Doh

Well, I already missed a day. Minus one point for me.
It's currently 4pm, Sunday afternoon. I'm wearing comfey green sweatpants, loafing on my bed, watching Stranger Than Fiction and typing away. A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Oh, Dunkin Donuts and an Americano are also involved.
Yesterday was my friend/co-worker Jessica's birthday. It was a funfilled day of going to an aquarium, On The Border mexican resturant, bowling, and karaoke. The aquarium has fairly ingenius tanks made from refridgerators, toliets, coke machines, phone booths, and the like. I'll put up some photos soon.
I'm fairly certain that Livin' On A Prayer is my new Noraebong song. (Noraebong=Karaoke room. Just you and your friends singing whatever songs you like...not infront of a whole bar. Far superior.)
This evening is pub trivia. Good times.
All for now.

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.Thou my best thought, by day or by night,Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;Thou my great Father, I thy true son;Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,Thou mine inheritance, now and always:Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.High King of heaven, my victory won,May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

It Must Be The Culture Shock

It's merely 9am, and I'm full of angst again. Ok, less full than I was even 15 minutes ago due to some much needed journaling and a little bit of prayer.
It seems I may be the victim of the stages of culture shock. I've gone from elated to depressed to angry...and I worry this anger may lead once again to depression. I think I thought because I wanted to live abroad more than anything, more than anyone, I would be immune to it. How naive I often am.
One thing I need to remember is that no matter what, God is still God. I am still me. He still loves me madly, and he still has a plan for me-the same plan. Thank God His plan doesn't waver according to my moods (or thoughts toward this plan)
After my angsty filled blog last night and a good nights rest, I saw myself heading down a road (the angst leads to anger leads to depression road) that I don't want to go down...again.
My prayer is to be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control (let me know if I forgot one or two). It is He who must fill me with these things. I am so incapable alone.

Greater is He who is in me than He that is in the world. Thank God.

Taxi Driving Bastards

I don't care if someone is a foriegner or not, leaving them to stand in sub-zero temperatures while you go in search of better fare makes you a jackass.
Foriegner + Short Distance = No Cab Ride For You
I thought about throwing a snowball at his car after he shook his head and drove away, but Korean taxi/bus drivers have been known (relatively often) to beat the shit out of people who piss them off. So, I kicked at the air behind his car, and my friends and I sauntered along until a driver was gracious enough to take us home.
There are certain cabs who will only take passengers into Seoul-proper, however, these cabs are identifiable by license plate. Mr. Headshaking-I'll-Leave-You-In-The-Cold cab driver did not have one of these plates.
If anyone has a rational explanation as to why this happens, I'll gladly retract the above hostility...and quite frankly, I should probably do so anyway. But c'mon man...it's F-in' below zero outside, in both Celsius and Ferenheit, give the waygookies (foriegners) a chance.

In unrelated news, it's really unsettling when you hear people talking about you in another language, but they won't tell you what's being said. This happens on a fairly regular basis. I thouroughly enjoy my life in Korea when I'm not at work. When I am at work, my recent similie has been that being there is like being repeatedly beaten with a 2 x 4 in the ribcage on a daily basis. I do enjoy several of my co-workers, I should point out.

Thoughts such as those above are a big reason (though not the only) why I haven't blogged much. I'm not as hostile as the above may insinuate. Really, how can I complain? I just spent 9 days in Thailand; a country I've wanted to visit for years. Consider it more venting that anger.

Blog Time

Six blogs in six months. What a shame.
New tactic...blog every day.
This will in many cases probably consist of a one line update on something mundane, but I think it will be a good challenge. Plus, my writing has been fairly non-existant lately, and that should be remedied, if for nothing more than personal reasons. I think about blogging sometime, but I think I've been holding back because I've been trying to wait for some less negative thoughts...and there are a few of those...but it's been a rough couple of months. (I will say I'm incredibly grateful for the people in my life, both in Korea and elsewhere that are pulling for me. You are all so encouraging and I love you)

So, let the games begin.

Daily Grind

I should write a blog. It's Tuesday evening, and I'm sitting at Starbucks drinking Chai. Writing (another long over due) blog seemed like a good idea.
I've been meaning to write about my day to day life here in Korea. I think I haven't written about it previously, because to me, it is mundane. It is the everyday ordinary. Then I thought, to the folks back home, perhaps it could be interesting because, while it is the everyday ordinary, it's the everyday ordinary in Asia, which is not the everday ordinary in North America. Though, I must say, it bears a striking resemblance. (Take the sitting in Starbucks drinking chai, for example)
I spend the first hour of my day getting up, drinking coffee, reading some Scripture (this is a new thing for me, and I thoroughly enjoy it) and generally mentally preparing myself for the day to come. Working with 6 and 7 year olds sucks the energy right out of me, but I've found with this morning routine in which I actually have some time to myself, a buffer if you will, it's not been so draining. It may actually have made me a better teacher.
Once I get to work, my Korean co-teacher and I go over the lesson plan for the day. My co-teachers's name is Genie. They all pick English names that they use at the school. Her Korean name is Hae-Yoon, which is really fun for using to replace "Hey Jude," and singing loudly. Genie is among my favorite people in Korea. We often eat dinner together after work and talk about further dreams of our lives. Here's a picture of Genie eating her first bite ever in her life of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I got them at the little foriegner store a few subway stops away called "I Love Cookie." I can also get Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Guiness. It's a good little store. :)

After teaching preschool (which is really more like Kindergarten as the kids are around 6 years old) all the teachers eat lunch in the classrooms with their students. (Though for the last few days, I've had the mornings off, because preschool has been cancelled due to little children turning into piggys) Generally, it's pretty good. Everyday we have a sort of soup, rice, and kimchi. I'm starting to be a little worried about what I will do when I don't have kimchi provided for me at every meal. Koreans eat kimchi and rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I haven't started eating it for breakfast...yet. But I have it with lunch at school and no matter how cheap a restuarant we go to, kimchi is placed before us as an appetizer. My friend pointed out the perks of globalization, as HyVee back in Sioux Falls has canned kimchi. It is, of course, subpar to the real stuff, but it's a start.
After lunch, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have a planning period, which is usually spent next door at the coffee shop, grading, planning, reading, or chatting with co-workers. Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach afternoon preschool. Tuesdays I teach art and Thursdays I teach science. (Apparently my school, SLP, did not get the memo that my brain does not process even the simplest of science experiments) Here are some pictures of where I work.

This is the front desk, which I see right when I walk in.

This is one of the hallways. The other one is blue.

Here's a picture of my (usually) favorite class.

In the evenings, I usually get some dinner with co-workers(at about US 4$ a meal), or dink around on the internet. There's a pub not to far from my house where I sometimes play pool. On Wednesdays, I go to church in the coffee shop my church runs just 3 subway stops away from my house. Friday nights I help out with the youth group there. Weekends involve coffee (at the particular Starbucks I'm currently sitting in) lunch at our favorite resturant. I always eat kimchibokkembap...kimchi fried rice. Or Bibimbap...rice with veggies and this red pepper paste that is is a lot of Korean food. Sometimes I make my way into central Seoul and see the sights.

So there's a basic rundown of my daily life. Not so different from my life back home. Actually, just the other day my Korean friend asked me "Isn't is scary living in another country?" And while yes, sometimes it can be intimidating or frustrating, being able to get myself around and get what I want, there's something really satisfying in it. Generally, I like it.

Love to everyone back home. Feel free to come visit. I promise I'll take you somewhere cooler than Starbucks

It's come to my attention how very American I am.
I talk to loud. I talk to fast. I laugh to loud and without covering my mouth. I walk to fast.

In my intercultural studies class, we talked about how we are slaves to our own cultures. No matter how long we live in another culture, we still still be where we came from. I'm seeing now how true that is.

The word "assimilation" entered my mind last night. I hadn't thought of it since I had been here. Prior to that, when I heard that word I always pictured the Sudanese women in Sioux Falls who picked up a box of tampons and turned it round and round, trying to figure out what they were. Assimilation was for the foriegners. Those with long robes and names that I couldn't pronounce.

Now, I'm the foriegner.

I'm the one with the name no one can pronouce.

Actually, they do a really good job, but that's because everyone here has studied English since they were 5.

Which brings me to another point. I like Korea. I like living here and I like the people. But, my God am I glad I'm not Korean. Every senior in high school is trying to get into Harvard or another outstanding American university. Girls must do whatever it takes to be as thin as possible, and the health books point to this as well. Standards for body image and social status are off the charts, and understandably, there is a relatively high suicide rate.
While I value my family incredibly highly, I reserve the right to date and marry who ever I chose, regardless of ethnicity or social status. Those in Korea who are not fortunate enough to have this opportunity will marry someone mom and dad find suitable then sleep around on the side while the significant other ignores it, is blind to it, or simply pretends it doesn't happen.

There are "Love Motels," all over the place. These are places which are for the very reason you will guess based on their name. Motels for gettin' it on where only you, your partner, and the dude (or chic I suppose) who checks you in will know you are there. Oh, and the parking attendant. As the "lucky" couple pulls into their coital destination, they need not fear that Aunt Kim-Yung will pass by, see thier car and report them to spouse, parents, or community members. No, fortunately for them, there are large drapery type things hanging above the entrance to the parking garage, conviently blocking ones view from car make, model, and license plate. In the photo, you can't see the drapery covered entrance, but when I went to take a photo the man sitting there looked like he might get up and chase me away, but as you can see, there are lots of little buildings surrounding it, and with name like "Motel Feel," well, you get the idea.

Also, the two most obnoxious things about South Korea
1. Very few public garbage cans
2. The cars are the same color-White, Silver/Grey, Black. Korea is all about conformity, and frankly, that just drives me nuts.

But all that aside, I like Korea. All the above was written from an outsider's perspective who has only witnessed three months of a culture a few millenia old. There are positives for certain. Children respect thier parents (though maybe too much for my liking, going back to 30 year olds who will marry unhappily to please mama and pop). The food is delicious (mashisoyo in Korean). And Koreans share everything! Children share thier snacks without being told, or ever being asked by a friend. They just give thier stuff away! (Which comes in really handy when students bring candy to school and pile it up in my hands) My two coworkers shared a boiled potato! No matter how small, it's broken and shared and I think that's really beautiful and the point where I hope my assimilation begins.


Ok, all for now.


PS-Watch out for the motorbike drivers on the sidewalk.