Sangmu FC Game

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." Ralph Waldo Emerson Last Sunday, I went to a soccer game at the world cup stadium in Gwangju. WE LOST BY ONE POINT IN THE LAST TWO MINUTES!! No! At first, my friend, Phil and I were nervous about getting soaked by the rain, but the stadium is really nice and the overhang covers all the seats. The Gwangju soccer team is made up of men in the military. All Korean men are required to serve a few years, but they can try out for the soccer team in Gwangju and play during their service.
Overall, I'm glad we went! There wasn't a lot of fans there because of the weather, but a few die-hards brought whistles, drums, and fun team spirit! Besides the game, I will look back and remember the catchy drum beat, the bright orange people (Gwangju team), the enduring fans, and the great company.

New Friends

My new friend, Jackie, took me bowling the other day in Sangmu (an area close to Sinchang). It was so much fun, especially because Jackie gets extremely excited about everything and she has such a great personality. Next, she wants to go out dancing!
Sadie called my phone one day, which was passed down to me from the previous English teacher, and met me. Since then I have been receiving encouraging messages from her and her husband, Samuel Jo. They often reach out to foreigners from several different countries and help them adjust to the Korean culture. They gave me this picture!

Sophia

"Love is when you go out to eat and give someone most of your french fries without expecting them to give you anything of theirs." Chrissy, age 6

Sophia is one of the three teachers from my hogwan. She has taken me under her wing and has showed me so much kindness. Her patience and tenderness with her students is inspiring and she is always willing to help. During the week, we meet everyday to have lunch before preparing for our afternoon classes. A restaurant around the corner delivers our lunches, which usually consists of sever types of delicious soups and side dishes to go along with our rice. Every day, the side dishes are different, with the exception off the beloved kimchi, so it is exciting to try out new traditional Korean foods. That hour is one of the times I look forward to most during the day. We make simple conversation since we don't speak each others language very well. It truly is an unique and sweet experience to become close to someone without a lot of words.

On September 21st, it was Sophia's birthday!!! I treated her by taking her out for coffee after lunch, she loves coffee. Then after our classes, the staff at our hogwan had a little party. The cake was delicious and beautifully decorated with several types of fruit. Baskin Robins is really popular here in Korea, especially for birthday cakes. I was happy to have celebrated Sophia's birthday with her.

Gwangju KIA vs LG

Player's names light up when it is time to bat on the score board. It was helpful with the cheering!

The sunset that night was so beautiful and colorful. It added a special touch to the game.

On Saturday, September 19th I went with my new friend, Phil- who is from Wisconsin (Yay!!)- to a baseball game! The game was a blast! The crowd was so full of enthusiasm. Adoring fans cheered literally through the whole game calling out each one of the players as it was their turn to bat. Koreans sitting around us, helped us with the cheers and jumped up to give us high fives whenever we scored! Korean people have such beautiful lit up faces when they smile. By the middle of the game, as I called out names and chants at the top of my lungs, I euphorically thought "this is why I am here in Korea!" My love for this new culture is growing. .... oh, did I forget to mention that WE WON!!

Kids

"It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." Mother Teresa

Teaching so far has been a lot of fun!! I have five classes back to back Monday through Friday, which can be tiring, but I have no room to complain. Korean children put in more than twice the amount of hours studying and in class each day. They are great kids and so full of energy!!! Everyday I am learning on how to be more effective in the classroom. Most importantly, I am learning to be more patient. These kids have so much pressure that I just want to love them and be there to support them. We shall see how the year goes!!!

Birthday- Mokpo

"The journey in between becoming what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." Barbara DeAngelis

Katie and Lafe

Boy dancin and playin with his friends.

L: Mokpo R: Tofu

left: Red Peppers- staple food of Korea

Right: love Love LOVE apples!

Birthday Weekend :-P

top: monster lili pads- they are everywhere and I think they are so cool! Mom would really like them :-)

Songsan Hyuyangji:
I met up with several other English teachers at a beautiful park outside of Gwangju. You have to cross a bridge to get to the small island park where people fish, play on the open fields, and picnic. The few hours I spent there were lovely and so relaxing, plus I met many new people. It is amazing to have a group of people, from all over the world, connect because of similar job experiences and become instant friends in this life-changing adventure. It's awesome! Most of the teacher's I have met so far are so open minded, well-traveled, understanding, kind, and interested in a lot of the same things I am interested in!
Also, I can't get over how great the transportation system is in South Korea- it is fantastic and it truly gives you the freedom to go wherever. I know I will need to go to parks similar to this one every once in awhile to escape from the city hustle-n-bustle, plus, I think it is great to meet up with other foreigners on occasion.

Birthday night....

The night I turned 23 (24 in Korean), I went out to eat at a buffet- the grilled meat was so delicious (for some reason I thought about how much Karl would love this place!). It was there that I had my first soju drink- I will admit, it is just as disgusting as people say it is, but the Wild Turkey Whisky from Montana still beats it!

After dinner, a bunch of new friends and I went to an Ice bar (pictures above) where the mugs are made out of ice and when you are finished with your drink, you get to throw it against the wall at a target. If you hit the target right on, then you get either free fries or another beer. It was so awesome to have new friends- some that I just met that night- take me out for a good time on my birthday!

I also had my first mini stop at the very end of the night- he he. That was awesome. I will have to get a picture- I don't think I would give it justice to explain.

A Wonderful Surprise!

YAY FAMILY!!!
Uncle Paul and Aunt Jeannie blessed me with their company for the afternoon on September 12th. Uncle Paul had a conference in Seoul as an ISO International speaker, therefore, they were both able to make it down to Gwangju for awhile. We had a wonderful lunch that lasted several hours at a duck restaurant (aren't our orange aprons cute!). In those precious hours, we had an amazing traditional Korean meal, we were entertained by dancing and animation of an adorable Korean lady, and we spent priceless time conversing that could have lasted forever. I am so inspired and amazed by their efforts towards helping businesses become more environmentally and socially friendly. Aunt Paul and Aunt Jeannie are some of the most open minded, life-loving, caring people I know- plus they are so much fun! I feel very blessed they came down to see and inspire me in so many ways!
YOU BOTH ARE AWESOME!
http://www.isointernationallc.com/index.html

Hiking + South Korea= AMAZING!!

"Show me a day when the world wasn't new." Sister Barbara Hance

Damyang and the Bamboo Museum

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Damyang Visit:

#1 Bamboo (Daenamu) trees
#2 Traditional house in Korean garden
#3 Bamboo Canopy with Hwang Ho Nam, Kyeng Suk, and Jin Sol
#4 Beautiful Jin Sol and I in a Korean garden
#5 Bamboo garden
#6 Relaxation in the traditional Korean house- the floors heat up in the winter with the furnace/ hot rocks under the house and keep you cool in the summer
#7 Side road lined with Megasequoia tress in Damyang
In Damyang, we had some sweets in a Bamboo canopy followed by a tour of beautiful craft work in the Damyang Bamboo museum. Bamboo is very important to Koreans.

Korean Food- Yum!!

Bibimbap-on right

Korean food is amazing!

Hwang Ho Nam and his wife Kyeng Suk lent me a rice cooker and gave me several typical Korean side dishes. Kyeng Suk is an excellent cook and she gathers a lot of the fruits, vegetables, nuts, leaves, fish, and other foods from this area to make her dishes. The round yellow vegetables is pickled radish (dan moo tchi); the leaf is from sesame plants, which is then soaked in a special sauce; sweet potato leaves are the thin green strips; kimchi is the red cabbage on the plate; and dried Sardines are the little fish. On the far left is a spicy/sweet red pepper sauce (Co tchoo tchang), which is used for dipping vegetables, fish, and other things. Black grapes are in season right now and they are absolutely delicious! Coffee comes at the end of every meal and everyone here seems to like it very sweet- it seems to take the place of desert. On our hike in the morning, we have been collecting chestnuts that have fallen from the trees. Kyeng Suk showed me how to steam them so that the shell is softened and it becomes easy to scoop the rich chalky nut out with a spoon (two chestnuts are shown on the bottom right).

Bibimbap has been my favorite dish thus far, although I have loved the sushi rolls, soups-"guk" (kimchi soup, clam soup, bean sprout soup, ...etc), and different types of fish.

Everyday, I learn about new dishes and it is very exciting! Bread and sweets aren't a huge part of the diet here so I will have to figure out where to satisfy those cravings, but overall, sampling more of the Korean Cuisine is going to be a new hobby for the year!

Angels from Down the Street

"You're never too old to become younger."

-Mae West

Korean people are some of the friendliest people you could ever meet. Right away, a couple (Hwang Ho Nam and Hwang Kyeng Suk) took me under their wing and helped me by providing bottled water, they moved my furniture into my apartment, walked me to the nearest grocery store, helped me put together a shelf, showed me how the trash and recycling works, welcomed me over for dinner, and much much more. Basically, they helped me with all the essentials that normally I would take for granted back home. It is hard to let go of your pride and ask something as elementary as "where do I put my trash?" or "where can I buy bread?" But it is a great growing experience.

These people have become my angels/friends instantly and we continue to become closer everyday. No Nam and Kyeng Suk invite me for an hour hike on a nearby trail every morning except Sundays at 8am. The hike is a vigorous one, but it feels amazing and I value every minute I have to comunicate with this loving couple.

Their kids: Jin Sol, Won Tak, Eun Sol and their kid's friends Heyan Chang and Yong Yeon have also been amazing new people in my life. Often times they come over giggling and curious as to what the foreigner is up to and what she has in her apartment! They love playing cards- which makes them dear to my heart instantly, but their animation and playful competition is contagious! And they love to cheat!

Overall, the people I have met here so far have made me feel right at home. Hwang Ho Nam tells me that "no one should eat alone"- and that is a perfect example of the Korean hospitality. It is their nature to always be there for others.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,

a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,

or the smallest act of caring,

all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

-Leo Buscaglia

Week One: Culture Shock

Hello! Anyonghasayo!
Teaching English to kids in South Korea... what could be better! I love kids and a chance to grow while learning about a fascinating culture is everything I could have asked for. My dad traveled throughout South Korea for thirteen months in the military in 1960 so I thought, this is going to be a great opportunity; plus, I can share my experience with my family and friends.

Late at night, it is fun to look out my window tosee who else is up in the appartment complex acrossthe street. It helps me feel less lonely. Gosh, I am such a small town girl!

At the beginning, I thought I could ready myself through books, but once I arrived I immediately went into huge culture shock that weighed heavily on me for days. It was as if the world came crashing down and I felt incredibly guilty for feeling that way.
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/cGuanipa/cultshok.htm
I could not believe how fast loneliness hit me, but I was saved by all the love and support of my family and friends. They helped me get back on my feet and become more proactive and excited about this upcoming year. Mom, you are awesome! Words of encouragement including this poem has given "me strength to talk even when I don't feel like it, smile, ask questions, learn, celebrate the new stuff, cry when I need to, and reward with books in English." (great advice, Jax)

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, talented, fabulous?

Actually, Who are you not to be?!

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We are born to make manifested the glory of God that is within us;

It is within everyone.

And we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others."

-Marianne Wilson (thanks for the quote, Bec)

I love my family and friends and I feel so blessed to have them all with close to me everyday on my new adventure.