"COMe oN KiD, tHis IS yOUr DreAm"

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer both, back home and in different parts of the world! Summer is such a fun time of the year no matter how old you are! This is the first summer of my life that I have worked straight through the days all summer long. Every other year, even if I worked full time, I had time for vacation or had daylight to burn. My kids here go to school all day long in the summer and even on their month of break from public school, they go to their academies. So, I have a new-found appreciation for my American summers that I spent both in the States and abroad. The time I had to be a kid, a teenager, and a college student is something I won't ever take for granted.

July 4th was last week!!! Also known as "AMERICA DAY"! Obviously, this holiday is only celebrated in the States so we were working on Thursday but I took the opportunity to teach all of my classes about America's Independence Day and it was interesting. It's always fun to see what people think and know about America. The USA has played a huge part in helping Korea become an economically stable democracy and our presence here is undeniable so it's actually pretty important to the foundation of the Republic of Korea that America became free 237 years ago. The new Korea is about 67-ish years old and so they think America is a very old nation which is counter what we are taught because we compare ourselves to countries like England, France and Russia. Depending on the level of my classes, my speech went something like this: "On July 4th, 1776 (which i wrote on the board) brave men in America signed a paper that said there would be no more fighting between America and England. After that, America was free and there was no more fighting. Today is our birthday!!"

These are our friends: Daniel wore the Eagle Costume for July 4th and Emma is experiencing her first 4th!

After class, we invited our friends over and the night was filled with pizza, RANCH, soda, fireworks, and good conversation. We even had a couple South Africans with us who experienced their first 4th of July celebration! Of course, when we started to light off fireworks, it started to rain, but whatareyagonnado in the middle of Korean monsoon season. Overall it was a great holiday.

There are a couple of people here who have become our good friends over the past few months and they are heading home at the end of August. So, their "lasts" are beginning as they prepare to move on from this life-changing year (or two) they've had in this country. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll miss them and I'm behind them 100% in the next adventures the Lord is taking them on. After moving around so much in the last year, I can definitely relate to this process and it feels weird to not be the one preparing to move on to a different place. I feel like that as much as it sucks to move on and say goodbye, I have it down to a science. However, this time it is not me who is having to move on or start over. Instead, I'm here for awhile. I'm about 85% sure I'll be staying a second year in Korea and so I have 19 more months to put down roots, meet new people, talk with my students, and see what Korea has to offer. One year is the longest I've stayed anywhere since my senior year of high school. So, my internal clock is telling me that it's time to start packing. As much as I'm ready to tackle a new country, I'm also thankful that I get to feel settled for awhile to catch my bearings before I take my suitcase and jump on a plane to create a new home.

All of that being said, I'm leaving for America in less than three weeks. haha I guess they can't keep me anywhere for too long no matter how hard they try! :) I'll only be there for about 6 days which is a very fast trip considering I'll be traveling over 24 hours each way. My sister's gettin' married!! Obviously, that warrants a trip back home. I'm really thankful I get to be there for this big day and stand next to her as she makes the most important decision of her life next to her salvation. It's weird to think about going home. I'm sooo excited to see people and my dog...and to eat food..and chipotle....and to drive my car...and to be around people I haven't seen in awhile. However, to be honest, if feels too soon to be going home because this is just starting to feel like the place that I live. Going home is like a tease because I know that I'll have to leave again in 6 days. There is no doubt in my mind that reverse culture shock will be written all over my face the minute I land and the words "Everything is so big" will keep uttering from my mouth (in perfect pronunciation of course). I want to eat so many different kinds of food but at the same time, my stomach cannot handle those foods anymore. I'll get to drive my car for the last time before it's sold and the last bit of my stuff will come back with me to Korea....and of course, i'll get to join in the wedding festivities and wreak havoc all over the place with nothing to lose seeing as I'll be getting on a plane at 6am the next day. :) Going home is going to be really, really great, but for real this time, when I get on the airplane to come back to Korea, I won't know the next time i'll step foot in the states and for some reason, that's a final cap to "starting my life", "Moving out of the country", "being obedient to the lord", "leaving things I love behind to live my calling" and if that isn't beautiful and daunting at the same time, i don't know what is.

A few weeks ago, I started feeling like Korea was my only option for awhile. When you move out of college life, resources start to dwindle...or so it feels. I started thinking that working in Korea was going to be the next three years of my life and there were no other options. That may sound really stupid, but nothing had come up recently to suggest otherwise. One of my best friends and roommate always says, "The world is your oyster" and there was a day recently when so many countries became options for teaching that my desire to travel, dream, be spontaneous, and figure out where all of those things lead to became real again. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER! Spain, England, Thailand, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Germany..so many places that I could go and I get to choose. There's life back into planning what's next again.

 I get to dream...wow. what a freeing feeling that is. the world is my oyster. The world is YOUR oyster too. dream. for real.

I've mentioned that I like quotes a lot and so here are some that have stood out to me lately:

"Some people never go crazy. What terrible lives they must lead"-Charles Bukowski

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."-Leonardo da vinci

 "Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone" -Pablo Picasso

This was right before we almost got a dog...ya that's another story

We're in a band now...

I play one-handed...

yaa...no we're not... 

We're posing for the foreigner church banner.... 

That's all folks! Enjoy your week!

"dress in drag and do the hula" -Timon

-One of my friends who lives here reminded me the other day of the part in Lion King where they need a distraction so Simba and Nala can sneak back to Pride Rock. Timon looks at them and says "what do you want me to do...dress in drag and do the hula!??!" Then they proceed to do it...shamelessly. <---this is how I feel most days. It's the best description i've heard so far of living in Korea

You're always on display here in korea nad it pretty much provides entertainment for the Koreans and ourselves. We're learning korean, but when we don't understand what people are saying, they just start yelling louder at us haha like suddenly that will help us learn to understand it better haha!


 I have been working quite a bit over the last month or so. I teach 35 classes between two schools (kindergarten-middle school) in one week with the school that I signed my contract with. I also teach six classes on Tuesday morning at a different kindergarten . On top of that, I privately tutor one of my students for two hours a week. I tutor conversation and science. So, altogether I work about 45-47 hours a week. Clearly, i'm a workaholic. ehh...that's not the point of this blog.

I also intentionally use large words to prove to myself that my vocabulary is not rapidly deteriorating.

I really like chomchee Keembop= tuna california spring rolls, but healthier for you.

I've had some funny moments with my students in the past couple of months. One of my good friends told me that it takes about six months for the students to really trust me as their teacher and be accustomed to the routine of our class. I'm really starting to see that happen as time goes on.

-One of my 6th grade students calls me "meghandi" because he thinks it's funny. Well, this has caught on with the whole class and even some other classes in the school. So, the nickname has leaked. He also talks about osama bin laden, and obama all the time. He has asked me questions about terrorists and this class and i have had deep discussions about 9/11 and what happened. So, this student is writing an essay entitled "Why Meghandi is Better Than Osama Bin Laden".  I need to steal a copy of this paper.

-One of my fourth graders left the class to make a copy of our book because he forgot his. He came back with a copy of his face perfectly smooshed against the copier. His eyes were squinty and his lips were in an "O". It was so funny, but in those moments I have to remember that I'm the teacher and not the student. I tried taking it from it so i could keep it, but he shoved it in his backpack.

-One of my sixth grade students broke his arm a few weeks ago and had a huge cast on his arm. He's one of the boys with a mouth on him, but he understands sarcasm so I pick on him a lot in class. Today, i made fun of his cast and cracked myself up. I couldn't stop laughing...he realized what happened and just put his head down laughing too. ha!

-I have three classes that have been absolute disasters. One class is sixth grade and mostly boys. When they first started, they were completely disrespectful to me and literally would not listen. They are a beginning level class but they understand enough to know how to act in a class. Something that might be hard for people to imagine is that when you're teaching a foreign language, all of your students can talk to each other and you have no idea what they are saying. So, these boys definitely used that against me. However, after embracing the act of "strict teacher", I can say that I almost look forward to this class every week. Although it feels more like an unstable bomb than anything else, I think I can consider this class a success.
      I also have a middle school class that is the same story. They were out of control and now I look forward to teaching them. I'm not sure if they like me or just fear their korean teacher, but either way something is working!

-Yesterday we finished up "open demonstration classes" in the kindergarten for all the parents. The kindergarten we work at is very expensive and the parents have high expectations. When students leave this academy at the age of 7, they are more fluent than some of my sixth graders. So, the education is effective but there is also a lot of other things to be said of putting so much pressure on five year olds. Essentially, during these class, we (the foreigners) teach class to our students but their mommies are sitting behind them observing everything we say and do and everything their kid says and does. It's literally like putting on a show. We were prepared for an act  and we knew it because our bosses would give us names of kids whose moms were straight crazy. We were supposed to ask those kids more questions and give them more opportunities to talk while asking fewer and easier questions to the "dumber" kids. At the end of the 30 minute demonstration where the mommies would obviously have a completely accurate understanding of a normal day in class, they filled out evaluations and had conversation with our boss.  We figuratively dress in drag and do the hula...

There are some other things going on besides work and school.

-I've decided that I want to officially pursue a Master's degree. I miss learning. I'm tossing around the idea of a Linguistics degree which would be a loooooot of work. It's a very universal degree that could be used almost anywhere that I travel. I still have to do research and apply to schools, but that's starting to make it's way to the front of my mind.

-It's weird for me to not be in leadership of any kind within a church or discipleship-style setting. For those of you who know me well know that i've been working in churches, teaching, leading, and been passionate about discipleship for the last ten years or longer. I've been leading and learning leadership in one capacity or another literally for the last ten years and now, i'm not. It's as simple as that. It's possible that people think i'm a missionary while living over here in korea and at the core of it, yes, yes i am. however, for the traditional style of "missions" or "doing ministry", no, no i'm not. It looks different and I don't have the resources available like I used to. In a sense, i'm learning how to relive life with a different focus that is somehow the same as before but with less encouragement, mentorship, and the need for more intentionality on my end. It's been a challenge, but it proves the good of the lord and his faithfulness.

summer is the time to travel here in korea. We've been to the beach, two baseball games, the second largest city in the world (Seoul), been on a field trip to ride horse with our kids and we have even sought out real-tasting Mexican food!

Here are some photos of our group!

The birthday Kids!

This is a bike path in our city!

Busan: beach city!

Climbing rocks...learned that from Oregon! 

Also, Busan. The Gold Towers in the middle are famous in the area!

horse back riding...they told me this was a big horse! horses are really rare in korea!

Gyeupyongdong crew...or G-Squad as we call ourselves! This was after a water fight on our day off.

Lions won...notice the koreans in the back who are not as excited

Cooking Bipinbop after church!

MEXICAN FOOD!!!!!!

Seoul at night...the view from the roof of our hostel!

Seoul again...

Itaewon in Seoul: a place for foreigners...really weird to be around so many of them.

The sidewalk had greetings from other cultures there...I found the US

Korean War memorial...this honors the beginning of  The Republic of Korea which is only about 60 years old.

The US flag is hanging closest to the Korean flag. This memorial is right next to the US military base and it really brings out feelings of patriotism as you live in a country that is so united with USA and has really gained it's economic growth and independence because of the influence.

That's all folks! I won't take so long to post next time! :) 

"blog What You Live. don't Live to Blog"

I really enjoy reading quotes. I think that when sentences are worded in such the right way it can inspire hearts, change minds, and speak even beyond one's own existence. It's actually really powerful and so I often find myself online reading quotes to pass the time or to find some newfound inspiration or passion. If I know the story behind the author, it's even better. There's this one that's simple with no author attached and it reads as follows: "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do".

This was really easy for me to say in college because  I was surrounded by so many other people whose dream was to change the world. The momentum just picked up and I literally believed that I could do anything in the world and change would come. At the time, I knew my perspective would change when I graduated and moved on but one of my greatest fears was to one day look in the mirror and see someone who used to believe she could change the world.  I told myself that no matter what happened in my life, I would fight to make sure the world was different....


Well, folks and everyone out there destined to travel, see the world, and change it up, just because you leave home doesn't mean you're changing the world. If you move to another country, you're not a missionary. If you were once a great leader, you aren't magically a fantastic leader for the rest of your life without any effort or intentional growth. I think that so many people lose the desire to change the world because they let their thinking get lazy, their life boring, and when they realize it, the lie that it's too late to change sucks the life right out of them. BAM. I said it. No matter where you live and who you are around, you will have to TRY to change the world. It's not easy and most people around you will not be in the same boat as you, but that's why you train yourself to be able to paddle harder and against the current.

"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do". It's what we were created to do. If you think about it, why would God waste his time creating someone who just takes up space and buys their time in a world full of people who already do that. I can't imagine he would feel anything less than insulted. I'm tired of seeing people stuck in the same rut, talking to people who used to be world changers, and wondering why so many believers are willing to lay down and watch the world go to Hell. It doesn't matter where you live or what your job is, TRY to be a world changer and BELIEVE it's possible.

Here's the more casual aspect of my blog...

Korea never fails to be interesting...there's literally always a story and it's never dull. I feel like I can't leave my apartment without having a cultural moment, which is normal. Honestly, living in America is so boring compared to anywhere else. It's really nice because it's familiar but I also get enough entertainment here to last me a lifetime.
Last night, Asha and I went out grocery shopping since we were too lazy to go this weekend. On our way home, I was looking for hair spray so we stopped in this beauty shop on the way home and I wasn't really sure I wanted to go inside because we had big shopping bags and knowing myself, I just didn't want to break anything, causing more of a scene. So, we were about to walk away and the woman greeted us at the door and told us to come inside. She brought me over to the hairsprays and starred at me while I made my choice. I had no idea what I was even looking at. So, I turned to leave and she saw my finger nails. She grabbed my hand and started to paint my pinky nails with different colors of nail polish haha keep in mind that all forms of communication are through hand language and universals. So, she's painting my nails, Asha sets down the grocery bags and starts shopping. Then the lady wants to put white eye liner on my eyes. So, she's putting eye liner on and there's a group of korean adults eating at a table inside the store. This is like pure entertainment for them. We're just going with the flow. We finally get out of there....and we forgot our bags. So, we had to walk shamefully back to the store, get our bags, be laughed at and the worst part is that I walk by that store every day on my way to work. life is never boring...

I picked up a new side job on Tuesday mornings which will help with paying off my student loans faster. It's an extra three hours a week, six classes. They are all kindergarten kids who are super sweet. My boss explained to me today that the school is really more of a care center and so essentially i get to play games with them every week. On Tuesdays, I'll teach eleven classes so it's tiring, but I think it's going to be worth it.

On Saturday, Asha and I went to dinner at an Indian Food restaurant and then we ventured to the movie theatre for the first time. It's called the "Megabox" and it's located on the 7th floor of a building. We were expecting an adventure but it all went pretty smoothly. In Korea, you choose your seat when you buy your ticket which is super smart. Well done korea..america needs to get on board. We saw Iron Man 3 and it was in English but with Korean subtitles. Asha and I were the ONLY ones laughing at most of the movie. Tony Stark is the very essence of sarcasm and Koreans really don't understand sarcasm. The theatre was silent and we had to keep our laugher quite. People were looking at us and seriously wondering what was wrong. After the movie, I didn't want to show my face. There's absolutely no way we could just blend in with everyone else...such an experience.

Teaching is such an experience and I really am learning to love being a teacher. I am asked the funniest and most random questions. One of my students today told me that his brother threw his workbook in the trash (I also teach his little brother in a different class). I started laughing thinking this is the ultimate "my dog ate my homework" excuse, but he continued to tell me that they were playing the "trash can game"and so his brother just threw it away and then the trash man came and it was gone. haha some kids...

Today, my boss asked me to explain to her the difference between state government and national government. Students have to learn all about American government and systems here. It was interesting explaining to her the difference and it challenged my knowledge. Humility is a good trait to develop while living here in korea.
I've been asked what 9/11 was, why the USA killed Osama Bin Laden and what the "War on Terrorism" was....all very interesting questions.

In the last hour, I have seen three foreigners I do not know in our little part of the city which is not rare. Normally, if I see foreigners here, they are people I know and see regularly. It's nice to see foreigners, but it's so hard not to stare and then it's awkward because I don't know whether to wave, not wave, make eye contact, not make eye contact. Automatically, we have a lot more in common with each other than we do with anyone else so it makes the situation interesting. I would just like to add (I say this every blog), I really like that people can rarely understand everything that I'm saying.

That's it for now...thanks for reading!

"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do"

"Let yourself move to the next chapter in life when the time comes. Don't remain stuck on the same page"

The weeks fly by here in Korea. I'm about to hit my two month mark of officially being an English teacher after packing up my life and moving thousands of miles away from my home country. Good times so far.

As time goes on, I adapt to my surroundings so things become normal. Cultural differences aren't really something that surprise me anymore which doesn't mean that my life isn't constantly interesting and full of moments where I walk away and am not quite sure what just happened. I find myself expecting those moments to happen every single day.

Here are some reflections of where I'm at right now:

1. I will never, ever get used to being starred at. Sometimes it's humorous and other times it's weird and innocent. Other times it's awkward and I want out of the situation as fast as I can. Every funny/awkward/cultural moment that I have is amplified when people's attention is instantly drawn to you. 

2. Sports Day is coming up May 1st and all the public elementary schools are preparing and practicing for it. When we think of Sports Day, we think of playing sports outside for fun for en entire day with no school. No, no, no...they rehearse for about a month and the parents come to watch. They practice routine dances and all the sports are coordinated. There's tug-a-war with over 25 kids on each side followed by school relays. I don't teach at a public school so i'll just creepily be watching from my apartment...don't worry, it's fine!

3. It's different having a catastrophe happen in the States and not be there in the States. While the chase for the bombers in Boston was going on in the middle of the night, it was happening as we were getting off work and eating dinner. So we followed it in real time and got updates as they happened. It was interesting to see how the news conflicted each other and some media would release details then retract their statements.

4. Today I bought a plane ticket back to America...and I paid way too much for it so we're not going to talk about that part of it. It was weird to be already looking for a way back to america. Even though I miss people, I'm not ready to come back. I'm so thankful I can be there for my sister's wedding, but it's strange to go back and forth to such different lives. 

5.I've been challenged to live intentionally while here in Korea. I think that anywhere you live it's easy to fall into the norms and not be effective in the place you live and the lives of people you see every day. A lot of times people think that moving to another country simple means that you're making a difference and being effective. The truth is that no matter where you live, you can get used to normal life and fall into bad habits. So, as life here seems to reach a new normal, I've been challenged to do what I came here to do. That means being disciplined and taking life seriously...

The suicide rate here for high schoolers is really high because of the pressure to do well in high school. It literally affects their entire life. So, I had a realization last week that if one of my students committed suicide, I would have a really hard time with it. I'm a teacher and so I contribute to that stress. So, I've decided to be super intentional about being encouraging to the students. They have enough people in their lives telling them they don't work hard enough or to work harder. 

6. I can read Korean...very very slowly but it is happening folks! I'm like a kindergartner.

7. I have the travel bug...I know, it doesn't take very long, but I have spent the last couple of weekends traveling just on short trips. In the summer, foreigners spend every weekend traveling and seeing parts of Korea and places close by...so, many adventures to come. 

8. I have been able to see my friend Lindsay who teaches nearby. We went to visit here in the city of Pohang a couple of weekends ago. It's a big city and so there were a lot of foreigners around. I realized that I really enjoy people not understanding what I'm saying. I think that subconsciously my commentary on my surroundings has gone up and they are things I wouldn't necessarily say if everyone around me could understand. 

This is a snapshot of my life here in Korea! Enjoy!

Traveling: It leaves you speechless and then turns you into a story teller.

Hello everyone! I feel like this is my contact with the American world! Many of you I get to stay in contact with personally but most of you who read this I really don't get to talk to! When you move to a foreign country you think about everyone you know at the strangest of times. The tiniest things trigger the memory of a person so know that you've been thought about and I appreciate the support of you reading my blog and staying "in touch".

This blog will cover two very different topics so bear with me! First, I want to talk about my weekend and all the experiences I've had just in the past couple of days and I'll finish up by talking about the scare with North Korea and our perspective and anticipation over here.

Last Friday night, we had our first Korean lesson!!!!!!!!! I'm so stoked to learn Korean. Before you know it, I'll basically be fluent and you guys will be amazed when you hear these foreign sounds coming out of my mouth!! I think it's important for foreigners to learn the language of the country they live in...at least at a basic level that they can communicate. To put this into perspective for people, think of me as a foreigner in the US. The people that you see who go grocery shopping, to restaurants, etc and can't speak English is the equivalent of what I am here in Korea. I am a foreigner and there's no way around that. I think it's respectful to the people and the culture to learn the language. Anyway, there is a guy who's lived here somewhere around 10 years who is teaching us for free. Five of us are taking lessons. Last week we covered the alphabet because learning to read is the first step. So, by the end of the week, my goal is to be able to read Korean. The sounds are different but when you sound the letters out, the words are English. I'm excited to see where this goes!

On Saturday, Asha, our friend Emma and I ventured to the Strawberry Festival in Nansan, Korea. We left our apartment at 6am and didn't return until 11pm. We took three taxis, two trains, two buses, and the subway to get there and back and it rained the entire day. It was wet and cold and as the day went on, it got colder. Festivals are a big deal in Korea, but this one was just on dirt. So, dirt plus a day of rain equals more mud than anyone knows what to do with. My feet were soaked in my boots within minutes and it was a game to maneuver my way through the mud without getting stuck. It sounds terrible...and I really was cold and chilled even throughout the day on Sunday, but we had fun! It was a good trip. Let me walk you through the series of events....

Notice all the mud....

We left at 6am and asha and I unknowingly hijacked a taxi. People can call taxis to meet them somewhere. Well, we were standing there waiting to cross the street and one pulled up to us so we got in. It wasn't until we were in motion that he asked if we were his call. At that point, there was no going back so naturally we said yes.

Next, we got to the train station and once we got to Daegu we had to travel to meet the bus we were on. My umbrella wouldn't close so after trying for a few minutes and further drawing attention to our ability to be foreign, we abandoned it on the sidewalk and got on the bus. Emma had to go to the bathroom 20 min into the bus ride so she asked about three times to stop and finally the bus driver was annoyed enough to stop...then he made fun of her the whole rest of the day. haha! When we were at the rest stop, a bunch of US military guys walked into the convenient store and 2 thoughts went through my mind: 1. "I feel so patriotic right now. Pride is welling up inside of me!" 2. "I haven't seen men this attractive to me in a loong time". I may have been smitten and I found out very quickly where the military bases are located in Korea....Keep your eyes out for the next blog!! You to me: "You joined the what!?!?" Me: "It seemed like such a good idea at the time!!!" bahaha i joke...i joke...

People in costumes freak me out...

We continued on to the festival. We were on the bus with about 50 other foreigners that all spoke english and I realized how much I talk here with the comfort of no one around me being able to understand what I'm saying. It was a very strange feeling to be around that many foreigners at once.

We walked around the festival for a couple of hours and finally discovered the "zoo". Koreans are pretty great people, but there's this part of their culture where they do not care about animals. It was a homemade zoo and the foreigners were freaking out. They had huge snakes in boxes on display where the snake was wrapped around itself with no place to move. A small monkey was in a small bird cage and a tortoise was in a box that was not big enough for him to take his head or arms out of his shell. There were bunnies, mice and hedgehogs in crates that people were carelessly picking up and throwing around. Tropical birds were in small cages, but it was freezing outside so all the animals were shivering. Koreans truly have no compassion when it comes to animals. There was a skunk in a tiny cage and it was pacing and scratching at the cage to get out. I had visions of me jumping the "fence" and setting it free....

...and Ladies and Gentlemen, that is how we almost stole a hedgehog. 'nuff said.

We continued the day by escaping to a coffee shop for a few hours, buying a new umbrella and continuing on to our home. Traveling in other countries is always quite the adventure. There's always the challenge with language and public transportation. It's so exciting and invigorating to me. After traveling abroad, traveling in the states is so anticlimactic to me because you have to be on your game to travel within another country. There's truly nothing like it...if you've never travelled, do it. It'll change your life.

Needless to say, the strawberry festival was loaded with priceless moments.

Speaking of strawberries, North Korea has threatened to first blow you (America) up and then to destroy and invade my new home. So, how  are we dealing with these threats over here?

Here's my perspective and some info for those of you who have not stayed informed:


About two weeks ago, North Korea cut the wire of communication with South Korea (The wire stays in tact pretty much no matter what but they have cut the wire before in previous threats). North Korea has moved missiles around and beefed up their military at the bored with threats to attack seoul and send a missile straight to America. Photos have been released of their five target cities within the states. Keep in mind that the new leader Kim Jung Un is a new leader, recently made dictator when his father died. He is about 27 years old so more or less my age who is actively trying to prove himself to the North Korean generals which I (and most Koreans) believe is what a lot of this can be chalked up to. It takes a nuclear missile 30 seconds to reach Seoul once launched and so South Korea has issued a statement saying that if there is solid evidence that North Korea will attack, they will attack first. South Korea sends money and materials including food to N Korea which basically keep their people alive. Their country is starving and cannot take care of itself on it's own. North Korea has more troops than what are present here with South Korean and American troops combined. Koreans around here are less than non chalant about the whole issue. They laugh at us when we bring it up because they are so used to hearing about threats from N Korea. This is the worst one so far. Koreans will tell you that 1. North Korea can't attack because all their people will die because South Korea takes care of them and 2. Their leader is trying to prove himself. The government is prepared for war but the people have not changed anything about their daily lives. Today a statement was issued saying that North Korea is preparing to move a medium sized missile to the east coast which could potentially be launched towards America, capable of hitting an American base in Guam. They have not said it was definitely going to happen, but gave a heads up just in case....again, more threats.

Last week, North Korea moved troops away from the border and backed down quite a bit because it was time for the troops to go and plant their crops hahah this cracks me up. It shows to me and to South Korea that they are not truly serious about war because they literally just sent their army back home. The more I research it, the more I feel confident that these are only threats. I feel safe, Koreans feel safe and the American Embassy issued a statement saying there was no reason to be alarmed at this time.

In case of an emergency, we have a plan and money to get a plane ticket away. I won't start freaking out until my Korean co workers start worrying. I think it's important for Americans to realize two things:

1. The American media hypes up the events going on over here. I read CNN and then look around me and they are serious contrasts. Don't believe the sense of anxiety or urgency that is attached to most of the American media you're fed. It's important to not underestimate this nation and to be prepared, but things just don't add up this time.

2. North Korea is readying to attack America first so be informed enough to know that your own country is slowly becoming the target for many nations around the world. At the same time, it is becoming weaker militarily, educationally, economically, and financially. That alone should cause you to feel the need to be educated on events around the world. The world as we know it is about to change.

It's different, invigorating, scary, and interesting being at the center of the biggest controversy/possible war...I'm so close to it that it just feels surreal sometimes to be a foreigner in this land. The Lord has asked me to be here. It's been made clear more times than I can count and so he protects those he calls. I have peace and faith and at the end of the day, that's all I need.

If you have any other questions or thoughts, shoot me an email! Enjoy your week folks!

Folks, it's official...one month!

Tomorrow marks one official month living here in Gumi and it has been quite the adventure! The first month flew by which makes sense because I have been constantly learning new things and adjusting to a new environment. I've met so many new people and been introduced to being a teacher for the first time. It's truly been a month of learning and stepping up to the plate. I really like living in South Korea and any culture shock has pretty much subsided at this point. There will be random moments in the future where I have no idea what's going on and so the cultural differences take me by surprise but as far as the every day stuff, I have adjusted really well. 

Here's a glimpse into what the first month has looked like:

I started teaching and am on the tail end of my fourth week of being a teacher. I enjoy being a teacher and have had tons of fun with the kiddos, but I have also had my fair share of opportunities to discipline. There are about 3 classes that I just don't know what to do with but I have not reached the end of my patience yet which is a good thing. I've developed a system to where the kids know what they are in trouble and I've also introduced a number of games to my classroom where the kids know when they're being rewarded. 

I have presented a lesson in front of the kindergarten kids' parents, which was yesterday. Let's just say that I can breath again. It's very nerve racking.

I have gone to a massive jungle gym with the kids to celebrate birthdays where we played for a couple of hours. It's amazing how even though we speak different languages, kids like to play and have fun no matter what country you live in. 

I have been asked if my eye lashes were fake because in Korea, they typically do not have long eyelashes. 

For the parents teaching lesson, I had to dress up. So, upon wearing a dress my fourth graders asked me if I was going out dancing at the clubs that night.

This kid put on the superman costume and didn't take it off the whole time! ha!

Every day I'm asked if I have a boyfriend or if I'm married. 

One day, I was telling the kids about how I had chips and salsa for the first time since I landed in South Korea. They erupted in giggles and I was confused so I just kept going. I wrote the word on the board and the kids kept laughing. I finally asked what was going on and they told me that salsa was the Korean word for poop. So, every single class they make fun of me for that. haha good times. Those are things they should tell you before you start teaching.

Our Lunch!

All the foreign teachers at our school!

I have given three kids their english names that will follow them to whatever English setting they encounter in the future.

I have freaked out because my students yelled at me saying there was an insect on me and to describe what it was they said "SUCK BLOOD"! I may have ran to the other side of the classroom. It was a mosquito. They liked my reaction so much they yelled the same thing ten minutes later.








Outside of the classroom:

I traveled with Asha, Mark and Kristin who are all foreign teachers at my school to Daegu and went to Costco. We stalked up on food. To get there we took a bus, train, and a taxi. It was really fun and it's amazing how you don't miss things until you see them. I didn't miss American food at all until I went to Costco and suddenly I have this huge craving for all things American. To get back home, Asha and I each had one backpack. I had a suitcase and Asha had an extra side back all full of food....we are such good little americans. As if people don't stare at us enough...we gave them a show that day! ha! One thing we noticed is that in the cafeteria part of costco, Koreans would pile up heaps of onions, cover them in ketchup and eat it as a part of their meal. The onions are free so they would literally fill their plates...definitely a cultural thing.

We go to the market every Sunday for food for the week...here are some of our findings:

I have been mildly hit by a car. there are many pedestrians here and so cars are used to weaving in and out of traffic. Well, one day a car did not have their blinker on so i anticipated it to go straight and it actually hit me as it turned...

 This is the front of our apartment building!

My friend Lindsay came to visit us this past weekend which was super fun! We went to downtown Gumi and walked around to some of the shops. We found a lot of really cool and unique places. I enjoy seeing how things are spelled wrong in English! ha...

The Train Station
also, we found this shop that has purses for really cheap! We made friends with the lady who owns it and I'm sure we will be going back! 

Lastly, we have a good group of people around here that live close and all go to the same church. We have been able to join their little group and we see them pretty frequently. It makes all the difference to have friends over here. Last weekend we tried a new Italian Pizza place, which wasn't italian but was the closest American pizza we've found so far. We had fun...laughed and laughed...the staff probably thought we were crazy but because we were foreigners they sat us in the middle of the restaurant and at one point I think we had about 5 people waiting on us. It's ridiculous some of the attention we get at times.

We're starting to plan out times to travel. I know that I'll be coming back to America for my sister's wedding. Between now and then we have several other trips plans as well as some big ones for the end of the year...stay posted!

I've had my students begin teaching me some Korean words and who knows maybe one day i'll be fluent! :)