You are So Special, All Things are Possible, Believe in Miracles

Special blog just for Grandma in Chandler, Arizona.

Hi Grandma,

It was so wonderful talking to you on the phone yesterday for your birthday. I miss you so much. I hope you had a wonderful day. Today I was cleaning my apartment and came across the letter you gave me right before I left. It means a lot to me that you took the time to say the things that you did. Sometimes life passes us by and we hold some of our thoughts in our heart and in the end we never get to share them. I thank you for always having an open heart and willingness to share your opinions and thoughts with me.

I have lost so many people already in my life and so many of them I didn't get the chance to say so many things to that I wish I would have. I don't feel that way with you, nor will I ever.

You remind me constantly of what a good person looks like and acts like. You are a God fearin woman and I love you for your compassion, strength, encouragement, and steadiness. You are the pillar of our family and you wear the badge so proudly.

I guess I just felt compelled to write this blog just for you as a way of showing you that I am truly grateful and honored that you are my grandmother. I know you read this blog faithfully and you deserve to have your own special passage.

I'm going to conclude this blog, with words from your letter.

1) You are so special.
2) All things are possible.
3) Believe in miracles.

And finally:

My story, Your story. How it is told in the end and what the story says depends on what each of us does with Jesus.

Love you Grandma. Hope you had a very special birthday. In closing, here is the lyrics to a special song that fits you to a "T" and I will always remember the day that I played it for you and mom. I love you!!!!!

Randy Travis "When Mama Prayed"

Daddy never went to church on Sunday
He said that's one thing I'll never do
But mama never gave up she said one day
He'll be sitting here beside of me and you
I can still hear mama softly talking
With her tears falling on her folded hands
So that Easter Sunday Daddy walked in
That's when I began to understand

When mama prayed, good things happen
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed

Seventeen and wild I hit the bottle
Doing anything I dang well please
Burning down life's highway at full throttle
While mama burned a candle on her knees
Then one night I came home half sober
I saw mama kneeling in the den
As I listened she and Jesus talked it over
And I knew my restless days were 'bout to end

When mama prayed, good things happen
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed

It isn't like every one of them got answered
But the times they weren't it seems to me were rare
You almost felt sorry for the devil
'Cause heaven knows he didn't have a prayer
When mama prayed

Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed
They crumbled all away
When mama prayed

Quick Message for Family

Hello to everyone back home. Hope you had a good week. Everything is going well here in Seoul. Work is as busy as ever. Had a great Saturday hanging out with a new teacher from Chicago. Spent Sunday hanging out at home and playing with Kay.

More than anything I just wanted to check in with everyone and let you all know I am thinking of you. Grandma, I am so sorry to hear that Larry's sister died. Please let him know I am praying for him as he travels for the funeral and I am praying for their family.

Life is sometimes suprising. Sometimes we can enjoy a long and fulfilled life before we are called home. Sometimes we live short, brief lives that are full of life lessons. Either way, we always end up in the same place at the end.

Another Week

It is so hard to believe how fast time is flying by out here. Next week, I will have been here for two months already. For those who are looking for an update, everything is going well. School is busy and tons of fun and yet fustrating at times. Keeps me on my toes though, so thats good. Kay is doing great. House training is going good so far (besides a few mishaps). We are settling into a good routine for both of us. She has a vet appointment on Saturday to have them check her stitches, and then she is going to her babysitters for the weekend. Haha. My co-teacher and my boss are trying to decide who gets to babysit her first. They both love her already. I'm going to spend Sunday south of Seoul, and I am very much looking forward to some time away from here. I hope everyone has a good Easter weekend.

Grandma- I was sorry to hear about Larry's niece passing away. I will continue to pray for his family.

Mom- Thanks for the care package. Even if I did pay for it. Haha! I really needed everything that you sent me. Thanks so much for taking the time to do so.

Sheena- Hang in there with school. It's coming to an end soon. You have worked so hard and now your in the final stretch. Just remember there is an end in sight.

Lorrie- Miss you so much chica. Can't wait to hear all about Vegas.

Ingrid- Killian is almost here and I am so running the countdown for you. 10 days to go and counting. I am so excited for you, Shawn, and Elayna. I love you guys so much. I'm sorry I won't be there, but I am thinking of you everyday.



To end this blog, a fantastic moving performance from this past Sunday's Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.

Weekend

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Kay came home with me today. She is still recovering from being spayed and has to go back to the doctor next week, but it is not slowing her down. She's totally active but so far all she wants to do is sleep after such a long day. Tomorrow we are going to enjoy the good weather and go for a long walk nearby. For those of my friends who are in Vegas, hope your having a blast! Can't wait to see all the pictures and hear more about everything that is going on. How can I be so lucky in one week? I get Kay, I get a NASCAR race, and I get the ACMs. Woohoo!

Newest Member of My Family

My new forever baby girl. Her name is Kay and she's a yorkie. I'm picking her up tomorrow. :)

Teaching the Youth of the World

What a powerful and emotional day. I have one student named Emily who was chosen among thousands to do an interview to compete to be sent by the Korean government to Washington D.C. to study abroad. I was asked to do any extra class on Wednesday's to help her prepare for the interview. Today, truly broke my heart. I asked her what motivated and inspired her. She didn't really have an answer. We talked for over an hour about her and what she wanted out of life. Then, together we came up with three short statements to help keep her motivated. She totally broke down crying when she said them repeatedly.

I am smart.
I am excellent.
I am beautiful.

Three powerful statements that we should all believe about ourselves. How my heart broke when she began to cry.... sometimes we all need to be reminded of how amazing we are.

Interesting Read from today's class

So I am teaching one very small class on Tuesday and Thursdays. We are reading Charlotte's Web. I just finished teaching the class and decided I just had to post a brief quote from the book. Interesting to read and even more interesting to try to explain the meaning.

"'What do you mean, less than nothing?' replied Wilbur. 'I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It's the lowest you can go. It's the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something- even though it's just a very little bit something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is.'"

Talk about a confusing class. But so entertaining to discuss.

Another Week

I'm beginning to wonder if anyone reads these, so I have decided I'm not going to advertise updates. I'm just going to use this as a place to remind myself of what has been going on in my life. A good journal so to speak. Even if it is a public one.

Anyways, this week went suprisingly well. Teaching is going great. I cannot express enough how much I really enjoy my students. Seeing them learn something new is truly a gift. I've been having a few problem children who don't like to do their homework, but this week I saw drastic improvement in them. I made sure to give them plenty of praise for their hard work. I really enjoy my time with my youngest class. Friday is casual Friday so we spend the class time playing games, singing songs, and coloring pictures. Today they colored pictures of cowboys, butterfies, dinosaurs, baseball players, and parrots. Now one corner of my classroom wall is proudly displaying all the hard work they did this afternoon. It's amazing how something like that can liven up a down day.

Thursday was an interesting day. Went to the hospital for a check up. Good times. Haha! I hate getting up early in the morning, especially when its raining outside. Bummer. Anyways, good news was I lost another 20lbs so far. I have a long way to go before I reach my goal but I'm determined to get there. Anyways, I showed up at school at 2pm right on time only to find out that my boss was calling in sick. So myself, and the other teacher David had to run the school all day. We had our classes, plus the phone ringing constantly, and parents coming in to speak to us. Of course they were actually coming in to speak to the boss in Korean, not us in English. Haha! Good times though. We made it through pretty well I think. We toasted our good day over dinner and drinks at a local restaurant so that was fun.

Overall the week has been good. I have recently found some new furniture and I am in the process of arranging delivery. Bought a new kitchen table and chairs, and a desk and chair. My apartment is slowly but surely coming along.

I am very thankful for having a cell phone again. It has been great talking to everyone back home. My favorite part of having a cell phone this week was having my grandmother tell me, "Oh my it sounds like your right next door". Haha! I love you Grandma! I may not be next door, but I'm thinking of you everyday. Also have to say I am sorry for Grandma and Larry's loss. They lost Larry's nephew this past week. I'm praying for Betty and her family.

No big plans for the weekend, but I'm sure something will come up. Looking into going to the foreigner flea market tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be a little warmer which I will welcome with open arms! SPRING PLEASE! Where do I sign up? :)

I feel like so far Korea has been really good to me and I am learning a lot not only about the culture and location, but I am suprisingly learning a lot about myself. Sometimes it takes good and bad things happening to you to realize what you should have seen in front of your eyes the whole time.

Which turns me to a philosophical question. What do you see when you look in the mirror? What and who do you see starring back at you? What if you look deeper? What do you see?
Talk to me........

Long Trip Alone performed by Dierks Bentley

It's a long trip alone over sand and stone
That lie along the road that we all must travel down

So maybe you could walk with me a while
And maybe I could rest beneath your smile
Everybody stumbles sometimes and needs a hand to hold
'Cause it's a long trip alone

It's a short piece of time but just enough to find
A little peace of mind under the sun somewhere

So maybe you could walk with me a while
And maybe I could rest beneath your smile
You know we can't afford to let one moment pass us by
'Cause it's a short piece of time

And I don't know where I'd be without you here
'Cause I'm not really me without you there
Yea, YeahYea, Yeah, Oh
So maybe you could walk with me a while
Maybe I could rest beneath your smile
Everybody stumbles sometimes and needs a hand to hold
So maybe you could walk with me a while
Maybe I could rest beneath your smile
Maybe I could feel you right beside me til' I'm home
'Cause it's a long trip alone
A long trip alone

How are you living your life?

The question of the day. Can't wait to read your comments.

"Standing Outside the Fire" performed by Garth Brooks

We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned

We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned
But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire

We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall

We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all

They're so hell-bent on giving ,walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire

Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire

Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire

Recent Thoughts

Hope all is well with everyone back home in Arizona, Tennessee, and Texas. So much has been going on here in Seoul. Teaching is going great. As always, I love my students. There is nothing I enjoy more than watching my little kids sing songs that I took for granted learning in Kindergarten. I especially enjoy watching my students as they actually gain more knowledge that they have never had before. It made me feel like I was actually making a difference when I had one of the Korean/English teachers come up to me today and tell me she was shocked recently because the students are talking to her in English now more than in Korean like they were doing before coming here. It may be something small, but it is still making a difference in someones life.



Recently I have been thinking of how short our lives really are, and how we should enjoy all that we can especially given the opportunity. I feel like many of you know me to be the cautious, quiet, kind of submissive person who just floats by in life, never experiencing much of it but just existing. My, how things have changed. At least, I personally feel like they have. I have done so much since I have been here this past month. I don't regret any of it, and I know with each step I take everyday my life is becoming what I want it to be, not what everyone else expects it to be. Recent thoughts have clouded my sleeping time, and I find myself having difficulty sleeping sometimes when I have so many things running through my mind.



Life is full of surprises and yet sometimes it can be filled with regret. I regret nothing. I won't, nor will I ever. Life is what we make it, and so far I think I have made the right choices. Though at times I doubt personal decisions, I know in my heart that I am doing what is best. Haha. I feel this blog becoming so philosophical, and yet not at all. I just feel like my eyes are really wide open right now and I am seeing people for what and who they are. I don't mean it in a good or bad way. I just mean it in a general way.



So, I feel with everything going on recently, I should pick a song to post lyrics for today.

"The Beat of the Heart"- Performed by the Warren Brothers and Sara Evans


Sometimes it's hard to don't wanna look over your shoulder
'Cause you don't want to remember
where you've been
There'll come a time you die,
If you could only hold her
'Cause I know that's where I am

So listen with all your heart
Hold it inside forever
You may find all your dreams have already come true
Look inside and find the part that's leading you
'Cause that's the beat of a heart

Sometimes you'll drown it out with all your rage and thunder
Sometimes you'll drown it out with all your tears
There'll come a time when you hear it and
you'll wonder"Where in the world have I been?"

So listen with all your heart
Hold it inside forever
You may find all your dreams have already come true
Look inside and find the part that's leading you,
'Cause that's the beat of a heart

No one can tell you how to get there
It's a road you take all by yourself
All by yourself
All by yourself

So listen with all your heart
Hold it inside forever
You may find all your dreams have already come true
Look inside and find the part that's leading you
'Cause that's the beat of
Oh it's the sweetest sound,
'Cause that's the beat of a heart

For Grandma- Our song always!

(Performed by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton)

When I get where I'm goingon the far side of the sky.
The first thing that I'm gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly.
I'm gonna land beside a lion,and run my fingers through his mane.
Or I might find out what it's like
To ride a drop of rain

(Chorus:)Yeah when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles,
I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Don't cry for me down here.

I'm gonna walk with my grandaddy,
and he'll match me step for step,
and I'll tell him how I missed him,
every minute since he left.
Then I'll hug his neck.

(Chorus)

So much pain and so much darkness,
in this world we stumble through.
All these questions, I can't answer,
so much work to do.
But when I get where I'm going,
and I see my Maker's face.
I'll stand forever in the light,of His amazing grace.Y
eah when I get where I'm going,
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
there'll be only happy tears.
Hallelujah!
I will love and have no fear.
When I get where I'm going.
Yeah when I get where I'm going.



- Nothing so magically as the day Sheena and I were in the car in Texas driving to the funeral home to start making arrangements and we were talking about you and we were both crying and everything was silent. Sheena said, turn the radio on. And this song began.............

Just Because

So it is now Thursday night and 7:11pm. I find myself still sitting at the computer at school. Ask me why! Why you ask? (Haha) My principal seems that in order for me to fill my contract duties I have to be at school during the regular hours that school is in session. Mind you, I only teach two class on T/TH. My last class ended at 5:20pm and I have to stay here until 8:20pm. Now granted, if the Korean economy was doing better than what it is right now, I probably would have more classes to teach. Don't get me started on the economy here. One of the reason's I negotiated my contract for higher pay is because I planned on sending money home. However, it is just too depressing right now to look at my monthly conversion of won to US dollars right now. At least I know I'm rich in Korea, right?

Anyways, not much has been happening around here. I am really getting into a routine with my work week. My weekends still continue to remain up in the air, but it makes it easy to decide how I want to spend my time. Today it is cold and rainy. For those of you reading this, now would be a good time to send a care package. Haha! I need English books! If you need suggestions let me know. :)

I love hearing from all of you through your comments, emails, on facebook, and on myspace. It is hard to believe that I am one week away from having been here for a month already. Time sure does fly by when your having fun.

I do want to take a moment to write about something coming up next week. I know without even thinking about it too much that next week is going to be the hardest anniversary of my life. It doesn't matter if I was in the US or if I am here in Korea. March 13th (next Friday) will mark the one year that I have been without Grandma. Now granted she is in a much better place, and I still feel her around me. But, it just truly goes to show how fast time can go by. I no longer pick up the phone to tell her about my days. I simply bow my head and pray. I no longer write in a journal to her, because I know I can speak directly to God and he will pass the message on to her. It was around Sheena and Chris's wedding when I actually started dreaming about her and Grandpa. It must have been Sheena's special day that brought her into my dreams though because I have not dreamed about her since. I am ever thankful as always, for the time I was able to spend with her throughout my life. I know that a large part of the person I am today is because of her. If anything, this one year anniversary reminds me that life can often be short and its important to always remind those you care about how much they mean to you.

To my friends- Thank you for the way each of you have touched my life.
To my family- As I miss you everyday, I also know that I am at peace with our relationships and the love I have for each one of you.

Jesus says in the bible, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." I spoke this quote at Grandma's funeral. It is something I remind myself of daily.

The Weekend is Finally Here!!!!

Hola,

Hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend. I just realized I haven't blogged all week, so in honor of completing my second full week of teaching here it goes......

This week had its ups and its downs. My ups included: my amazingly cute 8 and 9 year olds learning the song "Apples and Bananas", dinner and drinks with my boss on Tuesday night, and my new favorite Korean food fried seaweed rolls of tofu and noodles. It sounds weird but its really yummy. My downs included: some slow days at work, and some not so nice Korean people. Eh, what can you do??

Anyways, the weekend is here and I couldn't be more relieved that it has finally arrived! Don't get me wrong, I am loving my students but I'm so ready to be Shannon, the weekend foreigner and not Shannon, TEACHER!!!! Haha.

Hope you all are doing great. Leave some comments so I know what's going on with you.


Messages:

Mom- You have got to talk to those people at Ann Marie's school again. This whole situation is just bullshit!

Lorrie- I haven't heard from you all week chica. Hope everything is ok.

Inga- I know you had a rough week with Shawn being gone, but know that I thought of you and I love reading your blog. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your baby shower this weekend!! Kellian is one lucky boy to have such an awesome Mom!

Craig- Where ya been? Naomi keeping you busy or what? Email me sometime.

Morgan- Mom told me she came to the store last week to cash my last paycheck and that you asked her about me, and almost started crying. Awww, little sister I miss you too. I hope your doing great though. Write me anytime. I'm totally here for you.

Emily- No bingo yet, though interestingly enough that seems to be the only American game my classes are begging to play in my class. Haha!!

Real Life

South Korea doesn't get anymore authentic than my neighborhood. Just ask Tori. Tori is a girl I met who is from Philadelphia and she's been here teaching for about three weeks. Yesterday we decided to meet up to have dinner near my home in Seoul. A little background info: Tori lives near Seoul University. It is very westernized in that there are lots of options of eating places that are not Korean food, and you can walk the streets and see other foreigners like yourself. Back to yesterday afternoon: I'm standing by the subway exit waiting for Tori to arrive. It's the usual afternoon by the corner store near my house. People are walking around, shopping and hurrying along to their next destination. But wait, whats that they see? A foreigner standing by the subway? Oh yes, you see thats because I am the only foreigner in my neighborhood that I have ever seen. So Tori arrives and all of a sudden, there are two foreigners in the area. What excitement! Haha. We went to dinner at this Korean barbecue place that I had gone to with Mike before. It was funny because me, being the only white person in this part of town, the waitress remembered me coming in with Mike, and asked me in Korean if Tori and I wanted the same food. I nodded yes, and sure enough the same exact food that Mike and I had ordered about 5 nights ago was exactly what she served Tori and I. Little things like that remind me why I love my area so much. Based on conversations I had with Tori, I am quickly realizing that in my neighborhood I am in a sink or swim situation. If you want to emerge yourself into the Korean culture then all you have to do is come to Namguro station. We had a lot of fun hanging out having dinner. It was great to talk to someone else who understood a lot of what I was experiencing. After dinner I took Tori to the LARGE flea market that is nearby my school. We walked around looking at everything, and quickly Tori decided she wants to come back next weekend and bring her camera to take pictures. (Tori majored in photography in college.) Anyways, it was a fun night and I am so glad that I was able to share my little piece of heaven here with someone else who could appreciate it for all of its charm.

My first week of classes are over and I really don't have to much to say about it. I love my kids. They are so cute. I love teaching the 8 year olds because they really look at me trying to learn and understand what I am saying. So far so good! Yet, I love working with my smallest class, which is two 16 year old girls who don't like to speak English but are quickly understanding that they have to try in order for me to understand them. I love that my school is a short 10 minute walk from home, and I am enjoying getting to know my fellow teachers (especially since there is only 3 of us).

I guess thats all I really have to post about for this weekend. Today is Sunday and in about 40 minutes I am heading off to church with a teacher from school. The church service is supposed to be in English and Korean so I am looking forward to it. Then I will probably just come home and relax a little before the whole process starts again tomorrow.

Monday morning: 1st stop Immigration. I need that darn ARC card so I can get a cell phone!!
Miss you and love you all! Thanks for reading.

Just Because

Hello to anyone out their reading this. I really don't have anything crazy to report on to send back to you. But, I think I can keep you entertained for a few minutes. Classes yesterday (Wednesday here) were just weird. The kids were more or less fine, but it was last second changes from the principal that threw me off my step a little bit. But, no worries, I did things how she wanted so thats fine. The highlights of my day yesterday were 1) the bakery I visted on the way home to get dinner. Very good sandwiches on rye bread with lettuce, cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes, and salmon. 2) getting to chat with Mike after a rough day. That was the most of my day yesterday. A highlight for the middle of the night would be the emails I received from Mom asking me why I was having such a wonderful time here. It gave me the opportunity to really explain to her why I feel like my life is so much better here than it was in the states. I woke up this morning and FINALLY figured out how to turn the valve on for my stove so I could cook breakfast. Woohoo for fresh strawberries and scrambled eggs! Today is a short day for teaching. I'm supposed to meet Cindy (my principal) and David (another teacher) for lunch at 1pm and then I'll be teaching 3:30-5:30 today and then observing David again from 5:30-8:00. The time at school goes by very quickly. Its supposed to snow a little tonight and tomorrow morning. Hope it doesn't happen when I am walking home because knowing me I would probably slip and fall in it. Now wouldn't that really give the Koreans in my neighborhood something to gossip about! The American who fell on her ass. Haha! Well, thats all for now.

Craig- Your postcard will be sent out this weekend.
Lorrie- Thanks for the emails girl! I don't have anyone here yet to really have girl talk with so your emails are keeping me sane right now :)
Ingrid- Less than 9 weeks to go for your baby boy! He is going to be cute as hell I'm sure. Miss you.

First Day of School Completed

Been up since 4am this morning. Daytona 500 was interesting to watch online. Less commercials and only the good ones (that involve Carl and Ryan :)). Anyways, was totally disappointed in the turn out of the race. Rain! How freakin crappy!!! No worries. We have a whole season ahead for the boys to come back. I'm actually liking Ryan working with Smoke. Smoke has a hard kiss my ass attitude that totally works with Ryan's. If you don't believe me, check out some of the main articles on nascar.com from this past weekend in Daytona.

Ok, back to Korea. Left apartment around 1pm to head to school. FREEZING HERE! Holy crapola! Walked the short 10 minutes to the school. Stopped in at a Korean store to pick up a hairbrush and scissors. Random I know. When I pulled out my phrase book at the store to tell the sales lady thank you, she busted out laughing when I said it. I totally have to work on this whole language thing. Left there and went to Korean bank to get my currency changed. Only a little bit (no worries mom...im budgeting! Haha!). Then tried to find my way to the school. I say tried because all I was told was to look for the sign for the school and go up the stairs. Well, the first stairs I tried sent me into the bank. Then the bank sent me to the dentist on the second floor. YIKES!! No drills please. Then I finally made it up the right stairs to the school.

I got to school and got my schedule. Which not suprisingly is different than what my contract says, but I'm negotiable. Especially when she says she will pay me overtime. Anyways, for those of you who care, I work M/W/F 2pm-9:20pm (classes don't start til 3:30pm) and T/TH 2pm-8:20pm (and again no classes til 3:30pm). Not bad either. I only teach 6 classes on M/W/F and 4 classes on T/TH. The bad part about the school is probably the curriculum. Everything is straight from the textbook. Ugh! I teach kids aged 8 years old to 15 years old. My smallest class is literally 2 students and my largest is my last class of the night at 10 students. The classes I teach are: phonics, reading comprehension, english memorization, and conversational english. Today I taught out of the book a little and also taught my 8 year olds how to play "I-Spy", and my 12 year olds how to do the "Hokey Pokey". It was great! Not much else to say about the school hours though. I was tired cause I have been up since 4am, but I don't feel it so thats a good thing.

Now better things. Went with Mikel out to dinner for (shocker) my first trip to Korean food. Bulgolgi, some kind of green grassy looking salad, hot sauce, and kimchi, and of course Korean Pepsi. Excellent dinner. Luckily Mike has been here in Korea for awhile so he ordered for us. Thank God. I could have been having dog and never known it. Saving that for next time. Haha! Oh and on the way home Mike grabbed some Milkis which is a Korean milk soda that tastes exactly like Orange Creamsicles. Good times!

Off tomorrow to the hospital for drug testing and all that good stuff. Then home to change for school and back to another day of teaching. Hope it wasn't too boring of a read for ya'll. Sending my love to you all in Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee. Oh FYI- email me for address to the school to send my mail. I don't trust it being delivered here to my apartment. Later all.

An-nyong Haseyo

Hello to everyone! I made it. So much to talk about and not sure where to start. This might be a long read so settle in for a few minutes. So my flight left Phoenix at 10:26am. Said goodbye to mom at the security checkpoint (thanks for bringing that extra carry on Mom). I have never gotten through security so fast in all of my life. Yes, Ann Marie, even though I was wearing tennis shoes I still got through quickly (Miss you already.) The flight from Phoenix to San Fran was very bumpy. Which made me a little nervous for my 12 hour flight over here. I luckily ended up sitting in the window seat with no one in the middle seat. A man from Japan sat next to me on my flight from Phx to San Fran. He didn't say much until almost landing. He asked where I was going and what I would be doing. Gave me some pointers on how to get around to the international terminal at San Fran. If you have never been to the San Fran airport then you probably wouldn't know it but it is very high tech. I went straight to the bathroom and then to my boarding gate. Looking around I was suprised by how many non Koreans I saw heading onto the plane. Lots of other teachers as well as our military were on the flight. I ended up sitting next to a wonderful (small) Korean American named Patty. She works for the U.S. government at the air force base here in Osan. She was a very talkative lady and gave me lots of insight on what to expect over here. She even invited me to come visit here in Osan. The 12 hour flight can be described as: LONG, LONGER, AND FREEZING! Food: interesting but not authentic. I was excited when they said our snack would be chinese noodles. They brought it to us, and all it was was raman noodles that they added the hot water too. Haha! Not too many good movies to watch so I listened to the country music station on the plane about 3 different cycles through. Oh, and the most beautiful sight I saw (yes, mom I took your advise and looked out the window) was the snow capped mountains as we went over Siberia! Who else can say they've seen that?

Ok, WARNING: I told you this would be a long post.

Landed in Incheon at 7:25pm. Bathroom break immediately! (Did not have to go the whole flight cause I didn't drink anything) Their bathroom at the airport makes us Americans look pitiful in technology. They have the sanitation papers for the toilet were you push the red button and it automatically puts a new one on the seat for you. Its a circular machine around the toilet seat. Very fascinating to me...oh but that might be because I had been on a plane for so long too. Anyways, walked through the airport following the signs in English (thankfully) and was herded with foreigners and Koreans alike onto a train. In the airport? Yes, it reminded me of Denver. Anyways, when we got off the train we were at immigration. Met a teacher standing in line there. He is going to be here in Seoul to so I am going to look him up later. Immigration took about 20 minutes to get through (mainly standing in line waiting my turn). Then I went to baggage claim. THANK GOD for luggage carts. And, at the airport here you dont have to pay for them. Though the instructions were in Korean and it took me watching 5 different people get theirs moving before I could figure out how to move mine. Haha! Went through customs and saw my driver standing there with a sign with my name on it. No English speaker though. It was a long 40 minute drive to my neighborhood of Seoul.

We arrived at my apartment. My driver got lost 3 times. The weirdest thing getting here was that once we turned on my street there was cars parked everywhere! There is no parking spaces along these streets. So, use your imagination: A strip of a road that can fit 1.5 cars through it. On both sides of the street cars are parked. You might have enough space to fit a red wagon thru the opening. What does a Korean taxi driver do? He wiggles his van through the space!!!! I thought we were going to have skid marks on the doors and windows cause of how close we were to the other cars. Anyways, bless his heart cause he really helped me a lot. NEVER EVER pack as much clothes as I did in those bags. My employer did not meet me at my apartment. She had told my driver where to locate my keys for me and he gave them to me. Then he proceeded to help me carry my bags up the 4 flights of stairs to my apartment. Yes. 4 flights! And he wouldn't let me tip him at all which was really sweet. He left and I spent about 5 minutes exploring my apartment before I decided to leave.

My apartment: Just like the pictures most of you saw except the pictures do not do it justice. It is a huge apartment! Mom, its probably twice the size of my apartment in Nashville and its more like a one bedroom apartment than a studio apartment. I know I lucked out big time having a great employer come thru on their end of the contract with an amazing apartment for me. Though, it is lacking some neccesary things that I will be asking her about in an hour when she comes to meet me to go grocery shopping. Anyways, so there I am in my apartment. There is no phone. The internet is not working. I'm supposed to meet my employer at 10am tomorrow. No alarm clock. I'm a little stressed. Decide to go for a walk. Walking in my neighborhood= LOTS OF HILLS. Losing all this weight is going to be a breeze here. Really. Anyways, found a market about 20 feet from my apartment. The woman spoke Korean. I asked stupidly in English if she knew any. She held her hand up with a stop kind of motion. She went inside and basically dragged her daughter out to talk to me. Her daughter looked about 13 years old and slightly aggravated. I asked her where I could find a PC room. She showed me. I should have kept walking instead of stopping to ask cause the damn thing was right around the corner of the store. Hahaha. I thanked her and went to the PC Room. It was 10pm at night. I emailed everyone to let them know I was here and all was well. Paid 1,000 won for an hour of computer time. Was well worth it (about 75 cents), even though I struggled cause everything I went to was in Korean. Good thing I spend so much time on my computer in the states I know my way around on certain sites. Anyways, left the PC room and stopped by the market again. Bought two bottles of water, one bottle of coke, a crate of strawberries, and 4 oranges. Cost me 11,000 won. I think it was so expensive just because I bought the fruit.

Anyways, went home went to sleep. Woke up this morning around 6:30am. I know that because I took my time unpacking and getting ready before I left to come to the PC room again. I wanted to leave when I knew it was light outside so I was for sure it was morning time. By the way mom, my shower in the bathroom is awesome!! Its so cool and I totally had amazing hot water for my shower! Its definetely different, but not taboo. The floors all slant to the drain and no I did not get water everywhere. Haha.

Well, I don't know what all I have going on today. I'm meeting my employer in an hour to go grocery shopping and see the school. Might meet up with some new friends later this afternoon or evening. NASCAR!! DAYTONA 500. Totally paging my name! I hope my internet works later today or I will be in this PC room watching the race online at 3am tomorrow morning. Well, I guess thats all for now. Hope you enjoyed the read. Feel free to leave comments.

Special Messages Time

Past Co-Workers- I had a blast working with all of you and I am so glad I was able to make some lasting friends. Keep in touch and I wish nothing but the best for all of you.

Mary C.- My weekends will not be the same without a trip to the casino to play bingo with you. Can't wait to take our trip when I come back!

Lorrie- Where would my life be without you in it? God has blessed me with a lifelong true friend in you and for that I will be forever greatful. I wish you nothing but the best for this year that I am away, and remember no matter what you decide to do always pray for guidance and know that in God's eyes you are woman of the year EVERY YEAR!

Ingrid- I don't even know where to begin. Life has thrown us lots of curve balls throughout the years. Through it all you have stood by my side and I hope you feel like I have done the same. I am so sorry I will not be there for you when Kellian arrives, or when you and Shawn get married. Know that you are in my heart and in my thoughts constantly. You are an amazing mother and the bestest friend. FOREVER.

Craig- Throw in some good country music, an awesome neighbor, and someone who can make me laugh for hours and thats you! Thank you for your friendship and your support. Your life is one crazy ride and I am glad I have been a small part of it by being a friend. Tell Naomi hi for me. Haha! Keep making the music and God will bless you.

Cole- Wow. Wow. Wow. Our friendship has been a stronghold for me and I am thankful for all of the ups and downs we have had. Thanks so much for coming to visit me when I was in Wyoming. Especially taking care of my dumb drunk ass that one night. HAHAHA! Good times. Vegas will be waiting for us when I get back. You better be ready!!

Mama Jo- My life has been truly blessed by having you as a mentor, teacher, and friend. You are such a big part of my inspiration and I feel honored to have passed through your classroom. I am so appreciative because you have been there for me so much since I lost grandma. Even through your words of encouragement, I know that everything will be ok. Thank you for your understanding and support. May God continue to bless you and your family.

Mom and Dad- Everything I have to say would be too personal to print here. Thank you for everything these past 4 months. Hang in there dad. There is a great job out there for you and your time will come. Mom, try to chill out. Don't get too stressed. Life is what we make it. Do what you want to do that will make you happy. Take a painting class, go back for your doctorate. Do something for you!!

Sheena and Chris- It was a huge blessing for me to be able to help ya'll plan your wedding. I had one of the best times of my life. Chris, you are such an incredible match for Sheena and I am so thankful you both have found each other. Sheena, the years have flown by and through our ups and downs I love you for you. It is so true what that jewelry box you got me says. "God made us sisters, but our hearts made us friends". Now both of you: MAKE ME AN AUNT BY THE TIME I COME HOME! Hahaha.

Ann Marie- Dear little girl, I know you have a hard time being so far apart in age from your two big sisters. I know you struggle with stuff in school whether you want to admit it or not. Just hang in there. These are the good years of your life. Enjoy them and work hard because it will help you become a better person. Seek God even if you think you have the answer to all your problems. You might be suprised by what you learn. I love ya.

Grandma and Larry- Thank you for everything. Thanks for coming over tonight before I leave. Grandma your note was very special. Of course I will keep in touch and I can't wait to see you when I get back home. Please keep me in your prayers.

Aunt Sandy and Uncle Bill- Aunt Sandy...what can I say. Sometimes your worse than my own mom. Haha! And I mean that in a completely loving way. Thank you for the excellent example of a Christian woman that you are. Thank you for your insight, wisdom, encouragement, and ability to tell the truth even when I don't want to hear it. Thank you for keeping me informed on all that is going on in the world. Keep me in your prayers. Uncle Bill, enjoy the golfing this next year. I'll be back before we all know it.

Time to Pack

UGH! Whoever said packing was easy, they do not know what they were talking about. Ok, in my defense I have all of my laundry completed and folded, have all my toiletries in ziploc bags to go, and have packed into storage bins what I cannot take with me. However, yesterday I went to open up one of my suitcases to start packing and I hyperventilated. Me! Of all people! I think my nerves are really setting in now. I'm excited and yet completely nervous about what awaits me in the next year of my life. I have not done anything today with regards to packing. I have basically two days left.....why am I not packing? It seems like such an easy thing to do, and it makes everything so final! I do appreciate receiving phone calls from Lorrie and from Craig today. You definitely helped me in my procrastination phase this afternoon. Haha! Love you guys! Ok, well enough blogging for now. Look out for my blog I will be posting on Thursday night before I leave. It will include special messages for friends and family. Love you all and thanks for the support thus far. God bless!

T Minus 5 days

Hello to everyone! Welcome to my official blog. My online life journal about everything going on with me over the course of the next year. Feel free to drop by anytime to read posts, check out pictures from my travels, or just drop a comment to say hello. It's official! I leave for Seoul, South Korea on Friday, February 13, 2009. (I know, sigh, two days before the Daytona 500) Have no fear fellow NASCAR fanatics, I have been told there are bars I can watch the races at, alas, it may mean watching them in a bar on Monday's at 8am in the morning but I will watch them.
I decided to go to South Korea to teach ESL for many reasons. For those who don't know my background very well, I have a bachelors degree from Arizona State University in Education with an emphasis on English. I graduated back in December of 2007. Only decided recently to start teaching, however, due to the U.S. economic crisis we are in most school districts are on a hiring freeze and/or are firing current teachers. Thus, I was on craigslist one day and saw an ad asking people to come to South Korea to teach English. My interest was peaked so I decided to do some research online. I found a recruiting company that has been wonderful to me! I found an exciting new school (new being around for 3 years now) and will be the only foreign teacher at the school (everyone else is Korean, though there is one Korean American).
Anyways, after all the interviews, paperwork, and such it is finally official. No more living with my parents (love you mom and dad, but I know it was temporary. I mean come on, I did sleep on the floor for the past 4 months!haha!), no more working at the grocery store for some extra income, no more bingo nights (I'm sad to Mary!), and no more spending time with family and friends here. I'm not saying I won't miss those things, but I am on my way to a brand new adventure. One that I have prayed about for a long time and one that I am going into with my eyes and my heart wide open. Please join me on this adventure in my life as I explore my new home. My new Seoul. South Korea.