The End of a Record-breaking Season

The mood of the title itself sums up how I'm feeling this week...

1. ) AWESOME! Because the TCIS dragons boys volleyball team came from being down 2 sets to defeat the YISS Guardians (who we really wanted to beat) in the trilling 5-setter marathon championship game at the KAIAC tournament last weekend. (Sorry...I'm doing a news unit at school now, hence the "article" feel :P) We finished the season at 16-1, the best record any team from TCIS has had. It was an incredible day. Lots of TCIS fans came to watch and the boys played great. 4 of them made the all-conference team and 4 made the all-tournament team. Our team also brought home hardware for winning the Coach of the Year, Best Hitter, and MVP of the tournament awards. After, we all piled in the bus and hurried to SAHS, on the U.S. military base in Seoul, because the girls team was also playing in the championship game there. Sadly, one of their best players got hurt in the first set and they lost in 4 sets, so the game was over by the time we arrived. 2nd place is still the best finish they have ever had, too! Even though we didn't get to watch their game, we did get to eat American food so it was a great end to a great day. Hopefully the momentum carries into basketball season. As our AD keeps saying, "It's the YEAR OF THE DRAGON!" We'll see...

The team after the championship game with all our awards.

2.) SAD...because although last weekend was awesome, I now haven't seen some of the guys for the whole week (such a contrast from the previous two weeks when I saw them several hours everyday). The season was so full of ups and downs with key players getting injured and then better and then injured again, that through it all we became a tight-knit team. Plus, we had 9 seniors who we'll miss next year! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to spend the season with such a great group of guys...seriously, they aren't just good volleyball players, they are good people. Luckily, they are all coming over for a big End-of-Season BBQ tomorrow. The other coach and I bought 3 kilos of beef, 2 salmon filets, and about 40 hot dogs. That should feed 14 HS boys, right? :P

Outside of volleyball, not much has been happening. I've been trying to adjust to actually having free time and am trying to find ways to fill it. Today I filled some of it by sleeping in. :) :) :) I'm picking up a few more responsibilities at school such as chaperoning the MS dance, starting up the MS newspaper, and sponsoring a club called Love in Action who is now promoting Operation Christmas Child. Oh yeah, and MS swimming starts up this week, so I guess I won't have too much free time.

Blessed

Wow...it's been awhile. Thanks to those of you who are still checking this blog. :)

Today I was thinking about how blessed I am. Most of you know this year started off a bit rocky, with my school having serious financial issues. There was uncertainty whether or not our school would be giving salaries this year, or even be able to remain open, meaning uncertainty about whether I would have a job until the end of this year or if I would be living in Korea at all. As you can imagine, this caused a bit of stress, but it also made me realize all the blessings I have in my life. God is so good!

Blessings
1. I am blessed to be working in a job I love, where I can save money, and where I get to impact lives everyday.

2. I am blessed to get to know and work with a bunch of really awesome students; I get to see them grow and mature as each year goes by. Because I'm in a Christian school, I have an opportunity to form relationships with them beyond the classroom. I get to know them as people and teach them more than just Spanish. And I learn so much from them, too!
3. I am blessed to be surrounded by such an incredible community. The staff and the parents at TCIS are truly unique. In the face of this crises everyone has seemed to band together rather than flee in fear. I think it is a testament of the faith of those around me. We as a school have no other options but to trust in the Lord and rely on him to get us through this. Because the financial problems are something that we all faced together, and they have weighed heavily on everyone's minds and hearts, it has made us even closer than before.
4. I am blessed to have so many people in my life who love me and would support me no matter what happened. Friends from GSIS (another international school), my church family, and friends and family back home in Iowa have told me they have been praying. It is so encouraging to know I have so many amazing people who I could turn to for anything.
5. I am blessed to be coaching the best volleyball team in KAIAC! Not just are they a talented team, but they are fun to be around and are genuinely good guys. We are now 6-0...it has been great to finally be playing like we knew we could! Conference championship, here we come!
6. I am blessed to have spent the past 5+ months getting to know the most amazing guy ever! :) Hopefully you Iowa people have a chance to meet by boyfriend, Rob, at Christmas. He is such a blessing in my life!
7. I am blessed to have a fantastic group of friends here in Korea who definitely keep me busy. We have been to Seoul, Busan, Yeongdong for the grape festival, to the 4-D movie theater, and to numerous dinners together just since the beginning of this year. It's difficult to understand without being here, but these people are like my family. I love them all!
8. I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel. I think I have surpassed 25 countries with my most recent trip to Bali, Indonesia. My roommates and I had a restful and relaxing trip a couple weeks ago and spoiled ourselves by spending all day laying on a beautiful beach, getting massages, and drinking fruit shakes. It was wonderful! Be sure to check out the pics here.

Well, I will try to keep you updated better, but know that I am optimistic everything will work out. I purchased a round-trip ticket home, so my plan is to return come January! :P Continue to pray an investor purchases our school. There are many interested parties, but one really matches our school's mission. If that is God's will, may it be so. Right now, it seems we are out of danger of closing down (Hurray! Praise the Lord!), but are still looking for funds so we can get to our new campus next year.

Ok, I've gone on too long. :) I hope this post is a blessing to you, also. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement over the past couple months!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

Africa Trip

Greetings from Korea! I have just returned from another summer in Iowa (I'll need another post to tell about all the wonderful people I got to see!), but before heading back there I traveled to Africa. Many have wondered how the trip was...so instead of telling all my stories here, I have posted a photo book I created about the trip. Please check it out! There are amazing animals' pictures, information about the culture of Africa, and a look into the awesome ministry that my college friend, Casey, is doing there with an organization called Hope of the Nations. It was an incredible trip. Enjoy the book!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photos!

I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything, but in the meantime, check out some pics. I know it's not a true replacement for a blog post, but I will update you all later. I have just finished grades and have one week left of school. This week is a busy one since my roommate and I are moving to a new house, and then after that we are leaving with another friend to AFRICA! Hopefully sometime before that I will post something more substantial than this, but if I not I will definitely let you all know all about my trip to Kenya and Tanzania! Enjoy the pics! It's been a wonderful spring!

*MS Retreat and other school-related activites (more to be added after this fun-filled week!) Click here
*A personal day getting shots and going to Everland amusement park. We are so ready for Africa! See why!
*The end of swimming...KAIAC, end of season dinner at Outback, and awards are here.
*May happenings including Graduation, Faculty Farewell/Goodbye O-jung dong, and my new apartment painting. Check it out!

A Long Overdue Update

Hello family and friends,

I'm sure most of you have no idea of what's happening in my life since I have been so busy recently. Sorry! But it has sure made life exciting. :) Here is a quick (I hope) overview of what I've been up to the last month:


- Attended a fancy TCIS fundraising event, The Crystal Gala. I had never been to anything like that before, but it was a lot of fun to get all dressed up and eat good food!
- Saw Cirque du Soleil Varekai in Seoul. What a great show!
- My friend Annette has been giving me Korean lessons, and I finally feel like I'm improving. 

- The return of Waffle Fest! A family at TCIS makes a waffle dinner for all the single teachers. Jennifer, the hostess, just had a baby so there had been a waffle fest hiatus...but it's back!
- Spent an incredible weekend at Daecheon Beach in a cabin with 9 other friends. Even though it was cold and rainy, we had a blast!

- All MS field trip to the Korea War Memorial complete with a crazy bus ride to end the day. Our driver hit a cement truck! Don't worry, everyone was ok.
- Watched the high school musical 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. The students did such a great job...I was laughing out loud through most of the play!
- Visited and toured the new TCIS campus. It is a bit behind schedule but still looks great. It is going to be so nice to have a big gym and a weight room and my own classroom!!! I just hope it's done by the first day of school in August!
- The weather has finally been warmer, so I went on a beautiful Easter morning bike ride to the lake.
- Swim meets at YISS, KIS, and KAIAC at SFS (whoa...that's a lot of acronyms...and a lot of trips to Seoul :P). The season just finished today. Last night we stayed at SFS and had some good team bonding. Check out pics from the weekend here!

Here are some other pics that have been added from random things this spring. I still need to update it with more pics, but now that swimming is over, I'm hoping to have a bit more free time. :) However, the end of the year always goes so fast. We have I-Fest this weekend; I'm going to see an extreme martial arts show called Jump Friday; Anna, Deb, and I are heading to Seoul Tuesday to get immunizations before leaving for Africa in just over a month; and MS Retreat, graduation, and all the other end of year activities will be here before I know it. What a crazy, but awesome spring!

Loving All and Serving All in the Philippines!

 Today was a difficult Monday because it was back to school after an incredible spring break! I spent last week in Boracay, an absolutely beautiful island in the Philippines, with a great group of high school students as a part of TCIS's LASA service trip. We did various activities including laying concrete on a community center, visiting public schools, going to feeding sites around the island where we fed kids and did basic medical, led children's chu rch, and spent time hanging out at the Jungle Barn, our home on the beach. :) I know I had at least 1 mango shake everyday. It was wonderful!

Some highlights:
- we visited a public high school where they welcomed us as the "Korea International School Delegation." After the ceremony, we played volleyball against their teams. We lost, but it was fun to learn about Filipino culture and get to know some older kids.
- On Tuesday we visited a small, isolated mountain village of the Ita people, a native tribe of the Philippines. They were the most impoverished children we met, but also the easiest to love.
- Beautiful sunsets almost every night!
- God was really working in the lives of our students this week. My small group had amazing devotion times; the kids all really opened up to us. It was quite an eye-opening experience for many of them who had never seen poverty firsthand.
- Mango shakes, massages, Mongolian grill, and henna! I love Boracay!
- Getting to know and spend time with 16 high school kids. We had so much fun with riddles, mind games, and rock-paper-scissors. :)
- We set a record at the construction site...along with GSIS, we layed 75 sq. meters of concrete in one day to finish the 3rd floor.
- Returning to the construction site for the first day of work was awesome. The last time I was there, 2 years ago, we were just starting the 2nd floor of the building and now they are holding preschool there!

Compared to last time I was there, this trip was so much smoother. No one got sick, no travel problems, cooler weather. Be sure you check out the pics here. It really was a fantastic week!

¡Cumple 25!

That's right...I have made it 25 years. A magnificent quarter of a century. This week I was reminded at how many people have influenced me and changed me along the way into the person I am today; how many friends have shown love and support; and how blessed I have been in 25 years of life. I want to thank many of you for the facebook messages, cards, gifts, dinners, and parties this week. By the end of it, I was actually "partied-out" if that's even possible. I also want to thank everyone for playing a part, whether big or small, in my life these past 25 years. They have been wonderful, and I honestly can't wait for what the next 25 hold.

Here's a brief summary of what my amazing friends here in Korea did to help make my birthday week special:

Monday: Dinner (TGIFridays) and movie (Adjustment Bureau) with Ellen and Anna
Tuesday: Papa Day! --> even though it doesn't really exist :P
Wednesday: Professional volleyball games...go Blue Fangs!
Thursday: Mexican dinner and Thai massage :)
Friday: The Goonies - which everyone felt was the necessary way to spend Friday night since I had never seen it. Plus, Sarah came to visit from Suwon!
Saturday: Leggings party which included dinner at Indy and a photo scavenger hunt around 둔산동 (complete with a leggings cake...pictures to come)
Sunday: Picnic lunch and Yaewon roof party to enjoy the 60+ degree weather!

I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday week. Although I'm pretty exhausted from having such a busy social calendar, everyone made me feel so special. A few of my friends even ate live octopus for me! :P It is now 8:16 and I'm heading to bed. That's what old age does to you! (kidding!) I need some energy to get through one more week and then spring break. What a great life!

Catch-up

I know I am getting so far behind in my blogging. Last week we had mid-quarter reporting for quarter 3 already, and I realized I hadn't updated my blog at all since I was home for Christmas! I really have been up to quite a bit, from professional volleyball and hockey games to a week spent in Cambodia. (Click here for the pics!) I

I will try to keep you updated as more adventures come my way: my birthday, World Language Festival, swim meets, and my spring break LASA trip to the Philippines. More details coming soon!

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

I am now sitting in the airport waiting to board the first of four flights I will take to get back to Korea. Wow, what a great break! I had such a great time at home this winter. Be sure to check out the pics if you don't want to read this whole post. :)

Although my time in the U.S. was short, I got to see many friends and family members. I arrived just before Christmas, so after a day or two of shopping, Christmas had arrived! Because of wintry weather, my mom's brothers weren't able to make it to Washington, but I did get to see almost all of my dad's side. We had a lot of fun since all of my cousins were back this year for the first time in probably 3 or 4 years. After our official Christmas on Christmas Eve, we all went to see Lil Fockers and eat at HuHot. Then, all the girls hung out at my sisters place one night. On Christmas day, 10 of us went sledding. It was a perfect day for it and we had a lot of fun. It was so nice to spend time with my family during the holidays.

After Christmas, things got busy quickly preparing for Bethany and Ike's (2 good friends from HS) wedding. The wedding set-up and actual event went smoothly, but it sure wore me out. Weddings are so much work! It was a lot of fun, though, and I got to see many friends from high school. Since it was a New Years Eve wedding, the guests stayed late...I haven't done that much dancing in a long time!

On New Years day, I went to Des Moines. My friend Adam's band was playing a show there, and I was so happy that I was finally able to watch him. It had been a long time; and the concert was great! So much fun! I got to catch up with many of my college friends who came downtown for the night, too.

Although it may not seem like it, I did enjoy some time relaxing at home. I watched numerous football games (including Iowa's big victory...GO HAWKS!!), and had fun playing wii with my parents and sister. Time at home always goes so fast, but this was an exceptionally good vacation. Thanks to all of you who made it that way!

Stress and Relaxation

I know you usually don't hear those two words together, but they pretty much describe the past week perfectly. After a busy last week of classes, I worked on Friday night until 6 and then decided I couldn't do anymore. It left me, however, very stressed about all that I had to do before Monday when our grades were due. For a little relaxation, Anna, Beth, and I went exploring Daejeon in search of a Thai massage. After dinner at the Mexican restaurant, we found a fancy little place and treated ourselves to an hour-and-a-half of the best massage ever! I didn't know I was so flexible! We were so relaxed after the massage that we laid there for who knows how long until Anna finally said, "Guys, I think we're done." Time went so fast and I was so content that I didn't want to get up! It was a wonderful evening! We decided that we should revisit during every grade posting time. :)

Saturday we had our first MS swim meet of the season. The entire bus ride up I was thinking about all the work I had to do (stressed), but the meet was so much fun. I love seeing our kids swim and be excited about their performance. After, we all walked to Itaewon (the international district in Seoul...I guess it would kind of be like Chinatown in the U.S, just opposite) and ate Quiznos for lunch (relaxed and happy).

Sunday I spent the entire day working, working, and working some more. I only took a break to go to HomePlus to buy supplies for cooking salsa, guacamole, and homemade tortilla chips in my classes. Monday in class my students proved to be excellent cooks. The 7th graders who came in after said that their guacamole was "the best I've ever had!" I agree, it was pretty tasty!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the MS students participated in Service week. I love this time of the year because our students come up with such great ways to serve around the school, in the community, and even on a global level. They did a variety of activities: made gift baskets for the kitchen staff, grounds crew, bus drivers, etc; cooked soup and delivered it to homeless people at the train station; collected blankets to give away; made Christmas cards for kids at the orphanage; baked cookies for the HS students after their finals; made crafts to sell and give $ to North Korea; sewed a quilt to raffle and give $ to a Korean school in need; and read books they had made in Tech class to the 1st graders at TCIS. It's so awesome that we have an opportunity to teach these kids, many of whom have been blessed with so much (including cleaning ladies and nannies who do everything for them), about true service. It's a great week...but a very very exhausting one, too.

During the week we also took all the students to the theater to see Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was fun to share in the experience with my homeroom group (they are so awesome!!). I really enjoyed seeing the movie, quite a relaxing way to spend a Wednesday school day. We also had fun on Thursday watching the Coffee House in which the students showcased their many talents. I'm always amazed at what they can do.

Today, we were able to see our classes one last time. Many of them were spent playing the falling snow (It was so pretty), but I also have 3 students leaving, so many of my classes were farewell parties. I think this is the hardest thing about working in an international school; it is so transient! People are always coming and going. At the end of the day we had an assembly and the student council had someone come up and give a goodbye speech to those who were leaving. It was so nice, but afterward most of the students were in tears. Aww...they are so cute! But I will miss them, too!

The week concluded with the "Send grades to Edline" button. No more stress! Grades are done, comments are written, next quarter is planned......oh wait! :-P But I'm not going to think about that. We have the MS Staff Christmas party, then a goodbye noraebang session for Beth's last night in Korea, and in 2 short days I will be home!!!