Persimmons & Apples

Yesterday Mr. Chung (the umbrella man, as my mom likes to refer to him) gave me a persimmon with my fruit purchase of mandarin oranges and grapes. Tonight when I was walking home from the subway, he handed me an apple and told me "an apple for a beautiful girl." So sweet... he has no idea how meaningful his little gifts are to me...

A Refreshing Weekend

Refreshed. I think that's the best word to use to describe this weekend.

Friday night
Good times with Sara, Josie, & Taryn (even though our classical concert plans didn't work out). Tom & Tom's is a great place with great hot chocolate and great pretzels... and it's even better when you can share it with fun people.

Saturday
Got to skype with my lovely familia... attempted to run... good times.

Met up with Bok ja for lunch and some discipleship time. I'm excited to learn from her and grow together with her in the Lord. Very encouraging to my heart.

In the evening, I met up with Hannah Cramer's friends from Word of Life, David & Tae. I had SUCH a great time with them!!!! They speak English really well, so it was easy to communicate and such a great evening! Tae and I met up earlier and saw a Korean-Japanese festival, then had shabu shabu at nearby restaurant. David came to join us, which was really good since we had SO MUCH food! Afterwards, we grabbed some hot chocolate and took a walk down a really pretty part of Seoul and had some great conversations about the Lord and missions and comparing Christianity in the U.S. to Korea. Definitely interesting! I'm looking forward to hanging out much more with David & Tae... it was so much fun! I think we're going to plan on going to the Passion Conference when it comes to Seoul in a couple of weeks (David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, and other amazing people that love Jesus!).

Sunday
Made a decision about a church!!!! Sara and I are going to be attending Onnuri Church. I'll be updating more about that in the future. God is really working there and I'm excited to join in fellowship with the body of believers.

I also got to practice hospitality today!!! I made lunch for Sara and dinner for Brianne, one of the girls that lives in my building. It was so much fun to put my new dishes to use... and to share a meal... and to feel domestic (like my dear mother)... and to eat Italian food and veggie omelettes! Great fellowship too - over coffee and tea... how lovely.

Sara and I worked on our budgets too... we got paid for the first time on Wednesday, which was exciting! So, I think we're going to be trying Mr. Dave Ramsey's envelope budgeting system... we'll see how it goes!

This weekend was much-needed. I can't imagine my life without Jesus... there is such JOY in knowing Him!!!

~Holls

P.S. I'm missing you all (especially my dear family) a lot, but resting in the fact that I can trust the Lord to care for and love you much better than I can... and praying for you! Much love!!!!!

What a Week!

This has definitely been my most challenging week in Korea, without a doubt. Teaching... missing my family... feeling tired... feelings of anxiousness... lots of tears. That sums up the difficulties in a nutshell. Challenges are to be expected. It's part of the journey. God remains gracious and faithful.

In the midst of the difficult times, there have also been several highlights this week...

1) Onnuri Church Visit - really loved it on Sunday! I'm visiting one more church tomorrow, but hopefully I'll be able to decide at the end of this weekend! We joined a small group and had dinner and coffee afterward - it was a whole day event... and I thoroughly enjoyed it! So refreshing...

2) Early Mornings at School - I found out that about 4 or 5 Korean teachers get together a half hour before school begins every Tuesday-Friday morning for Bible reading and prayer... and breakfast! They invited me to join them. Although it is all in Korean, one of my co-teachers (Alice) graciously volunteered to attend the morning sessions with me to translate the Korean into English. It's really sweet... so many of the things I would love to share with her are the things she is telling me as she translates! Kind of ironic... and definitely sweet!

3) Meeting up with Hil - We had dinner together on Tuesday night and had such a great time of fellowship - sharing life and fully enjoying the friendship God is blessing us with. Pretty sure I don't even want to think about her going back to the States in February!

4) Time with Native Teacher friends - Several of the girls met up in Dongdaemun (my territory) for dinner Wednesday night... and then some of us got together again for dinner last night. Although I really am LOVING my time with Koreans, it is definitely good to be able to spend time with other Westerners. We were planning to attend a classical concert last night, but the tickets (within our price range) were sold out by the time we arrived. So, we had galbi (fire meat) for dinner.. which is one of my favorite Korean meals. Then spent the rest of the evening at Tom & Tom's, a cute little cafe with delicious pretzels and hot chocolate (which I've been craving!).

5) Dinner out with Korean teachers - The teachers from our morning Bible study offered to take Alice and I out to a really nice restaurant that serves duck. I think my tolerance for spicy food and seafood is gradually increasing... thanks for all of your prayers! Here's some fun pics from the evening:

My first completely authentic Korean meal out with ONLY Koreans... sitting on the floor at that! I loved it... it was totally a special treat. Mrs. Moon treated us (she's the farthest one back on the left... she always brings us breakfast to Bible study/prayer in the mornings... Alice said she's going to make us "fat" soon... I laughed in agreement).


Ham, I think... along with sesame leaves and radishes (one form of MANY)


Frozen, raw crab... yes, I actually tried it (sorry Mom)! Will I try it again? Uh...probably not. But apparently it's a delicacy here.


I think this is a form of galbi (fire meat)... excpet this looks mostly like kimchi over the fire.


Pig skin. Do you think I tried it?


Yes, I actually did... with Alice! This was the "before" picture. She was pretty nervous (which surprised me... it's encouraging that not all Koreans like this stuff...)


This would be a "during" shot...


And this would be us trying to compose ourselves as we finish swallowing. It actually wasn't terrible... but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.


I'm not sure what got into me, but I was really in the mood for trying stuff on Thursday! Mrs. Moon brought some spicy-ish Korean food to breakfast and I tried it (much to my surprise, I kind of liked it!). The total meal she treated us to after school was NINE courses!!! I'm still feeling bloated... two days later! But any Korean that you talk to will tell you that Korean food is VERY good for your health and well-being. They pride themselves in it... every time I ask them to identify a food for me, I can count on them telling me that it's "good for well-being!" That's encouraging... particularly as I sip on soup made from various roots and disect fish on my plate that is staring me down with eyes still intact. (I'll have to get a picture of this sometime for you...)


6) Mr. Chung, the Fruit Man & my new best friend

So, Mr. Chung is pretty much one of my best friends now. I buy fruit from him in between my subway stop and apartment building. He has met some of my Native Teacher friends and he always tries to speak English to me. Last week he started calling me "Miss Indiana Jones Wonder Woman." So funny! I see him multiple times each day... and I look forward to it! He is a sweet older man and is so concerned for me!

On Thursday, on my way back home from the elaborate duck meal, it started raining and I realized that I forgot my umbrella at school. Fortunately, I didn't have to walk too far in the rain. When I walked hurried past him and gave him a quick wave, I guess he followed me with an umbrella. I don't know how long he was holding the umbrella over my head before I noticed, but it may have been a good 20-30 seconds. He walked me all the way to the front of the Co-op and then waved goodbye. Such a small thing (I only live about 2 minutes away), but made a HUGE difference to me... I love how God reminds me of His love and care through such things!

Today when I bought my mandarin oranges from him, he noticed that I was wearing short sleeves and since the weather has cooled down significantly, he expressed concern about me wearing a jacket. I pointed to my sweatshirt in my hand and assured him I'd be okay. :)

He's such a sweet old man. He sings in his church and studies his music while he's passing time at his little fruit stand. I'm not sure if he's like a dad, a grandfather, an uncle, or what... I haven't decided yet. For now, he's just my new best friend.


So much more to share with you all, but it's time for me to go meet some more new Korean friends for dinner (friends of Hannah Cramer's for those of you from NLB). :)

Getting to Know You... or at least trying!

So, as I may have mentioned in one of my blog posts last week, I was really excited about my lesson plans for this week! I decided to spend this week getting to know my students. So, my lesson plan was focused on learning more about the students and teaching them how to creatively express/introduce themselves. I found myself feeling incredibly inspired by the song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KadOjVl6VCc) from The King & I, "Getting To Know You... getting to know all about you!" I figured I'm definitely not an expert at getting to know my students yet, but was pretty excited about the possibility! They would be picking English names and making nametags so that I could call them by name. Oh, the visions... oh, the dreams... it was going to be a FANTASTIC lesson plan... I was even going to use the song "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music for my upper-level classes. They were going to re-write the song... and who knows, maybe even sing it in front of the class. lol!

I am such a dreamer! Haha...

So, Monday morning, I rushed about making copies and last minute preparations for my lesson plans. I was nervous (as I often find myself being before the first lesson of the week), but excited. What a special lesson I have in store for my classes, I thought. All of my lessons (all TWO of them) have gone really well for the most part... so I think I was feeling a little over-confident... and dreamy.

My students quickly jerked me back to reality Monday morning. It was disastrous. I planned 5 minutes for choosing English names and making nametags... it took more like 25 (and even then, some hadn't chosen names). The students didn't seem to appreciate the video clip (and I realized it was poor quality, particularly on a big screen. They were super-chatty... and barely seemed to notice I was there. Classroom control? Ha! Definitely was lacking. I gave worksheets to some of the students who finished their nametags early... and they finished the worksheets before other students had even chosen an English name. This of course, left the faster students bored and ornery. To make things worse, I had forgotten to bring my microphone and stickers (rewards for good behavior) to class. My sweet plans and visions quickly crumbled. I was frustrated and disappointed... and definitely humbled. I had done a terrible job communicating to my co-teachers what I needed from them... and I didn't give very clear direction to my students. I had a difficult time transferring what was in my head to what I wanted to see happen.

After my third class of the morning, I was spent. I waited until much later to go to lunch in effort to try to collect myself. However, I started talking with one of my co-teachers (Kim Mi Ok - her desk is right next to mine) and ended up in tears... much to my embarrassment. Crying over a lesson plan? It seemed a little ridiculous to me... but I knew it was more than that. I had spent HOURS preparing and really was HOPING to get to know some of my 700+ students. I was wanting to show my students that I care about them. Instead, I got frustrated and upset. Kim Mi Ok was a good listener and did her best to encourage me.

I thought I had things under control until I went to lunch and Kim Yeong Chae (she's basically been like a mom to me here) asked me, Why did you wait to come to lunch, Holly? I was the last one to lunch and most everyone was already finished eating. She sat with me, though... and I started crying again! She was incredibly gentle and understanding though. She reminded me that when she first started teaching, she cried a lot because it was frustrating. She told me that Korean students are difficult to teach. She also reminded me that it was Monday morning and that students are normally not very well-behaved on Monday mornings. I'm so thankful to work with so many kind, nurturing, understanding women!

Thankfully, I had a break after lunch, so I had some time to pray and re-group. I adjusted my lesson plans significantly and things went much better after lunch.

Over all, I think the whole experience was good - the crying and all. I think it built bridges with some of my co-teachers and I noticed that they were especially helpful with discipline in the classroom. Also, I'm noticing that word certainly travels QUICKLY at Cheongryang Middle School among the teachers... at least in regards to the foreign teacher. I had one teacher email me Monday night because she had heard that I cried at school. It was thoughtful of her to send the email. The following morning, I attended the Korean Bible Study/Prayer time with some of the other Christian teachers and they prayed for me because they knew I had a rough Monday. It was an incredible blessing to have their love and support... and I totally see God working through it. (I'll have to share more about the Morning Bible Study another time - a completely different story!)

So, I'm thankful. I'm learning a lot. My lessons are going better for the most part. I'm still using "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music (when the computer works in the classroom). I'm still learning about the students - through their lists of favorite things. I'm not learning names (gave up on the nametags idea at least for the moment). I'm learning "hangman" is a great way to start class and gain the attention of all of the students. I'm learning that I really enjoy the 7th graders and their sweet innocence more than a lot of my 9th grade classes. I'm learning more and more what it means to love my students. Sometimes it is really difficult to be patient with them (particularly when they are falling asleep in class, smacking each other, throwing things across the room, yelling in Korean at each other, and/or refusing to participate). Most of all, I'm learning a whole new aspect of what it means to depend upon the Holy Spirit moment by moment... and NOT to depend on my limited teaching experiences.

Thanks for "listening." :)

Had a rough day at school on Monday (tears were involved), but I'm doing much better now. So much to update you on regarding school stuff... but I need to get some sleep so that I can be an energetic teacher tomorrow morning. More to come... Praise God for amazing teachers at my school!

Midnight Madness

On Saturday evening, I had an unexpected adventure... probably the most panicked incident I've had in Seoul thus far (and perhaps the only one that I can recall). I should back up, though. Saturday afternoon was lovely, despite the rain. Sara, Hil, Josie and I met up in Insadong to have a look at the tourist souvenirs and had our share of street food tasting. It was a lot of fun. Perhaps my highlight was sitting down at a coffee shop and just enjoying each others' company for hours. It was quite refreshing. I like those girls.

Saturday evening started off well. We decided to go visit Sara's apt. (out in the boonies). She invited us over for a movie night and was an excellent hostess... made a lovely fruit plate and made sure her guests were well taken care of. Hospitality is something I love and wish to do more of!

Anyway, around 11 p.m. I glanced at my watch and made a mental note, just thinking that it was going to be late when I got home (if you remember, in one of my previous posts, I mentioned that my self-appointed bedtime is generally around 10:30 these days), but the movie was still going. At 11:24 p.m. I looked at my watch again and suddenly realized that the subways close around midnight! I had completely forgotten about this element of getting back home earlier... so, we snapped the movie off immediately and three of us ran out the door to catch the subway as far as it would take us. (Remember, Sara and I live nearly an hour away from each other). As we waited for the subway (which seemed like an eternity), I realized a few things:
1) I only had 8,000 won on me (about $8.00).
2) I had accidentally left my subway map in my apt. (I ALWAYS have my subway map with me)
3) The subways close around midnight. I'm still unfamiliar with the bus routes.

I realized I would probably have to take a taxi. This made me extremely uncomfortable for the following reasons:
1) I didn't have enough cash for a taxi. They are much more expensive than buses & subways.
2) I usually feel VERY safe in Seoul, even when I am alone. However, I did NOT feel comfortable taking a taxi alone, particularly because I've heard some things about females taking taxis alone late at night.

I was scared... and kind of freaking out. Fortunately, Josie and Makeeya were still waiting at the subway stop with me. One subway zipped right by us with the lights all out. It didn't even stop. I was afraid that we had missed our chance. We waited for probably ten minutes until a subway that was still running picked us up (usually you only have to wait 2 minutes MAX). I was thankful to catch the subway, but knew it wouldn't take us all the way. However, I was still thankful for Josie, Makeeya and a random Korean American from Boston that we ran into. I also knew that the friends I had with me did not live near me... so I figured we'd be splitting up soon.

Makeeya got off a couple stops later. Josie, David (the Korean American - referred to as a kyopo here), and I stuck together until the subway stopped running. Then we looked for a bus route. Fortunately, both of them can read Hangul... I still need to learn how to read Korean! Since I live in a pretty central place, we figured I might be able to find a bus. All three of us ended up catching the same bus and Josie ended up going all the way to my apartment with me... which I was really thankful for. It was the easiest way for her to get home (I think)... and I was just thankful to have her with me!

So, we made it back to my place around 1 a.m. Much too late for this girl! Oh, did I mention that I also had to haul around my laptop throughout the whole thing because we were using it to watch Sara's movie? It just made me even more exhausted, I guess. Upon returning to my place of residence, I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, praising God for His protection and grace... and somewhat ashamed that I flipped out instead of trusting Him to take care of me. (Did I really think that He got me all the way here to Korea only to leave me stranded on the streets at midnight?)

Anyway, I think I learned a lesson or two... I don't like being out late at night anyway... and now I have even more reason for being home at a decent time!

Whirlwind

That's my word for the week. Whirlwind! It's been a crazy week, but a good one.

Dried Squid Anyone?
I tried dried squid this week. I should have taken a picture! The baseball coach gave each teacher a bag of dried squid. One of the dear teachers that sits near me warmed it up for me and tore it up in strips so that I could taste it and eagerly watched me taste it (as she informed me that most Americans don't like it). Dried squid falls in the category of foods that I would never ever try on my own unless it was offered to me by a Korean... It is also one of the foods that I never plan on trying again! The smell is terrible (even the Koreans admit it). The consistency is kind of like chewing gum... except it is REALLY tough. I think I chewed a small piece for nearly 2 whole minutes before it was gone! Thankfully, the teacher (Moon Sangsaenim) only smiled when I gave her the rest of my dried squid. I figured I might as well give it to someone who will enjoy it... because otherwise it definitely would have gone to waste!

Health is on the Mend...
I'm feeling healthier! Thanks for your prayers. I still have a little bit of nasal congestion, but I feel like I can function much better! Special thanks goes to Miss Sara Nelson for coming to take care of me on Tuesday night! She brought me medicine, green tea, and REESES (a rare commodity around these parts)... along with a sweet card. What a good friend! :)

Unfortunately, my computer got a virus this week (both of us were sick together, I guess). I think one of the computers at school must have a virus on it because I think it got transferred from my jump drive. Norton Antivirus and I are becoming better friends (unfortunately Norton is someone you have to pay to be your friend). I think everything should be okay soon, though.

Mail!!!
This was my first week getting mail! I can't tell you how excited I was to see my room # on the white board! Two incredibly encouraging cards and a package from my Grandma - full of food! I celebrated with one of the macaroni & cheese packets that she sent. :)

Grocery Shopping Successfully Completed
Last night, my new friend Brianne (lives in my building) and I went to E-Mart together. It was a 4 hr. adventure! We made it to E-Mart just fine and had a great dinner together. Shopping went pretty well too. We did a lot of exploring because we wanted to have a general idea of what's available. I found bagels, wheat bread, yogurt, cheese (though it's kind of expensive), veggies, salt & pepper, cinnamon and some small household items. I was elated! The real adventure began on our way back... Somehow we managed to get on the train instead of the subway (both were above ground at this particular stop). After getting on & off several different railways, we finally made it back to Dongdaemun. We were both so glad to be together! It was definitely a good bonding experience. :) I'm really excited that Brianne lives in my building - she's super-sweet. I'm hoping we'll be able to share a lot of memories together this year!

Chuseok Lessons
Apparently the teachers really liked my lesson plans on Chuseok this week! I made a PowerPoint about a young Korean girl named Eun Hae and used it to introduce English vocabulary while explaining Chuseok traditions. I think the teachers liked it... and they asked me for a copy of it, which was encouraging to me. On Wednesday, I was so nervous about giving my lesson because I was basically teaching the Korean students about their own culture! It worked out well, though. We taught the students some vocab to hopefully equip them to explain Chuseok in English. Unfortunatley, 45 min. goes so quickly! So, we didn't get around to the dialogue for most of the classes. So, this next week, we'll review the dialogue. I'm hoping it doesn't take too much time to do the dialogue because I'm really excited about my lesson plans for this week! I'll share more about them later on... but I'm going to be incorporating some music from The King & I and The Sound of Music. Definitely excited.

I'm definitely learning to think on my feet! This morning during first period, I had some incredibly sleepy, uninterested teenagers. As I asked them to repeat vocabulary words, I barely saw their mouths moving and heads were bobbing. I couldn't help but laugh at their comatose state. It was killing me at the same time, though. I was pretty sure they weren't learning a thing. So, I finally stopped the ppt. (abruptly) and made them all stand up. I numbered them off in groups of 4 and made them stand the rest of the class. (I have to confess, as I was numbering them off, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with the groups). However, we ended up playing a game with their vocab worksheets. Each team got 1 pt. for each team member that repeated the vocab word loud enough for me to hear. They received an additional 5 pts. for matching the vocab term with the correct definition. It was good for the teacher inside me to see them engaged. Hopefully they'll be more awake next time...

I really am loving teaching and I LOVE my school! I promise I'll try to share more about it!!! (thanks for reminding me Jana...)

Random Questions...
Is it weird that I am really excited about getting to recycle waterbottles, cardboard, etc.?
Is it wrong that I was slightly disappointed that we only had 3 days of school this week?
Does it mean I'm old if I give myself a 10:30 p.m. bedtime (at least on school nights... and maybe sometimes on the weekends...)?

Maybe yes... but I think I'm okay with it. I'm loving life!

Invisible Ticket: In Memory of Dr. Liz Hossler

I cannot express to you all how many times I praise the Lord for you. Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for caring about what's going on. Thank you for the mark you've left and are leaving on my life. Your prayers mean so much to me.

I would like to dedicate this particular blog post to one (of many) who has significanly influenced my life: Dr. Elizabeth Hossler. Last night I received word that Dr. Hossler, my adviser throughout my 4 years at Bethel College went home to be with the Lord on Thursday evening (9/11/08). She battled with cancer for a number of years, but had incredible faith that God would heal her. He finally has brought her healing and freedom from pain! I was informed that the memorial service was held Tuesday afternoon. My, how I wish I could have been there! Liz has had such an incredible influence upon my life.

During our advising appointments, though paying attention to the meticulous details to be sure I'd be ready for graduation, she was even more concerned with my life and how God was working in my heart.

I'll never forget the "invisible ticket" she gave me my freshmen year of college. At that time, I was incredibly anxious and worried about choosing a major and figuring out my life. I was definitely wound pretty tight! She handed me an "invisible ticket" with the words, I don't have to decide today. Liz was so great about putting things into perspective for me! From time to time, when I was trying to make a particular decision (whether it be related to career, friendships, being a resident assistant, boys, summer plans, classes, or something else), she would gently ask me with a slight (sometimes mischievious) grin, Are you still holding on to that ticket?

My senior year, both Liz and I noticed that I had definitely become more "relaxed" since my freshmen year. Liz made a comment like, Wow, this isn't the tightly wound, anxious Holly Birkey I knew four years ago! It was an exciting moment.

When I returned to Bethel after studying abroad my final semester, I was informed that Liz was not doing well at all. She wasn't able to teach her classes or advise her students because of her stage of cancer. I am so thankful for the privilege I had to visit her in her home before graduation! Though the visit was short (she was incredibly weak, thin, and pale... not bursting with life like the Liz I knew) and the drive was kind of long, it was so worth it! We caught up briefly... and of course she asked me: So Holly, are you still holding onto that ticket? When she asked me, I pulled out a little box I had bought for her while I was in China. When I gave it to her, I began to explain. It's empy Liz because...
I know, the invisible ticket, right?

Yes Liz, I've still got that ticket with me! I'll always keep it with me. I'll miss you. Thanks so much for caring. Thanks for taking me to Pizza Hut the summer after freshmen year. Thanks for asking me to stop by your office just to catch up. Thanks for helping me relax and enjoy life. Thanks for being a great listener. Thanks for our prayer times at the beginning of each class. Thanks for being okay with me not liking Psych Measurement. Thanks for being okay with me not planning to go to grad. school right out of college. So thankful that you're celebrating with our Lord right now! Looking forward to seeing you when I get HOME!

Note: I apologize for the emotional-ness of this post... kind of. I would like it to be more polished, but I wanted to write while things were fresh on my mind. I'm so thankful for the faculty and staff at Bethel College! What an incredible impact you all have had on my life... I wouldn't be here in South Korea if it weren't for you! Same goes to my incredible family and dear friends. I feel like I could dedicate countless more blog posts! Know that I love you all... and miss you dearly!!!

Chuseok Sunday

Mountain climbing on Saturday definitely wiped me out. As I mentioned in my last post, I woke up feeling not-so-great. I decided to push through, hoping that my wonderful Chuseok plans would not be affected too greatly...

So, Sara and I visited Sarang Community Church on Sunday morning. Because of Chuseok, I think a lot of people were missing. We also attended the traditional service, so there weren't as many people our age there. We are considering going back for a second visit later on. We also saw another teacher from our SMOE orientation there, so we grabbed lunch with him after church. It was nice to related with another westerner, once again.

After lunch, Sara and I scurried to meet one of my dear co-teachers, Kim Kyung Han. She offered to show us around the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Since it was Chuseok, the gate entrance was waved, so we were able to enjoy a free afternoon. Visiting the Palace reminded me a lot of The Forbidden City in China, although the Gyeongbokgung is quite a bit smaller (quite pleasant, though).

Gyeongbokgung Palace


Sara, Kim Kyung Han, and me! Kim Kyung Han is so sweet and such a gracious hostess! Every time we had a question about something she was unsure of, she went and found people to ask so that she could give us the right information. She was also incredibly thoughtful and caring. I am so thankful I get to work with her every day!


Pictured inside one of the buildings... I'm not exactly sure what it was used for though. (Sorry...)


I believe this building was called Gyeonghoeru. It's a two-story building that was used for royal banquets and kind of looks like it is floating on the lovely, peaceful pond (special thanks goes to my tour booklet). :)



This was actually a "parade" that we got to see while we were there. I'm not exactly sure what happened (because it was all in Korean), but we got to see lots of soldiers marching around, got startled by a loud drum (twice), and decided we were really thankful that we didn't have to wear the heavy soldier uniforms on such a hot day!



Here we got to take a picture with one of the soldiers. I'm not sure if you can tell, but I'm pretty sure I closed my eyes accidentally. I decided to post this picture because I thought it was hilarious how obviously scared I was to get too close to that guy! Definitely one of the bigger Koreans I've seen!



Nice background, huh?



We had planned on visiting the National Palace Museum of Korea, but didn't get much further than the coffee shop in the basement. Kyung Han taught us some more Korean (which Sara is doing really well with, by the way) and I did my best to give my full attention. The headache made it really difficult to concentrate. So, eventually, I had to excuse myself and go back to my apt.



I actually teared up a little bit because my Mom always does such a good job taking care of me when I'm "sick"... and she's not here! But Sara took good care of me. She went back to my apt. with me and gave me a much-needed back rub. We had some really refreshing conversations, prayer time, and shared some galbi dinner before she went home.

I feel like I should probably explain Chuseok a little more... but I don't really feel like doing another blog post about it right now. [Sorry] If you would like to learn more about it, I can send you the ppt. that I am using for my classroom this week (my students are going to learn how to describe Chuseok in English). The basic idea of Chuseok: it's a time to be thankful!

So, I'm incredibly thankful for all the Lord is doing, has done and is going to do. I'm thankful for Kyung Han Kim and Sara. I'm thankful for His provision for me even in the midst of my sickness (last week, some of the teachers gave me chicken noodle soup and Kleenex boxes... and they of course didn't even know that I was going to be sick)! As I sit here with Kleenex tissues surrounding me, Benadryl tablets, and a cup of orange juice in front of me, I must admit that it's a little more challenging to be thankful for the sickness. But, I've gotten lots of extra time to rest since we had Monday and Tuesday off from school due to Chuseok. So, even though my plans to go visit Meido Island with Hil this weekend had to be cancelled, I'm thankful for some built-in time to rest and take it easy.

More to come later...

Dobongsan

Saturday afternoon, I met up with some of my friends from SMOE orientation to go mountain climbing. It turned out to be quite an adventure!


At the beginning of our adventure... unaware of what exactly we were getting ourselves into. You can see our mountain, Dobongsan in the background.
(Me, Kenneth, Josie, Sarah, & Sara... Taryn is behind the camera)



Trekking up Dobongsan...



Break #1 (of MANY!)


When I saw this picture that Taryn took, I couldn't help but think of the amazing Creator we have! "For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him." -Psalm 95:3-4


Another break... the man standing up wearing the white shirt is named David. He was a kind Korean that decided to hike up the mountain with us, practicing his English, taking pictures for us, timing our breaks, motivating us to keep moving, and giving us lots of encouragement. He was very sweet.


A small glimpse of what we found ourselves up against...



We were all pretty pleased with our group picture at this particular break...



Beautiful!



Kind of looks like we're flying... we should have put our arms in the air!



Made it to the top!



Seoul


Breathtaking, huh? It's so encouraging to know that the God who put these mountains into place is the God who loves me and allows me to experience the joy of knowing Him each day!

I definitely had a great time. I enjoyed our numerous breaks, being able to relate with each other as English teachers in Korea, laughing about random things, eating chocolate, and being amazed by the beauty of God's incredible creation. It was incredibly exhausting though! We had planned to have pancakes at Josie's afterward. I was so tired after Dobangsan, I decided to go back to my apt. and rest up. It was a good thing I did... Sunday morning I woke up with a bad headache and sore throat. Little bit of a cold...

THANKSGIVING

Since Chuseok (the Korean Thanksgiving celebration) is coming up this weekend, it only seems fitting to dedicate a blog post to things I am so thankful for... particularly since God has been absolutely overwhelming me with His love, provision, and joy. I don't think I can even begin to adequately describe how I feel... how incredible His provision and presence is... but I will do my best:

• I am thankful for OVERWHELMING support from people back home... I can hardly put it into words. Yeah, basically I'm speechless (if that is even possible)... Your emails, prayers, and support mean so much to me!
  
• I am thankful for opportunities to get to know my co-teachers on a deeper level. I LOVE them! Our conversations this week have been so meaningful and it's exciting to be developing friendships with them. I also really see God at work in SO many ways... something I've been praying for specifically. I am looking forward to seeing how He will bring glory to Himself through this time. Thanks for your prayers - keep it up! :)
  
• I am thankful for such loving and helpful co-teachers. Yesterday several of them found out that I am still looking for a church. Two of them went to work immediately searching online for some English-speaking churches and printed out info for me. One of them told me about her sister's church and had her sister call me within an hour after school was finished to invite me to come with her on Sunday! So encouraged... I'm really excited to visit. I can't wait to get plugged in with a church family! The search for a church also brought about some neat conversations yesterday.
• I am thankful that God is allowing me to be a teacher! I am really loving it! There are definitely challenges already, but it seems like such a good fit. It's so neat to see how God has prepared me for this time... and encouraging to think about how He is using this time to prepare me for whatever He has in store down the road. I've really enjoyed my lesson plans this week and have gotten some positive feedback, which has also been really encouraging.
  
• I am thankful that God provided a toaster and hot water pitcher for me through my school this week. They are so thoughtful.
  
• I am thankful that God provided extra virgin olive oil for me. Today when I arrived at school, there was a bottle of extra virgin olive oil sitting in a bag on my desk. The principal gave each teacher a bottle for Chuseok. Want to know the best part about it? Olive oil was totally on my grocery list... and I nearly scratched it off the list yesterday because it's so expensive. He truly KNOWS our needs... even the small, miniscule ones!
  
• I am thankful that God provided a coffee pot for me today through my dear friend Kang Meesuk! (Something I've really been missing... )
  
• I am thankful that God provided GROCERIES for me today through Kang Meesuk's sister! So overwhelmed... bagels, cream cheese, American cheese, Campbell's chicken noodle soup, Campbell's tomato paste, creamer for my coffee... all from au bon pain. Maybe I'll actually get to start using my little kitchenette!
  
• I am thankful that God provided even more kitchen stuff for me - a set of clear glasses and beautiful mugs from one of the 9th grade gym teachers (I've never even met her before)! People are so incredibly generous...
• I am thankful that God provided more hangers for me from my vice principal. Exactly waht I needed... once again!
  
• I am thankful for an incredibly encouraging Bible study last night with Hil. We studied I Peter 1:1-7. Good stuff! Her friendship is such a blessing to me!
• I am thankful that God provided a western style dinner for Sara and me tonight - real pizza followed by ice cream from Baskin Robbins! So sweet and refreshing - the food and the fellowship! We prayed for a nice Western place to eat that wasn't too pricey... and God provided, once again.
  
• The list could certainly go on... but it's way past my bedtime (I'm thankful for sleep too)...

This is blog post #100... and it just so happens that the 100th Psalm is a Psalm of Thanksgiving (how appropriate):

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness endures through all generations.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

Overwhelmed... Again!

God is doing such great things - answering prayer in such sweet ways. I don't have a whole lot of time to explain how right now, but thanks so much for all of you who are praying! I'm really excited to be here. He is SO faithful. I will update more later...


But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Psalm 73:28

~Holly Nicole

Highlights of today:

- Taught my Olympics lesson plan... and realized that I was definitely over-prepared (which is better than under-prepared, I think)! Had to do some quick thinking on my feet with the lower level classes... and when the computers weren't working, but it all worked out and the teachers seemed pleased. Some of those middle school students sure are rowdy though! Whoever said Korean students are perfectly behaved in class should just come visit a middle school before the bell rings (and even after the bell rings)... and they will get a little taste of chaotic madness!

- Kang Meesuk has been so SWEET to me! She is the dear teacher who brought all of those dishes to my apartment a week or two ago. She has been so generous and thoughtful. Yesterday she wanted to be sure to let me know that those supplies were from God... so I should be sure to thank Him. I informed her that I have been thanking Him... and totally appreciate that she was willing to play a big role in being a blessing to me. Today we had several more opportunities to talk. She is a Catholic woman that loves the Lord whole-heartedly. She has also been incredibly hospitable toward me. I think she's taking me grocery shopping on Thursday afternoon. Earlier today she was looking up the cheapest prices online for the last few things I still need for my apartment. So thoughtful!

- After school, I applied for my Alien Registration Card with Anna (Kim Young Chae), my main co-teacher. We waited at the immigration office for only about one hour (which is surprising since we forgot to make an appt. ahead of time). Things went pretty well - we had a nice time chatting. Afterward, she took me to Kyobo Bookstore (one of the two largest bookstores in Seoul). We looked at a few curriculum books and then were about to part ways, but decided to have dinner together inside the bookstore (it's a BIG bookstore). It was our first meal together outside of school and we had some really great conversation time (and the food was GOOD). I feel like we were able to get to know each other a lot better, which was really nice. It was so enjoyable. Afterward, I explored the bookstore a little more and did some window-shopping. It was fun.

- Now I'm back in my apartment and just about ready to go get my laundry. This time I remembered to add soap at the beginning. :) I also wore more comfortable shoes today, Grandma. ;)

Good night friends!

Lesson Learned: Ask for Directions & Wear Comfortable Shoes

Sometimes we have to learn things the hard way. Today I learned to make sure that I am wearing comfortable, broken-in shoes and socks... especially when in transit. After I finished my last class today, I left the school and started to head back to my apartment, and then realized that I didn't really know how to get back. You see, every time that I've left school, I've been with my co-teacher (Young Chae/Anna) and we normally go run errands. Today as I was leaving, I realized I didn't know how to get to the nearest subway stop... and the bus system is still a massive wave of intimidation for me. But being the "independent" person that I think I am, I decided it would not be too much trouble. Surely if I walked in one direction long enough, I'd come across a subway station... About a half hour later, I arrived at Cheongnyangni Subway Station. (It might not have taken me so long to walk if my feet had not been in such pain from the uncomfortable apparel). It was a painful trip. I made it back safely, but walked slower than a snail probably. Next time, I think I'll ask for directions... and make sure that my shoes are broken in before embarking on such ridiculous ventures.

In other news, my first day as a teacher went well. I finished meeting the last of my new students and was busy working the entire day (kind of refreshing)! The co-teachers seemed to like my Olympics lesson plan... and my after-school class went well. Sometimes I forget that I used to dream of being a teacher. Today, as I was walking to one of my classes, I had a flashback. I used to "play school" with Zac all the time... and of course, insisted on being the teacher! Now, I get to be the teacher... living my dreams, I guess. I just never figured they would be in a foreign country halfway across the world! (I know, I know... I'm super-cheesy... but that's me.) :)

Another Random Update

Lots to write about, but my thoughts are somewhat scattered and I need to finish preparing for going to school tomorrow.

I'm excited about teaching.
I miss my family and home.
I really want to find a church home soon... but I don't want to be hasty either. Visited an awesome church today with Bok ja, but the main service was in Korean, which was somewhat problematic for comprehension, unfortunately.
I'm thankful for Skype.
I'm thankful to be back in my own apartment. I'm excited to spend more time with another English teacher from orientation that loves Jesus and lives here.
It's nice to get back to creating some type of "normalcy" - whatever that means.
Still trying to adapt to the food.
Need to learn to read Korean.
Need to start utilizing the fitness center in the basement of my apt. complex.
I'm thankful for the internet.
I want to make a budget soon... but I'm still trying to figure out what my living expenses will be.
I miss China and bamboo (as opposed to metal) chopsticks.
I am so thankful for Hil and the sweet time we had together last night.
I'm thankful for Skype.
I need to not frequent my favorite Italian coffee shop so much.
I want to watch a movie in English.
I don't like "gray" areas when it comes to decision-making.
I'm never ever going to even attempt to go grocery stopping at a major store on a weekend again. It's like Christmas shopping the Day after Thanksgiving - chaotic and draining!
I feel more homesick when people talk in Korean when I'm trying to participate in the conversation (i.e. listening at church, Korean English teacher's meeting, less formal settings when I'm with Korean friends/teachers).
I like Bok ja and her family so much.
I am tired of/don't like making decisions sometimes.
Tomorrow I get to be a real teacher.
I love Jesus and am so thankful for life in Him. There truly is no greater joy than knowing Him and making Him known!
Good night.

Orientation Pics...

Brief Summary of Orientation: I learned several helpful things for teaching and am excited to TEACH! I also enjoyed learning more about Korean culture. I met several really neat people and am thankful for new friends. (Although, I will admit, I wasn't terribly extroverted... I guess I decided to focus on getting to know a few people somewhat well, as opposed to tons of people on the surface.) The week was unnecessarily too long and I was definitely ready to get back to settling into life.

Some random highlights:

Meet Mr. Spam-Ears. This is the result of boredom after dinner... and leftovers from a rather unappetizing dinner. Josie was the main creator; Taryn, Sara, and I added a few touches. Perhaps we missed our life calling and should be artists instead.



Sitting in the Dining Room, enjoying random conversation and making creations out of our food. Sara's roommates sat with us. Amanda is hiding, but Terry is smiling.


My roomies: Taryn and Josie! We had such a sweet time together. I'm really thankful for those girls!


The main point of this picture was to try to capture the mountains and the sunset. Turned out okay... but was totally better in person (as always seems to be the case with sunsets).


Another roomie pic.



Josie and I were bored because we got to our meeting early. So, we played with Taryn's camera and made her sweet messages like this one. Good times.


We visited the National Museum Friday afternoon. We only spent about two hours there and didn't get to see a whole lot, but it was free and perhaps I'll return at some point this year.


Museum buddies. Pictured: Me, Sharon, Kay, Sam, Sara, & Josie. We had a nice time exploring together (although the extremely weak coffee was somewhat of a disappointment).


Fan Dance at the Closing Ceremony. I had a front row seat, which was sweet for taking pictures.


Drummers at the Closing Ceremony.


Goodbye roomies (for now). We're planning to hike a mountain together next Saturday for Chuseok (Thanksgiving holiday for Koreans). I'm looking forward to seeing them again!


Sara and I - after surviving a full week of SMOE orientation!

SMOE ORIENTATION

SMOE stands for Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. I have been at orientation all week with approximately 250 other English teachers from all over the world - USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, etc. All of us are employed by SMOE... and most people here are pretty well-traveled. It's fun to talk with people that love to travel and see the world.

Orientation has been helpful, for the most part. I have to admit, I really wasn't looking forward to it at the beginning, but now I'm thankful for the experience. Although there are many things that could be improved, I've enjoyed making new friends, learning more about Korean culture, and I now have several more tools to add to my teacher toolbox (my roommate is laughing at me right now for that last phrase).

Speaking of roommates, I've had a wonderful time with Taryn & Josie (pictured below). We have had so many times of random laughter... and lots of great conversations. We all share a similar sense of humor, which is kind of nice.


I'm looking forward to hanging out with them more this upcoming year.


This was our first night at orientation. Sara, myself, Taryn, and Josie had a "chocolate party." We had a few chocolate parties when I was in college... and somehow the idea came up and was a wonderful start to our week. We definitely had a lot of giggles. It's fun being a girl.



This is a sample of what our meals are like in the Hyundai Learning Center. The soup was actually pretty good - the Korean version of chicken noodle soup without the noodles, I guess. In the upper left hand corner, you may see some light purple octopus legs. I'm afraid that I didn't do such a good job trying the food on this particular occasion. Some of the food has been okay this week... I'm looking forward to the more authentic Korean restaurants, though.



Last night, we had traditional Korean dancing lessons. It was definitely an interesting time... I'm not sure that my dancing skills improved all that much...

Orientation lasts until Saturday... Tomorrow we are giving mini-teaching lessons.