It's 7:33 p.m. and I'm sitting in my freshly cleaned apartment waiting for my freshly laundered clothes to line dry. They came out of the dryer at 6 p.m. and I immediately set the floor fan to blow on them. In about an hour or so my husband should come home from his final day at his job.
At 10 p.m. I am off to teach my final adult class. At 11:30 we will depart for the bus station where we will take the 2:30 am bus to Incheon.
Our 9 a.m flight will take us to China where we will wait for 6 hours.
After a 12 hour flight we will arrive in Chicago and a couple hours later take a short flight to Harrisburg. If everything goes according to plan, we will arrive at 9 p.m and then be driven to my hubby's parents house.
We plan to spend the weekend camping with his family and our friends. I can't wait! I'm so excited to see everyone.
We appreciate your prayers for safe travels and a smooth transition. Next time I write, my feet will be on American soil. :)
Showing posts with label mokpo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mokpo. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Thursday, 10 September 2015
The First and Possible Final Breakthrough
I don't know if I've mentioned this or not but I've really struggled this year with disrespectful students. From 6-16, there were a few months when it seemed like the majority of my students were hell-bent on refusing to listen to anything I said.
If I told them to sit down, they would sit in the floor or on their friends lap.
I was hit and kicked and elbowed and stomped on. A 6/7 year old tried to choke out another kid during my class. Frankly, the children only received a quick scolding when I reported the incidents.
Everyday was a nightmare. Eventually the classes were rearranged and some of the trouble students didn't come back.
The situation improved but I never felt like I was at a place where I felt it was good.
Anyway, this summer I had an extra class to teach during summer vacation. The class had no set books or curriculum so I was able to create everything. So much here is focused on rote memorization so I tried to stay away from that as much as possible. I picked a topic for each class and we read a story or watched a cartoon relating to the topic, sang silly songs with motions and played games that involved running around the classroom. Basically, general silliness ensued. But, it was silliness in English.
I had 2 sweet, shy little girls in this class. I'd taught them before and they were afraid to try. One little girl was too afraid of making a mistake that she wouldn't even play the telephone game.
So, I amped up the silliness. I mimed extreme facial expressions and spoke in silly voices. I made these girls my partners whenever we played loud games so I could encourage them to try.
After a month, the class ended and we went back to our regular schedule. The two shy girls went back to their regular class.
On the first day of class, we watched the movie clip and I asked a question. The two little girls were straining themselves, falling out of their seats trying to raise their hands above the others. They wanted to answer. They wanted to try. They knew they could do it. So, I chose on of them. And they blew it away and set the example for the rest of the class.
All I could say was "Wow. Thank you God!"
If I told them to sit down, they would sit in the floor or on their friends lap.
I was hit and kicked and elbowed and stomped on. A 6/7 year old tried to choke out another kid during my class. Frankly, the children only received a quick scolding when I reported the incidents.
Everyday was a nightmare. Eventually the classes were rearranged and some of the trouble students didn't come back.
The situation improved but I never felt like I was at a place where I felt it was good.
Anyway, this summer I had an extra class to teach during summer vacation. The class had no set books or curriculum so I was able to create everything. So much here is focused on rote memorization so I tried to stay away from that as much as possible. I picked a topic for each class and we read a story or watched a cartoon relating to the topic, sang silly songs with motions and played games that involved running around the classroom. Basically, general silliness ensued. But, it was silliness in English.
I had 2 sweet, shy little girls in this class. I'd taught them before and they were afraid to try. One little girl was too afraid of making a mistake that she wouldn't even play the telephone game.
So, I amped up the silliness. I mimed extreme facial expressions and spoke in silly voices. I made these girls my partners whenever we played loud games so I could encourage them to try.
After a month, the class ended and we went back to our regular schedule. The two shy girls went back to their regular class.
On the first day of class, we watched the movie clip and I asked a question. The two little girls were straining themselves, falling out of their seats trying to raise their hands above the others. They wanted to answer. They wanted to try. They knew they could do it. So, I chose on of them. And they blew it away and set the example for the rest of the class.
All I could say was "Wow. Thank you God!"
Friday, 30 January 2015
The Land of Inefficiency
Korea's motto is "the land of morning calm".
I have a better one- the land of inefficiency. If you want something done and you want it done inefficiently, this is the place to come.
Inefficiency #1:
Our apartment in Daegu is a prime example of inefficiency run rapid. Buildings are erected very quickly with little to no regard given to safety or function. In our apartment our heating bill was outrageous because we couldn't close the window. Why? I'll tell you why. The wiring, cables and gas pipes all came in through the window. The drainage system for the air conditioner went out the window.
Inefficiency #2: Toilet Plunger
I didn't even think to include toilets on my list. Most of the ones over here can't handle more than one square of 2-ply, much less anything that comes out of your body. So, plungers are an extra vital necessity. Yes, I'm aware that's redundant. That's how necessary they are.
The first plunger I purchased over here was utterly useless. I don't even think it could be re-commissioned as a doorstop. When you applied any amount of pressure on the plunger, the rubber part would flip itself inside out. Useless, right?
Inefficiency #3: Spatula
I used a spatula to flip a pancake and it melted. Enough said.
Inefficiency #4: The Mini-broom
Mine literally only comes up to my knee. Some are shorter than that.
It's been explained that these brooms came about because a family's living quarters used to be so small that they basically only needed something slightly bigger than a duster to clean with. That was then. This is now. Korea, welcome to 2014.
I've only seen one originally full-sized broom in this country and for several months I was the proud owner. Unfortunately, we couldn't bring it on the bus when we moved. I haven't seen one since.
I say "originally" because I once saw a man who modified his mini-broom by attaching some type of piping to the handle to make it longer. That man should be president. He can break the bonds of mini-broomdom.
My school has two full sized mops and about eight mini-brooms for us to clean the school with. It's ridiculous. I'm considering gifting the school a set of full-sized brooms when I go home. Leave a legacy and all that.
Inefficiency #5: Washing Machine Draining System
My washing machine requires it's own room because when it finishes the cycle it empties it's bladder on to the floor. The water goes down a drain in the center of the room. Nothing else can go in the room or it will also get soaked. Similarly, the window in the room must stay open or the floor won't dry, as their is no ventilation fan. Even when it is snowing outside.
Inefficiency #6: The Fresh Air Mindset
We can run the heat in the winter or the AC in the summer but as soon as it's turned on we must open the door. We need to let fresh air into the building when they're running. So basically, I'm heating/cooling the sidewalk.
Inefficiency #7: Eraserless pencils
This is a personal pet peeve for me as I've been duped by these things more times than I can count. I think it's a money making scheme. Why sell you a pencil with an eraser when I can sell you a pencil and then an eraser? Most pencils don't have erasers, some just have wooden ends and you can obviously tell the eraser is missing. Some, however, are topped with these things (metal, possibly) that are painted to look like erasers but have no actual erasing capability. Instead, they grate against your paper and make the nails on the chalkboard sound.
ARGH!
I have a better one- the land of inefficiency. If you want something done and you want it done inefficiently, this is the place to come.
Inefficiency #1:
Our apartment in Daegu is a prime example of inefficiency run rapid. Buildings are erected very quickly with little to no regard given to safety or function. In our apartment our heating bill was outrageous because we couldn't close the window. Why? I'll tell you why. The wiring, cables and gas pipes all came in through the window. The drainage system for the air conditioner went out the window.
Inefficiency #2: Toilet Plunger
I didn't even think to include toilets on my list. Most of the ones over here can't handle more than one square of 2-ply, much less anything that comes out of your body. So, plungers are an extra vital necessity. Yes, I'm aware that's redundant. That's how necessary they are.
The first plunger I purchased over here was utterly useless. I don't even think it could be re-commissioned as a doorstop. When you applied any amount of pressure on the plunger, the rubber part would flip itself inside out. Useless, right?
Inefficiency #3: Spatula
I used a spatula to flip a pancake and it melted. Enough said.
Inefficiency #4: The Mini-broom
Mine literally only comes up to my knee. Some are shorter than that.
It's been explained that these brooms came about because a family's living quarters used to be so small that they basically only needed something slightly bigger than a duster to clean with. That was then. This is now. Korea, welcome to 2014.
I've only seen one originally full-sized broom in this country and for several months I was the proud owner. Unfortunately, we couldn't bring it on the bus when we moved. I haven't seen one since.
I say "originally" because I once saw a man who modified his mini-broom by attaching some type of piping to the handle to make it longer. That man should be president. He can break the bonds of mini-broomdom.
My school has two full sized mops and about eight mini-brooms for us to clean the school with. It's ridiculous. I'm considering gifting the school a set of full-sized brooms when I go home. Leave a legacy and all that.
Inefficiency #5: Washing Machine Draining System
My washing machine requires it's own room because when it finishes the cycle it empties it's bladder on to the floor. The water goes down a drain in the center of the room. Nothing else can go in the room or it will also get soaked. Similarly, the window in the room must stay open or the floor won't dry, as their is no ventilation fan. Even when it is snowing outside.
Inefficiency #6: The Fresh Air Mindset
We can run the heat in the winter or the AC in the summer but as soon as it's turned on we must open the door. We need to let fresh air into the building when they're running. So basically, I'm heating/cooling the sidewalk.
Inefficiency #7: Eraserless pencils
This is a personal pet peeve for me as I've been duped by these things more times than I can count. I think it's a money making scheme. Why sell you a pencil with an eraser when I can sell you a pencil and then an eraser? Most pencils don't have erasers, some just have wooden ends and you can obviously tell the eraser is missing. Some, however, are topped with these things (metal, possibly) that are painted to look like erasers but have no actual erasing capability. Instead, they grate against your paper and make the nails on the chalkboard sound.
ARGH!
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Midnight Madness Abounds or The Curious Case of the "American Snowman"
A little before midnight, my husband and I decided we would sneak outside and build a big snowman in front of my school for the children to enjoy. Once outside we discovered that the snow was very light and wouldn't pack enough to make a snowball, much less an entire man.
So we thought about it and decided to make a big mound of snow and then shape it into a snowman, An hour later, we had a four foot mound of snow, starting with a wide base and tapering off to a head. We plucked a carefully carved carrot into make a nose and decorated the rest of the features with black stones. For finishing touches, we tied an old sweater around the "shoulders" and topped it off with a paper birthday hat from my work party. We were excited and happy with our creation.
When I walked into work the next afternoon, my boss gestured to the snowman and declared that she know my husband made it because it was "American style". I asked what she meant.
"A Korean snowman is made of two big balls and has a black hat."
I explained the problem with the snow not packing and how we cleverly maneuvered around the problem. As for the hat? It was the only one I had. She smiled as nodded as she usually does when I am speaking.
As each student, parent and bus driver arrived they asked about the snowman's lack of a defined body or black hat. I fumed silently as each student was given the explanation that the snowman was "American style".
After about the 10th explanation, a light bulb went off. Unwittingly, my boss was actually giving me a compliment.
The sameness culture pervades South Korea. Everyone does everything the same way and if you don't you are questioned and asked to explain yourself. Sometimes, this place reminds me of a scene from A Wrinkle in Time, where upon arriving on a new planet, Meg and Charles notice that each is identical and that in each driveway is an identically dressed child bouncing a ball to the same rhythm. Each Korean snowman probably DOES have exactly two balls and is topped off with the same, Lottemart bought, black hat.
My snowman, however, is American. In the face of a challenge, my husband and I rose above by putting our American ingenuity to use.
So we thought about it and decided to make a big mound of snow and then shape it into a snowman, An hour later, we had a four foot mound of snow, starting with a wide base and tapering off to a head. We plucked a carefully carved carrot into make a nose and decorated the rest of the features with black stones. For finishing touches, we tied an old sweater around the "shoulders" and topped it off with a paper birthday hat from my work party. We were excited and happy with our creation.
When I walked into work the next afternoon, my boss gestured to the snowman and declared that she know my husband made it because it was "American style". I asked what she meant.
"A Korean snowman is made of two big balls and has a black hat."
I explained the problem with the snow not packing and how we cleverly maneuvered around the problem. As for the hat? It was the only one I had. She smiled as nodded as she usually does when I am speaking.
As each student, parent and bus driver arrived they asked about the snowman's lack of a defined body or black hat. I fumed silently as each student was given the explanation that the snowman was "American style".
After about the 10th explanation, a light bulb went off. Unwittingly, my boss was actually giving me a compliment.
The sameness culture pervades South Korea. Everyone does everything the same way and if you don't you are questioned and asked to explain yourself. Sometimes, this place reminds me of a scene from A Wrinkle in Time, where upon arriving on a new planet, Meg and Charles notice that each is identical and that in each driveway is an identically dressed child bouncing a ball to the same rhythm. Each Korean snowman probably DOES have exactly two balls and is topped off with the same, Lottemart bought, black hat.
My snowman, however, is American. In the face of a challenge, my husband and I rose above by putting our American ingenuity to use.
We thought creatively.
We overcame.
We built a snowman, despite all odds.
You, Mr. Korean Snowman, would have given up when you realized you couldn't make proper snowballs or didn't have the requisite black hat.
But not us, the Americans. We thought for ourselves. And we persevered. Long live American ingenuity!
Meet Gene. He's visiting from America.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Moving to Mokpo: Another Example of God's Grace
We recently relocated to Mokpo. It is a much smaller city than where we were before. There are a lot more parks and places to enjoy nature. There's a hill by our apartment with a nature trail as well as plenty of bike paths and places to explore. I really like it here.
Getting here was a bit of a different story. About a week in advance we bought bus tickets for a 3 hour bus ride.
When we brought our suitcases down from our third floor apartment, we realized that an apartment on the second floor was flooding with sewage. It was cascading down the stairs!
We had to physically carry the suitcases down the stairs and try to avoid the sewage waterfall. Yuck!
We had a lot of suitcases and a small cooler with perishables so we had to take two taxis. My husband took 2 suitcases and I took the other 5. We showed our taxi driver the bus tickets, which say the name of the terminal at the top and repeated the phrase "We want to go to the bus terminal" that we studied. My taxi driver nodded, and repeated bus terminal-ok.
So, we take off. And my taxi takes me to the train station and keeps repeating bus terminal and insisting we are there. Fortunately, I know that we are only about 10 blocks from the bus terminal so I give him the last of my cash. Unfortunately, I have 5 huge suitcases to take with me.
I started praying. I knew we had an hour before our bus left. Surely, I could make it in an hour. So, I started walking. And kept praying. I walked with 2 suitcases until I could just barely see the others, went back for them and kept repeating the process.
2 construction workers stopped and asked me in perfect English if they could help me. They carried my suitcases about 3-4 blocks, to a major intersection.
I started wheeling two bags across the intersection when a random German man and his Korean girlfriend appeared. They each wheeled a suitcase across with me. That left one suitcase on the other side of the street. As I stood watching it a small group of school children appeared.
"Is this yours?" They yelled across the lanes of traffic. I shouted back that it was and they formed a little ring around my suitcase. When they light changed they took off running and met me in the middle of the large intersection.
I crossed another small street. I could see the bus terminal and I could see my husband frantically pacing around. I knew he was worried. We don't have cell phones here so he couldn't call to check on me.
I screamed and hollered his name. I jumped up and down. I waved my arms.
Nothing.
So, I started walking, still about 4 blocks away. After 1 trip with the suitcases I shouted his name again. Nothing. And then the idea came to me.
And so I shouted my name.
Instantly he turned and saw me at the top of the hill. He came and we carried the suitcases down together. We still had 25-30 minutes before our bus left.
Halleluiah!
So, long story short, we are here and happy to be here.
Here are some pictures of our new place:
Getting here was a bit of a different story. About a week in advance we bought bus tickets for a 3 hour bus ride.
When we brought our suitcases down from our third floor apartment, we realized that an apartment on the second floor was flooding with sewage. It was cascading down the stairs!
We had to physically carry the suitcases down the stairs and try to avoid the sewage waterfall. Yuck!
We had a lot of suitcases and a small cooler with perishables so we had to take two taxis. My husband took 2 suitcases and I took the other 5. We showed our taxi driver the bus tickets, which say the name of the terminal at the top and repeated the phrase "We want to go to the bus terminal" that we studied. My taxi driver nodded, and repeated bus terminal-ok.
So, we take off. And my taxi takes me to the train station and keeps repeating bus terminal and insisting we are there. Fortunately, I know that we are only about 10 blocks from the bus terminal so I give him the last of my cash. Unfortunately, I have 5 huge suitcases to take with me.
I started praying. I knew we had an hour before our bus left. Surely, I could make it in an hour. So, I started walking. And kept praying. I walked with 2 suitcases until I could just barely see the others, went back for them and kept repeating the process.
2 construction workers stopped and asked me in perfect English if they could help me. They carried my suitcases about 3-4 blocks, to a major intersection.
I started wheeling two bags across the intersection when a random German man and his Korean girlfriend appeared. They each wheeled a suitcase across with me. That left one suitcase on the other side of the street. As I stood watching it a small group of school children appeared.
"Is this yours?" They yelled across the lanes of traffic. I shouted back that it was and they formed a little ring around my suitcase. When they light changed they took off running and met me in the middle of the large intersection.
I crossed another small street. I could see the bus terminal and I could see my husband frantically pacing around. I knew he was worried. We don't have cell phones here so he couldn't call to check on me.
I screamed and hollered his name. I jumped up and down. I waved my arms.
Nothing.
So, I started walking, still about 4 blocks away. After 1 trip with the suitcases I shouted his name again. Nothing. And then the idea came to me.
And so I shouted my name.
Instantly he turned and saw me at the top of the hill. He came and we carried the suitcases down together. We still had 25-30 minutes before our bus left.
Halleluiah!
So, long story short, we are here and happy to be here.
Here are some pictures of our new place:
our apartment...we've since upgraded to a full size fridge and a trundle bed
the park a few blocks away
the view from the top of the hill
hiking a small mountain
out and about
Monday, 3 November 2014
How We Got Here
If you read my earlier posts, you may remember that I mentioned that my husband and I are currently teaching English in Daegu, South Korea.
(Our trip to Suseong Lake)
I would like to share with you the story of how we came to be in South Korea.
In 2009, my husband and I were dating. He took advantage of the opportunity to teach in Changwon, South Korea for one year. Before the year was out, we were engaged and I spent my summer vacation visiting him.
We married in 2010, moved to PA and tossed around the idea of moving back to South Korea pretty continuously.
In 2013, we were seriously considering either moving to sunny SC or back to South Korea. One day, Mike looked at me and asked, "Tell me what you want to do. South Carolina or South Korea?"
Instantly, in my gut, I felt that I should answer South Korea. However, I spoke out of my own desire to move back to my home state.
Before bed, I did a Bible study in my Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible. Throughout the Scriptures he highlights consistent life principles. Throughout my study, one principle kept standing out. Basically, it said that to obey God means to obey the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit. (Side note: if you don't have one of these Bibles I highly recommend it. He explains things so clearly.)
I started to feel as if I should have gone with that "gut feeling" and told my husband we were going to South Korea. I prayed and asked God for a sign that this was the right decision. I turned to the next page in my Bible, and there it was- the same principle again!
The next day, I told my husband we should go to South Korea and explained why. We started looking and applying for jobs.
Nothing was coming through, yet we still felt this was what God was calling us to do. So, we put in notices at our jobs and with our landlord.
We packed up and moved out.
The day after we moved out, my husband found and applied for a particular job. Within days we had interviewed and accepted the job.
And, here we are 1 month into our second year's contract.
(Our trip to Suseong Lake)
I would like to share with you the story of how we came to be in South Korea.
In 2009, my husband and I were dating. He took advantage of the opportunity to teach in Changwon, South Korea for one year. Before the year was out, we were engaged and I spent my summer vacation visiting him.
We married in 2010, moved to PA and tossed around the idea of moving back to South Korea pretty continuously.
In 2013, we were seriously considering either moving to sunny SC or back to South Korea. One day, Mike looked at me and asked, "Tell me what you want to do. South Carolina or South Korea?"
Instantly, in my gut, I felt that I should answer South Korea. However, I spoke out of my own desire to move back to my home state.
Before bed, I did a Bible study in my Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible. Throughout the Scriptures he highlights consistent life principles. Throughout my study, one principle kept standing out. Basically, it said that to obey God means to obey the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit. (Side note: if you don't have one of these Bibles I highly recommend it. He explains things so clearly.)
I started to feel as if I should have gone with that "gut feeling" and told my husband we were going to South Korea. I prayed and asked God for a sign that this was the right decision. I turned to the next page in my Bible, and there it was- the same principle again!
The next day, I told my husband we should go to South Korea and explained why. We started looking and applying for jobs.
Nothing was coming through, yet we still felt this was what God was calling us to do. So, we put in notices at our jobs and with our landlord.
We packed up and moved out.
The day after we moved out, my husband found and applied for a particular job. Within days we had interviewed and accepted the job.
And, here we are 1 month into our second year's contract.
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