Month 1 Update

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated you all on my adventures in Korea. I was having camera issues and was waiting to get them solved so I could post the pictures when I posted to the blog. Anyway, Month 1 has been great! There are lots of new people who are willing to try lots of Korean things so my roomie and I have been having fun showing them around. We went to the jimjilbang, doctor fish, movies, various restaurants, bowling, the baseball game, and more!

Korean Wedding
One week after school started we went to a Korean wedding for my friends Christine and Scottie, both of whom work at TCIS. The wedding was held in a fancy hotel here in Daejeon, and the majority of TCIS staff attended. It was a great event, Christine looked beautiful, we had great food, and I learned a lot about the traditional Korean wedding. I have posted pics on facebook so be sure to check them out. 

Hanwha Eagles Baseball Game
The Hanwha Eagles are the professional team in Daejeon. They are having a really bad season and hardly ever win, but on Saturday a group of us decided to check it out. We arrived and learned we could get in for free. They also gave us a free towel (which doubled as a napkin while eating fried chicken and a towel to wipe away the sweat). The stadium was packed! I had only seen it that full one other time on Easter Sunday. Like always, there was lots of chanting and energy. At the 5th inning stretch, we noticed that this wasn't a normal game when about 12 police motos escorted a fancy car onto the field. We all were like, "Ooh, there must be someone famous here," because everyone was waving the towels at whoever it was. Then, the announcer came on and said something about Koo Dae Sung, who is a relief pitcher for the Eagles, but also a parent of a TCIS 8th grader. We soon learned that the entire celebration was for him! Apparently he is a national hero. There was a little ceremony and then Koo Dae Sung and his family (Including Eric!! We were trying to get his attention by yelling T-C-I-S, but it was so loud in there he didn't hear) took a couple laps around the stadium in the fancy car before exiting and the game resumed. It was so cool...I feel like I kinda know someone famous. :)

Volleyball
An update on volleyball, which has officially become my life for the next two months. We had our first game Saturday morning against a division 2 team (a smaller school than us) and it was a lot of fun. Both the boys and girls teams won, but better than that was we had the chance to take some risks and practice running some of our plays. Most of the guys had an least 1 good kill, so hopefully they will have a bit of confidence (but not too much!) as we head into our first conference game on Wednesday vs. Daegu American. 

Yeongdong Grape Festival
Yesterday 5 of us went to Grape Festival in Yeongdong, which is about 1/2 an hour train ride from Daejeon. It was like a grape-themed county fair, complete with grape exhibitors, lots of free samples, and grape games. You could even stomp grapes and squish them into grape juice/wine. At the same time in the same place was the Korean Traditional Music Festival, where we learned how to play various traditional Korean instruments. It was a lot of fun. I have pictures of this posted as well. 

September
I know that September will be a really busy month, not only because I will be coaching a lot of volleyball, and traveling to and from Seoul a lot for games, but also because in just two short weeks we have our first school break, Chusok, the Korean harvest holiday. This year Chusok is on a Wednesday so we have a week off school. My friends, Sarah and Jana, and I are going to Jeju Island (like Korea's Hawaii) and spending about 5 days biking around it. Each day we are planning to do 30ish miles and then spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach or visiting the sites. Things are going well at school (not sick of it yet :-P), but I can't wait for this vacation!!

I hope things are going just as well for you all, wherever you are!

Summer is officially over!

It's true.  We start school tomorrow (it's a school night...yikes!). I have been busy working all week planning and preparing my classrooms. I was happy to see that most of my students will be kids I taught last year. I can't wait to see them; the first day of school is always so exciting. The kids are generally happy to be back and see friends that they didn't see over the summer. Many of our students live outside of Daejeon and many take classes at hogwans all summer so they like school much better.

In other news, my roomie is back! I'm so happy to have her here. :)

Be sure to check out my pics from the summer. There are some from our family vacation to Lake Okoboji and the Grotto of the Redemption, some from my weekend spent in Madison, a few from various family get-togethers, and some from Ashley and Christian's wedding. Enjoy the rest of your summers!

Goodbye Home, Hello Home

On Sunday I once again boarded a plane...well, 3 to be exact, and returned safely to Korea. Whenever I come back I don't really feel sad or excited or much of anything really. It's a strange feeling, but I think it's because, although I am leaving home, I am also returning to another home.

Sorry I took such a long hiatus, but somehow the summer becomes so busy that I never remember to post. This summer was fantastic. I was able to spend 7 weeks in Iowa and was reminded of how awesome it is! Although the weather wasn't the best, I loved being with my family and seeing friends. I feel like I got to see almost every one of my relatives and friends (many more than once) at some point over the summer: weddings, helping Grandma move, 4th of July, a trip to Adventureland, church, the county fair, RAGBRAI (check out the pics!), and countless dinners spent catching up. It was soooooo great to see everyone, and I am already excited to return in December to see them again.

Coming back to TCIS has also been great. I arrived on Sunday evening and by Monday night I had unpacked all of my suitcases and boxes. I LOVE my new place, but am anxious for my roommate to get here. She is in Switzerland finishing up her master's. She graduates on Friday (Congrats, Anna!) and comes home on Sunday. I think I'm so ready for her to be here because most of our other friends didn't return to TCIS this year. It was so weird to walk into breakfast on Tuesday and see so many unfamiliar faces. On Tuesday, however, we took an all-staff trip up to GSIS--our sister school in Suwon--and spent the day getting to know each other, worshiping and praying together, sharing meals, and participating in some rec time. I played volleyball and really felt like I got to know a lot of people through that; plus, it was so fun! I hadn't played at all since spring.

This afternoon I finally got into my classroom. I can't believe classes start on Monday already!! We had meetings all morning during which we met all the new middle school staff. I was kinda worried about how the dynamic of our group would change since so many people left last year, but their replacements fit in so well. It's funny to see them come and not know what to expect and have questions about everything. It's weird that even though it's only going to be my 3rd year of teaching, I'm one of the "experts." :)

This year I am again assistant coaching the boys volleyball team. The season kinda got underway today with a camp led by the coach and some of the players from Asbury College in KY. A couple of the girls are staying at my house this week. I don't have to be there or help with the camp, but I did stop in to see the guys. We have so many trying out this year (and I hate having to cut people!), but it's good to see the interest and the dedication of coming before school starts to practice. Try-outs will be next week and then it will be go, go, go until November.

So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

Keeping with my "Sound of Music" theme, I must inform you that I have reached the end of my 2nd year of teaching! The end of the year is always bittersweet, but especially so this year. There are tons of students and staff not returning next year; which made for a pretty somber mood around TCIS. There was plenty to do and plenty of fun in the last week, however, to help us forget.

On Monday we met with each of our classes one last time. 3 whole classes of students I will not teach again. :( On Tuesday, I had a workday so I got caught up on my grades while the students cleaned out their lockers, took surveys, etc. In the afternoon was a Creative Arts Show where the students perform the plays they have been doing in Drama class and show off their artwork. Wednesday, we had field day. I led some water games; we even made a slip 'n' slide on the main lawn. We also did some service activities. I had a group of about 20 students who picked up trash around the neighborhood. Those of you that have been here know how dirty the O-jung dong is outside of our campus. On Thursday we took an End-of-Year whirlwind trip to GSIS, our sister school. We had chapel together and then spent the day...well a couple hours at least...doing a variety of activities from scrapbooking to swimming. It was a fast, but fun day.

Which brings us to Friday! On Friday morning the students had another time of service. I took a different group of 20 kids to the train station where we passed out ramen and water to homeless people. It was really cool, and the kids did such a good job in what could be an uncomfortable situation. It was great! When we arrived back at school, the mentally handicapped kids from Nuri Rehabilitation Center (who we have been visiting throughout the school year) came to TCIS to watch our talent show. The talent show was over 2 hours long and gave the students a chance to display a whole lot of talent. The Nuri kids performed an act, too. It was nice.

In the afternoon we had the awards ceremony and then final goodbye parties. There were lots of tears, but I managed to hold off. I am really sad to see some of my students going though. We are losing some really good ones! Their leadership will definitely be missed next year. I think all of them did come find me and give me an appropriate goodbye though. :)

Besides students leaving, many teachers and friends are leaving this year. I've already said many goodbyes and many more are coming. On Tuesday my friend Anna and I had a goodbye party for our friends Jenn and Lyndsey. In true TCIS fashion we had a banner made with their names on it. haha. We had a goodbye barbecue for another friend that night. This week I have been trying to spend as much time with departing staff as possible, which means I have been doing lots of fun Korean things that they want to do before they leave: Manna house, jimjilbang, noraebang, etc. It has been fun, but it is always hard to say goodbye. Especially to such good friends; luckily we have lots of great memories. 

Saturday teachers had to work, but I managed to get all my stuff cleaned up by lunchtime (which is a miracle since it was so dirty with so many papers I thought I would never see the desktop). When work was finished I began the daunting task of packing and cleaning up my apartment. I now have everything packed up ready to be moved to my new place. There is still some cleaning to do for tomorrow, but it will definitely all get done. I may even be able to squeeze a bike ride in before I leave.

I can't wait to see all you Iowans! I will be leaving my place at 6:30 AM Tuesday and arriving in Cedar Rapids at 6:30 PM. With the time change that means that I have a good 26 hours of travel ahead of me. Ick! But it will be worth when I get home and see all of you! 2 more days!!

The halls are alive...

...with the Sound of Music! I just had to share this video clip with you all! My co-workers are awesomely fun! We performed "How do you Solve a Problem like Mr Moimoi (our principal)" dressed as nuns in front of the students to advertise the Middle School Talent Show. It was funny! And a blast!

The Last Monday

Today was the last Monday of instruction for this school year. I can't believe how fast it is coming to an end. I can't say I'm disappointed, though. I can almost taste the end now. I'm so excited for the summer; I will be home in just over 2 weeks!!

I have been trying to make the most of these last few weekends because many students and staff are leaving TCIS. The past two weekends I have been to Taecheon Beach, about 1.5 hours from Daejeon. I can't believe I hadn't been there before. It is such a nice beach and so close.

The first weekend I went with 90 middle schoolers for Middle School Retreat. We had wonderful weather and stayed at a lodge right on the beach that is owned by our school. It was so nice to enjoy being outdoors and spend time with each other. We played games, sang, made skits, had quiet time, and even roasted marshmallows around a campfire. Here is a video of the kids during a worship time singing their favorite song. :)

This past weekend I went with my 4 best friends here in Korea. Sarah came down from Suwon, and we went on a road trip! Anna got a car this week so we all packed in a drove to Taecheon Beach. Although the weather was cool and rainy, we had a great time. We managed to avoid getting lost and found plenty to keep us entertained. We went to noraebang, had mud massages, and watched movies. It was a great getaway before we all get really busy with grading and packing and life. It was even better to spend the weekend all together for probably the last time since Lynz and Jenn are leaving TCIS after this year. I have attached some pics here. Enjoy! And see many of you soon!

May Madness

Wow. It's May already. One month from today I will be arriving back in Iowa! I'm so excited to see everyone from home, but it is bittersweet leaving knowing so many friends won't be returning. I have been making the most of the rest of the school year, though. Since my last post, I have been to the baseball game, had a cookout (yay for warm weather...finally!), went noraebanging, played some great staff volleyball, and attended I-Fest (International Festival).

I-Fest happens every year at TCIS, and it is such a fun event. There is lots of great food, plus tons of fun things to do like a dunk tank, shopping, henna tattoos, and tie dye. The highlight this year for me was the big inflatable slide. It was so fun! Be sure to check on the pics here. Unfortunately, I-fest couldn't have it's annual fireworks show to end the event because of the month-long mourning period for the people who died on the warship that went down in Korea last month. Instead, there was a guitarist who used to play for Kenny Rogers and some other well-known musicians. He was pretty entertaining.

School is quickly coming to an end. I counted today, and I only meet with each of my classes 7 or 8 more times. There is a lot to get done before the end of the year, but overall things are finishing strong. I gave proficiency tests last week, which is something that takes a lot of planning and time, so it feels great to have that done. Now it's just one final push to the end.

May is always such a busy month around here. Next weekend I am chaperoning the Middle School Retreat. This year we are headed to Daecheon Beach, which is nice because it is much closer than our destination last year, Sundae Beach. A LOT of kids are signed up so I'm sure it will be a crazy weekend. :) The next weekend I am returning to Daecheon Beach for a final hoorah with some close friends. We are taking a road trip--hopefully we don't get lost!

This month we also have graduation, a few more volleyball open-gyms, end-of-year trip, MS Talent Show, and Faculty Farewell (which I'm sure will be VERY long this year). Plus, I'm 99% sure that I will be moving in with my friend Anna next year, so I will have packing to do. Plus, now that the weather is nice, I have been going on a quite a few bike rides. Hopefully I can get in at least 100 miles before I start training for RAGBRAI at home--on my new bike! :) I would really like to do a triathalon in the fall, so I will have to split time I spent last year biking, with time spent running. My friends talked me into doing the 5k tomorrow so I will officially be starting my running career. Pray for me! :-P

KAIAC ㅋㅋㅋ

On Friday morning the swim team headed up for the 2-day conference meet at Seoul Foreign School. The girls swam so well! In every meet this year several girls finished just outside of placing for points, but this weekend we placed in 6 of the 13 events! Many had their best times, and we finished 6th overall (right where I wanted them to be). In other meets this year we have been close to Osan and sometimes ICS-Uijongbu in total points, but we were very convincingly ahead of them. We had the most points we have scored all year, and I think everyone had a great time. Yay Dragons!  I'm so proud of them. (be sure to check out the pics!)

Despite being exhausted and spending some much time stuck in Seoul traffic, I had a lot of fun. We stayed overnight at a guesthouse on campus and had a team dinner with the guys team and then a shopping trip to Forever 21 in Myeongdong. It was a nice bonding time for the team, and the girls really enjoyed it.

I think the best part of the weekend was the coaches relay. All of the coaches participated--and most were faster than I was expecting. Anyway, after the last event all the swimmers gathered around to watch "Event 27." We were paired off in schools; so two coaches from each team made up a relay team. We were paired with GSIS, our sister school. It was so fun...I love competing! Our relay team got second overall, losing by just 2 sec. I swam anchor and did all I could to catch the SIS coach, but she swam a 30.00! The girl who won the 50 Fr. swam a 29.00! I was happy with my 31.00 (this is meters remember!) even though I didn't catch her. It was a blast; hopefully it becomes an annual event. :)

Another highlight was the awards ceremony. Not only was the weather absolutely beautiful so we held the ceremony on the soccer field, but also (thanks to some rule changes) 3 TCIS girls and 3 TCIS boys received all-conference and/or all-tournament awards. It was great because usually we sit there and watch Seoul American HS accept every award. It was a great end of the weekend to see the girls so excited and happy to be represented on the conference team.

Now that swimming is done, you would think I would have more time. That, however, is not the case. Things just keep getting busier as we approach the end of the school year. I can't believe it is almost May! We have 5 weeks of school left, which translates to 10 more classes (since we see our classes every other day). So much to do, so little time! I also found out that I am moving in with a friend next year so I will be busy packing in addition to all the other end-of-the-year activities. I will try my best to find time to keep you posted!

Spring

Time for another update on life in Korea. The weather is finally starting to warm up, and the trees are blooming. It is so pretty; definitely my favorite time of the year here. On Friday it was finally nice enough for me to enjoy my first bike ride. I had ridden to the pool about a month ago and got a flat tire. I finally found where I could get it fixed and had my bike all tuned up while I was there. Last week, It had a pleasant ride along the river. I think I rode around 10 miles and felt really good...not a bad start. I wasn't even sore the next day!

Things have been busy around TCIS. Last weekend we hosted APAC Girls Soccer. This was the first time that TCIS has hosted an APAC tournament, but from now on we will host 2 per year. There were about 100 girls from international schools all over China and the Phillipines who came to Korea. They stayed with TCIS families, which from what I've heard was a positive experience for all parties involved. The tournament itself was a lot of fun, too. It started with an opening ceremony and all the 8th, 9th, and 10th graders were invited. They had traditional Korean drumming, a pep band, singing, and more. To make it even better TCIS placed 1st after the round-robin play and ended up 2nd in the tournament! A lot of people came out to watch the championship game (complete with painted faces and even some painted chests. hehe). Our swim meet was really short this weekend, so we even made it back for the game. It was great!

Well, there is one week of swimming left. On Friday morning we will go to Seoul for a two-day KAIAC meet. It will be fun to spend the night with the team to end the season. Last week TCIS was hit hard with sickness and many of the girls got it. Hopefully they will regain strength, and I can whip them back into shape this week. :) The team was swimming so well at the last few meets so hopefully we can finish strong. A couple of the swimmers are in the running for some all-conference awards so that's exciting, too.

I am really starting to look forward to the end of the school year. It will be especially sad this year since many staff members and friends are leaving, but I'm so excited to go back to Iowa. I arrive on June 8th and will be there until the end of July. We only have 6 more weeks of teaching so I know it will be here before I know it!

Adventure

This weekend, Stacey, a student teacher this Spring, and I went to the Southern coast of Korea for a little adventure. We spent a day/night in Mokpo and another day in Jindo. We didn't plan the trip at all and didn't know what to expect. Check out the pics here. The captions pretty much describe the trip. Enjoy!