Dad Invades Korea...and My Blog :)

It is my honor and I am thrilled to be sitting at the Caffe Bene in Pohang with your regular Pohangerous Adventures blogger. Laura and I have been hanging together here in Pohang since this past Tuesday evening. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and perspectives having been here in South Korea all of 5 days now :-) ...

First, IT IS GREAT TO SEE LAURA AGAIN!!! It has been since the day before Thanksgiving last year (November 21st to be exact) since Lisa and I last saw her. When she told me she'd "meet [me] at the bus stop by the subway station near the hotel" we'd stay at that first night, I heard "bus station" and was thinking some big indoor terminal. Imagine my surprise when as we approached the simple bus stop I see Laura and her friend Nida from South Africa just standing on the side of the road! After months of not seeing her it was a simple wave from the bus that made the first connection. Did I say IT IS GREAT TO SEE LAURA AGAIN?!?!?! Her friend Nida's pretty cool too :-) ...

Pohang is a little different than Cuyahoga Falls. (Of course that's an understatement.) On top of the 13 hour time difference, what a jolt to be confronted by the sights, sounds and smells of this city. And not just any city, but one that's foreign to me in every way. It's obvious I'm the one visiting as I look and listen around. The hustle and bustle is something I'm not at all used to. It's good to be reminded people are people wherever they are and wherever we are. I feel so out of place in so many ways. It's the middle of the hot and humid season here. And yes, it is hot. And yes, it is humid. Both are a bit stifling. Still, it's cool (get it, cool) to experience these wonderful people and this wonderful place.

The signs, music blaring from speakers everywhere, cars and buses and people zipping by and around ... yikes! And the smells. Let's just say it doesn't remind me of the fragrance counter of some department stores I've been in. Out of nowhere a new nasal nasty will invade and impose itself with a "ready or not HERE I AM." Both Laura and Nida just said today they hardly notice them anymore. Haven't crossed that threshold yet :-) ...

And the food - let's just say I could get used to it without much difficulty. Most everything's been freshly made with fresh ingredients. While people seem to be moving hurriedly from place to place, when it comes to eating there's not much hurry. Everyone eats together. Most restaurant items are meant to be shared ... no "I'll have this" and "I'll have that" and "I'll have the other." It's "we'll have" ... which is pretty good for the most part. Spicy is normal. I like normal.

And the traffic - I cannot believe I don't hear the constant sound of fender benders and grating metal as cars and buses swerve and swarm and scream their way through the narrow city streets. Even the lanes on what we'd call the highway or expressway in America are far more narrow than I'm accustomed to. I'm quickly learning to just get on the bus, sit down and relax as best I can reminding myself it's just how they do it here. They employ the horn feature in ways that I'm not used to too. It's not a gentle "I'd like to you move if you would please" tap but a "MOVE! NOW!! I MEAN IT!!!" at least one full second blast.

It really is good to be confronted again with the fact God's not an American. I know it's not like you didn't already know that. But being overseas brings it once more to the surface for me. As I said before, people are people wherever people are. My friend David Baroni wrote in the song "Real Life," "everyone has a story, everyone has a song." We have more in common than not. Our language, culture, location and lifestyles are as different as the lands in which we live, yet, the "created in the image of God" by God Himself part ... that is what unites us from the inside out. It's beautiful to experience this reality again here as I first did back in cough, cough, hack, hack 1987 in western Europe when I spent the summer with Youth with a Mission. I've also been reminded that just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong. There are so many cultural distinctions and idiosyncrasies that can be a challenge as one moves from place to place and people to people. Each one has it's own strengths and weaknesses, positives and negatives, things to embrace and things perhaps best not to embrace.

Finally, I am really enjoying meeting brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world. I sat today with a brother from Burundi who saw stuff in 1994 that I can only imagine. This morning I was in a prayer meeting with a brother from Nigeria and a couple from Canada. I already said Nida's from South Africa. The many from here in Korea are such a blessing. Of course my favorite one is the American named Laura :-) ... seriously, it's a reminder that the God of all nations has called us together in Him. It's a taste of heaven to experience international ministry. I remember the few days a couple years ago I spent at The Brooklyn Tabernacle where I tasted this in New York City. It's refreshing and real and beautiful and right to come together celebrating our oneness in Christ ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism ... one God who reigns over all for now and forever.

Be looking forward to the next Pohangerous Adventures when your regular blogger, my most favorite daughter ever, returns :-) ... until then, blessings upon you! May God's grace prevail in your life today.

Visits

People have gently reminded me that the regularity of my writing is not up to par with what I've said it would be. Long story short: I suck at keeping up with optional extra-curricular activities....if you can count writing a blog as an extra-curricular. I'm going to because it takes a surprising amount of effort for me to sit down, focus, and make it through a whole post. I was talking with a friend today about my writing process. It's not exactly super effective. I never sit down and type all my thoughts out at once and then go back to edit, add, delete, or make sense of what I've written. I very much so am editing, deleting, and changing everything around in the middle of writing. Which means I read it a million times and it all starts sounding like weird crap for a while, but then somehow I mess around with it enough so it's acceptable by the time I'm done. Healthy, right? (This is where you say, "nuh uh.") However much of a disaster it seems to be, that's how I do it. It eventually turns out alright, and I don't think I'm an awful writer. But goshdangit, it takes so much time. Case and point, it took me forever to even write about the flaws of my own writing...and that's where I'll end that discussion.


What's been going on the last few weeks in the magical faraway land that is Korea? A few exciting things actually. Two weeks ago I was in Namhae, an island just south of the mainland. We had a long weekend with Buddha's birthday, so we went on an organized tour to the island where there was a festival, beaches, ziplining, kayaking, and just quality people. It turned out to be such a nice time to get away from Pohang and work and everything and just relax. There was the most beautiful art village with all kinds of different houses and shops and a German village. We ended up hanging out with a group of people from all over (Korea and the world) just chilling at the beach, eating, playing football and frisbee, and swimming. I could definitely get used to that. I have always said that I could be a professional beach bum, but I wonder if I would get sick of it eventually...or how long it would take for that to happen. Because in all reality, I rather enjoy lying on the beach, swimming, and playing sports. I think I found my retirement plan. Let's hope my body holds up and I'm still able to do all those things by the time I can retire.

What else? Last weekend there was a big international festival for the foreigners in Pohang. It's crazy how many there are in this city alone without even looking at the whole country. Between teachers, university students, international couples, and people working here, it's nuts. Our church took three booths for the event where we made and sold all different kinds of food from the different countries we represent. As a whole, we actually ended up raising a lot of money for an organization in the city that helps women caught in sex-trafficking. Not to mention it was just a good day to be out and see the community together. We even played a little baseball in the park at the end of the day. Believe it or not, as if I don't talk about Cindy enough, I saw her there with her whole family. She came and played baseball along with her dad and her little brother. She ran over and said hello and introduced me to her brother and her dad, and then I helped her bat. I did not hear the end of it the next time I saw her in class. "Teacher I see you. Sunday we meet. My dad hit home run. You see my brother. You help me play." We're still working on the past tense, but I got the point and it was adorable. We started a new semester with new classes today, and I won't be teaching her again for at least the next 3 months. I'm more than a little sad. She's such a sweetheart.

Last thing. My dad is invading Korea. Korea best be ready. I have a week's worth of vacation from school at the end of July/beginning of August, so he's going to come and stay for a week. I can't express how excited I am. I seriously just want everyone from home to be able to come and visit, if only for a few days. There are so many things that I can't explain fully if someone's not here. I can try, but there's really no way to truly understand unless it's experienced firsthand. Also, I've come to realize that I'm so used to life here that things I thought were strange at the beginning are completely normal now and I don't give them a second thought. It's crazy how fast you can get acclimated to a new place. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do while he's here. I'm honestly just more excited that he is coming to visit than about anything we'll do. So this is a shout out to everyone else as well. If you want to come/can come, DO IT! I welcome visitors. (I know, I know. Easy for me to say as I sit here and don't need a plane ticket and free time. I'm already here.)

Seriously though, visitors welcome. :)

Hugs...Silent but Healthy

Believe it or not, I'm writing again. It's even been a pretty reasonable amount of time. Who am I?! I have a boy named Joey that I teach one-on-one in a class, and sometimes while he's doing his work he sings "Who am I? I am....Larva Teacher." It makes me laugh every time. He's such a ham. Anyway...on to the random thoughts and musings going through my head today, which for some reason you're choosing to read. Here goes. 

I sent regrets back to the U.S. for three different weddings this week. Sometimes it really gets to me how much I've missed/am going to miss in just one year. Although if you were to carve any year out of your life, you'd be surprised how much goes on. It seems like day-to-day nothing really changes or happens, but dang man. Life never stops. It's hard not to be there with people and for people as everyone seems to be moving on and moving away. I miss home, but I know that when I go back it's not gonna be the home that I remember. My parents will still be there, but just about everyone else I'm close to has either graduated, moved away, gotten married, or just isn't around. Maybe it'll slap me in the face when I get back that what I'm missing isn't there anymore. My brain knows it isn't there now, but some part of me feels like it is and longs to be back in the magical land of hugs that is Malone. Hugs, dude. Hugs. I miss them. My hugs are so much more limited here. Some of my students have learned to hug me (from weeks of warming them up to the idea), but for the most part it doesn't happen. It's considered a very intimate thing that only really happens with family, boyfriends/girlfriends, and maybe close friends. There's definitely stock in what people say about personal touch having something to do with healthy development. Some part of me feels wrong or lacking because I'm not in a continual state of hugging bliss. That sounds creepy. I don't mean it to be creepy. I just mean to convey how much I love hugs and how much they are really missed.

Something else I've realized super clearly in the last few weeks...I need to have children. It's a fact. I love them far too much. I can't even imagine how I'll feel about one of my own. I don't know when or where or with whom, but it needs to happen eventually. Between the kids at school and the kids at church, I can't even think about leaving them and moving on right now. I know I'll have to eventually, but it's going to tear my heart out. The ones from church have really started talking to me more and sharing more, and it doesn't hurt that they're adorable and fun to play with. There's one little girl who speaks close to zero English, but she is the most precious thing and sits and listens to me every week. She answers my questions when Joseph translates for her, and she brings me treats. She told me English is the hardest thing for her to do (learn). I know, girl. I know. I'm working on my Korean. She's trying with English. We'll get there. In case you need proof that they are as cute as they come, here's a silly picture they took for me after church last week.


The kids at school also had their big test for the semester this past week. So every term when they finish, we have a movie for them to watch until it's time to go home. Tuesday during the first block of students, I teach Cindy. Anyone I've talked to about school and the kids knows that I blab about her a lot. She is too cute and too much. She's also in 1st grade now which means she's around kids all day long, so she's even more social and talkative than she used to be. I was sitting in a chair in our auditorium with the kids watching Rio. She came in and sat at a desk close to me, and then she moved her stuff and sat in the desk directly next to my chair. I had my hand sitting on the desk, and she took and held it for the whole entire movie. She just kept moving it around and playing with my fingers and refused to let go of it for almost an hour. I realize it sounds weird, but it was the sweetest thing. I feel like she's "mine" which also sounds a bit creepy, but I'm OK with that too. I'm truly grateful for the experience and the time and the joy that I get to spend with all the kids I'm teaching here. It's such a blessing, and they teach me just as much, or more, than what I teach them. I'm really looking forward to the time ahead, and all the lessons and stories that I have yet to experience. Thanks for reading through a whole post of me bragging on my kids. I feel like a proud mama.

Yes, I'm still alive

Ah! I have definitely failed at keeping my blog a regular thing. I'm so prone to get caught up in life and what's going on that I don't settle into a good routine and keep up with what I've started. Writing is also a huge part of how I process things, so I'm sad I've let it go for this long. The last month or so I have actually managed to settle myself into a pretty decent routine...it just so happens to be a really busy routine. Busy in a really good sense of the word, but busy nonetheless. My sincerest apologies to anyone who is genuinely interested in how things are going but hasn't been able to hear from me in some form or fashion. I take full responsibility for the lack of contact, so take that load off your shoulders. If you were carrying it, lay that sucker down. However, I suspect that you weren't and trust that things are well in your life exactly whenever and wherever you are reading this. I know that today I am counting my blessings. I hope you are too.

Wow. It's been such a ridiculously long time since I wrote last that I don't even know where to begin. I should probably begin by apologizing in advance for the length of the following post. I obviously haven't written it yet, but I know I'm wordy. Being clear and concise isn't always one of my talents. Especially with the amount of time I have to cover, or at least briefly mention, I just know it's gonna be long. Bear with me. Brew a nice cup of tea and settle in...or stop reading if you're not up for the commitment. Totally up to you.

The last post I wrote was around Christmas time. SO much has happened since then. This week marked 5 months since I set foot in Korea. It does not feel real, and I cannot believe how easy it has been to get used to a new place, new food, new job, new responsibilities, new people, new everything. I definitely would not call this "home", but I feel comfortable and adjusted. From time to time I truly miss home and the wonderful people that I left behind, but I know this is where I'm supposed to be right now. I cannot even begin to express the lessons I've learned, the blessings I've received, the people I've met, the things I'm still learning, and how much they have all meant to me. Not even two weeks after my last post was when I first visited PICC (Pohang International Community Church). It's a small church that meets in a cafe on the beach here. It's full of wonderful people from all different countries around the world with the kindest hearts. I quickly found myself involved in different ways. I have been teaching Sunday School for the pastor's kids and one of their friends who are all adorable (I'll post a picture when I remember to take one of all of them), playing guitar when needed, and helping out with the finances. When did I grow up all of a sudden?! Seriously though, I love it there, and I'm grateful for the time I get to spend with these people and the infinite amount of things I'm learning about cultures around the world. Maybe it's just this American, but I can be really ignorant about stuff. My dad always says, "God's not an American" and "Everyone here should leave America at least once in their lifetime." I knew that before, but I feel it now. How true. God is here just as He is at home and everywhere else. Getting to know Him, myself, and others more deeply in a place that is not my home is the hardest thing but also the biggest blessing. I already know I'm not even close to the person I was when I left the States in November, and I also know that the change is for the better.

I've done quite a bit of traveling around Korea on the weekends and the seldom few days that I have off from teaching. All of my travels have been with two beautiful ladies from South Africa I met through PICC, Nida and Ingrid. They have been one of the biggest blessings so far in my time here. I am truly grateful to have found such wonderful friends. It makes me a little bit sad to say that now because Ingrid left us to go back home to South Africa this week. It's not gonna be the same for me here without her. The nature of the work, studies, and lifestyle here in Korea means saying hello to new people and goodbye to new friends frequently. I don't know if I'm gonna get used to it. Ingrid was the first person I've really gotten close to who's left. Dang, man. It just gives me a reason to visit them when they're both back home so I can see the animals roaming free and the faces that I know I'll miss. I definitely can't and won't detail all the trips that we've taken in the last several months, but I'll mention them briefly.

The first trip I joined them for was skiing up at Phoenix Park where some of the 2018 Olympics will be held. It may or may not have been some of the most frigid weather I've ever experienced. It also may or may not have involved Laura taking a tumble down a really large slope. I messed up my knee for a short time, but it seems to be almost perfectly fine now. I only wish I could have seen myself rolling down the hill in a cloud of snow. It seems comical now in retrospect, but it was everything short of funny then. We toured around the city of Busan, which has great shopping and the most beautiful beaches (definitely somewhere I want to go back to in the summer). We went to Jeonju to see the traditional Hanok village and spontaneously climbed up a rather large mountain to see a cathedral at the top with a beautiful view of the city. We went shopping in Seoul and then to visit a friend in Cheongju. We went to a cherry blossom festival in Jinhae. Last but not least, two weeks ago we had a retreat type of day with our church in Gyeongju which involved me running a 5k race. I actually rather enjoyed it, and that's a big deal for those of you who know how I feel about running any distance longer than a pole vault runway. Ingrid and I then went to Gyeongju World, their amusement park, before we headed home. I got my first little sunburn of the year, and boy did it feel nice. Although I've only heard horror stories about the humidity here in the summer. I might take back my words later, but I am definitely ready for some warmth. 

This is Nida, Ingrid, and I all matchy, matchy freezing to death at the ski resort in January.






I don't have time to talk about all the stuff I've done or all the thoughts I've had, but I'm gonna try to write more regularly. I said that before, didn't I? Hopefully I can share some little stories and observations in less pathetic intervals of time. For now, I'll start it off by leaving you with a story about one of my students named Jade. I've told a few people about this already, but I feel like I need to share it with everyone. Maybe it's only funny because I observed it first hand, but it's one of the things that made me laugh the most here. He is one of the few students that I taught last semester that I still teach now this semester. He used to have so many problems focusing in class. Something happened a few weeks ago, and he has really changed his tune. He's working hard and doing much, much better. BUT the other day right in the middle of class, quite honestly I was in mid-sentence, Jade looked as if he was having a mild seizure for a few seconds. For those of you who love Chuck as much as I do, I would say it looked like he "flashed". Then he dropped his pencil on the desk, the rest of the class got silent, and he said, "Teacher, I see the future." He proceeded to tell me an elaborate story about how he knew what was going to happen and how someone was going to die, laughing the whole time he was speaking. I have no idea where it came from, but it was hilarious. I love to see them having fun. It reminds me why I love working with kids so much. So, this is where I'll end it, but I hope to have something more for you to read soon.

...my last class on M, W, F. Jade is in the all-navy jacket. The others are Angella, Amy, Erick, Alice, and Harry. They always manage to find a way to make me laugh at the end of a long day.