Mint Tea.

As I sit in my "one room" savoring mint tea it dawned on me, I had been missing a key factor of enjoyment until recently. What might that be? Exploration! Since moving to Korea I have been told where to go or led to where I needed to be. And on the few occasions when I did step out my front door I was so consumed with the fear of getting lost that I didn't enjoy the moment or soak in anything that I saw! (Hence the two week delay in realizing I lived next to an Arcade).

But after a bad day last Friday I decided I was going to walk it off. Walk off my frustration, worry, fear, and the bad attitude. I continued to walk until I found myself near the Ulsan Sports Complex and walking trails leading around the complex, a pond, and through trees. At the sight of the sun setting behind the pond I stopped walking and struggling. I felt my shoulders lighten. Okay God, You're right. This is a beautiful place. 

Looking back, a main reason why Iceland warms my soul is because I shared so many speechless moments with God marveling at His creation there. But I hadn't given myself an opportunity to see or experience God's handiwork in Ulsan until that moment by the pond.

The rest of my weekend was focused on exploring places like: Ilsan beach and little coffee shops with new friends. Having grown up in Minnesota I am always blown away by the coast. Standing where the blues meet in the middle and continue until I can't see anymore is a sight I will never tire of. Some other highlights were finding the lighthouse at Ilsan beach and savoring the memory of the last lighthouse I had seen, climbing over rocks in my new hiking shoes in order to see the ocean better, chicken tenders on top of fresh potato chips, conquering the bus, worship, eating Korean food on the floor, sharing a warm chocolate brownie with ice cream over great conversation.

So far this week at school has been going well. I am getting the hang of the computer program that we are working through with the kids' workbook and I am was able to be silly with the kids while we learned a dance and song about the weather. Today I got to lead a whole class by myself because my co-teacher had to talk to another teacher. My life flashed before my eyes for a second: the kids starting an uproar and throwing paper and pencils at me until I ran out of the classroom. But I cleared my head and gained their attention and I think their class enjoyed the game we played the most. I saw that when the kids are having fun they are more willing to use the language.

My move to Korea is becoming more settled this week because I received my ARC card (Alien Registration Card) and with that I was able to set up a bank account and I got a cell phone (I feel very grown up with my new smart phone). Now all I need is my first paycheck!

I want to end this post with a laughable moment I forgot to post last time and a new one that happened day.

Every weekday I get to eat lunch in the cafeteria where I am introduced to taste and textures I have never had before. I try everything on my plate once but if I don't like it I don't finish it. Well there were two days that I really enjoyed the food and I ate it all wishing I could get more. After both of those days a teacher would ask me in the afternoon what I thought of lunch and I'd respond with a big smile and confidently say, "I liked it a lot." Both times the teachers explained how they were talking with the other teachers about how bad the lunch was that day. All I can do is laugh at myself and my weak taste buds.

As I was walking to the post office today I kept hearing a whistle. Like a hey-there-pretty-lady whistle. I hadn't experienced any form of whistles so far (which is very refreshing after Chicago) and I was shocked that I was hearing them. I looked around and I didn't see a guy in sight. I continued on my way only to hear it again. I started to wonder if I was being followed. After the third time I heard the whistle I decided to check my phone. Sure enough, I was receiving a 5 page text in Korean from the phone company and each time a got a text my phone whistled. Again, all I can do is laugh.    

Go explore something breath-taking friends. Bless

Things that make me laugh

This past week a few things have left me shaking my head with a little smile and chuckling. Oh Korea. I wanted to share some of those moment with you.

Without fail I have to go to the bathroom around 12:30am. And as I reach the bathroom I am always met by this awful sound. It is a mix between a crying cat and singing in Korean. I kept wondering, is there a Karaoke Bar by my apartment? (Which there could be since I can't read the signs!) One night walking back to my apartment I decided to look into each building as I passed. And I noticed that right by my apartment in an Arcade. Like an old school Pac Man, use coins Arcade. As soon as I got home I went into my little laundry room to see if I could see the Arcade from my window. And sure enough the Arcade is across from my window, with their side door open. Mystery solved. I have now discovered that I walk by two different Arcades on my way home from the University bus stop. 

One of the treasures that had been left behind is a cutting board. But this cutting board isn't a plain color. Oh no, that would be boring! This cutting board has a picture of Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter. Like from the children's books!  

The Native teacher before me left this little notebook with important information (bus routes to certain locations). I have been bringing it with me wherever I go and I have also started to call it my handy dandy notebook. Oh goodness Danielle... you are now quoting Blues Clues. 

Most of the little stores here sell socks. Socks of all sorts of colors and also with all sorts of animals on them! I now own a pair that look like Zebras thanks to a sweet friend as a birthday gift. 

I have started to notice that some of my students look like people I have met back home, just Korean. There are a few that look like kids I have met at Hangtime, one looks like my cousin, a girl from track, and my favorite: like Russell from UP!

My favorite smile and chuckle moment is living 14 hours ahead. I got to celebrate my birthday over two days. I am blessed to have such great family and friends who remembered my birthday would be a day early since I am in Korea. Thank you for making my day so special! 

Bless.

If you don't have anything nice to say....

... don't say anything at all.

That philosophy has kept me from writing all last week but I have changed my mind. All of the emotions I have experienced these last 11 days happened and are all a part of the "living abroad" experience.

With each passing day I am gaining a better grasp of the city layout but not the bus routes (At any given bus stop dozens of buses pass by every minute and they all end up somewhere else). While I am on the topic of the bus I am going to get this off my finger tips: the buses here are psycho, suicidal even. The driving "rules" are more of guidelines and the buses seem to get away with more then the cars and taxis. First off the buses have about 18 to 20 seats (as opposed to Chicago's 40) and the rest of the occupants are expected to hang on for dear life while the bus driver speeds up through traffic and weaves through the cars. Then they slam the breaks on at the last possible minute. I am surprised I haven't witnessed a crash yet! Every time I have to stand on the bus I spread my legs wide and shift my weight low to the ground, hoping not to fall when the sudden stops come. The only thing I can compare it to is the force you feel while on a roller coaster. You can try with all of your might to keep your body pressed against the seat, but there is always that moment when you are helpless and air born.  But I am slooooowly excepting the fact that I will be taking the bus everyday. This city is just too big to walk, no matter how much I dislike the bus.

I'll be honest, on Tuesday I was ready to throw in the towel and fly home. Curling up in bed with Moose defeated sounded 100 times better then going back to school. I wouldn't say I am enjoying teaching, but I can say I don't hate it anymore. I think my main problem was the expectations I had for the Korean classroom were not what I experienced on a day to day bases. The majority of the kids are loud and disruptive. I even saw two fist fights break out during the middle of class. (Both of which started while the Korean teacher was teaching). My main task in each class was to introduce myself. So I made a power point with pictures of myself and my interests. At the end of my introduction I asked if the kids had any questions for me. The most asked questions were: "Do you have a boyfriend?" and "Do you know Gangnam Style" (See youtube if you don't already know this VERY popular Korean song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-HdjiMZcg) I'm not sure if there is a correlation between the answers to those two questions. Ha. But thankfully I knew about Gangnam style because as soon as I did the hand motion to the dance they kids got really excited.

Last week was also an odd week for the Korean teachers because the 6th grade was on a 3 day trip (so I only had two classes to teach on Thursday instead of five). And the 5th grade teacher wanted to keep her classes during the english hour so they came to the english room in the afternoon. And I had to help prepare for two open classes with the 3rd/4th grade teacher. From what I have pieced together (nothing was told to me besides the fact that we would be teaching in front of other teachers) an open class is where teachers come and watch you teach a class that the teacher has preselected and has already prepared the class for the work. Basically the teacher practices this one lesson for a week on different classes and then picks the best behaved class to teach in front of the other teachers. Then after the open class the teachers all sit in a circle and give feed back. Both open class meetings I sat in was all done in Korean besides the little side comment of, "Danielle, you did well. How do you think it went?"

What puzzles me is I have a hard time seeing how this is a proper assessment of my teaching or my co-teacher's style. Because everything was practiced! We wrote out a script days before and we practiced it for days as well. We even practiced in front of another class! The amount of materials prepared of the open class was more too. We even used the white board, made a mini movie, and used magnetic objective and terms.... I wish we put that must effort into each class.

As for the social aspect of my life, I am thankful I was able to meet up with one of the American teachers I met on the plane ride to Ulsan on Wednesday. And also a girl from South Africa that I met at church last week on Saturday. It was refreshing to speak English and share classroom stories. The best part of the week was going to COSTCO with Portia and her friend Jenane! I got Quaker oatmeal :) There is nothing more comforting then oatmeal (well maybe oatmeal and coffee). I also got meat that I recognize. Honestly, my change in attitude is largely due to the fact that I have eaten well these last few days. I tried to meet with the other teacher that I flew over with on Sunday, but the bus I needed to take was a half hour late (another annoying aspect of the buses, sometimes they never show up) and so we weren't able to find each other. Thankfully we have a raincheck for Thursday.

Today after the second open class I went out to dinner with the 3rd/4th grade co-teacher. She is such a sweet heart. She took me to an Italian restaurant because whenever the kids asked me in class what my favorite food was I'd say: spaghetti. She has also been giving me little Korean snacks to take home. I think she is worried because I don't eat nearly as much as they do during lunch. After dinner we walked around the University that I live near. It was a great way to end a stressful day. I will admit: I am enjoying the 60 degree evening weather in Ulsan compared to the 30 degrees my family is getting back home. :)

On a very unrelated topic I am loving the "October Baby" Soundtrack.

I think that is it for now. Bless! 

The First Four Days

These last four days have flown by but at the same time have been some of the longest days I've experienced.

From the moment my plane touched the ground in Ulsan I didn't have a minute to myself until late that night. I was whisked away to my school (Okseo Elementary) by a teacher to meet the vice principle. Then she took me to the doctor (so I can be cleared for a residency card) where I was shuffled around from different rooms to check my vision, hearing, weight, heart, and if I am on drugs. Then I went back to the school to meet two of the three co-teachers I'll be working with. I was given workbooks and was also asked to look over a few lessons that night. But the day didn't end there! The same teacher that picked me up drove me to my apartment and then walked with me to the grocery store. As soon as she left me I left to find a coffee shop so I could get on the internet. Needless to say by the time I got into bed it was late here but early back home. 

The next morning I hoped on a bus and quickly realized that nothing looked familiar and that counting the stops wasn't going to help. By the time I admitted to myself that I was lost I was late for school and I jumped off the bus at the first stop that had a pay phone. I called the school but they didn't understand me. As I was trying to communicate that I was lost but on my way I noticed a taxi coming so I hung up and got in. Thankfully the school had given me a little notebook with important information in it (like the school address). After five minutes in the taxi I realized I had forgotten my two workbooks at the pay phone! That's when I started to feel awful. Some first impression I was making, late and I lost their books. I made it to school twenty minutes late and was rushed (literally) into the classroom where I sat in the back to watch. 

I was expecting the Korean classroom to be a quiet and respectful place but what I saw seemed unorganized and loud. The teacher taught in Korean and the kids spoke in Korean to each other throughout the whole class. I am still puzzled at what they learned that day, but maybe the class was just as frazzled as I was since they didn't start class until I showed up. I am sure after a week of teaching there my perspective will change. 

After that one class I sat at "my desk" and looked up bus routes in hope to never get lost again. No one came to see me until lunch, which is provided through the school. It is going to take me some time to get used to the different spices they use and chop sticks! I tried to use them but the vice principle took them away and handed me a spoon. Talk about a humbling experience. 

After lunch I went back to the classroom and one of my co-teachers asked if I was a Christian. This question took me completely by surprise because I had little interaction with her thus far. I told her I was and she got really excited. By the end of the day she gave me a print out of bus information to an English speaking church. 

Another co-teacher took the bus home with me so I wouldn't get lost and she also helped me figure out the stove, the hot water, and the internet (all of which I couldn't get to work that morning). I am very thankful for how sweet those ladies have been to me. I'd probably be sitting in some coffee shop lost writing this but instead I am in my warm apartment listening to Jeremy Camp. 

Can you believe all of the above is only two days?! 

Saturday was less eventful but I walked to the grocery store so I could buy cleaning supplies. The rest of the day consisted of cleaning and unpacking. I was VERY pleased to find so many left treasures from the two previous teachers who lived here. A few treasures that are mine now are: two pillows, blankets, a comforter, towels, pots/pans/silverware, a rice cooker, a toaster, soap, learn Korean books, maps, hangers, a broom, picture frames, a mirror, and two cell phones! (hopefully I'll be able to get a pay as you go number with one of them). Even though those treasures aren't mine I find them comforting and they add a homey touch. 

Today I was able to skype with my family before church. :] I almost didn't make it because some of the buses I needed to take (there are many buses that stop at the same stop but go different places throughout the city) never showed up. This time I got off on the right stop but went to the wrong church. I showed my printed map and a man told me how to get to the church in Korean. I just nodded my head and walked in the direction that he pointed. Thankfully a lady saw me wondering around with my paper trying to read the signs on the doors and told me which building it was in. The service was short but my heart was renewed through singing songs I have grown up singing. Everyone was very friendly and many of the attendees are also teachers. The majority of them are from South Africa and one takes the same bus as me to church! After church she showed me a short cut through the city streets to a main road and after we parted ways I decided I was going to face my fears of getting lost and I walked to my school. It took me 40 minutes but I found it and I now have a better understanding of the landmarks on the bus route. 

I came back to my apartment feeling more confident in myself and in this city. Even though this city isn't an easy grid like Chicago or small like Reykjavik I know I'll be able to adapt just like I have before. I just need to take each day as it comes and continue to take steps forward through this open door. 

Another Adventure

I am abandoning my attempts at customizing this blog (for now) because I have less then two hours before my flight leaves San Francisco. So please forgive the boring blue for now. :]

Ever since my study abroad experience in Iceland I have longed for another overseas adventure. The question was when and where. After a disappointing fall through back in 2011 I decided to try again in February 2012. I applied through Footprints and found myself in the waiting game once more. Fill this out, get this, wait, wait, fill this out, how does this sound? get certified, wait, go here, stamp this, mail that, wait, there is a spot, wait. You get the picture. I found myself blocking myself from making any future plans because I didn't want to get my hopes up again. With each step closer I continued my rehearsed response, "I hope to be in South Korea this fall teaching English."

One sunny day in August I was told a simple but honest truth: make plans! That night I had a heart to heart with God. I came away with an image of an open door. God gently told me "I opened the door for you and you are through." Then I was ask, "Why are you just sitting in the doorway?" Why was I sitting at the doorway? Why wasn't I confident in the open position that had been offered to me?

I started making plans that night. I started to trust that God was in control of the whole situation. A few weeks later (when I least expected it) I got the email I had been waiting for: my start date.

These last three weeks have flown by. With trips to Chicago, the farm, to target, to the doctor, and even to get my teeth cleaned by a friend. Thankfully I leave knowing all of the fair wells said are not goodbyes, but see you later.

Each day I take another step into the room God opened up to me. South Korea, here I come.