Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The Garden of Morning Calm
Since returning from Chuseok break at the beginning of October, I have been busy pretty much every weekend. Mostly its been Friday and Saturday volleyball games that seem to fill up the time, with Sundays reserved for catching up on work and groceries and laundry. But I have been able to do a few fun activities outside of school and volleyball that have been wonderful additions to my experience here. One was an outing to a garden up in the mountains about an hour and a half away from Suwon, northeast of Seoul. It was beautiful and amazing to walk around amidst the fall colors, with mountain slopes on all sides covered with reds and yellows and all different shades of green.
The garden had several areas to explore - a section based on a
traditional Korean village, one full of flowers meant to represent the
longing for unity between the north and south of Korea, one surrounding a
tiny 4 seat chapel, one of open meadow and one calm forest, several of
small streams with beautiful pools where leaves floated peacefully. It
was so nice to get out and be surrounded by what God created - away from
the unending towering apartment buildings and constant traffic that is
Seoul and Suwon. (They're really not that bad - just in comparison to
the tranquility of the garden). :) The garden was far from empty though
- tons of people walking around exploring, picnicking, taking pictures,
having a grand time.
At one point I did manage to find a way out of the crowd, along an old
forest road that went up the hill behind the garden. It was the first
time since leaving Oregon that I have really felt completely alone - in
the best way possible. I could hear the noise from all the people down
below, but was surrounded by trees, grass, birds, rocks, and mountains.
It was lovely - just for a few minutes to be alone.
As we left, around noon, there was a line of cars at least a mile long - no joke. Just waiting to get into the parking lot, let alone explore the garden. We decided it definitely earned its name - morning calm - and were so glad we went early!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Volleyball ~ Season's End
We started our season in August, playing a couple of games before I went back to the states for Ryan and Emily's wedding in September. My assistant coach, Jack, took care of them while I was gone. He is such an asset. He's been here a year already, and is also the head of the PE department. He knows all the kids pretty well and has been a huge support to me through this new endeavor of living and teaching overseas.
We have had a pretty good season - 7-5 in conference play, 13-7 overall. Last weekend, we won our conference tournament! It is basically the equivalent of a district or conference tournament in the states - 7 teams. We came in ranked 3rd for the season, and won 4 straight games over Friday and Saturday to win the tournament. We ended up having to play the host team (who came in ranked 2nd) twice - in the 2nd round and again in the finals. They were hard fought games - but we won 3-2 the first game and 3-1 in the championship. Our girls played so well! Their defense was awesome - perfect serve receives and great passing in general. Our hitting was also really strong, and my senior setter did a great job without having any breaks for all 7 sets on Saturday.
To make our win even sweeter, the boys volleyball team also won their tournament! They were expected to, as they have blasted every other conference team out of the water and won almost all of their games against the other division's teams as well. But it was still awesome that they came through. The boys JV team also won their tournament the same day, so it was a great day for the GSIS Knights. Unfortunately, all of us played our final game against the KIS teams - so it was not a good day for them. :) I have enjoyed having guys volleyball around - makes me wish we had it in Oregon as well! The St. Paul girls would have eaten it up and loved our boys team. :) The two seniors on the guys team are great people as well as athletes - I will miss them along with our four seniors.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Escalators for your shopping carts and other Korean novelties
Every so often it seems to hit me that I really am living in Korea - not just visiting, but making this my "home" for a while. Certain differences seem to make that more evident...
Shopping:
One of my favorite things about shopping is the multi-layered department stores - one for groceries, one for clothing and home goods, one for furniture, one for the food court. You can check out on each level, or you can make your way between the levels using the handy-dandy flat escalators. You walk on, your cart stays put, and it takes you up to the next floor. The first time I felt that I had to hold back the cart from slipping - but they are made with these wheels that somehow lock in and won't move with gravity. Kind of neat!
One of my least favorite things about shopping is that there is almost always some English on the package, somewhere. The trouble is, it is never in the spot that would be helpful in figuring out something about the product. For example, you might find something that looks like a box of crackers. But instead of the few English words saying, "wheat crackers" it says "tastes great!" Or with shampoo (trying to figure out which ones' shampoo and which is conditioner) they both say, "damage care" or "sleek and shine."... and the rest is in Korean. I'm fine with the packaging being in Korean - it was kind of an expectation I had. :) But really, if you're going to put English words on there, let's put on the ones that matter. Please?
The Wall Lady:
At some point every week, the speakers in my wall come alive, bringing elevator music, words of wisdom from a very loud, disembodied voice, and some sort of instruction to the dwellers of my apartment complex. The first time it happened, I was confused and slightly scared and immediately called Cindy, who is Korean-American and lives in my building. She laughed at me and told me the hot water was going to be off for a two hour period the next day. I found it a little intrusive that my apartment can receive announcements at will, because it is very loud; but other than that, no problem. Since then, I have largely chosen to believe that whatever the Wall Lady says is about apartment issues that I will either just find out as I go or deal with when the water is cold some random morning. On the day of the typhoon (Tuesday, August 28), when I was home all day listening to the wind and working, she invited herself in at least 5 times - I just assumed she was wishing us all well and not saying anything about taping windows or turning off appliances. :)
Kids not knowing how old they are in Western terms:
Koreans measure age differently than we do - you are one the year you are born, and somehow their ages end up being considered as one-two years older than they are to Westerners. I made the mistake the second week of school of asking my 10th graders how old they were. They responded with "Western age?" and then most of them didn't know it. So we had to figure it out based on their birthdays. The things you don't think about!
Age ends up being very important to Koreans - they give respect or expect it completely based upon age. In the school, that means we really have to watch for bullying or use of younger students to do homework or favors for older ones. Sometimes parents don't understand when we tell them why certain things are not OK - in their culture, this is how you are treated by elders (even just a year older) now, and this is what you will get to enjoy when you are the elder one.
Gender differences:
Growing up in Wyoming taught me several things about the differences between men and women. First, that girls can try everything guys try if they want to try it. Second, that you are expected to give your best effort in PE, sports, and sharing the work load, regardless of your gender. Third, that guys respect girls who are athletic, not whining, willing to pitch in and help, and not overly concerned about appearance. While chivalry is valued and appreciated, and obviously physical differences make guys better at most things related to athletics and physical work, women who did their best in those arenas were respected and appreciated as well. Those things may be less true in other parts of the country. In Oregon, I would say that I found that mostly to be true (but I also worked with a population of athletic men and women almost exclusively.)
However, in Korea things are VERY different. First of all, men take affront when women try to help out with physical work. Specifically when women work harder than they do, or carry more of a load, etc. Last week we had a parent-teacher back to school night, and there was a lot of tear-down to do afterward. Since it was in the gym, right above my office, I went back up to help (a lot of the principals were doing the work - along with the athletic center staff and some secretaries, and it had been just as long a day for them as it had been for us). I started breaking down tables and carrying them over (the tables were pretty light and came with handles, so carrying two was really not that heavy). But one male staff apparently was upset (he had only been carrying one table at a time) because he didn't like being shown up. Then the two female secretaries each carried two tables - making it that much worse! They told me I was strong - I told them they were too. :) Eventually the guy told me to leave - one because teachers didn't need to help and two because I was making him uncomfortable (he didn't say that part). One of the principals told me with a smile on his face that me carrying two tables was shocking the guys and making them think they needed to work harder (he was smiling because in all reality they do need to work harder). I realized later that it was a silly move - I just didn't understand how me helping looked to the guys - like they weren't doing their jobs well enough, like they weren't strong enough - plus why on earth would a women lift tables and chairs? This was probably the biggest "culture shock" moment I've had, and definitely the biggest cultural snafu I've made.
Second, it is cultural that most women don't work out, exercise, or do sports. Here's an example: when I asked the question, "Why do you think men's heart rates are naturally lower than women's heart rates?" to my 10th grade classes, I received the same answer. "Because guys work out and do sports!" No, no, no, my young female students! You can too! But that is not normal, culturally. Men do the physical work, men play sports, men are athletes. While there are a lot of female athletes at the school who break that mold, this is an international school - many of these kids have lived in the US or other countries where its more acceptable.
That's enough for now. There are more, many more..... :)
Shopping:
One of my favorite things about shopping is the multi-layered department stores - one for groceries, one for clothing and home goods, one for furniture, one for the food court. You can check out on each level, or you can make your way between the levels using the handy-dandy flat escalators. You walk on, your cart stays put, and it takes you up to the next floor. The first time I felt that I had to hold back the cart from slipping - but they are made with these wheels that somehow lock in and won't move with gravity. Kind of neat!
One of my least favorite things about shopping is that there is almost always some English on the package, somewhere. The trouble is, it is never in the spot that would be helpful in figuring out something about the product. For example, you might find something that looks like a box of crackers. But instead of the few English words saying, "wheat crackers" it says "tastes great!" Or with shampoo (trying to figure out which ones' shampoo and which is conditioner) they both say, "damage care" or "sleek and shine."... and the rest is in Korean. I'm fine with the packaging being in Korean - it was kind of an expectation I had. :) But really, if you're going to put English words on there, let's put on the ones that matter. Please?
The Wall Lady:
At some point every week, the speakers in my wall come alive, bringing elevator music, words of wisdom from a very loud, disembodied voice, and some sort of instruction to the dwellers of my apartment complex. The first time it happened, I was confused and slightly scared and immediately called Cindy, who is Korean-American and lives in my building. She laughed at me and told me the hot water was going to be off for a two hour period the next day. I found it a little intrusive that my apartment can receive announcements at will, because it is very loud; but other than that, no problem. Since then, I have largely chosen to believe that whatever the Wall Lady says is about apartment issues that I will either just find out as I go or deal with when the water is cold some random morning. On the day of the typhoon (Tuesday, August 28), when I was home all day listening to the wind and working, she invited herself in at least 5 times - I just assumed she was wishing us all well and not saying anything about taping windows or turning off appliances. :)
Kids not knowing how old they are in Western terms:
Koreans measure age differently than we do - you are one the year you are born, and somehow their ages end up being considered as one-two years older than they are to Westerners. I made the mistake the second week of school of asking my 10th graders how old they were. They responded with "Western age?" and then most of them didn't know it. So we had to figure it out based on their birthdays. The things you don't think about!
Age ends up being very important to Koreans - they give respect or expect it completely based upon age. In the school, that means we really have to watch for bullying or use of younger students to do homework or favors for older ones. Sometimes parents don't understand when we tell them why certain things are not OK - in their culture, this is how you are treated by elders (even just a year older) now, and this is what you will get to enjoy when you are the elder one.
Gender differences:
Growing up in Wyoming taught me several things about the differences between men and women. First, that girls can try everything guys try if they want to try it. Second, that you are expected to give your best effort in PE, sports, and sharing the work load, regardless of your gender. Third, that guys respect girls who are athletic, not whining, willing to pitch in and help, and not overly concerned about appearance. While chivalry is valued and appreciated, and obviously physical differences make guys better at most things related to athletics and physical work, women who did their best in those arenas were respected and appreciated as well. Those things may be less true in other parts of the country. In Oregon, I would say that I found that mostly to be true (but I also worked with a population of athletic men and women almost exclusively.)
However, in Korea things are VERY different. First of all, men take affront when women try to help out with physical work. Specifically when women work harder than they do, or carry more of a load, etc. Last week we had a parent-teacher back to school night, and there was a lot of tear-down to do afterward. Since it was in the gym, right above my office, I went back up to help (a lot of the principals were doing the work - along with the athletic center staff and some secretaries, and it had been just as long a day for them as it had been for us). I started breaking down tables and carrying them over (the tables were pretty light and came with handles, so carrying two was really not that heavy). But one male staff apparently was upset (he had only been carrying one table at a time) because he didn't like being shown up. Then the two female secretaries each carried two tables - making it that much worse! They told me I was strong - I told them they were too. :) Eventually the guy told me to leave - one because teachers didn't need to help and two because I was making him uncomfortable (he didn't say that part). One of the principals told me with a smile on his face that me carrying two tables was shocking the guys and making them think they needed to work harder (he was smiling because in all reality they do need to work harder). I realized later that it was a silly move - I just didn't understand how me helping looked to the guys - like they weren't doing their jobs well enough, like they weren't strong enough - plus why on earth would a women lift tables and chairs? This was probably the biggest "culture shock" moment I've had, and definitely the biggest cultural snafu I've made.
Second, it is cultural that most women don't work out, exercise, or do sports. Here's an example: when I asked the question, "Why do you think men's heart rates are naturally lower than women's heart rates?" to my 10th grade classes, I received the same answer. "Because guys work out and do sports!" No, no, no, my young female students! You can too! But that is not normal, culturally. Men do the physical work, men play sports, men are athletes. While there are a lot of female athletes at the school who break that mold, this is an international school - many of these kids have lived in the US or other countries where its more acceptable.
That's enough for now. There are more, many more..... :)
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Three weeks in....
I'm sorry its been so long since I have written - I have sat down many times to try and encapsulate all that is going on and all that we have done, but I never quite find the energy for it. I still can't quite describe what the last three and a half weeks have been like, except to say crazy, busy, and intense. However, I do want to let you know the few "fun" things that I have been able to do thus far.
The first weekend we were here, the school staff took the newbies to a brunch in the Hyatt hotel here in Suwon. It was a lot of fun - lavish compared to everything else we've been to, and a fun way to try a lot of different Korean foods. In addition to all the "normal" breakfast foods, there were several types of kimchi, various fish and meat dishes in traditional sauces, lots of fruit (I ate some lychee for Ryan), dimsum with a Korean twist (some of it was very sweet), sweet breads with sweeter paste inside, omelets cooked to order but not all the way through (eggs are always underdone in Korea, I've found), and some of the only whole grain bread I've found here. Then we went out on the roof, which had two huge inflatable play areas for the kids, to take a new staff picture with Dwight. It was a good way to end our orientation (as the returning staff came back the next night).
Later that day, after most of us attended a church on campus called "The Nations," we had a pot-luck at Brendan and Amy Porter's home (young Kiwi couple with 3 adorable kiddos, and whom I admire and enjoy a lot), and just hung out together for a good while and enjoyed the last bit of time before everything started to get a bit overwhelming. The next day we began to meet the returners as they came in, and had a hamburger night with them - but it was still very intimidating for both groups I think - about 60 of them and about 25 of us. The next few days were filled with meetings, and I did gradually start to meet and get to know a few of the returners.
The first week before school became very busy (more about all of that later), but we still had time to hang out a little. One of the nights, one of the returning staff who has been generous with helping us out took myself, Esther, and Alyssa (two of the other new single women who are quickly becoming good friends of mine - Esther is from Venezuela, and Alyssa from Minnesota but has taught in Honduras the past 3 years) out to a Korean kalbi restaurant. It was excellent - a hot charcoal block is palced down the center of the table, a grill screen goes on top, and then raw meat is delivered to the table and placed on the grill. You get a bunch of sides - some bowls of greens that I didn't recognize, soup, an egg dish (undercooked again - so we didn't really eat any), and something spicy I coudn't describe. Then you get mushrooms to grill as well, lettuce and other leaves to wrap it in, and a couple of sauces and rice. You make yourself little lettuce wraps and it tastes SO good.
That weekend I worked a lot, went to The Nations again, and went to the grocery store with Esther, Alyssa, and Aurora (sweet and wise woman from Nairobi, but has lived all over the states and has taught in Turkey). I also went to a coffee shop to work and visit with Leisha Pitkin (who with her husband Ryan are some of my favorite people here - they are from Nebraska but she grew up in Colorado).
[Technically, although I am living in Suwon, the downtown area is pretty far away and I've never been there. We live in Yeongtong, which would be considered an area of Suwon (kind of like the different districts or NE/SW designations of Portland).]
Tonight, after another busy week of working and teaching, I got to have some fun with the "Down Under" crowd at the school. They are an awesome bunch - I absolutely love them. I was invited to come watch a rugby match between the Wallabies and the All-Blacks (the Australian and the New Zealand teams). Amy Porter (one of the Kiwis, and a new comer like me) had invited me over to hang out, and I had a great afternoon of talking with her and her husband Brendan and finally getting their 4 year old daughter to talk to me (she's never smiled at me or interacted with me yet, so I was getting quite jealous of the few people she does like). Then they were headed to the Schumacher's apartment (Darren is the elementary school principal, his wife Kylie a first grade teacher, and they are the only Aussies currently here). Three other couples complete the Kiwi crowd (Amy's parents Robyn and Mike Pettigrew, Clare and Mark Hubbard, and Mike and Isabel Stanley). One teacher from Canada and one more American completed the crowd, so I felt very privileged to be among them and learning to enjoy their favorite sport. Lots of laughter, lots of good-natured rubbing, and some much needed relaxation ensued.
I have not been to Seoul yet, although I have had a couple of opportunities and decided to turn them down. There is just, at the moment, a lot to do with school and understanding all the ins and outs of what the IB requires - and heading into the city seems a little daunting when we have so much work that needs to be done here. Eventually I'll get there - and get to explore Suwon and the beaches to the south as well, hopefully. :)
We are headed on a fun outing next weekend - a bunch of the staff are going white-water rafting together somewhere up by the border. I'm not sure where, but the pictures I've seen look awesome and I'm SO excited to get out and do something adventurous with these new friends!
The first weekend we were here, the school staff took the newbies to a brunch in the Hyatt hotel here in Suwon. It was a lot of fun - lavish compared to everything else we've been to, and a fun way to try a lot of different Korean foods. In addition to all the "normal" breakfast foods, there were several types of kimchi, various fish and meat dishes in traditional sauces, lots of fruit (I ate some lychee for Ryan), dimsum with a Korean twist (some of it was very sweet), sweet breads with sweeter paste inside, omelets cooked to order but not all the way through (eggs are always underdone in Korea, I've found), and some of the only whole grain bread I've found here. Then we went out on the roof, which had two huge inflatable play areas for the kids, to take a new staff picture with Dwight. It was a good way to end our orientation (as the returning staff came back the next night).
new staff photo - my head is hidden behind Brendan Porter,
and Amy is next to him with their baby;
the tall man next to me is Dwight
The first week before school became very busy (more about all of that later), but we still had time to hang out a little. One of the nights, one of the returning staff who has been generous with helping us out took myself, Esther, and Alyssa (two of the other new single women who are quickly becoming good friends of mine - Esther is from Venezuela, and Alyssa from Minnesota but has taught in Honduras the past 3 years) out to a Korean kalbi restaurant. It was excellent - a hot charcoal block is palced down the center of the table, a grill screen goes on top, and then raw meat is delivered to the table and placed on the grill. You get a bunch of sides - some bowls of greens that I didn't recognize, soup, an egg dish (undercooked again - so we didn't really eat any), and something spicy I coudn't describe. Then you get mushrooms to grill as well, lettuce and other leaves to wrap it in, and a couple of sauces and rice. You make yourself little lettuce wraps and it tastes SO good.
That weekend I worked a lot, went to The Nations again, and went to the grocery store with Esther, Alyssa, and Aurora (sweet and wise woman from Nairobi, but has lived all over the states and has taught in Turkey). I also went to a coffee shop to work and visit with Leisha Pitkin (who with her husband Ryan are some of my favorite people here - they are from Nebraska but she grew up in Colorado).
Leisha
Once school began, things got even busier. We had our first volleyball tryouts a week ago this past Thursday. Saturday Esther and I got up early, worked out at the gym at the school and then swam for a while, just relaxing and talking. Having the pool on campus is so nice! Saturday night I went out with a bunch of the young married and single ladies - to another Korean place that served tak galbi, a spicier chicken version of what we had before, but without lettuce wraps and eaten with chop sticks. By the way, chop sticks take some getting used to here - they are metal, with flattened sides which make them very slippery to pick anything up with. I'm guessing if you can master them here, you are good to go world-wide. :) We had a fun time hanging out together and seeing some places I had not been to yet in Suwon.
Tak-galbi
a street in Yeongtong
Tonight, after another busy week of working and teaching, I got to have some fun with the "Down Under" crowd at the school. They are an awesome bunch - I absolutely love them. I was invited to come watch a rugby match between the Wallabies and the All-Blacks (the Australian and the New Zealand teams). Amy Porter (one of the Kiwis, and a new comer like me) had invited me over to hang out, and I had a great afternoon of talking with her and her husband Brendan and finally getting their 4 year old daughter to talk to me (she's never smiled at me or interacted with me yet, so I was getting quite jealous of the few people she does like). Then they were headed to the Schumacher's apartment (Darren is the elementary school principal, his wife Kylie a first grade teacher, and they are the only Aussies currently here). Three other couples complete the Kiwi crowd (Amy's parents Robyn and Mike Pettigrew, Clare and Mark Hubbard, and Mike and Isabel Stanley). One teacher from Canada and one more American completed the crowd, so I felt very privileged to be among them and learning to enjoy their favorite sport. Lots of laughter, lots of good-natured rubbing, and some much needed relaxation ensued.
I have not been to Seoul yet, although I have had a couple of opportunities and decided to turn them down. There is just, at the moment, a lot to do with school and understanding all the ins and outs of what the IB requires - and heading into the city seems a little daunting when we have so much work that needs to be done here. Eventually I'll get there - and get to explore Suwon and the beaches to the south as well, hopefully. :)
We are headed on a fun outing next weekend - a bunch of the staff are going white-water rafting together somewhere up by the border. I'm not sure where, but the pictures I've seen look awesome and I'm SO excited to get out and do something adventurous with these new friends!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
First Footsteps in Asia
I should probably attempt to write this when I am more rested and in command of all my faculties, but I want to give a quick update about how my 28 hours in Korea have gone. My lack of sleep is definitely showing, because I keep forgetting things everywhere - one of my suitcases in baggage claim, my computer bag in customs, cups of orange juice at the counter.....I could go on! (I quickly recovered all of it, thankfully.) All of the new staff is running on fumes, but fortunately everyone is understanding, encouraging, and supportive. The Korean staff and the administration are all awesome - it was immediately apparent that the group of people I'm working with are of strong character and genuine hearts.
At our first "staff meeting" this afternoon, Dwight (head of academics - essentially the role of headmaster) led us in prayer and then spoke about the mission of the school. He read from Psalms 78:2-4:
"I will utter dark sayings of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that he has done."
This is our mission - not only to teach, but to tell the students the glorious works of Christ - in our lives, through our subjects, and in the stories we share. He followed that with our ultimate goal (from verse 7:
"...so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments."
It was emotional for me - hearing him speak in such a heartfelt way, with tears in his eyes (and some of ours, mine included) about the purpose and hope of the Christian education at GSIS. Learning is important, the IB curriculum and excellence in education is important....but ultimately there is nothing above what we can share with them about Christ. For a teacher coming from the public schools of Oregon, that was incredibly moving and exciting. Dwight was the one who interviewed me way back in February, and I felt then that I would love to work for him - I think that now even more so.
As far as what has happened since we arrived, it has been a whirlwind of being tired but surrounded by great people. Here's a rough outline:
-Arrived around 6:00pm Wednesday night
-Joined others from GSIS - Korean staff and new teachers - after getting through customs; we found each other by all wearing the same purple GSIS t-shirts. Sounded cheesy at home but was SO helpful and nice once we got there.
-After some Jamba Juice and waiting for the rest to arrive, a school bus (like a travel coach) took us back to the school (an hour drive), and then divided us up to take us to our apartment complexes. A group of 3 men from the Korean staff helped each of us get our luggage to our apartments and showed us how to use the key code, air conditioning, and phone. I definitely had more luggage than most, but then found out most people had mailed boxes to themselves beforehand (so I felt better). :)
-Unpacked just enough to get ready for bed, set up my skype account for calling to phones, and called mom (woke her up at 5:45 her time, but I think she was OK with that). :)
-Slept, for about 7 hours, then woke up on and off before giving in and getting up a little before 6.
-School picked us up before 8, and we went straight to the hospital for a physical (we weren't allowed to eat after midnight because of blood work). It was kind of like a cattle drive - we were herded through 7 or 8 stations to get the OK medically for our visas, filled out by an army of doctors, nurses, and technicians. We were not the only group there, though, so some of us got through early on, while others had to wait a couple of hours before they even started. I was one of the lucky ones, and got brought back to the school early - where we explored a little and were fed some much-appreciated snacks.
-The rest of the day, following my first meal in Korea in the school cafeteria (unknown chicken dish, rice, salad, and PB and J) was more normal orientation: tour of the school, setting up our brand-new laptops (MacBook Pro - few more features than mine and with a Korean/English keyboard) and external drives, trip to the apartments with the general affairs staff to explain about trash and recycling (a big deal here) and other features of our new homes, and dinner in the cafeteria. (In case anyone is curious, I avoided the kimchi at both lunch and dinner, but did try a zucchini version - hot was all I tasted!)
-All day long there was plenty of time meet and get to know the other new staff members. I feel so comfortable with many of them already - its a great group!
-At home for the evening - as I will come to know it soon - two hours scrubbing my small kitchen from top to bottom, and soon to bed. A full and tiring but good day, with a trip to Costco and some other places planned for tomorrow.
Good night and sleep tight (even though as I write this everyone who will at some point read it is either in a deep sleep or about to wake up in the morning)!
At our first "staff meeting" this afternoon, Dwight (head of academics - essentially the role of headmaster) led us in prayer and then spoke about the mission of the school. He read from Psalms 78:2-4:
"I will utter dark sayings of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that he has done."
This is our mission - not only to teach, but to tell the students the glorious works of Christ - in our lives, through our subjects, and in the stories we share. He followed that with our ultimate goal (from verse 7:
"...so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments."
It was emotional for me - hearing him speak in such a heartfelt way, with tears in his eyes (and some of ours, mine included) about the purpose and hope of the Christian education at GSIS. Learning is important, the IB curriculum and excellence in education is important....but ultimately there is nothing above what we can share with them about Christ. For a teacher coming from the public schools of Oregon, that was incredibly moving and exciting. Dwight was the one who interviewed me way back in February, and I felt then that I would love to work for him - I think that now even more so.
As far as what has happened since we arrived, it has been a whirlwind of being tired but surrounded by great people. Here's a rough outline:
-Arrived around 6:00pm Wednesday night
-Joined others from GSIS - Korean staff and new teachers - after getting through customs; we found each other by all wearing the same purple GSIS t-shirts. Sounded cheesy at home but was SO helpful and nice once we got there.
-After some Jamba Juice and waiting for the rest to arrive, a school bus (like a travel coach) took us back to the school (an hour drive), and then divided us up to take us to our apartment complexes. A group of 3 men from the Korean staff helped each of us get our luggage to our apartments and showed us how to use the key code, air conditioning, and phone. I definitely had more luggage than most, but then found out most people had mailed boxes to themselves beforehand (so I felt better). :)
-Unpacked just enough to get ready for bed, set up my skype account for calling to phones, and called mom (woke her up at 5:45 her time, but I think she was OK with that). :)
-Slept, for about 7 hours, then woke up on and off before giving in and getting up a little before 6.
-School picked us up before 8, and we went straight to the hospital for a physical (we weren't allowed to eat after midnight because of blood work). It was kind of like a cattle drive - we were herded through 7 or 8 stations to get the OK medically for our visas, filled out by an army of doctors, nurses, and technicians. We were not the only group there, though, so some of us got through early on, while others had to wait a couple of hours before they even started. I was one of the lucky ones, and got brought back to the school early - where we explored a little and were fed some much-appreciated snacks.
-The rest of the day, following my first meal in Korea in the school cafeteria (unknown chicken dish, rice, salad, and PB and J) was more normal orientation: tour of the school, setting up our brand-new laptops (MacBook Pro - few more features than mine and with a Korean/English keyboard) and external drives, trip to the apartments with the general affairs staff to explain about trash and recycling (a big deal here) and other features of our new homes, and dinner in the cafeteria. (In case anyone is curious, I avoided the kimchi at both lunch and dinner, but did try a zucchini version - hot was all I tasted!)
-All day long there was plenty of time meet and get to know the other new staff members. I feel so comfortable with many of them already - its a great group!
-At home for the evening - as I will come to know it soon - two hours scrubbing my small kitchen from top to bottom, and soon to bed. A full and tiring but good day, with a trip to Costco and some other places planned for tomorrow.
Good night and sleep tight (even though as I write this everyone who will at some point read it is either in a deep sleep or about to wake up in the morning)!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Best Bithday Present Ever!
About a month ago, my wonderful mom told me what she was getting me for my birthday this year. Since I'm headed to Korea in a couple of weeks, she wanted to have a recording of my voice to listen to while I'm gone. Most people reading this know that I am constantly singing, especially when I forget that others are around! But I have always been completely comfortable singing at the top of my lungs in front of my mom, and she has said many times that she will miss it.
On this past Tuesday morning, we drove together into Portland to find the "Magic Closet," a small recording studio run by an incredibly nice and easygoing guy named Ian. He set me up in the sound stage, turned on his HUGE board that resembled an airplane's cockpit, and was basically ready to go right away. Imagine something similar to the scene from the movie "Once" and you will have a pretty good idea of what it looked like. I had the background instrumental tracks to a bunch of songs, which he input on to his computer. From there, I basically stood in the other room, with a window into where he and mom were, and sang through the first song.
After I was done, I could listen to the whole song out with them or through my headphones in the recording room. Then we went back and recorded whatever parts I wanted to fix over the previous track - so by the end there were several takes of some sections and one take of others, put together like pieces to a long and straight puzzle. After the songs were done being recorded, Ian would clean up each track so it was a complete and finished product.
The process went by really fast - we recorded a total of 9 songs in about 4.5 hours. I was pretty nervous the first two, and then became much more steady and confident. The middle tracks definitely came out the best. The last two I was less practiced on and more tired, so they were also not my favorites. But all in all, I am really happy with all of them and my mom is so happy to have them for while I'm gone!
Seven of the songs are some of my favorite worship songs, by some of my favorite Christian artists. Two are songs by country/pop artists that I have really liked. Here's the playlist in the order we recorded them:
Hope Now by Addison Road
Gratitude by Nichole Nordeman
Crazier by Taylor Swift
Hallelujah by Bethany Dillon
Set the World on Fire by Britt Nicole
Make You Feel My Love by Garth Brooks
Blessings by Laura Story
Listen to Our Hearts by Steven Curtis Chapman
Your Hands by JJ Heller
If you want to hear them, I can get you a copy. My favorite one is Blessings. :)
Thanks Mom for an absolutely wonderful birthday present!!
On this past Tuesday morning, we drove together into Portland to find the "Magic Closet," a small recording studio run by an incredibly nice and easygoing guy named Ian. He set me up in the sound stage, turned on his HUGE board that resembled an airplane's cockpit, and was basically ready to go right away. Imagine something similar to the scene from the movie "Once" and you will have a pretty good idea of what it looked like. I had the background instrumental tracks to a bunch of songs, which he input on to his computer. From there, I basically stood in the other room, with a window into where he and mom were, and sang through the first song.
After I was done, I could listen to the whole song out with them or through my headphones in the recording room. Then we went back and recorded whatever parts I wanted to fix over the previous track - so by the end there were several takes of some sections and one take of others, put together like pieces to a long and straight puzzle. After the songs were done being recorded, Ian would clean up each track so it was a complete and finished product.
The process went by really fast - we recorded a total of 9 songs in about 4.5 hours. I was pretty nervous the first two, and then became much more steady and confident. The middle tracks definitely came out the best. The last two I was less practiced on and more tired, so they were also not my favorites. But all in all, I am really happy with all of them and my mom is so happy to have them for while I'm gone!
Seven of the songs are some of my favorite worship songs, by some of my favorite Christian artists. Two are songs by country/pop artists that I have really liked. Here's the playlist in the order we recorded them:
Hope Now by Addison Road
Gratitude by Nichole Nordeman
Crazier by Taylor Swift
Hallelujah by Bethany Dillon
Set the World on Fire by Britt Nicole
Make You Feel My Love by Garth Brooks
Blessings by Laura Story
Listen to Our Hearts by Steven Curtis Chapman
Your Hands by JJ Heller
If you want to hear them, I can get you a copy. My favorite one is Blessings. :)
Thanks Mom for an absolutely wonderful birthday present!!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wrestling with Change
I have never been a big fan of change. The concept of something different and new is not as exciting to me as things that are worn-in and well-loved. Change to me has always been a necessary evil, caused by aging or tough decisions, and resulting in the loss of something precious. I am usually such a big fan of the way things are that I don't want to let go of even one part of it. Even happy changes, like marriages and graduations, bring that twinge of sorrow for time gone by.
In a perfect world, I would take all of my extended family and friends, move them to Jackson, transplant George Fox to Teton Valley, and put the whole thing within 50 miles of the Pacific. One of my favorite songs is by Sara Groves, called 'Every Minute' and it speaks to this: "I wish all the people I love the most could gather in one place, and know each other and love each other well. And I wish we could all go camping and lay beneath the stars, with nothing to do and stories to tell. We'd sit around the campfire, and we'd make each other laugh, remembering when. And you're the first one I'm inviting, always know that you're invited, my friend!" I hope that is what heaven will be like, because I can't think of anything better than gathering around a campfire with my Lord and my friends. But until then, I am always going to be torn and have to learn to let go of something to lay hold of others.
One of the things I am choosing to let go of right now, in spite of my dislike for change, is my time as part of the GFU track community. I have been in Newberg and at Fox for the greater part of 11 years, starting as a freshman in 2001 and now finishing my 7th year as an assistant coach. Being a part of the track team has meant the world to me. It is home. It has shaped me, it has taught me, and yes, it has changed me. I have grown into Christ here. I have learned about God's faithfulness and provision in all circumstances. As an athlete, I developed some of the most meaningful friendships of my life, and was able to use the unique talent God gave me to show His work in an amazing way. As a coach I have been able to laugh, cry, pray, and share life with some amazing people. I have watched God fulfill some incredible dreams. Saying goodbye to this experience will be one of the hardest things I've done.
I am also saying goodbye to my time at St. Paul. I have loved this job from the first day on. I have loved getting to know the girls I have coached, loved working with middle schoolers, and loved the staff. This job has been wonderful, even on the tough days, and I am thankful that God gave it to me for a season.
So what am I saying hello to? For several years now, God has been planting and watering a little seed in my heart. I'm not sure when it started - it might have been eight years ago, on a bus in the Scottish highlands. Or maybe four years ago, when a Romanian missionary talked to me about teaching in Beius. It definitely had a home two years ago, when Ryan and Emily moved to Germany and I started looking into ways to teach in Europe. This international teaching seed has grown into a full-fledged plant - although I'm as yet unsure what it will look like fully grown!
For a long time, I was sure I wanted to teach in Europe - preferably in the Alps, of course! My heart found a home in Switzerland, and has longed to wander back there someday. That someday might still lie in the future - or perhaps God has created some Swiss Alps in heaven (like the mountains at the end of The Last Battle!) But for now, my place is not in a chalet along a mountainside. When I went looking for places to teach, God put one in front of me I would never have thought of - one that excited my spirit and immediately felt like a place that could be home. This place is on the other side of the world, in a city called Suwon, where a small Christian school needs someone to teach social studies and PE.
So this summer, July 24th to be exact, I am flying from Portland to Seoul, South Korea, where the next stage of my life's adventure is going to begin. I am excited and anxious, sad and content, and so overwhelmed by my to-do list that the 7 weeks since I accepted the job have been a bit crazed. The anxiousness comes from the prospect of living in a city for the fist time, the newness of the job, the different culture (and food!), and saying goodbye for a while to my family and all that I have known. The excitement is knowing I'm headed to a new country and to a school that I want to be a part of, the chance to get IB experience, the chance to travel, the chance to make an impact, and getting to start a new adventure.
Above all that I am feeling is the knowledge that this is the place the Lord has brought me to. Through every step of this process I have been able to see God's hand and timing, and it is a huge comfort to me to know that this is where He wants me to be. I know that when the time comes, He will take care of me. He will hold me up when I am full of fear, comfort me when I am homesick, surround me when I am overwhelmed, and guide me when I feel lost. Our God crosses borders, transcends human limits, and is present everywhere we are. This opportunity is a gift from the Father, and I am so grateful to have been given this gift!
James 3:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
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