidays starting April 11. They have also scheduled Sarah and me to have two hours of conversation with our roommates and two hours working in the English only café on campus. With all these teaching and conversing opportunities I hope to find out if this really is something I want to do for the rest of my life. Right now I say a resounding yes! But we shall see at the end of ten weeks. ;)
On a God note, I am amazed at how good He is every day! The flight over here, while long, was uneventful and our living/teaching schedule fell effortlessly into place, something I know only He could have arranged. And after a week here I think I am seeing an area He is going to work on in my life.Before I left Washington, I was struck by the realization that I don’t know how to relax. I am always thinking I need to be doing something, accomplishing something and have a quick answer to prove that I am being efficient with my time. Since being over here, there has been a lot of down time. I don’t have the network of friends to hang out with during my non-teaching hours and I have been spending a lot of time with God and just “relaxing.” During this time God has confronted me with the idol of busyness and the need to “prove myself” to others. I foresee some heart work in these areas over the next couple months as I am forced to relax and fit into the laid back Korean lifestyle. Alright, God, you have my attention, teach me how to relax without guilt!
Love from Korea!
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