The End of My Mini Break: Syabeu Hyang Vietnamese Lunch with Teachers

ONE WEEK COUNTDOWN

Today was the last day of my mini break from school (courtesy of Finals testing). It is also exactly one week before I will teach my last class for this grant year! I am eager to teach the last four-five classes I have left, to start packing my things, to begin the process of moving from one homestay to another, and, most of all, to visit my family in the U.S. 

The countdown until my flight home is almost unbearable. I am so very thirsty for my family's embrace. 

Lord, be with me these next few days in Korea. Sustain me and help me finish well what you enabled me to start a year ago. Thank You for the company of these teachers, who nourish me with great food and conversation. Through a simple lunch invitation today, they have unknowingly helped to disrupt an impressively deep sense of loneliness that has settled over me lately. I thank You for Your presence. 

VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

There were eight of us who met together for lunch

The rest of the restaurant on the 8th floor

Colorful vegetables! I thought of Mama and her health-conscious cooking with every bite I took

I like the first two sauces (the third one was too spicy for me).
Even this tray of sauces reminded me of Mama. She is a talented cook and makes her own sauces, too!

All kinds of healthy on our table!

Before being rolled into a tasty, bite-sized goodness!

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU

When I am missing my family, the most unexpected things will remind me of home. What makes you miss your family/friends - home? How do you weather through the wait (until you see them again)? Share your thoughts in the comment box below!

Honoring My Mother, Who is My Lighthouse by Night and Landmark by Day

One of the very best things that I can share with others about me is my family. I cannot have a conversation - with friends old or new - without casually mentioning them or outrightly bragging about them! I thank God for them daily, and remember them even [more] during my sojourn here in South Korea. 

In honor of this upcoming Mother's Day, I want to love my mother from afar by dedicating this post to her. 

June 2013, University of Washington-Seattle, English Department Graduation Ceremony | 
Giving Mama the Stole of Gratitude as a small acknowledgment of her years of moral support of and unrelenting belief in my ability to overcome.

LIFE STORIES AND LIFE OF PI REFERENCES

A friend of mine once declared that mine was a story that would make you believe in God (hello Life of Pi reference). He believed this until the day he met my mother, and realized that my story - though still awesome *coughcough* - is only a humble reflection and retelling of the story that belongs to the celebrations and struggles, the tribulations and joys of my mother's life. 

May 2011, Mama supporting Emily during her Special Olympics, where she earned multiple First Place wins!

A STORY THAT WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE IN GOD

Giving birth to me at 15 years of age (interestingly, the same age as my Korean first grade high school students), this incredible woman raised me and two younger sisters on her own in the United States. And, by "on her own," I don't just mean as a single parent without her husband, but also as a first-generation immigrant without her family, relatives, friends, neighbors, church, community or country's support. She had no house, no land, and no bank account, but was able to bulldoze through all of the challenges she faced by clinging to one thing: her faith in Jesus Christ. 

June 2013, Mama celebrating Emily during her high school graduation!

A GOD WHO PURSUES THE HEARTS OF HIS DAUGHTERS
Having been a careful (though not always conscious) reader of my mother's [life] story since I was young, I have been profoundly affected by her relationship with Christ. I observed a relationship with highs and lows, leaps, trips, and falls, and I grew in my faith in realizing that even her falls pointed her forward, always leading her closer and closer to the One who was captivated by her and had pursued her heart since she was a very young girl. 

Her faith story is a love story that not only makes me believe in just any god, but cements my faith in the capital G-God revealed in the Bible. Unlike Pi Patel, whose spiritual journey involves a belief in many gods (including Christ, Krishna, Allah, and all of India's 33 million gods), my mother only has the One name to call on and give credit to for delivering her and our family from all kinds of bondage. 

A STORY THAT REFLECTS THE GREATEST STORY OF ALL

But even on seasons, days, and hours when [obvious] deliverance did not come, I saw my mother remain steadfast in her faith. Her greatest gift to me is not her out-of-this-world delicious cooking or her homey and cozy interior decorating; her greatest gift to me is her daily act of modeling faith in the One whose story hers is ultimately just striving to reflect. 

  

December 2013, Mama drawing closer and closer as Emily gives her one of her forehead-to-forehead kisses. 

Emily is so passionate in giving these exclusive "kisses" that Mama often complains of a headache afterwards. Hahaha!

"SHE WATCHES OVER THE AFFAIRS OF HER HOUSEHOLD" - Proverbs 31:27

Christ's light shines through my mother, making her a lighthouse by night, and a landmark by day. Day and night, her love for my sisters and me stands tall, unfazed by the raging surf, and guides us back safely to shore. She keeps the door always open so that we are assured of a home to return to from our various exploits in college, adventures in study abroad trips to the Philippines, Spain and Peru, in our excursions to Morocco and various European countries, and teaching appointments in Asia. Through prayers that transcend all kinds of boundaries, including that of geography, my mother actively guards and guides those precious to her. 

When we are far from shore and cannot even see her, she still shines her light so that, in case we are heading back, we can find our way home and reach the safety of her arms. 

May God sustain her light such that she will be able to guard and guide not only her biological children, but also continue to care for and nurture many others who have and will come her way. 

Springtime Date with Fellow Teachers: Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Cherry Blossom Petals, and Mt. Hwangryeongsan Bongsudae in Gwangalli

THE RESTAURANT
This afternoon, after the school field trip, I joined two other teachers for lunch at Gwangalli. Stella, a new teacher this year, cheerfully drove us to a Vietnamese restaurant, where we enjoyed food (seafood fried rice and fresh spring rolls) the memory of which makes my mouth water. The atmosphere of the place was perfect, with high ceilings that encouraged breathing suffused with relaxation and contentment, and with sunlight pouring in from a wall made of glass on one side and warm ambient lighting on the other. 

Two of my beautiful fellow teachers before our meal was served

Spring roll ingredients. Those different sauces had the three of us continuously wrapping spring rolls all throughout the meal!

THE CONVERSATIONS
Not only was the food delicious, the company and conversations were also definitely well-seasoned. We talked about seemingly everything: from professional to personal lives, different cultural cuisines, our relationship statuses and dreams, this year's goals, next year's ambitions, thoughts on multicultural dating, marriages, and families, the two main government-sponsored English teaching programs in Korea (Fulbright and EPIK), traditional and contemporary Korean dating, including match-making companies, and the absolute beauty of springtime.

I am usually not one for dipping food in sauce and whatnot, but these were different...

THE MOUNTAIN TRIP
[aka Tour of 황령산 봉수대 (Mt. Hwangryeongsan Bongsudae, Beacon Mound]

After lunch, and at Stella's promptings, we decided to drive up to Mount Hwangryeongsan Bongsudae, where Stella said an incredible view awaited us. She was right! You could see the whole city of Busan with the 360 degree view afforded to us. As if the vista was not enough, there were hundreds of beautiful white and pink cherry blossom trees lining the roads we traveled on, and the paths we walked and hiked on. There were cherry blossom petals everywhere - swirling in the wind, caught in our hair, and landing randomly on our shoulders. It reminded me of winter, except the swirling snow were soft and colorful, and remained in your hand for as long as you were gentle enough to handle them.

Stella's role of photographer continues...

I climbed up here to get an even better view of the city!

I don't know who this man is, but I think he makes my photo more epic-looking by conveniently matching the surrounding area with his white jacket and looking pensively off into the distance

Sujin Teacher giving one of her wonderfully shy smiles

"[E]scape the hustle and bustle of the city for a while" = Check

The two of them were smart enough to have worn flats and tennis shoes today, while II, unfortunately, wore high-heeled, ankle-length boots 

This picture does absolutely no justice to the view

Paths lined with cherry blossom trees!

You can see the pink petals clearer here where they are contrasted with the green shrubs

Here we are at the end of our journey, and heading back to Stella's car

PRAYER FOR MY FELLOW TEACHERS
When we went back down, Stella's car was covered in pink petals. A light breeze blew a thin layer of these petals inside Stella's car as I opened the door and eased into my seat. It seemed like a grand but invisible wedding was being performed in our very midst.

Lord, thank you for this day. You showed me the beauty of things You have created, both large and small, and I praise Your name for each and every one of them! Thank You for the lives of my fellow teachers. I pray that You would empower them in their professions, nourish them in their current and future relationships, and guide their ambitions as You prosper their dreams!

Yeongdo Girls High School Goes on a Field Trip: Broaching the Sensitive Topic of School Field Trips in Light of the Recent Sinking of the Sewol

THE SINKING OF THE MV SEWOL

I have been back blogging this past week. In light of the recent tragedy of the MV Sewol sinking, there is one particular topic/event that I have been hesitant to post about for the past two weeks: school field trips. 

Yeongdo Girls High School students bused to the Busan Museum in Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu for their annual field trip five days before Danwon High School students boarded the ship that would ultimately never reach Jeju Island, the destination of their own field trip. 

A small percentage of my students from different classes posing for a photo after exploring the museum

The whole of South Korea is in agony over this tragedy. While some passengers were rescued, many more were not - including hundreds of students just one year older than the ones I teach and have the privilege of continuing to teach. 

THE AGONY, THE ANGER, THE SHAME, THE GRIEF

 I can relate to only a very small percentage of it all. Culturally and linguistically, I am many levels removed from directly experiencing the full gravity of this loss, and so I feel unfit to even broach this topic. However, because I am here in Korea, continuing to teach high school students, and basically daily encountering and re-encountering the ghost of April 16, I suspect that I will have opportunities to write more about this later. For this post though, I simply want to accomplish two things:

     1) Acknowledge the aforementioned heavy feelings shrouding the heart of the nation, and
     2) Without detracting, distracting from, or devaluing the aforementioned, celebrate:

THE HOPE, THE UNITY, THE STRENGTH, THE LIFE

of South Korea. I continue to be impressed by this nation's ability to unite together and stand its ground. Unity may crumble, strength may wane, life may be lost, but, no matter how bleak the hour, I believe Hope still reigns at the end of the day.

As Korea grapples with the reality of hundreds of [young] lives lost, may she also not lose a beat in continuing to love and care for the millions of young people who are with us today.

Here are my students, who, everyday, I will learn to love more and more. 

YEONGDO GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FIELD TRIP TO BUSAN MUSEUM

Students traveled in groups, boarding buses from our island to the mainland.
I bused down with a group of students living in my neighborhood and, thus, was able to find the museum.

There were other school field trips this day. The girls got excited over the sight of an all-boys high school also roaming around the museum grounds

This student gives me the deepest bows every time she sees me! Extremely respectful and polite - I adore her!

Teachers half-heartedly trying to create organized lines out of the hundreds of students milling around the square

Alright - you got me. Putting away the camera now...

This green-jacketed man perfectly matching the well-maintained shrubbery

It was a Seattle weather kind of day

Stella agreeing to be the girls' personal paparazzi

The silliness memo did not reach me or the older, male teacher to my left...

A PRAYER FOR SOUTH KOREA
Lord, give South Korea a Hope so extravagant as to pierce through this overwhelming current of despair. Enable her to, once again, rise from the ashes, assured of the beauty of Your plans for her and, especially, her children.

2014 Spring Conference | Jeju Island, KAL Hotel, and Angel-in-Us Cafe

THE BEGINNING OF MY JOURNEY

It seems just like yesterday that we had Fall Conference! I had my backpack (yes, just one) all packed last night for the next four days. I was determined to have as hassle- and stress-free a flight as I knew was possible for other people in movies.

At around 5 a.m., I could already hear my parents stirring in the kitchen. I got ready and was able to hitch a ride with my host Dad, whose workplace is a mere 15 minutes away from Gimhae International Airport.

Here's what my day looked like traveling from Busan to Jeju Island:

Host Dad calling a taxi for me so I could continue commuting to the airport and he could continue on to his workplace

The hotel we stayed at for four days and three nights

Didn't I label this post "Official Stuff"? 

HOW I SPENT MY FIRST FEW HOURS IN JEJU
09:00 a.m. - Landed at Jeju International Airport

09:30 a.m. - Got on the Limousine Bus that would take me to the KAL Hotel in Seogwipo

11:30 a.m. - Arrived at KAL Hotel, and noticed I was the only ETA around. Not surprising, since conference was slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.

11:35 a.m. - Hailed a cab to drive me to the nearest Angel-in-us Cafe, which just happened to be 5 minutes away (\3,400)

I arrived extremely early for conference

11:45 a.m. - Read my Bible at Angel-in-us while eating honey bread with green tea ice cream and sipping on a hot caramel macchiato with whip (or "whipping cream" as they say here). Savored the post-flight and pre-conference peace I was afforded in my little corner at the cafe. Resisted the incredible urge to fall asleep due to exhaustion.

01:45 p.m. - Hailed another cab to drive me back to the hotel. Felt legit hailing all kinds of cabs from point A to point B when the distance is a mere 5-minutes.

01:50 p.m. - Discovered that the conference time had been moved to 2:30 p.m. due to late arrivals. Grabbed my Fulbright ID badge and room keys from the lobby and headed to the 8th floor, where I power-napped.

02:25 p.m. - Rolled out of my super comfortable bed and mentally pumped myself up for the presentations up ahead!

Okay, fine, I traveled with a backpack AND a purse...This is still a huge improvement from having a carry-on bag

How many cups of caramel macchiatos have I consumed here in Korea?!?!

The perfect recipe for a quiet, peaceful afternoon to myself!

After the Conference welcome remarks and presentations, I had dinner and wandered around the hotel grounds with Gabrielle and Hope.

Even though it was dark, the three of us could still feel how beautiful the place was. We plopped down on the fake grass and just took the time to share how our respective experiences have been since we saw each other at Fall Conference. We shared our highs and lows and punctuated the end of our walk by praying for each other. I was hungry for this kind of fellowship, and am extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to visit with these two young women tonight.

Celebrating My Korean Sister's 16th Birthday in the Midst of Her Midterms

Last night, I went to bed hours before my Korean sister did. 

Already feeling under the weather, Juhyeon had to stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning to study for her midterms - ones which last for three days and test her on every subject she is taking (so, about 10 subjects total). Needless to say, as her sister and *ahem* teacher, I felt a bit guilty as I quietly tiptoed to my room. My guilt was definitely not assuaged by the fact that, because all of my first grade high school students would be preoccupied taking their midterms, I had no classes to teach and had three days off work.

The worst of it [for Juhyeon] was that the following day was her 16th birthday. Because she would be at school until at least 9:00 p.m. that day, I wasn't sure how the family would celebrate, so I just laid low. 

And by "laid low" I mean I hopped on a bus and stumbled around Lotte Department Store looking for a suitable gift to give to my sister later that night. I must have visited 20 stores total, tried on over 20 different outfits (we're not the same size, but close enough), and took the escalator at nearly every floor level. At the end of nearly four hours at the mall and with the aid of every store clerk ever, I finally had a complete outfit for Juyheon. 

Exhausted, I went home. This is what met me when I arrived: 

THE CELEBRATION

Korean dad setting the table for a special celebratory meal in the middle of the living room.

I absolutely love seeing how involved dad is in the household! Whenever he is home, he is either enjoying mom's cooking noisily, folding laundry with her, massaging her shoulders, or reclining on the couch with one of his daughters using him as a pillow while they watch a show together. 

Korean dad lighting his daughter's candles

A very rare picture with mom looking on, as opposed to her usual bustling back and forth between the kitchen and the living room.

Do not be fooled. This ice cream cake is 0% cake, and 100% ice cream.

Juhyeon blowing out her candles. She couldn't blow all of them out, so Seoyeon swooped in at the last second and finished the job, effectively reminding me so much of Emily and her impatient habit of blowing out other people's birthday candles. Hahaha

We sang the Happy Birthday song in both English and Korean, and, after, we spoke a blessing over Juhyeon before digging in.

Seoyeon bought her sister a new EXO album, which was probably the highlight of Juhyeon's celebration. They know each other very well...

For a couple of hours, we all lounged about the living room, eating, talking, watching a fascinating show about extreme makeovers (via plastic surgery), and listening to K-Pop trivia from Juyheon and Seoyeon. As if operating by an internal clock, the two girls slowly got up and shuffled off to their various study spots, not to be seen by me again for the next 12 hours as they immersed themselves in books and under the glare of red-eye-inducing lamp lights.

Even more amazing to me: mom stayed up with them - especially Juhyeon - doing various housework and preparing for the next day by ironing out her daughters' school uniforms and cooking their breakfast hours in advance.

Dedication. Sacrifice. Family.

I appreciated how simple Juhyeon's birthday celebration was. It was simple yet very comfortable and intimate, my kind of atmosphere. It felt familiar, like I had been celebrating her birthday with this family for many years.