Shake it up!

I have had an exciting week! Beginning with last Friday...

Last Friday I got to meet one of my college friend's closest high school friends. I know, sounds confusing! They were both MKs (missionary kids) and went to boarding school in Germany together. Jenny (Jihye in Korean) is Korean, moved to Uzbekistan when she was 13 I believe where she learned Russian, then went to a high school where she had to pick up English quick. For college she moved back to Seoul and has been here since. We had a fabulous time getting dinner and hot chocolate. She is my sister already...I loooooooove her and we just clicked! It's so nice to connect with people on such a deep level. The body of Christ is astounding!

Speaking of, this Friday I met up with Lindsey. Lindsey went to the same small college as I...we lived in the same dorm and were even in the same Tiger Tunes show and somehow never met. But, here in Seoul, we became friends! Lindsey is another unexpected but precious connection! God is such a master at creating communion among His people!

On the school front I got to teach my 8th graders (by far my favorite grade of kids) a lesson on people who change the world. This led to a conversation about what THEY can do to change the world. I could tell that there's a big push in Korea to make environmental advances (which honestly I appreciate because this city is NASTY and full of smog), but they weren't thinking of people. Of course making a change in the people front is the cry of my heart...helping others, loving others...and I was a bit taken back that I had to prompt them that changing the world involved people. But once I did, they had tons of ideas! This lesson has sparked an idea for a holiday project that my kids will do to finish out the semester. We will be making Christmas cards for families of terminally ill children in America. There are several foundations that organize this and I'm pleased as punch! A lot of Koreans tend to forget it's a big world out there...they even forget they're connected to a country with severely impoverished and oppressed people. So, I want my kids to open their eyes. To think of others instead of what ipod they're getting or North Face jacket they want. Don't get me wrong, I have really precious students that have big hearts and brilliant minds...but they have few opportunities to see and know the world is much larger than this peninsula.

Along with school I took my first dance class yesterday in years. It was mainly modern but mixed in some jazz, ballet, and yoga. It was FANTASTIC!!! But my body is super sore today! I also got to see New Moon last night...YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS!!! And the best part of the weekend...IT SNOWED!!!!!

Only 25 days until I'm home for a visit!!!

Love from Korea :o)

*This was a few months ago before I got swine and was asked to wear this every day. I was also dressed up as a cat for Halloween but the mask hid my whiskers!

Stankin High Heels, Gal Pals, and Swine Flu

Alright, alright...I'm back after over a month without writing. I'm sorry for my absence!!!

It's impossible to write everything that's happened so I'm just going to spout out random bits about life here.

First off, it is true...I got the swine! Honestly, I didn't think it was that bad! Much more tame than the normal flu from my end. Of course, I had loads of folks praying it up for me at my request. Mom and dad were in Israel at the time and being alone in a foreign country with a large language barrier is quite scary. I went to the medical clinic down the street (I've now completed 5 visits) and I can just tell they wince when they see me walk in. They don't know English (though thankfully the doctor knows body parts and medical terms) so it's always interesting! I'm pretty sure I had swine a week before they diagnosed me with it, but they wouldn't test me until I had a fever. I had even been to the doctor the day before and the diagnosis was "bronchitis, but if fever, come back and then you have Influenza." So I woke at 3:30 a.m. with a raging temp of 103.3, yippee! Like I said, it wasn't too bad though! The test was painful, and for whatever reason they did it twice...is swabbing your brain via the nose really necessary? I did get a nice 7 day vacation from most of real life...except trying to cook something out of the few things I had.

High heels...every Korean woman feels the need to wear them. I don't get it! They have to walk forever and balance on subways and tromp up large stair wells. These women are troopers, let me tell ya! Did I mention they're usually at least 3 inches? I'm pretty sure that Koreans that see me view me as a slouch because most of them are dressed up at all times. That doesn't mean that their outfits are awesome though! Man, I've seen some doozies of wardrobe faus pas! The first lovely combo is pantie hose with hoochie short shorts and high heels....often times accompanied by a hoodie or a long-sleeve button up plaid shirt. The possibilities for dressing are really endless here. Throw anything together and you've got yourself an outfit. Just be sure to wear heels! One of my most favorite combos was brown leather boots knee high(with large heels of course), purple tights with hearts in them, black and beige plaid shorts, a navy long sleeve top, and what appeared to be a rabbit fur skin vest (gray and white). It was really something! Another necessity to the wardrobe is some really ridiculous hair accessory. Shiny is ALWAYS a plus...on bows, ribbons, clips. Think of the hair items children wore in the 1980s and early to mid 90s and add more rhinestones, and you've got yourself a smash hit in Korea!

And my favorite part of Korean life are my "gal pals". These are a select few 8th grade girls that constantly brighten my day! Seriously, they make me stuff, sing me songs, make me laugh, send me funny texts...they are the reason I'm here! The love I have for them goes beyond anything I can muster, it comes straight from the Lord! They are my precious little peanuts and they are the reason I no longer dread staying here. My heart gushes for them as if they were my own children! As soon as their finals are over next week we're going to see New Moon together and have a girl day, I'm pumped! And, the moment they've been waiting for...they get to come to my house! The student I'm closest to Myeungeun, is actually contemplating coming to be an exchange student in the states in a few years! I'm so excited! She is my little sister! I love these girls more than I can say and I find the Spirit leading me to even pray for their future spouses...it just takes me back how Father can transplant part of His heart for His children into our own! And to think it's only a glimpse of the full spectrum of His love, absolutely incredible!

So, things are going well here in Korea! I loooooooove Korean barbecue and even kimchi these days! I crave certain Korean foods although I still lack the courage to go eat them alone. My language skills haven't much improved and I keep saying I'll get into a class but there's just so much to do here. I am hoping to seriously get in a dance class on the weekends soon...because I have to teach dance in January to my kiddos and it would suck to not be able to move at all, ha!

I will try harder to write more...know that you're in my heart, AND I'll be home for a visit very shortly!

love from Korea...:o)

Korea make me Krazy

Okay, not really...but maybe sick!
(this is a photo of me with the tiny bras they have everywhere, and Hello Kitty at that!)

For the past two weeks I felt like crud off and on again. I know God wants me here, but my already weak immune system is having a heck of a time with the mass amount of people. When I think about it...I have 600ish students, all of which spit on the floors, cough without covering their mouths, touch each other, touch me, attempt to feed me (and succeed when I'm not prepared for it)...so of course why wouldn't I. We had our fall festival Friday and goodness knows how many hands were involved in all the food I ate there!

(These are 2 of the 4 girls that are in my posse...the little crew that comes to see me every day and they always make me fun things!)(And this is how I'm greeted every morning. Kids hanging out the windows screaming my name...it's cute and feels surreal!)

Not to mention riding on subways packed to the brim with people, and I touch the same hand rails, seats, doors, and the things that hang down to hold on to. Sooo many germs floating around here. Please join me in praying for 1) my immune system to grow a backbone and be tough 2) me to find a Korean momma who will take me to the doctor and translate.

I visited the local clinic today with very little communication due to the language barrier. I'm praying his medications will do the trick!

So the last few weeks I've done several fun things, intermittent with a lot of vitamins and rest.

I attempted to see a baseball game, but the Koreans are fanatical about their baseball and it was all sold out. Went to Dr. Fish cafe...you order a drink, something to eat, and a 15 minute dead-skin removal by a pool of hungry fish. Disgusting, I know, but what an experience. Of course I'm so freakishly ticklish I was screaming with laughter and the whole place was looking at me. Finally the last 6-7 minutes I was able to calm down.

I also have visited a noraebang (karaoke room) and sang for hours with my good friend Ashley. I ate my first Korean meal that I really loved and now crave. I've had a few doses of home by going to Costco twice and the movies to see Surrogate. Have been street shopping and bought some much needed hair bow headbands that are huge, but actually pretty darned cute! (The sales guy was just so convincing and cute..."Ohhhh, so beautiful! You look perfect!")

I've tried out several churches because the one I really love I can't get myself up in time to get there. Pray for me to find a church home too!

So, those are the recent adventures. Today I used a sick day to attempt to recoup from whatever it is that is ailing me...and hoping I don't catch swine flu while I'm already down because 6 students and a teacher at my school have it.

This may not be the best post, but I'm sick and my head is swimming!!

love from Korea :o)

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

So it doesn't feel like holiday time, but here in South Korea the biggest holiday of the year just passed. I've had a lovely 4-day weekend for Chuseok (Korean version of Thanksgiving.) Some friends invited me on a little trip up to the mountains and I had nothing else to do so tagged along. Here was my experience.

Traffic is really, ridiculously crazy when 14 million people are all trying to travel at the same time so in effort to avoid a bit of Friday morning traffic I treked up closer to the bus terminal the night before. The destination that night...a Korean sauna. Now, this was quite the experience!!! Saunas are super cheap...I think I left there paying less than $10. You can also spend the night in the saunas...so that is what we did.

As you walk in, guys and gals split off into their respective areas...which is good because once you enter your half you are face to face with nakedness. Korean women, ages ranging from 2 to 90 are all over the place wearing nothing but their birthday suits. When we entered I accidentally let an "Ohh!" slip out, thankfully not too loud. Next, we stop by the supplies desk and pick up any array of scrubs or cleansers you want, plus various grooming tools and your orange prison uniforms, I mean sauna attire. Knowing what was next made me cringe a bit, but what can you do...you're already in and paid up? So the dreaded strip down begins as I stow all my stuff into a locker and try for a few seconds to cover up a bit with the hand-towel sized towels they use here. After a few seconds I thought...what the heck?! Go for the gusto!!! I mean, every Korean stares at you the foreigner anyways, this time they just get to see all of you...ha! So onward I trudge with another foreign friend and our new Korean friend...into the bath room. I get many awkward stares especially since I have a piercing and a tattoo (not common at all here)...and two little children watching my every move. You select a stool and a water basin and sit in front of a sink/shower head with a mirror...do a light cleaning, then head for the tubs. Each tub is a different temperature...ice cold to scolding hot...along with several saunas of various temperatures of hellish heat...one litterally felt like what I picture hell being. We tried them all except the one the kids flocked to for fear of pee. Then you come back to your stool and begin the scrubbing. With a tough mit on one hand you begin to scrub your whole body hard to peel all the dead skin off. (You can opt for someone to scrub for you but it seemed a bit too personal for me.) After washing off, you actually feel like a new woman! Then you go out to the common areas with your uniform on...you can eat, watch Korean tv/movies, go to the library, the gym, massage chairs/tables, more saunas/rooms of different temps (I personally loved the ice room)...or you can sleep! At 1 a.m. I opted for the women's sleeping room....equipped with "beds" (bunk beds with a stoneish feel and a stone pillow to match). Not great sleep, but it worked for one night.

Next day we caught a bus to the mountains...headed North...little did we know about a mile from the North Korean border. Once arriving we grabbed a Korean-style lunch and headed for our home for the evening! Wood floors to sleep on...yes!!! Another great night of sleep! (We did have softer pillows and blankets this time, and the floors were heated.) Once settled we geared up for paintball...seriously, we were decked out! Full camo, chest and back plates, gloves, neck protectors and helmets with goggles. This was the worst part of the trip for me. I currently look like an abuse victim with massive bruses on my arms and back. But, next we got to go 4-wheelin in the mountains...beautiful and so much fun!!! We each got our own which was awesome! Plus we saw some spectacular views. Sadly, I didn't have my camera. On the final day of the trip we took a driving tour...got to view a beautiful river (on which was the chance to bungee jump), saw the North/South border complete with barb-wire fence that had signs saying "mine" on them, several old military bunkers, and a lot of beautiful country-side.

So...Happy Chuseok to me!!! It was a fun-filled adventure weekend!!!

Love from Korea! :o)

Collection of Moments

So any time anything has struck me as funny or odd I have posted it on facebook. Since not all of you have facebook I'm going to combine them here...and for posterity's sake of course!

Shauna Morrissey
wants to know if it's really necessary that a huge cart of fish be brought into the office...stinks to high heaven in here!!!

Shauna Morrissey
thinks it's really awesome that people bring everyone else gifts (like yogurt) when something great happens to them...but can you imagine walking into an office in the States with an armful of individual Dannon's to celebrate that I bought ...myself a car? "Would you like Boston Creme Pie or Strawberry Banana? I bought low fat, don't worry!"

Shauna Morrissey finds it really disgusting that there's some video game that advertises all over the internet here with naked or mostly naked women...sick!!!

Shauna Morrissey thinks it's really awesome that I made all my co-workers laugh by screaming out in excitement "CORN DOGS!!!!!" when I entered the cafeteria. I just couldn't contain myself!

Shauna Morrissey knows she's not in America anymore when she sees a woman cutting off hundreds of fish heads from fish bodies in the hall sink!!!

Shauna Morrissey is glad that a 1) she had Japenese friends in college that taught her to use chopsticks, 2) she likes spinach b/c my school must buy stock in it, and 3) her will is starting to mold into God's.

Shauna Morrissey is going to have to take discipline matters into her own hands...this letting the co-teacher discipline is not working! I started the standing with arms up on a whole class this morning...good grief!

Shauna Morrissey spent a few hours at the park and now thinks Korean kids are the cutest little peanuts!

Shauna Morrissey is thankful for feeling better, finding a place that sells cheese in Seoul (via facebook) and that lesson plans are done! God is always with you, no matter where you go...

Shauna Morrissey loves that her mom sent her about 45 packs of gum!!!

Shauna Morrissey just sang We Are Family, We Will Rock You, We are the Champions AND YMCA karaoke style to entertian kids after a test...and they did not sing! This must be like what giving a concert is like!!!

Shauna Morrissey has a precious mom who gave her a fantastic care box...and is thankful for Cianti and Eric for looking out for me and being my first Seoul friends!

Shauna Morrissey just received a sculpture of me "Mist Cha-na" from a students...pictures to come soon!

Shauna Morrissey is going to the medical clinic all by herself...this should be an adventure fo sho!
*The doctor spoke very little English, but I was in and out with perscriptions in 20 minutes, cost less than $20 and I felt better!!*

Shauna Morrissey is chillin with the vice principal tomorrow while the rest of school is on "picnic"...I'm so sleeping in!

Shauna Morrissey thinks she just got her first Korean fat comment...that she knew of anyway. PE teacher says, "what do you eat at home? I am worried you are not getting proper nutrition." Ugh! This is the healthiest I've EVER eaten!

Shauna Morrissey really wants her friends that know Korean to help her translate her washer...PLEASE!!! After payday, I'll buy you dinner! :o)

Shauna Morrissey desperately needs to do laundry but can not read the Korean...sheesh!

Shauna Morrissey currently has 3 male students standing around her desk telling me awkward facts about themselves...it's cute!

Shauna Morrissey
so far has used the squatty potties twice, been soaked by the shower (after forgetting to turn it back to the sink side) three times, eaten Korean "sausage" made of pig intestine/rice/bean sprouts and soaked in soybean sauce to "diminish the smell" (sick!), and now is about to attempt to assemble a drying rack with instructions completely in Korean! This is fun...right?! :)

Shauna Morrissey starts to feel things are normal here UNTIL she finds out she has to pay large taxes on boxes sent here AND she walks up to her apartment building to find an older man peeing on it. (Oddly, that is common here...eww!)

Shauna Morrissey works with the Korean version of Wayne Newton...no joke! May have to do some undercover work to snap his photo!

Shauna Morrissey is eating a fruit I'm not sure the name of. Almost all food I eat here I don't know the name of. It's always a mystery....

Shauna Morrissey tried twice to post a video for you but it didn't work...bummer! I'm currently overhearing a teacher ripping a student a new one and paddeling him...NO JOKE!

Shauna Morrissey sucessfully pottied in the squatty potty today AND a co-teacher gave me a Korean Twilight calendar...YEEEESSS!!!!

Shauna Morrissey is so tired after a day and a half of walking and figuring out subways!! Oh, and being stared at...cuh-ray-zay!

Shauna Morrissey got lost trying to find her apartment from the subway and had to take a taxi home...ey yey yey!!! :) Praise the Lord for the man who knew who a little English and helped me hail a taxi!

Shauna Morrissey loved having tons of Korean middle school girls tell me I was beautiful today!!! :) Though staying in the teachers' office all day long SUUUUCKED!!! Here's to 4 more days of boredom!

The end...sorry if it's long! Hopefully entertaining, none the less!

Starting to Settle

This week has been a rollercoaster, but ever so slowly (like slug pace) I'm starting to settle.

I believe part of this correlates with the fact that I got to hang out with all sorts of people.

I also believe this hanging out made me sick. I had stomach issues earlier this week and had my first visit to the doctor's office. The doctor spoke about 10 English words, so that was an adventure. And then Saturday I had a fever, I think due in large part to exhaustion.

However, Saturday morning I hung out with some of the coolest Christian ladies that really blessed my heart! We met on the roof of a hotel that was breathtaking! The views were gorgeous and they had so much nature up there! Also, the ladies brought food and it was like being at home...I had a breakfast casserole and brownies and egg salad sandwiches! Delish! The whole morning was precious!!!

Friday I had dinner with my friends Kelly and Brendan...we went to T.G.I.Fridays with a combined tab of $125...all we got was three meals and three drinks. Of course, the cheapest meal on the menu was a small $24...WOAH!! Needless to say we decided not to eat there again, especially since it wasn't that great! Thursday I got a package from mom, so thankful for that piece of home and my mom's giving heart!! I also met friends Cianti and Eric by their house to get a cellphone! Phones make life so much easier in a big city! They live near the U.S. military base here so have scads of American-ized places around them. I got a cellphone from a guy who was almost fluent in English, had a heavenly cheese burger with mushrooms, and got to see Cianti and Eric's loooovely apartment. (I'm being sarcastic...they basically have to walk up a mountain to get to their place and the inside is a throwback to the 60's.)

Wednesday morning I became a legal alien and that afternoon my co-teacher came and picked me up from the school and we went to her house. It was her high school friend's Birthday so we celebrated with some Korean dishes, but also fried chicken and chocolate cake! Yummo! They then took me to a place, Insadong, where the roads are "traditional" cobblestone and all the shopping is hand crafted. It was nice, even though I had no money!
I honestly don't remember Monday or Tuesday because I really wasn't feeling well.

That's this week. Today (Sunday) I'm staying home hoping the illness will go away with rest! I had sweet time with the Lord this morning. He is really ministering to my heart through my loneliness and I am thankful for that!

Three gifts, One weekend

As of Friday morning I was crying because I had nothing to do this weekend and no one to do it with. But, I was given three gifts.

#1. My friends Kelly and Brendan had planned their weekly dining experiences around me so that they could experience some Korean Mexican with me. The food sucked big time, however, the company was amazing! We went back to Kelly's place and drank Korean beer and Soju (their hard alcohol that everyone drinks.) Conversation was excellent as was the walk home! I made it back to my subway terminal and it was pouring...but the streets were far less crowded and all the sudden Seoul was peaceful. My soul connected to Seoul!

#2. Saturday I was supposed to meet a girl to see a Renoir exhibit but could never find her...so I went exploring. I heard a parade of sorts and followed it. To my pleasurable surprise it was a demonstration of the traditional changing of the gaurd. Amazing! After the show I just happen to run into a couple I had met at orientation. I spent the afternoon/early evening wandering around with them and got to see two festivals and a beautiful little river!

#3. Sunday I visited the same church I went to last week and the message with just for me. It was covering David and Goliath but it was a much better sermon than I had heard on this passage. David wasn't judging the problem by the external, in fact he didn't find a problem because He was too busy focusing on what God wanted! God wanted glory...David fought Goliath for the glory of the Lord and all problems were nothing. It was poignant for me. Stop looking at the calendar, at your loneliness, at your culture shock. How can you glorify the Lord?

Three blessings...gifts from the Eternal One! I needed all three.

oDdBaLl OcCuReNcEs

Weird stuff that's happened thus far...

Came home to an older gentleman peeing on my apartment building.

Had to use the squatty potties twice...so challenging!
Paid $70 in tax for a box my mom mailed to me.

Found a men's lounge at a mall...complete with cushy chairs, foosball, and pool table!


Soaked myself because I forgot to turn the faucet to the sink side instead of the shower...THREE TIMES!!

Can not find one red hot place to get a pedicure, but I thought Asians were all about the nails...bad misconception, I guess.

Every day having to literally air dry my hands after washing them with soap on a stick.

Getting really strange looks after saying "Bless you!" to those who have sneezed.

Being told that if a student is sleeping in class it's probably because he doesn't know any English so, "go ahead and let him sleep." Really???

Witnessing the dance exhibition of Korea's "Biggest Loser". Apparently they did ballroom dance to lose weight, so at the National Dance Championship of Ballroom, (that I just happened to catch at a mall) I got to see these people...never did see the actual professionals.

Also seeing this guy at the mall...
Love from Korea...:o)

The Land of Middle

Before coming to Korea I got to request an age group of preference...I chose middle school and got middle school.

Week 2 of school (and now teaching) I realize culture holds no bounds on the mind, stature, or action of a middle school student. This is a cross-cultural phenomenon.

You have your typical kids who have already grown into their adult bodies in the 6th grade and those in the 8th grade who have yet to hit a growth spurt. (I sympathize completely with this group.) You have the "cool" kids that are so snotty to those not in their circle you could literally ring their necks. You have the quiet, shy kids who won't speak up and don't want to participate in any group oriented activity. (I was this kid, believe it or not!) You have the crack ups who constantly want and need attention and will do whatever it takes to get it. And you have the suck ups who know every answer and offer to carry all your items to and from class. I've seen them at all Munchung Middle School...just in 7 days...and I love them already!

Of course, I've already pinpointed a few of my favorites who ironically are the ones I most relate to. Maybe it's because I remember back to my middle school days. A few incredibly awkward and horrific moments stand out to me from my past...most of them seem to be in P.E. class.

*Square dancing unit day 1: Girls stand on the wall, boys pick a partner! "Ugh! Really, I have to dance with him?" Day 2: (Even more mortifying!) Boys stand on the wall, girls pick a partner! "Are you kidding?"
*Soccer unit: Teacher says, "everyone must play goalie for 30 minutes." This is part of the reason I still have a phobia of balls. I got hit in the face more times than I can count in middle school.
*8th grade formal: Yes, I'll go stag because I'm too cool for a date! (There was a repeat incidence in the 10th grade too!)

It wasn't until I found my worth and confidence in who I was created to be that I drew out of the painfully shy and self-conscious kid I was. I think that's why I'm here...or at least for right now. To love on those kids like me. While I love the tall boy who is obviously the class clown singing, "You are so beautiful...to me!" in the halls, he won't be my favorite. My favorites will be those that sat by themselves, those that asked to sit out of the game when no one would grab their hand, those that came and introduced themselves and then quietly did everything they were told with a timid smile on their face. These sweet kids are why I love middle school! What an important and precious time in a child's life. I am glad I get to be a part!!!

Love from Korea...:o)

Inta-rrresting, vedy inta-rrreesting

Everything intrigues me in this small (a mere 14 million people) town!

*Tanks of fish line the streets to buy...eels, crabs with spikes, sharks!!!
*Kimchi (the big veggie of choice, it's like cabbage soaked in a pepper sauce) is not only the staple, it's infused into everything...every meal has kimchi, the streets smell like it, so do the subways and every Korean's breath.

(Here are the peppers found on most roofs to add to the kimchi and in those brown pots is kimchi soaking in the peppers.)

*Koreans brush their teeth constantly...my friend Anna would fit right in!
*Koreans have the ability to poop while squatting and wearing pants...this mystifies me!
*Pizza is gift wrapped in a pretty bow and comes with sweet pickles and hot sauce.
*The Koreans who give me the dirtiest looks are wearing shirts with English sayings.
*Koreans can squat for insanely long periods of time, but I have noticed many elders are severly hunched over.
*The subways have no A.C. and are constantly packed with people...and every station looks different! (A post on subways will come.)
*Every store says they "give me discount" but I have no idea why or if they really are giving me a discount because there are rarely prices posted.

But, this is an interesting place. Right now I'm having a hard time, but I'm founding outlets to enjoy myself. Before I came to the PC bang I took a long walk around...every street holds a new experience...you go from big city to the ghetto in a matter of seconds! I really wanted to find this park that is supposedly close to my apartment, no luck yet (hence the really long walk)!!!

Anyways, I must be off...didn't bring much moolla for internet. I'm leaving you with a happy thought...or add rather that I found in the subway! Use your imagination...

Love from Korea!!! :o)

Korea week 1 and counting

So I went through training, which was helpful BUT we were on lock down due to the threat of swine flu. That was one week...learned all about being a Native English Speaking teacher.

Saturday my co-teachers came and picked me up and took me to shopping, to my apartment, and to my school! This is the day culture shock hit HARD! My co-teachers know very little English and trying to communicate was tough. I had no power to my appliances, I was overwhelmed and looking like a drowned rat between bad hair and the amount of sweat pouring from every crevice. It was quite a day.

Sunday was better. I went exploring...bought a new hair dryer and straightener. I felt normal again. I also found that I could power my computer and digital photo frame (shout out to roomies and roomies!)...ahh! It was a breath of fresh air! I found the "PC bang" to connect to the world. I managed to find my way home many times and I ate a really interesting meal of noodle soup (including clam sheels and shrimp with the heads still on.)

FYI...I am not trying to be witty right now...just state the facts! I am paying by the minute right now...suck!

Monday (today) was my first day of school. I managed to find the school again, though I did take the "long" route. Show up to find out that I will be confined to the teachers' office for fear of "Infulenza A" as they say...what we know and love as swine flu. Every day this week I get to make lesson plans for 8 hours straight...yippee!!! Of course this makes NO sense b/c all of the teachers are in the office AND the students waltz in like they own the place. I do, however, feel like the shiny new pet...they all come by and attempt some English and when they run out they smile and stare. It was an ego boost to have tons of Korean middle school girls tell me "you are beautiful"...sweet! I've got them fooled. I think it's the fake blonde hair they love, ha!

So, I am going to close with a few things I have learned and get out of this smoke infested, teenage boy hangout!

*Koreans don't believe in air conditioning
*Koreans don't really seem to sweat
*Koreans are skinny
*Koreans eat strange things like quail eggs and drink "rice water" (which has no taste) for dessert
*Koreans make their school students clean their school...NO KIDDING! (Today at 3 a parade of students came in to empty my trash, wipe my desk, and clean my floor. I like it!)
*Koreans are not claustrophobic!

Love from Korea...;o)

Mounting up for the biggest moment of my life

Only one more day in the comfort of my own home...next stop--Seoul, South Korea!

I am so nervous and scared. I'm going by myself, not really knowing anyone...not knowing the language or the culture. However, I do know that my Heavenly Father wants me in Asia. I do not have serious fear because I know this is right where He wants me!

There is so much to do, so much to think about...but I know He's got me. That is the best comfort I could conjure up!!! Thank you Lord, You hold me in the palm of your hands!

Things I'll Miss...

Now that my departure is just around the corner, I'm thinking of things I will miss...

My family and friends, of course!

Cuddling with Annabelle, my sweet puppy

A thick, juicy cheeseburger

Chic-fil-a

Carpet

Bathtubs

Craft fairs, (i know cheesey, but i loooooove them!)

Driving

TV shows...Grey's, SYTYCD, American Idol, Secret Life, Heroes

Breakfast, especially from Cracker Barrel

That's all I got for now but I'm sure there will be much, much more!!!

Fam Time

My family took one last trip together before I leave the country...where did we go? Cincinnati!!!


I know, sounds like an odd destination, but it was fantastically fun! I loved Cincinnati so much I'd move there. The terrain was gorgeous! Trees galore, rivers, rocky surroundings! The city has the second most parks than any other city in the world, right behind Paris and the most theatrical arts behind NYC. There is a strong German heritage, as well as historical value. The architecture is awesome! There are museums galore and the attractions are endless...so much fun!!!


We took:

a tour with "The Able Scottsman"

a dinner cruise down the Ohio River

a two-day stint at a great amusement park

a trip through the "Freedom Center" (museum about the Underground Railroad)

an aquarium visit

and several other little spots we found fit to stop

It was a blast! I enjoyed the fam and the area...a very nice trip!

Now only three weeks left. I can't believe it's happeneing but it is! Have my plane tickets and my visa, now to pack...oyyy....

One Month and Counting

So the countdown begins...

One month from today I will be in Korea, to live for a year! Un-be-lievable!!!

Here's the agenda:

*figure out what exactly to bring and how much I can fit
*lose at least 10 pounds b/c I gained 15 at the beginning of the year and Korean's are brutally honest!
*get on selling my car
*cancel gym membership (which I hear are next to impossible to get out of)
*visit family and friends...I need a schedule!

Sooo much to do in so little time! I can't believe this is happening!!!

Stay tuned :o)