Still alive...

Well, it has been a while since I last posted here.  Life in Korea has become very ordinary for me.  Work is going well.  I am now teaching an upper level literature class and have been enjoying some complex discussions with my students, some of whom have spent time in an English speaking country.  Otherwise, it is pretty much the same as it has been and I continue to enjoy my time in the classroom.

It is definitely spring here, almost to the point that you could say summer is getting close.  It has consistently been in the upper 60's and lower 70's.  The last two weeks have been especially beautiful with the blossoming of the cherry trees.  There are so many of them.  Sometimes I feel like I am in a movie as I walk down a street with pink and white petals raining down on my head.

Other than that, I am still learning Korean.  It is becoming a little easier now that I have the basics down.  I have also been benefiting from increased walking and no fast food in that I have dropped somewhere around 20 pounds.  I am 2.5 belt loops smaller and all my pants scrunch up on top.  I even have a pair of shorts I barely fit into last summer that I can now pull off without unbuttoning them.

As summer approaches, I hope to do some more "touristy" things to provide some more images of Korea, but until then, I'll try to keep updating.  

The Korean War Memorial and Museum

It was kind of weird meeting up with an old high school friend in Seoul today, but that is what happened.  He is currently living in the Philippines and came to Seoul for a business trip.  So we were able to meet up and, after a typical Korean lunch, went to the Korean War Memorial and Museum.  It was a pretty amazing place.  I found there a dichotomy of emotion.  I was sad to see the sacrifice of lives laid down by the Korean people and the division that came between them.  However, I was very proud of my country which sacrificed over 33,000 lives for the sake of the Korean people and freedom.  It was incredible to see a monument in a foreign land honoring the men and women of the US armed forces who gave their lives in defense of people who lived on the other side of the world.  May we never forget them.

 

Update

It seems hard to believe that it has already been 3 months in Korea.  February went by SO fast that I'm not sure it actually happened.  I guess that is what happens when when 6 days a week are just a blur.  Saturday has become recovery day and I try not to do too much.  However, it looks like I may start getting together with a Korean friend to work on my Korean language skills.  I have learned a lot over the past 4 weeks but it is all a jumbled mess in my head.  It is starting to make more sense but I am still waiting for the big "click" when I begin understanding better.

Teaching is going well.  We are starting a new "semester" on Monday and I will have a few new classes.  I am sad to see some of my students move on to other levels but excited to get to know some new ones.  Fortunately, I get to keep my favorite class.  Here are some photos of my basic level kids and my more advanced kids.

Life Continues to Get Busier...

It's funny how time seems to disappear.  Over the past two weeks, I have seen an open schedule become like a Line 2 subway train during rush hour (maybe I'll write about that later).  I am back to working 2pm -10pm at my school, teaching from 4-10.  However, I just started taking Korean language classes every morning from 10am - 12pm at a Korean language academy.  I really enjoy the classes and am learning quite quickly.  The only bad part is that they are in Gangnam, a part of southern Seoul.  It is a 40 minute subway ride each way with about 20 minutes of walking each way.  It makes my day a little longer. 

I am also going to begin leading a small group bible study in Anyang sponsored by my church.  There is very little in the way of spiritual support in Anyang if you speak English and I am sure that many who are interested in attending a church that don't want to travel all the way to Suwon.  Therefore, I am hoping that, in addition to a few from my church in the area, the group will attract other English speakers in Anyang who are searching for Christian fellowship.  I am planning on starting it in March, probably on Saturday mornings or Sunday nights.

In addition to all of this, I have a few relational "projects" that I am working on.  Although I am not at liberty to discuss details, they involve working with a few different individuals who might be interested in learning more about the gospel or who have a distorted perspective of what it means to be a Christian and need some spiritual mentoring.

I would not give up any of these tasks despite the physical and mental strain because I can see God's hand directing me in them.  However, if you feel lead to do so, I could use some prayer support as these things progress.  First of all, that the hearts of those I am talking to would be softened to hear the truth of the gospel and that I would be open to the leading of the Spirit through these relationships.  Also, I would ask for prayer for patience, humility, wisdom and perseverance with each of the tasks I have before me.  I don't expect an easy road ahead, but I trust in Him who is sovereign over all things to provide the grace each day to continue with joy in His purposes.

I have quoted the following verse so many times over the past 8 months, but as time progresses, I have come to take it more and more to heart as God reveals what He has planned for my life.  To God be the glory, forever and ever!

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

                                                                                                                                                                                      -Acts 20:24

Kids are funny in any culture...

I have had many funny moments in my classroom over the past few months.  Most of them involved kids being, well, kids.  For example, last week I gave a test to a group of 11-12 year olds that covered a story we had been reading for a few days.  Like most of the "story tests" I give, it contained mostly multiple choice questions and a few short answer questions. 

As they were taking the test, one girl said, "Teacher, question 2 is too hard.  Please give us a different question." 

Therefore, trying to be funny, I said, "Okay.  Instead of question 2 on your test, answer this question.  Explain how entropy changes in a Rankine Cycle as a dry saturated vapor changes to a wet saturated vapor."  

I received a few confused looks and a lot of blank stares.  However, one girl, Sally, looked like she was very annoyed, bordering on angry.  She replied, "Teacher, don't joke!  This is serious!"

All I could do was laugh.

Another thing occurred today.  I received a package from home so I could have a few more copies of my transcripts and some more fajita seasoning.  My parents included a nice little stash of black licorice.  I love the stuff and I know that many people do not.  I figured that I would test some Korean taste buds.  Therefore, in my last class today, I gave each of the 6 students in that class one piece of licorice telling them that it was American candy.  I had a really hard time not laughing when they all just popped the licorice into their mouths without a single thought.  They all shared one thing in common; their smiles faded and were replaced with a grimace.  Only one kid spit it out, but none of them liked it.  However, after their own experience was complete, each one of them wanted a couple of pieces to give to their friends and family.  I'm guessing that there will be some unhappy Korean taste buds tonight.

New Phone Number

I have decided to change phone services.  Vonage is much more expensive than Skype and I was having major call quality issues with them.  My new number is (920) 351-4890.  The nice thing about Skype is that it will forward calls to my Korean cell phone for just 7 cents per minute.

A Few More Pictures

January 10 provided views of the brightest moon of 2009.  The first picture is from that Saturday night around 8 pm.  The second photo is from Sunday night around 6:30 pm. 

Hmmmm...

6 Weeks Later...

Well, I have now been in Korea for over 6 weeks.  It is incredible.  In some ways it feels like I just stepped off the plane yesterday, but in many other ways, it feels as if I have been here for months.  Things are becoming busy now that we are into January.  In January, the public schools are on break which means that the academies begin intensives.  This allows kids to quickly advance in their English studies, coming to my school 5 days a week for 3 hours per day.  Of course, this is on top of my normal class schedule.  Right now, I am teaching from 9-12 in the morning and from 2-8 at night.  That is a total of 45 hours in the classroom per week.  I have enjoyed it so far, although it is much more difficult to get to the store.  The biggest benefit is that I get paid overtime for 15 hours per week.  It will be a nice paycheck at the end of the month.

However, intensives are making one of my other goals more difficult.  Due to the fact that I teach in the morning, I am unable to begin my Korean language studies.  I have taught myself some and my kids always seemed stunned that I can read Hangul, the Korean system of writing, but they are always excited to teach me new things.  However, I cannot understand very many words yet and I have not even begun to start learning the structure of the language.  Hopefully, I will be able to enroll in a class at a university in February that meets 3-5 times per week in the mornings.

I have been going to a church in Suwon, a city about 40 minutes south of Anyang.  It is an international church that is connected to a Christian international school.  It is a mix of Americans, Canadians, Britons, Australians, and Koreans.  I really enjoy the missions focus of the church.  The pastor's vision for the church includes being a kind of way-point for short-term trips to Asia and training for long-term missionaries going to Asia.  It definitely helped me connect with a few people when I mentioned what I felt God was directing me to do in Mongolia.  God has also provided easier transportation to the church.  The first day, I took the subway and a taxi to get there.  It took about 50 minutes but cost about 5 dollars.  However, I met a friend who lives in Anyang, just a short distance from my place.  She has given me rides to church each Sunday, making it much cheaper and easier to get to Suwon.

I am really enjoying my time in Korea and am looking forward to the coming months.  The evidence of his work here is obvious and I am excited to see and experience what he has in store for the future.