Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Night Lights
Normally, you're supposed to enjoy Christmas lights before Christmas. But this time, I didn't get to make it to the Cheunggyecheun Lights Festival until after Christmas. It was still enjoyable!
Had a nice time with Sara & Janis over the weekend... I'm SO thankful for these girls!
dinner at my place...
enjoying the city all lit up for Christmas
If you look carefully, you can see the infamous cone in the middle of this picture. It is right next to the Cheunggyecheun (small river in the city). There were screens of lights all around it that kept lighting up with different messages and pictures. I had to take numerous pictures to finally get one with both the lights and cone visible.
Overlooking the Cheunggyecheun. It was all decked out with snowflakes! =)
a closer view
They actually do offer horse-drawn carriage rides here! Nice, nice...
People wrote their wishes for 2009 on ornaments to decorate the tree. I didn't realize it was a wishing tree until after I wrote on my ornament a Merry Christmas message... oops!
Some of the ornaments/messages up close!
Janis and Sara admiring the cafe that I went to with Alice earlier this fall. Unfortunately, the cafe was closed when we went to visit. I was excited to be able to find it though!
Couldn't resist a picture with this sign... at HOLLYS COFFEE of course!
Had a nice time with Sara & Janis over the weekend... I'm SO thankful for these girls!
dinner at my place...
enjoying the city all lit up for Christmas
If you look carefully, you can see the infamous cone in the middle of this picture. It is right next to the Cheunggyecheun (small river in the city). There were screens of lights all around it that kept lighting up with different messages and pictures. I had to take numerous pictures to finally get one with both the lights and cone visible.
Overlooking the Cheunggyecheun. It was all decked out with snowflakes! =)
a closer view
They actually do offer horse-drawn carriage rides here! Nice, nice...
People wrote their wishes for 2009 on ornaments to decorate the tree. I didn't realize it was a wishing tree until after I wrote on my ornament a Merry Christmas message... oops!
Some of the ornaments/messages up close!
Janis and Sara admiring the cafe that I went to with Alice earlier this fall. Unfortunately, the cafe was closed when we went to visit. I was excited to be able to find it though!
Couldn't resist a picture with this sign... at HOLLYS COFFEE of course!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Preparing for Winter Vacation...
Winter vacation is here. The schools here are on break until the first week of February. Then the students come back to school for one week - the third graders graduate and the semester officially ends. Then everyone is off again for the rest of February and the new school year resumes March 2nd. The school building is quiet. I am still required to go to school... and will be teaching during January (providing enough students sign up for my class).
Concerning winter vacation, my feelings are a bit bittersweet. Lots of changes. Students are gone. Most teachers are gone. Friday (the day after Christmas) was a long day - several teachers were still at school finishing up paperwork from the semester. But I'm realizing I certainly would not make it sitting at a desk 8 hrs. a day every day for the rest of my life. I get so restless and fidgety!!!
My friends are beginning their travels to visit home (fortunately, they are not all leaving me at once, but spaced it out so that only one of them will be gone at a time... though it was not intentional, I appreciate it!).
I'm thankful for the change of pace and ready for a little bit of a break from my regular teaching schedule. But I'm really going to miss all of my teachers and students... and our English Bible study! However, last week was a really sweet week - spreading Christmas cheer, saying goodbyes to teachers, reflecting on my first full semester at Cheongryang, seeing answers to prayer...
God has done great things this semester... and we'll just keep trusting Him for greater things yet to come...
Concerning winter vacation, my feelings are a bit bittersweet. Lots of changes. Students are gone. Most teachers are gone. Friday (the day after Christmas) was a long day - several teachers were still at school finishing up paperwork from the semester. But I'm realizing I certainly would not make it sitting at a desk 8 hrs. a day every day for the rest of my life. I get so restless and fidgety!!!
My friends are beginning their travels to visit home (fortunately, they are not all leaving me at once, but spaced it out so that only one of them will be gone at a time... though it was not intentional, I appreciate it!).
I'm thankful for the change of pace and ready for a little bit of a break from my regular teaching schedule. But I'm really going to miss all of my teachers and students... and our English Bible study! However, last week was a really sweet week - spreading Christmas cheer, saying goodbyes to teachers, reflecting on my first full semester at Cheongryang, seeing answers to prayer...
God has done great things this semester... and we'll just keep trusting Him for greater things yet to come...
Christmas Greetings from Students
On Christmas Eve, I had a few students surprise me with Christmas cards/letters. They were SO sweet! I must share a couple (unedited) excerpts with you:
To Burkey
S: surprised person
M: major person
I: interesting person
L: laugh person
E: emotional person
= YOU!
After I read the last line (about the emotional person), I figured out why the teachers brought Kleenex to my home for the Christmas party along with all of the fruit and humidifier. Made me chuckle...
A particularly touching letter:
Hello Burkey?
Christmas is coming soon.
Christmas is the day who Jesus was born.
I believe in Jesus. I'm a Christian!
Teacher! I want to be familiar to you. ^^
Burkey's class time is very interesting.
So I always expect to listen (take) your class time.
umm...
You must eat this (bulgogi). --> It is very delicious!
So, I like it very much! ^^
... Anyway, Merry Christmas! and Nice day!
I was really encouraged by their thoughtful cards. This semester I realize I've focused mostly on getting my bearings and establishing relationships with my teachers. There are a few students that I've gotten to know somewhat well (particularly my after-school kids). However, I feel like I only started to know my classes at the end of the semester. I'm looking forward to *potentially* being here for the entire school year in 2009 and really getting to know my students.
To Burkey
S: surprised person
M: major person
I: interesting person
L: laugh person
E: emotional person
= YOU!
After I read the last line (about the emotional person), I figured out why the teachers brought Kleenex to my home for the Christmas party along with all of the fruit and humidifier. Made me chuckle...
A particularly touching letter:
Hello Burkey?
Christmas is coming soon.
Christmas is the day who Jesus was born.
I believe in Jesus. I'm a Christian!
Teacher! I want to be familiar to you. ^^
Burkey's class time is very interesting.
So I always expect to listen (take) your class time.
umm...
You must eat this (bulgogi). --> It is very delicious!
So, I like it very much! ^^
... Anyway, Merry Christmas! and Nice day!
I was really encouraged by their thoughtful cards. This semester I realize I've focused mostly on getting my bearings and establishing relationships with my teachers. There are a few students that I've gotten to know somewhat well (particularly my after-school kids). However, I feel like I only started to know my classes at the end of the semester. I'm looking forward to *potentially* being here for the entire school year in 2009 and really getting to know my students.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas Day
On Christmas Day in the morning...
Christmas morning started off quite peacefully. Although I would have liked to sleep longer, I was thankful to get up early to have some sweet time in the morning...
I made cinnamon rolls with the ingredients my mom sent to me. Although I didn't follow the directions correctly (never seem to be able to when I'm cooking/baking)... they still turned out pretty well, which I was thankful for. =)
It was a lovely morning - eating cinnamon rolls, sipping some chocolate truffle coffee that my Aunt Rose sent, reflecting on the birth of Christ, opening some gifts, and skyping with my family. A special morning, for sure. I couldn't linger too long though... had to prepare for a Christmas party at Janis' place! =)
Christmas at Janis'
Janis has the biggest apartment out of all of us and graciously offered to host our Christmas celebration! So, we had a potluck dinner - Korean style. You'll notice everyone is sitting on the floor... totally acceptable here in Korea!
We were excited because Janis found some plastic real-looking plates in her apartment left from the last people. They left her so many useful things. So many treasures... =)
My complete experiment: Turkey Bow Tie Skillet. I was looking for some recipes online to use some canned turkey... and didn't have all the ingredients I needed, but the improvising seemed to work fine. Canned turkey, celery, green onions, green pepper, tomatoes, parsley flakes, pepper, bowtie pasta, garlic-seasoned sauce, and a bit of mozzarella cheese on top. I was relieved that it actually turned out! I'm beginning to have an itch to start cooking more with all of this Christmas baking and cooking that's been happening...
The girls: Janis, Millie, Cassi, Sara, me, Sung hee
(I was SOOO thankful that Sara was feeling better and able to come to our party!)
Opening Gifts
We played one of my family's favorite games - Apples to Apples after lunch. After awhile, Daniel was getting impatient about opening gifts. But before we opened gifts, Zane played a few Christmas carols on his guitar. We sang Away in a Manger and Joy to the World and passed the gifts around the circle when we came to certain words like "and"/"the" etc. (It was a spin on something that I do with my cousins every year using the story, "Twas the Night Before Christmas." We shared lots of laughter... then opened our gifts... followed by more laughter.
Janis got a dancing monkey, I think.
Cassi got some picture frames...
same for Zane
Tim got something to stick on your car and write messages on... not sure he'll be able to use it here in Korea, but it made for some good laughs. =)
COFFEE mugs!!! I was so excited. The best part... they match the bright orange, purple, and pink blanket my mom gave me before I came to Korea... and the pink and orange socks she sent me for Christmas. I love color coordination... and coffee... =)
Sara ended up with the gift I brought - a candy cane wreath with a high-quality Bethel College Chapel Band CD!!!
Sung hee received a basket full of sweets.
Daniel - the one that was most excited to open gifts - opened his gift last and was surprised with some fun girly socks. We all had a good laugh.
Oh, and Janis also opened up some lovely earrings sent from one of her dear friends from Canada.
Sara and I couldn't resist taking a picture with our brand-new-almost-matching snowflake socks. Her's actually light up when her feet are moving!
My dear friend Grace came later in the evening - I was SO happy to have her stop by! =)
Shortly after she arrived, we all decided it was time to get out of Janis' apartment and went with her to buy water downstairs at the convenience store. We were kind of tired of being in the apartment all day... so we went on a "Brisk Walk" and visited Janis' school - a whole two minutes away. We actually saw a couple of stars in the distance (something we don't really get to see here in Seoul). It was lovely - never mind the fact that we were standing in a freezing parking lot with an old run-down truck next to us and a locked-up school building in front of us. I think all of us agreed - it was one of our highlights of the day. =)
Another girls' picture... Sung hee, Grace, me, Janis, Cassi, & Millie
Saying goodbye to Sung hee
Oh Janis... I love how we both randomly burst out in song all the time!
Vince (our small group leader over the last term) came VERY late and brought us a bucket of KFC chicken... and stirred up a little bit of trouble, as usual!
By the end of the evening, I was exhausted (once again). Fortunately, Daniel and Janis agreed to help me carry home all of my dishes and cooking supplies. We hopped on a bus that I thought took me directly to my apartment. What should have been a 10 minute bus ride was more like a 30 or 45 minute bus ride, but I got home eventually. It was nice to see the city all lit up for Christmas on the way home.
Then I got to talk to my Nana & Papu for a little bit before crashing for the night.
It was a nice Christmas. Definitely different from normal... but some nice, new memories, for sure. =)
Christmas morning started off quite peacefully. Although I would have liked to sleep longer, I was thankful to get up early to have some sweet time in the morning...
I made cinnamon rolls with the ingredients my mom sent to me. Although I didn't follow the directions correctly (never seem to be able to when I'm cooking/baking)... they still turned out pretty well, which I was thankful for. =)
It was a lovely morning - eating cinnamon rolls, sipping some chocolate truffle coffee that my Aunt Rose sent, reflecting on the birth of Christ, opening some gifts, and skyping with my family. A special morning, for sure. I couldn't linger too long though... had to prepare for a Christmas party at Janis' place! =)
Christmas at Janis'
Janis has the biggest apartment out of all of us and graciously offered to host our Christmas celebration! So, we had a potluck dinner - Korean style. You'll notice everyone is sitting on the floor... totally acceptable here in Korea!
We were excited because Janis found some plastic real-looking plates in her apartment left from the last people. They left her so many useful things. So many treasures... =)
My complete experiment: Turkey Bow Tie Skillet. I was looking for some recipes online to use some canned turkey... and didn't have all the ingredients I needed, but the improvising seemed to work fine. Canned turkey, celery, green onions, green pepper, tomatoes, parsley flakes, pepper, bowtie pasta, garlic-seasoned sauce, and a bit of mozzarella cheese on top. I was relieved that it actually turned out! I'm beginning to have an itch to start cooking more with all of this Christmas baking and cooking that's been happening...
The girls: Janis, Millie, Cassi, Sara, me, Sung hee
(I was SOOO thankful that Sara was feeling better and able to come to our party!)
Opening Gifts
We played one of my family's favorite games - Apples to Apples after lunch. After awhile, Daniel was getting impatient about opening gifts. But before we opened gifts, Zane played a few Christmas carols on his guitar. We sang Away in a Manger and Joy to the World and passed the gifts around the circle when we came to certain words like "and"/"the" etc. (It was a spin on something that I do with my cousins every year using the story, "Twas the Night Before Christmas." We shared lots of laughter... then opened our gifts... followed by more laughter.
Janis got a dancing monkey, I think.
Cassi got some picture frames...
same for Zane
Tim got something to stick on your car and write messages on... not sure he'll be able to use it here in Korea, but it made for some good laughs. =)
COFFEE mugs!!! I was so excited. The best part... they match the bright orange, purple, and pink blanket my mom gave me before I came to Korea... and the pink and orange socks she sent me for Christmas. I love color coordination... and coffee... =)
Sara ended up with the gift I brought - a candy cane wreath with a high-quality Bethel College Chapel Band CD!!!
Sung hee received a basket full of sweets.
Daniel - the one that was most excited to open gifts - opened his gift last and was surprised with some fun girly socks. We all had a good laugh.
Oh, and Janis also opened up some lovely earrings sent from one of her dear friends from Canada.
Sara and I couldn't resist taking a picture with our brand-new-almost-matching snowflake socks. Her's actually light up when her feet are moving!
My dear friend Grace came later in the evening - I was SO happy to have her stop by! =)
Shortly after she arrived, we all decided it was time to get out of Janis' apartment and went with her to buy water downstairs at the convenience store. We were kind of tired of being in the apartment all day... so we went on a "Brisk Walk" and visited Janis' school - a whole two minutes away. We actually saw a couple of stars in the distance (something we don't really get to see here in Seoul). It was lovely - never mind the fact that we were standing in a freezing parking lot with an old run-down truck next to us and a locked-up school building in front of us. I think all of us agreed - it was one of our highlights of the day. =)
Another girls' picture... Sung hee, Grace, me, Janis, Cassi, & Millie
Saying goodbye to Sung hee
Oh Janis... I love how we both randomly burst out in song all the time!
Vince (our small group leader over the last term) came VERY late and brought us a bucket of KFC chicken... and stirred up a little bit of trouble, as usual!
By the end of the evening, I was exhausted (once again). Fortunately, Daniel and Janis agreed to help me carry home all of my dishes and cooking supplies. We hopped on a bus that I thought took me directly to my apartment. What should have been a 10 minute bus ride was more like a 30 or 45 minute bus ride, but I got home eventually. It was nice to see the city all lit up for Christmas on the way home.
Then I got to talk to my Nana & Papu for a little bit before crashing for the night.
It was a nice Christmas. Definitely different from normal... but some nice, new memories, for sure. =)
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmastime...
So many Christmas festivities to share...
OEM Choir
I finally decided to join the choir at my church about a month ago. Our choir is small, but we have a lot of fun. It was really special to sing Christmas songs together.
Our choir on stage. You can actually hear us singing at: www.cgntv.net/service/program.asp?pid=224. We're not professional, but enjoy singing to the Lord!
Christmas Eve - at Cheongryang
Christmas Eve was different than it has ever been before (obviously). I had to be at school on Christmas Eve (though I didn't teach any classes). I didn't mind it too much, though. I think it was good to spend the day surrounded by people. I found myself wanting to soak up the time in the office with all of the other teachers. Not too many of them are going to be around during winter vacation, so it's going to be pretty quiet around the school... and I'm going to miss them. So, it was fun to sit at my desk writing Christmas cards, handing out candy canes, and enjoying sweet conversations (also managed to fit in another nice long nap at school that day...). A few teachers surprised me with some very thoughtful gifts and letters, which totally blessed my heart. I've been realizing again that I'm in such a unique situation at my school... and I'm seeing God answer prayers in some sweet ways. I praise God for my Cheongryang teachers!!!
Christmas Eve program
After school was finished, one of my co-teachers, Lee Won Kyung went with me to a Christmas Ever service that Bok ja invited me to. We met up for dinner with several friends and then headed over to the Navigators group that Bok ja and her husband are a part of.
Me and Won Kyung. This was while we were waiting to pick up our dinner.
This pic was taken in front of a big shopping center. The E-mart that I do my grocery shopping is inside of this place... it's also where we ate dinner for the evening.
back row: Zane, Daniel, Kevin, Vince
front row: me, Won Kyung, Janis, Sung hee
Just girls... Janis, me, Bok ja, Won Kyung, Sung hee
(Unfortunately Sara couldn't come because she was really sick...)
The Navigators program included singing, choreography, a drama, and a short message. All of it was in Korean, so that definitely made this Christmas Eve unique. It only seemed fitting to attend a Korean Christmas Eve service since I'm in KOREA... Of course, I didn't understand much of what was said, although being familiar with the Christmas story certainly helped. =)
I LOOOVE hearing quality guys sing! At the Christmas Eve service, these guys sang so well and had some great choreography too. Janis and I both enjoyed it thoroughly!
The cast in the Christmas drama. They seemed like professional actors. I was thankful to have Won Kyung sitting next to me translating. I in turn, passed the rough translation on to Janis. We had a decent idea of the production, and really enjoyed it. It was nice to be at a Christmas program - kind of comforting in some ways, I guess.
After the program, we had a birthday cake for Jesus and sang Happy Birthday to him. It was fun. Bok ja and her husband were such gracious hosts.
Christmas with the Family
Toward the end of the evening, I found myself feeling slightly homesick and completely exhausted (it was such a busy week with Christmas preparations). After some quick grocery shopping, I had the privilege of skyping with my family as they ate our traditional Christmas morning breakfast (cinnamon rolls and cherry-go-round). We read the Christmas story together and opened gifts, which was special. I think my favorite gift that I gave was the dried squid for my Dad. =) Once again, I'm SO thankful for Skype...
OEM Choir
I finally decided to join the choir at my church about a month ago. Our choir is small, but we have a lot of fun. It was really special to sing Christmas songs together.
Our choir on stage. You can actually hear us singing at: www.cgntv.net/service/program.asp?pid=224. We're not professional, but enjoy singing to the Lord!
Christmas Eve - at Cheongryang
Christmas Eve was different than it has ever been before (obviously). I had to be at school on Christmas Eve (though I didn't teach any classes). I didn't mind it too much, though. I think it was good to spend the day surrounded by people. I found myself wanting to soak up the time in the office with all of the other teachers. Not too many of them are going to be around during winter vacation, so it's going to be pretty quiet around the school... and I'm going to miss them. So, it was fun to sit at my desk writing Christmas cards, handing out candy canes, and enjoying sweet conversations (also managed to fit in another nice long nap at school that day...). A few teachers surprised me with some very thoughtful gifts and letters, which totally blessed my heart. I've been realizing again that I'm in such a unique situation at my school... and I'm seeing God answer prayers in some sweet ways. I praise God for my Cheongryang teachers!!!
Christmas Eve program
After school was finished, one of my co-teachers, Lee Won Kyung went with me to a Christmas Ever service that Bok ja invited me to. We met up for dinner with several friends and then headed over to the Navigators group that Bok ja and her husband are a part of.
Me and Won Kyung. This was while we were waiting to pick up our dinner.
This pic was taken in front of a big shopping center. The E-mart that I do my grocery shopping is inside of this place... it's also where we ate dinner for the evening.
back row: Zane, Daniel, Kevin, Vince
front row: me, Won Kyung, Janis, Sung hee
Just girls... Janis, me, Bok ja, Won Kyung, Sung hee
(Unfortunately Sara couldn't come because she was really sick...)
The Navigators program included singing, choreography, a drama, and a short message. All of it was in Korean, so that definitely made this Christmas Eve unique. It only seemed fitting to attend a Korean Christmas Eve service since I'm in KOREA... Of course, I didn't understand much of what was said, although being familiar with the Christmas story certainly helped. =)
I LOOOVE hearing quality guys sing! At the Christmas Eve service, these guys sang so well and had some great choreography too. Janis and I both enjoyed it thoroughly!
The cast in the Christmas drama. They seemed like professional actors. I was thankful to have Won Kyung sitting next to me translating. I in turn, passed the rough translation on to Janis. We had a decent idea of the production, and really enjoyed it. It was nice to be at a Christmas program - kind of comforting in some ways, I guess.
After the program, we had a birthday cake for Jesus and sang Happy Birthday to him. It was fun. Bok ja and her husband were such gracious hosts.
Christmas with the Family
Toward the end of the evening, I found myself feeling slightly homesick and completely exhausted (it was such a busy week with Christmas preparations). After some quick grocery shopping, I had the privilege of skyping with my family as they ate our traditional Christmas morning breakfast (cinnamon rolls and cherry-go-round). We read the Christmas story together and opened gifts, which was special. I think my favorite gift that I gave was the dried squid for my Dad. =) Once again, I'm SO thankful for Skype...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sugar Cookies, a Christmas Party, and Unexpected Blessings
Friday night, Sara came over and helped me make the sugar cookies that Aunt Rosalyn sent to me. It was a nice time of catching up and we enjoyed just hanging out with each other.
As you can see, it didn't take very long for the cookies to bake in my little toaster oven. I burned several of them... oops! But they were still edible and delicious.
We had fun decorating... =)
My cute little tray of decorated sugar cookies... which were all ready for my Christmas party on Saturday with some of my lovely Cheongryang teachers!!!
The Christmas Party
Saturday afternoon, I had eight teachers come visit my tiny apartment for a little Christmas party. I was SOOO excited to be a hostess... and to have an opportunity to express my gratitude to some of the teachers at Cheongryang. I feel like they've been such a blessing to me this year - such an encouragement and support!
The teachers that came: Lee Yun sil (one of the head teachers that sits next to me), Kim Yeong Chae (my main/official co-teacher/mom), Kang Meesuk (the teacher that gave me TONS of dishes when I first got here; always full of encouragement), Lee Bong Hee (one of the music teachers - her desk is right across from mine), Alice (co-teacher, my personal Korean tutor and good friend; I've written about her a lot in the past, I think), Kim Eun Mi (math teacher; very interested in our English Bible study, but had to teach an after-school class... ), Kang Bo-gil (art teacher; came to our English Bible study faithfully this semester), Kyunghan (the co-teacher that played the violin last week; we often have great heart-to-heart conversations)...
I LOOOOOVE these women!!!
It was exciting to share so many goodies that I received in the mail last week. The table runner is "holly"-themed and made by my Grandma (along with the caramels). It fits my little table perfectly! My family sent gingerbread cookies, spritz cookies, pizelles, candied nuts, and chocolates. (I received their package 45 minutes before the teachers came! Talk about good timing!!!).
The chocolate cookies are compliments of Bok ja.
Unexpected Blessings...
Last week, I woke up with a sore throat nearly every day because my apartment is SO dry with the weather changes. I spent all week complaining about it in my mind... and finally decided to stop complaining and had the novel idea to actually ask God to provide a humidifier for me. (Why I didn't think of it before, I'm not sure... He's ALWAYS so faithful to me).
At lunch Friday afternoon, asked Kim Yeong Chae how I could get a humidifier. She spent about 2 hrs. looking for a humidifier online. When she found one for me, it was going to be about 50,000 won (a reasonable price, yet much more than what I wanted to pay). I agreed to order it, thinking I would just pay for it myself...
But, Saturday afternoon when the teachers came to my party, they brought several surprises: a case of oranges, strawberries, grapes, Kleenex, Vienna chocolates... and (can you believe it?) A HUMIDIFIER!!!
They purposefully chose a humidifier with pink on it... they know me so well!
I was so surprised and blessed by their generous gifts. And even more so overwhelmed by the faithfulness of the Lord... once again!
He's always been faithful to me...
As you can see, it didn't take very long for the cookies to bake in my little toaster oven. I burned several of them... oops! But they were still edible and delicious.
We had fun decorating... =)
My cute little tray of decorated sugar cookies... which were all ready for my Christmas party on Saturday with some of my lovely Cheongryang teachers!!!
The Christmas Party
Saturday afternoon, I had eight teachers come visit my tiny apartment for a little Christmas party. I was SOOO excited to be a hostess... and to have an opportunity to express my gratitude to some of the teachers at Cheongryang. I feel like they've been such a blessing to me this year - such an encouragement and support!
The teachers that came: Lee Yun sil (one of the head teachers that sits next to me), Kim Yeong Chae (my main/official co-teacher/mom), Kang Meesuk (the teacher that gave me TONS of dishes when I first got here; always full of encouragement), Lee Bong Hee (one of the music teachers - her desk is right across from mine), Alice (co-teacher, my personal Korean tutor and good friend; I've written about her a lot in the past, I think), Kim Eun Mi (math teacher; very interested in our English Bible study, but had to teach an after-school class... ), Kang Bo-gil (art teacher; came to our English Bible study faithfully this semester), Kyunghan (the co-teacher that played the violin last week; we often have great heart-to-heart conversations)...
I LOOOOOVE these women!!!
It was exciting to share so many goodies that I received in the mail last week. The table runner is "holly"-themed and made by my Grandma (along with the caramels). It fits my little table perfectly! My family sent gingerbread cookies, spritz cookies, pizelles, candied nuts, and chocolates. (I received their package 45 minutes before the teachers came! Talk about good timing!!!).
The chocolate cookies are compliments of Bok ja.
Unexpected Blessings...
Last week, I woke up with a sore throat nearly every day because my apartment is SO dry with the weather changes. I spent all week complaining about it in my mind... and finally decided to stop complaining and had the novel idea to actually ask God to provide a humidifier for me. (Why I didn't think of it before, I'm not sure... He's ALWAYS so faithful to me).
At lunch Friday afternoon, asked Kim Yeong Chae how I could get a humidifier. She spent about 2 hrs. looking for a humidifier online. When she found one for me, it was going to be about 50,000 won (a reasonable price, yet much more than what I wanted to pay). I agreed to order it, thinking I would just pay for it myself...
But, Saturday afternoon when the teachers came to my party, they brought several surprises: a case of oranges, strawberries, grapes, Kleenex, Vienna chocolates... and (can you believe it?) A HUMIDIFIER!!!
They purposefully chose a humidifier with pink on it... they know me so well!
I was so surprised and blessed by their generous gifts. And even more so overwhelmed by the faithfulness of the Lord... once again!
He's always been faithful to me...
Away in a Manger
Last week, I taught the students about the Christmas Nativity story, using the song, Away in a Manger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnVorT14i4I). It was an incredible time of growth for me as a teacher on so many levels. I certainly have a lot more learning ahead of me, but last week was a special week for sure. It was my best lesson plan yet... and my students responded so well.
I wanted the lesson on Christmas to be especially meaningful... and God really put His blessing upon my teaching and students last week. As I taught the students about the Christmas story, I was reminded of my dear friends in China... and stories they shared with me about lessons learned from their English teachers. It's such a sweet opportunity...
A valuable tool for classroom management. I gave each group of students a laminated Christmas tree and told them that they would be decorating their Christmas tree with ornaments throughout the class. Whichever group had the most ornaments at the end of class would receive candy canes (which they were super-excited about). So, the students earned ornaments by listening quietly, answering questions, singing the song together, etc. I was shocked by how motivating this was for the students! Lots of fun too...
Here, the students had to put the lyrics of Away in a Manger in the correct order. It was difficult for them to complete the activity since the song was so new to them. So, I played portions of the song while they worked. The group that finished first received four extra ornaments. I had nearly 100% participation in most of my classes... so refreshing and encouraging! It was one of those weeks that reminded me that I DO enjoy being a teacher!
Their diligent work made my teacher heart so happy.
An extra special time with our Advanced Students...
Kyunghan (one of my dear co-teachers) brought in her violin and played Away in a Manger for us. It was such a sweet time.
Then, we had a little Christmas party with our advanced students. They brought in Korean food and shared presentations, describing the food in English. Both Kyunghan and I were so proud!
An excellent student with an excellent presentation!
steamed buns...
kimbop
another great presentation...
I forget what this is called... but the girls actually made this in class (ingredients: tuna, chili paste, etc.). Yes, I tasted it... and tuna isn't half bad.
Lisa, one of my dear after-school students. She is graduating this semester and I'm really going to miss her. She's such a sweetheart!
delicious fried sweet potatoes
I forget what these are called... but they're really delicious.
Definitely a great week at school. I'm so thankful for the power of prayer...
To God be the glory!!!
I wanted the lesson on Christmas to be especially meaningful... and God really put His blessing upon my teaching and students last week. As I taught the students about the Christmas story, I was reminded of my dear friends in China... and stories they shared with me about lessons learned from their English teachers. It's such a sweet opportunity...
A valuable tool for classroom management. I gave each group of students a laminated Christmas tree and told them that they would be decorating their Christmas tree with ornaments throughout the class. Whichever group had the most ornaments at the end of class would receive candy canes (which they were super-excited about). So, the students earned ornaments by listening quietly, answering questions, singing the song together, etc. I was shocked by how motivating this was for the students! Lots of fun too...
Here, the students had to put the lyrics of Away in a Manger in the correct order. It was difficult for them to complete the activity since the song was so new to them. So, I played portions of the song while they worked. The group that finished first received four extra ornaments. I had nearly 100% participation in most of my classes... so refreshing and encouraging! It was one of those weeks that reminded me that I DO enjoy being a teacher!
Their diligent work made my teacher heart so happy.
An extra special time with our Advanced Students...
Kyunghan (one of my dear co-teachers) brought in her violin and played Away in a Manger for us. It was such a sweet time.
Then, we had a little Christmas party with our advanced students. They brought in Korean food and shared presentations, describing the food in English. Both Kyunghan and I were so proud!
An excellent student with an excellent presentation!
steamed buns...
kimbop
another great presentation...
I forget what this is called... but the girls actually made this in class (ingredients: tuna, chili paste, etc.). Yes, I tasted it... and tuna isn't half bad.
Lisa, one of my dear after-school students. She is graduating this semester and I'm really going to miss her. She's such a sweetheart!
delicious fried sweet potatoes
I forget what these are called... but they're really delicious.
Definitely a great week at school. I'm so thankful for the power of prayer...
To God be the glory!!!
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