My Second First Day as a High School English Teacher at Yeongdo!

Yeongdo Girls' High School's first ever woman principal with her ETAs from 2011 and 2013.
Missing Andrea Tang (2012) from this picture!

THE RHYTHM OF RUSHING AND SLOWING DOWN

For the new school year, my walk started from the house of my new homestay family. The path was windy - familiar in that I had traversed it by bus countless of times before, and unfamiliar because I was much lower on the ground and slower on foot, allowing me to see and notice and consider things I had not before.

I was approaching my school from the opposite direction. If I had not been rushing, I might have had opportunity to entertain such things as have from time to time fought to accompany me along the rode: Nervousness, Anxiety, Fear. 

Sometimes it's the rushing through life that saves me from so much mental apprehension. Of course, with these negative feelings come the positives: Excitement, Hope, and a Fire that grows within me with each step that leads me closer to my destination. 

Today has been a special first day being back:

1. I found out I have a new Fulbright co-teacher -  an English teacher with whom I worked last year as a classroom co-teacher. She is beautiful, sweet, and soft-spoken but has been away for a semester. I am glad to be working with her again and am excited for the new dynamic ahead of us!
2. A former ETA (2011) came to visit! Hogan Medlin, Yeongdo Girls' High School's first ever native English teacher came to say hi to the principal (who is very fond of him), the teachers he worked with (who were talking about his visit 6 months before it happened), and his students (who are now in the 3rd grade). We had communicated via email during my first year as an ETA and he had been quite generous with tips on how to ease my experience at YGHS. What a real pleasure to have met you, Hogan! You set the bar high and I couldn't be more grateful for the challenge!

English teachers and principal with Mr. Hogan Medlin, future major world-changer!

Trip to Boseong-gun in South Jeolla Province with My 1st Homestay Family

TRAVELING FROM INCHEON TO BUSAN
After a relatively incident-free direct flight from Seattle to Seoul/Incheon, I arrived back in Busan very early Friday morning. The day was spent more or less sleeping after a sleepless night of waiting for the airport bus limousine to arrive at 10:30 p.m., tossing and turning on said bus for the whole five hours of travel back down to Busan, and then standing streetside at Nopo-dong for 30 minutes trying to hail a taxi in the rain.

To be fair, it was mostly Russel who stood streetside trying to hail a taxi in the rain while I sat dry with my luggage under an awning. Thirty minutes more of commute brought us to the home of my new homestay family, where I didn't even bother to unpack my toiletries before crashing on the newly-made bed they had prepared for me. 

WELCOME BACK TO KOREA! DINNER
Fast-forward to the evening and I am woken up and told by my new host mom, Connie, that she has invited a handful of folks from church and my former host family for dinner! What a thoughtful gesture!

FIRST HOST FAMILY STEALING ME FROM MY SECOND HOST FAMILY 
No, not really, but...

During dinner, my host family convinced me to go on a family trip with them. When? That very night. I was exhausted and disoriented, but this was the same trip my family had been wanting to take me on for what seemed like all of last year but it never materialized. So I said, Yes!, packed a change of clothes, toiletries, and a gift I had prepared for them from the States. My host sisters' excitement served as a kind of energy injection into my system.

TRAVELING FROM BUSAN TO BOSEONG
We traveled for three hours, arriving at my host dad's sister's house a few minutes shy of midnight. Her house was beautiful and comfortable and somewhere in Boseong County, a place famous for its green tea leaves. I slept soundly with Juhyeon and Seoyeon and woke up the next day to a full day of adventures! I will post more on this trip later but, for now, enjoy this video I created through SnapMovie (thanks for the new obsession Juhyeon!), offering a brief glimpse into our afternoon coming home that day. 

The Last Week of My Grant Year | Sunday: The Pastors in My Life in Busan

PENIEL INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

10:00 a.m. | Yeonsan, Yeonje-Gu, Busan

Throughout my grant year, I have found great support from my faith communities here in Busan. I am grateful and count myself blessed for having gotten to know Korean folks, Filipino students and workers, and other foreigners in the area. The Filipino community at Holy Joy used to be a bit bigger, but now that community is only represented by Russel and me. 

Russel preaching at Peniel International Christian Community

PASTOR RUSSEL

By a curious turn of events, Russel now pastors a church in mainland Busan called Peniel, whose foreign members consist mostly of Filipino men and women. 

PASTOR DEO

Deo Vistar, the former pastor of this international Christian community is also Filipino - one who, as a matter of fact, graduated from the same seminary in the Philippines as Russel and who is now pursuing a PhD in New Zealand after having earned two Masters in Korea. 

I am so impressed and inspired by this man's life journey so far! (You can read his blog here). Pastor Deo speaks my native tongue, Visaya, and so was a figure who seemed very familiar to me from the start. There is nothing like hearing your native tongue - complete with its intonations and particular phrasings - to reach into your heart and draw you into a family that is at once a wide network and an intimate unit. There are others at Peniel who also speak Visaya, making this community of believers very attractive to me.

This is the church that Russel has, in a way, "inherited" from Pastor Deo. Not knowing how long I would be able to keep attending this church upon my return to Korea, I did my best to enjoy everyone's company on my last Sunday here before returning to the U.S. for a brief vacation.

This man has a wonderful, wonderful singing voice!

 HOLY JOY CENTER

2:00 p.m. | Yeongdo, Busan

After Peniel, we took the subway back to Nampo-dong, and then walked across the Yeongdo Bridge to Holy Joy Center in time for me to practice singing with the worship team. 

PASTOR GABRIEL

These days, the worship leader and main pastor of the English service is the same (and, might I add, busy) man, Pastor/Professor Gabriel from Kosin University. He is a vibrant character whose stories about his native South Africa and his experience of marrying a Korean woman (and, subsequently, her family) has kept me laughing and, at the same time, deep in thought regarding the way human beings interact with each other across cultures.

With the apparent flight of most of our Filipino church attendees (who made up the largest portion of foreigners in the English service), the church deacons cultivated new plans of drawing in foreigners from a different country, Cambodia.

Now, we have a growing community of Cambodians who attend our English service. The church provides them with English tutoring, and, because I'm an English teacher, has appointed me as their English instructor. Today, though, I team-taught with Russel as we used an online tool to help deliver our lesson on the alphabet and very basic words in English.

Our group of English learners. The others were in a different room learning Korean

Our students' names. Pronunciation was an issues so we had to have them spell their names out to us

A game we played on the board to gauge their spelling skills

Observing some hilariously misspelled words by their team members

Baby strapped to mom's back as she participates in the spelling activity

Hopefully baby is also learning some English, even subconsciously! 

After church, Russel and I walked back to Nampo and headed to our favorite Chinese restaurant, where we ordered the same two items on the menu: sea food fried rice and sea food soup (they had fancier names on the menu but, seriously, you couldn't be more to the point than this!).

Russel still on Pastor mode, sharing his ideas on eschatology, or end-time events.
Who needs dessert when you can talk about an optimistic view of the end of the world?!

He wanted me to bring a few small gifts back to my family from him, which was really thoughtful.
These are some of the coloring books he picked up for Emily!

Without a doubt, my experience here in South Korea would not be the same without this man who, from the moment I stepped into Holy Joy, took my hand and led me to the various communities he was already a part of or was just establishing. I don't know what the next year will bring, but I want you to know how grateful I am for your care and company during my first year in Korea. Thank you, Pastor Russel! (Feels strange addressing you as that, but you truly do have a pastor's heart). 

My Korean Host Mom's Kimbap: A Delicious Interruption to a Saturday Spent Stressfuly Forecasting the Future

I spent all of today forecasting the future (a.k.a. planning my activities for the next year, researching grad schools and law schools in the U.S. and around the world, looking up requirements for fellowships in order to attend said grad or law school, and considering other jobs after finishing up my second year teaching in South Korea). This activity has been absorbing much of my time lately. It helps keep my mind awake at school and my heart hopeful. It is at once liberating and exciting (in the sense that I am reminded of my youth and my privilege in being able to entertain so many different paths to take), and, at the same time, frustrating and just a bit crippling (in the sense that I, ultimately, don't have that much control over life). 

After several hours of feverish researching and planning and jotting down notes and hoping, I would pause, blinking back my eye fatigue, and sigh at the ridiculousness - and, perhaps, even vanity - of my life schemes. These seconds convict me - figurative gavels ringing loudly in my ears. 

I was so focused on forecasting my future that I had forsaken breakfast and lunch, not even noticing it was well into the afternoon until my host mom knocked on my door and hand delivered these plates to my room. 

"Mimi, handmade!" she said proudly. 

I received the plates gratefully, suddenly aware of my hunger, and sat eating each piece of kimbap with a dizzy satisfaction atop my bed. 

Room-delivered homemade kimbap. What kind of life is this?!

Host mom had arranged the kimbap so deliciously that I couldn't bear to just go straight to eating them!

Host mom's special recipe on watermelons

Sweet and sour deliciousness; refreshing taste and so perfect for the increasingly hot Busan weather!

Once satiated, I had time for a longer pause and braved asking myself the questions,

"What is driving you to these mad planning/scheming/forecasting sessions?" 

and

"Have you forgotten God's faithfulness over the years?"

Stop whatever you are doing and remember! Remember where you have been and where you plan to go; remember the One who promised to never leave you nor forsake you on this journey. Stop and just be still and know that He is God. You don't have to do things on your own, by your own strength, or even through your own merit. That is the beauty of leaning fully on Christ Jesus!

The Last Week of My Grant Year | Friday's Milmyeon Lunch & Coffee Date with Teachers

Today was my last Friday at school. After teaching my morning classes, the teachers in the gyomushil decided to take me out to lunch at this apparently famous milmyeon place in our very own island (it won an award for serving up awesomeness a few years back)! The restaurant is small, but it had a long line all the way down the sidewalk. I was surprised to have never eaten here before considering the place was only a few steps away from my host family's apartment.

A hidden gem. We chowed down, and I was legitimately smitten. 

Chinese teacher and English teacher

Some seriously good Korean noodles. It was a hot day so the cold bowl of icy noodles was just what I needed to feel refreshed!

This is the restaurant in case you want to come to Yeongdo and experience this magic for yourself

After milmyeon, we took a walk to a nearby coffee shop and, again, I was treated to my very own cup of hot caramel macchiato. 

I have been here many times but I never get tired of just letting my eyes
graze over the way the coffee shop owners have decided to decorate the place

My lovely colleagues waiting for our drinks

With a cup of coffee in each of our hands, we made our way back to where the car was parked and drove to school to continue our work. I was set to have a long day helping Stella grade a mountainous pile of entries from a recent English Essay Writing competition. She had shown me the blueprint of this competition before it was administered to the students and I was so excited for the results! I wholeheartedly agreed to dive into the grading once the student entries poured in.

We teamed up to accomplish all the reading and grading before my departure the following week. 

Drinking the rest of my coffee while reading over students' entries.
This one was the Story Writing portion, which I really enjoyed due to the students' creativity and humor

At a later time, I will share some of the things the students wrote and/or drew. This kind and amount of [written] English does not happen in my classroom, so I was pleasantly surprised/ taken aback by their ability to assemble such riotously comical and heartbreaking stories in English!

To Be Continued...

The Last Week of My Grant Year: Thursday Classes | Adjectives Lesson

Caught off guard by the unexpected mini break I enjoyed this past week, I came back to school a bit dizzy over the fact that this would be the last week of my 2013-2014 teaching contract! The beginning of each week for me, lesson-wise, is Thursday so I am grateful that I at least have the opportunity to say a [temporary] goodbye to all 12 of my classes. 

ADJECTIVES LESSON

Not feeling overly sentimental over my upcoming departure, I decided to pick up on the adjectives lesson I had begun right after the students took their English Speaking Tests with me. That test brought me face-to-face with all of my students, which I enjoyed! It also showed me all kinds of glaring grammatical errors that I wanted to address in future lessons. I couldn't write side notes quickly enough! So, even though a bit boring, I continued on with this particular lesson, showing students how to properly use "-ed" and "-ing" at the end of adjectives. 

Believe me, it's necessary when students are in the habit of saying things like: 

"[This weekend, I went to Nampodong] because I was boring" 

instead of 

"...because I was bored."

I stifled a small giggle after the first few students said this (or some variation of this), but after the 84th student, I had lost all initial mirth, experiencing each subsequent "...because I was boring" statement almost as a personal attack. But, don't worry, everybody survived the English Speaking Test! 

BACK TO TODAY

Just to be merciful though, I tacked on a simple "Hot Seat" English vocab game at the latter half of class, which the students enjoyed immensely. It worked so well that, after teaching it to the first of three classes I faced today, I quickly revised my powerpoint in the teachers' office to include more words. 

CLASS PHOTO

Not that I have favorites or anything but two of my former YDAC students are in this class! There are many passionately competitive students in this class who bring incredible energy to games we play together!

I would include photos of my other two classes, but the students were so camera shy that basically everyone hid their faces using one creative method or other.

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!