Orientation: Day Uno

I’ve been here a week and it’s already time to do laundry!  Easier said then done!  So, it takes about 3 hours to do one full load of laundry.  The washer and dryer is all one machine.  I started last night and only got one load done!  I was able to finish it up today, but man this is going to be a chore!

I had my first day of Orientation today.  There are 3 other new teachers starting this month as well.  We had to start off my going to the hospital and getting a minor check-up.  They did all the basics and then we had to pee in a cup.  It wasn’t just any cup though, it was a paper ‘Hello Kitty’ cup!  They had written our names on the outside of the cup in Korean, so that part was pretty cool!  Of course, I had to take a picture of that experience!

We were taken to lunch at a very nice restaurant today.  I have to remember to through socks in my bag b/c we had to remove our shoes.  We sat on the ground again and it was very authentic!  This time I got some pictures!  The food was pretty good.  I tried Kim-chi again.  This time it was cucumbers and I actually could handle it.  It was a little spicy, but good.  It was funny b/c they brought out all of these vegetables and other side dishes.  We ate and thought that was all, but then they came out 3 more times with more food!  It was a lot of food… it felt like a feast!  It was a neat experience though!  I’ll be so cultured when I get back home! Ha!

After our orientation I walked around campus with 2 of the other new teachers.  It was very comforting b/c we were able to share with each other some our anxieties and also what we were looking forward to!  As we were walking we also found a park on campus and they have workout equipment there.  Not your typical stuff, very Asian, but pretty cool I think!  The 3 of us then went to dinner and just got to know each other better.  We had genuine conversation and I have been yearning for that!  It’s so hard when all you hear is Korean all day! 

I’m starting to get more acclimated with the city.  I’m also realizing how important my alone time is to refuel!  Tonight I decided to hang out by myself b/c I hadn’t been alone all day!  I went for a run down at this park/track by the University.  There were all these family and kids walking and riding bikes.  Korean kids will melt your heart with their cuteness… oh I love it!  Then, when I was walking home there was a little boy about the same age as Brenlie and Darby and he just looked up at me and stopped.  I said ‘Hi’ and he got this big smile and started laughing!  It was the cutest thing!  It made me totally miss all my kiddos at home though! 

The weather was beautiful here today!  It’s hot during the day, but then at night it really cools off.  I like it!  I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!  It’s time like this that I miss being with my family! 

Oh, I forgot one more funny story from China.  We were riding a bus and the driver kept jerking on the clutch an Joel was like this guy can’t drive.  I looked up to see what was going on and I realized the bus driver was texting!!  Are you kidding me, a bus full of people and you are texting?!?

Enjoy some pictures! 

My staple food - Kim Bop:

The workout equipment we found:
My Orientation Group:
Our Feast:
Our food choices for today:






'Rebecca' in Korean:

Life Lessons All Around

Oh traveling in a foreign country… what fun that can be!  My flight was scheduled to leave Beijing at 5.55pm.  J & A took off early in the morning, so I decided to try and catch an earlier flight.  I attempted to make a simple phone call and ask if they had earlier flights available… yeah that didn’t go so well.  After being transferred to like 3 or 4 different people on the same airline (after I told them that this wasn’t even the airline I was flying) I decided to pack up and head to the airport.

Of course when I get there, there are no earlier flights.  It’s 10 am and my flight does not leave for anther 8 hours.  I hung out in Starbucks for most of those hours and read a book.  For a moment I felt like I was back in the states.  Starbucks has the same smell and feel no matter where you are… it’s your little piece of home!

You also cannot go into the terminal until 2 hours before your flight leaves, so I just had to wait out.  Waiting all of those hours really started to drain me.  I was already physically drained and then just waiting emotionally drained me.  I’m going to be honest, I did have my first break down since I have left.  Now break down is a strong word… it wasn’t that bad, I just can’t think of any other way to describe it.  I think it had a big part to do with the fact that I did not hear any English spoken all day and I wasn’t able to talk to anyone and I had a lot of time on my hands… all of those do not add up to a good combo! 

Not that I questioned coming over here, it was more a moment of ‘what the heck was I thinking?’  Let’s just say on this day God and I did a lot of talking.  I honestly had nothing else to do but start talking to Him.  I guess that’s one way to get through to me right… just don’t give me anyone else to talk to!  But, without skipping a beat, God showed me His faithfulness and gently reminded me that He is right here with me on this journey:

I was standing around waiting to check in and I noticed this girl who was also a Western.  We started making small talk and she asked me if I live in Seoul.  I told her no, but a city outside of Seoul and that I was teaching English.  She is actually a teacher in Seoul right now and she is getting ready to start her 12^th and final month here.  She was able to say a few statements that were very comforting to me.  She told me I will definitely have my up and down days throughout the whole process but it’s such an incredible experience!  Her few words definitely calmed my soul and I know it was God speaking through her to me.  I took a deep breathe and was reminded yet again that He knows exactly what I need when I need it!

That was a boost in my day!  We went through the terminal and sat down and waited for our flight.  I look at my watch and it’s 5.35 and we were supposed to board 15 minutes earlier.  Then I check my watch again and it’s 5.55, the time we were supposed to be leaving.  I checked it again and now it’s 6.15 and no one has said anything to let us know what’s going on.  Then, finally at 6.30 a bus pulls up and we all pile on and it takes us on about a 5 minute drive around the terminal outside.  We finally pull up to our plane, get off the bus and walk up the stairs to get on the plane.  It’s 7pm by the time we take off.

We get there, we unload, go through customs, all that fun stuff.  You haven’t experienced customs though until you experience it with Asians.  As soon as you step foot off the plane, it’s like one big race and people are running and telling people to hurry and pushing their way through.  You don’t want to get in their way that’s for sure.  We get to the baggage claim and we’re waiting for our bags.  I notice that there is a ‘Lost and Found’ sign right by the claim.  (Sidenote: On the original trip over to So. Korea, I forgot my CD case full of all of my favorite DVD’s and a few TV series DVD’s… 2 WHOLE seasons of Friends!!  I was stressing out majorly b/c a: that’s a LOT of money and b: what am I going to watch when I need a taste of home?  I didn’t tell anyone I left them though b/c it made me sick every time I thought about it so I didn’t want to talk about it!)  I figured, what the heck, let’s just go up and ask if maybe that might have it.  They asked me my flight number and I gave them my stub that I still had.  They looked it up on the computer and asked what it looked like.  My dad got it for me the night before I left and I couldn’t remember what it looked like.  I told them I think it was black and yellow with a bunch of DVD’s.  They looked through the inventory they had online and said yes, in fact they did!  I was beyond ecstatic!!  I went with the lady upstairs to the office and reclaimed it!  I was feeling good and was just ready to get on the bus and go home!

Man, I should know better then to get too comfortable with life!  So, I go downstairs to get on the AirBus.  The lady says ‘No more.’ And I was like what, what does that mean?!?  She just kept saying ‘no more’ and I realized she was telling me there were no more buses tonight!  I think I might have stopped breathing for a couple of seconds!  I had a moment of panic b/c I had no idea what to do.  I had the cell phone number of one of the other teachers so I thought I’d call her and see what I should do.  I don’t have a cell phone yet, so I was wondering around trying to find someone I could ask.  I found these 2 guys who worked at the airport and I asked if there was a phone I could use.  My face had this panic look on it and I felt that if I said too many words I might just have an emotional breakdown.  I think one of the guys noticed that too, so he just handed me his cell phone to use. 

I called Tracy and asked her what to do.  I hadn’t gone to the bank so I didn’t have enough won to get a taxi.  I debated whether to just stay in the airport over night and wait for the next bus that left at 6.30 am.  I figured I’d already spent all day in the airport, why not just make it a full 24 hours?!?  She said, no you can’t stay there, I’ll find you a way home.  She gave me the address to the University (which I had no clue what it was) and told me to get have a taxi bring me back and she would meet me at the entrance with money to pay the driver.  I thanked her over and over and by this time I’m just so emotionally drained that I have tears streaming down my face.  I hand the phone back to the guy and he just kind of looks at me and I know he’s thinking what is wrong with that weirdo (I know b/c I was thinking the same thing myself!)

The next task was to find a taxi driver that looked friendly.  I walked out to a line of taxi and saw a guy about my dad’s age and thought he looks nice as he smiled at me.  So, I gave him the address and 1 hour and 45 minutes later I arrived at KNU.  My total bill was 180,000 won, which is roughly about $180!  Tracy had called another girl, Brittany, at the dorms and she went around and helped collect money from some of the girls.  It truly was such a blessing to see this community who I just met come together and help me out like that!  All I could say was “Thank you Jesus!!!”  That situation could have been very bad!  I am so thankful for that experience though b/c it made me realize I am going to be fine and I can take on a lot!

This past week has been very humbling.  I feel like I am a pretty self-sufficient person!  I hate putting people out and asking them to have rearrange their schedules for me. This is exactly what I’ve been doing for the past week though!  The teachers just keep reassuring me though that they had to do the same thing and I will in return do this for someone else!  They buy me dinner and give me 90,000 won to go to the store.  I’ve had to learn to accept it b/c I literally have no other choice.  It is a great reminder of what true community is all about.  We need people around us to help us where we are lacking or to even simply to give us that look that says ‘I understand how you are feeling and I’m here to tell you it’ll get better.’  I feel sorry for those who have not experienced true community.  I believer this is what God intended by creating us and wiring us for relationships.  It’s also been a great reminder that our community does not have to be just like us and that variety is good.  We can learn a lot from others! 

I have already seen God’s fingerprint all over my experience thus far!  I’m barely beginning and He is so evident in every way!  I am so thankful to have this experience and I will try my hardest to not take one moment for granted!

China in a Glance

Our Hostel

Tiananmen Square

Summer's Palace

Olympic Village

Great Wall

Beijing 2008: At least that's what the signs EVERYWHERE said!

I had the opportunity to go to Beijing for a few days to see my great friends Joel & Amanda.  They are in China teaching at a University so we met in Beijing so we could see each other!

I stayed in my first Hostel ever!  It was way fun and I loved the atmosphere there.  It was super cute.  It was definitely different then a hotel room but it was good.  I felt a little out of place when I was carrying by big pink suitcase!  The typical Hostel occupant will be carrying an adventurous backpack… I kind of stood out!

I was a little nervous flying into China b/c you hear all these horror stories about how closed they are and how they don’t like Americans very much.  It wasn’t bad though.  One thing you need to know about Asian culture though is they don’t really have a concept of what a line is.  There is no waiting your turn, it’s survival of the quickest!  As soon as the plane stops everyone jumps up and starts pushing their way to the front.  There is absolutely no empty space.  So I jump up just like everyone else so I don’t get trampled.  Then an announcement comes on over the intercom (no idea what it is saying) and everyone starts going to seat (the first empty seat they saw, most of them were not their original seats!).  So I head to my seat and then some man comes on board and has a thermometer.  He starts putting them on random people’s foreheads.  He doesn’t say a word, just walks up and looks like he is going to shoot you in the head!  Then we got to get off the plane!

We went to Tiananmen Square when I first arrived.  I’m not real sure what the significance of this place was, but it was cool I guess.  It was a big open area and there were these guards everywhere.  Not real sure what their purpose was or what they were doing but it did make for some sweet pictures!

We went to the Silk Market.  There are no words to describe this experience.  Overwhelming does not even begin to describe it.  As soon as we walked in it was people trying to sell you things everywhere.  “Hey beautiful lady, you take a look inside at my  _______________ (insert whatever item they were trying to sell here).”  Oh my word I didn’t even want my eyes to wonder over something b/c they were like vultures ready to attack!  I did finally start bartering… which was very difficult for me… so not my personality!  I got UGGS for $20usd and Dolce & Gabbana bag for $8usd.  Not too bad if I do say so!

The coolest thing we did though was climb the Great Wall!  Let me tell you though I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself in to!  We pulled up after about a 2.5 hour trip and I see it and I’m like we are hiking up that?!?  When we were finished, I told Joel and Amanda that at the beginning of the hike I thought to myself there is no stinkin way I can do that!  That is going to be torture!!  It wasn’t by any means easy, but well worth the climb!  It was absolutely b-e-a-utiful!  The pictures I took do not even begin to give it the credit it deserves.  The weather was amazing and the sky was a bright blue!  There was a nice breeze from being so high up. 

There are these stairs that go straight up… literally!  You look up and you are like I’m supposed to walk up that?  Remember that Asians are rather small and they don’t have large feet so that was an experience all on it’s own.  You are pretty much walking on your tip-toes as you’re taking the steps.  Then there were these little rest spots (they were actually where the soldiers would sit and look out and make sure no one was trying to jump the walls and attack them).  They were shaded and cool and a nice break on the way up though!  Amanda and I liked to take lots of pictures (this was actually our cover for stopping half way up the stairs to take a break!!) on the way up.  It truly was such an accomplishment when we got to a high point to look down and see how far we had come!  This was the only time you were not completely surrounded my hundreds of people.  It was so peaceful!  Truly an incredible sight that I would recommend to everyone!  We had to be “those people” though and by the t-shirt that read ‘I climbed the Great Wall.’  Joel bartered for us though and got us 3 shirts for 30 Yuan (pronounced Qui-how weird is that), which is less than $1.50usd per shirt!  So worth it!

That night we headed over to the Olympic Village to check that out.  It was cool to say I’ve been there, but it was really just a bunch of buildings.  They looked cool though.  We saw the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube.  We also saw a National Arena, but not real sure what was in there… maybe gymnastics or basketball or something?!?  It’s so funny, they still had Beijing 2008 EVERYWHERE!  They are going to be riding that one for the next 10 years!  They tried selling us gold medals… we all laughed out loud on that one!

We also headed out to Summer’s Palace.  This was like a little community that was built with illegal funds by someone who was in some government position years ago.  I love that they have this place that was built illegally and it’s like a National Sight!  It was neat to see all the different Chinese architecture. 

They have this really cool community that I would compare to like Westport in KC.  It was sweet, but I didn’t really get to enjoy it that much b/c I had started to get sick from the food!  Oh the joys of eating new foods!

China was definitely different then I was expecting.  I enjoyed visiting and I’m glad that I did it!  A few little things that were different:

o   You do not flush the toilet paper.  You put it in the trashcan by the toilet.  They have ‘squaties’ for toilets.  Thankfully I never had to use one.  I’m not the best squatter… I don’t have the fondest memories of my attempts! J

o   Children don’t wear diapers.  They have slits in their pants.  When they have use the bathroom, they just squat right there in the street.  Saw a few baby’s bottoms!

o   You are like a celebrity there.  Everyone stares at you and talks about you… it’s the worse on the subway.  I had a couple girls talking about me and my freckles.  I don’t think they had ever seen them before.  They’ll come up to you and ask you to take a picture with them and they will try to secretly take pictures of you… they’re not too discreet though! 

o   People are always trying to sell you something!  We even had to barter a taxi once!

So, there was my China Trip in a nutshell!  Hope you enjoy some of my favorite photos!  I have many more that are on facebook!  I’m going to figure out an online place to store my photos too so those of you who do not have facebook can enjoy them all as well!

I'm Back

I know it’s been a few days since the last time I’ve updated!  I went to China for a few days and wasn’t able to blog.  I thought it would be a lot to try to write one post, so I’ve decided to break up the past few days into a couple of posts so it’s so overwhelming!!

I went to school with one of the teachers here to get a feel for what it will be like.  She is in an Elementary School like I will be.  The students cracked me up… they weren’t quite sure what to think with 2 foreigners in their room!  They would say hello and wave really quick and then start giggling with their friends.  You sort of feel like a minor famous person… you know like a news anchor or something!  I think I’m really going to enjoy it.  I’ll only have a class for 40 minutes so there will be a lot to do in that short time.  I’m so glad I got to visit her classroom though b/c it helped to get a visual of what it’s going to be like. 

It’s been fun just walking around and getting more acclimated with the city I’m in.  I was walking across campus and a student stopped me and said Hello.  I said hi back and we had a short conversation.  They say that will happen b/c they just want to practice their English with you. 

I also passed a group of students playing a game where they would stand behind a line and kick their shoes and see who can kick the farthest.  It was funny to see and there was a pretty big group gathering around to watch it. 

My body is still trying to get used to the whole time change.  The second morning I was here I woke up at 5.30 am and could not go back to sleep.  The third morning I woke up at 4.30 am and could not go back to sleep.  It’s like I hit a wall in the mid afternoon and I’m done for.  I truly feel like an infant.  Whenever I get into a motorized vehicle I automatically fall asleep.  I need a nap during the day and I have a bedtime.  When I’m hungry I get a bit cranky and sick feeling if I don’t eat soon. 
And then, I have to rely on other people to help me with things b/c I have no idea where anything is! 

I did find another food that I like.  It’s called Kim Bop.  It’s seaweed with rice and vegetables in the middle.  They are like California rolls in the states.  Love them… this will soon become one of my staple foods! 

I feel like I am adjusting well.  Things are quite a bit different, but a good different!

Scoping it out

Day 2: May 18

Today was my first official day in Cheonan City.  I woke up this morning and unpacked and tried to get settled.  I decided to be adventurous and check out the city by myself!  Well, it took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to get off campus!  I saw a lot of Korea Nazarene University (KNU) though.  It’s a nice campus with lots of new buildings.  They build up here though, so there are lots of buildings with multiple levels in them.  I went into ‘Family Mart,’ which is just like a convenient store to get my lunch.  I wasn’t brave enough to try a restaurant by myself b/c I had no idea about the food.  So, for lunch I had a bag of chips (they looked like Doritos, but they were not Doritos!) and a coke… real healthy I know!  It’s very interesting walking around b/c all you hear is Korean and you have no idea what is going on!  I am definitely the minority here! 

Tonight, I did some more exploring and it was quite fun!  One of the other teachers here took me to a mart (a store) to get some basic things I needed.  The beds here are pretty hard, so I had to get a mattress pad… hopefully that will help me sleep well tonight!  Going there was quite an experience.  It was comparable to a Wal-Mart in the states. 

I had my first real Korean meal/experience tonight!  (My camera needed batteries so that’s why I haven’t taken any pictures yet, but don’t worry… I will!)  When we entered we had to remove our shoes.  I was wearing flip-flops so I ate barefoot… it was different walking into a restaurant with no shoes on.  The chairs were on the floor, kind of like stadium seats, only on the ground, not on bleachers.  We had Bolgogi… which is sweet beef.  It is one of my favorite Korean dishes I’ve ever had.  They served it with probable 12 different sides of vegetables.  It was pretty good.  I tried Kim-Chi… definitely not a fan.  It’s a little spicy for my taste.  I’ll try some soon again though.  My first meal was a success.  I found out where some great other places to eat are as well, so that is an adventure all on it’s own. 

I’m learning a lot about the culture.   It’s definitely different, but it’s good!  Tomorrow I think I am going to school with one of the Elementary teachers so I can get a feel for what it’s like.  I’m really looking to seeing what I will doing soon! 

My first day in a new country… not too bad!

Travel Day

Day 1- May 16th-17th

Today I left for South Korea.  It has been pretty crazy thus far.  The travel experience has been very affirming.  I had breakfast with the fam and headed out to the airport.  After getting everything ready last night, I had officially only got 3 hours of sleep.  This has proven somewhat difficult, as my day has started.  I arrived at the airport and went to check-in.  My ticket wouldn’t confirm b/c I did not have a return flight.  So, the attendant took me to a counter to talk to an actual person. 

[Side Bar: I found out I could actually take 3 50 lb suitcases with me, I just had to pay extra for it.  So my first bag would be $15, the second $25, and then the third would be $85.  This whole process of packing is a different story.  It took me about 4 different times of packing my suitcase and unpacking and taking stuff out and adding to different suitcase.  I had finally succeeded though and each of my bags were exactly 50 lbs, or at least so I thought!]

So, a guy was now checking me in.  He asked me how many bags I was taking and how much each one weighed.  I told him I was checking 3 bags and they each weighed 50 lbs.  I set them up on the counter, which is a scale.  My first bag said 50.5 lbs and I thought in my head ‘oh no, what am I going to do b/c I can’t add weight to any other bags!’  He didn’t even look at the scale.  He put my tags on it and put on the belt behind him.  I then placed my other two bags up there as well.  The first one was 50.5 lbs again and the third one was exactly 50 lbs.  He gave me my boarding pass and my passport back and told me to have a nice trip.  I asked him, don’t I need to pay for my bags?  I couldn’t really hear his exact response but the gist of it was, it didn’t pop up and say I needed to charge you so don’t worry about it!  I didn’t ask for clarification or if he was sure.  I took my documents and thanked him!

Saying goodbye to the family was more difficult than I had originally thought it would be!  I was a mess… but honestly no surprise there, right??  We had a great time of prayer before I left and I went around the circle and said my goodbyes.  The toughest one was definitely to my nieces!  Brylie (the middle one) wouldn’t let go of me.  It literally broke my heart.  They both started crying and just kept hugging me!  My sister had to pull her off of me and they were crying hysterically.   Definitely one of the toughest things I have ever experienced!  So of course as I’m checking in and going through security I’m a mess.  I’m carrying a backpack that weighs 25 lbs, and rolling a bag that weighs 35 lbs.  I had my pillow in my hand and it was stuffed with my winter jacket.  I’m sure I was a sight to see in that moment!

I went to Denver first.  It was a good flight.  I slept for most of it.  I could not keep myself awake!  I’d be reading and nod off.  I then flew changed planes and headed to LA.  I sat next to a couple of ladies who were in there 50s.  We had small talk but nothing major.  I was still exhausted and not up for much conversation.  As the flight went on though, one of them said, ‘oh I love your pillowcase, it looks so soft!’ [Side Bar: My friend Sydney had this pillowcase with this amazing soft material and she used to take it on road trips for volleyball.  I was always so jealous b/c I wanted one!  And, being the great person that she is, she made me my very own to take to So. Korea with me… I absolutely LOVE it!]  I said thanks and told her my friend made it for me b/c I was moving to So. Korea.  She said no way, I have a friend over in Seoul now who is teaching ESL.  Crazy small world it is!!  So, we talked about that for quite awhile!  She said, ‘man the Lord wanted us to sit right next to each other, didn’t he?!?’  Those were my feelings exactly!  She just kept telling me that I was going to love it and she was so jealous that I was going to do that!  It was very affirming to talk with her and it seriously blows my mind every time I think about it!

So, I arrived in LAX and had to navigate how to get to my next flight b/c I had to change airlines.  I honestly didn’t know what time my flight left, so I had no clue how much time I had.  I had to go to the bathroom so bad, but I couldn’t stop b/c I didn’t think I would have enough time!  My next task was to ask someone how to get to Asiania Air.  I found a very helpful lady in one of the shops and she drew me a map.  I was informed I had to leave the exit and get on a bus and they would take me to a different terminal.  They sent me heading in the right direction and I was off.  I happened to walk right in to a currency exchange place, which I was needing to find before I left the states (I needed to exchange just a small amount so that I could get to the school once I arrived in Seoul.)  I finally got on the correct bus and I was off to the International Terminal.  When I walked in, I realized that this is where I flew out of when I went to New Zealand a few years ago!  That was neat.  I found the right counter and began checking in.  She asked if I needed to check any bags and I told her that I had already done through my previous airline so it should be good.  She had me put my rolling suitcase on the scale b/c they have a weight limit for carry-ons.  (That’s how I knew how much they weighed.)  She informed me I was going to need to check the bag.  She asked for my receipt from that morning when I had checked my bags.  I told her I didn’t have to pay and she was a bit confused.  She asked if it was a friend and I said no.  She asked if it was a male who checked me in and I said yes.  She then laughed and said, ‘Did he ask you for your number?’  She told me I was lucky and usually they should charge me $110 for this next check bag (my 4^th checked bag by this time!!) but this time she would only charge me $30.  I was looking at my boarding pass as she was finishing up and noticed that it said boarding time 13:00.  I asked her what time it was and she said 12:30.  I had to check my bag, go through security, find a bathroom, and get something to eat in 30 minutes!  A little stressful, but I did it.  I was sweating profusely by the time I got in line to board, but again no surprise there… I am a sweater!

I get on the plane and it was a bit of a culture shock.  The stewardesses are lined up along the aisles and they are all welcoming me and showing me to my seat.  They have this music playing that takes me back in time.  I start the walk down the aisle looking at the numbers above each aisle.  My aisle in 64 so I know it’s a bit of a jaunt.  I get to the end and realize the numbers stop at 62.  I was like what?!?  Then I looked to the left and saw my row.  It is the very last row in the entire plane!  It’s not too bad, it just figures!  I thought for a bit I may have the whole row to myself.  Then 2 older Korean Gentlemen joined me.  We began talking and they asked me if was going to be teaching ESL.  I told them yes and where I was doing it.  I really need to work on my pronunciation b/c they had no idea where I was talking about.  I had to spell it for them!  I asked if they lived in Korea and they said no, they live in Phoenix.  They asked where I was from and I said Kansas City.  One of them said, oh my daughter lives there in Overland Park.  I found out she went to KU!  Oh my word… I am just reminded over and over what a small world this really is!  The other man was a minister/missionary.  We actually talked for a bit and he gave me some pointers!

I had my first Korean meal.  It was Bi-Bim-Bab and wasn’t too bad.  It was rice with a bunch of different vegetables.  Some were cold and some were warm and it didn’t really mesh well together.   Not my favorite, but that’s okay.  My goal is to try every thing and not turn my nose up at it before I try.  They guys next to me checked on me after I ate and asked what I thought about it.  I said I liked it and he was like too spicy?  I said not too bad, but I only used half the tube of spicy sauce.  He laughed and I thought, wow they must be thinking amateur! 

When I arrived, 4 girls who are also teachers here met me!  They were very helpful.  We ate at KFC (surprisingly not a lot different) and then got on the bus to head to campus.  The bus ride was about 2 hours.  They told me to try and not sleep on the way home so that I could sleep that night.  Yeah, that didn’t work so well.  Within the first 5 minutes I was out! 

I’m living on campus in a single room.  I have my own bathroom so that’s good!  I’ll take some pictures soon of my place so that you can see it.  I have my own balcony which is kind of fun!  My next chore is to get unpacked and settled! 

It’s still hard to believe I am in So. Korea but I am so anxious to get going and see what it is all about!  I’ll keep you posted… (hopefully the rest of my posts won’t be this lengthy!!) J