funny #6
Originally uploaded by kimmer67
Jinny gave me this travel mug for my birthday. I love it! We both giggled a lot! Don't trust person.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Why?
I enjoy quiet, slow mornings. Mornings with little activity and space that isn't filled with a lot of sounds. We had a morning like that last week. We had music quietly playing, the candles were lit--our space felt restful and peaceful. Lia was playing with her stuffed animals, Zach was building something amazing with his Legos, Todd was out for a walk and I sat at our kitchen table, reading and sipping tea--two of my favorite things to do.
My playlist on my shuffle was playing the best mix of tunes and one song particularly caught my attention and soon my heart. The song is called Alabaster Box by Julie Meyers. I soon just sat, with my eyes closed in the sweetness of the presence of the One who has won my heart and changed my life forever. I wasn't expecting that moment but there it was, there He was, His presence was near and I wanted to remain in that moment for the rest of the day.
Lia must have noticed a shift in my body language or facial expression. She invaded this sacred space with her sweet raspy voice, "Mom, why do you like to worship so much?" My first response was, "I just do!" If you know Lia, that answer is not going to be sufficient for her curiosity. She asked again, "Why?"
I paused for a second or two, probably three and answered. "Well, He loves me and He changed my life forever."
Lia, not satisfied, "What else?"
"He's wonderful and worthy. He's awesome and great. He's strong and there is no other like Him."
"And . . . "
She's tough I thought, "Because I love Him."
"What else?"
"Well, Lia, I was made to worship Him. I was created to worship. And guess what, that's why He made you, to worship. To worship Him."
That's all she needed. Conversation was over.
Fast forward to that evening. Todd went to Costco with some friends. Afterward, they brought him home and came in to visit the kids and I. We were enjoying conversation and wine when they said they had a Christmas gift for us. They presented us with a beautiful hand-made card. Todd read the card and an expression of wonder, confusion and joy came over his face. I then read the card. I laughed, began to cry and thought, "this is outrageous!"
Our friends left and Todd and I cried and shook our heads in wonder. We went to bed, thanking Jesus for His amazing provision, for friends who follow His promptings and for His amazing, undeserved love.
As I laid in bed, unable to sleep, I thought of how radical grace is. I, we, don't deserve even a ration of His grace, His undeserved favor, and yet, His word says that He lavishes (expends or gives in great amounts or without limits) us with grace. He doesn't measure out small portions, He heaps it over our lives. He freely gives, over and over, without hesitation and without limits.
That's why I worship Him. Who is like Him?
My playlist on my shuffle was playing the best mix of tunes and one song particularly caught my attention and soon my heart. The song is called Alabaster Box by Julie Meyers. I soon just sat, with my eyes closed in the sweetness of the presence of the One who has won my heart and changed my life forever. I wasn't expecting that moment but there it was, there He was, His presence was near and I wanted to remain in that moment for the rest of the day.
Lia must have noticed a shift in my body language or facial expression. She invaded this sacred space with her sweet raspy voice, "Mom, why do you like to worship so much?" My first response was, "I just do!" If you know Lia, that answer is not going to be sufficient for her curiosity. She asked again, "Why?"
I paused for a second or two, probably three and answered. "Well, He loves me and He changed my life forever."
Lia, not satisfied, "What else?"
"He's wonderful and worthy. He's awesome and great. He's strong and there is no other like Him."
"And . . . "
She's tough I thought, "Because I love Him."
"What else?"
"Well, Lia, I was made to worship Him. I was created to worship. And guess what, that's why He made you, to worship. To worship Him."
That's all she needed. Conversation was over.
Fast forward to that evening. Todd went to Costco with some friends. Afterward, they brought him home and came in to visit the kids and I. We were enjoying conversation and wine when they said they had a Christmas gift for us. They presented us with a beautiful hand-made card. Todd read the card and an expression of wonder, confusion and joy came over his face. I then read the card. I laughed, began to cry and thought, "this is outrageous!"
Our friends left and Todd and I cried and shook our heads in wonder. We went to bed, thanking Jesus for His amazing provision, for friends who follow His promptings and for His amazing, undeserved love.
As I laid in bed, unable to sleep, I thought of how radical grace is. I, we, don't deserve even a ration of His grace, His undeserved favor, and yet, His word says that He lavishes (expends or gives in great amounts or without limits) us with grace. He doesn't measure out small portions, He heaps it over our lives. He freely gives, over and over, without hesitation and without limits.
That's why I worship Him. Who is like Him?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Rewind
A few things I want to remember from the past couple of weeks. Time to rewind.
1. Korean Lessons. It's been a few weeks since Hyejin and I had a lesson--we've been talking, enjoying Seoul and simply enjoying time together--not good for my Korean but great for our friendship. My ability to read has improved and though I have no comprehension of what I'm reading, I can read. I feel like I've scaled a mountain or conquered the impossible. I can ask for more of an item at a restaurant, understand money sums when at the cash register and give the taxi driver directions--I'm in no way close to being fluent, to even say that makes me laugh out loud. I do enjoy learning and have decided that I want to be better student--especially since my teacher is so wonderful and is taking the time to invest in me.
Last week we were able for the first time to get our families together for dinner. It was wonderful to meet Hyejin's husband, Son and for her to meet Todd.
2. English Club.
3. Traditional Korean Orchestra. Last week, Yujin took us to the Seongnam Art Center to hear a Traditional Korean Orchestra. The instruments and the musical arrangements were beautiful. I tried to capture a bit of the concert on video but was quickly shut down by an usher--apparently, I was breaking the rules.
4. MissioLux Christmas Celebration. Sunday evening we gathered at Jinny's cafe, Benesian, to celebrate Christmas as a community. We read the Story together, lit our candles and sang to the King who came as a babe and changed our lives forever.
5. The end of first semester. Todd and the kids finished their first semester last Friday. Unfortunately, the kids both got sick and missed their parties and seeing friends before the break. Everyone is healthy and we are all enjoying the break! Spending our days in our PJ's, playing games, watching movies, reading and sleeping in! It's a true vacation!
1. Korean Lessons. It's been a few weeks since Hyejin and I had a lesson--we've been talking, enjoying Seoul and simply enjoying time together--not good for my Korean but great for our friendship. My ability to read has improved and though I have no comprehension of what I'm reading, I can read. I feel like I've scaled a mountain or conquered the impossible. I can ask for more of an item at a restaurant, understand money sums when at the cash register and give the taxi driver directions--I'm in no way close to being fluent, to even say that makes me laugh out loud. I do enjoy learning and have decided that I want to be better student--especially since my teacher is so wonderful and is taking the time to invest in me.
Last week we were able for the first time to get our families together for dinner. It was wonderful to meet Hyejin's husband, Son and for her to meet Todd.
2. English Club.
3. Traditional Korean Orchestra. Last week, Yujin took us to the Seongnam Art Center to hear a Traditional Korean Orchestra. The instruments and the musical arrangements were beautiful. I tried to capture a bit of the concert on video but was quickly shut down by an usher--apparently, I was breaking the rules.
4. MissioLux Christmas Celebration. Sunday evening we gathered at Jinny's cafe, Benesian, to celebrate Christmas as a community. We read the Story together, lit our candles and sang to the King who came as a babe and changed our lives forever.
5. The end of first semester. Todd and the kids finished their first semester last Friday. Unfortunately, the kids both got sick and missed their parties and seeing friends before the break. Everyone is healthy and we are all enjoying the break! Spending our days in our PJ's, playing games, watching movies, reading and sleeping in! It's a true vacation!
Monday, December 13, 2010
MiKyung and Hyejin
These two wonderful ladies have become dear friends.
MiKyung lives north of Seoul, while Hyejin and I live South. Monday morning we met at the largest bookstore in Seoul and spent a wonderful day together. I had no idea that these wonderful ladies had planned to celebrate my birthday that day--much to my delight and surprise they had a wonderful day planned. We had a yummy lunch at an Italian restaurant that Hyejin and her husband use to go to for dates before they were married. After our lunch we took a short taxi ride to the "Blue House"--the President of Korea's home. The area near the Presidents home is beautfiul--mountains, the largest palace in Korea, manicured lawns--it's what you would think of a Presidents home.
When we arrived to our destination, we started to get out of our taxi and were suddenly swarmed by police officers and security agents. They ushered us back into the taxi and said we were to exit the vehicle at another location--which was about 25-30 feet away from where we were.
There are probably several reasons why they didn't allow us to exit the vehicle where we were--perhaps because we were in the middle of the road but Hyejin said that they don't allow vehicles to stop on this road because it looks suspicious. Perhaps we three middle aged woman do look suspicious. I told the ladies they were trying to get me arrested. Later as we were taking photos of the big Blue House--that sounds familiar to me--Oh, ya! Blues Clues . . . I digress . . . I decided to do another video but was told after a few seconds to turn it off. I did and couldn't stop laughing. Every time we tried to cross the street to get a closer view of the house, we were told that we were not allowed and must follow the path we were on. We obeyed and continued the beautiful walk along the walking path. There were a few locations along the perimeter of the Presidents area that I saw guards with machine guns posted high above the wall and agreed it was probably best that we stayed on the marked pathway.
We finished our day by having desert at a wonderful cafe. Throughout the day, I had been looking at wallets--I need something smaller and have been looking for several weeks to find something that I like but that was cheap. Well, the ladies had been scheming all day to find me a wallet or a pair of earrings--they know how much I like dangling earrings. I had no idea they were doing this--"Kimberly, do you like these earrings? Oh, how about this wallet?" We were in a quaint shop and MiKyung saw some cool wallets. I came in and said, "Yes, this is exactly the style I'm looking for but the cost is too much, we can keep looking." Ya, you know what happened, they bought the wallet. Their scheme was a success and they were quite proud that I finally saw something I liked. I'm glad I didn't settle for the Hello Kitty wallet or the wallet that had the pink polk-a-dot bow on it.
MiKyung lives north of Seoul, while Hyejin and I live South. Monday morning we met at the largest bookstore in Seoul and spent a wonderful day together. I had no idea that these wonderful ladies had planned to celebrate my birthday that day--much to my delight and surprise they had a wonderful day planned. We had a yummy lunch at an Italian restaurant that Hyejin and her husband use to go to for dates before they were married. After our lunch we took a short taxi ride to the "Blue House"--the President of Korea's home. The area near the Presidents home is beautfiul--mountains, the largest palace in Korea, manicured lawns--it's what you would think of a Presidents home.
When we arrived to our destination, we started to get out of our taxi and were suddenly swarmed by police officers and security agents. They ushered us back into the taxi and said we were to exit the vehicle at another location--which was about 25-30 feet away from where we were.
There are probably several reasons why they didn't allow us to exit the vehicle where we were--perhaps because we were in the middle of the road but Hyejin said that they don't allow vehicles to stop on this road because it looks suspicious. Perhaps we three middle aged woman do look suspicious. I told the ladies they were trying to get me arrested. Later as we were taking photos of the big Blue House--that sounds familiar to me--Oh, ya! Blues Clues . . . I digress . . . I decided to do another video but was told after a few seconds to turn it off. I did and couldn't stop laughing. Every time we tried to cross the street to get a closer view of the house, we were told that we were not allowed and must follow the path we were on. We obeyed and continued the beautiful walk along the walking path. There were a few locations along the perimeter of the Presidents area that I saw guards with machine guns posted high above the wall and agreed it was probably best that we stayed on the marked pathway.
We finished our day by having desert at a wonderful cafe. Throughout the day, I had been looking at wallets--I need something smaller and have been looking for several weeks to find something that I like but that was cheap. Well, the ladies had been scheming all day to find me a wallet or a pair of earrings--they know how much I like dangling earrings. I had no idea they were doing this--"Kimberly, do you like these earrings? Oh, how about this wallet?" We were in a quaint shop and MiKyung saw some cool wallets. I came in and said, "Yes, this is exactly the style I'm looking for but the cost is too much, we can keep looking." Ya, you know what happened, they bought the wallet. Their scheme was a success and they were quite proud that I finally saw something I liked. I'm glad I didn't settle for the Hello Kitty wallet or the wallet that had the pink polk-a-dot bow on it.
funny #5
Last week was a slow week. I wasn't out much so that made it difficult to find my funny sign of the week. Until I stumbled upon this clothing shop.
STOP KILLING WHALE
I'm not sure if it's the same whale that keeps getting killed or if there is some lone whale that has a bounty out for his life . . . just stop killing whale.
STOP KILLING WHALE
I'm not sure if it's the same whale that keeps getting killed or if there is some lone whale that has a bounty out for his life . . . just stop killing whale.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
People. Lots and lots of People.
Last night after a very full and beautiful afternoon I said to Todd, "I'm not trying to meet people. I'm not seeking people out and I keep meeting people."
O-kay, I know what you're thinking, "Kim, what are you talking about. This is your story." I know. But seriously it's been way over the top lately. I always seem to meet people and have amazing encounters with people but it's usually in a more intentional way. Years ago when I got to hang out on campus with some pretty cool college students, I had a prayer that I prayed each day I headed to campus, "Jesus, what do you want to do today? Let me in some way be an instrument of your life and love to whoever I meet." I always kept my eyes, ears and heart open to see what He might be doing.
That has been my prayer here but it's been a more random prayer--I don't pray it often and if I'm honest, sometimes I don't know how God could use me with the huge barrier of language before me (lame, I know). I have found it harder to have those "chance" encounters with people--mostly because I don't speak Korean.
Over the course of the past several weeks I have met several woman.
Serena. I met Serena several weeks ago while waiting for the bus. Her nephew saw me and called me "America!" There is a blog entry about that first encounter under the title, America if you missed it, check it out. I have run into Serena several times at the bus stop. Serena started an English club for stay at home Mom's and asked if I would be interested in helping them. At first I wasn't sure but decided to visit the group last Friday. We had a wonderful time of sharing about our families and where they had all traveled. They asked about my life--which led to a little about my relationship with Jesus, how we got to Korea and about adoption. At one point almost all of these woman were crying. The moment was sweet and God felt near and I wondered if perhaps there was more to me being there than just helping some stay at home mommy's learn English--I think so. I will begin meeting with these beautiful woman every Friday from 10:00-12:00. When I told them that they didn't have to pay me (which was a bit hard for me actually) they were quite overwhelmed and then spoke in Korean for several minutes. They then said, if I ever needed anything to please tell them and they will help me. Anything--even a Doctor because one of the ladies is married to a Doctor and he speaks English so I don't have to worry about anything.
RiRa. RiRa sat down next to me on the bus a week ago. I had just left my Korean lesson and had my notes in front of me. I noticed that RiRa had notes in front of her as well--English notes. We both laughed and then began to talk. We got off the bus at the same stop and discovered that we live fairly close to one another. She asked if my daughter wanted to learn to play piano--she is a piano teacher. I said, yes, she has asked to learn to play the piano many times. She replied, "Oh, good. I am piano teacher. I teach your daughter and you talk to me in English. Same-Same." What? I started to laugh and replied, "really?" and she said, "yes, we help each other." Wow! Same. Same.
Jinny. Jinny runs the cafe I love to visit. Jinny is like rays of sunshine--not just one ray, but multiple rays. Everyone who enters her cafe is greeted in the warmest and most sincere heartfelt way. I like to say she is oozing with Jesus. I visit the cafe a couple of times a week--mostly to see Jinny!
Yesterday (Wednesday), I decided I was going to spend a good chunk of time at the cafe, reading, journaling and writing letters. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and of course there is Jinny who just makes everything wonderful. Jinny took a break from making lattes and came and sat with me for awhile. We talked, she shared her heart with me, we both cried and we prayed together. Jinny is carrying a heavy burden and because of cultural norms, she has not had a safe place to share her heart. I know that Jesus sent me to that little cafe several weeks ago for more than just a nice cup of tea.
MiYeon. Yesterday as I was finishing up my time at the cafe and met MiYeon and her daughter, Sophia. MiYeon had been sitting at the cafe bar talking to Jinny and kept looking at me. I smiled at her and carried on with my letter writing. As she was leaving, I said, good bye and she smiled and said, "Hello! I was watching you. you have a warm heart. something i see in you is different. you were reading, writing and taking pictures. i want to meet you." Whoah! She then sat down and we started an hour long conversation about our lives and families. What happened next still has me spinning. MiYeon said that she had been feeling lonely and feels like meeting me was like God sending her a friend--she wanted to buy Zach and Lia something special at her friends shop as a gift because she was so happy. I kept saying that it was not necessary and she kept insisting it was. We did this for several minutes and then walked next door to her friends shop. Zach, Lia and Todd then arrived, Todd looking at me like, "who is this and what are we doing?" I quietly told him I would share later and then she put a coat on each of the kids, wrapped Zach up in a scarf and said, "Perfect!" Afterward, we all went to have dinner together.
I'm a bit undone and incredibly grateful for all of this and these beautiful Korean woman that I've met. God is writing some beautiful stories.
O-kay, I know what you're thinking, "Kim, what are you talking about. This is your story." I know. But seriously it's been way over the top lately. I always seem to meet people and have amazing encounters with people but it's usually in a more intentional way. Years ago when I got to hang out on campus with some pretty cool college students, I had a prayer that I prayed each day I headed to campus, "Jesus, what do you want to do today? Let me in some way be an instrument of your life and love to whoever I meet." I always kept my eyes, ears and heart open to see what He might be doing.
That has been my prayer here but it's been a more random prayer--I don't pray it often and if I'm honest, sometimes I don't know how God could use me with the huge barrier of language before me (lame, I know). I have found it harder to have those "chance" encounters with people--mostly because I don't speak Korean.
Over the course of the past several weeks I have met several woman.
Serena. I met Serena several weeks ago while waiting for the bus. Her nephew saw me and called me "America!" There is a blog entry about that first encounter under the title, America if you missed it, check it out. I have run into Serena several times at the bus stop. Serena started an English club for stay at home Mom's and asked if I would be interested in helping them. At first I wasn't sure but decided to visit the group last Friday. We had a wonderful time of sharing about our families and where they had all traveled. They asked about my life--which led to a little about my relationship with Jesus, how we got to Korea and about adoption. At one point almost all of these woman were crying. The moment was sweet and God felt near and I wondered if perhaps there was more to me being there than just helping some stay at home mommy's learn English--I think so. I will begin meeting with these beautiful woman every Friday from 10:00-12:00. When I told them that they didn't have to pay me (which was a bit hard for me actually) they were quite overwhelmed and then spoke in Korean for several minutes. They then said, if I ever needed anything to please tell them and they will help me. Anything--even a Doctor because one of the ladies is married to a Doctor and he speaks English so I don't have to worry about anything.
RiRa. RiRa sat down next to me on the bus a week ago. I had just left my Korean lesson and had my notes in front of me. I noticed that RiRa had notes in front of her as well--English notes. We both laughed and then began to talk. We got off the bus at the same stop and discovered that we live fairly close to one another. She asked if my daughter wanted to learn to play piano--she is a piano teacher. I said, yes, she has asked to learn to play the piano many times. She replied, "Oh, good. I am piano teacher. I teach your daughter and you talk to me in English. Same-Same." What? I started to laugh and replied, "really?" and she said, "yes, we help each other." Wow! Same. Same.
Jinny. Jinny runs the cafe I love to visit. Jinny is like rays of sunshine--not just one ray, but multiple rays. Everyone who enters her cafe is greeted in the warmest and most sincere heartfelt way. I like to say she is oozing with Jesus. I visit the cafe a couple of times a week--mostly to see Jinny!
Yesterday (Wednesday), I decided I was going to spend a good chunk of time at the cafe, reading, journaling and writing letters. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and of course there is Jinny who just makes everything wonderful. Jinny took a break from making lattes and came and sat with me for awhile. We talked, she shared her heart with me, we both cried and we prayed together. Jinny is carrying a heavy burden and because of cultural norms, she has not had a safe place to share her heart. I know that Jesus sent me to that little cafe several weeks ago for more than just a nice cup of tea.
MiYeon. Yesterday as I was finishing up my time at the cafe and met MiYeon and her daughter, Sophia. MiYeon had been sitting at the cafe bar talking to Jinny and kept looking at me. I smiled at her and carried on with my letter writing. As she was leaving, I said, good bye and she smiled and said, "Hello! I was watching you. you have a warm heart. something i see in you is different. you were reading, writing and taking pictures. i want to meet you." Whoah! She then sat down and we started an hour long conversation about our lives and families. What happened next still has me spinning. MiYeon said that she had been feeling lonely and feels like meeting me was like God sending her a friend--she wanted to buy Zach and Lia something special at her friends shop as a gift because she was so happy. I kept saying that it was not necessary and she kept insisting it was. We did this for several minutes and then walked next door to her friends shop. Zach, Lia and Todd then arrived, Todd looking at me like, "who is this and what are we doing?" I quietly told him I would share later and then she put a coat on each of the kids, wrapped Zach up in a scarf and said, "Perfect!" Afterward, we all went to have dinner together.
I'm a bit undone and incredibly grateful for all of this and these beautiful Korean woman that I've met. God is writing some beautiful stories.
Monday, November 29, 2010
funny sign #3
Sometimes the signs are funny because you're just not sure how it relates to the store. I can't remember now what was in this store. I was walking with two friends when we saw it and it gave each of us a chuckle.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thanksgiving
Living outside of the United States during the major holidays that we celebrate is strange and yet wonderful. Last week as we anticipated Thanksgiving, everything around us said nothing that the holiday was quickly approaching. We were still filled with anticipation and expectation as we thought about enjoying a few days off school, sharing a traditional Thanksgiving meal with friends and putting up our Christmas tree.
Thanksgiving Day was spent resting and putting up our Christmas Tree. Sadly, Todd was sick and slept most of the day. While the kids and I decorated our tiny tree, Todd laid on the couch and watched.
Later in the day, we whipped up some homemade noodles and had chicken and noodles for dinner and finished our day by snuggling up on the couch and watching Elf.
Friday, Todd was still not feeling well so he stayed home to rest and the kids and I headed to our friends Scott and Dionne's home for a sleepover. It was a perfect evening for fellowship, wine and food with these precious friends--we just missed Darlin.
Saturday was our planned Thanksgiving Feast with our friends here in Korea. The day was perfect. Thirty friends gathered for delicious food, games, laughter and fun! For many, it was their first Thanksgiving away from family and friends but this day with all the familiar things of turkey and stuffing, that distance did not seem as great. It's incredibly beautiful when you bring 30 different people, from 30 different families, with 30 different histories and stories together.
We finished our night by making our trek home. It was another Korean adventure! It went something like this:
1. Wait 15 minutes for local city bus #2.
2. Bus #2 to the E-Mart in Gwangju.
3. Bus driver takes 15 minute break, while we sit on the bus.
4. Claire negotiates our release and the bus is running again.
5. We reach our bus stop and thankfully find our next connection, the 660 to Jukjeon.
6. 45 minute bus ride to Jukjeon
7. Arrived to Jukjeon. Ten minute wait for the 810 to Dongbaek.
8. 810 to Dongbaek.
9. 10 minute walk from bus stop to apartment.
We arrived home at 11:45, tired, happy, full and thankful!
Thanksgiving Day was spent resting and putting up our Christmas Tree. Sadly, Todd was sick and slept most of the day. While the kids and I decorated our tiny tree, Todd laid on the couch and watched.
Later in the day, we whipped up some homemade noodles and had chicken and noodles for dinner and finished our day by snuggling up on the couch and watching Elf.
Friday, Todd was still not feeling well so he stayed home to rest and the kids and I headed to our friends Scott and Dionne's home for a sleepover. It was a perfect evening for fellowship, wine and food with these precious friends--we just missed Darlin.
Saturday was our planned Thanksgiving Feast with our friends here in Korea. The day was perfect. Thirty friends gathered for delicious food, games, laughter and fun! For many, it was their first Thanksgiving away from family and friends but this day with all the familiar things of turkey and stuffing, that distance did not seem as great. It's incredibly beautiful when you bring 30 different people, from 30 different families, with 30 different histories and stories together.
We finished our night by making our trek home. It was another Korean adventure! It went something like this:
1. Wait 15 minutes for local city bus #2.
2. Bus #2 to the E-Mart in Gwangju.
3. Bus driver takes 15 minute break, while we sit on the bus.
4. Claire negotiates our release and the bus is running again.
5. We reach our bus stop and thankfully find our next connection, the 660 to Jukjeon.
6. 45 minute bus ride to Jukjeon
7. Arrived to Jukjeon. Ten minute wait for the 810 to Dongbaek.
8. 810 to Dongbaek.
9. 10 minute walk from bus stop to apartment.
We arrived home at 11:45, tired, happy, full and thankful!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
North and South
Many of you are probably aware of the news stories covering most headlines today regarding an assault by North Korea on a small island in the West Sea which is part of South Korea. If you haven't heard, check out any of the major news streams and you can catch up on what has happened.
We have received several e-mails in the last 24 hours asking if we are safe. We are safe! First, we are quite a distance from where the attack took place. We live in Dongbaek which is part of Yongin-si, South of Seoul. On the map, we are point B, point A is where Yeonpyeong island is.
View Larger Map
The current situation is serious as it has affected the lives of civilians. This is the first time since the cease-fire of the Korean war that North Korea has fired on Korean soil harming civilians. There are several reactions here in South Korea to the current situation. Many people simply respond by saying, "Oh, here they (North Korea), go again doing something stupid." Then life carries on as normal and it's just another incident reminding everyone that the leader, Kim Jong Il is a madman and has no concern for his country and it's people. Others are outraged because the lives of civilians have been affected and feel that the South must respond.
Last year our community spent a major part of our weekly times of worship and prayer, praying for the Korean peninsula. We continue to pray for the North and the oppression that the Korean people live under there. We are praying for South Korea to be prepared to receive their brothers and sisters of the North when this land is reunited.
That's our posture during this present situation--prayer and hope. Please pray with us.
We have received several e-mails in the last 24 hours asking if we are safe. We are safe! First, we are quite a distance from where the attack took place. We live in Dongbaek which is part of Yongin-si, South of Seoul. On the map, we are point B, point A is where Yeonpyeong island is.
View Larger Map
The current situation is serious as it has affected the lives of civilians. This is the first time since the cease-fire of the Korean war that North Korea has fired on Korean soil harming civilians. There are several reactions here in South Korea to the current situation. Many people simply respond by saying, "Oh, here they (North Korea), go again doing something stupid." Then life carries on as normal and it's just another incident reminding everyone that the leader, Kim Jong Il is a madman and has no concern for his country and it's people. Others are outraged because the lives of civilians have been affected and feel that the South must respond.
Last year our community spent a major part of our weekly times of worship and prayer, praying for the Korean peninsula. We continue to pray for the North and the oppression that the Korean people live under there. We are praying for South Korea to be prepared to receive their brothers and sisters of the North when this land is reunited.
That's our posture during this present situation--prayer and hope. Please pray with us.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Say What?
It's pure entertainment reading signs here in Korea. Things get a little lost in translation. I'm going to try to post one funny sign a week. Here's this weeks funny sign:
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Albert, Yujin & Minsae
A few weeks ago, Todd and Lia were walking home from the bus stop and stopped at the park for a few minutes. While Todd waited for Lia to climb and slide and release all the stress of her day, a lady approached Todd, giving him a flier to visit the church she attends. A few minutes later, another woman approached Todd and asked, "Do you go to Joyful Church?" Todd explained that someone had just given him the invitation and he had not been there before. They spoke for several minutes and she asked if she and her husband could have us over for a meal. Todd thought for a moment about how often we did this when we lived in Columbia and said to himself, "hey, why not!" and gave our phone number to the kind woman whose name is Yujin.
A couple of days later, Yujin's husband, Albert, contacted Todd and made plans for us to come over.
Albert and Yujin have one daughter, Minsaem, who is 5 years old. We went to their home on a Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a wonderful Korean meal. Like most foods, homemade Korean food is the best--especially when the cook knows her stuff! We had such a wonderful afternoon hearing each of their stories of how Jesus had changed them forever--they spoke with such gratefulness and joy.
Last week we had their family to our our home--I made pasta and didn't serve Kimchi--thankfully, they thought the meal was quite delicious and we again enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship.
We visited their church a couple of weeks ago and had a wonderful time of worship along our Korean brothers and sisters. We were warmly greeted and hugged all morning--we felt genuinely welcomed to Joyful Church!
I have told several new teachers here how incredibly valuable it is to build friendships with Koreans. It would actually be possible to live here and not have any Korean friends. The friendships that we are beginning to have with Korean nationals is extremely important and wonderful as we live in this culture and endeavor to understand it.
Todd and I are grateful for the courage Yujin had to say hello to us and the kindness that she and Albert have so beautifully shared with us.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Mount Bugakson
My personality in various circumstances wants control. There are times when I can go with the flow and I'm pretty chill about things but with big things I tend to want control or I begin to feel fearful and anxious. Since coming to Korea I've been learning to let go of that control. We have learned to remain flexible, keep a good sense of humor and don't panic. I've also tried to be a bit more spontaneous in trying things. You may be have thought I am pretty spontaneous but it's usually in more controlled settings that I'm familiar with. For example, visitors who just show up at our doorstep. My response is Yes! I love drop-ins who stay for dinner and then maybe decide to stay the night. But with unfamiliar things, I sometimes want a plan, the details.
A few days ago I met my friends Greg and Becky in Insadong. Becky has been visiting Greg here in Korea and I had the pleasure of joining them on many of their site seeing adventures. On this particular day, I was going to show them a few of my favorite spots in Insadong and then they were going to visit a palace near by. I had been to the palace the week before so I opted out on another visit. I was going to sit in a tea shop and read and perhaps do a little shopping in the area. Until . . .
Until I looked at Mount Bugakson. The mountain was shades of yellow, orange and red. It was breathtaking. I decided that I should be spontaneous, and go for a hike on Mount Bugakson. I went to the information center and asked how do I get "here!" on my map. The kind information lady explained how and off I went. Bus #2 to the top of the mountain. Walk 10 minutes to the trail. Enjoy.
I wasn't disappointed. The view was fantastic and the hike incredible. I sat at the top of the mountain overlooking Seoul for a while and then began my quiet and peaceful climb down.
That's when I got a little turned around. I ended up in a completely different area then where I had begun. An unfamiliar area. I felt a bit nervous at first but then thought to myself, "this is all part of your adventure today. enjoy it!" And so I did.
While I was standing by a map of the area I was in, I met Seori and her mom. They were also trying to find their way back to Insadong and offered for me to join them. Seori speaks great English so we made the trek back to Insadong and enjoyed a wonderful conversation.
My only regret of the day is that Todd and the kids weren't with me.
A few days ago I met my friends Greg and Becky in Insadong. Becky has been visiting Greg here in Korea and I had the pleasure of joining them on many of their site seeing adventures. On this particular day, I was going to show them a few of my favorite spots in Insadong and then they were going to visit a palace near by. I had been to the palace the week before so I opted out on another visit. I was going to sit in a tea shop and read and perhaps do a little shopping in the area. Until . . .
Until I looked at Mount Bugakson. The mountain was shades of yellow, orange and red. It was breathtaking. I decided that I should be spontaneous, and go for a hike on Mount Bugakson. I went to the information center and asked how do I get "here!" on my map. The kind information lady explained how and off I went. Bus #2 to the top of the mountain. Walk 10 minutes to the trail. Enjoy.
I wasn't disappointed. The view was fantastic and the hike incredible. I sat at the top of the mountain overlooking Seoul for a while and then began my quiet and peaceful climb down.
That's when I got a little turned around. I ended up in a completely different area then where I had begun. An unfamiliar area. I felt a bit nervous at first but then thought to myself, "this is all part of your adventure today. enjoy it!" And so I did.
While I was standing by a map of the area I was in, I met Seori and her mom. They were also trying to find their way back to Insadong and offered for me to join them. Seori speaks great English so we made the trek back to Insadong and enjoyed a wonderful conversation.
My only regret of the day is that Todd and the kids weren't with me.
Halloween
Halloween is not a typical celebration here in Korea. Last year, Halloween came and went and we totally forgot about it. This year, Zach was thinking about it a lot. He wanted to have a party or go trick or treating. Trick or treating is not really an option since most Koreans would be incredibly confused if we came to their door in costumes and requesting treats.
I was out for a walk last week and saw a group of children in costumes walking down the street. I said, hello to the children and their teachers and they explained that they are an English Class and were having discussions about American Holidays so they must celebrate Halloween! It's not one of my favorite holidays to be associated with but the kids were having a blast and thought it was well worth getting out of class time to walk around asking for candy.
One of the teachers that Todd works with has two sons. It's been fun getting to know them and for the kids to have some other kids to connect with. Last year, Jeanie was Zach's teacher. Jeanie is from Korea and her husband is from Oregon. We decided to have a little Halloween Party for the kids at their home--much to Zach's delight. Zach and their oldest son, Ray, made all the party plans, Jeanie and Tim, made tacos and bought a pumpkin pie at Costco. Basically, we just needed to figure out how to get to their house, which is about an hour away.
Our evening was great! The kids had a scavenger hunt, we ate some yummy food and watched Ghostbusters. Which I hadn't seen since 1984!
I had a few pictures but they have somehow disappeared from my file. I can't find them anywhere. Weird.
A very belated Happy Fall and Halloween from S. Korea!
I was out for a walk last week and saw a group of children in costumes walking down the street. I said, hello to the children and their teachers and they explained that they are an English Class and were having discussions about American Holidays so they must celebrate Halloween! It's not one of my favorite holidays to be associated with but the kids were having a blast and thought it was well worth getting out of class time to walk around asking for candy.
One of the teachers that Todd works with has two sons. It's been fun getting to know them and for the kids to have some other kids to connect with. Last year, Jeanie was Zach's teacher. Jeanie is from Korea and her husband is from Oregon. We decided to have a little Halloween Party for the kids at their home--much to Zach's delight. Zach and their oldest son, Ray, made all the party plans, Jeanie and Tim, made tacos and bought a pumpkin pie at Costco. Basically, we just needed to figure out how to get to their house, which is about an hour away.
Our evening was great! The kids had a scavenger hunt, we ate some yummy food and watched Ghostbusters. Which I hadn't seen since 1984!
I had a few pictures but they have somehow disappeared from my file. I can't find them anywhere. Weird.
A very belated Happy Fall and Halloween from S. Korea!
Monday, October 25, 2010
the neighborhood
Do you remember the song from Sesame Street? "These are people in my neighborhood, in my neighborhood . . ." It's a catchy tune and pretty much anyone who had Big Bird and the rest of the gang as part of their childhood TV watching, remembers that song.
Last year when we lived at Migeum I was able to meet a few of our neighbors. They were mostly shop owners in our building. We lived in an Officetel and most of our building was made up of businesses and had very few family apartments. It was wonderful but also difficult because few people spoke English.
This year we live in Dongbaek. By bus we are 30-40 minutes South from Migeum. The area we live in is considered a new area--built in perhaps the last 5-10 years. Our apartment is located in what is called a "villa"--it's comprised of businesses and residential apartments. It's like a small town--there are restaurants, cafe's, small grocery stores and Hagwon's (private academy's). We live near some high rise apartments but in our immediate area, it's mostly 2-3 story buildings.
In the past 2 months I have met more people/families in our neighborhood than I did a whole year at Migeum.
Meet Grace. Grace owns her own bakery, I Love Cookie Box. Grace also offers baking classes at her shop. Last week I was able to participate in her class on making scones. Afterward, we went to a local restaurant and enjoyed a delicious bowl of seafood and noodles. I try to stop by her shop a few times a week as I pass by just to say hello.
Just a few days ago I was riding the 810 home and met a woman by the name of MiJung. The bus was extremely crowded. When she and her husband got on I tried to make room for her to stand next to me so that she could have something to hold onto. MiJung is 8.5 months pregnant. We started chatting, her English is perfect. I found out she had been a missionary for 10 years in Singapore. Two years ago she felt like it was time to return to Korea. After returning to Korea, she met her husband, they married 1 year ago and are now expecting their first baby. I found all of this out on the 810 bus ride home. It was time for me to get off and wouldn't you know, they were getting off at the same stop. We got off the bus and began our walk home. We walked all the way through our neighborhood--or villa as they say here--as we approached our apartment, we realized that we live across the street from one another. I couldn't believe it. We are having tea together this week.
Just a funny side note about MiJung. I was taking the dog for a walk and I ran into MiJung. We were chatting about our day and I mentioned that I had been doing some reading and writing in my journal. Upon hearing this she replied, "Oh, I would very much like to read your journal some day!" I tried not to look surprised. What? Read my journal. Oh, my goodness! I explained what my journal was for and she still had the same reply.
I like walking through our villa because now when a few of the shop owners see us, they give us a warm smile and hello. Every morning I see an elderly couple out walking their dog--the dog we refer to as 'the bright orange tailed dog'--we always greet one another and smile. They would like our dogs to be friends but Lucy will have nothing to do with that--I think it could be the bright orange tail--it's rather alarming. :-)
Foreigners tend to stay to themselves or only connect with other foreigners. It's wonderful to make these small attempts to engage those around us despite the language barrier. Beautiful things happen when you smile or even make a faint attempt to communicate. I think these moments are mostly beautiful because the person receiving it, doesn't expect it.
Last year when we lived at Migeum I was able to meet a few of our neighbors. They were mostly shop owners in our building. We lived in an Officetel and most of our building was made up of businesses and had very few family apartments. It was wonderful but also difficult because few people spoke English.
This year we live in Dongbaek. By bus we are 30-40 minutes South from Migeum. The area we live in is considered a new area--built in perhaps the last 5-10 years. Our apartment is located in what is called a "villa"--it's comprised of businesses and residential apartments. It's like a small town--there are restaurants, cafe's, small grocery stores and Hagwon's (private academy's). We live near some high rise apartments but in our immediate area, it's mostly 2-3 story buildings.
In the past 2 months I have met more people/families in our neighborhood than I did a whole year at Migeum.
Meet Grace. Grace owns her own bakery, I Love Cookie Box. Grace also offers baking classes at her shop. Last week I was able to participate in her class on making scones. Afterward, we went to a local restaurant and enjoyed a delicious bowl of seafood and noodles. I try to stop by her shop a few times a week as I pass by just to say hello.
Just a few days ago I was riding the 810 home and met a woman by the name of MiJung. The bus was extremely crowded. When she and her husband got on I tried to make room for her to stand next to me so that she could have something to hold onto. MiJung is 8.5 months pregnant. We started chatting, her English is perfect. I found out she had been a missionary for 10 years in Singapore. Two years ago she felt like it was time to return to Korea. After returning to Korea, she met her husband, they married 1 year ago and are now expecting their first baby. I found all of this out on the 810 bus ride home. It was time for me to get off and wouldn't you know, they were getting off at the same stop. We got off the bus and began our walk home. We walked all the way through our neighborhood--or villa as they say here--as we approached our apartment, we realized that we live across the street from one another. I couldn't believe it. We are having tea together this week.
Just a funny side note about MiJung. I was taking the dog for a walk and I ran into MiJung. We were chatting about our day and I mentioned that I had been doing some reading and writing in my journal. Upon hearing this she replied, "Oh, I would very much like to read your journal some day!" I tried not to look surprised. What? Read my journal. Oh, my goodness! I explained what my journal was for and she still had the same reply.
I like walking through our villa because now when a few of the shop owners see us, they give us a warm smile and hello. Every morning I see an elderly couple out walking their dog--the dog we refer to as 'the bright orange tailed dog'--we always greet one another and smile. They would like our dogs to be friends but Lucy will have nothing to do with that--I think it could be the bright orange tail--it's rather alarming. :-)
Foreigners tend to stay to themselves or only connect with other foreigners. It's wonderful to make these small attempts to engage those around us despite the language barrier. Beautiful things happen when you smile or even make a faint attempt to communicate. I think these moments are mostly beautiful because the person receiving it, doesn't expect it.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mount Seorakson
our welcome
Originally uploaded by kimmer67
Since arriving in Korea we've heard about Mount Seorakson. Mount Seorakson is located on the East Coast of South Korea. We have wanted to make the 3-hour bus trip East to enjoy the amazing landscape of one of Korea's most beautiful destinations. We were not disappointed.
We stayed just outside of the park in the coastal city of Sokcho. After getting settled in our hotel room, we took a local city bus to the park. Arriving in the park felt a bit like arriving in downtown Seoul--there were masses of people all dressed in their best Korean hiking gear.
We traveled with two friends, Logan and Haley and decided it would be best if we took the kids on some trails that are a little less demanding.
We took a 2.4k hike to a waterfall. The kids did amazing. There were sections of the trail that were a bit steep for little Lia's legs but nothing could hold that girl back. Lia was actually quoting her bible verse that she learned the entire way;
"Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint."
After our journey to the waterfall we road a cable car to the top of another mountain--hiking to the top would have taken most of the day but riding the cable car took about 10 minutes. The view from the top was amazing! Seriously, i was undone and felt quite emotional as we stood at the top. There were no guard railings or barriers to keep you from rolling off the edge--it was shear cliff, jagged rocks and enormous heights at every turn. I felt small. Zach was smiling from ear to ear the entire time and saying, "this is AWESOME!"
I wish we would have had more time at the top of this peak but nightfall was setting in and the last cable car ride was departing.
We made it back to the bus stop at 7:00. It was completely dark and the masses of people were now all trying to leave the park. We got on our bus and I couldn't believe the number of people that squeezed on--well, actually I can, it's Korea. There is always room for a few more.
Sunday morning, Lia, Haley and I woke up bright and early to watch the sunrise at Sokcho Beach. A sunrise is never disappointing and watching the sun appear over the East Sea was spectacular.
We will be returning to Mount Seorkason!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
America!
What a wonderful day!
It began by oversleeping. All of us. Todd slept through his alarm and well, so did I since I never heard either of his alarms (if first alarm doesn't work, he has his back-up alarm.). Although Todd and the kids were trying frantically to get ready in 25 minutes, there was no screaming, shouting or whining--everyone just did what they needed to do and made it out the door just as the taxi arrived outside of our apartment.
Then I did what I do every morning; I cleaned. I love putting everything back in order when everyone is out the door. It gives me this freakish sense that I have control over our small space and this makes me feel like life is as it should be (I think I have a problem!).
After the home was in order my friend Haejin came over for tea. Haejin and I are the same age. Whenever we are together, we laugh a lot. I appreciate that about Haejin, she has a great sense of humor and we enjoy each others company. Haejin was concerned that the kids had appropriate comforters since the weather is getting cooler. I assured her they were fine but she came today with two comforters that her daughter had used--they are really nice and the kids will be happy to have something a little warmer on their beds at night.
My conversation with Haejin was beautiful. We spoke of how God met with each of us at different times in our lives. We spoke of Korea and North Korea. We shared about our longings to experience God in our lives. When our time came to an end, my heart felt full and grateful.
I was then off to meet my friend SJ (I'm using her initials for a reason) who last May went to NK. When she returned last June from NK, I was already back in the States. Today was the day for the two of us to catch up and for me to hear about her experiences in NK. I can't go into all the details here. I will say that I'm blown away and I left our time amazed at how big God is and hopeful for NK.
A little side note: When SJ and I were chatting a guy came up to us, obviously wanting to practice his English. He asked the normal, "Where you from?" Without thinking I said, "Canada!" That's where SJ is from and well, I am 1/4 Canadian. He then asked if I was married to a Korean. I tried not to laugh. I've never been asked that before. I also told him that SJ and I were sisters--which we are in the spiritual sense--he said, "Oh, nice. You are older sister?" Ya, I'm older sister.
I was then off to E-Mart to grab a few things for dinner tonight. I decided to take the 390 bus home. I don't normally take that bus but decided that I would today. While I was standing at the bus stop I started hearing this small voice shouting, "America! America!" I turned to look and my eyes met the most adorable little boy. He was pointing at me and saying over and over, "America! America!" Yes, I am America. I smiled and waved at him and of course he suddenly became shy. His grandmother kept trying to get him to say hello but he wouldn't budge.
I continued waiting and decided that maybe I could give him a cookie that I had just bought--food breaks all barriers. I walked over and handed him the cookie. A bright smile lit up his face--that smile quite possibly could have lit up the darkest night. I introduced myself to the two ladies with him--his Grandmother and Aunt. The Auntie spoke descent English and wouldn't you know, they live in Dongbaek. We rode the bus together and chatted the entire way.
Perhaps when that little guy grows up he'll remember the day he met America and she gave him a cookie!
It began by oversleeping. All of us. Todd slept through his alarm and well, so did I since I never heard either of his alarms (if first alarm doesn't work, he has his back-up alarm.). Although Todd and the kids were trying frantically to get ready in 25 minutes, there was no screaming, shouting or whining--everyone just did what they needed to do and made it out the door just as the taxi arrived outside of our apartment.
Then I did what I do every morning; I cleaned. I love putting everything back in order when everyone is out the door. It gives me this freakish sense that I have control over our small space and this makes me feel like life is as it should be (I think I have a problem!).
After the home was in order my friend Haejin came over for tea. Haejin and I are the same age. Whenever we are together, we laugh a lot. I appreciate that about Haejin, she has a great sense of humor and we enjoy each others company. Haejin was concerned that the kids had appropriate comforters since the weather is getting cooler. I assured her they were fine but she came today with two comforters that her daughter had used--they are really nice and the kids will be happy to have something a little warmer on their beds at night.
My conversation with Haejin was beautiful. We spoke of how God met with each of us at different times in our lives. We spoke of Korea and North Korea. We shared about our longings to experience God in our lives. When our time came to an end, my heart felt full and grateful.
I was then off to meet my friend SJ (I'm using her initials for a reason) who last May went to NK. When she returned last June from NK, I was already back in the States. Today was the day for the two of us to catch up and for me to hear about her experiences in NK. I can't go into all the details here. I will say that I'm blown away and I left our time amazed at how big God is and hopeful for NK.
A little side note: When SJ and I were chatting a guy came up to us, obviously wanting to practice his English. He asked the normal, "Where you from?" Without thinking I said, "Canada!" That's where SJ is from and well, I am 1/4 Canadian. He then asked if I was married to a Korean. I tried not to laugh. I've never been asked that before. I also told him that SJ and I were sisters--which we are in the spiritual sense--he said, "Oh, nice. You are older sister?" Ya, I'm older sister.
I was then off to E-Mart to grab a few things for dinner tonight. I decided to take the 390 bus home. I don't normally take that bus but decided that I would today. While I was standing at the bus stop I started hearing this small voice shouting, "America! America!" I turned to look and my eyes met the most adorable little boy. He was pointing at me and saying over and over, "America! America!" Yes, I am America. I smiled and waved at him and of course he suddenly became shy. His grandmother kept trying to get him to say hello but he wouldn't budge.
I continued waiting and decided that maybe I could give him a cookie that I had just bought--food breaks all barriers. I walked over and handed him the cookie. A bright smile lit up his face--that smile quite possibly could have lit up the darkest night. I introduced myself to the two ladies with him--his Grandmother and Aunt. The Auntie spoke descent English and wouldn't you know, they live in Dongbaek. We rode the bus together and chatted the entire way.
Perhaps when that little guy grows up he'll remember the day he met America and she gave him a cookie!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Oh, Canada!
Originally uploaded by kimmer67
This weekend we celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving with some wonderful Canadian and American friends. We spent the afternoon playing football at the field in Seohyeon, USA vs Canada. Team USA won! No mercy even on Thanksgiving. After football we headed to Yatap to enjoy a Galbi (Korean BBQ) Feast. Our meal was great and we ended the night with bowling and pie. I can't say that I've ever ate pie while bowling but hey, there's a first for everything.
A few of this weeks pics on Flickr are of gardens in our neighborhood. It's wonderful that in the midst of all the concrete and asphalt, there are these beautiful green spaces.
Check out more photos on flickr!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimmersphotos/5066851544/
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Buses, Subways, Shuttles and More
Trips to Seoul can sometimes be an adventure. I've already had a few since we arrived back to Korea. This past Sunday we were going to visit a church in a suburb of Seoul that a couple of our friends have been going to. Todd and reviewed the web site directions, went over our subway map and determined the best route to take from Dongbaek.
Todd wasn't feeling well so he decided to stay back--I would be making this first trip alone. Here is how my trip to the New Philadelphia Church went.
1. 10 minute walk to the bus stop.
2. 5 minute wait for bus.
3. Catch the 5003 to the Gangnam Station stop.
4. Missed the Gangnam Station Stop. Realize I'm at the Woyyoun Apartment Stop.
5. Ask a guy who I think might speak a little English where the Gangnam stop is.
6. He doesn't speak English.
7. I walk across the street to see if I can find a sign leading me to Gangnam station.
8. Call Korea Helpline. And then notice the sign to the station.
9. Begin walking the 3 city blocks back to the Station.
10. Previous guy taps me on the shoulder. He will take me to the Station.
11. I don't speak Korean. He doesn't speak English. We walk side by side, occasionally smiling at each other and apologizing that we don't speak the others language. I ask his name. Te Eun. He is a baseball player. A pitcher. He loves baseball. I mention the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Puljos. He gives me a thumbs up--he likes Albert Puljos. We reach the station. Te Eun walks me all the way to my subway entrance and watches me go down the stairs to the platform.
15. I catch the subway from Gangnam Station to Seoul University Station.
16. I wait for the church shuttle bus outside of McDonalds.
17. Elasped time: 1:40 minutes.
What a gift Te Eun was to me. I knew how to get to the station but he walked me all the way. We shook hands as we parted, I prayed a blessing over him and thanked God for his kindness to me.
The long journey to New Philly was worth it! What a beautiful community of people. The next journey will be a little easier and perhaps 15-20 minutes shorter because I won't get off at the wrong stop.
Walk, Bus, Walk, Subway, Walk, Shuttle
Todd wasn't feeling well so he decided to stay back--I would be making this first trip alone. Here is how my trip to the New Philadelphia Church went.
1. 10 minute walk to the bus stop.
2. 5 minute wait for bus.
3. Catch the 5003 to the Gangnam Station stop.
4. Missed the Gangnam Station Stop. Realize I'm at the Woyyoun Apartment Stop.
5. Ask a guy who I think might speak a little English where the Gangnam stop is.
6. He doesn't speak English.
7. I walk across the street to see if I can find a sign leading me to Gangnam station.
8. Call Korea Helpline. And then notice the sign to the station.
9. Begin walking the 3 city blocks back to the Station.
10. Previous guy taps me on the shoulder. He will take me to the Station.
11. I don't speak Korean. He doesn't speak English. We walk side by side, occasionally smiling at each other and apologizing that we don't speak the others language. I ask his name. Te Eun. He is a baseball player. A pitcher. He loves baseball. I mention the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Puljos. He gives me a thumbs up--he likes Albert Puljos. We reach the station. Te Eun walks me all the way to my subway entrance and watches me go down the stairs to the platform.
15. I catch the subway from Gangnam Station to Seoul University Station.
16. I wait for the church shuttle bus outside of McDonalds.
17. Elasped time: 1:40 minutes.
What a gift Te Eun was to me. I knew how to get to the station but he walked me all the way. We shook hands as we parted, I prayed a blessing over him and thanked God for his kindness to me.
The long journey to New Philly was worth it! What a beautiful community of people. The next journey will be a little easier and perhaps 15-20 minutes shorter because I won't get off at the wrong stop.
Walk, Bus, Walk, Subway, Walk, Shuttle
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Happy Chuseok!
What is Chuseok?
Chuseok (Korean: 추석), originally known as Hangawi (한가위) (from archaic Korean for "great middle"), is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food.
Thank you, Wikki.
Basically, Chuseok is like our Thanksgiving in the United States. This week we will enjoy a 3-day holiday for the Chuseok celebration. While most of our friends, Western and Korean, are traveling away to local (hometowns) and distant lands, we will be here, in Dongbaek.
The stores are filled with shoppers preparing to buy gifts and foods for the week long celebration. A friend shared with me last week that when she was young it was part of the Chuseok tradition for parents to buy children new shoes and clothes for Chuseok. Korea is now a prospering nation but in it's past there has been a lot of hardship. Today, Korea seems like a fashion capital but in the not so distant past a new pair of shoes was a huge deal.
For many families they will purchase fruit or other practical items to give as Chuseok gifts. In every store you visit in the weeks leading up to Chuseok stores are selling huge gift boxes. These boxes contain things like; Spam, lotion, fruit juices, cooking oils or boxes of ginseng.
The other day a friend came over for dinner and brought us a huge box of grapes--there were at least 20 little bushels of grapes. They said, "Happy Chuseok! We want you to experience what it is like in Korea to celebrate the holiday!"
It would be really awesome to celebrate with a Korean family. When I mentioned this to a friend she said, "Oh, Kimberly, you don't want to do that. It is crazy and stressful." I laughed because I understand what it's like to have large family gatherings--cooking, cleaning and lots of people in small spaces. I still think it would be interesting to go but in Korea it's not as commmon to invite non-family friends to family functions.
Happy Chuseok from Korea!
Chuseok (Korean: 추석), originally known as Hangawi (한가위) (from archaic Korean for "great middle"), is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food.
Thank you, Wikki.
Basically, Chuseok is like our Thanksgiving in the United States. This week we will enjoy a 3-day holiday for the Chuseok celebration. While most of our friends, Western and Korean, are traveling away to local (hometowns) and distant lands, we will be here, in Dongbaek.
The stores are filled with shoppers preparing to buy gifts and foods for the week long celebration. A friend shared with me last week that when she was young it was part of the Chuseok tradition for parents to buy children new shoes and clothes for Chuseok. Korea is now a prospering nation but in it's past there has been a lot of hardship. Today, Korea seems like a fashion capital but in the not so distant past a new pair of shoes was a huge deal.
For many families they will purchase fruit or other practical items to give as Chuseok gifts. In every store you visit in the weeks leading up to Chuseok stores are selling huge gift boxes. These boxes contain things like; Spam, lotion, fruit juices, cooking oils or boxes of ginseng.
The other day a friend came over for dinner and brought us a huge box of grapes--there were at least 20 little bushels of grapes. They said, "Happy Chuseok! We want you to experience what it is like in Korea to celebrate the holiday!"
It would be really awesome to celebrate with a Korean family. When I mentioned this to a friend she said, "Oh, Kimberly, you don't want to do that. It is crazy and stressful." I laughed because I understand what it's like to have large family gatherings--cooking, cleaning and lots of people in small spaces. I still think it would be interesting to go but in Korea it's not as commmon to invite non-family friends to family functions.
Happy Chuseok from Korea!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hope
What holds the universe together is not an idea or a virtue, but a person: the resurrected Christ. Without Him, electrons would not continue to circle nuclei, gravity would cease to work, and the planets would not stay in their orbits.”
–Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans., 2008), 125.
–Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans., 2008), 125.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Beauty & Grace in every day
If you turn on the news tonight you will probably hear about a local or world event that will immediately frustrate, sadden or further increase your negative view of people and the world we live in. We live in a broken and fallen world and we all long for moments of beauty and hope around us. There are beautiful moments of grace and sometimes they come in very simple ways.
If you look, if you keep your eyes open and are aware of your surroundings, you can capture beauty all around you-even in people.
This past week I got to experience a few beautiful moments. One of them I shared on a photo blog project that I'm doing with my dear friend, Rachel. If you haven't seen it, please visit, www.kimmerandray.wordpress.com. Each week we will each post a picture that captured for us, Gratefulness. My picture, sisters, is Lia with two of our amazing friends here in Korea, Mindy and Kelly. Lia calls them her sisters and as a Mom, I'm incredibly grateful to have these two woman in my daughters life.
Here are two other pictures I was able to capture.
I was walking to the grocery store a few days ago and it was raining. There weren't a lot of people out but just ahead of me there was a man in a business suit. Approaching the business man was an elderly couple. The rain was falling harder and the elderly couple didn't have an umbrella. The buisiness man, offered his umbrella to them. For the next minute I watched, they insisted that they couldn't take the man's umbrella and he insisted that they did. Thankfully, the buisiness man won! As I got closer to the elderly couple I could see their faces, smiling from ear to ear and hearts full of gratitude.
I walked about one block with this precious little face staring at me. We grinned, and played peek-a-boo along the way. I thought about how safe she felt in her mommies arms and how much I love holding my own kids.
If you look, if you keep your eyes open and are aware of your surroundings, you can capture beauty all around you-even in people.
This past week I got to experience a few beautiful moments. One of them I shared on a photo blog project that I'm doing with my dear friend, Rachel. If you haven't seen it, please visit, www.kimmerandray.wordpress.com. Each week we will each post a picture that captured for us, Gratefulness. My picture, sisters, is Lia with two of our amazing friends here in Korea, Mindy and Kelly. Lia calls them her sisters and as a Mom, I'm incredibly grateful to have these two woman in my daughters life.
Here are two other pictures I was able to capture.
I was walking to the grocery store a few days ago and it was raining. There weren't a lot of people out but just ahead of me there was a man in a business suit. Approaching the business man was an elderly couple. The rain was falling harder and the elderly couple didn't have an umbrella. The buisiness man, offered his umbrella to them. For the next minute I watched, they insisted that they couldn't take the man's umbrella and he insisted that they did. Thankfully, the buisiness man won! As I got closer to the elderly couple I could see their faces, smiling from ear to ear and hearts full of gratitude.
I walked about one block with this precious little face staring at me. We grinned, and played peek-a-boo along the way. I thought about how safe she felt in her mommies arms and how much I love holding my own kids.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Adventures with Lucy
Who is Lucy? Well, she's the sweet pup we went to visit last week in the pouring down rain in the northern part of Seoul. We decided to see how Lucy might fit in with our family and made the trek back to Seoul. It was a beautiful, sunny day so the streets and buses were jammed packed with people heading into Seoul.
We met Laurie at Seoul Station. Lucy was entertaining and being as sweet as can be to all the homeless men that wanted to pet her. We made the exchange with Laurie and this is where our real adventure begins.
Zach and I would have another hour or more back to Dongbaek so we went to the bathroom, got smoothies at the Smoothie King and got Lucy all situated in her carrying case.
We waited twenty-minutes for the bus to arrive and when it did, it seemed like half of Seoul wanted to get on the red 5000. We pushed our way onto the bus only to be crammed in the center aisle with about 20 plus other people. Me, Zach, Lucy and 20 plus Koreans, body to body.
Lucy is shedding and her shedding took on a whole new level when we got on the bus--I must say it disgust me. Laurie said she had never shed until recently--we are shaving her. Zach started having serious issues, sneezing, wheezing and red puffy eyes. Sigh. Lucy is awesome--neither of us want to give her back but if Zach doesn't improve, we must.
Back to the bus ride. I was kneeling down in the middle aisle trying to comfort Lucy who is trapped in her carrying case when a very sweet elderly man offered to hold Lucy in his lap.
The man next to the generous man, huffed and said something rude, I'm guessing, in Korean and turned away. I couldn't blame him, dog hair was flying all over and he was just trying to read his book. The generous man just smiled at me and nodded, as if to say, "hey, don't worry about it."
We were stuck in traffic and the bus seemed to sit for at least 30-40 minutes with little movement. A kind woman could tell Zach wasn't feeling well and offered him her seat. Zach could rest and I could try to decide what our plan of action should be. The plan, if we ever made it through the tunnel, would be to get OFF this BUS! We would either find another, less crowded bus or take a taxi to Bundang and then catch a bus back to Dongbaek. Thank goodness we have a year of experience living here, it didn't seem quite so daunting that I was trying to come up with a different route.
The bus finally reached the stop before the Han river. Thank goodness. We barely could get off the bus, people were helping push us to the exit. An elderly man who was sitting on the stairs yelled at me, why, I have no idea but thank goodness we were off that bus.
We took Lucy for a walk, gave her some water and just breathed and laughed about the madness of this trip. Another westerner got off the bus we were on and turned to us and said, "Can you believe that? That was intense." Agreed.
Now what? Plan A. I flagged down a taxi but he didn't go to Bundang. Sigh. Plan B. 8100 to Ori and then taxi home.
This was a good plan. The bus had seats available and people seemed a little more pleasant when we got on with our dog. We sat. No crowds just a quiet bus ride back to Bundang. Lucy continued to be awesome--sitting quietly in her little case.
We made it to Ori, flagged down a taxi and made it home. 3 hours later. Yes, three hours later.
Our first night with Lucy was great but we have some uncertainty if whether or not we can keep her. If Zach's allergies continue to bother him after her hair is cut we can't keep her. We would all be sad but Zach completely understands--who likes to feel miserable.
We met Laurie at Seoul Station. Lucy was entertaining and being as sweet as can be to all the homeless men that wanted to pet her. We made the exchange with Laurie and this is where our real adventure begins.
Zach and I would have another hour or more back to Dongbaek so we went to the bathroom, got smoothies at the Smoothie King and got Lucy all situated in her carrying case.
We waited twenty-minutes for the bus to arrive and when it did, it seemed like half of Seoul wanted to get on the red 5000. We pushed our way onto the bus only to be crammed in the center aisle with about 20 plus other people. Me, Zach, Lucy and 20 plus Koreans, body to body.
Lucy is shedding and her shedding took on a whole new level when we got on the bus--I must say it disgust me. Laurie said she had never shed until recently--we are shaving her. Zach started having serious issues, sneezing, wheezing and red puffy eyes. Sigh. Lucy is awesome--neither of us want to give her back but if Zach doesn't improve, we must.
Back to the bus ride. I was kneeling down in the middle aisle trying to comfort Lucy who is trapped in her carrying case when a very sweet elderly man offered to hold Lucy in his lap.
The man next to the generous man, huffed and said something rude, I'm guessing, in Korean and turned away. I couldn't blame him, dog hair was flying all over and he was just trying to read his book. The generous man just smiled at me and nodded, as if to say, "hey, don't worry about it."
We were stuck in traffic and the bus seemed to sit for at least 30-40 minutes with little movement. A kind woman could tell Zach wasn't feeling well and offered him her seat. Zach could rest and I could try to decide what our plan of action should be. The plan, if we ever made it through the tunnel, would be to get OFF this BUS! We would either find another, less crowded bus or take a taxi to Bundang and then catch a bus back to Dongbaek. Thank goodness we have a year of experience living here, it didn't seem quite so daunting that I was trying to come up with a different route.
The bus finally reached the stop before the Han river. Thank goodness. We barely could get off the bus, people were helping push us to the exit. An elderly man who was sitting on the stairs yelled at me, why, I have no idea but thank goodness we were off that bus.
We took Lucy for a walk, gave her some water and just breathed and laughed about the madness of this trip. Another westerner got off the bus we were on and turned to us and said, "Can you believe that? That was intense." Agreed.
Now what? Plan A. I flagged down a taxi but he didn't go to Bundang. Sigh. Plan B. 8100 to Ori and then taxi home.
This was a good plan. The bus had seats available and people seemed a little more pleasant when we got on with our dog. We sat. No crowds just a quiet bus ride back to Bundang. Lucy continued to be awesome--sitting quietly in her little case.
We made it to Ori, flagged down a taxi and made it home. 3 hours later. Yes, three hours later.
Our first night with Lucy was great but we have some uncertainty if whether or not we can keep her. If Zach's allergies continue to bother him after her hair is cut we can't keep her. We would all be sad but Zach completely understands--who likes to feel miserable.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Rain. Drops.
Rain. Drops.
Originally uploaded by kimmer67
my favorite picture from mine and Zach's adventure in the rain to Seoul.
Mr. Han
Sunday morning Zach and I had scheduled to travel to the Northern part of Seoul to visit Laurie who has been fostering a sweet little dog named Lucy. Since mid-July we have been corresponding with Laurie about possibly adopting Lucy. Yes, you read that right. Zach and Lia have been begging for a dog all summer when we returned to Korea.
We now live 1.5-2 hours from this particular part of Seoul. We had this date planned for a week and had to change the day once so I didn't want to cancel but it was pouring down rain and commuting in the rain is tough. I do not exaggerate when I say it was pouring.
Zach and I made the 5-10 minute trek to the bus stop and were already soaking feet.
When we got on the bus I decided to call the Korea helpline to confirm that I had my directions straight. Red 5000 bus to Joggak Station. Joggak Station, Line 1 to Wolgye Station. As I was talking to the sweet Korean lady on the helpline the gentlemen in front of us turned around and asked if he could, "be of any help."
He speaks English. I said to Zach, "I love how God always provides."
He was actually going to the same stop and getting onto the same subway as we were was so he said that we could, "follow along with him." And so we did.
We reached our stop at the subway station and had to walk a short distance. The rain continued to pour and we were now soaking. We did have an umbrella but it's tough for two people to walk side to side under a normal size umbrella and not get a little wet.
As we stood on the subway platform, I asked the kind gentleman his name. He said, "My name is Mr. Han." We shared a little bit about where we are from--he actually knew where Kansas City is and what we are doing in Korea. I told him where we live here and he said, "We are neighbors!" I thanked him several times for helping us and he replied, "It's o-kay. We are neighbors."
When we made it to our destination at Wolgye Station we had another 15 minutes walk in the pouring down rain to Laurie's apartment. It was all worth it. Lucy (the dog) greeted us at the door, tail wagging and body leaping up and down. Lucy is a super great dog. Are we going to get her? We are leaning towards a yes but need a few more days before making our final decision.
The rest of our journey was wet and wonderful. Along the way home we needed some assistance to confirm we weren't going in the wrong direction and each time there just so happened to be someone who spoke very good English and helped us on our way.
Zach and I had a great day together. We had left home at 9:00 am and returned home at 2:00 pm tired, wet and grateful for God's provision to us throughout the day.
We now live 1.5-2 hours from this particular part of Seoul. We had this date planned for a week and had to change the day once so I didn't want to cancel but it was pouring down rain and commuting in the rain is tough. I do not exaggerate when I say it was pouring.
Zach and I made the 5-10 minute trek to the bus stop and were already soaking feet.
When we got on the bus I decided to call the Korea helpline to confirm that I had my directions straight. Red 5000 bus to Joggak Station. Joggak Station, Line 1 to Wolgye Station. As I was talking to the sweet Korean lady on the helpline the gentlemen in front of us turned around and asked if he could, "be of any help."
He speaks English. I said to Zach, "I love how God always provides."
He was actually going to the same stop and getting onto the same subway as we were was so he said that we could, "follow along with him." And so we did.
We reached our stop at the subway station and had to walk a short distance. The rain continued to pour and we were now soaking. We did have an umbrella but it's tough for two people to walk side to side under a normal size umbrella and not get a little wet.
As we stood on the subway platform, I asked the kind gentleman his name. He said, "My name is Mr. Han." We shared a little bit about where we are from--he actually knew where Kansas City is and what we are doing in Korea. I told him where we live here and he said, "We are neighbors!" I thanked him several times for helping us and he replied, "It's o-kay. We are neighbors."
When we made it to our destination at Wolgye Station we had another 15 minutes walk in the pouring down rain to Laurie's apartment. It was all worth it. Lucy (the dog) greeted us at the door, tail wagging and body leaping up and down. Lucy is a super great dog. Are we going to get her? We are leaning towards a yes but need a few more days before making our final decision.
The rest of our journey was wet and wonderful. Along the way home we needed some assistance to confirm we weren't going in the wrong direction and each time there just so happened to be someone who spoke very good English and helped us on our way.
Zach and I had a great day together. We had left home at 9:00 am and returned home at 2:00 pm tired, wet and grateful for God's provision to us throughout the day.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Photo Project
My dear friend, Rachel and I are doing a photo project titled, Gratitude. We will each post a picture of something we've been grateful for that week on Sunday.
http://kimmerandray.wordpress.com/
I hope you will follow along.
http://kimmerandray.wordpress.com/
I hope you will follow along.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
one week. year two
Here's what our first week back in Korea looked like. In pictures.
We arrived. Safe and Sound.
We have endeavored to make our space work. Slowly we are bringing some normalcy to our new home.
We moved to a new city. Dongbaek, South Korea
We gathered with friends.
We celebrated a friend turning 23. Happy Birthday, Tayla. Glad we got back in time for the celebration.
We boated down the Han River in Seoul.
We arrived. Safe and Sound.
We have endeavored to make our space work. Slowly we are bringing some normalcy to our new home.
We moved to a new city. Dongbaek, South Korea
We gathered with friends.
We celebrated a friend turning 23. Happy Birthday, Tayla. Glad we got back in time for the celebration.
We boated down the Han River in Seoul.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
a few thoughts from todd
are we to learn something else...
An aside: I always espouse my trust in His sovereignty. I have sometimes cautioned others who wax eloquently about the doctrine of God's sovereignty, yet find it easy to blame men for their plight or perceived missed opportunities in life. I am asking, praying: "How do I reconcile my apartment requests to the school with my many prayers for a three bedroom apartment close to the school and with the reality that I find my family in a small apartment not so close to the school?" I trust in the God who answers prayer. I trust in the sovereignty of God that can and does trumps or works through the desires and and decisions of men and women that can and do affect me for my good. Or should I say that God will work all things together for our good in spite of the decisions that other humans make that affect our experiences in life. I will to continue to have a faith filled, trusting response to the situation that I find myself in. I am endeavoring to respond with wisdom, patience, and grace, and avoid thinking that I or we "deserve better". Every good thing we receive from God is all by grace; unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. I don't deserve this wonderful, small apartment anymore than our faithful brothers in North Korea deserve to be in a hard labor prison camp, or as the simple ordinary, starving family in North Korea longs for the next bite to eat. Perhaps I/we don't "need" what we want. I am believing we are to learn something from this experience. It is driving me to Him in prayer. That is always a good thing. That is the beautiful work of God that I believe He is always doing. He works through my circumstances to drive me to Him. This is my present perspective.
An aside: I always espouse my trust in His sovereignty. I have sometimes cautioned others who wax eloquently about the doctrine of God's sovereignty, yet find it easy to blame men for their plight or perceived missed opportunities in life. I am asking, praying: "How do I reconcile my apartment requests to the school with my many prayers for a three bedroom apartment close to the school and with the reality that I find my family in a small apartment not so close to the school?" I trust in the God who answers prayer. I trust in the sovereignty of God that can and does trumps or works through the desires and and decisions of men and women that can and do affect me for my good. Or should I say that God will work all things together for our good in spite of the decisions that other humans make that affect our experiences in life. I will to continue to have a faith filled, trusting response to the situation that I find myself in. I am endeavoring to respond with wisdom, patience, and grace, and avoid thinking that I or we "deserve better". Every good thing we receive from God is all by grace; unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. I don't deserve this wonderful, small apartment anymore than our faithful brothers in North Korea deserve to be in a hard labor prison camp, or as the simple ordinary, starving family in North Korea longs for the next bite to eat. Perhaps I/we don't "need" what we want. I am believing we are to learn something from this experience. It is driving me to Him in prayer. That is always a good thing. That is the beautiful work of God that I believe He is always doing. He works through my circumstances to drive me to Him. This is my present perspective.
the beauty of laughter
When we arrived in Korea last year I soon realized how important laughter would be for facing the everyday challenges of living in another culture. Each day I am faced with challenges in communication, travel, shopping and cultural differences. There is a place, that I think everyone comes to where you learn, "when in Korea, do as the Koreans." It's a juggling act to learn to live well and graciously where you're at and who you're with. It's learning to let go of some of the common and familiar practices that I know from growing up in the Mid-West of the United States and learning new ways of doing things.
It's not often easy to live well and graciously. In the past week I have been challenged by our circumstances. We are into day five without AC. Each day we are told, "AC man come today. Really." Each day passes with us being bound to our apartment waiting for the illusive AC man. We haven't been able to unpack because we have no where to put our things. We are told that we will have a wardrobe delivered this week but I don't have a lot of confidence that it will. And I really don't want to be negative--a pattern has formed and I'm expectations lowered (I don't like that in me but it's true).
Today I spent time on-line trying to find bunk beds for the kids. We need to utilize our space in the most effective way but I couldn't figure out all the details when it came time to order. I'll try again tomorrow and hope that one of my Korea friends can help me.
I went to meet up with some friends today in Suwon. My 35 minute bus ride turned into an hour and a half of bus and taxi rides. I enjoyed some music that my friend Amy G made for me, I enjoyed the book I had brought a long to read and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.
And I laughed. I laughed and shook my head at all the craziness around me. Todd stayed home to wait for AC guy. He never showed. I spent an hour and a half lost--sorta--and came home again to the chaos of our apartment. And I laughed again.
Laughter is beautiful. Even in the most frustrating circumstances finding beauty in all the differences and remembering that God is still above all helps--it really does.
Tonight, I'm sitting in from of the fan, candles lit and listening to the sounds of children playing outside. I'm smiling and I'm grateful. And I'm HOT!
It's not often easy to live well and graciously. In the past week I have been challenged by our circumstances. We are into day five without AC. Each day we are told, "AC man come today. Really." Each day passes with us being bound to our apartment waiting for the illusive AC man. We haven't been able to unpack because we have no where to put our things. We are told that we will have a wardrobe delivered this week but I don't have a lot of confidence that it will. And I really don't want to be negative--a pattern has formed and I'm expectations lowered (I don't like that in me but it's true).
Today I spent time on-line trying to find bunk beds for the kids. We need to utilize our space in the most effective way but I couldn't figure out all the details when it came time to order. I'll try again tomorrow and hope that one of my Korea friends can help me.
I went to meet up with some friends today in Suwon. My 35 minute bus ride turned into an hour and a half of bus and taxi rides. I enjoyed some music that my friend Amy G made for me, I enjoyed the book I had brought a long to read and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the way.
And I laughed. I laughed and shook my head at all the craziness around me. Todd stayed home to wait for AC guy. He never showed. I spent an hour and a half lost--sorta--and came home again to the chaos of our apartment. And I laughed again.
Laughter is beautiful. Even in the most frustrating circumstances finding beauty in all the differences and remembering that God is still above all helps--it really does.
Tonight, I'm sitting in from of the fan, candles lit and listening to the sounds of children playing outside. I'm smiling and I'm grateful. And I'm HOT!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Apartment 202
I finally shot a short video of our apartment. I was hoping to have it look a little bit more like a home before I posted something but we are without closets and dressers so everything is just piled up in our bedrooms. We have trash to take out but have no idea where to take it. I personally struggle with a lot of clutter in my space so this is taking me to the edge. It's a good lesson in patience for me . . . I suppose.
We have been somewhat stuck at home since we got here. We have waited for the gas guy, the internet guy, the AC guy, the plumber guy . . . still waiting for the AC guy. Every day, we are told he is coming but he has yet to arrive. It's hot. The temperature has been around 90 with high humidity--it's cooler to go outside--our apartment is like a sauna--we call it our own personal jimjibang (Korean sauna).
Thankfully, our leaking toilet and sink were fixed today.
Oh, Korea!
Despite all of the housing frustrations, it's good to be here. We have slowly been able to see friends and are looking forward to gathering with our community this Sunday for worship and prayer.
His grace is enough.
We have been somewhat stuck at home since we got here. We have waited for the gas guy, the internet guy, the AC guy, the plumber guy . . . still waiting for the AC guy. Every day, we are told he is coming but he has yet to arrive. It's hot. The temperature has been around 90 with high humidity--it's cooler to go outside--our apartment is like a sauna--we call it our own personal jimjibang (Korean sauna).
Thankfully, our leaking toilet and sink were fixed today.
Oh, Korea!
Despite all of the housing frustrations, it's good to be here. We have slowly been able to see friends and are looking forward to gathering with our community this Sunday for worship and prayer.
His grace is enough.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Moment of Truth
After 20 plus hours of travel, via car, plane, bus and taxi, we arrived safely to our new apartment in Dongbaek, South Korea. Our new home is south of Seoul--further south from where we were in Bundang.
Many of you who have been with us or who follow our blog, know that there has been a lot of uncertainty about where we would be living. We are grateful to say that when we arrived we did have an apartment to go to. The huge question before us was what this apartment would be like.
Let's start with the positives--in no particular order:
1. The neighborhood around us seems nice.
2. We like the wood floors.
3. We have a home--a roof over our heads.
4. We are together as a family.
Now a few of our challenges--disappointments--again, in no particular order:
1. Our apartment is smaller.
2. Our apartment is smaller.
3. We aren't close to where all of our friends live.
4. We have no closets or dressers--therefor we have no place to put our stuff.
When your exhausted from traveling and a 14 hour time difference it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Knowing not to take yourself too seriously in these moments is key. As we traveled from the airport to our apartment, Todd tried to give me a little idea of what our new space was like. He seemed discouraged. When we arrived, I now knew why. There are boxes and suitcases everywhere--which is normal when you move but the space was considerably smaller than we anticipated and requested. It's actually smaller than our apartment in Bundang.
What to do . . . we have endeavored to be clear and gracious about our needs. Our biggest needs were, a larger apartment, preferably a 3 bedroom and more affordable utilities. We are told our utilities will be cheaper but our space is considerably smaller--I didn't think it was possible.
All we can do is make it work--it doesn't seem like there are any other options for us. We are asking God to give us grace and patience--and rest, perhaps when we've rested it won't seem as small. :-)
Overall we are happy to be here--we're just tired and discouraged by how things were put together for us.
God is good and His faithfulness never fails us.
Video of our new place to come.
Many of you who have been with us or who follow our blog, know that there has been a lot of uncertainty about where we would be living. We are grateful to say that when we arrived we did have an apartment to go to. The huge question before us was what this apartment would be like.
Let's start with the positives--in no particular order:
1. The neighborhood around us seems nice.
2. We like the wood floors.
3. We have a home--a roof over our heads.
4. We are together as a family.
Now a few of our challenges--disappointments--again, in no particular order:
1. Our apartment is smaller.
2. Our apartment is smaller.
3. We aren't close to where all of our friends live.
4. We have no closets or dressers--therefor we have no place to put our stuff.
When your exhausted from traveling and a 14 hour time difference it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Knowing not to take yourself too seriously in these moments is key. As we traveled from the airport to our apartment, Todd tried to give me a little idea of what our new space was like. He seemed discouraged. When we arrived, I now knew why. There are boxes and suitcases everywhere--which is normal when you move but the space was considerably smaller than we anticipated and requested. It's actually smaller than our apartment in Bundang.
What to do . . . we have endeavored to be clear and gracious about our needs. Our biggest needs were, a larger apartment, preferably a 3 bedroom and more affordable utilities. We are told our utilities will be cheaper but our space is considerably smaller--I didn't think it was possible.
All we can do is make it work--it doesn't seem like there are any other options for us. We are asking God to give us grace and patience--and rest, perhaps when we've rested it won't seem as small. :-)
Overall we are happy to be here--we're just tired and discouraged by how things were put together for us.
God is good and His faithfulness never fails us.
Video of our new place to come.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Home
Home is defined in the free online dictionary as:
1. A place where one lives; a residence.
2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment.
a. An environment offering security and happiness.
b. A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.
3. The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.
Home is also the title of a book I enjoy by Marilynn Robinson. If you haven't read it, you should but first you should read, Gilead. You will be glad that you did.
In the past year I have thought about the concept of "home" often. Last summer we packed up our bags and moved to Korea. Our location and living space was quite different from our house in Lenexa, Kansas.
Over the course of the year in Korea our little apartment on the 5th floor of the City of Angel Officetel began to feel like home. After a long day, it felt like a refuge to rest and be together as a family. There were days when I missed our house in Lenexa, the space, the kitchen, the deck in the early morning when the sun was rising, but the new space I found myself in had become "home" to our family.
With our house rented through the summer we needed to make arrangements for places to stay during our summer break. On multiple levels this seemed stressful. We are a family of four--we would be invading the space of anyone we stayed with. God made provision for us--'cuz He does things like that. Friends in Columbia were going to be in Uganda for over a month and offered their home to us. Amazing.
During our month and a half at the Sasser's house we felt like we had a home. We have been living out of suitcases for 2 months, but we had a place to go that gave us space, rest and a sense of security--it was good to not feel like we were floating around every few days or weeks. We are grateful to the Sasser's for the hospitality and their willingness to open their home to us.
Yesterday the kids asked numerous times if we could go visit our old house--the brick house with the big tree. We tried to explain that this might be a little strange to the new owners but they insisted. We were driving near that old house and they asked again. We made a u-turn, pulled up to the old brick house with the big tree and went to the door.
A young couple lives there now--Cindy and JD. Cindy, was very kind and said that we could go see the big tree. It felt a bit surreal. We lived in that house for 10 years. The memories of our time there were flooding over my mind as we stood in the back yard. Zach walked around the tree a few times. He touched the bark and climbed on the trunk.
The house looked different. New paint. French doors to the back yard--something I had always wanted to do. Cindy and JD had made it their home.
As we drove off, Zach said, "the tree isn't as big as it was." Todd said, "you're not as small as you use to be." Zach replied, "I don't like that. I wish it still looked like it did before."
In the next 13 days we will be staying in 5 places--and I'm incredibly grateful for each of these places. But, I'm ready to go "home". I'm ready to unpack the suitcases.
We don't know where we will be living when we return to Korea. We will have a new apartment. We will be in a new neighborhood and need to learn new bus routes. I'm ready though to create that place for our family to call home.
In all of this transition and change there is something greater. This life and all of the places that I live our temporary. There is an eternal home that God is preparing for all of us. In this life, I'm really just a sojourner, a transient. I desire that heaven country, the place where I will be with my Savior and all the people that I've shared this journey with--oceans and land will not separate us.
My hope is that Jesus finds me believing and my heart homesick for Him.
Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
the message, hebrews 11:13-18
1. A place where one lives; a residence.
2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment.
a. An environment offering security and happiness.
b. A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.
3. The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.
Home is also the title of a book I enjoy by Marilynn Robinson. If you haven't read it, you should but first you should read, Gilead. You will be glad that you did.
In the past year I have thought about the concept of "home" often. Last summer we packed up our bags and moved to Korea. Our location and living space was quite different from our house in Lenexa, Kansas.
Over the course of the year in Korea our little apartment on the 5th floor of the City of Angel Officetel began to feel like home. After a long day, it felt like a refuge to rest and be together as a family. There were days when I missed our house in Lenexa, the space, the kitchen, the deck in the early morning when the sun was rising, but the new space I found myself in had become "home" to our family.
With our house rented through the summer we needed to make arrangements for places to stay during our summer break. On multiple levels this seemed stressful. We are a family of four--we would be invading the space of anyone we stayed with. God made provision for us--'cuz He does things like that. Friends in Columbia were going to be in Uganda for over a month and offered their home to us. Amazing.
During our month and a half at the Sasser's house we felt like we had a home. We have been living out of suitcases for 2 months, but we had a place to go that gave us space, rest and a sense of security--it was good to not feel like we were floating around every few days or weeks. We are grateful to the Sasser's for the hospitality and their willingness to open their home to us.
Yesterday the kids asked numerous times if we could go visit our old house--the brick house with the big tree. We tried to explain that this might be a little strange to the new owners but they insisted. We were driving near that old house and they asked again. We made a u-turn, pulled up to the old brick house with the big tree and went to the door.
A young couple lives there now--Cindy and JD. Cindy, was very kind and said that we could go see the big tree. It felt a bit surreal. We lived in that house for 10 years. The memories of our time there were flooding over my mind as we stood in the back yard. Zach walked around the tree a few times. He touched the bark and climbed on the trunk.
The house looked different. New paint. French doors to the back yard--something I had always wanted to do. Cindy and JD had made it their home.
As we drove off, Zach said, "the tree isn't as big as it was." Todd said, "you're not as small as you use to be." Zach replied, "I don't like that. I wish it still looked like it did before."
In the next 13 days we will be staying in 5 places--and I'm incredibly grateful for each of these places. But, I'm ready to go "home". I'm ready to unpack the suitcases.
We don't know where we will be living when we return to Korea. We will have a new apartment. We will be in a new neighborhood and need to learn new bus routes. I'm ready though to create that place for our family to call home.
In all of this transition and change there is something greater. This life and all of the places that I live our temporary. There is an eternal home that God is preparing for all of us. In this life, I'm really just a sojourner, a transient. I desire that heaven country, the place where I will be with my Savior and all the people that I've shared this journey with--oceans and land will not separate us.
My hope is that Jesus finds me believing and my heart homesick for Him.
Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
the message, hebrews 11:13-18
Thursday, July 22, 2010
New Day. New Year. New Look.
In just a few weeks our journey and adventures in Korea will continue for a second year. I'm excited about what is ahead for our family and the community of people that our lives have been connected with.
I decided it would be a good idea to update the blog with a new look. I like the simplicity of this page . . . I also really like birds.
For those of you faithful blog followers, I hope you will continue following us this year. There is still so much for us to explore and experience in Korea so I hope you will visit the blog and share these experiences with us.
But today, we are here! In the beautiful, humid, super hot, Midwest and we are enjoying every moment.
I decided it would be a good idea to update the blog with a new look. I like the simplicity of this page . . . I also really like birds.
For those of you faithful blog followers, I hope you will continue following us this year. There is still so much for us to explore and experience in Korea so I hope you will visit the blog and share these experiences with us.
But today, we are here! In the beautiful, humid, super hot, Midwest and we are enjoying every moment.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
How did that happen?
We have been back in the USA for one month. I'm not even sure how that happened. The days are passing quickly. I have already needed to start planning our return. That said, we are trying to stay very present in each day that is before us and enjoy what we are given.
We are grateful that the school provides trips home. Our time has been both restful and filled with beautiful times with friends. Zach has been pretty much going non-stop. It's so good for him to re-connect with friends and do boy stuff. Lia, is doing well and is happy to see her friends. I think Todd has caught up on much needed sleep and is almost ready to start preparing lesson plans for the Fall.
I have felt this strange paradigm in my heart, of both enjoying with every part of me being here and missing Korea. I'm thankful for the quiet and open spaces of Missouri and Kansas and missing the mountains and sounds of Migeum.
I have had moments where I have felt guilty for missing Korea and our community there, as if I'm cheating on my time here. It's normal. It's good. It's a good sign for when we return. It also makes me realize how rich and full our lives are. It amazes me that we have such beautiful and amazing people in our lives. It amazes me that wherever we go, God faithfully provides.
Some things that I have appreciated and enjoyed this past month (in no particular order)
1. Conversations
2. The presence of people that I love.
3. Cheese, hummus, green beans, corn on the cob, bbq, ice tea with mint
4. Flat Branch, Addisons, International Cafe, Chipolte (we haven't made it to Murry's yet)
5. The provision of a car and house for us to stay in.
6. Skype
7. Worship with the Gathering and Christian Fellowship families.
8. Space.
9. Fourth of July at the Shire.
10. Watching and listening to my kids play and laugh with their friends.
11. Cooking in a kitchen with a whole lot of space.
12. Undeserved generosity and hospitality.
13. Target
Thankful.
We are grateful that the school provides trips home. Our time has been both restful and filled with beautiful times with friends. Zach has been pretty much going non-stop. It's so good for him to re-connect with friends and do boy stuff. Lia, is doing well and is happy to see her friends. I think Todd has caught up on much needed sleep and is almost ready to start preparing lesson plans for the Fall.
I have felt this strange paradigm in my heart, of both enjoying with every part of me being here and missing Korea. I'm thankful for the quiet and open spaces of Missouri and Kansas and missing the mountains and sounds of Migeum.
I have had moments where I have felt guilty for missing Korea and our community there, as if I'm cheating on my time here. It's normal. It's good. It's a good sign for when we return. It also makes me realize how rich and full our lives are. It amazes me that we have such beautiful and amazing people in our lives. It amazes me that wherever we go, God faithfully provides.
Some things that I have appreciated and enjoyed this past month (in no particular order)
1. Conversations
2. The presence of people that I love.
3. Cheese, hummus, green beans, corn on the cob, bbq, ice tea with mint
4. Flat Branch, Addisons, International Cafe, Chipolte (we haven't made it to Murry's yet)
5. The provision of a car and house for us to stay in.
6. Skype
7. Worship with the Gathering and Christian Fellowship families.
8. Space.
9. Fourth of July at the Shire.
10. Watching and listening to my kids play and laugh with their friends.
11. Cooking in a kitchen with a whole lot of space.
12. Undeserved generosity and hospitality.
13. Target
Thankful.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
24 hours
In 24 hours our journey back to the United States will begin. First, the kids and I will drag our luggage across the street to the airport shuttle pick-up at Migeum Station. We will then travel 1 hour to the Incheon Airport, Seoul, South Korea and do all that fun airport check-in stuff and fly across the sea and over land to the US of A!
Honestly, it feels surreal that we are about to return to our homeland. I, on one hand, feel extremely overwhelmed with joy about seeing friends and family--and eating some Chipolte. Another part of me feels like I shouldn't be leaving the land of the Calm Morning Sun. It's normal but for most of the day, I have these two extremes of emotions flooding over me and I'm starting to feel a bit tired.
The week has been full of "goodbyes" or I should say, "we'll see you in August!" I have done some packing, drank tea with friends and visited all the sweet shop owners that we've come to know in our building. Tonight we will have one last "teacher/staff" gathering at Gecko's--they have fish-n-chips and that makes me happy! The kids and I will go to "girl's night at Whit's and see all the "girl's" and then I will try to finish up packing. It's a full and beautiful day.
I've been thinking about some of different things I do now that I didn't really do ten months ago when we arrived to Korea. Some of these new habits are funny, some are just how we live life here. I'm going to list the top 10 things that come to my mind. I'm sure the list is longer but for fun, I'll just list 10--in no specific order.
1. I bow. All the time.
2. I carry on conversations with Koreans and don't understand a word of what is being said. With that, I communicate in charades often.
3. We take the subway, taxi and bus everywhere.
4. I eat Kimchi. And like it.
5. I've gotten use to people staring at me.
6. I cross my arms in front of me like an X when I say "no!"
7. I can recognize some of the Korean characters and can form some words from those characters--I don't know what they mean but I do have a sense of triumph that I was able to do it.
8. I have lived outside of the United States for the first time in my life.
9. I've watched Korean drama's with subtitles--they are addicting and silly.
10. I have survived riding on a scooter multiple times. For this I am also grateful.
Honestly, it feels surreal that we are about to return to our homeland. I, on one hand, feel extremely overwhelmed with joy about seeing friends and family--and eating some Chipolte. Another part of me feels like I shouldn't be leaving the land of the Calm Morning Sun. It's normal but for most of the day, I have these two extremes of emotions flooding over me and I'm starting to feel a bit tired.
The week has been full of "goodbyes" or I should say, "we'll see you in August!" I have done some packing, drank tea with friends and visited all the sweet shop owners that we've come to know in our building. Tonight we will have one last "teacher/staff" gathering at Gecko's--they have fish-n-chips and that makes me happy! The kids and I will go to "girl's night at Whit's and see all the "girl's" and then I will try to finish up packing. It's a full and beautiful day.
I've been thinking about some of different things I do now that I didn't really do ten months ago when we arrived to Korea. Some of these new habits are funny, some are just how we live life here. I'm going to list the top 10 things that come to my mind. I'm sure the list is longer but for fun, I'll just list 10--in no specific order.
1. I bow. All the time.
2. I carry on conversations with Koreans and don't understand a word of what is being said. With that, I communicate in charades often.
3. We take the subway, taxi and bus everywhere.
4. I eat Kimchi. And like it.
5. I've gotten use to people staring at me.
6. I cross my arms in front of me like an X when I say "no!"
7. I can recognize some of the Korean characters and can form some words from those characters--I don't know what they mean but I do have a sense of triumph that I was able to do it.
8. I have lived outside of the United States for the first time in my life.
9. I've watched Korean drama's with subtitles--they are addicting and silly.
10. I have survived riding on a scooter multiple times. For this I am also grateful.
Monday, May 24, 2010
19 Years . . .
Saturday, May 25, 1991. Thunderstorms rolled over Columbia that morning but by 2:00 the clouds broke and we had the most amazing day. I clearly remember our drive South to a Bed n Breakfast near the Gascanade River. The sky was pink and purple, the clouds fluffy like giant cotton balls. You can see the most beautiful sky in Missouri and for us that day, God had painted the most amazing sky for the start of our new lives together.
I'm not sure how 19 years have passed by so quickly but here we are. Todd and I went out to dinner Sunday evening. We tried to remember how we have celebrated our different anniversaries over the years. We talked about God's faithfulness to us, what strengths we saw in our marriage over the past year and where we need to grow. Yes, after 19 years, we are still learning and growing. Our marriage has certainly had ups and downs but God has been faithful and I'm grateful for the incredible journey that we are having.
Here are a few years that we had fun remembering:
#1 We took an overnight trip to St. Louis and stayed in a hotel downtown overlooking Bush Stadium. We ate a delicious meal at an Italian Restaurant and went to a Cardinals game.
#5 Todd surprised me with a weekend trip to San Fransisco. Somehow he found round trip tickets for $89. We stayed in Half-Moon Bay and spent most of our time on the beach. We ate a delicious meal at a little restaurant on the beach--I can still remember my meal--the presentation was beautiful and the meal was amazing. I ate slow so that I could enjoy every bite. Linguini with clam sauce and fresh clams piled on top! Yum.
#8 We had dinner at the Pasta Factory in Columbia. I only remember this because it was only a few months after we had Zach! We were new parents!
#10 Friends gave us their frequent flier miles and we went to New York City. We sat in Central Park a lot, walked around the city and went to see our favorite play, Les Miserables. We also had dinner at a small Italian restaurant near Times Square.
#15 We had a picnic lunch at Shelter Gardens. Later in the evening we had dinner at Bangkok Gardens in Downtown Columbia. I ate the most amazing prawns! Yum! The prawns were a gift from the manager for our anniversary. Sadly, for Todd, he could not eat them but I enjoyed every single bite.
#16 Todd and friends were loading a moving truck for our move to Kansas City. It was raining. After we got the truck loaded Todd and I looked at each other and said, "Oh, Happy Anniversary!" He drove off in the moving truck and I stood teary, in the rain, waving goodbye.
#17 We had brunch at a cafe on the Plaza and then walked around the Nelson Art Gallery. A few days later, Todd lost his job for the second time that year.
#18 We were in Wilmington, North Carolina. Todd had just lost his job for the third time in the last two years. We had dinner at a little seafood restaurant with the kids. We were grateful for the time away, that we were all together and that God had made every provision for us.
#19. We live in Korea! What the heck. We didn't see that coming on our anniversary last year. But here we are. Sunday evening we went to a little restaurant called, Da Vini near Jukejeon. We shared a delicious meal and then went for dessert at a cafe near our apartment.
19 years! Grateful and our hearts are GLAD!
I'm not sure how 19 years have passed by so quickly but here we are. Todd and I went out to dinner Sunday evening. We tried to remember how we have celebrated our different anniversaries over the years. We talked about God's faithfulness to us, what strengths we saw in our marriage over the past year and where we need to grow. Yes, after 19 years, we are still learning and growing. Our marriage has certainly had ups and downs but God has been faithful and I'm grateful for the incredible journey that we are having.
Here are a few years that we had fun remembering:
#1 We took an overnight trip to St. Louis and stayed in a hotel downtown overlooking Bush Stadium. We ate a delicious meal at an Italian Restaurant and went to a Cardinals game.
#5 Todd surprised me with a weekend trip to San Fransisco. Somehow he found round trip tickets for $89. We stayed in Half-Moon Bay and spent most of our time on the beach. We ate a delicious meal at a little restaurant on the beach--I can still remember my meal--the presentation was beautiful and the meal was amazing. I ate slow so that I could enjoy every bite. Linguini with clam sauce and fresh clams piled on top! Yum.
#8 We had dinner at the Pasta Factory in Columbia. I only remember this because it was only a few months after we had Zach! We were new parents!
#10 Friends gave us their frequent flier miles and we went to New York City. We sat in Central Park a lot, walked around the city and went to see our favorite play, Les Miserables. We also had dinner at a small Italian restaurant near Times Square.
#15 We had a picnic lunch at Shelter Gardens. Later in the evening we had dinner at Bangkok Gardens in Downtown Columbia. I ate the most amazing prawns! Yum! The prawns were a gift from the manager for our anniversary. Sadly, for Todd, he could not eat them but I enjoyed every single bite.
#16 Todd and friends were loading a moving truck for our move to Kansas City. It was raining. After we got the truck loaded Todd and I looked at each other and said, "Oh, Happy Anniversary!" He drove off in the moving truck and I stood teary, in the rain, waving goodbye.
#17 We had brunch at a cafe on the Plaza and then walked around the Nelson Art Gallery. A few days later, Todd lost his job for the second time that year.
#18 We were in Wilmington, North Carolina. Todd had just lost his job for the third time in the last two years. We had dinner at a little seafood restaurant with the kids. We were grateful for the time away, that we were all together and that God had made every provision for us.
#19. We live in Korea! What the heck. We didn't see that coming on our anniversary last year. But here we are. Sunday evening we went to a little restaurant called, Da Vini near Jukejeon. We shared a delicious meal and then went for dessert at a cafe near our apartment.
19 years! Grateful and our hearts are GLAD!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Gangneung, South Korea
Our family has spent most of the last 9 months in Seoul and our neighborhood in Bundang (a suburb of Seoul). There are many places in this beautiful country that we would like to see but have had to limit our travel. Seoul of course is a huge city and we have not explored all of it, perhaps we haven't really even explored a corner of it.
Todd had a personal day he needed to use before the end of the year so we planned a trip to the East Sea. We have met a great couple, Andy and Lindsey, that live in the city of Gangneung on the East Sea and they invited us to visit their fabulous city! A little side note: Andy and Lindsey are from Columbia, MO. We have a lot of mutual friends but had never met--so cool.
We met Andy and Lindsey at the bus terminal and then went downtown to enjoy some Dok Bolgi (chicken, cabbage, sweet potatoes and other goodness cooked on top of a grill). After our delicious meal we went back to their apartment, played cards and enjoyed hanging out together.
Observation as we were going to sleep: Their neighborhood is so quiet. Todd and I couldn't get over how quiet it was. You don't realize how much you miss silence until you are actually in a space that isn't bombarded with buses, cars, people, sirens, and shouting into megaphone truck drivers.
The next morning we took a 25-30 minute walk to the beach. The area around Andy and Lindsey's apartment is surrounded mostly by small plots of farm land. It's beautiful and I must say again, quiet. When we arrived at the beach, it took the kids only seconds to get wet and covered in sand. After a few hours in the sand, we rented bikes and road around a beautiful lake. The kids were so happy which of course makes Mom and Dad, really happy!
While we were playing in the sand a gentleman approached Todd and asked where we were from. After introductions (his wife and two sons), Mr. Kim told us that he lived in Atlanta for 2 years and loves America. Great! Mr. Kim's English was difficult to understand so he had his son, Alex, translate for the next 30 minutes of our conversation. Alex was kind but you could tell that he would much rather be playing in the waves than translating for his Dad. We exchanged information and hope to see them again in Seoul.
At dusk I decided I wanted to return to the beach to enjoy the last bit of daylight and the sounds of the waves hitting the shore. That's when I met, Sei-young. She quietly walked up to me and said, "Hello." I greeted her and she asked where I'm from--that's a standard question. She was with her mother but her mother didn't speak any English and decided to go sit in the coffee shop while we chatted (she actually returned for a second to give me a coffee, which I didn't want to refuse though I can't drink coffee past 4 in the afternoon or else I'm up all night). I was surprised at how good Sei-young's English is. It didn't seem that many people in the area spoke English--even a little English. When I asked her how she had learned English, thinking she must have studied abroad, she said, "I read English books and listen to tapes." If I only had that success with Korean. She is a very motivated 17 year old student! We decided to become pen pals and exchanged e-mail addresses. Hopefully, the next time we visit Gangneung, I can see her.
Before we finished our day, Todd and Zach bought some fireworks and shot off a few roman candles and a few other things that blow up--to Zach's pure delight! It was the end of a perfect day.
I can't imagine living in Gangneung. It's completely different than Seoul. We can access places like Starbucks when we need a taste of home. The closet thing you get to something western is McDonalds and well, that's just not my idea of comfort and the image of home I want to have.
When we arrived home later that day, Todd and I quickly commented on how we were definitely back in Bundang. We had returned to the hustle and bustle of the city.
Todd had a personal day he needed to use before the end of the year so we planned a trip to the East Sea. We have met a great couple, Andy and Lindsey, that live in the city of Gangneung on the East Sea and they invited us to visit their fabulous city! A little side note: Andy and Lindsey are from Columbia, MO. We have a lot of mutual friends but had never met--so cool.
We met Andy and Lindsey at the bus terminal and then went downtown to enjoy some Dok Bolgi (chicken, cabbage, sweet potatoes and other goodness cooked on top of a grill). After our delicious meal we went back to their apartment, played cards and enjoyed hanging out together.
Observation as we were going to sleep: Their neighborhood is so quiet. Todd and I couldn't get over how quiet it was. You don't realize how much you miss silence until you are actually in a space that isn't bombarded with buses, cars, people, sirens, and shouting into megaphone truck drivers.
The next morning we took a 25-30 minute walk to the beach. The area around Andy and Lindsey's apartment is surrounded mostly by small plots of farm land. It's beautiful and I must say again, quiet. When we arrived at the beach, it took the kids only seconds to get wet and covered in sand. After a few hours in the sand, we rented bikes and road around a beautiful lake. The kids were so happy which of course makes Mom and Dad, really happy!
While we were playing in the sand a gentleman approached Todd and asked where we were from. After introductions (his wife and two sons), Mr. Kim told us that he lived in Atlanta for 2 years and loves America. Great! Mr. Kim's English was difficult to understand so he had his son, Alex, translate for the next 30 minutes of our conversation. Alex was kind but you could tell that he would much rather be playing in the waves than translating for his Dad. We exchanged information and hope to see them again in Seoul.
At dusk I decided I wanted to return to the beach to enjoy the last bit of daylight and the sounds of the waves hitting the shore. That's when I met, Sei-young. She quietly walked up to me and said, "Hello." I greeted her and she asked where I'm from--that's a standard question. She was with her mother but her mother didn't speak any English and decided to go sit in the coffee shop while we chatted (she actually returned for a second to give me a coffee, which I didn't want to refuse though I can't drink coffee past 4 in the afternoon or else I'm up all night). I was surprised at how good Sei-young's English is. It didn't seem that many people in the area spoke English--even a little English. When I asked her how she had learned English, thinking she must have studied abroad, she said, "I read English books and listen to tapes." If I only had that success with Korean. She is a very motivated 17 year old student! We decided to become pen pals and exchanged e-mail addresses. Hopefully, the next time we visit Gangneung, I can see her.
Before we finished our day, Todd and Zach bought some fireworks and shot off a few roman candles and a few other things that blow up--to Zach's pure delight! It was the end of a perfect day.
I can't imagine living in Gangneung. It's completely different than Seoul. We can access places like Starbucks when we need a taste of home. The closet thing you get to something western is McDonalds and well, that's just not my idea of comfort and the image of home I want to have.
When we arrived home later that day, Todd and I quickly commented on how we were definitely back in Bundang. We had returned to the hustle and bustle of the city.
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