Greetings!

Well I've done it folks... i've crossed over into the final month of my time in Korea. And I just realized i've been mistaken on my time left. All weekend i've been telling folks that i have 6 weeks left- i don't! I ONLY HAVE 4 WEEKS!! That is crazy.

But before i go on ranting about my time left, let me recap this last month.

If you didn't know i got to travel home a few weeks ago to visit my family and friends, and most of my November was spent counting down the days! As much as i tried to stay present in Korea, the longing to be home and the closeness of that actually happening was a little much some days. You can ask my coworkers. I'm sure my ridiculous countdowns got a little tedious. Home came and went and it was delightful! I got to spend some time with my family, catch up with dear friends and celebrate the marriage of a dear sister. It was amazing. Just the reboot and refill i needed to return and finish strong.

I've actually been told that i look better now than i did before i left. (I must have really needed a vacation!)

Tensions have been pretty high in Korea the past few weeks. The associated press reports as if war is imminent, yet things on the Korean front are rather commonplace-- with the exception of a few people that is. A few Korean friends and coworkers talk more heatedly about the most recent attack, however no one really considers the idea of an all out war. Being home didn't help. I sat on a balancing act of media hype, social passivism and reality. Needlesstosay, I returned to Korea after my short vacation and well, as expected, life continues as normal here. Admittedly, I was checking CNN daily for almost two weeks straight, but deep down i didn't really expect anything to happen. I still don't.

For the first time ever, i worked on Thanksgiving! For the most part it felt like any other day. Which was a little sad- and something i hope not to repeat again. But we celebrated in full steam the weekend before and rocked a traditional Thanksgiving meal like only expats can do in Korea! No cranberry sauce, or turkey, but it was rounded out nicely with some stuffing, mashed potatoes/gravy, pumpkin pie, and some good wine! I also roasted my first chicken, and that was an adventure. I gutted, cleaned, rubbed down and roasted the little guy. Yes, i am a vegetarian. And yes, that is a neck bone. It was SICK. But i guess it came out pretty tasty.

The lovely clan in my little apartment.

Success.

I spent the last part of November in the states! And it was, again, amazing! Too much to detail right now. Awesome will have to suffice.

I left the California sun and arrived back in Korea to a week of snow! It dumped for two days last week... and stuck! I walked into one class one afternoon with all my little ones up on the window sill. I had to grab my phone to take a picture! I love this class!

Alice. Lisa. Suzie. Hannah. Jinny. Sam

Snow from my office window.

Now i find myself halfway through December with only 12 days till Christmas! Time is flying by! Christmas will be undeniably different, but i am excited to spend Christmas with my friends here! I am convinced that if my expectations are for something new- i will not be disappointed. I will most definitely be missing my family... but celebrating Jesus and his coming to be with us can happen in any and every corner of the world!

Even in my apartment! : )

So now i'm looking forward. Christmas Eve is next. I'll be "working". But, I plan to read the Christmas Story to my kids! Christmas day will be spent with friends! A new teacher shall be joining us the following week. And we plan to rock New Years Eve like only one can do in Seoul! As my dear friend D would say-- it's best! And then we'll break into 2011. Can you believe it? Me either.

There you have it friends! Month 11 was great and the next few weeks promise good things as well! I'll leave the "end times" for another post!

Korea you're awesome. We shall live it up this month!

More to come soon!
-s

Greetings!

Hello there from the other side of 10 months! It is November 15th. This time two months from now, if all goes as planned, i'll have finished my contract in Korea and will be packing for Thailand. (whoot!) Fear not friends, tis only for a short trip!

But awesome nonetheless!

But, right now I am sitting at my desk. It is Monday. And well, we'll just leave it at that. Monday are Mondays-- even when you work in Korea. Though sometimes Mondays seems far more taxing here than ever before.

Two things i have confirmed about myself at work today:

1. I value effective communication. I'll even lower the bar to just "communication". I value communication. Any communication. Even sucky communication at this point.

2. Working in Korea has increased my job place marketability. (If i can work here, i am convinced i can work anywhere.)

And that was just in the first hour of work! I know. It's impressive. You should see me on a good day.

Well, this past month has been a full one! And a Fall one! It's been beautiful outside! The leaves have changed colors and fallen, and I do believe we're coming to the end of it. The trees are nearly naked and it's officially COLD. Like cold cold. It's 43 degrees today. Though far more convincingly cold in Celsius. 6 degrees folks. That's cold! And somehow i forgot my jacket yesterday when i went to church. Yea, it was cold.

A few highlights from my month:

Got together with my lovely Nepal team! It was fantastic! They are fantastic and well... so was Nepal even a few months later.

Spent a Saturday night with some sista at the Seoul Lantern Festival. It was beautiful, and a great nite out with some lovely ladies!

Look at all the people!

Beautiful, eh?

Obama graced Korea last week and my kids were pretty stoked about it. It's been a big year for Korea, and a pretty good one to have spent here. 2010 Olympic Champion Kim Yuna- whose hometown is my very own Gunpo. World Cup- in which they did awesome and put on a fan show like no other. Formula One Racing made it's way to Korea and flopped miserably. Lastly, the G20 Summit- the world's leading powers literally miles from one of the most hostile borders in the world. Good stuff right there, and kind of crazy to think about!

Well that was last month. How about this coming month?

Awesomeness. Pure awesomeness. This weekend is "Thanksgiving Feastivies" at my house. We are making and enjoying a feast like no other. I will be attempting my first convection oven roasted chicken. (Wish me luck.) Our feast will be nothing short of a legit American Thanksgiving, with a few additives- kimchijeon and rumor of sweet and sour chicken. The joys of having Chinese and Korean friends! : )

Shortly thereafter, i'm headed home to celebrate the marriage of a dear sista and to spend some time with my loved ones! I'll be rocking a legit Thanksgiving feast with my AWESOME and dearly missed family who postponed the festivities a few days for me to arrive!! I plan to eat. Stare at the ones i love. Hug and re-hug them all. Soak in the California heat. Hold my sweet Nunkin's hand. And well, finally meet and fall asleep with my Sweet Tae on my chest. It really is the small things that will make my heart happy! I'll then head down to spend some time with my dear sistas... ahh... and watch one of 'em walk down the aisle! :) Life is sweet and the people who fill mine are amazing. I am truly blessed... and SO thankful!

Christmas and New Years follow closely behind my arrival back in Korea and well... i love them both! So, there shall be much celebrating! We'll be welcoming a new teacher to take over my job, and then I'll be preparing to head home. It's rather amazing how this place feels so much like home. Some people here have become like family to me. My church. My friends. My kiddos. While i am definitely ready to be home, I am going to miss many things about my life in Korea. But, we'll save that list for a future Greeting.

There we have it! Month 10 was a good one! Month 11 is looking promising... and well Month 12 is party time!

How about a few pictures from this time last year? Ok.

This seems like SOO long ago!

This seems like a LONG LONG time ago!

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

Greetings!

Hello there!

I was kindly reminded by my lovely Madre this morning that it has been a while since my last post! I have been waiting to cross over the 13th, and in doing so, realize i haven't written in almost 2 weeks. My apologies!

I can, now, officially, say i've been in Korea for more than 7 months! Friday, August 13th marked my 7th month and like i write, and sincerely mean, in each Greeting, i really can't believe it! My days fly by here, and well before i know it, it's friday. Another week down! I am constantly reminded that my time here is short! My sista Kel's last day was Friday and my other sistas D and Kati will be following suit next Friday! It's crazy! When i arrived in Korea they were pushing their 5/6 month mark. Well, friends, I'm well over that!

This morning I woke up to a cloudy morning which quickly turned into a crazy thunderstorm. But, fear not, it dried up as quick at it came on, and the sun is pushing to get out as i type! We've entered Typhoon season and i have one thing to say about that: BOO FACE! I HATE RAIN. Folks who know me well know that full well! Yea, that's all i have to say about that one. I am counting down the days until fall, which some folks say will make an appearance in mid-September! PRAISE BE! Folks who know me well, will also know that it is around then my itching to live in a brick fashioned town where leaves fall, jazz plays and it smells continuously of spice sneaks up. It is then i force myself upon mother nature and rock my scarves and flats regardless of temperature. Oh, how i love fall! I delightfully learned that even Koreans like Starbucks Gingerbread Lattes. CAN I GET A "PRAISE BE"?

Don't mind if i do!

But i digress.

This last month was quite eventful! I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I went to Pentaport Rock Festival with MountainChild, which was awesome! My sista Amy left Korea and we welcomed new sista Sheila to the team! We also enjoyed a nice vacation from school for a few days! Four of us, Kel, James, Becks and myself, made our way to Busan, and it was fantastic!! Read below for the full update! We enjoyed 4 days in the sun, eating good food, and doing a whole lot of nothing! What we did do was relax, and it was much needed!

Birthday Dinner at Yeti. An awesome Nepali restaurant in Hongdae.

I not really sure where July went, but August snuck up on me, and it's started off pretty well! My brother face celebrated his 17th birthday, my sista Kel celebrated her 21st, my bestest friend celebrated her 24th, and well i thank Jesus again for Skype! What would i do without it!

August is moving along just nicely, and some pretty cool things are happening! I just returned today from a small recording job. I sound cool, right? Recording gig? Never thought i'd have a future in that, but at the price i was paid today, it might be worth considering. 150,000 won (150 bucks) for two and a half hours of reading English vocabulary words. Umm... twist my arm. Let me pray about it. I'll get back to you. UH... COUNT ME IN! Two cool things came from that gig. Two pretty awesome Korean guys who are looking to make it rich in the English business who have money to pay me. First project, an iPhone English Flashcard App. They pay me for my voice. Next project, an audio Bible. Do they love Jesus? Negatory. Do they read the Bible? Negatory. Will it make them money in China? Most certainly. To do so, they need someone to read the Bible in English. Why, count me in Sir! "Sure, i'll read the Bible to you for a few hours." It never returns void. Wa wa wa.

Let's see, funny stories from this week.
I was teaching one of my Elementary classes this week about "towards and away from". I actioned by walking towards the door, " Students, i am walking ______ the door." Unanimously, "towards!" Yes students, I am walking towards the door. In kind, to teach the opposite, I proceeded to walk backwards, "Students, I am walking ______ from the door." Silence... and then one sweet, sweet voice. "Moonwalking!" Yes students, i am moonwalking! Shall we take a moment of silence? Oh, how I love my job!

I also learned from my tutoring student JiYun that Korea is home to a liger. Yup, that's right Napoleon, only in Korea, for your viewing pleasures! I think i'll have to add that to my "To-Do List". Um, Liger? Really? It's home is Everland, so when I visit to ride the Asia's largest wooden roller coaster (the World's steepest), I'll have to check out the zoo.

Well, that is my update friends! This month promise some good times! Rumor has it i might have an opportunity to attend Ignite 1040, a missions conference in Seoul, with MountainChild. Which would be fantastic! Have i told you i really like them? I do. Also, team meetings start up next weekend for my trip, which i think will hasten the weeks until i leave for Nepal! Continue to pray for me if you will, and for the folks who i will be meeting in Nepal! God is moving... and i want to just step into it!

Love you all! (Except the randos who follow my blog! But thanks for reading!) I promise to keep things more recent!

-Sarah, Potts, Pottsie, Capa, Pat

Greetings!

Greetings!

It's 9:45 am, June 7th, and I think it's safe to say summer is here. My windows are open, the fan is blowing, and i'm sitting here, basically inactive, sweating up a storm. So unfortunate. But, until the humidity swamps over, I just can't bring myself to turn on my air conditioner yet. I'm from the desert- i got this!

Much has happened since my last greeting. I'm pushing 5 months in Korea, and life is good! I'll break my update into a few categories to make this greeting more organized.

School
Work is good. Though the past few weeks have provided moments and days of pure chaos, for the most part, my job remains the same and i'm still enjoying it. I am really enjoying my writing classes. In one of my middle school classes, i was teaching them how to write "How-to" or procedural essays. I told them to pick anything. Serious. Funny. Crazy. Boring. Whatever they wanted to write about, WRITE ABOUT IT. (And like it!) One of my favorite students wrote: "How to Blink". And let me tell you, it was a brilliantly written, hilariously funny essay that just made me smile! Writing is fun... and i hope my kids are learning that!
Excerpts to come soon.

Travel
I have taken a few small trips since my last greeting.
The Lotus Lantern Festival was great! I missed the parade, but got to see some of them on the river at night, which was beautiful .

Kelly, Nick, Steph, Ames, and Me

Over the weekend of Buddha's birthday, the ladies and I traveled to Gyeongju. It was a great, horribly less than ideal trip, but much needed trip out of Seoul. Check out my blog below for the full story! I also attended my second baseball game, and like the first, it was awesome. I like to say im an official Doosan Bears Fan. Korean sporting events are just fantastic, and for 5,000W... you can't pass it up. I also made my way to the Korea- Ecuador soccer game! Which was also awesome. Korea likes soccer. Again, check out the post below for a more complete story.

World Cup
Speaking of sports, the World Cup starts this weekend, and unlike the good USofA, soccer is a big deal in Korea. And when i say big, i mean MASSIVE. This weekend is a major game: Korea vs. Greece. Thousands of people will be flocking to the center of Seoul to watch the game in one large, red sea of fans. It's going to be awesome, and undoubtedly overwhelming. But, not something to miss out on. More to come on that soon, but it's going to be awesome.

Life
I recently applied for a Glimpse Correspondent position. If chosen, i'll embark on a 10 week endeavor this fall to write and produce features for the online magazine www.glimpse.org. In doing so, i'll have access to journalists from whom i'll learn the art of travel writing.
Ah! I get excited thinking about the possibility.

Upcoming
A lot is coming up. I'm pushing my 6 month mark and the summertime is promising a lot of awesomeness.

• DMZ Tour. There is rumor that they might shut it down if tensions continue, and I will be horribly disappointed if miss it.

• 23. Whoot! My birthday is coming up, and i'm going to rock it Korean style.

• Mud Festival. Summer time. Mud. Awesome.

• Summer Break. Last weekend of July, we're hoping to make it down to Busan for a long weekend on the beach in a new place. Ahh... just delight to my heart.

• Thailand at some point in my tenure to visit a good friend!!

Good things are to come this summer! The awesome team of foreign teachers I work with will be turning over this summer too... which is sad. So so sad. They're awesome and I will miss them dearly, but, it's also exciting knowing that new folks are on their way, and new things are to come.

If there is anything I've learned about life, it's that things change. Sometimes things change in big ways. But, God is good. Life is made up of choices. And life is a awesome adventure! Even more so when you're living in a foreign country!

Blessings to you all!
sarah, capa, potts, pottsie

Things to look forward to

• Taste Test: The Korean Sausage Phenomenon.
• Meet the Kiddos: Want to meet my students?
  

Greetings!

Hello there friends and family!

Tomorrow is the first day of May. Which makes today the last day of my third full month in Korea. Therefore, perfectly fitting for another update. It's been a few weeks anyway! I think I write this every time, but I really can't believe I've been for for as long as I have. It's really quite crazy. Just to reiterate.

I will start with most recent news first. Yesterday started off wonderful, talked to my best friend, enjoyed a nice conversation session my tutor-ee, Kyeong Min, and then I headed home for a quick bite to eat. Sadly I must share that my apple and peanut butter got the best of me. I quickly finished my lunch when i realized my back tooth had broken. Needless to say the past two days have consisted of two appointments, one root canal threat, a temporary cap, and a future capping ceremony. Lame right? Yea, I don't get worked up over much of anything. Most things ic an take in stride... however I can confidently say I hate the dentist. They hate me too. I didn't think I needed to confirm it on Korean soil, but what do I know?
Two things I can confirm from this experience:

1. I still hate the dentist. No normal human could enjoy the sound of drilling in your head and the taste of metal in your mouth.
2. If dentistry can even qualify for being rank-able, Korean dentistry trumps American dentistry ten fold. 6$ for an x-ray. 50$ for a capping procedure. Yea... not optimal, but pretty outstanding considering that is without insurance. I can confidently say that after an hour of pretty intensive work I sit here with no pain. Impressive. (Don't get ahead of yourself though, I still hate you.)
   

Since writing, I have not just become owner of a new tooth, I also became, for the second time around, the proud sister and auntie to another beautiful girl, Taelyn Elice. She is beautiful. I will, again, shower Skype with piles of accolades because meeting her screen to screen was priceless. Literally. I am so thankful. Don't get my wrong though, I count down the days to hold that sweet thing with my non-virtual arms! Oh man. Moving on.

Some awesome highlights of my last few weeks:

• Saw Nanta, an internationally recognized Korean production where cooking meets Stomp somewhere between a Korean drama and the reject skits of SNL.
  
• Visited a local brewery and enjoyed a BBQ that felt a little like summer and being home. Minus the country music, but i'll take what i can get.
  
• Went to a free rock climbing clinic and enjoyed a great morning killing my arms and learning some new technique.
• Had my first blog published on the Adventure Teaching Travel Blog, which was both encouraging and exciting! Hopefully more to come with that!
  

Work has been great! My middle school students have been taking their "big tests" and have not been attending academy. Which is nice for me (and for them too I'd assume, unless they really like me, but I doubt it.) Most days the past week I've had my last 2/3 classes canceled. Next week will look similar. May 5th is Children's Day, and students don't have school that day. Our academy will be celebrating them the entire week. Which means movie and munchies for them... and little or no prep for us! Awesome.

I think May will fly bye. The third weekend of May is a three day weekend and we're headed to Gyeounju for a few days of touring and relaxing. Which is going to be AWESOME. The weather is also starting to warm up, so i am anticipating much out-age and exploring this month! My heart will also be back home this month. My cousins will be graduating from high school. My roommates and dear sisters will be graduating from Biola and my Madre will be celebrating Mother's Day.

Again, moving on before my heart gets real sad.

So there it is friends! I am doing well. Life in Korea is chugging along in full steam and I really am enjoying it! I miss my family and friends terribly... but hey... im 1/3 of the way done! : )

God is good. Life is sweet and i am terribly blessed!
Blessings to you all!
-sarah, capa, potts, pottsie,