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.