Tuesday, October 28, 2008

This Should Be Interesting

So the Korean Economy is really bad right now, which is really bad for us because we get a large sum of money at the end of our contract, which is directly transferred to our accounts in the U.S. If it stays this bad... well, we don't know what we'll be doing in 4 months.

So I thought we could do a little survey. But first you must read the warning:
WARNING - SUBMISSION OF REQUESTS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE WILL DO THEM! In fact, we may do the opposite. It's just a survey, more out of curiosity to see who's really even reading this thing anymore.

So we want to get your opinion. What would you have us do in 3-4 months? Our current plan is to return to Korea after time at home at least through the end of January. We've applied for several university positions here in Korea, but the process to teach at them takes a while. The jobs don't officially start until March 1st. And I really don't mind because I want to see how the economy pans out. Today, the exchange rate was 1,478KRW = $1US. That means that if I wanted to send home 100 dollars then I would have to have 148,000 Korean won. So we're basically paying $1.50 in exchange for a dollar. So... what would you do if you were in our situation? Your thoughts?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Learning How To Love The "Unlovable"

So Rebs and I were talking tonight about our days and reflecting on the past few weeks here in Korea. My week, personally, has been a little bit hectic, specifically regarding work. This week has been my toughest week working with kids. Many of our students are from orphanages around Seoul, and their behavior reflects it. They get into fights with the drop of a hat. I had two boys go to blows over a game of Jenga in my class this morning. There are also students who like to push the teacher's limits just to see what they can get away with. Then, when we're trying to discipline them, they start laughing because they think it's funny that someone is yelling at them in another language and they don't understand any of it.

Initially, I was really frustrated with this week. I would finish my day and feel completely drained, more emotionally than anything, but also tired from chasing kids around classrooms, and my voice hoarse from shouting over the dull roar of echoing classrooms. But I started praying about the situation this morning. I had a few extra minutes before I had to go to work and I grabbed my Bible and looked up the work child. Jesus says in Matthew that we have to be humbled, and child-like. Well, I definitely feel like I have been humbled this week. It's funny that God would wait until my last week to do this. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, that I was the master of the system for which I work, He threw me for a loop. So, on the one hand, I've been owned by some 9-year-olds.

But back to the prayer thing. So after I read that passage, I decided to pray over the situation. This is something I often idealize about but negligently do. I prayed for the kids. I prayed for God to show me how to love them and how to discipline them. This was something that I had been wanting to do all week, especially with knowing that they were orphans. (There are special ways to recognize orphans, like the way they cling to you almost immediately without even knowing you; they are desperate for love.) But every time I tried, I felt like I was getting walked on or so caught up in preventing fights that it seemed impossible.

But finally today, after checking the master schedule to find out which team numbers I was going to have after lunch, I realized I would be teaching the Bank class to the most rowdy 9-year-olds I've ever had. I had already had them twice so I knew what to expect. So anyway, I went upstairs and spoke to some other teachers and got some ideas. I got some materials from our Animation class and made an example of a Mickey Mouse dollar bill. I prayed this would work.

So the kids came to class and were rowdy as usual. I taught them a little about currency and the different sizes of American money. After that, I had lost more than half of the class. Several of them were more interested in rolling their chairs around the class or playing bumper chairs. But then I got out the project and it worked like a charm. I showed them the Mickey bill and then started handing out paper and markers. After about 5 minutes, they had all mostly calmed down and were diligently drawing. Soon, I also brought out the animation notebook that showed them how to draw cartoon characters. They loved this even more. They would show me their work and I would praise them for it. It felt so good not to have to discipline them negatively, but rather with positive reinforcement. I could sense their joy when they saw how proud I was of them. They didn't necessarily become angels, but God finally allowed them to receive the love they have been needing.

Also, on a further note, there is a little girl named Lucy with whom I have fallen in love with. She is about 3 feet tall and her hair is strung everywhere. Whenever she sees me, she comes and grabs my hand and never wants to let go. I'll try to take a picture with her tomorrow to post for you.

Good Snuggle Weather

It's a rainy day. Cool and breezy. The leaves are falling. I just got home from work a little bit ago. I'm pooped. It's a perfect evening for eating in bed, snuggling under the covers, curling up to watch a movie, and falling asleep in my husband's arms. I love Fall.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Catching You Up

- Last Tuesday, I got food poisoning and spent the day alternating between puking, having diarrhea, and laying in bed. No fun.
- Then, I spent the rest of the week feeling weak and tired.
- Last weekend I went to the World Passion Conference and saw Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. It was great to hear some amazing worship music after a year of struggling through not so amazing worship music.
- I can't wait to come home and worship at The Grove. I think it will make me so joyful that I'll have to sing at the top of my lungs and dance like a crazy woman. Sorry for those of you who might have to witness this.
- I got to hang out with my friend Natalie all weekend. She is awesome and has been such a blessing in my life in the past few months. Then, I had to say goodbye. Who knows when I'll see her again.
- The goodbyes have begun. I'm sad to say goodbye but so excited to come home.
- This week of work has been the busiest week thus far. I'm so ready to be finished with the long work days and time spent away from Dusty.
- Today, I had 3 BOYS in one of my classes with the English names, Sally, Holly, Kate and Amy!?!? Poor things.
- One time earlier this year, I had a boy with the English name, Gondom!?!?
- Last night, I spent three hours at the climbing gym. At the end of my workout, I did 27 pull-ups (with assistance). I'm gonna have Popeye arms!
- I'm finally feeling like I've figured out balance in my life again. I've met the coolest people in the past few months. Just in time to come home and readjust.
- I have so much to do in the next two weeks to prepare to come home. Better go.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

One Life

This past month has been a whirlwind! This is the first full day I have spent at home in quite a long time. Actually, the plan was to go climbing today... but I just needed a day of rest at home more than anything else. I just looked back at my planner and realized that the last 5 weekends have been spent away from home. I've been to both ends of this country, hung out with some really awesome people, and climbed some really big rocks. And I've managed to somehow keep my day job. Sheesh! No wonder I'm tired and the house is a wreck. And suddenly, we only have two more weeks until our first year in Korea is finished and it's time to go back to America. How time flies when you're busy having fun, living life to its fullest.

It's finally starting to sink in that my life is about to completely change again. I'm going to have to say goodbye to all the amazing friends that I've made here. The predictability of my daily life that I've grown so accustomed to in the last year will come to an abrupt end as I hop on a plane to come home. I will once again be homeless and in transition. This seems to be a recurring trend in my life. But this time, I welcome the change. I'm no longer as afraid of not knowing what the future holds. I've learned to be okay with feeling a little insecure, a little uncomfortable. I've done it so many times before. Only this time, I get to return to something familiar. I get to see friends and family. I get to love on my precious dog, Legend. I get to take an extended 4ish month vacation with no set plans. I get to serve the people in my life who love me most and show them how much I love and appreciate them. I have the opportunity to be fully present with them, without competing distractions. What an amazing opportunity of a lifetime! I can hardly wait!

These times of transition seem to be when I learn the most about myself. It's when I feel most alive in my life. I can't just rely on my own plans. I can't be organized, efficient, and practical. I can't depend on my methodical routine to get me through the day. Instead, I'm faced with a lot of unknowns. I get to rely on God and watch in amazement as he lays down a path before me. This is when my faith and trust in God are most strengthened and refined. I develop patience, flexibility, and adaptability.

I'm especially looking forward to seeing how my experiences here have changed my perspective on things at home. I know I've grown. I know I've changed. I know I'll see things with new eyes. I wonder what it will feel like, look like. There will be one major decision to make when we're home... whether or not to return for another year in South Korea or stay in America and start putting down some roots. It's a BIG decision. One I know I won't be able to make until I'm home. Right now I'm leaning towards returning for one more year. I can't imagine not coming back here. I already know I will miss it here when I'm home. I will miss my dear friends, the simple lifestyle, the idiosyncrasy of Korea. I will miss the kids that I teach. Oh, how I have come to adore them. They have managed to sneak their way into a soft spot in my heart. But my reason for wanting to come back to Korea stretches beyond that. It's fairly simple and straightforward. I don't feel ready to live in America.

I know it probably sounds strange to most people who already live there. Living in America is relatively easy. Good. Comfortable. Why would you want to live anywhere else? Well, precisely for those same reasons. I'm not sure I want that life, though it's incredibly tempting. But it's because it's tempting that I don't feel quite ready to come home yet. I know that America offers more than a good, easy, comfortable life. I'm blessed with the freedom to choose whatever lifestyle I want. But there are cultural norms and expectations. Being a married woman at the age of 29 in America, the supposed next step for me would be to buy a house with my husband, fill it with some stuff, have some kids and a dog, and work at a career to help maintain that lifestyle. Now, I'm not opposed to any of these things. In fact, the more time that goes on, the more I think I will want some of these things for myself. Just not yet. I want to make these decisions intentionally and deliberately, not simply because it's what everyone else does and expects me to conform to. After all, you only get one life. I want to use mine wisely. I don't feel ready for those things yet. It may be more appealing to me in the future but right now the thought of it feels stifling and mundane. I think I'd rather continue on my tradition of following the road less traveled. I want to live without those things now so that I can focus my time and energy elsewhere. Right now, my heart's desire is to see more of the world, meet more people, hear more stories, climb more rocks, continue living simply, and try to remain unattached to material wealth, all the while growing closer to God and growing more into the woman He created me to be. Now, ask me in four months and everything could be completely different. All that is certain is that I will be walking with God. Ah, the beauty and mystery that come with surrendering your life to Christ.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Fun at Seoraksan






So we went to Seoraksan national park last weekend and it was a blast. We got to climb 2 and a quarter days in a row. The quarter counts because I did one climb on Sunday morning. It was a really fun climb so I count it. The first day was by far the best though. We did a multi-pitch route that I don't know the name of. It was very fun, a little bit scary, and a little bit hairy sometimes too (read: potential for long falls, climbing through trees, etc.). Here are some pictures to help describe our experience.
We got to the park on Friday morning, nervous that we wouldn't be able to camp, but still with enough hope that we carried a large styrofoam cooler up the 1 mile hike with us on the trail. We didn't really have a choice because it had all our dinner in it for the second night. Our friends Mark and Jenny had been there once before so we had no trouble finding the good camp site. And let me emphasize good because this ended up being the first time we have gone camping in Korea and not either been woken up by a late night train coming through at 5am or some shouting Koreans drunk on Soju nearby. This place was perfect. It was so dark at night that my eyes never adjusted to it. There was a stream of cold water running near that we used to keep things cool and to drink from (eventually when we ran out of water).
So once we unpacked on Friday and got setup to climb, we hiked up a hundred meters and were there. The weather was a crisp 75 degrees in the sun with a breeze. Perfect climbing weather. We got started late in the morning, going up 4 pitches to about 300+ feet/100 meters, topping out a few minutes behind our friends who had been on the climb next to us. The climbing itself had been amazing, all different styles, a mix of traditional style and sport bolts. This was fun because I don't usually climb much where I have to place gear. But there were 20-30 foot run outs between bolts, so it was necessary.
Rebs struggled a little bit with the height of it all, feeling very elevated and exposed while belaying on the rock. Before this time, we had only done up to 3 pitches of multi-pitch climbing, so this was a big step for her. But she managed to keep breathing and we made it to the top together. It was such an accomplishing feeling to have done it with her. It made me really proud of her. I told her that her "hot factor" went up that day because she became a serious multi-pitch climber.
We finished late in the afternoon, around 5pm, and headed down to our campsite. We were starving and dehydrated because we hadn't brought any water or food with us on the climb. So we snacked, then made a campfire (also our first in Korea) and had dinner. We had some great, sincere conversations around the fire for a couple hours, killing time until we decided it was late enough to go to bed. We were exhausted and I slept like a baby.
There's more, but that's enough of a story for now. So if you rock climb, and you ever make it to Korea, you should definitely consider climbing in Seoraksan.