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!!!

December...winding down semester 1

December has arrived! Today we began the final week of classes. The next week is service week and then I will be boarding a plane for I-O-W-A!! I'm so excited to be going home for Christmas this year; I think I've been looking forward to it since last Christmas. I know the time at home will go fast, but it will be filled with many many good times: ugly sweater party with my family, Bethany and Ike's wedding, visiting college friends in DSM...I can't wait!!

Life is plenty busy in Korea for now, though. I am still doing the scoreboard at the basketball games frequently. The dragon teams are looking pretty good (we beat SFS last weekend, so that felt good). I proctored SAT again. Middle school swimming is off to a great start. We have our first meet next weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. Anna and I hosted our first annual Christmas party on Saturday. We made chili and potato soup, had a white elephant gift exchange, and watched Elf. We realized tonight that 6 nationalities were represented. Crazy! Next weekend some friends are hosting an ugly sweater party...so the fun continues! :)

I also have a lot of work during this time writing comments and sending in grades. Never fun, but with so much to look forward to, I can handle it. :) Hope December is off to a good start for all of you!

A Restful Weekend...finally!

Since volleyball has ended my weekends seem to have been just as busy as ever...until this one. I had a great day of catching up on my favorite TV shows, shopping for ugly Christmas sweaters, and am now getting ready to go to a Christmas dinner. What a great day!

So...what have I been doing that has kept me so busy? Well, I proctored SAT, have done scoreboard at a few basketball games--including a 5-game JV tournament : /, made a trip to Songtan for some Christmas gifts, saw a movie (Devil...I would recommend it), decorated my apartment for Christmas, and had fun playing catch phrase for many hours. It's nice to have some free time again...

Well, in one month I'll be home! I cannot wait to experience Iowa winter, see family and friends, and enjoy a break from school. Christmas is right around the corner! :)