2014 Graduate School of World Missions and Ministry Commencement (aka Russel Graduates from Kosin University After Three Years of Study!)

THE GRADUATE

Russel smiling at Tsegi, one of the best friends he made while studying at Kosin,
 after she read a Thank You letter in front of their sponsors

Dear Russel, 

Now that you've graduated, may you continue on pursuing a life of study and ministry and service that will be a sweet aroma to your Father in heaven. He has had great things in store for you since day one, when you chose to attend school a year or two younger than your classmates in first grade, and then continued to walk yourself to school everyday after that despite the lacks and losses in your life. Today's great achievement is a mere stepping stone to more successes to come. We know this because He's taken you this far and will not leave you now! 

Approach your next adventures with confidence in your steps and certainty in your walk, knowing that the great pains and trials you've borne in your past were meant to condition you to bear greater responsibility and influence (Romans 5:3-4). Both of these you will draw on and struggle with as you come to realize your dream of influencing our current world into building God-glorifying cultures one changed man at a time. Men with passion and vision (to see this world redeemed and reconciled to its Creator) like you strengthen witnesses and passersby like me who have the privilege of seeing your life of leadership through service in action.

I have every confidence that whatever you pursue, you will do so fueled with a hope that does not disappoint - making, in the words of your commencement speaker, the right decisions out of your right standing with God.  

God Bless,

Your Friend

(Philippians 1:3)

THE 2014 GRADUATING CLASS

The graduates from both the English and the Chinese programs

Waiting to receive their diplomas and donning on translation devices during the mostly-Korean nearly 3-hour ceremony

GRADUATING AT THE TOP OF HIS CLASS

Russel graduated at the top of his class and was called first up the stage!

I scrambled 20 minutes late to the Son Yang Memorial Hall,
just in time to see Russel get called first and receive his diploma

Dr. Mark Kreitzer, Russel's thesis adviser, sitting up front.
The only part of the ceremony I understood was when he got up to speak

Allan, Russel's roommate, graduated Top 2 in the class. So much Filipino pride!

Attentive as Tsegi delivered a speech all in Korean.
I believe I heard Dr. Kreitzer say that she can speak 5 languages

EXPRESSING THEIR THANKS

Tsegi had to pause a couple of times during her speech, overcome with emotion

Russel enjoying Tsegi's plight on stage. So typical. Hahaha

Tsegi takes her seat

Blurry but I like the emotions I managed to capture last-minutely

SPECIAL SONG BY THE GRADUATES

The graduating class singing a special song for the audience

This was towards the end, so everyone carried a more comfortable and relaxed demeanor

Shuffling on stage for group photos at the end of the ceremony. And what a long ceremony it was...

RUSSEL'S BELOVED SPONSOR IN SOUTH KOREA

HOLY JOY CENTER AT THE GRADUATION CEREMONY

KODAK NIKON MOMENT

All of the good moments are blurry, but this one is a keeper. 

RUSSEL WITH PROFESSORS AND THEIR FAMILIES

With the Kreitzers, who both teach at Kosin University

Grateful to be a part of this day of celebration!

With one of their great mentors in Korea

Professor Gabriel who teaches at Kosin and ministers at Holy Joy

Professor Gabriel's family minus Kayla

Adorable family!

Russel with Swapan's family

The baby is very cute!

Amit, one of Russel's best friends in Korea who also serves at Holy Joy

Great friends. Two graduates minister at Holy Joy in various
capacities

Proud friends

Surrounded by some of his best and *ahem* most awesome friends

Congratulations, Russel! Bask in this moment. The next commencement won't be for a while :)

Classroom Logistics & Working with the High School English Textbook

The textbook I am not required to follow

I have a lot of freedom as far as the content of my lessons! There is a textbook that Sookhee, my co-teacher, uses and which she says I could also teach from - especially in the areas of Speaking, Listening, and Writing.

Seeing me casually flip through the book in front of her, she quickly added that I was, by no means, beholden to tying my lessons to this book. 

NOT THE MOST INTERESTING TEXTBOOK EVER

Sookhee: It is...hmmm...kind of boring! [smiles] It's okay if you don't

Me: Oh? It looks....interesting!
Sookhee: Haha!...No, not really. Students are not very interested. I have trouble making them interested.
Me: Ah, okay. I understand. 

With this established, I have decided to loosely follow the units in the book, starting with one on Personalities. I have a lot of ideas, and I am so excited to follow up my introduction from last week! Because I started my "first" day of school on a Thursday, I won't actually get to implement my next lesson plan until this Thursday. Until then, I will still be doing my self-introductions.

The fragmented nature of my workweeks already feels strange, but I am sure I will become accustomed to it.

CLASSROOM LOGISTICS 

I only have two co-teachers: Top: Sookhee Teacher
Bottom: Yeonghee Teacher

Number of classes taught per week: 8 
Number of English workshops for teachers: 2
Number of extracurricular classes taught: 3
Number of classes taught per day: ~2-4
Number of students per class: 27-35
Total number of students: ~ 300
Number of co-teachers: 2
Technology (computer/projector): Yes

Number of sleepy students per class: ~5
Number of loud students per class: ~3
Number of times I have my students sing: Every class

Total hours I am at work each day: 8

Having eight classes a week is on the low-end of teaching. It definitely ranges, but I hear from my fellow ETAs that they are teaching 15-23 classes per week! 

Since my assignment to Busan, the second largest metropolis in Korea, I expected many classes, with many students. As it is, being assigned to Yeong Island actually creates a different reality for me. The island is small, and my school is also quite small with only about 900 students from the first to third grade. 

As you can see on the right collage, I have two co-teachers, who help me with tech set-up, as well as minor disciplinary issues. They are both very gentle and sweet women, and I have not witnessed any corporal punishment in the classroom by their hand (or any other teachers' hand, for that matter). 

QUALITY TIME AT HOME WITH HOST FAMILY

This evening, I was in my room working with the door closed. Hearing my family members stirring outside, I opened the door remembering what the OCs had told us about the more communal style of Korean living. 

A sweet night of fellowship, complete with midnight fruit snacks, singing in the living room, counting games, and tucking flowers behind our ears

My family was seated in the living room, talking and laughing together. Once in a while, I would look up from my work and take a peek at what they were up to. Their laughter, freely mingling with the others, was quite inviting. I half-hoped that they would notice I wasn't actually working anymore and invite me. 

And they did! 

Opening a letter from Mama - almost a ceremonial process

Juhyeon looked at me, quickly ducked out of the photo I was taking, and invited me to join them in their singing and hand-clapping. They taught me many games involving counting numbers and making facial expressions, and - at the end - they taught me two songs that were meant to bless me.

The gesture was so sweet. I was so moved. Even without the Google translation, I could tell that they were giving me something very special. Later, Juhyeon translated the lyrics for me and sent it via Kakao Talk (KaTalk).

One is called: God Bless You, and the other: You Planted the Trees at the Creek (again, this is Google translate, so I don't know if these titles are accurate).

I smiled and laughed so much tonight that I felt like a different person when I returned to my room, and resumed my work. In the midst of this joy, I felt like there was something missing.

I opened a letter from Mama (one of the precious ones that I keep close at hand, but try not to open until either very special occasions or very lonesome moments).

Ma, I can hear your voice, and I savor the strength you give me from afar! 

The Desk Warming Saga Continues: No Observations & No Teaching

Brace yourselves for the mundane details of my everyday life here in Korea. (You know you like reading about it).

Last night, in the middle of shoveling food in my mouth, I told my host mom that I would be happy if she served me the same rice and special egg omelet side dish combo for breakfast every day. And, of course, I woke up for my second day of school with just this very thing on the table - plus more side dishes! 

When I went to deposit my shoes in "my" cubby (aka Andrea's old shoe cubby), I noticed that they had replaced the name placard bearing her name to one with mine. Just this tiny gesture made me feel a little bit more like a part of the school.

The day passed without anyone showing any willingness to let me observe their classes. Like the day before, I spent over six hours loitering about the Teachers' Office, mustering up all sorts of energy and mental exercises to stay awake.

Although I had done nothing particularly taxing, I was exhausted when I got home. I walked zombie-like back to our apartment, and slowly sank down on a chair in my bedroom not understanding what to do next.

Before I could formulate a decisive thought, Seoyeon, my younger host sister, knocked lightly on my door and came in bearing this super tasty drink. The concrete cement that my face had turned into over the course of the day warmed at the thoughtful gesture, and cracked into a slight smile seeing the cute, color-coordinated tray.

Enjoying this milk + strawberry yogurt drink constitutes my last memory before I passed out for another three-hour nap.

When I woke up, I waded through the contents of both suitcases and gave everything its temporary home. I got to the bottom of one suitcase, and found this letter embedded there. I was ecstatic! And then I choked up seeing the careful cursive of my mother's handwriting. I didn't touch the letter - letting it rest where it was - as I kept my hands moving, folding clothes, patting the creases out of my blazers, and lining up the seams of pants and jeans.

And then - as if meeting her for a few brief seconds - I took the envelope, held it up to the light, and savored the feel of its unopened contents. I've been trying to convince myself that I am not homesick but this letter slowly cracked that facade; slowly, because I am still in a whole lot of denial about just how much I miss my family.

How a Simple Letter-Writing Activity Partially & Temporarily Immobilized Me

Time has really sped up since we got back from Seoul. It seems the activities we have done this past week have just been fillers as we all anxiously await heading to our various placements this Friday. 

RUN THROUGH OF TOMORROW'S CLOSING CEREMONY

This morning we went over tomorrow's schedule - most importantly how we will meet the school officials from our schools. Basically, the process is very similar to the one we went through when we were given our school placements: dress up, line up, wait for name to be called, step forward, and deliver a 90-degree bow towards Mrs. Shim. 

After our names are called, we are to prolong giving our bows until we have scanned the audience in the auditorium and noted who waved, stood up, or otherwise signaled that they were our people. This is to make it easy for us to find them post-ceremony and make our introductions.

The OCs giving us a thorough run-down. Also, they had us write letters addressing our future selves!

DEAR MIMI, I HOPE THAT BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS LETTER...
Before the run-through, the OCs had us write letters to ourselves.

I got really excited when they began to hand out stationary paper and envelopes. But after writing down the date and the words "Dear Mimi," I froze up. It really hit me that, for better or worse, this letter would find its way back into my hands a few months from now.

Why was the thought of this a bit immobilizing? Because it reminded me of my goal to grow into a better human being, and it, in a way, gave me a timeline for beginning to accomplish such a task. In short, the letter asked me to be accountable to myself.

I froze because I thought of what future Mimi who hadn't grown might need to hear in a letter, and what future Mimi who had grown would want to hear. The two versions would need a different talking to, and I couldn't decide which one of me to address so I did a bit of both. As a result, my letter sounds half-chiding and half self-congratulatory!

We will see which Mimi opens this letter in the coming months...dundundun.

For our last dinner in Jungwon, they had us sit on the other side of the cafeteria, where we ate extra delicious food. 

This is the last evening we will spend in Jungwon. All of us were still dressed up from the afternoon's workshop by Tim Marshall from the State Department and basically sweated through our outfits because the entire place got so hot from our cooking!

Right after dinner, we had Trivia Night, where House Kwon finished last. The OCs still gave us a prize though thus Christina's very excited face.

Letters from Emily and Mama that I will savour reading in the coming days!

LETTERS FROM HOME

In a way, today began and ended with letters. Anthony tapped me on the shoulder during dinner and quickly deposited two envelopes on my lap. They were from Mama and Emily! This was super unexpected and, thus, all the more joy-inducing. I was so happy, I squealed - and I hardly squeal over anything! 

It's been a very good day and night, especially since these precious letters arrived just before I left for Busan.