"I've been to a roof..."

"I've Been to a Roof..."

Check out my story here!

Reunion.

The team. Minus Pastor Jack. Sarai. Scott. And our Nepali/MC friends. ;)

Last Saturday my Nepal team and i met up in Seoul to reconnect after our trip! It was a great night. We met at my favorite Nepali restaurant, Durga (Jonggak Station. Exit 4). Near City Hall area, a short jog to Insa-dong and about two minutes from Cheonggyechong river. Really a great location for a great night! I was reminded upon exiting the subway that this was where i ventured on my first adventure in Korea. It seemed so long ago. But, I guess it kind of was... 9 months? Dang. That's a long time.

Anyway, back to our night.

We had a great time talking, reminiscing and enjoying some great food. Hard to believe we've been back for over a month! Man, time flies! I am once again convinced that the work of God is full of joy! What did he say... "I came that you may have life and have it abundantly!"? Whoot to that for sure! Fellowship with the Church about things that matter for his Kingdom... that makes for a good dinner party!

The food wasn't too bad either!

It was such a lovely night!

Happy Fall!

Fall has blown in, and i'm soaking it up! Some friends spent Saturday afternoon in the Seoul Forest. While it was far more park then lush forest, it was still lovely!

See... all smiles!

Ice cream in the "forest".

Happy Fall friends!

20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words from Around the World

I think i could add "namogi" to the list! Best translated, "namogi" is an elaborate system of quick word-writing punishment for Korean students who fail a vocabulary test. They've really mastered the art of it, and have also master the art of sneaking in as many words as possible in my class while my attention is elsewhere. Sneaky buggers i tell you!

However, there is debate and uncertainty whether the word is a noun... like "I gave her sentences to write." or "She has sentences." Or a verb, being the act of punishment itself: "You are namogi." as in "You are in trouble."

hmm... the big life questions i tell you. Until i find the answer i will continue to correct them.

Miss Sarah: "You are namogie?" As i draw a picture of a human piece of paper with words written on it. "No, my dear, you're not namogi. You HAVE namogi. And PUT IT AWAY before i throw you out the window."

Hello my name is Sarah, and i am an ESL teacher.

20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words from Around the World thanks to Matador Networks.

Please Pray!!

Friends i met in Nepal, who are working for MountainChild, are with this little girl and her mom! They wrote a blog about her surgery and experience in Kathmandu, Nepal. This was the little girls first time in Kathamandu. Her mothers second. Their first ride in a car... and well, no one speaks their language. Except the 12 year old brother!

Please continue to pray for her and her family! God is good! And a trusted Healer... he is able to do big things!

Scott and Sarai: Surgery In Nepal

Greetings!

I've been in Korea for 9 months!

Crazy. Just plain crazy.

This past month has been a small whirlwind. For those of you following this blogy blog closely... i went to Nepal. It was, in short, AMAZING. So amazing. Sometimes i briefly forget of my travels, but my iPhoto kindly reminds me that, yes, i did indeed travel to Nepal. And yes, it was indeed crazy awesome! Too awesome and long to talk about in this short greeting! But nonetheless life changing in the most awesome-est of ways!

See below posts, and come back again, for more deets.

Right now i am sitting at work and watching the live coverage of the Chile mine rescue. My classes are finished for tonight, and well im hooked! I've been watching all day! So amazing to think about, right? These miners have been a half a mile underground for over two months. Another group of men have been working around the clock to free them! They created a brilliant plan to drill through the earth, and have made a space ship to hoist those miners the half a mile up and out of the earth. That is crazy to me! I was shocked at my first glimpses of the "Pheonix" (the spaceship). That sucka is tiny! My borderline claustrophobia would have me doing panic circles in the cave. Can you imagine being in a cage less than 2 feet in diameter with your arms crossed over your chest, in a shoot of solid rock? The very same rock that collapsed on you a few months prior. Holy heck. Gets me all anxious just thinking about it. But, again, that is besides the point. The men are making their way out one by one... and it's just AWESOME!

Anyway, since this blog is about my time in Korea, i will switch topics. Though that is a little difficult considering i am so ready to be home! I'm not sick and tired of Korea, just ready to be home. You know? I bought my place ticket home for Thanksgiving yesterday, I pretty sure that is contributing to the problem!

Make this attempt two to switch topics.

Fall has wonderfully arrived in Korea! The air is crisp, the boots are out and my neck is decked with scarfage! I am one happy girl! My plan this weekend is to get out of the city and see some foliage! I'm holding out for a Gingerbread latte, but from the looks of it, i think rumors of such deliciousness are false. Anyway, my plan this month (and as long as fall allows) is to find the beautiful places in Korea! :) I think Soraksan and Bukhansan are on the list.

Hmm... what else is new. I got a new couch. It's awesome and pretty dang comfy. I found new running shoes. They're awesome and bright orange. And I baked a pumpkin, and it too was awesome and bright orange! Awesomeness all around!

I guess when you hit nine months, things feel rather "normal". That is, unless you're pregnant. Nine months at that point would be a mix of back pain, diapers, and the weight of looming responsibility for a little one. All of which i don't have, which is nice. And i guess nine months underground wouldn't be all that normal either. But, life in Korea is rather normal at the moment! Which is good!

So, before i keep rambling on just about nothing... how about a few pictures.

My home! And my new couch!

My house take two!

The new kicks.

The curried black bean stuffed baked pumpkin.

Well there you have it folks! Greetings from Fall in Korea! My apologies for the less than exciting update!

But, know i love you! At least those of you who i know!
-s

The Realities are Harsh.

Please pray for this little girl.

Tsering Sangmo is a beautiful little girl from Nupri. Her brother is at the MountainChild Ranch in Kathmandu. A few months ago the staff became aware that she had contracted a small eye infection. One treatable with simple eye drops. With no immediate medical attention available and the ill treatment of a local witch doctor, the infection got worse and the treatments of this local doctor--hot water- have left her face mared.

After hearing about the worsened condition of this little girl, the MC staff instructed that the little girl be brought down from the village. It took a few weeks to reach the Ranch.

Here she sits in Kathmandu. She is undergoing surgery in Nepal today. Please pray for her! Pray for guided hands and a quick healing!

5 Core Issues in the Himalayas.

1. Health Care.

2. Education

3. Sex Trafficking

3. Child Labor

4. Environment

The realities are at times harsh... but God is still good! His provisions through MC are allowing this little girl to receive treatment. And by his grace, she will grow up knowing that he is the great Healer!

Visit MountainChild.org for more information!

"We're on a Bridge!"

We climbed down one mountain. To cross a river and make our way up the next. It was BEAUTIFUL. And the bridge was pretty dang awesome too!

One way down. And well... one -reasonable- way across a river. We checked out the construction date and decided it was safe. : )

Awesome. Here we go!

Too awesome to not shoot a short video.

Forgive the horrendous face. Day 3 of no shower.

Lyrics for Thought:

"Standing on a bridge, watch the water passing under.

It must've been much harder when there was no bridge just water!" -DMB

First Night.

This was our first night in the villages. This village was run in a strange, almost Communist like way. All visiters were greeted and taken to a particular house to stay at, in order to spread out the wealth and i guess burden of house guests. We didn't pay each house or place for what we ate or drank or for even our beds, but rather we paid the Community Tourism Board-- actually the village leader guy. There was a village "menu"-- a literal menu. Laminated and all! On it had everything from the food available and bed prices, to the different cultural experiences available. Goods and experiences brought to us by the community as a whole. There was one "co-op" of sorts in the center of the village where the food was.

A little strange. But it seemed to be working!

Anyway, before we left the next morning we took a walk to their tea fields and to the "village look-out point". It was pretty spectacular!

The blue building in this video is the school.

Awesome.

This is where we stayed!


Our beds. Someone's personal space converted into a guest room... for 4 of us! : )

Nepal.

I hit the ground running this week!

After almost 24 hours of travel, our team safely landed in Seoul. 6:30am Monday morning. Nothing like a redeye to start off your week! I arrived in my apartment around 10:30 and felt as if I had been gone for months.

(Fall did arrive while i was gone! Awesome! But that's besides the point!)

This time warp of sorts makes sense though. The more i talk about my trip, i am reminded of everything that i saw and the short time in which i took it all in. Kind of crazy. This week has been a hodgepodge of keeping my heart and mind on Nepal and all that happened, while attempting to catch up on sleep, catch people up on Nepal, and get back in the groove of working. I've also been waiting and trying to formulate a way to write about my trip to Nepal, because im not really sure how to share it all!

Here goes nothing.

How's that for a draw?Let me start by saying Nepal was AWESOME. And this how i plan to share about all the awesomeness. It's simple. I'm going to write about it. No systematic way... just stories and pictures, and thoughts about my trip and the future involvement with MountainChild. So come back! : )

See below for the first of it!

First Thoughts

We arrived in Kathmandu Sunday afternoon and two things immediately caught my attention. First, i felt as if i had landed in a city halted in mid-development. This was evident upon arriving at the airport. We landed and walked across the tarmac into an airport which both smelt and resembled the interior of an attic. Cobwebs and all. The airport attendants hand wrote and processed all of our customs and visa forms. Forming a line which would take hours to process. That says something. I think that says a lot of about the development of the country.

The Kathmandu Airport

After customs and baggage claims, we joined the Nepali MountainChild staff, loaded into vans, and headed across the city. What a city! Cars. Motorcycles. People. Monkeys. Music. Colors. Honking. Stares. It was borderline sensory overload. And again, in the midst of the slight chaos, the lacking development really caught me off guard. I have never traveled to a developing nation, and well, it was unlike anything i've ever seen. Dilapidated buildings. Trash strewn streets. Frantic power lines. Shoeless kids playing in dirty places. Grazing animals-- in the middle of the city! Foreign temples and monuments covered in people. Yet, in the middle of it all, a veiled beauty i can't really put my finger on. The people their lives in the midst of this all, was beautiful.

The streets of Kathmandu.

The building of Kathmandu.

So while Nepal is underdeveloped in so many ways, it is rich! There's something so beautiful in the culture, history and beauty of it all!

One of the major questions i left Nepal with was this:

Do i see the poverty in Nepal "bad" because it is poorer and more underdeveloped than everything i know or have seen, or do i find it "bad" because essentially the lack of development (medical, educational, and environmental) is detrimental to the life of those living in it?

Do Nepali people want to develop their country? Do they desire to have it look and function like more advanced countries? Are they happy with how things are?

I am confident that there are essential needs that need to be met in Nepal that are inhibited in part due to underdevelopment. It is unacceptable that 1/2 the children in Nepal will die, primarily in lack of clean water, before the age of 8. That us unacceptable for any country. The sex and forced labor trade is also unacceptable. So is the lack of medical aid and proper education.

The hard part is addressing these needs, encouraging localized stability, without imposing modernation. There's something beautiful in the tradition and simplicity i saw!