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!