So Thankful!

Celebrating [United States of] American Thanksgiving in Korea was definitely different but an awesome time of thankfulness, nonetheless. This is my attempt to recount it:

Haejung 이모 and Uncle Simon were out of town for Thanksgiving, so we celebrated with them before they left. For Chuesok [the Korean equivalent to Thanksgiving], in addition to eating great food and spending time with family, it is customary to visit ancestors' graves. So before Thanksgiving dinner, we visited Uncle Simon's grandfather in Daejeon National Cemetery [similar to Arlington]. It seems like visiting loved ones' graves in the United States is a somber time of mourning and remembering, but here it was so joyful! We thanked him for his heroism and took pictures together. Then, we enjoyed a nice dinner together where we ate duck, duck, and...more duck [sorry if you were getting your hopes up for goose]. It was very tasty, and we left feeling very full.

Thanksgiving day was a typical Thursday - I went to Korean class, English conversation group at the library, and 새나루 feeding and children center. Korean class was just another day, but we watched a clip of a Korean comedy show called Gag Concert. The sketch just happened to be about being thankful for...everything. 감사합니다 [kam-sa-ham-ni-da] means thank you!

English reading and conversation group was so pleasant. We are reading an ESL version of Uncle Tom's Cabin [yes, I know, interesting book choice]. Then after reading and discussing a chapter, we talked about Thanksgiving and Chuesok. Hearing about everyone's Chuesok traditions was fun and allowed me to see more into Korean culture. While talking about my Thanksgiving traditions reminded me of all the festivities across the Pacific I was missing, it was very comforting to share part of my culture and life. 
 

At 새나루 I washed dishes as usual, but then instead of teaching English we made kimchi! Kimchi is pretty much the food of Korea. It is comes in many different sizes, shapes, and flavors but the most common is napa cabbage covered with a sauce of red chili flakes, garlic, anchovy juice, and salt, just to name a few possible ingredients. In November, it is customary to have a big kimchi making day where families might make as many as [or even more than] 100 heads of cabbage worth of kimchi for the winter.

Before class on Friday, I was able to Skype into my family's Thanksgiving celebration which was just fantastic! [Yes, I managed to wake up early to do so.] After class, we went to lunch with a few friends, and I Skyped with a some of my closest friends from home. [Skype is definitely something I am thankful for.]

To add to our well-rounded experience of Korean culture and thanks to Mr. Hong [a University Church member]'s generosity, we are taekwondoing this year. On Saturday morning we went to a an exhibition at Kyung Hee University [the #1 taekwondo school in Korea] with people from Mr. Hong's taekwondo 장. It was so TIGHT! We watched an awesome performance by the students, ate lunch, wandered around the campus, and then learned a few new tricks.   

Did I mention that I probably only got two hours of sleep Friday night? Before we knew about the taekwondo shindig, we invited our class to come to our house on Saturday to eat American and Chinese food and celebrate Thanksgiving. We were up late cleaning and making sweet potato casserole, salsa, chicken pot pie, and chocolate chip cookies, just to name a few things. Preparing for the Thanksgiving party was slightly stressful, but when everyone got to our house it was just such a joyful time! Most of our classmates and teachers were able to come, and a few even brought their family. We ate American food [including pumpkin pie, compliments of Costco] and Chinese food [compliments of our Chinese classmates], played games, laughed, and really just enjoyed each others' company.

Our final Thanksgiving celebration was an Italian dinner with Reverend 최 [written Choi, pronounced more like Ché], a Hannam University chaplain. It too was very enjoyable!

Yes, I definitely missed my family and traditions of home, but I am oh so thankful for my time here! I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with quite a few people for whom I am so grateful. I just feel so lucky, blessed, and thankful!

what I'm thinking now...

The silverware here is pretty awesome! Knives and forks are pretty hard to come by; Koreans eat with a pair of chopsticks and a long handled spoon...all of which are metal. That means that the chopsticks are much more slippery than the wooden ones I used before crossing the Pacific. Had I not had a spoon, my first meal here would have consisted of...water. That's how bad my chopsticking was, but since there was a spoon, I was able to 'enjoy' my first bibimbap experience. [Enjoy is in quotes because the raw egg in the middle of the bowl was rather intimidating...at the time I might have preferred Korea not use spoons in addition to chopsticks. Since then, bibimbap has become one of my favorite foods!]  

The typical Korean diet is slightly very different than the typical North American diet. Most foods leave the kitchen in bite size[ish] pieces, so there really is no need for a knife. There is one exception though: fish. It is served still very much in fish form, and chopsticks are used to de-bone/pick apart/eat the fish - they seem to work much better than a knife and fork would. 

When eating with a group, Korean style is family style. There is usually a main [meat] dish in the middle and then many different side dishes around the table. Then, chopsticks are great 'grabbers.' Rather than scooping up a whole lot of mushrooms, one can just grab a couple now and then a couple more later. Haejung 이모 also explained how Koreans want to figure out what people like to eat, not just ask. Somehow the family style and the bite size pieces and the chopsticks help accomplish this.    

[In case you are wondering: everybody double dips with their chopsticks...and spoons.] 

WHAT!? It's been a month?

Since the last time I blogged? Really?? I am so very sorry!

Time flies when you're having fun, right?

I used to blog on Wednesdays…then my Wednesdays got busy…then I…well…stopped. Whoops...

Pretty much every Friday I leave language class at 1:00 thinking, "Yeessss!! It's finally FRIDAY!!!!" Then, all of a sudden, I think, "Wait, how is it already Friday!?" My time in Korea has been the weirdest combination of slow and fast that I have ever experienced. My days are full and sometimes seem to disappear. [Disclaimer: In no way do I want to wish my time in Korea away!] But...there are other times that minutes creep by and I just want to move on to the next thing or just get something over with or for it to be the weekend. Recently though, everything seems to be going by rather quickly!

빨리빨리!!!! 빨리 [bbal-li] means fast or quickly or HURRY UP and is a very common word in Korea. Koreans love [the idea of] being fast.  

I guess that's how life usually is...a slow/fast combo that seems to somehow speed up as time passes
 
Last week, Thomas did an excellent job explaining his weekly schedule. While mine is not quite the same, it is similar: school every morning [Monday-Friday], meeting with my 도우미 twice a week [my Korean buddy who is so very patient in helping me along in my Korean language learning process], preparing for and teaching English to elementary and middle schoolers, washing dishes, serving some rice, studying and doing Korean homework, preparing for and leading Bible studies, going to an English reading and conversation group at a nearby library [with a group of great women+one man], running, analyzing and processing things with my fellow K-YAVs [Anna and Thomas], taekwondo [longer post later!], Firefly, [thinking about, praying about, anxietying over, thinking about, praying about, writing, and finally delivering] Time for Young Disciples [it only happens about once a month, and I should probably definitely relax but…maybe next time], church, and a few other fun activities thrown in that vary from week to week [which I will blog about]. Run-on sentence? Probably. Also, I eat.  

Site Placements

In addition to language school, being a part of University Church, Bible studies, and eating, Thomas, Anna, and I work in after school programs and at a feeding center. A few weeks ago, we visited each site to discern and decide where we to serve for the coming year.

Thomas is teaching English classes at 새움 [sey-oom] children's center. It is the furthest bus ride away but happens to have a drum set, so he can jam...and maybe even teach some drumming too!!

with the violin and flute teachers at 새움

Anna is teaching and helping in the kitchen at 법동 [bop-dong] children's center.

  

 with Rev. Kim [the head honcho] and her daughter

the main classroom at 법동

I am working at 새나루 [seh-na-ru], a feeding center with an after school program/children's center upstairs. I am washing dishes and helping serve food to people who are homeless or cannot provide for themselves. Everyday the center serves at least 150 people dinner and delivers to about 50 people who are home-bound. Also, a nearby Lutheran church serves breakfast, and a Catholic church serves lunch! It is a really neat set up, and the food is pretty good too.

The delivery food is sent out in zip-lock-esque plastic containers in fabric bags - a system that makes quite a few dishes to wash but is much more sensible than sending out hundreds styrofoam boxes in plastic bags each week! And, washing dishes is something I actually can do to be helpful! If you're worried about the about the amount of water it takes to wash 200ish plastic containers, there is a very specific method to washing dishes and cleaning up that uses every drop of water as efficiently as possible, so don't fret.
 

Rice is scooped, soup is poured, and everyone gets a tray!  

I think I am starting to get the hang of the way things roll in the kitchen at 새나루 and now know where all most of the clean dishes go. The people in the kitchen are so nice and have been so patient with me. Being with them twice a week makes me really want to learn Korean. After washing dishes, scooping rice, and trying very hard not to get in the way, I go upstairs and eat dinner with children's center folks. Then I head up some more stairs to work with elementary and middle schoolers with English. Anna and Thomas also tag along once a week and help out in the feeding center.

introducing myself to the elementary schoolers

Also, Anna and I alternate going to 안산 [An-san] Library on Thursdays. We lead a "class" that started last year as sort of a 'YAVs read in English to Korean children' deal but has become a 'YAVs read in English with Korean women [and men] and then, in English, discuss current issues' deal. I seems like the moms got more into it than the children did last year and want to continue meeting to read and work on their conversational English. We met for the first time this past Thursday, and they were so so sooo nice! A few even brought their [super cute] kiddos! 

 안산 Library

 

HARRY POTTER IN KOREAN...somehow I doubt I will make it to that reading level, but I was still pumped to see my good buddy Harry!

Site Coordinators

These are our wonderful site coordinators. Well, Haejung is technically our site coordinator, but Simon isn't the type to miss out on anything fun. 

Simon and Haejung Park

The Parks were both born and raised in Korea and moved to the United States where they became citizens. After rearing two sons and a career in academia, they were called into the mission field. They served in Congo, Nepal, and are now back in South Korea. In addition to coordinating and taking care of us, Haejung works with Hannam University's chaplain's office and Simon does a lot of consulting and traveling for PC(USA).

on Chuseok with our host gifts...war eagle!

They live about a hundred yards away in a house that is also part of the missionary compound and are a combination of a host family and our bosses. In addition to scouting out places for us to work and helping us deal with the language barrier, they take us to the doctor if we are sick and invite us over for lunch and slurpees [banana and coffee smoothies…yum], just to name a few things...

 

they have also helped us figure out where the hot water went...twice

Partly because respecting elders is such a big deal in Korean culture and to help articulate our relationship, we call them Haejung 이모 and Uncle Simon. In Korean there are more [and more specific] names for family members than in English. The word for maternal aunt is 이모 [pronounced 'emo']. Because 
이모[s] are typically very close to their nieces and nephews and because Haejung 이모 flows well, we have a Haejung 이모 and an Uncle Simon. They're great!

and I think they're pretty cute too!

University Church

Each Sunday, Thomas, Anna, Simon, and I take turns leading 'Time For Young Disciples' at church. The first part is a mini sermon, and then we have youth group with middle and high schoolers. While the short sermon is in English [obviously and thankfully], it is in front of the whole congregation, which is rather intimidating. A lot of the church members speak English, but since it is not their native language, we must speak clearly and slowly. Last Sunday, I spoke about teamwork and Proverbs 27:17. I really tried to speak clearly but was so nervous that I definitely did not speak slowly…at all. Nor did I breathe. Next time will be better. For sure.     

Thomas, Anna, and I with some of the awesome Youth Group!

Happy Chuseok!

While 'Pilgrims and Indians,' the Iron Bowl, and the Macy's Parade are not a part of this celebration, Chuseok [추석] is a Korean holiday much like Thanksgiving in the United States. Like Thanksgiving, it is a harvest festival filled with family fun! Koreans pay respect to their ancestors, eat traditional food and fresh fruit, and rather than football, watch ssireum. Also, there is no school [whoop whoop!].

 Our weekend was full of Chuseok festivities!  

Friday we participated in the international student celebration, complete with talent show and buffet.  Highlights: one student played "My Heart Will Go On" on the flute, a group of students from China did a dance to K-pop song "Nobody," and I ate octopus for the first time!

We celebrated on Sunday with Uncle Simon and Haejung 이모 where our meal was less Korean and more [American] Italian. Yum…spaghetti and bread with olive oil and balsamic!


Then on Monday, Reverend Jo's family invited us to their home for lunch. The fellowship was great! The food was too…so great that we asked Haejung to teach us how to make japchae, a noodle dish that Mrs. Jo made. Like any food, each chef has their own slightly different version, but we combined sweet potato noodles with onions, carrots, green peppers, eggs, and mushrooms and sautéed everything in sesame oil with soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, and pepper.   

Rev. Jo, me, Anna, Mrs. Jo, Sharon, Thomas, Haejung

Mrs. Jo "eating" Alabama chocolate

 cooking lesson: japchae and tofu

School is Cool

           Linton Global College is a part of Hannam University where courses are either Korean language courses or are taught in English focusing on global communication, culture, and business. This semester, I am a Linton Global College student, taking Korean I 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. 
           

first day of school!

            My class is composed of people from China, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Colombia, and the United States. Having people from all over makes class way more fun…and more of a challenge since the only language we all have in common is Korean…and I guess laughter. We laugh a lot, which really helps the time pass more quickly. When we learned the Korean word for dog [개], someone from each country shared the ‘sound‘ that dogs make for their country. 

woof. 

            So far, this learning a new language thing has been quite a challenge, but I am so excited about being able to communicate with people in Korea…in Korean, even though I am sure that many times their English will be better than my Korean. Also, I enjoy the insight into Korean culture that is subtly gained through learning the language.

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

-Job 8:21

Home Sweet Home

           Upon arriving in Korea, we moved straight into our house on the Hannam University campus. Hannam University is a Christian school and was established in 1956 by Presbyterian missionaries. Lucky for us, Anna, Thomas, and I are living in a renovated house that is part of the missionary compound.

our house 

 my room

           My bed is somewhere between a twin and a full size and has a GREAT storage headboard. The wallpaper on the wall next to my bed is fun and iridescent, and [obviously not pictured] I have 2 closets and a set of four drawers.   

the living area

the dining area [with the air conditioner in the corner]

 the kitchen

           The tall gray thing next to the coffee pot is a water filter and dispenser. The red is hot and the blue is cold [unlike the faucet in my shower]. The blue is great for a nice cool glass of water, and the red is serious about being hot and very handy for instant ramen [a considerable part of my Korean diet thus far]. The white and magenta [or maybe just red] appliance between the microwave and the sink is a rice [a STAPLE in my the Korean diet] cooker. 

and last but not least Anna’s and my bathroom!

Orientation & Transportation

           All of the Young Adult Volunteers for the coming year spent the last week of August in New York at Stony Point Center getting...oriented. We had a wonderful week full of lectures about things like culture, culture shock, expectations, globalization, and service mixed with Bible study, worship, small groups, fellowship, stories of YAVA’s experiences in the field, and some pretty great food! 

my small group: Karl, me, Hannah, Julianne, Katie [YAVA-Peru and fearless leader], Jamie

I REALLY LIKE THEM. A LOT.

           Then, thanks to Irene, some groups had a couple of days rest before heading to our sites. Because of all the airline chaos, Anna and I ended up on a different flight than Thomas. We left Stony Point in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday [August 31^st] and arrived in Daejeon, South Korea on Friday afternoon. While the flight over here is pretty long, it is definitely not that long. We were late leaving because the intended plane for our journey smelled [incredibly] bad, so we [thankfully] waited for a less stinky plane for our flight across the pond. By the time we arrived in Tokyo, Thomas was already getting settled in Daejeon, and our flight to Seoul had left without us. So…Anna and I had got to spend the night in Japan!

sorry, the only picture I took in Japan was of the toilet in the hotel…it's pretty snazzy! 

           After a short flight from Tokyo to Seoul, our site coordinators, Simon and Haejung Park, warmly welcomed Anna and me to South Korea!

           

           On the way to Daejeon [HOME!], we stopped at a rest area and ate bibimbap for lunch and ice cream for dessert - I already love it here!

DISCLAIMER: This is not the first time I am posting something way after the fact [see post below], and it definitely will not be the last.

My apologies...

           I am neither a writer nor an on-timer. I am so very sorry that I am just now blogging after being in Korea for two weeks! While I have been busy, a big part of why I have been putting off blogging is that I just want to write everything and have a picture of everything. I have come to the realization that that is not quite possible [obviously], and I would rather share something than nothing! So here goes…

Better [green tea] latte than never!

From the Beginning...

       In 1999, I was in the 4th grade and the mission committee was planning a trip to Belize. For some reason they let me go, even though I was by far the youngest member of the group. In Orange Walk Town, I helped teach in an elementary school that was part of a church and helped build a house. There is a good chance I got in the way more than I actually taught and supervised more than I actually built, but during the week my eyes were opened to the need present in a neighboring country. That mission trip to Belize sparked in me an interest in service and international missions.

            Since then, I have been on mission trips to Guatemala, back to Belize, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee and have participated in various service projects around Alabama. I learned so many different things during each experience about God’s love, about the importance of serving, and about making an impact both physically and spiritually. Each mission trip I have been on has been unique but most have included sharing Jesus through working with children, building or repairing houses, or gathering food and serving those in need.

            The summer after my freshman year in college I was selected to represent the North Alabama Presbytery as a Youth Advisory Delegate to the 218th General Assembly in San Jose, California. While exploring the Exhibit Hall during a break, I came across a brochure for YAV. Young Adult Volunteers - a year of service for a lifetime of change…I instantly knew it was something I wanted to look into. Three years later, here I am, a YAV.  

            Young Adult Volunteers, a PC(USA) program, offers opportunities in Christian service and learning for people ages 19 to 30. The YAV Program has 16 sites both here in the United States and around the world. Young Adult Volunteers serve in communities of need for one year.

            During the spring, I went through the application, discernment, and interview process. I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for a placement event where I spent time with other potential YAVs and interviewed with the site coordinators for two locations, Guatemala and South Korea. I would have loved to have been placed in either country, but after speaking with Simon and Haejung Park, the coordinators for South Korea, I knew that was where I was being called.

Anna, Thomas, Me, Haejung

            On August 29^th, I will be on a plane to Daejeon, South Korea. What will I be doing there? While I am still learning about my specific responsibilities, I know I will be partnered with a local church and work with an after school program as well as a community development program. For the first four months I will be in language school every morning…working on my Korean.

            I know that this year’s experience is going to be life changing for me. It will involve living outside my comfort zone and what is familiar to me. It will involve focusing on the needs of others. It will involve journeying in faith and trusting God in new ways.  I could not be more excited!

            Whether or not you are supporting me financially, I am so grateful for your prayers and the support you have provided me now and throughout my life.  Also, I am thankful for growing up in First Presbyterian Church and would not change that for anything!