White Christmas

Things are looking like Christmas around here. I am so stoked to see the snow coming down! Weve already had 2 snow days and it isnt even Christmas. To think that I will have a white Christmas...wait...Ill be in India...scratch that. T minus 7 days until departure.

Stripped of Dignity

Kenting Beach. My higlight of the trip. First of all we finally made it to the coast and it had the blue waters that I had dreamed of. Before coming on the tirp, I had started planning to go to the Philippines but because of circumstances, was unable to go. Being from the Georgia/Carolina area in the states, we werent readily close to blue water when we went to the beaches. We would have to travel for half a day to reach a coastline offering such a thing. One of the peaks about going to the Philippines was that it sheltered the 3rd best beach in the world: complete with blue water. Who would have thought that I could find it here in Taiwan? I think that Asia could share some of this beauty with the US.
We arrived in the afternoon and were welcomed by yet another overcast day. The bus dropped us off in the middle of Kenting and everyone let us know that we could reach the coast no matter what direction we went in. As part of the routine, we wanted to find a cheap place to stay that would also permit usage of scooters. This was one of our last shots to be able to rent scooters and we werent going to pass it up. When in scooter town, do as the locals do. Most people in the area would not permit foreigners without a Korean lisence to drive. Luckily for us, we found a guy who was good friends with our hotel manager. He let us ride for....%15 for 24 hours.
Not a bad deal. The three of us had to show them how well we could drive the scooters [or better yet, convince them that we were able to do it with no proof of a lisence].
I passed first. Sarah next. El, no dice.
That was just water under the bridge for us. Ellen would have to leave in the early morning and we rationalized it to be just a fair investment for her to ride with us.
Thus- we toured the island for a good 30 minutes before picking a beach where we would set up. God thought otherwise. To get some humor out of the situation, it started pouring down rain. One of the beach ladies wanted to rent her beach umbrella for 2 hours/ $30. No dice.
When we were contemplating the rash decision for cough up the money, oone of the other renters came over and introduced himself to us. Fox.

Hideaway in the Mountains

It wasnt much of a stretch to get to our next stop on the trip. Koi split form the pack and went to a water amusement park. When we heard from him later on he said that he felt out of place becuase there were so many families/couples there. A person like him should be able to adapt to any situation he is palced in---especially if he is in cophoots with his girlfriend- BEER.

Taroko Gorge

We went straightway to one of Sarah's finds- Taroko Gorge. She had discovered this place that was nestled in the mountains while looking up palces to travel while in Taiwan. You would be amazed at how much traveling one has to do on such a small island.

Cancheon-on

Over here, thats what they say when you're stressed out....

"its going to be okay"

I cannot help but be reminded of Ingrid Michaelson in these moments.
I went over on my cell phone bill ocne again this month. Will I always continue to have this gift of gab? This is really starting to nip me in the wallet.

India Bound

Looks like for Christmas, I will be heading over to India with some friends. We will be spending the 25th [December] through the 1st [January].
We will be flying in Delhi and traveling through Jaipur, Agra, Mathura, and back to Delhi. Not too shabby. Anyone ever traveled there before?

Taiwanese If You Please

We started out our trip with a broken leg. Sarah and I had arrived at the airport and were without our third musketeer. For this adventure, we had lost Paul but gained Ellen. She was one of Sarah's buds over in SoKo who thought Taiwan would be a great ,also cheap, place to mark off her travel list.

Sarah and I had been pampered by the luxuries in business class aboard Asiana Airways. When you board the place, you are given a vast array of newspapers and periodicals, greeted by name, and given an option of champagne or juice. Due to the ambiance and surroundings, I thought the champagne would start the trip off nicely. We were given a three course brunch and then sent on our way into the destination airport near Taipei. After waiting for a short period of time, we departed by bus to civilization. We checked into Taipei Hostel, an original name for such an original place. A friend had recommended this hostel to Sarah and I and followed through with the advice. While the environment isn't the most inviting/updated....its cheap and disease free. One of the perks about the place is that it is accustomed to foreigners who are interested in traveling around. The front desk worker is fluent in English and gives good sightseeing advice.

The top places to see in Taipei are the Taipei 101 building and the Logshan Temple. There is one subway line that runs between the two places and are about 5 stops away from one another. While many may suggest that you make an appearance at the night markets, hold off until later. Tainan is the place to go [its oldschool Taipei]
The Taipei 101 building was the worlds largest building up until the past 5 years where India took the prize. Apparently, they have been battling this for ages.
Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors common in its area of the Asia-Pacific. Planners aimed for a structure that could withstand gale winds of 60 m/s and the strongest earthquakes likely to occur in a 2,500 year cycle.The extraordinary height of Taipei 101 combined with the demands of its environment called for additional innovations. The design achieves both strength and flexibility for the tower through the use of high-performance steel construction. Thirty-six columns support Taipei 101, including eight "mega-columns" packed with 10,000-psi concrete.

Longshan Temple was built in 1738 by settlers from Fujian, China. It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers. The temple has been destroyed either in full or in part on numerous earthquakes and fires.
During World War II, on 31 May 1945 it was hit by American bombers during the Raid on Taipei, who claimed the Japanese were hiding armaments inside. The main building and the left corridor were damaged and many precious artifacts and artworks were lost in the ensuing fire.
Taipei residents have nevertheless consistently rebuilt and renovated it, and did so again after the end of the Second World War a few months later. Longshan is seen as an emblematic example of Taiwanese classical architecture, with southern Chinese influences commonly seen in older buildings.
Like most temples in Taiwan, the Temple worships a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities such as Matsu [goddess of the sea].

Can anybody point me to the nearest bed?\We crashed for the night and found it hard to sleep...we were scared to touch uncovered parts of the bed. Our sheets were a twin on a full size bed.

Fukouka. Dont cuss at me.

Fukuoka was our first impression of Japan – I’m late in posting this, because I was too anxious to post my Hiroshima photos. Our first impression: “So, this is what fresh air smells like?” Fukuoka is incredibly clean and the air is incredibly fresh – and as we later discovered, so is the rest of Japan. Now, I’m not saying, “It was fresh for being a city,” I’m saying, “it was like breathing mountain air whilst standing in the midst of an urban jungle.” We were in disbelief. A week before our trip to Japan, I met a man in the subway (I’ve forgotten how the topic arose), whom told us on a clear – that is, cloud-free – night in Tokyo, one can see stars in the night sky. At the time, I half-believed him – mostly because I’m gullible and I always give people the benefit of the doubt – but after visiting the major cities of Japan and not smelling or seeing any signs of smog, I can definitely sympathize. I was able to see a star or two in Tokyo’s night sky, and after seeing the number of bikes in Fukuoka and the number of enviro-friendly cars trotting around Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo it’s evident why Japan’s air is so clean and fresh despite its immense population.

Sarah said it better

Superior Beings

Climbing that last stretch, we were unstoppable. No matter how long we had been hiking over the past day, it just all melted away. We were at the top and just took it all in. While we were not the only ones, it didn't matter. Nothing could take away that moment. We slowly found a resting spot away from the crowd where we huddled together for our packed lunch. God bless the station helpers who packed it for us. Unlike American brown bag specials, this had chicken, covered in rice, shaped into a triangle, and covered in seaweed. Yumm-o.
It would be that conquering mindset that would carry me for the remainder of the trip.

Liquid Crack in Metropolis-ville

In the post-Fuji window- we were hobbling around everywhere we went. Once fearless at the sight of a spiraling number of stairs, the three of us were reduced to look for an easier method of ascent/descent. We had now become likened to paralytic patients trying to rehabilitate our own selves back into a normal routine. A never ending moment in my mind’s sketchbook would be off Sarah hobbling down stairs after a nice steak dinner. Her grip never let go of the hand railing as she braced herself for every step to come. We rode the shinkansen over to our supposed climax of the trip: TOKYO. Every horror story that we were told about their transportation chaos was soon proven true. When we arrived at their main metro station, we laid eyes upon their subway lines and were amazed to its spilt spaghetti resemblance. Sarah, Paulie, and I knew that we were up to any challenge that would detour us from walking the extra mile.

Tokyo: the place I had always dreamed of coming to. It was the birthplace of animation of its kind and I was bent on being reunited with my long lost obsession. We soon dropped off our backpacks to the Capsule Inn [a literal bed in the wall as featured on the travel channel] and sluggishly ventured out into the world of Tokyo at 8pm. The first stop of the night was def. going to be shibyua crossing. For those who don’t know, it’s a well recognized place in many mainstream movies. Simply put, it’s a massive intersection of about 8 crosswalks where all of the people have a green light for a 60 second time period. Sarah pointed out a Starbucks with a coffee counter that overlooked the madness. Amazing. After getting our first glimpse of the Tokyo life, we soon noticed that small businesses were closing and giving way for nigh-life: bars, casinos, arcades, clubs. The norm. We soon realized that to get the full experience, we needed to start our day a tad bit earlier in this gimugous city.
The next few hours were spent in the comfort of our capsule beds. A truly remarkable feat. Now thinking about it, I wonder why the States hasn’t adopted something similar. It’s a big saver on space and cheap to upkeep. When most Americans think of their lives being downsized to an “un-euphamistic” “5 star” experience-
Never mind.
As expected, we got a good start on the next day. When it comes to vacation, I am all for waking up as early as humanly possible [not before 6] and trying to explore as much as possible. If I had to pay for this trip, I’m going to get the most for my money [classic famous words of my father]. The next stops were luckily along the same subway line and not as confusing as we initially thought. At this time, I had suffered a severe hit to my esteem after being turned down for tickets into Miyazaki’s Anime Studio. ><
To compensate, Sarah and Paul agreed to venture out into Akihabara [the metropolis for anything anime]. Great friends. Once we reached this literal Nirvana, we were soon greeted by several eccentrically dressed teens welcoming us into a Maid Café [Oh, happy memories of AWA].
I was bombarded with store after store offering relatively expensive anime products only seen before at anime cons. I could ramble all day about it but thats for only my close friends.
Oh what the heck- I ran into one store and literally spent bukoos of yen. Shirts, model figures, ramen, lightsaber chopsticks, another shirt, a key-chain, a wallet, candy, sodas, posters...a sign for my kitchen....
I was in HEAVEN. Good thing that Sarah and Paul were with me. I would have been misunderstood by so many.
They dragged me out of that subway stop and onto our main adventure toward Minikami. Going from such a metropolis to such country side was a shock for my mind's eye.

Minikami is in the pure country side of the Japan. Imagine a small country town where everyone knows who comes and goes, neighbors watch out for one another, and when you step out into your backyard- you can literally start walking up the mountain range.
We checked in with the adventuring company -CANYONS- and were soon greeted by a dozen so eclectic mountaineers. The bulk of the men and women who ran this company were from New Zealand and up unto this point I had mistaken them for Aussies [given their envious accent and friendly nature]. I can have lots of admiration for anyone who can rock dreadlocks for months at a time. There were several girls there who did that very thing. We were lucky in that our rafting instructor was one of these stated girls.

Mount Fuji Assent

We started out the day in Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest listening [well reading] the stories about the different shrines and temples sheltered inside. While the bamboo forest didn’t span a great deal of land, its one of those panoramic moments your memory forever engrains into its walls. It’s hard to imagine that one can stand at the foot of a majestic mountain, such as Mount Fuji in this case, and speak words to yourself that would continue to propel you to its peak. Sarah and Paul were looking fearless compared to me. We boarded the bus and headed up to the 5th station which was just peaking above the clouds. Station-Five is where they say is the separation between Heaven and Earth. Once there, we were able to drop our backpacks off to the care of some restaurateurs [older and seemingly worthy of our day of trust]. At this point, our view of backpacking has begun to change from a worthwhile opportunity to a hunchback causing discomfort. Paying a mere ten-twenty dollars was a drop on the barrel compared to the assent we saw coming before us. Before leaving, we caught word from the locals that we should just make the climb up to station six and camp out fearing that we get caught in the dark.
Being full of energy, we made it to the first station with our vitality in tact and good spirits about us. “Why not try for the next one?” This was the ressounding thought on all of our minds. We continued this for the next 2 stations after. We finally stopped at Station 7B [there ended up being two station 7’s]. Much to our surprise, this was the newer of the two stations and had plenty of good people there to converse with. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a warm welcome and a nice hearty dinner of curry and rice. Throughout the night we entertained the thought of staying on and working for one of the stations on the FUJI. Little did we know that you have to stay up there for months at a time before going back down. One of the workers there [around our age] had been there for about 3 months. I liked the temperature or that station but I would fear GOING STIR CRAZY AFTER A WHILE. Plus, where were the showers?
The thought of staying the night as being the only travelers was soon dispelled after the next caravan of people came up and crashed there as well. An early night of 8pm bedtime turned into a restless night of tossing and turning to the constant chatter in the background. Ultimately, we woke up somewhat drained but fueled by our own adrenaline. The moonlit hike to the next station was breathtaking to say the least. There has always been something about the moonlit sky that invokes a sense of peace. I am reminded of a subtle part within the Benjamin Button movie where he wake up night after night conversing with a mysterious woman in the lobby for hours on end. One of his many quotable quotes I am applying to this moment: A place in the middle of the night can be a magical place. There's something peaceful,
even comforting knowing that the people you love are asleep in their beds
where nothing can harm them.[Man that sounded a lot more on target before I typed it. I’m keeping it for my own records]. The sun started to peak over the horizon as we rushed up to the 8th station. After our paparazzi like “click click” of the cameras, we continued on our quest to scale the mountain. Up til and including this point, we had already taken notice of the overall friendly nature of the people hiking around us. The locals and fellow conquesters were ready and willing to greet us with a friendly Good Morning and Good Luck. Not something readily available in Korea.

Passing station after station, it seemed the like top would be just as far away as when we first began. Somewhere between the hours on my watch and the short stops to catch a breath, it snuck up on me. That second wind and “The Little Engine that Could” encompassed my person and got me to the top. It was almost like Joshua standing on the mountain and looking out over the land of Canaan. The Promised Land. It was as the guide books and locals had said- this was a glimpse into Heaven. There was nothing but clouds and mountain peaks for miles and miles around you. No noise pollution.
Maybe I should stop and consider that job position at station 7 once more. Ill just chow down on the sushi and seaweed until I convince myself otherwise.

Entertainers, not Prostitutues

Kyoto is a fantastic place. We got in around dinner time and knew that we didnt want to carry around our backpacks all day- so- we navigated our way around the city to found our hostel that we would be staying at. The staff there was so inviting and willing to go out of their way to show us things. Kyoto is a great place to see traditional things of "ancient" Japan but the festiities and local sights are best known by the actual Kyoto-ians.
We were informed of this place known as "Gion Corner" where we would be able to run into a Geisha, see a performance of old-time performances and perhaps even see some temples and shopping places along the way. To make a long story short, we high-tiled it over to the palce and ordered tickets to a performance where we saw a geisha dance, a comedy performance, and some tea ceremonies. On the way out, we were walking up the street and saw a geisha about to walk into a restaurant. HOW COULD I PASS THIS UP!!? When we walked up to her, I was at a loss for words apart from: You are beautiful! I asked about several things and told her where Sarah, Pauly, and I were from. The funny thing about it was that she was able to identify with something from each of our countries. Then I remembered from my anime days that geishas wwere studied entertainers who make money from accompanying guests and business men for dinner and events because they are treated as "works of art."
Van Gough aint got nothing on her...

One Night Stand

The nice feeling of sleeping on 1000+ count sheets [Im not even sure they make those] with a Japanese robe holding close to every part of your body. It doesnt go unnoticed. Especially when partnered with fresh green tea. If youve ever watched a surreal movie like "Last Holiday," you are probably like me in that you have wondered what it would be like to live like the high society. Making that splurge on the ryokan [a traditional Japanese inn] was one of the best decisions one could ever make. TO make things better, you know that you are cut away form the rest of the world on a luxurious island. It truly meets up to its name: A place where humans and gods meet together.

We needed a fresh start like this if we were going to even match up to hat was going to be in our near future [MT FUJI]. We set out at a comfortable time and went sight seeing around the island. To the average person, Mirajima Island would be passed up when Tokyo is complared against it. It was not until we saw pamphlets and consulter our "Lonely Planet" guide that we knew it would be a treasured moment. The island is home to the top three photographed sights in Japan: The Floating Torii Gate, Senjojaku Shrine, and the red bridge. We were only able to make a good majority.

In 1587 Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the warlord who unified Japan during this era, ordered the establishment of Senjokaku as a sutra repository where sutra-chanting would be held in honor of war casualties. It is the biggest building in Miyajima. It is called Senjokaku because its floor size is equal to the area of 857 tatami mats, who would have ever thought it? . The construction of the hall was discontinued when Hideyoshi passed away, and it still remains unfinished today.

Upon entering into any temple or shrine, you are asked to cleanse your hands of any bad omens or spirits that you may be accompanying you. Throughout the beginning corridors in the temple, there are several reeds that you can wave over yourself/neighbor to perform the like. The Kushima Shrine is known for the unique and bold concept of being built in the sea as well as its elegant architectural style called “Shinden Zukuri”. It is said to have been first built in 593, and the present shrine pavilions were constructed in 1168. The vermilion-painted main building creates a beautiful contrast with the blue sea and green mountains; when the tide comes in, the shrine looks as if it is floating on the sea. We were lucky to see a Japanese wedding being performed there. We were intially prevented from taking pictures but we soon followed the lead of others and went against orders.
The shrine, partnered up with the floating Torii gate make for one scenic shot.

Once we realized what time it was, we snapped out of tourist mode and made a B line back toward the ryokan to pick up our luggage. Our next stop would be Kyoto.

Traveling between the cities is rumored as being just as joyous as getting together for company office parties. We soon realized that we would go against the grain and look forward to these times. Our timing was unmatched. Every time we happened to travel, it would be at the hottest time of the day- the fast train and cool temperatures of its cars allowed for us to a get a good nap in. Forget the kids, adults need naps too.

Pleasant Serendipity

A loss of sleep and late night phonecalls doesnt always add up for a pleasant tomorrow. These days I have been losing interest in the small things that I had come to enjoy. Cooking has become a daunting task in the morning. Instead of reaching for my spices and array of choices, I am not compelled to turn to yogurt and cereal. An easy fix when you're in the laziest of moods. No matter how many episodes I watch of Star Wars Clone Wars I watch, it doesnt compensate.

There are times where you just start to run yourself into a bigger and bigger hole. I remember this book that my parents read called "Get out of that pit." One of the ending thoughts of this book was that we are the ones that dig our own graves and downfalls in life. At least thats what I interpreted from the book.

This morning, like any other this week, began with a few extra minutes of sleep time. Needless to say, I have realized that the more and more you press the snooze button- the more you are going to pay for it later: an unkempt appearance, a sourpuss mood, a stressed out attitude. Why do I continue to do it this week?
The end up coming to work with news of my classroom having to relocate once again. [Just another stick to put on the smoldering fire of my day.]
After the brief conversation, I ended up going to my classroom and laying my head on my desk. For a few moments proceeding, my mind kept telling me that feeling sorrowful about my situation would help but I knew that was just a crock.
I turned on youtube and started listening to some Christian jamz.

Later on, my coworker came in and told me that she saw what happened and that she was greatful I was there.

My partner teacher invited me out to lunch and said that I was on her mind this morning and she prayed for me.

I'm not alone.

The Holyland part 1

Everyone knows that I have been wanting to venture out to this place since ages ago.
I cannot believe that it was in the making: a trip to Japan. I was able to make the trek with two of my friends: Sarah Lou and Paul.
Paul slep over at my new apartment the night previous because we would have to fly by the seat of our pants the next morning to make it to the airport in time. While having a car would be much easier- we like to take the road less traveled. The three of us had to be at the airport limo busstop by 5:00am. I know Im a morning person these days but thats just pushing it.

Once in Fukouka Japan at 1150, we hit the ground running but ended up getting a little confused about what to do.
[author's note: from here on out, we would continue to be blessed by many Japanese people who would go out of their way to assist us].
After riding on the subway and engaging in conversation with Chonan, a local, we soon found out how to obtain our JR rail passes and get on our way to Hiroshima. Oh wait, there is no smell here in Japan!

The JR pass is an essential to any foreigner going into Japan for more than 3 days at a given time. Since transportation is more expensive than the US and Korea combined, one would spend 1000.00 bucks alone trying to navigate around without the JR pass. The cost of the pass ranges from 300-400 bucks due to exchange rates at the time.

Hiroshima proved to be a peaceful place to venture to first. Many of the sights and stops within the city were very low key and mellow. The people proved to be friendly and the cuisine was amazing. The must see palce in the city was the museum/A BOMB DOME [one of the only free standing places that have withstood time and the blast].
I was surprised to see that people were very welcoming to us, being foreigners AMERICANS within their city. Many of their monuments did not protest America but just the overarching idea of war. Out of all the sights we saw, one that forever lurks in my memory is the Hiroshima Flame. The reading on the plaque states that it will be extinguished when "all atomic bombs are destroyed."
To wind things down, we went over to the docks to partake in Hiroshima's token dish- Okonomyaki!
This concoction starts with a bed of udon noodles. bacon. cabbage. egg pancake. finishing sauce. You couldnt ask for something better at the end of your first night.

Secrets of an 8 Year Old Mind

There is something in the way kids greet you that makes you realize that your existance in that brief moment is worth it. I never in a million years thought I had the patience to teach any age level -especially kids for that matter. There was a moment yesterday where I had to make a quick stop by the teachers lounge for a non-savory cup of coffee to supress the sleepy feeling I had been battling all day. When I entered into my 8 year old class, I was consumed with an overall love. The students were excited to turn in their completed homework and show me their perfectly formed sentences.

I have a feeling Im going to grow really attached to these kids in the short time we have.
We're secretly planning a snack party.

French Toast Revelry

I am a firm believer that sometimes you meet people in your life that make a world of change. The encounter in which you come across he or she can be big [complete with fanfare or lack there of] or it can be the simplest of meetings. In the shower this morning, people started to come across the forefront of my memory.

Conversing with people in a widespread graveyard over backrubs and ice cream.

Chasing girls throughout my college campus just to have a conversation

Rehearsing speeches in front of friends in order to sound more "enthusiastic"

Pouring my soul out to loves over a simple dinner of spaghetti

Sipping tea in a vacant living area about life stories

Sitting upside down on a curbing under the safety of an umbrella

Praying for God's intervention and guidance

Crying to a Aaron Shust song when you realize He came through

Sitting frustrated at Toccoa Falls on why God didnt see eye to eye with you

Now it was time for french toast

The Turnstile

People that I have come across in SoKo have constantly told me that one of the downfalls of living here is that people typically leave in a short period of time. In the time [3 months] that I have been here, I have seen about 6 people leave and return to their hometowns [Tonita, TaLeah, Rhonda, Kyle, Chris, and Jo]. Its hard when you have come to know these people and establish a support network of friends and acquaintances in a foreign place...it sometimes makes the bad days bearable.

The trend here is for the average person to grow apart from their friends and family back at home but I have tried my hardest to stay connected. Regardless of where we all come from, I have started to make relationships that are beyond compare. You fight for the things you love, right?

The students here keep me motivated to stay connected and they teach me the value of relationships. The kids embrace me each day and show their affetion by simple signs: stickers, hugs, and notes on the dry/erase board. Most of them do not have a strong connection with their parents beause of the strong urgency to be successful and to "keep up with the Kardashians."
Dads work from 9 til midnight and seldom see their kids outside of the given weekend.

There are times where I start to think, kids are alright. Then they start to act like fools...and we're back at square one

Pilgrimage

Well its about mid-week here in SoKo and I am contemplating things over a nice bowl of oatmeal and a banana smoothie. There are many changes coming up this week and I find myself sometimes unable to get excited about Japan in my near future.
Our school has been giving me new tasks and responsibilities, which sometimes can be daunting. I am starting to wonder if I can get enough sleep before this trip.

May Day

Sometimes I am wondering that I make too many plans.

Modeling

Who would have thought that in the middle of a normal routine- you would get pegged as model material. I was sleeping [so drained from the work day] on the bus and heading out to meet my buddy Dustin. The only thing that you can picture at this point is that my head is propped against the window and am tuned out to the world with my IPOD going. I jumped off the bus, late for my meeting [typical], and was poked by a Korean girl around my age.
She politely informed me of who she was and her intentions from the start. She was looking for an American model for her website, which consists mainly of mens modern clothing. We exchanged numbers and she was off.

Not too shabby I would think.

Burned Out NOT Bummed Out

Who would have thought that I would ever like cooking? I remember the first time I hung out with Nick Duke in Augusta, I realized it IS possible for a guy to enjoy cooking and not be completely...how do I say this...a pansy?
I have been eperimenting with some knowledge that Sweet T and my mom gave me on cooking and its been going fairly well. Until today.

I tried out my crockpot for the first time today. I looking up this marvelous recipe online for chicken stroganoff. This morning, while making my oatmeal, i prepared the marinade for the chicken. It would bathe and relax in this marinade for hours while I was at work...in the crockpot that is. When I got home from work and a swim at the gym...disaster.

Next time, of fearless cookers. Remember to always ask a korean which setting to put a crockpot on. Dont rely on your gut for this. It only speaks and understands English.

Omelets for dinner again.

Having My Cake and Enjoying It

I am sometimes finding these days that this phase of my life is unable to fit in a category. I want to say this is a period where I am just vacationing--but arent you supposed to be taking some R and R? Maybe my personality refuses to let me get away with that. Just like a vacation, I have gone to a sometimes "exotic location" and am doing a little more shopping than I am accustomed to. In other aspets- this is a learning period for me.

There are a lot of things I have taken for granted: family.
I have started to hear a lot of stories about broken families who just fight to make it work in the grimmest of lights. Mine, while I thought we were just lucky to escape the rough-times, had to fight to stay together. Acceptance and unconditional love. AND lots of food :D

Somthing I am trying to question is a letter I recieved from Augusta State saying that Ive been denied acceptance to their Masters Program. Is this God's way of sealing the fact that I was meant to come out here? Perhaps I would have stayed back at home knowing that I could go to grad school. One question that I have contemplated ove rmany cups of Lake Taboe Coffee at my kitchen table has been: what comes after Korea? Do I just allow myself this one year experential year before reality begins? OR am I for the first time in my life starting to understand what reality truly consists of-

Constants: bills, unmotivating conditions at a workplace, never having enough money to do everything
Spices to Life: Treating people special, going nout of your way for someone, talking below surface level, experimenting in the kitchen, being at home and reading in your boxers. Its the small things really

"This isn’t the time to make hard and fast decisions, its time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere chill. Major in philosophy ’cause there’s no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind. Then change it again.

So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be… we won’t have to guess. We’ll know."

Busan Pusan Beach

Busan Beach Weekend Baby!
I think it was meant for me to be born at the beach.

Carribean Bay

Carribean Bay was supposed to be a rainout but the Lord had other plans I suppose.

Cowpies at the Supermarket

Birthdays are always my favorite. While my birthday fell on Monday this year, nobody can celebrate on a weekday- ESPECIALLY IN SOKO. ON Friday, the kiddos at school found out my birthday was coming up and there were rumors that they were going to bring me something. Nice sentiment but we cannot recieve gifts at school. This could end up being a good or bad thing.
TO make matters more interesting, our school was hosting and English Camp Sleepover at our school. All of the English teachers [with the exception of Tia, KT, and I] had to spend the night at our school with the children. The only reason I was off the hook was that Sue, our SUPERvisor, said I could make breakfast. Since me coming to Korea, I have begun to break free in the kitchen arena. Mind you, most of the time I have no eartly idea what I'm doing, but Im starting to experiment. My favorite thing to cook is breakfast [thanks to Big Al]. On Saturday, I told the teachers I was going to serve them pancakes [cafe blueberry/ balsamic choco banana], fruit, french press, and juice. When I got home, I started my normal routine of just relaxing and settling in before I started the massive cookoff.

Its so nice to have a long ethernet cord. I skyped with Tonita while I cooked pancakes. Nice to have someone "in the trenches" with you while you cook. I must have cooked between 30-40 pancakes that evening. No worries. Brianna gave them her seal of approval.

Christian and Kris came over that night from Daejeon to spend the night and spend the next waking moments with me. Little did I know that we would have so much fun together and stay up til about 4 in the morning. We had a blast playing card games and watching modern family. Just good to be around family friends once again.
THe next morning, Saturday, I had to hot foot it to school [with 3 hours sleep under my belt] and leave Christian and Kris asleep in the bed.

I was surprised to see all of the teachers who stayed overnight at the school to be fairly chipper. The pancake breakfast went over well and I was pleased to see them indulge and not leave a crumb behind. There is nothing worse then bringing home leftovers >.<
We all cleaned our share of the office and rushed up to our stations in the "American Village." Different parts of the Korean Kindie were divided into numerous stations that are in America: telephone, supermarket, airport, hospital, etc. I was teamed up with Brianna to conquer all that is the supermarket. For some reason, my body decided it was best that I lose my voice fairly early in the day and that for the remainder of the presentations at the supermarket- I would sound like a 85 year old smoker. Bliss.

Once the camp ended and we pushed the kids back to their parents, it was off to venture at CARRIBEAN BAY [the largest water park in Korea].

Exclusive

Last night:
It was a night in the making. For some odd reason the korean teachers and us foreign teachers do not really hang out as we should. When we have lunch, we sit at different tables. WHen we have get togethers- we only invite one group of people. Thankfully Amy [foreign teacher] had the guts to just say, "we're all getting together on Wednesday and going out for dinner. We need to do this."

It worked. Her skills of persuasion are top notch.

We all met at Shabu Shabu buffet. For my Americans or curious Korean friendly friends, it is almost like a stirfry grill. You sit at a big table with your friends with a smoldering pot of liquid in the middle. You go to the bar and select different raw foods you want to cook in the "soup." You can change the styles of the soups by adding different seasonings and [or] pastes. Its simply remarkable how addicting it is. We all commented how weird yet refreshing it was to see each other in a different light out of school. We all seemed "Happy." Imagine that.

Afterwards we went to Norebang [private style karaoke]. You rent a room for you and your friends. This one we went to was high class :D
We sang and danced for 1.5 hours. Its incredible to hear my director sing. She's got some lungs on her.

30 C

The temperature is measured in Celcius over here. I really dont understand this scale. I do know that somewhere between 30 and 40 degrees gets to be unbearable at times. Friends over here in Korea usually go to school between the hours of 1-10 pm. I am fortunate in this case that I go to school earliuer in the day: its LESS HOT.
Being raised in Georgia where it is sweltering hot and sticky- one would think that I am used to weather like this. HOW CAN ANYONE GET USED TO IT?

Today is another hot day. We sit with the windows open and the AC blasting.
I am crossing my fingers that there isnt an outdoor field trip anytime soon.

On the brighter side of the equation, I booked my ticket to Japan. I leave on the 24th of July and come back to SoKo on the 31st. A full week in Japan. YES!!

Random Thought

While I was at church on Sunday I had someone come up to me and just start up conversation. It [the convo] began to take a turn and soon she started to ask me about spiritual gifts of mine. I've always been one who categorizes himself under "mercy" because I tend to sympathize with people and have a heart for the average Joe Blo.

She took a stab in the dark. What if you have a knack for bringing people together.
A harmonizer.

Really?

Always Late

I've noticed something. When It comes to work- I am always on time/early. When it comes to friends and anything personal- I always run on ish time. To some, that means I run about 15 minutes to 45 minutes behind schedule. THere will be a day where I can just make it all across the board.

I have finally gotten over Rhonda's birthday party. For the past several weeks leading up to her birthday, I was trying to scrape things together. Working with logistics of where, when, and how- who to invite- invitations- etc.
The day of the aprty was a def relief. We started out the day in Gangnam at a co-teacher's new place. For those who are not aware, Gangnam is in the Metro Seoul area; its less hectic than Seoul but still provides you with a broad selection or stores, people, and experiences. Her apartment was a tad nicer than ours but she does teach for a more "hoity toity" school. We departed from her house rather early and met up with Sarah and Amy to go Bungee Jumping in Bundang. Never in a million years would I imagine doing something that stupid. Driving to the site I could jsut hear my Dad's voice in the back of my head saying: "Why on earth would you think something like that is fun Josh?" On the other hand, Brandi [my sister and co-thrill seeker] would give me a high five.

The park was worth the trip alone. In the center of the park you can see this tall spire jutting out from the lake. Walking closer and closer to the platform- my stomach got lower and lower until I was just in complete shock. Wouldnt you know that when we got there- there was no wait-time. The first ones to arrive. Great...:/
At the top floor, we practiced jumping from a bench onto a matress. People got a kick out of me overreating. IT took 2 countdowns for me to jump onto a matress. Wow.
In the line-up, I was the 4th to jump. The others were doing it without hesitation. When it was finally my turn, he measured me and adjusted to rope according to my height and weight. He started to count me off but I told him to just wait while I psyched myself up for it. I gave him a hug and told him "I need this right now." In my last moments I would like to at least know that I had a little bit of love going off that platform. Finally

5- What do I think about...
4- The Twin towers are burning and Ive gotta get out
3- Wait, why am I on the top floor
2- Crap Crap Crap Crap
1- breath breath breath
JUMP!

It was completely amazing. Once you jump, you truly try to reach out and grab hold of something that does not exist. Weird Feeling.

Canadian Maple Chicken

Pecan Crusted Maple Chicken

2 whole lg. chicken breasts, halved
2 tbsp. maple flavor syrup
1 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Mix dry ingredients. Coat chicken breasts with maple syrup before coating with pecan mixture. Cook in frypan until golden brown on both sides.

Fusion Retreat

We finally left the Jimjabong with little sleep and a bad case of bed-head.
The retreat was taking place in the mountain area of SoKo. A church family, the Cho's, was hosting the retreat and were offering to put us up in their hostel.

[the hostel is in the middle of this mountain village. All of the neighbors chip in to maintain it and pay the bills. They host their friends and family members. Its a nice thing to have in your back pocket when your friends come by- *TFC PEEPS*]

The retreat incorporated spiritual reflection times with various speakers from the church as well as time to hike/chill. I came into this activity thinking I would know a good majority of people but sadly, I was on the outs. A good number of members that come on Sunday mornings don't usually attend the Fusion groups. The members that came to the retreat were either new, friends of members, or ones who attend other churches

I was able to connect with several new peeps at our BBQ that night. I was placed in charge of the grill. What luck? Ive grilled out a few times but that does not mean I've grilled in Korea. One would think they would have a propane tank or at least coal nuggets. THEY HAD COAL WOOD...BURNED WOOD. How are you supposed to use that to make a fire? TO muddy the waters just a bit more, they gave me a blow torch thing to light it. After about 5 minutes of blowing fire to the coal logs, nothing but smoke.

To give you the abridged version, one of the new girls I met had to come over and nurture the fire to make it grow. I was soon given a new job >.<
At least Im a flexible guy right?
That night, we were challenged by the pastor.
The next morning, we woke at 6 to have a prayer and praise service by the lake. It was a beautiful experience. The prayers we lifted up were modeled after the Lord's model prayer given in the Bible. It actually makes prayer more structured a[which i need] and makes you feel a tad bit on target instead of scattered.

I Leave you with this
" ...I ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy...He has delievered us from the power of darkness"

A Tale of My Tail

In celebration of Buddha's birthday, we had a three day weekend. Its no big thing over here. In the states, it would be comprable to Washington's bday or MLK Jr's bday or something. Several of our school friends were going to Seoul and [or] to Busan beach but I already committed myself to go on our young adult retreat with THE NATIONS [my SoKo church].

Rhonda and I got off from school on Thursday night and decided it wouldbe best to venture closer to the spot where we would meet up with everyone thats going on the retreat. In light of the sudden realization, we packed our bags and left for Gangnam [metro Seoul area]. It took HOURS for us to get there. Everyone and their brother decided that they would get a head start on their traveling as well. When we finally arrived to our destination, it was around 11:30 in the evening. There were few restaurants open.

We finally retreated to a Jimjabong [a korean bathhouse]. Many should not be surprised with my venturing into a place like this. I only had to pay 12,000 won [$12.00] for the bathhouse/spa and a place to sleep. The headmistress gave me a change of sleep clothes and keys to a locker where I could lock up my backpack. Once you change out of your clothes, you enter into the men's spa area. There are 2 lines of stand up showers and 2 rows of vanity showers [sit down showers]. In the center there are 3 main "spa tubs." In the far distance there are 2 sauna rooms: dry and wet sauna.

I DID IT ALL.
Once ready to sleep, I changed into my sleepclothes and headed upstairs to the sleeping quarters. Once inside, you can barely see the lines of men sleeping on their floormats. The obnoxious snoring caused me to sleep elsewhere.
What I failed to mention is that there was a common area between the men's and women's bathhouses. Nice and peaceful.

Living for the Weekend

I am coming close to my 1 month mark here in South Korea and it still feels like Ive only been here for 2 weeks. I am still pegged as the "new guy" around here and I am still lost when it comes to transportation. My memory skills have been adapting to the numerous bus numbers that I can take to varuious cities. The creative juices have been flowing here lately since Brandi sent me some teaching goodies to put up in my classroom. Some people have asked: "what can I send you Josh?" Honestly, I enjoy putting things up in my class/ enjoy coffee and tea/ commodities such as deoderant and soap rock.

Brandi sent me a pack of 365 stickers and my kids went wild. We use stickers as incentives over here in my classes. In the such case where my classroom gets messy after an arts and crafts activity- I pinpoint a kid who seems like they are in need of a little something extra- point to different areas that can use some TLC- make a public spectacle of their good behavior by giving them an "AWESOME STICKER" from Josh teacher's sister in USA. Kudos Brand-o.

I printed out pictures of some of my toccoa fam and real fam to post in my classroom and my 8-year olds think its awesome that I have such a big family. The enjoy seeing Luke, Brandi, and Garrett. Luke is always acting like a fool. Brandi has big hair. Garrett is my nephew and is a teenager.

"JOSH TEACHER IS AN UNCLE, YES?"

I am starting to get the teachers and some of my church friends together on weekdays to start enjoying company outside of tjust the weekends. People around here dont believe in hanging out on weekdays and just enjoy work. working out. eating. and sitting in their room. I am venturing to bring them out by having parties. Ali taught me that mediums like coffee/tea/food being people together and can serve as a common bond between different peeps. SO TRUE.

This past weekend, a couple of friends and I went to the fortress in Hwaseong City and were able to hike arounnd its outer wall, scale parts of the moutain, and participate in various activities within the fortress walls. We lucked up when we entered the fortress because we got set up with an English speaking tour guide. Him and his friend showed us around the fortress and shared tales. The king who lived in the fortress imagined a city being built within the city walls. There is a big chunk of Suwon [the city I hang out in] that is guarded by the fortress walls.
It was awesome walking in the paths of royalty.
THe fortress offered various activities for the tourists to participate in. Paul and I dressed up as members of military while Toni and Rhonda dress up as queens [they wore headpieces that must have weighed 20 pounds].
More pictures are available on my facebook

Daily Routine

Things around here have gotten pretty much how I like them. During the past several years- I have realized that I enjoy being busy. My dad told me to set up a routine as quickly as possible and it has been successful so far. Mornings have been enjoyable here lately. I have learned from Ali and my folks on this one. Usually when you get up an extra 15 minutes ahead of your schedule, you are able to not feel so rushed throughout your day. Mornings allow time to just sit and read the book of 1 Samuel with a cup of coffee and breakfast. I clean up around the apartment and get caught up on some phone calls. I set up an Augusta number last night so that people can call me free of charge. Hopefully people catch on to how to use skype.

I have come to live for the weekends where you can just explore and have adventures. This weekend was def. like that. Friday proved to be an early night for me because of the weekend plans coming up.

The Nations

Many have asked if I have found a ood church to attend. The typical response I have heard from people who have been over in SoKo, it takes several months to find a good church taht you can just "be a part of" and feel
connected" with. Being back home in Augusta or even Toccoa, I had grown accustomed to the southern hospitality and welcoming spirit that goes along with Providence Baptist and Ebeneezer Baptist [Toccoa]. My family and I have been members of our church in Augusta for 14+ years and have seen our share of people come and go from the church. One of the top reasons people are drawn to Providence is that the people are very friendly and are always welcoming. I, for one, have taken it for granted up until this point.

Being a westerner/foreigner from America- you get stared at often and there are very few people you can have an actual conversation with. Many Koreans here speak very little English. In fact, the prominant members in Korea that speak English are the younger generations.

When I came over, my friend Kristin [bubbly red-head that I went to college with and lives in Daejeong Korea] invited me to come to her church, Jubilee Church. This church would be about a 1.5 hour ride for me with the connecting buses/subways. I would gladly make the commute if it was a good church that I felt lead to be a part of. Recently- Rhonda has been going to a church [the Nations church] in the neighboring town of Suwon. All of her stories really had me curious and loving the closer distance.

Walking through the doors to the church, I was automatically introduced to five church members. Rhonda must have introduced me to the whole church congregation. Because she is so heavily involved with the Nations, I was along for the ride and gladly helped out where I was needed. The church runs like it has been around for years- when- infact- it has only been open for about 4-ish years. Roughly, there are 6 members attending that are predominantly foreign english speakers. The reason the church got its name is merely because the church is representative of Jesus' global ministry. The Nations church has members from UK, USA, Canada, India, Rwanda, Austrailia, SoKorea, and Japan. What a blessing to see believers from all cultures come together in the bonds of Christ and worship. Beautiful.

ps- theyve already talked to me about being a part of the young adult ministry and possibly being a part of the welcome team ^_^

Potluck

Its been my first full week with my loaded schedule and you know, it wasnt half bad. LASt week, I was only repsonsible for teaching my englsih classes in the afternoon but now, I am a sub teacher for misc subjects: science, math, pe, organizational skills, and manners. I teach them in full english and they last anywhere from 20-40 minutes. I can handle that. I am getting to the point where I realize that I might perhaps be being too flippant with my money here. There are so many places to go to visit and eat at that I forget that I should be saving. Some of the teachers here go out to eat frequently and I cannot turn down an invitation to go off and eat something delicious!

Wednesday I went out with Amy and her buddy Chet to go and eat Vietnamese noodles. Those things were so incredibly spicy. I believe I am starting to get the hang of ordering things at a restaurant. You just point, smile, and speak in broken english.

Thursday, Tonita and I went to the movies close to Suwon. We got the chance to see Iron Man2! Over in Korea, you order your movie tickets online and there is assigned seating. Our seats were in the top left. I am amazed at the concession stand prices over here: Toni and I got a medium popcorn, 2 medium drinks for 7 bucks. Cant beat that with a stick. Our tickets were 8.00 a piece. Cheap movie night!
The next day, all of the English teachers were excited to get together and have a potluck at Amy's apartment. We made invitations and everything. Originally, we were all going to eat out on the roof, but dince the weather had not gotten that much warmer, we kept it indoors. So many laughs and good memories made that night.

Saturday we went to Hwaseong city to tour around but got a late start for all the festivities that go on within the fortress. At best, we got to go to the museum to learn more about the history of the kings that ruled and the city they governed. Next week, we are going to get an earlier start and go on the full on hike around the fortress. I cannot wait for SUNDAY!

Halle Berry's Sister

The weekend weather was sunny and a tad bit nippy [not altogether bad wetaher to have for my first weekend in SoKo]. KT's birthday bash was this weekend but I already had commitments to my alumni board. I was incredibly greatful that the board was willing to keep me on as a director given my distance geographically. The wonders of Skype. The meeting recapped a lot of the business that has happened on the campus since our last meeting via teleconference. Our school has been enduring many financial hardships and are continuing to fight them. We were informed of some leadership opportunities among other things. I felt like I was right there in the mix [the cherry kind]. The meeting lasted a good three hours but it did not interrupt my daily routine of cooking breakfast and reading. Mom has become quite enamered with my breakfast tastes. All my life, I had been the one to eat cereal in the morning for the mere reason- it was cold. Now I am unbiased to cold or hot foods in the morning. I figure when you're living on your own, there is no room to be picky- unless seafood is involved.

By the time the phone conference was over. We hotfooted it out to Songtan to go shopping for a bit. I got a nice pair of clothes from this side street store while Rhonda "broke the bank" with all of her purchases. We also ran into one of her old friends, Pamela Perry [please insert the Halle Berry dance move]. She galavanted around the military town of Songtan with us. It was somewhat refreshing to run into Westerners that looked like me. Being the only face in the crowd everyday wears on you.

On Sunday, Rhonda let me accompany her to church. We had to wake up at the buttcrack of dawn to get there on time. Remind you, we have to rely on public transportation for everything. I have already had a bad experience with the transportation system over here already, so I was pretty much "in Rhonda's hands." We took about 3 connecting buses to get to olur final destination in Suwon. Her church is just developing and has about 60+ members. The majority of the congregation are westerners. Once I entered into the church, I must have been introduced to everyone and their brother. People back home say that our church "feels like home" because everyone is so welcoming and inviting. Now I am able to understand exactly what they mean. The praise and worship was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits. Truth be told, I had started to feel a tad homesick and doubting myself to last an entire year without my family and friends from the states.
Looking holistically at everything after church, I realized that relying only on myself to get through this phase will result in my own destruction.

A Hard Welcome

This somewhat categorizes the remaining part of my first week here. Had to start summing things up to get caught up with present day stuff.
Throughout the remainder of the first week here, my sleep schedule has started to become more routine. The bad part about all of this is that my apartment smells like garbage. Not regular garbage- the ooze that seeps out of the garbage and all over your new shoes. I have managed to track the smell to my bathroom drain. This bathroom is weird in that The WHOLE room is the shower. There is a drain in the center of the bathroom that drains out all the water. So the OCD person living inside of me decided it would be best to combat the smell with an extra dose of bleach.

Ask me did it work. Negative.
My mother says it might be because we have a septic tank and the odor just travels upward and congregates to MY APARTMENT! I am going to ask my director if I can move into the apartment next to mine that doesnt have a smell like this one. My nose cannot take this for much longer.

While at school, during the morning hours, I have been observing the way Bri teachers her classes. Its refreshing to see someone so energetic and receptive to the kid's needs. She had never taught a day in her life before here so perhaps there is hope for me to improve. You would think the kids over here are so WELL BEHAVED given their ethnicity but that is not the case. They are like American kids through in through. So much so that when you bend over you might luck up and get a "butt grab" or a "butt dart." So the remedy for this is a good ol' smack of the hand and the fatherly-like glare. Ive started decorating my classroom to make it more kid-friendly. Unlike most teachers who started, I was able to get my hands on some classroom materials that previous teachers left behind. While I was putting up the calendar in my classroom, the chair slipped from underneath me and I took a hard tumble to the ground. What a great welome into the life of SoKo, right?

Starting next week I will start my full classload which challenges me to start floating around to other classes and teaching: Math, Science, Orda, Manners, and Physical Education [from 9:20-noon]
I can handle that.

The weather here has been cold for some odd reason. Christian told me that this has been a record low for April in the history of Korea. Im not a fan of the cold weather. Combine that with high winds and rain- bring on the illnesses.

Kimchi and esKapades

Alright. I know escapades is spelled with a "C" instead of a K, but somethings just deserve a change. I was waking up throughout the night: once at 3am and once at 5am. I just decided that I wouldnt go back to sleep at that point. My apartment needed to be cleaned badly so maybe the Lord wanted me to do that in addition to talking to him. I opened up my Bible to Isaiah 41 and started reading form there. My spiritual side needed some nourishing!Ive discovered that it is easier for me to get into a routine of showering and praying [linking a physical cleansing and a spiritual cleansing--thanks Shiflet].

In the states I thought I would be able to catch a cab to work every day for about 2 bucks- to my surprise, cabs do not really hang around my part of the city. Technically, I still live in the farmlands of my city. About 2 years ago, much of the city was still farmlands...it had not been until recently that it is developing into an urban community. Needless to say, I have started to become a pro at these 30 minute walks to work.

Once inside the school, I was introduced to all of the other teachers there. I work with 3 friends from Washington State [Bri, KT, and T], Andy, The Canadian Duo [Aim, and Sarah, and Rhonda. Jade, my school director surprised me with the information that I would be teaching classes on the first day. They would not be able to let me strictly observe. Wow.
Do they realize they are asking a guy who has no real exposure to kids- to teach??

The school I teach for is governed by the LCI [Language Clubs International]. It is a private English school where parents pay upwards $800 per month to send their kids there. We are also contracted to teach at the Korean Kindergarten School across the street. The LCI director's mom is the overseer for the Kindergarten. In their kindergarten alone, there are 600 kids. Who would have thought that would even be possible?

I teach 2 English classes [40 minutes each] in the Kindergarten across the street. Each class has 12 students. The first class are 7-year olds and the second class are 6-year olds. They were fairly well disciplined for my first day...maybe they were in shock that I was their new teacher. A male teacher. I have a helper teacher who stays in my class and makes sure the kids are well behaved and she speaks to them in Korean if they are not quite sure what I am trying to communicate to them. My topic for the month is feelings and emotions. We will hopefully be able to identify and spell the numerous emotions.

In LCI, I teach a group of eleven 8-year olds. They are more knowledgable than the kids in the kindergarten. We can have basic conversations and they exhibit understanding. We are going through a basic book called "I Can Swim" and they work on writing sentences and have spelling words each week. I will also teach them science. Over at LCI, I have a aprtner teacher who is paid by LCI. She is a Korean national who speaks Englsih and Korean fluently. She is responsible for teaching them phonics and grammar to the English language.

My day runs from about 7-8 everyday. Wow. Hopefully I will have the stamina to last through this schedule. I mean, Im used to running all the time anyway!
I pray the kids like me and are actually as well behaved as they are showing me today.

The Awakening

Who would have thought that I would have been able to get this far in the process? Leaving the US would by far be the hardest thing Ive done in my adult life. I thought going off to college was big but this takes the cake. While in the airport, it all finally caught up with me. Im not going to celebrate any holidays this coming year with my crew from back in AUG. I left my parents at the security check and no sooner had I walked past security, I ran into this lady who had just as much baggage as I did. We joked about how we did not know how to pack properly and about food. She invited me to dinner in the terminal and we got to know one another befour our flight. Come to find out, we were on the same flight to Chicago. {the Lord knew what he was doing- I would have been a sad story sitting there in the terminal by myself at that point in the process}

The flight to Chicago was very short compared to the upcoming flight to Korea. 2 hours vs. 13 hours. During my 4 hour layover in the airport, I caught up with some friends. It was a sad goodbye.

Over to Korea, the flight wasnt as bad as I had originally thought. The airlines provided you with several gifts in addition to the 3 meals during the flight. I got to watch Sherlock Holmes, Where the Wild THings Are, and Alvin 2. Not too bad, eh? Once I got off the flight- I breezed through customs and made my way to baggage check. My 2 suitcases were among the first to come out. Luckily for me I ran into another foreign englsih teacher, like myself, who looked somewhat lost. We helped each other through the process; however, the airlines lost her luggage along the way. We went over to the officials overseeing baggage check to see what measures could be done to recover the luggage and she was not pleased in the least. I have never respected my mother's words until that point: "Make sure you take an extra pair of clothes in your carry-on in the case where your luggage does not arrive on time." She had nothing in her carry-on besides several electronic items.
She decided to stay back while I progressed forward to meet my ride to take me to my apartment. [Please look at the video trying to find this man]