Life's Missions

Movin Across the Pond

2012-01-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

Has it really been over 1 year since my last blog post? I guess you could say life got in the way, but that's no excuse. Suffice it to say that a lot has happened over 1 year ago. I leave 1 month from today to move to London. The main thing that happened over the year was that I fell in love...for the first time :-). And it changed everything. I had my life planned out. I was going to Norway after Thailand for grad school, blah, blah, blah. Needless to say, my plans have changed a bit....I'll catch you up.
So, Thailand was absolutely incredible! It made me feel young and alive. We had so many holidays so we really got to explore the country, see some of the most amazing beaches I've ever seen, meet interesting people, and eat food full of flavor. The only thing that wasn't great was the pay. At least you could get a full delicious meal for $1. My time there flew by. I was only there for 10 months, and a good 2 months was spent on holiday in other towns in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
My boyfriend, Chris, and I got together when he was on his way out of Thailand. He was a fellow teacher and had just finished his contract of 1 year. We met up during our 1 month holiday one night, and found ourselves going up a mountain on a motor bike into the wee hours of the morning...guess you could say the rest is just history. He stayed an extra 8 months with me in Thailand then we went to London to stay with his family for 1 month. We then taught at an English summer camp in Italy. I went home for a grueling 3 months and then Chris came over stateside for 2.5 months. He got to meet all of my friends and family. It was his first time in the states so it was really fun to show him how BIG everything is here. We went to Austin, New Orleans, and Oklahoma. My family absolutely loves him! They were just as sad as I was to see him go. Now, we've been apart for 2 months with 1 month to go before I go over there again. I'll most likely end up nannying. He's working full-time at a bike shop and training for the upcoming Tour de France in July that he and his friends will be doing the day before the actual race. Check out their website at www.onedayahead.com. So, more to come of adventures in Europe!! xxx

1 Month Down...9 To Go

2010-08-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, been here 1 month now. I'm not gonna lie. The first 2 weeks were rough! I was super homesick & missed my family & friends so much! But the past 2 weeks have been MUCH better! Especially last weekend! A group of us went to Kohnam, the closest beach to Surat, 1 hour away. It was beautiful! We had a beach party, ate really good food, got burnt, went swimming. Very nice & relaxing! I've me some really cool genuine people. Amy, from England, guess you could call her my bestie here, moved in with Dez & I, so that's been fun! I finally feel like I'm getting settled. Work is another thing though. I just don't feel like I'm that good of a teacher. I'm learning though. I'm not very creative though, and at SE, the teachers are suppose to be creative with our lessons, etc. We don't follow a strict curriculum, so it's up to us. I'm definitely feeling the pressure from that.
But I think it will only get better. We may go to Kohnam again this weekend, and then next weekend is a long one, so a group of us are heading to Krabi. Sweet! Then we only have 1.5 months till we are off ALL of Oct! I just found out that Chad (my friend from Dallas) is going to Singapore &/or Dubai in Oct so I'm totally gonna plan to meet up with him!
Oh yeah, 2 weekends ago I met up with my bro & Nicole in Bangkok! It was SOOO great seeing them! We stayed in Bangkok 3 nights. Every night was a late one. The first night they got in at 2am, so we stayed up till 7am! We had so much to talk about! The sun was actually coming up! Crazy! I haven't done that since....well, my going away party...guess it hasn't been that long. Yikes. My bday is 1 month from yesterday...my last year to have nights like those. So, getting back to Bangkok. We went to a Muay Thai fighting match. Was really cool, even got a little bloody (which I didn't like), had front row seats. Did some shopping on Khao San Road, ate a lot of Thai & non-Thai food (had at least 1 turkish chicken pita sandwich everyday i was there).
My friend from Dallas, Justin, that I worked with at Media Plus is coming to Thailand in a couple of weeks, so I'm really hoping to meet up with him while he's here. Hmmm...that's all I've got for now. About to meet up with some peeps to go swimming before heading in to teach 2 classes. Yesterday & today I've had the mornings off...been soooo nice! Gonna join a gym that has yoga classes this week. So excited about that! Can't wait to get back in to yoga again! I've missed it! And I found a guy that wants to train for a 1/2 or full marathon in Feb that's on Koh Samui! SWEET! Lots of exciting plans! Life is good. Love you! Miss you more!

xoxo

Gone...

2010-07-10T20:50:00.001-07:00

So I've been in Thailand a little over a week now. Spent a full 2.5 days of traveling to get here. Good lord, I flew from Dallas to Minneapolis. One of the engines went out so we stayed in MN FOREVER! That meant that I would miss my connection in Tokyo. So Delta ended up putting everyone up in a nice hotel in Tokyo with dinner, breakfast & transportation included. I was just grateful for a real bed! I'm never flying overseas with Delta again. We didn't even have our own TV screen. From Tokyo I went to Bangkok & from there to Surat Thani. My new home. So far it's okay. I'm not overwhelmed by how amazing it is. But it's not bad either. I got in Friday evening & met most of my fellow co-workers. Everyone is really cool & laid back. Slept most of Sat. I'm not usually affected by jetlag, but this time I was! I observed for 2 days & then started teaching on Wed. So my morning classes are at a Catholic school. I'm lucky because I have 2 rooms that have AC! A true luxury in Surat! I teach 3 classes in the morning, 55 2nd graders. Sounds like a lot, but it's easy to manage actually. I have an amazing Thai teacher in the room with me so she handles the discipline. After those classes are finished I head to our private language school called Super English. I teach 2 classes there each day from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. The classes are a lot smaller but more difficult to teach. I think the reason is that the age range is so drastic. My first class ranges from 4-10 years old. And my 2nd one ranges from 8 to 16 years old! So, the challenge is classroom management & how to keep everyone engaged. Still haven't figured it out, but I'm working on it. Also, we don't really have a set curriculum to follow, which is great, but also hard.
I miss everyone back home a lot though. I was having so much fun before I left. I got super close with my friends in Dallas. Stacy just moved back. I get sad when I think of everyone back home hanging out & I'm not there.
So we have a long weekend coming up & I get to see BJ & Nicole! I absolutely can't wait! I'm meeting them in Bangkok. Surat is a really laid back town. I think there's around 200,000 people. All of my coworkers have motorbikes. I've been using a bicycle to get around. I like riding it, but I sweat sooooo much! It's pretty hot & humid here. Feel like I'm always sweating. The food is amazing! And SUPER cheap! My dinner the other night as 80 cents! There's a night market right by our school so a group of us goes every night. They have EVERYTHING! And most meals are usually around $1. I'm hoping to find a yoga studio this week & start doing yoga.
Hmmmm....what else? Not much. I've talked to a lot of people from home this weekend. I haven't really done all that much. I've been watching a lot of 30 Rock, movies, reading. I'm reading The Beach right now. I have a totally different perspective on it since I'm living in Surat. Most of the book takes place around my town! I've been able to go running at a stadium track in the mornings so that's cool. The house I'm living in is very...hmmm...what shall I call it...."modest?" We don't always have running water, it's always cold, lots of ants, found a HUGE scorpion the other day, the occasional roach, etc. My house is like a place you would stay if you were backpacking through asia. So, if you were a little bit high mateniance, it wouldn't fly for you. To live in Surat you gotta be pretty open-minded & laid back.
So, for the next couple of months we have some long weekends. Then we are off ALL of October. Then we have some time off around Xmas. Then we are off ALL March & April & maybe some of May. Then I go home! Not too shabby. Lots of time to travel. Granted we don't get paid, but still. I need to start thinking about where I want to go.
Oh yeah, did I tell you that my dad is engaged??!! I'm so happy for him! Mary Ann is an amazing woman! Congratulations Daddy Bear!
xoxo

Going, going...

2010-06-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sad. I guess you don't realize how precious something is until it's almost gone. I leave for Thailand in 8 days. It's different this time. Usually when I leave to go abroad, I always get a little sad, but this time it's different. Believe it or not, Dallas actually feels like home to me now. I've got such incredible friends & family here. Maybe it's because we all know that I'm leaving so we've been very intentional about hanging out, making time for each other, etc. But I'm having such a blast here, and I'm surrounded by love. Granted, I guess it's not really reality since I'm not working...I get to play all the time. But still....
So last Friday was my going away party with my friends. Seriously, one of the best nights of my life! It was truly an amazing time! We started off at the W Hotel, sitting out by the rooftop pool. Went back to the room for cocktails and appetizers while getting ready. Then headed down the street to Medina's (Moroccan food). We had about 16 people at dinner. Such a good time! The food was good, but the place was insanely hot. We walked around the area trying to find a place to hang out, but that area was dead. So, Justin talked some guy into taking us in his limo to a bar on McKinney. We hung out there, danced, saw old friends...good times. We then headed back to the hotel for some more rooftop pool time! So, Jordan & I ended up staying up to watch the sunrise! We met some cool people & swam all night. I went to bed at 8:30am & woke up at 10am! Can you believe it??!! I couldn't! The next day I was seriously delirious! We hung out at the pool on Sat. It meant so much to me that people would come so far to hang out one last time in Dallas, all together before I leave! I am truly blessed to have such incredible friends!
Guess what??!!....my dad is getting married! Crazy! I'm so extremely happy for him! Mary Ann is a true doll! And to think they've known each other since high school! Just goes to show, you never know! We spent an amazing Father's Day together. I love my daddy bear so much.
So don't get me wrong. I'm excited about Thailand. I know the school is top notch. I'm excited for laid back lifestyle, meeting new people, beach hoping, diving, yoga, good food, etc. But I know I'm going to miss my friends/family so much. Tonight it killed me. We had a girls night at Sandi's. I was hanging out with Gavin & Maddox (I'm in love with those boys. They totally make me want to have kids!). Sandi told Gavin, "you know Bertdawg is going away for a long time. You can't forget her. You're going to be a big boy when she gets back...5 years old. You have to remember her." I couldn't speak or I would have bursted out in tears. And Maddox probably won't remember me when I get back. He's only 2 now. Oh my gosh, makes me so sad. Gosh...I dunno...
Sandi gave me the best advice you can give...."just pray about it." What else can you do?
So, I'm going to Austin on Thursday for Christy & JC's wedding Super excited about that. Haven't seen some of these people in years! MP reunion! And I get to see Twatney!
Alrighty...till next time.
xoxo

Back to Asia...Thailand that is

2010-05-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Yep. I've been job hunting for the past couple of months. I knew I wanted to go back & teach abroad again (until I hopefully start school in Norway in Aug 2011), but I just wasn't sure where. I was hoping to go to the Middle East or even Europe. Since I had spent the past 1.5 years in Asia I didn't really want to go back, wanted to do something different. But I have to say, Asia truly fascinates me! And oh how I miss the food! Plus, for most continents you have to be a certified teacher, and I'm not, so Asia seems to be the best fit for the next 10 months.
So, here's what's in store for me. I'm so excited! For the past 2 months I've applied to SOOO many jobs all over asia. I had never really considered Thailand, even though I love the the country, because they don't pay much. I got spoiled by teaching in Korea. But people don't go teach in Thailand to make money, they go for the experience! And that's exactly what I plan on doing. The school I'm going to be working for is AWESOME! I've had so much contact with the owner, Peter. It seems like such a positive, supportive, organic environment to work in! So I'll be teaching 2nd graders, only 5 teaching hours a day (unless I want to work more). There's so much room to be creative and Peter seems super flexible. He's open for the teachers to try new things in the classroom and most of all make it FUN! So, this will be totally different than my school in korea.

I'll be living in a town called Surat Thani. If you've heard of it, that's because it's a town on the east coast of southern Thailand. People only go there because it's the town you go to to get out to Ko Phanang (Full Moon Party island), Ko Tao, and Ko Samui. So, I could go out to islands any weekend I want! It's not a touristy town at all. Suppose to be super cheap! Meals for under $1!! I've already had contact with my co-teachers and they have nothing but good things to say about the town and school. One even said in all of Thailand, Surat has the best and cheapest food! I'll be living with a couple of teachers so that should be fun. The teachers are from USA, Canada, UK, Australia...good mix! I plan on doing lots of yoga and everyone rides their bike everywhere. I have a 10 month contract, will be finished in April. Oh...I forgot to mention. We have like 2.5-3 months of vacation! SWEET! Plenty of time to travel the region! Although I won't be getting paid much, the money I do make should go a long way.
So, if anyone wants to come visit, you are MORE than welcome! Or, if you want to travel around the region, my vacation times are Feb-April and all of October. I know my bro and his girlfriend, Nicole, are going to come. And Jana even said she wants to come. All you have to pay for is the flight, once you get there, it's SOOOOOO cheap! So think about it!!
So, I'm going to make the most of the rest of my time here. I want to hang out with friends/fam as much as possible. I've really been praying about what to do next. Bri & I even fasted for 2 days. She's going to China and I was trying to decide if I should take the job or not. And God made it clear and I'm so glad I'm going! I'm praying that it will be a time of rest, adventure, productivity, and to build lasting relationships with the people I know. LOVE YOU GUYS!
xoxo

Pity Party...yuk

2010-04-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Good lord, would you listen to me. When I was laying in bed last night I was thinking about what I blogged about. I'm throwing myself a pity party..."what should I do with my life?"..."feeling lost."...blah blah blah. There are people in the world that have a lot more problems than I do, that are lost, that don't even have options in jobs & locations to live, etc. At least I have loving family & friends, I know who my Savior is, and I have options in jobs, etc. So, sorry about that. It can be so easy to get caught up in yourself and to worry. But that's not what life is about. I should just let God take control. It will all work out much better that way than if I tried to plan it myself.
K...off to the ladies retreat!

xoxo

p.s. I got a Mac! This is coming from my new MacBook! I LOVE IT! I already feel productivity and creativity coming my way!

Hmmmmm

2010-04-22T21:56:00.001-07:00

Nothing huge to update on. I found out I didn't get that job in NYC...there's still a possibility to work there during the summer, we'll see. I'm going on a ladies retreat this weekend with Sandi's church, should be fun! I'm applying to more teaching jobs abroad. I dunno...I guess I feel a little lost these days. Like, what am I doing with my life? I'm always jumping around. Never staying in 1 place too long. In one way, I love it. But in another, like right now, I'm not sure what the next step is. I'm still hoping to go to school in Norway next year. But what should I do till then? Stay in Texas & nanny? It would be awesome to stay here & spend solid time with family & friends...join a church, get involved. Or, I could go teach abroad again. I've got a couple of schools interested in Thailand & Indonesia. Would be another adventure! But I'm hopeful. I'm trusting that God will send me where I need to go. I just need to be open & listen to Him. And to not put my own desires before His.
Well...more later.
xoxo

Feeling Blessed

2010-04-05T20:06:00.001-07:00

So I've been back states side for almost 2 months now. Stacy's wedding was last weekend....soooo much fun! It was like a reunion! I grew up with her family & I hadn't seen them in years! I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. Willard (Jill) & I got to be with Stacy all day the day before her wedding AND the day of. We had nail, make-up, hair appoitments, etc. It was a blast! The 3 of us got so close in just 2 days! We had so much fun together. Willard & I had our first mini annoyance with each other & we joked about it later. It only brought us closer. I love those girls.
Now I've been hanging out with friends, joined a gym, and started applying to jobs. I'm applying for nanny and substitute teaching jobs here (to do while I'm in Texas, shorterm). I have an interview on Thursday for Director of English Summer Junior Program position. Best part...it's in New York! I've ALWAYS wanted to live in New York.
I've also been applying for more teaching abroad positions. We'll see. I'd love for it to be in Lebanon, Dubai, Hong Kong, or a Spanish speaking country.
It's been so wonderful being around friends & fam these past couple of months. Makes me realize how blessed I am to have such amazing people in my life! Even though I've been gone for 1.5 years, it's so refreshing to be able to pick right back up as if no time was lost.
My mom & I are going to Enid, OK this weekend for KD's (my uncle) memorial service. He passed away a few months ago while my brother & I were still in Korea. My bro was extremely close with him so he took it pretty hard. He hated that he couldn't be there with everyone, mainly Lyn & Cody. It still hasn't really sunk in that he's gone. He was the most fun loving funny guy ever. Always cracking jokes, so generous. What an incredible guy. He will continue to be missed by everyone that knew him.
Well, that's about all for now. I'll let ya know if I get that job in NY!

Tahoe, Pittsburgh, & New York

2010-03-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

So I'm back in the states now. I was home for 1 week & then headed out to Lake Tahoe for Kacy's wedding. It was absolutely gorgeous! Her wedding was beautiful. We went skiing the next day & it's the most beautiful place I've ever gone skiing. When you're on the mountain you have the most breathtaking view of the lake.
Next I headed to Pittsburgh to see Dianne & Megan. It was so wierd to see them on the states side! Dianne was the best tour guide ever! She took us everywhere! I didn't know much about Pittsburgh before, but I was blown away! What a cool city! Hills, rivers, old buildings, history, amazing food, cafes, artsy, etc. We had a blast. Dianne & I went snowboarding too.
Then Dianne & I took the overnight Chinatown bus to New York. Stacy had her bachelorette party, so fun! I had never met her fiancee before, Stephen, what a sweet guy! It's like they were made for each other! I'm so happy for them. In NY we just hung out in Brooklyn, Lower East Side, ate some really good food, went to Prospect Park, took it easy.
Now I'm back in Dallas. Just gonna hang out. Stacy's wedding is in less than 2 weeks. I can't wait! Oh yeah, I got to hang out with Adrian at the airport in Dallas during his layover. Was so good seeing him.
I'm glad I've got this time. I want to spend some time in the Word. While traveling I neglected it. Spend some time with the Lord. Oh yeah, I just found out that 2 people that I used to work for with PPM got in a horrible car wreck in Belize. Please keep them in your prayers.
xoxo

What's Next??

2010-02-08T04:27:00.000-08:00

My time in Korea is dwindling down. Ida is coming tomorrow, should be fun! At least I know I'll be laughing a lot for the next week.
So, I need some advice. There's a new idea that has formed recently. Hear me out. Something that I've wanted to do for a long time is learn arabic. What better way to do it than MOVE to the middle east! I've been missing the middle east ever since I left there. I've been dying for an excuse to go back. So....I'm considering moving to Lebanon. Primarily I would go to learn arabic, but I would need to find a job. So, I'm looking in to teaching english as a means to live there. We'll see. I dunno, I feel so unstable these days. But not in a bad way. Just that, if a good opportunity came up, I jump on it! With that being said, if anyone wants to go on an adventure, let me know! I feel like at this point, I'm down for anything! No, that's not true. School is still really on my mind as well. I do know that I'm not ready to live in the states again. I want to continue seeing the world...learning about & experiencing other cultures. Before I left for Korea, I was so certain & sure about the future. I would live in Korea for 1 year, save money for school, return to the states & go to Fuller in California when I got back. Now I feel...I dunno...not so sure about the direction I'm suppose to go. Along the way, the path got blurry & right now I can't find my way back. But maybe that's just it, maybe I'm on a new path now. Things change. God steers us in different directions in life. So, I'm not worried. I'm actually excited for the future! I'm excited to see where this new path leads me! If we are too much in control of our own lives, then we get in the way. So, I'm getting out of the way for this one...I'm just gonna go with it.
I'll let ya know what happens...

xoxo

Vietnam, Laos & back to Korea

2010-02-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

Oh my...so last night when I was laying in bed I started thinking about traveling & southeast asia & I actually lost my breath for a second. I realized how much I miss it. How much I truly miss it. But I'm grateful that I had the experience & opportunity to go. And I guess it's a good thing that I miss it so much, that means it was something worth missing. There's something about traveling...the unknown, the adventure...makes you feel alive! Like you can be anyone you want to be. Meeting people from all over the world. One thing that I loved about traveling was that when you met someone, the first questions wasn't, "so what do you do?" Instead it was something about traveling like, "how long have you been here?" "Where have you been?" "Where are you going?" "Oh you've been there?....How was it??!" It was so fun sharing traveling experiences with like-minded people. And it was such a small world in southeast asia! We'd be in 1 country, meet & hang out with some people, say our good-byes & then a couple of weeks later see them again in another country! It's never good bye when you're traveling the world! So now I'm back in Seoul. I guess it's kinda refreshing but at the same time a little disappointing to see that some things never change. I realized after coming back here that I'm definitely ready to leave Korea. I don't even like the food as much as I used to. After experiencing all of the flavor & spice down south, korean food seems kinda bland to me. Rice cakes aren't even that good to me anymore!~ I never thought I'd say that! So I'm just here chilling now. I sleep in, work out with my bro, watch Dexter, read, hang out with friends occasionally, but most of my friends have left korea by now. I'm going back to the states Feb 17. It'll be good to see friends & family, but I'm already planning my next adventure. I can confidently say that I'm not ready to move back to the states. Fuller, the school I'm suppose to be going to is in California...but even that doesn't sound appealing to me. I have several things that I'm looking into. One of which is to go to Lebanon, teach English & learn Arabic! I really want to learn Arabic, & the best way to do it is to MOVE there! Plus I LOVE Lebanon for all of it's chaos, beauty & how the Lebanese love LIFE! Okay, so I can fill you in on all of the travels after the Philippines. So as you know I was stuck in Manila for longer than I was hoping, waiting for my visa to Vietnam. Well, I ran into friends my brother & I had met at our hostel, Friendly's. Ida, from Norway, & Magda & Jens from Sweden. Ida was traveling alone so we made plans to go to Vietnam. I was so excited to have a travel buddy! I wasn't looking forward to traveling alone. And we made plans to meet Magda & Jens in Laos a couple of weeks later.
So Ida & I flew to Vietnam. We were delirious the day we left. We went out with some friends, Sagi & a new friend James an Aussie, the night before & we had to be up by 3:30am to catch our flight. We hit that delirious stage when you can't stop laughing. I could tell Ida & I were going to get along great!
As soon as we landed we booked a domestic flight to the Phu Quoc Island. It's southwest vietnam, really close to Cambodia. It was beautiful & really laid back. We just chilled at the beach, rented a motorbike, indulged in the local cuisine (pho, bun, bun mi, etc). After a few days we took a boat back to the mainland. We went to an island on the Mekong Delta. We took a boat out there. It was a tiny island! No cars really. Pretty primitive. We rented bikes & rode around the island exploring. We went on a boat trip, saw some local family business. Then we went to Ho Chi Min (Saigon) to get our train tickets to Nha Trang. We both got on the back of a motorbike taxi. Oh my gosh!...NEVER AGAIN! I really thought we might not make it to the station alive. It seemed impossible! I knew in my head that these guys do this everyday. But I couldn't help but thing of the alarming statics of how many deaths there are in HCMC! But, we made it!
So, we took an overnighter to Nha Trang. Ida had been to Vietnam the year before so she knew her way around. We got there around 5am the following day. Ida hung out at Why Not Restaurant/Bar eating breakfast & headed to the beach for a run. We then checked in to our hotel & headed back to the beach for some sun. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to swim there. The waves are HUGE & really close to shore. We kept joking that we were actually going to go out that night. We had started to become grandma's...going to bed & waking up REALLY early. So we were determined to go out that night. I'm glad we did because we had so much fun. We had an amazing dinner & then headed back to Why Not Bar. We met some cool Norweigan girls, British dudes & Lucas from Montreal. Ida showed off her fancy dance skills...she's got some hilariously funny & amazing moves! I think that night was the hardest I've ever laughed in my life! People don't know if she's joking or dancing for real. Half of the fun is watching people's reactions. I'll see if I can get her on video & upload it for you.
We spent one more night in Nha Trang then headed to Hoi Ann. This is the place where people go to get EVERYTHING tailor made. But we didn't get ANYTHING. We were exhausted from another overnight bus trip & couldn't be bothered to do it. I know, sorry excuse, but neither of us were in the shopping mood. But Hoi Ann was such a cute city! It had some amazing restaurants, cafes, markets along the river. We had one of my favorite meals there! Marinated pork skewers rolled into rice paper with lettuce, cucumber & the most amazing peanut chili sauce. SOOOOO GOOD!
Let's see, after Hoi Ann we headed to Hue to meet up with a couch surfer for some local grub. A guy & his friend picked us up on motorbikes & took us to a local restaurant. Ida & already checked out his references on the website & he seemed ok.
We get to this local restaurant & they ordered food for us (they said they already ate & didn't want to eat, but after awhile proceeded to eat some...fine). They also ordered a case of beer. I don't drink beer so they drank all of it. The bill came & they gave it to Ida & me. Couch surfing isn't about paying for things, it's about sharing local knowledge, food, etc. Whatever, we just paid for it. Then we were all suppose to go to the same place next. However, the guys split us up & took us to different locations. The guy I was with took me to this romantic setting along the river where people were making out. I was like, "where's Ida?" He said they were at a different place. I said, "ok, well then why are we here? I want to be with the others." What the heck? So he took me finally back to where the others were. They ordered beer, which Ida & I of course paid for. So we then asked them to take us to a place where foreigners hang out. We wanted to get away from these dudes. They were starting to give us the creeps. So, the same guy that took me to a different place did the same thing to Ida! He took her to a remote place. FINALLY Ida showed up where we were suppose to meet. Needless to say, we looked more into these guys & there were lots of complaints starting to rise to the service. We think they are going to get kicked out of Couch Surfers now.

From Hue, we took another overnighter to Laos. We met some foreigners on our bus. When we finally go to Vientiane everyone said they were going to Vang Vieng. We hadn't done much research on Laos so we didn't know what was in Vang Vieng. We were planning on staying the night in the capital. This dude, Monet, from South Africa told us EVERYTHING is in V.V. So we took a private van another 3 hours north with them. We were exhausted & checked in to the first hotel we go to & slept for a couple of hours. We woke up & walked outside to go find some food. As soon as we turned the corner we were like, "where are we?" The drive there felt like we were driving into the mountains in the middle of nowhere. What we saw that night surprised us! Vang Vieng is a town made up of expats, tailored to expats. You have to see it for yourself. So many restaurants for some reason play pirated version of Friends ALL DAY LONG!
The next day we met up with Ida & Jens. They told us we had to go tubing. I've gone tubing before, on the Guatalupe, in Texas. I figured we just be tubing down a river. Oh no. When we arrived it was like I had arrived at a spring break destination. Whiskey shots were offered to us as soon as we pulled up at 12pm! Yikes, a bit early for me! People were at this outdoor bar along the river & others were swinging off of a rope trapeze thing & landing in the water. So, we got in our tubes & headed down the river. The next thing I know a guy throws a rope out to me to pull me in to the next bar stop! I had no idea it was going to be like that. So basically, that's their version of going "tubing." You tube from bar to bar. It was fun, lots of people, music, mud volleyball, swinging into the water, bonfire, etc. So, we stayed a couple more days in V.V. We only did the tubing thing 1 time. Some people said they went day after day & I was like how do you do it? Exhausting! You're in the sun ALL day & most people end up getting pretty drunk.
Next, the four of us headed to Luang Prabang. I LOVED this town! Beautiful! There's a strong French influence there with amazing people watching cafes, outdoor activities, waterfalls, etc. And the most amazing food! I went to the place everyday for 2 meals! For breakfast I had the Lao version of pho...but it's BETTER! Then for lunch I had their $1 vegetarian buffet! SOOOOO good! It was pretty relaxing in Luang Prabang. Ida & I rented a city bike one day & went exploring, checked out temples. There's lots of temples there, a UNESCO heritage so everything in town closes at 11pm. There's also an amazing night market that opens EVERY night. One day we rented a mountain bike & cycled 30km to a waterfall. We were EXHAUSTED! It was up & down hill. We knew we wouldn't make it back, so we threw our bikes on top of a Tuk Tuk & rode back (everyone else did the same thing). One night we went out. Of course since everything closed at 11pm we figured there's GOT to be a place where all of the foreigners on vacation go. We found it! Everyone went to this disco first & then to.....BOWL! No kidding, everyone was at a local bowling alley because it was the only thing open! Was fun though! We ended up seeing some people we had met in Vietnam & got to hang out with them too.
We stayed in L.P. for 5 days. We then took our last overnighter to Vientiane. We checked in to a hotel, slept for a couple of hours, walked around the town (I wish I would've had more time there), got a $2 mani & pedi, then I headed to the airport...back to Korea:(
I know this blog doesn't do much for all of the travels. But it's been one of the best times of my life. Looking back...it wasn't the places that made it so awesome. As cliche as this sounds, it truly was the people (and the food;). Ida & I made a list of all of the interesting people we met. If there were just normal people they didn't make the list. Oh, Ida is coming to Korea next week to visit! A group of us are going on a ski/snowboarding trip for Lunar New Year!
Traveling changes you. I was hoping I'd figure out what to do with the rest of my life....yeah right. But I did have lots of time to think. I'd love to be a freelancer of some kind. To be able to work on some projects...then be able to just take off for months at a time. So much freedom! I met so many people that are traveling for 6 months, 1 year, some indefinitely! It's a different way of life. But it is a WAY of life. You learn so much, about people, culture, history, yourself, socially, I can go on & on. Now if feels kinda weird not traveling. Like, when I'm traveling, I feel more like myself, than when I'm not. I dunno.
And I still have been thinking so much about religion. Traveling opens your eyes to all kinds of things. You start to embrace the differences instead of comparing them. Like I said before, I can't imagine all of these devoted people, that live day in & day out, devoting their lives to God...I can't imagine them not going to heaven. Just because they don't believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, & the life. It seems to be more of a cultural thing than a religion thing. If I would have been born in India, I'd probably be a hindu, in Saudi Arabia, a Muslim, etc. But I was born in America, where most people are christians. It's like we all have our own ways of worshiping our God, due to tradition & culture. There's more to it, but I can't seem to adequately describe my thoughts. So I'll leave it at that. Alright, until next time...

xoxo

Holidays in The Philippines....

2010-01-02T19:19:00.001-08:00

So I'm kinda stuck in the philippines right now. I'm waiting on my Vietnam visa. Due to the holidays, everthing is taking a long time. So, lets see, after Megan left, I headed to Manila. The next day my bro came & I can't tell you how happy I was the see him! He was on xmas break from Korea. We stayed 1 night in Manila & met some really cool people at our hostel called Friendlys. I totally recommend anyone staying in Manila to stay there. There's not a ton to see in Manila though. So then we took an overnight bus to Sagada, northern Luzon. It was BEAUTIFUL! We went caving & it was intense! If you're closterphobic, it's not for you. We hung out with a group of philippine girls and a cool guy from Israel, who I'm actually meeting up with in a few days here in Manila. Then we took another overnighter back to Manila to catch our flight to Boracay. Boracay was so fun! There were so many teachers from Korea on xmas break as well. We hung out with people we already knew & met a bunch of cool peeps as well. I went diving, we went on a sunset sail boat, tons of swimming, eating, lots of live music....but i must say, it didn't feel a bit like Christmas. But I'm soooo glad I was with my bro! My bro left (missed his plane, but worked it out) & I stayed another night & went jet-skiing the next day with this british guy I met the night before. Then I proceeded to make my way toward Cebu where I would catch my flight back to Manila. I went to Panay, Negros & then to Cebu. All those islands were a jumble of boat & bus rides. Everything was closed for the holidays so i didn't get to do much. For new years, I hung out with some local people from Cebu & shot off fire works.
Now, I'm back in good ol Manila, waiting for the vietnam embassy to open. Lindsey who we hung out with in boracay was here in Manila. So we took a trip to the Taal volocano. Was really cool! We hiked up it & you could feel the steam & heat on your legs! It's a volcano surrounded by a lake, & get this, there's a lake INSIDE the volcano. Pretty sweet, huh? We spent the night out there & ate canned beans & tuna (everything was closed).
I could be here another 4-6 days, depending on how long it takes for my visa to process. But some of my friends are here so we're gonna go rock climbing & possibly to another volcano. Then...off to Vietnam! 2 countries to go! I'm ready for the traveling to be over I think. I'm excited to go back to korea for a bit & completely relax in 1 place! I'm gonna get a gym membership, but other than that I plan on watching a ton of movies & TV shows that I haven't seen for the past year. And of course hang out with friends! I miss everyone in Korea so much!
Well, that's all from me for now. I'm pretty bored right now. I should be productive I guess. I'm a little homesick, I wish BJ were still here. We had so much fun together & my dream has finally come true! MY bro & I are traveling the world together! I wasn't sure if that would ever happen. But I'm so thankful for those memories!
I love you all! I hope you had a wonderful holiday! Happy New Year! What's your New Year's Resolution? I'm going to give/volunteer more & train for either an Olympic Triathlon or a Marathon! Anyone in to do one with me??!!

xoxo

Faith...it's everywhere

2009-12-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

So I usually have an electronic journal on my laptop, however, since I'm traveling I haven't been able to journal any, so I'll just go ahead & unload on you:)
This year has been an incredible journey. For the past 2.5 years I've been surrounded by amazing christian people while working for a non-profit international missions organization. I grew so much during that time & I'm so thankful I was able to do it.
This year has been amazing as well, but different. I've been blessed to meet so many different kinds of people & travel to so many different places. Traveling through southeast asia has opened my eyes up to how diverse the world truly is. Just here in Malaysia where I currently am has SUCH a diverse crowd. And the most beautiful thing is, they all live in harmony together & respect eachother's similarities as well as their differences. There are muslims, hindu's, buddhists, christians...you name it. And some of these people are extremely devoted to their faith. Sometimes I wish I had their faith. And it's really got me thinking. Hear me out here. I claim to be a christian, I am a follower of Jesus, yes, but I by no means live that minute to minute of every day. Some of these people here live & breath for God. All of these religions believe in God. We all just have a different way of getting there. And of course I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth & the life....but everyone else fully believes that their way is the right way. Whose to say that my way to God is any better than their's?? I just happened to be born in the states, into a family that went to a christian church. What about all of these other people on the other side of the world? Too bad for them??? I mean, is this a bad thing?....because it seems kind of beautiful to me. That all of these people can worship God, living together, without fighting about whose way is the right way. It's very peaceful. But is it wrong that I think this? I am glad and blessed that I was raised into a Christian home & I grew up with the faith that I have. I'm glad that I know the truth. Should I be thinking, "how sad, these people are worshiping the wrong way?"....because I haven't been feeling like that. I look at them & think, wow, I wish I had a tenth of your devotiion. They worship so beautifully.
I know that is why we are suppose to go out & make disciples of all nations. But these people, it seems like it's more of a cultural difference than a religious one. If that makes sense. They worship God in their way & I worship Him in mine. But does that mean that all of these billions of people all over the world will go to Hell? I have a hard time believing that. Just because they were born over here. I dunno. If you have any answers, please let me know. But it's kind of a rhetorical question.
I've been thinking about what my next step is. My plan this whole time was to go to Fuller Seminary & study Cross-Cultural Studies with a concentration in Islamic Studies. I'm excited to get some of my questions answered through this. But I've also been thinking of different options. I'm not quite ready to go back to the states yet. SO I'm considering this grad school in Israel studing Middle Eastern Studies or possibly going to teach english in a spanish speaking country (spain?) for the main purpose of learning spanish. I dunno, I'd appreciate your prayers in this decision.
Anyway, thanks for listening & I'm all ears. LOVE YOU!

Malaysia...fascinating mix of culture, religion, food, race, terrain

2009-12-11T23:37:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love Malaysia! It's got it all! So from Singapore we took a bus to Melacca, Malaysia. It's an adorable Dutch-Portuguese port town. There wasn't a ton to do there, but we enjoyed walking all through the city (Chinatown, Little India, the river walk, temples, mosques). And the food...incredible! After 2 days we took an overnight bus to the northwest island of Penang. We spent 2 days in a sleepy beach village (nothing compared to Thailand's beaches) but it was cool because no one harrassed you. Then we spent 1 short night in Georgetown. It doesn't look like much; run down buildings, some empty, lots of traffic....but it was SWEET! There were tons of food stalls, all KINDS of food, & the people living there are SO diverse! A true melting pot! Last night we were walking around. We left Chinatown and headed to Little India & ate dinner with Bollywood music blaring. Then we walked by a mosque during it's night time prayer, walked across the street to a Chinese temple, then back to our guesthouse where there was a buddhist ceremony going on. The next morning we woke up before sunrise to go to Chinatown for a delicious breafast of dim sum. So yummy! And the people in Malaysia...SO FRIENDLY! Now we are in the Cameron Highlands. We are surrounded by mountains, jungle and rainforrest. It's nice to be where the air is crisp and clean. So we're gonna stay here a few days & go trekking, check out some tea plantations, relax (drink my new favorite; Tea Tarik (tea with condensed milk), read...then head to the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur.
THEN....I'M MEETING MY BRO IN THE PHILIPPINES!!! I can't wait to see him! Although this trip has been so much fun, it hasn't been completely relaxing because I had so much stress with my job when I left. If you ever want to hear about it I can talk your ear off. FYI...if you ever consider teaching english in Korea...NEVER WORK FOR ISPONGE! I loathe that place. I could go on & on...but I won't. I know Megan must be SICK of me talking about it. Poor girl. I've been complaining her ear off about that whole situation. Meg's trip finishes in KL...sad days.
Okay kids, I love & miss you! Shoot me an email & let me know what's going on!
PEACE!!

Fleeting Glimpse of Singapore

2009-12-06T06:22:00.001-08:00

So we are in & out of Singapore. We stayed 3 nights. I came in with mixed expectations. Some people told me it's their favorite country! Others said they weren't too impressed. I loved the diversity, their obsession with food, the cleaness (they had workers picking up pieces of trash with tongs). I didn't like how expensive things were. Although we were able to budget by eating at the hawkers (cheap food stalls & courts). We walked a TON!

We went to Chinatown, the Botantical Gardens, Little India (crazy!), walked down Orchard Rd to see all of the christmas lights & ate a lot of food! Pretty sweet. I could totally live here because of it's strategic location.
Our last night in Bali was so much fun. I randomly ran into Kamran & Layla (I used to work with Kamran in Media Plus), they were in Bali for their honeymoon. It was Layla's birthday that night & we went out. It was so fun catching up & hearing about what all the ex-MPer's are up to these days.

So, tomorrow we are headed to Malaysia. One country left with Meg. Then, off to the Philippines to see my bro for xmas! I can't wait! His company flew him to Japan & Guam to get is work visa for Korea. He's becoming quite the travler!!
More later.

xoxo

Thailand & Bali

2009-11-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, the last few weeks have been amazing! I'm sad to say that I think I had too high expectations for Thailand. It's been my #1 country to travel to for about 5 years now. And I finally made it, only to find it extremely touristy. I mean, yes, there are gorgeous beaches, amazing food, etc, it just seemed a little too 'traveled.' Let's see, after we left Cambodia, we headed to Bangkok, stayed on Tao San Rd (crazy street), went to see the emerald buddha at the Royal Palace, then headed to Ko Phangna where it virtually rained everyday we were there. Next stop, Krabi, where we went Elephant Trekking & Kayaking (georgeous!). Next was Ko Phi Phi where we took an amazing boat ride to Maya Bay (where they filmed The Beach) & went snorkeling. Then our last stop in Thailand was Phuket where we stayed 5 days. I went diving there & did a lot of beach stuff.
Now we are in the glorious Bali. I can't believe how incredibly cool it is here! Like, I want to move here! They ALMOST didn't let me IN the country because I ran out of passport pages...but I paid him $40US & he let me in. Yikes. We are staying at a place called Nick's Homestay, it's like half temple half home. REALLY REALLY sweet! The architecture here is amazing, tons of cool, trendy shops. Not sure how long Meg & I are staying here, maybe a week. You know what I keep telling her, we are SOOO close to Australia! Why not keep going??!!
More later:)

Bali Picts

Cambodia, check....Thailand Bound

2009-11-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

So we've been in Cambodia a week now & we are Thailand bound today. We're about to get on a 10 hour bus ride to Bangkok. I'm gonna miss Cambodia! The food, the tragic history, the friendly smiling people, how cheap everything is, the rawness of the country, & more. I didn't really know what to expect when coming here but I assure you that whatever expectations I had, Cambodia far exceeded them. Eventhough Cambodia is a very poor country, they have come such a LONG way in just a short time. Only 3 decades ago, Cambodia was going through a genocide. We will never be able to comprehend the pain & suffering these people have gone through.
Ankgor Wat blew my mind. We went to see the sun set there & then headed out super early the next morning to catch the sunrise. Breathtaking! We spent the whole day there, going by tuk-tuk to each site. Incredible! I can definitely see why it's one of the Seven Wonders of the World!
Well, the bus will be here any minute. Bangkok...here we come! Goodbye Cambodia, you will be missed, but never forgotten.

Cambodia...tragically beautiful

2009-11-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

So....day 2 of traveling in southeast asia. Feels like a lot longer already. So I am pretty blown away by Cambodia. Makes me realize how very little I knew about Cambodia before coming here. There architecture, language written & spoken, the food, etc....all surprised me. !!!
And I love it all. Christina, Megan & I are currently in a beach town called Sihanokville (spelling?). We had a full meal for the 3 of us for $5.50. Megan's beers are $0.25! Crazy cheap! Unreal! Yesterday we were in Phnom Pehn & it was pretty incredible. We went to the Killing Fields which blew my mind away, tragically sad. And the fact that it all happened not long ago is mind boggeling! I realized how much I DIDN'T learn about the Cambodian Genocide in school. It's really sad that much of the world doesn't even know who Pol Pot is & that the genocide even took place. I left yesterday feeling a bit nauseous. It was very disturbing. Everyone should go there sometime in their lifetime.
So we're gonna relax here tomorrow & then head out to Siem Reap to Angkor, super stoked about that. Then....off to Thailand! SWEET! Oh, & I may be meeting up with Travis Knight, a friend from college! So, all is good. Loving it here so far! More later! LOVE YA

Korea...Over & Out...For Awhile Anyway

2009-11-03T21:40:00.001-08:00

So this Fall has been amazing! It's been so much fun having my bro around. I was getting a bit worried for him because it took him awhile to find a job...but, end the end he found one, & a pretty sweet one at that. So that's a relief. This fall has been gorgeous in Korea! We've done a bit of hiking, went to the Busan International Film Festival, trying lots of new food & lots of hanging out with friends. And even though my bro & I have been crammed in my tiny apartment, we've managed to get in zero fights!! I know...impressive!
So my time in Korea is coming to an end. I have 2 more days of teaching! Crazy! I'm soooo glad I'm coming back to Korea for a bit after I travel, so it's not officially goodbye. I'd be so sad if I truly had to say goodbye to my friends on Friday for good. But, no worries, when I get sick of travel (doubtful to happen) then I'll come back & stay with my bro a bit & then head back to the states for some weddings!! (Kacy Bear & Stacy Bear). All of the narr's are getting married (except for me of course). So I'm not too sad, but I am very sad to say goodbye to all of my kids! I did a ton of complaining about teaching while I've been here, but now that it's almost over, I'm realizing how much they mean to me. I will miss some of them so much (a couple of kids, not so much;).
So the plan for the next couple of months: I'll be traveling with Megan & Christina to Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore & Indonesia. Then my bro is gonna come join me in Indonesia for Christmas. And if I want to (& have the money), I hope to head back up to Vietnam, Laos & Phillippines to finish off the trip. Sounds amazing & exhausting. And we'll see...I may be getting in over my head a bit. But I am quite the budget traveler, so it's possible. I'd appreciate your prayers while I'm traveling. I hope to do some volunteering along the way. I just found out that Rachel Chester is going to Vietnam to visit an orphanage, so that's a possibility. If you know anyone or have any contacts....hook me up!

2 BJ's in Seoul....Watch Out!

2009-09-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

So my bro FINALLY arrived to Seoul yesterday! It only took him about 11 months to get here! Better late than never I suppose. I'm SOOOOOO excited for him to be here! I've been wanting him to travel & see the world for years now! And he's finally doing it! My teaching contract is finished mid-Nov, I'm gonna go travel southeast asia, he's gonna come & join me during xmas break. Then I'm going to go back to Korea & hang out with him for awhile before returning to the states. And then what??....well, that's a little up in the air.
My whole plan for coming to Korea was to save money for grad school. I've already been accepted to Fuller Seminary, of which I will be studying Cross-Cultural Studies with a concentration in Islamic Studies. I've been deferring it so I have to start classes by summer 2010, or I will have to reapply. Maybe I'm just getting nervous about starting grad school, taking out more loans, etc. So Megan and I have been throwing ideas around. What about putting grad school off 1 more year & going to primarily learn Spanish & teach English as a means in either South American or Spain??? Something that is REALLY important to me is to be fluent in Spanish. I think it's absolutely ridiculous that I only know 1 language. So, I dunno. I've been praying about it & asking for clarity. So that's my prayer request. If you could pray for direction, clarity & guidance, that would be fabulous! I will go wherever God wants me to. I don't want to do what "I" want to do. Thanks & love ya!

First Asian Race

2009-08-31T04:55:00.000-07:00

So I ran my first 1/2 marathon this past weekend. I wasn't too nervous about it. I ran 10 miles the week before so I figured I could do the last 3 miles on adrenaline. Lots of people were "suppose" to run it, but only about 7 of us ended up going through with it. So it started in Sincheon (where I live) on the Han River & we ran all the way to Mapo & turned back to finish where we started.
I woke up at 6am to ran. But turned out not to be so bad, it was a cool day, perfect for running. There were about 9 foreigners total, the rest Korean. Donna, who ran with us, said that asians are really fast! So I was a bit intimidated at first. Joel & Julie showed up, what a sight! Julie was in a bumble bee suit & Joel was in, well, some type of bunny outfit. Hilarious! People LOVED him! They were practically lining up to take pictures with him!
So the race started. I ran my normal pace the first half. Then, this older Korean guy came up running beside me. I recognized him because I had passed him earlier. He started talking to me in Korean. It was crazy. He wouldn't let me slow down. He kept talking to me in Korean, I think he was telling me to keep going, great job, how much time we had left, etc. If I started to slow down a bit he would look over at me, slow down a bit, then make me catch up to him & run fast. We were HAULING!!! We went over 5 miles at the pace I usually sprint at the end of my run! If he wouldn't have been there pushing me, there's no way I would have run that fast! It wasn't too comfortable.
So, we finished, I wasn't sure my exact time or how good/bad it was. Before I knew it, they slapped something around my neck & ushered me up on stage. Turns out I got 5th place for the women! Jeff & Joel finished & spotted me up on stage getting my awards & they were like what are you doing?? I got a trophy, plaque, & ceramic dishes! heheh...it was hilarious!
My favorite part of the race was the post-race food. It was...tofu! It was a fun run! I think we're gonna run another 1/2 in Busan in October!

(ya see the #5...yep, that's right;)

Jordan & Tiner's Summer Visit

2009-08-31T04:37:00.000-07:00

So Jordan & Christina booked a random flight to Tokyo & decided since they were going to be all the way over here in Asia they might as well book another flight to Korea, pop in & say hello! They came on a Thurs & left on Sun, short but sweet trip. It was SOOOOO good seeing them! I took them to Shabu Shabu when they got in. I had to work on Friday but sent them off with plenty of things to see in Seoul. We went out for Korean BBQ Friday night (they LOVED IT!) & met up with some of my friends in Gangnam. Saturday, let's see, we went to Gyeongbok Palace, Insadong, Samcheong-dong, & Namdaemun Market. By this time, Jordan started feeling sick. We went home. Jordan was going to stay in but Megan, Tiner & I were going to go to Hongdae. We got out there then Christina started feeling sick. Poor girls, they both got something. I'm still not sure what it was. The next day Jordan felt better so we went to Dr. Fish. Since I had done it before I thought I'd be a pro & show here how it was done. Yeah right! I totally freaked out! The fish were HUGE this time! But it was AWESOME! Then they had to catch a flight back to Tokyo. They weren't 100% when they left. Even though they didn't feel well in the end, it was still SOOOOOO great seeing them! I love those girls. Even though we aren't able to see or talk to each other that much, they are still my girls! And they always will be! I'd do anything for them & I know it's the same for them. I'm SOOOOO happy they came & can't wait to see them when I get home....whenever that is!

Summer Vacation With Mommy Bear

2009-08-02T06:43:00.001-07:00

Grrrrr...summer break is over, back to the grind tomorrow:( My mom came here for the break. Was awesome. We packed a TON of stuff in. Perhaps too much. By the end of each day we were so exhausted. But I LOVE spending time with my mommy bear. Let's see, what all did we do? We did TONS of shopping. I took her to markets, malls, you name it. I drug her all over Seoul, poor thing. We went to Dragon Hill's jimjilbang. I thought she might be 'weirded out' by all of the naked people, but nope, she was fine. We got a body scrub & an oil massage! NICE! I had her try ALL kinds of Korean food. SHE DIDN'T LIKE RICE CAKES!!! She said she didn't like the "texture"...what the heck? We went bike riding along the Han River. We got a 2 seater bike! Was sweet! We went to Jeju for a couple of days. I had no idea Jeju was so big! It was hard getting around because everything was so far away! We didn't get to do a couple of things because we ran out of time. The people were SOOOO friendly & helpful! We did, however, manage to get fried at the beach, see some beautiful waterfalls, do a TON of walking, go through a maze garden, eat some of the local delicious food & see practically the entire island by bus.
We also got to go to our first Korean wedding. My boss got married. Was "interesting" to say the least. We were in & out in 1.5 hours. I found it odd that we were eating while they were walking down the aisle & saying their vows. But it was an extremely nice wedding. She got to eat some Korean BBQ. We went to the Seoul Tower & Lee & I took her out on her last night out on the town! We went to Hongdae & had a great time. I'm pretty sure I have the best mom in the entire world. Yep, even better than your's;) She is an incredible woman & I'm so blessed to have her as my mom. She is the most selfless person I know. I can only think of 1 flaw...she can't use chopsticks for the life of her. I've been trying to teach her for YEARS! I don't understand how she can't use them. It's like it's physically impossible for her to use them. Oh yeah, & she doesn't like rice cakes. Other than that, she's pretty amazing. I think this trip opened her eyes up to what asia is like. She found Koreans to be very friendly & respectful. I miss her already.

iSponge Kids

2009-05-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

World's Best Birthday Cake. It's an actual rice cake 'cake.' Heavenly. It's ALL made out of rice! Guilt free cake! Can you say delicious??!! Unfortunately that was still during lent, so I couldn't have any. But a couple weeks later I got one for Dianne for her birthday & I got to induldge on hers:)

Dorothy's Birthday Party

Sandy, Angie & Lion...precious.

Easter/Pajama Party
Don't ask me how the 2 fit together, but for some reason, we made a day of it. Celebrated easter in our pajamas...nice.

St. Patty's Day
Morning Kindergarten

Cancer Kids

Pisces Kids

Parting of the Sea Festival in Jindo

2009-05-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Sounds pretty incredible, huh? And it was! The sea 'actually parted.' And we were able to walk through for like 1.8 km. But you have to make it back in time before the tide comes & the sea closes. A group of us headed to Jindo, the very southwestern tip of Korea on a weekend at the end of April. It was about 4 hours or so by bus. We took a midnight bus & arrived SUPER early the next day...in fact too early, about 4am. The bus that would take us in to Jindo wasn't for another 2.5 hours. We thought about trying to sleep at the bus station, but ended up taking a cab to where the festival was. We totally lucked out & found a hostel right smack dab in the middle of the festival. So the peeps that went were Rueben, Megan, Tara, Lee, Ashley & Bonnie & we ended up seeing people we knew so they stayed with us too. The hostel consists of one big empty room for the 9 of us...& we sleep on mats. Not too comfy, but grateful for a place to sleep!

So we were right on the coast, overlooking the water, beautiful view! The festival was a bunch of tents with all kinds of activities, foods, craft type things, etc.

The sea parted Sat & Sun, we went to it on Sunday. Basically there's this gap, where the water parts & you get to walk through. It was really crowded, but it was really cool. Everyone was in good spirits. You put on these really high rubber boots & start treking through.

Good times! I'm so glad spring is here, tons of trips & festivals to attend!!

Jubilee Spring Retreat

2009-05-11T00:49:00.001-07:00

So this past weekend was our church's Spring Retreat. I've been attending Jubilee Church for a couple of months now. I love it. Pastor David is absolutely brilliant...and hilarious, radical "normal", and very charismatic. He brings so much energy to the church. His little bro leads worship & it's incredibly amazing. So the retreat this past weekend was awesome. I'm still not exactly sure where it was (I'm not sure if anyone knows where we were exactly). I really didn't have any expectations about the retreat mostly because of the lack of info. I didn't know what to expect. I just knew God wanted me to go. The theme would be on missions, so of course, I was in! So the campus was beautiful! It was in the mountains, surrounded by trees & hiking trails (which Megan & I totally took advantage of!). The speaker was Michael Oh, he's Korean, raised in America & he's a missionary to Japan. I had no idea that Japan was the least evanglized nation in the world! When I think about Japan, I think of expensive & highly intelligent people! The thought of praying for Japan really hasn't crossed my mind (I'm embarrassed to say). But it's true! The Christian population in Japan is .02%!!! That is NOTHING!!! Wow! He also talked a lot about the 10/40 window and that we basically have 3 choices (2 really): Go, Send, or Disobey. Going is not hard for me. I've felt called to missions for many years now. I committed to going on a short-term mission trip & also to go for at least 1 year. I'm pumped! But it wasn't a hard commitment for me, I've know I was going to the mission field for long-term anyway! The hard part for me was the sending. I've always thought that since I feel called to missions that I would just 'go.'....but I was really convicted this past weekend, I need to also 'send' others to 'go'! So I made that commitment to God this past weekend. Now I just need to be faithful & trust that God will provide.
But it really got me pumped about going to school after Korea to study Islamic Studies & then to 'go'!!!

Spring Time in Korea

2009-05-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

Well hello there. Long time no blog. How the heck are you?? Why am I so bad at blogging? I think about blogging every day, but when it comes down to it, I don't do it. I know why...it's because my laptop is painfully slow these days. Dell is getting old, not running like he used to. It may be time to put him down soon. He's had a good full life though. We've been through a lot together. I'm actually surpised he's lasted this long. All of the airports, countries, mission trips (not to mention the many times I've dropped him). Yep...he's been good to me. Am I still talking about my laptop? Anyway...
let's see, what's been going on? A lot actually. Been super busy. Now that it's spring time. There's so many trips, festivals, activities, etc. I LOVE spring in asia! I just got back from a trip to Taiwan (will post picts soon), a group of us went to Jinhae for the Cherry Blossom Festival (picts coming soon), & another group went a couple of weekends ago to Jindo for the Parting of the Sea Festival (pics soon). I'm finally getting a chance to get outside of Seoul & explore Korea. Get out of the pollution, crowds, hustle & bustle. It's been nice to actually see green grass & flowers.
I'm pumped for this weekend. Our church is having a spring retreat. I'm not really sure exactly what all is going to take place, but it's suppose to be amazing. The theme is 'missions', so it should be GOOOOOOOOD!
I have some bad news...Reuben has left us. Yep, he went back to the states to work with YouthWorks. He'll only be gone for the summer, he's coming back to Korea. It'll be a sad 3 months though. Meg & I will miss him dearly.
Hmmmm....what else....not much...just working, running, hanging with friends, weekend trips, church, etc. Can't believe I've been almost 1/2 a year!! CRAZY! I can't wait....when my contract is over in Nov, Megan & I are traveling southeast asia for 6 weeks!!!! We're going to Vietnam, Cambodia, Loas, Thailand, Malaysia & Indonesia. If I can squeeze it in I'd LOVE to stop by the middle east & drop in to Dubai & Lebanon!! Probably won't have time though since I should be back in time for Christmas. I absolutely can't wait though!!
Work is going much better now. I was kinda in a rut for awhile. But I asked for the girls in my small group (oh yeah!!...I joined a women's bible study from church!!). I asked them to pray that I would find joy & motivation in my job. And seriously, the very next day was like I did a total 180! Praise God for answered prayers! And it's been good since! So the girls in my study are Megan, Tara, Maria & Joy. We've only met a couple of times. We're going through the book Having a Mary heart in a Martah World. Really good so far. I love the group though, it's very laid back & open. Feels like you can share anything & won't be judged. Girls going through real things....talking it out....love it.
So, that's about it for now. Going on a picnic field trip to the park tomorrow with school! YIPPIEE!!!!!!!!! Oh the joy of teaching kindergarten!!! Peace out!

2009-03-03T06:16:00.000-08:00

We had a birthday party at school for Christina. Her birthday was right at Christmas. So, we gather all the kids to sing happy birthday & eat some cake. Are you ready??....the BEST VIDEO YOU WILL EVER SEE!!! Watch till the end (very short).It never gets old, whenever I need a good laugh, I just watch this video.

So, we celebrated Lunar New Year at school toward the end of Jan.
We all dressed up in traditional korean clothing (hanboks). The kids bow down to their elders and get money, so we practiced this at school. So cute! So teaching kindergarten is HARD WORK!! Oh my, much more difficult than I thought. My thinking before I left for Korea was, "they're little kids, how hard can teaching english be?" Boy was I wrong. It takes so much energy, patience, creativity, and hard work! We work pretty long hours, but it goes by really fast. I work with all girls & everyone is really cool. Christina went back to the states so we got a new foreign teacher, Catie, from Nova Scotia, Canada. Hyo (one of our korean teachers) is getting married so we got a new one, Ray. And of course there's still Cecilia, Serene & Dianne. We just started a new session at the beginning of March, so we got a lot of new students & new classes. It's been crazy busy! I'm teaching 8 classes/day. But I'm starting to like the kids a lot now! THey really grow on you! I've been staying super busy preparing & teaching. Not to mention, I'm working a 2nd job. It's through the headquarters of my school called Edubox. Basically, I am being filmed teaching lessons for public school students. I'm just talking to a camera though. I have to be loud, perky & really into it, so it takes a lot of energy. But it pays well so it's worth it! Let's see, what else has been going on?...we've been snowboarding a couple of times & I LOVE IT!!!!!!! I found my new favorite sport! I had done it before many years ago, but I didn't give it much of a chance. But now, it's so fun! I learned to turn so that makes it much better! We've been a couple of times here in Korea. I already can't wait till next season!

I've also been doing yoga & I'm really getting in to it! Not the whole meditation part, (it's in korean so I don't understand most of what they're saying), but I've gotten more flexible & it just feels so good for my body! I found a new church that I LOVE! It's called Jubilee. I found out about it through Billy & now Megan & Tara are going too. We're going to join a Women's Bible Study so I'm super excited about that. Pastor David is AMAZING & the worship is incredible! That's about it. I moved in to Christina's apartment & it's SOOOO much better! It actually feels like a home. The bed is huge, I have a couch that folds out to a bed, a kitchen area that's separate from the rest of the apt & a big bathroom. God has been teaching me about patience & to be true to myself & HIM (no matter who I'm with or where I am in the world)...HE is always there.

Lunar New Year in Japan

2009-02-28T04:27:00.001-08:00

Megan & I took a very odd trip to Japan. We went during our break for Lunar New Year (Jan 23-27). We flew in to Osaka, didn't really see much there though. We spent our first day in Kyoto which ended up being awesome! We totally loved Kyoto. We read that you may be able to see geishas there but didn't know if we actually would. We were just strolling down random streets and found this one where many people were standing around with video cameras, etc. We asked some foreigners what they were waiting for & they didn't know either. So we decided to stay & check it out. Glad we did because we saw several geisha walking to their 'appointments.' It was kinda sad though because it was so crowded with paparatzi type people. (wonder if that's due to Memoirs of a Geisha)? Anyway, we had time to kill because we were taking the midnight bus from Osaka to Tokyo. So we arrived in Tokyo early the next morning, totally exhausted. I had started getting sick right before leaving for Japan & it started to settle in. I started feeling really bad, had zero energy.
We checked in to our hostel & headed to Odaiba. It was a beautiful way to see the Tokyo looking over the harbour by going on the Rainbow Bridge. Then we went to our hostel, took a nap, woke up & went to Roppongi that night. We ended up meeting this guy on the subway that tried to take us to the final day of the National Sumo Wrestling Competition, but the tickets were sold out. But we did end up taking a picture next to a sumo dude. We were utterly exhausted by that time so we went back to our hostel & took a nap. We woke up & went to Roppongi & saw the Tokyo Tower.
We woke up super early the next day to go to the world's largest fish market. It was crazy! They just reopened it to foreigners b/c it had been closed due to people getting in the way, etc. There were some crazy fish, etc there! Still alive & moving around & fish I had NEVER seen before! We went to a temple that was in our area, close to our hostel. We got did this fortune thing & Megan got the worst fortune ever! Seriously, it was kinda freaky. Little did we know it was a forshadow of what was to come.
After that we wanted to see some Japanese Fashion! So we went to Shibuya & other surrounding areas. Lots of people out & about. Fun to people watch! There was defintely some crazy fashion, but I don't think quite as much as I was expecting. They had some weird hairdos. Oh yeah, we ate sushi like 4 times that day. SO GOOD!!! We stopped by Yoyogi park but wasn't much going on. It's suppose to be really interesting on the on the weekend but it was a Monday. It ususally has alot of outdoor activities like people playing in their bands, music instructions, dancing, sports, parading gothic fashion etc.
So here's were things get 'interesting.' We went back to our hostel to get our things to head to the train station where we were suppose to catch the 'midnight' bus back to Osaka where we were flying out of. Well, we went to the train station, went to check out where we were supppose to catch the bus (just to see where it was), then went back inside to get changed for the night, etc. We were just killing time. Well, the 'midnight' bus left at 11:20pm!!!!!!!!!! We MISSED IT! And there were no other buses or trains leaving for Osaka that night! SO we would have to buy an expensive bullet train ticket the following morning. A pain to spend that money, but that was the least of our problems. Everything around the train station was CLOSED!!! The station was closing & didn't open back up till 4:30am. We thought about getting a taxi back to our hostel but it would have been incredibly expensive. So, we decided to go back to the restroom we changed in & sleep for a couple of hours where it was warm. Well, we got kicked out of there. We were left homeless for the night. So we started walking around, trying to find any place that was open. It was COLD out! Nothing, abosultely nothing. So, we started getting desperate & were going to settle for sitting on some steps going underground, etc. But everytime we tried a place it was 'taken' by homeless people. We didn't understand how the most densely populated city in the world could totally close down! Seoul has 24 hour places all over. Afer walking for hours in the freezing cold, we sat down next to a building & huddled together to keep warm. We couldn't take it anymore & finally found a Kinko's that was open. So we had to pay to use their internet, at least we were warm! It was finally time to head back to the station. We bought bullet train tickets & headed to Osaka. It was a relief to get on the plane! We made it!
The trip was exhausting both mentally & physically! But we both agreed we had a really good time & loved Japan! The food was awesome! THe people were friendly. It was incredible clean there! The subway system was horrible, so confusing! I was greatful to return to Seoul's easy subway system! I want to return to Japan & go to Hiroshima. We liked Tokyo but wasn't our favorite. Megan & I traveling together....I don't know what happens, but something inevitably goes wrong. Even in Seoul, it's weird. We either miss our stop, go the wrong way, miss our bus, etc. I guess it keeps things interesting though. She's awesome & I hope we can take another trip together somewhere!!

Xmas Break in China, Hong Kong & Macau

2009-01-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

I must be one of the worst bloggers since I very rarely update it. So much has been going on. I'll do my best to fill you in. Let's see. I've been in Seoul 2 months now, almost to the day. But I feel like I've been here a lot longer!! It's been great so far! I've met some really cool people. My school is just 'okay'. But I'll survive. Good news!!! Something I've been praying about!! Reuben & I found an amazing english speaking church today!!! I'm so excited! It's very missions focused with a global vision!!
This was my first Christmas to EVER be away from family. So on Christmas Day, it was sad. But it was still a great Christmas! We opened presents at Dianne's. Over the xmas break Christina & I went to China, Hong Kong & Macau. I could TOTALLY LIVE IN HONG KONG!! I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!
Our journey started off in Beijing. We left Seoul on Christmas Day. Oh, Dianne had a Christmas Eve Party/Christina's birthday at her house, was fun.
So we flew in to Beijing.
We stayed at the same hostel as my friend Megan & another Christina. We went to the Forbidden City (was cool, but really big!!). It was a city that was closed to the public, only royalty was allowed in. That's where the Dynastys & Emperors lived. That night we went to an incredible acrabatic show with the 2 Megans & 2 Christinas. The show was mainly kids & teenagers, some adults. They would get in the most unnatural positions. So talented!!
But it was kinda sad, that some of them were so young! There's no child labor laws in China.
Next day was pretty interesting. We decided instead of going on a tour to The Great Wall, that we would find our own way there. Uh-oh, we should have known better. But it turned out to be an unforgetable experience. So, we read that we're suppose to take Tourist Bus #2 to get to the wall. We went to Beijing Central Railway Station like it said & looked ALL around! Couldn't find the bus anywhere. And no one spoke a word of english. Time was of the essence because we had already booked an overnight train to Shanghai for that evening. I was determined to go the the wall, christina didn't care all that much. SO I decided to ask a taxi driver how much it would cost & how long it would take (if we could make it back in time for our train). He said it would take 6 hours & that was out of the question for us. Feeling defeated I turned away & we started to think of how we would spend the rest of our hours in Beijing. I was really bummbed, I mean, that was the main reason for going to Beijing!! This guy came up to us & said he could take us & it would take 2 hours round trip....totally doable!! Christina made it very clear that she thought it was a horrible idea! But, if you know my stubborn way of traveling & how I can be a bit nieve when it comes to traveling & trusting people, we went for it! The guy took us to his car (that's right, not a taxi driver, just his car). But it was totally understandable to me, he wanted to make some money. So it took about 1.5 hours to get there. We got out, found a toilet, walked up some stairs, saw a very brief view of the wall. But even though it was a fainting glance, it was TOTALLY worth it! The wall is incredible!! I would love to spend HOURS there! If only we had had more time. But, at least we got to go & see it & walk around a bit.
Next, we took an overnight train ride to Shanghai. The train was one of Christina's highlights from the trip. We shared our cabin with 2 older chinese guys. You should have seen the look on their faces when they opened the door & saw 2 white females...they look scared to death. So funny!
We arrived early the next morning in rainy Shanghai. The area we were in seemed a bit dodgey. We had already decided to just spend the day in Shanghai & to go ahead & book a train that night to Hong Kong (so we could spend more time in warm weather!). So we went immediately to buy our tickets. Turned out they were sold out till Dec 31, which gave us NO time to spend in HK since we were leaving the night of the 1st to go back to Korea. We were bummed. So we spent the next few hours deciding what to do. We ended up booking a flight that day to Hong Kong. A bit out of our budget but turned out to be worth it!! I'd like to go back to Shanghai sometime, i'm sure it's a cool city.
So we got to Hong Kong that night & immediately were happy with our decision. Warm humid weather, just the way we like it!! I instantly liked HK! SO INTERNATIONAL!!! Everyone spoke English! We got to our hostel, a rough area! People were from ALL OVER THE WORLD in our area! The next day we went to a ton of markets! They had really good cheap shopping! That night we met 2 guys that we hung out with the whole time. Dan, from Miami, who is a chef in HK. And Adrian, who is from HK but lived in Canada for most of his life. They showed us all around & were extremely hospitable.
On New Year's Eve we took a ferry to the island of Macau (a former Portugese colony). We just went for the day. I loved Macau! I felt like I was in Europe, surrounded by a bunch of asian tourists! It had cobble-stone streets, colonial architecture, plazas, and the twist....tons of Casinos! You would see a dilapitated building with a huge shiny casino behind it. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral, which was amazing!, walked around, ate some portugese food for lunch, & headed back on the ferry to spend New's Year's Eve in HK!! We got ready at Dan's place & were going to meet up with him & Adrian when they got off work. We realized it was almost midnight! We looked out the window at the fireworks & saw the neighbors (who we had heard, sounded like a fun party!). They motioned for us to come next door. We ran over & made it there just in time for the countdown! So we got to welcome in the new year with new friends! They were so cool! We stayed & chatted with them for awhile. They ALL spoke amazing english, they studied in Vancouver.
Then we headed to meet up with our friends. We went to this dodgey area where we ended up meeting these 2 Swiss-Australian brothers. They were a lot of fun. We went to this outdoor area where everyone was celebrating the new year. So much fun! We went to get some food & when we were finished & walked outside we were amazed to see that the sun was coming up! We pulled an all nighter, not intentionally! I guess it's true, time really does fly when you're having fun.
That day we took a much needed nap & packed for our overnight flight back to Seoul. Trip recap, 2 nights in Beijing, 1 night overnight train to Shanghai, 3 nights in Hong Kong, 1 day trip to Macau.....life time of fun memories!!
As far as Korea goes, let's see. I started taking Yoga & Korean Language lessons. I can read Hangal! Very exciting! Lunar New Year is coming up & Megan & I are going to Japan! I'm really pumped for that!

My Little Bungalow

2008-12-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

So I've been in Korea about a month now. I'm feeling pretty settled in. Getting to know my way around Seoul a bit more. I feel like I've been here a lot longer than a month. The weeks absolutely fly by! Before I know it, it's another weekend. The weekends are great.

We usually go to different areas of Seoul, walk around exploring, eat out, go hiking (they are fanatics about hiking here, I'll post a video later, hilarious. It's their 'unofficial' sport here. You can buy $2 DVDs here so I've been watching a ton of movies...heaven to me:)
Dianne has been so helpful to me! She's showed me all around, told me some tips on Korean etiquette & manners, & really helped me get settled in. She's so much fun, oh & she's been my running buddy.

Here's my little bungalow.

My apartment is small but cute. Extremely small, but it's cozy. I'll only be in it another month & then I'm moving in to Christina's apartment which is much bigger. But it's cute right??

Christina's has a big bed & even a couch that folds out to a bed (so you can come & visit me!!!).

Take a look at my horrible Christmas tree, it's so lanky. But I had to have one, it was only $2!

This is my Gemini class, aren't they cute? Luke is super cute, but he's a stinker!!

Their english is pretty good. I love them though!! We have 2 Finish kids, Frans & Olivia.

This is my Taures class. Michelle is my favorite, she's the short hair on the left. SO cute!! Oh & I LOVE Dawn (next to her).

Here's my Aires class, they speak english very well! They are a lot of fun!

We had Indian food this night. Some of the best indian food I've ever had! So good!

These are 2 of my co-teachers. Serene is Korean, she has lived in Canada & Australia. She's so much fun!

And Christina has been in Seoul almost a year & will be returning home to Pitsburgh soon.

These pictures were taken from the TX/Arkansas football game in Austin a couple of months ago.

I went to the game with Courtney & her brother, Blake. Was a fun weekend, but Courtney wasn't feeling too well. Austin is always fun to visit though:) That girl cracks me up! I LOVE being around her!

K, well that's about it from me. I just got back from walking all over Seoul. My friend, Emily from MN, has a friend Christina, who I ran a race with a few months ago, has a brother that just moved here. He's only been here a couple of days so we hung out. We going to church tomorrow, Itaewon International Church. Hope we like it! I would LOVE to get involved with a church here!
Oh yeah, one of my friends & I booked a flight to China during Christmas break!! Can't wait! We're flying in to Beijing, then we're taking a train to Shanghai & then all the way down to Hong Kong! We'll be in Hong Kong for New Year's!! I can't wait! We'll get to see a lot of the east coast! It's like 1000 mile train ride!
I finally got a cell phone! And I got it connected with skype so now people in the states can call me free of charge & it will forward to my Korean cell phone! I got to talk to family last night & it was amazing! Felt so good! So, let me know if you need my number & you can give me a ring! Would love to hear from you! MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU!

Seoul Livin

2008-11-25T03:30:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. It all happened pretty fast; leaving Minnesota, spending time in Texas, getting everything ready for Korea, & now I'm finally here! Teaching English abroad is something I've always thought about doing, but didn't think there was ever a 'good' time to do it. I'm really hoping to save money while I'm here for grad school at Fuller in California when I get back in 1 year.
So far so good. I really like it! I've been here about 2 weeks now, but it feels like a lot longer. I had a 16 hour flight here!! I didn't sleep at ALL on the plane so I had NO jet lag, thank goodness. When my driver pulled up to my apartment there was a small welcome party!! So sweet! My co-teacher, Dianne, from Pitsburg, is awesome! She's taken me around & really helped me to get adjusted to life in S. Korea. I'd be lost without her! Dianne is on the left in this picture, & Jina, my director is on the right. I'm replacing her friend from home, Christina, who has been here for 1 year. Best of all, I get to have Christina's apartment when she leaves in 1 month!! I'm super excited! My place is nice, but REALLY tiny! The kitchen & bedroom are all the same room! It's a small studio apartment. I guess you could compare it to a shoebox apartment in NYC. But it's new & clean. It took me forever to find the shower. Since there's not many places to look, I thought, oh no, it's a community shower!! But I found out that most showers here are only the shower head placed somewhere in the bathroom. Most people's are behind there door in the bathroom, but mine is above my toilet & sink. So when I shower, EVERYTHING gets wet! I can already tell I can't wait for a bath or a REAL shower!!

Let's see, what have I done so far. Spent a lot of time at work. I can't wait to show you pictures of the kids! ADORABLE!!!! They are anywhere from 2-11ish years old. Age is confusing here in Korea b/c when you are born you turn 1 year old, & you turn another 1 for the New Year. So, when they say they are 4, they may be 2 or 3!! I still don't get it. Today I had a medical exam & they wrote down that I was 29 years old because of the year & month I was born!! I'm 27 thank you very much!!

There's a TON of cheap & not so cheap shopping here. Everyone is SOOOOOO trendy!! I feel like a bum! Everyone is always dressed up & looks very nice! Dianne & I went hiking outside of Seoul this past weekend. People even get ALL decked out to go hiking, in all of the best hiking gear! After we hiked we went to this area where you take off your shoes & walk on rocks. It hurt really bad, I could barely do it. But there were people walking all around like it felt good! During the hike there was this place to rest & there was this lady with the biggest hula-hoop I've ever seen. She was like in the zone hula-hooping! It was the weirdest thing.

The food is REALLY good! I've had a lot of street Korean food, had Indian, Turkish, Thai & just regular Korean. It's spicy! There's lots of little & big markets along the streets that has some of the CRAZIEST things! Stuff that I don't even want to know what it is. But also some REALLY good things! My favorite thing that I've had so far is buns!! I'll take a picture & let you see. They are steamed rice buns with a sweet red bean filling. I got Dianne hooked on them too! But oh my, some things are SUPER expensive. As some of you know, I have to eat oatmeal every morning! Guess how much this oatmeal was??!! $14 USD!! I bought it this time, but probably won't again, ridiculous!

So, back to my school, it's called iSponge. We have 2 Korean teachers, Serene & Cecilia & then 3 foreign teachers. Tomorrow we get a new Korean teacher! It's long hours, 9-6, but we have breaks & the classes are only 40 minutes long. Our director is really laid back & stays out of our way. Basically, we can run our classes however we want. We have a curriculum to follow, but we're on our own.

Oh my gosh, this past weekend, Dianne, Carla, Jessica & I went to a Dr. Fish Cafe. It's this really cool looking coffe shop/cafe. But that's not all....they have these things were you put your feet in water & fish EAT the dead skin off your feet! We TOTALLY freaked at first! It's SUCH a weird feeling! They would attack your feet! Look how many there are in the picture! The fish LOVED Jessica's feet! Carla was crying!! But after a while we finally got used to it! Now I want to do it again!

There are so many different areas to go to! I live 5 minutes walking from my school. We have a good location b/c we're close to the green line subway & it goes all around Seoul. Seoul is really a city that never sleeps. People are always out REALLY late & up really early! All hours of the night! When so these people sleep?? I'm already starting a movie collection. You can buy 4 DVD's for $10!! We're making plans to go skiing/snowboarding, DMZ North Korea Tour, Temple Stay, Korean Language Lessons, Taekwondo lessons & other adventures! For Christmas break I'm hopefully going to China! It's cheap to fly there! I have some friends going to Thailand & Cambodia but I want to go & travel all around Southeast Asia after my year is up in Korea & spend like a month traveling around! Can't wait! It's starting to get pretty cold here! There is a cold wind that comes from Siberia! Oh my, our plane flew over Siberia....it was the weirdest thing...so much snow & ice, like nothing I've ever seen.

There is so much to learn about the Korean culture! It's different than anything I've experienced before! I'm sure the year will fly by! The time difference is crazy! Korea is 15 hours ahead of Texas! Anyway, I miss you all! I don't have intenet at my place yet, but I will in 1 month. So I'll be able to call you with my skype account! You are MORE than welcome to come & stay with me anytime! Let me know how you're doing! LOVE YOU!

Texas Time

2008-11-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

Before heading to S. Korea I spent a couple months in Texas. Was SOOOOO nice! Got to spend tons of time with my family, mostly my mom, relaxing, hanging out with friends, getting ready for Korea, road trip to Austin & Houston, sleeping in, staying up super late (2am) because I would have interviews almost every night for a month with people in Korea (was exhausting), running/biking, watching TV shows, etc. I had so much free time & not even once did I get bored. Loved it!!! But as they say, "idle time is the devil's playground." I can see that. Because I had so much free time, but it made me kinda lazy. Waited till the last minute to get most of my stuff done.
I went with Courtney & her brother Blake to Austin for the TX/Arkansas game. It was so fun! I got to hang out with Adrian & check out how much Austin has changed since I went to school there. And Courtney, if you're reading this, I'm still waiting on you to send those picts from that weekend so I can post them!!;) Adrian also came to Dallas TX/OU Weekend so it was great to see him!!
I had to go to the nearest Korean Consulate to get my visa & the closest was in Houston. Good excuse to go & visit BJ. My mom & I drove down there & stayed a couple of nights. I got to see Willard (aka Jill) & catch with everything going on with her. And spend time w/ my 'brah.'
He had a nasty raw oyster shooter...looked disgusting but he seemed to enjoy it.
We went the the holocaust musuem, ate at some awesome restaurants, had dinner w/ Lyn & KD, toured around H-town.
My mom & I hung out a ton. Went to White Rock Lake, had pinics, went roller-blading & biking, movies, etc. We have such a good time together, she's my best friend. But I think that since we
knew I was leaving for a year, it made our time together that much sweeter. I really hope she can come & visit me in Korea!
We had a family going away party & one with some of the girls (Hayley, Sandi & Jordan). I already miss everyone so much! Remember, if anyone wants to come & visit, you are MORE than welcome! Bri is planning on it, my mom & maybe my nana, & Jordan. I would come after the winter b/c it gets pretty cold. Thanks so much for your prayers. Anyway, LOVE & MISS YOU! Let me know how you are!

From North to South....on I35

2008-09-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

So I'm back in Texas, temporarily. Next destination...S. Korea!! Yep, my bro & I plan on leaving early to mid October. I'm super excited! I spent a couple weeks in MN after spending the summer in Jamaica. It was a crazy time, so much going on. But it was also good to see everyone, catch up, & then say goodbye for the final time. It was a lot harder telling PPM that I was quitting than I thought it would be. They have been my family over the past 2.5 years. I have so many wonderful memories & have built life long friendships. But I still know in my heart that it's time to move on.
I spent my birthday there & then my mom came the next day. We went to the Republican National Convention to check things out. It was crazy there were so many policement in full body armor. Then we headed up north to the Boundary Waters.
Something I've wanted to do since I moved to MN & figured I may not get the chance again. The drive alone was gorgeous, along the North Shore, through Two Harbors. We decided to totally wing it & find a place when we got there. We decided on staying right outside of Ely. We stayed in a beautiful cabin right now the lake & went canoing, hiking, cooked out. We were completely surrounded by nature. Was so quiet & peaceful. Much needed after all of the craziness these past few weeks.
Then we headed on our long drive, 1200 miles to be exact, south on I35. We drove the entire day & stayed the night at my dad's house in Enid, OK. Now...back in Texas for a bit. Have lots to get done before we head to the far east. I plan on going to Austin this weekend for Courtney & Paul's birthday & then to Houston because my bro & I have to get our Korean visas from the consulate there.

Movin On

2008-08-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a rough couple of days...to say the least. It's crazy how much can change in so little time. Maybe some of you have known, maybe to some of you this will come as a shock. But it's been on my heart for a long time, so long I don't even know when it started. But I've been justifying & making up excuses to stay. I've been praying for clarity & guidance about what to do. If God wanted me to stay with PPM, I asked that he would make that clear. But the only clarity that I got...was that my heart wasn't in it anymore. It was feeling like a 'job.' I started to fear that I was going to get 'numb' to missions. And that scared me!! And you know how I'm a nomad...I move around a lot. Well, being here in MN...in the US...I've felt trapped in a way. I'm a free spirit, what can I say. So, now that it's actually happened...it feels very relieving. The 2 main reasons I am leaving PPM is that 1.) I don't feel called to work with North Americans (& that is who we cater our trips for) & 2.) I don't enjoy the 'sales' part of signing up the groups. But there are sooooo many things that I love about PPM & that I'm going to miss, which makes it hard to leave. But I can't stay for those reasons. First & foremost, I'm going to miss our amazing staff. Also, Belize & Jamaica & the beautiful people I have met along the way. Belize & Jamaica will always be dear to me. But with all of that being said, it's time to move on. I feel a stronger call than ever to continue with missions. Missions is who I am. Without missions, I'm lost. It's my passion. So, here's the plan. My brother & I are going to Asia, anywhere from 6 months to a year. We're still deciding on a country, but looks like it's going to be South Korea. I would like it to be Thailand or China, but S. Korea pays better. Oh yeah...we're going to teach english. It's always something that I've thought about, & now there's finally an opportunity to do it....& with BJ!! And after Asia, the plan is to go to school for my masters...hopefully Fuller Seminary because they have an amazing Cross Cultural Studies Program & you can get a concentration in Islamic Studies....which totally interests me!

So, I'm going to be finalizing things here in MN, then head down to Texas for a few weeks...then off to Asia!

Season's of life...altough they can be hard, when looking back, are beautiful & perfectly orchastrated by God. I'm so thankful for the 2 years & 3 months that I've been with PPM. I wouldn't change the experience for anything! I grew in my faith, learned more about missions, worked with incredible gifted & wonderful Christians. I have been blessed in so many ways! But, I can't ignore what I feel in my heart & I know it's time to leave. There are a lot of changes going on with PPM right now that have nothing to do with me. So, PPM, you are all in my prayers. May God continue to lead the organization.

So Long Jamaica

2008-08-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

What an intense, rough, beautiful, incredible, stressful, sweet, exhausting, fun summer in Jamaica.

What I will miss:
-fellow Pelicans
-the food! Bammy, festival, dumplings, jerk chicken, spice bun & cheese
-mountains
-ocean
-all of the colors!
-the music
-the raw, spirit led worship
-the locals
-hearing 'yay mon'
-driving on the left <
What I won't miss
-the traffic
-the honking
-bumpy roads
-sweating approximately 10 seconds after showering
-getting offered weed weekly
-the heat
-sleeping on my air mattress
-extremely long days

So I'm back in MN now. Feels weird. After my last team & staff left in Jamaica I spent a couple of days relaxing, scuba diving, swimming, etc. Was nice. Had time to reflect over the summer. It was great in a lot of ways, and not so great in some ways as well. I'm really going to miss our ppm staff. Lindsay (artistic, compassionate, deep thinker, beautiful inside & out), Bri (thoughtful, big dreams, loyal life-long friend), Tito (mission-minded, big heart, teddy bear), Rachael (crazy, deep thinker, great leader, outspoken in a good way), Josh (HILARIOUS, super friendly, well beyond his years), Dan (GREAT friend, can be< a bit of a pesimist at times, loyal, super comfortable to be around), Jen (natural leader, adventurous, easy going). We all got really close this summer. Jamaica was challenging, not gonna lie, & we really had to depend on eachother a lot! They were amazing! Life long friends I am sure. Whether we all serve together again with PPM or not, I know they will be a part of my life forever. Who knows, maybe Lindsey & I will move out to Cali together! She wants to move out there & I want to go to school there! We'll see. Now that it's all said & done, overall, it was a great summer in Jamaica. I'll never forget it & I'm glad I got to spend so much time there. It may be awhile till I'm ready to take on Jamaica again, but I'd love to return some time. It's truly a unique place. So much history, so much intensity, flavor, heart ache, laughter & crys. It's a blend of irony. Unlike any place I've ever visited. And for a brief moment, I was there, to experience it. Now that I'm back, lots of things have been going on...stay tuned.

Enid, OK...Close to the Most Exciting Place on Earth :)

2008-07-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Good ol E-town. My aunt Lyn was celebrating her 60th birthday and it kind of turned out to be a family reunion. I grew up in Enid, OK...lived there from 1 yr old to 15 years old. Had some good times there. It's always kind of weird to go back there though. My dad moved back there a few years ago, so I go back time to time. It worked out perfectly because I'm on break right now from work in Jamaica. My mom & I left last Saturday morning for the 5 hour drive going north on I35. Everyone got together at Nancy & Bob's house. There was Kacy (Kacy Bear), her sis Corey, Nick, Shannon, Lyn & KD, my dad, Jimmy, Pam, Joel, Trevor, Cody, BJ, Vivi & a few others that aren't coming to mind. It was so good seeing everyone, especially my daddy bear! I hadn't seen Vivi in 10 years! I even saw some people from junior high!! Ross Stallings! We ended up playing ping pong till about 5am!! And I am not a night person!! So, turned out to be a fun trip after all!
Now, I'm back in Dallas, spending my last week here till I head back to Jamaica. Some relaxing, swimming, spending time with friends & mommy bear, eating SUSHI!, watching movies, having mother/daughter dinners with my friends & their moms, and getting in some work as well. I had SUCH a wonderful time with my mommy bear!! We have become SOOO close, she's my best friend. When I'm home in Texas we spend all of our time together. Went out on the lake too, was super fun! Lake Ray Hubbard. Terry has a huge boat.
That's about it on my end. How are YOU doing??!! Let me know what's up!! LOVE YA!~
Actually, I wanted to share something out of this book I'm reading right now. Tito let me borrow it, I love it!

The Barbarian Call

Just do whatever Jesus calls you to do the moment it is clear to you. Do not procrastinate; do not hesitate; do not deviate from whatever course of action He calls you to...you are the most fully alive when you are on an adventure with God....to those of you who cannot see the invisible, to those who refuse to believe it exists, the path you choose, the life you live, may lead them to conclude that you are not simply different but insane.

Incredible! These quotes really hit home to me. Lots of stuff going on right now. Glad to know I'm not the only barbarian!!

Heading to Texas for a MUCH needed break

2008-07-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Back in good ol Texas for a much needed break. Looking forward to catching up with friends, relaxing, having some alone time...& then back to Jamaica for a couple more weeks. I'll be in Texas till the end of July. So these pictures are of the first week in Jamaica this summer, in Cantebury. It's a really rough, violent area in Jamaica...Jamaicans don't even go there. But the group that came to serve really reached out to this community. A guy named Carrie truly touched their hearts. He's a young guy in a wheel chair. His hero is Toupac & it just so happens that a lady, Linda, in the group has a connection to Toupac's mom, & she had Toupac's mom CALL him!!! Amazing! This is my new friend, Danielle, who I feel in love with this week at Calvary in MoBay. She's SOOOO precious!! Such a sweetheart! When I told her I was from Texas she said, "that's where cowgirls and coyboys live." 7/13/07 So I'm back in Texas now, in Dallas with my mom. I'm trying to adjust back to driving on the right side of the road again. I keep turing on my wipers when I mean to signal. But it feels so good to sleep in an actual bed, take a warm shower, & not start sweating 10 seconds when I get out of the shower. Little things that I used to take for granted, I'm so appreciative of them! So I went to church at Watermark this morning with my cousin, Jason & Pammy. She's pregnant & showing now, SOOO happy for them! They are expecting a boy in Dec. But I must say, even in this short time (couple of days) I've been back in the states, I don't miss it all that much. Just looking around at the people that live here, the more I feel like I don't belong. It's quite an adjustment coming from the mission field back into a "normal" life in the states, where people get dressed up, put on makeup, go out, etc. So while I'm on breack here in the states I'll be hanging out in Dallas mostly. I'll be going to Enid, OK for my aunt Lyn's 60th birthday that has turned out to be a family reunion on my dad's side. Looking forward to it!I'm thinking back to Jamaica right now, the ongoing trips, praying for them. Jamaica is a fascinating country. So many hardships, rough times, so much history. Slums neighbor an all-inclusive resort. Jamaica is filled with irony. Poverty surrounded by absolute beauty.
I miss our Jamaican staff already!!! I'm praying for you all because I know this is going to be a tough but amazing week in Sudbury!!

Summer in Texas & Jamaica

2008-07-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

So far it's been an incredible summer in Jamaica. We've been in the MoBay area, Falmouth, Savanna La Mar, Negril & later this summer I'll be heading down to the Kingston area for some more rural areas. Our staff has been a blast!! Lindsey, Tito, Bri, Rachael, Josh, Dan, Jennie, Matt, & Jen. SOOOOO much fun & they all have amazing hearts for the Lord!! We've been roughing it by sleeping on the floor, no AC, having really diverse groups coming together to serve in new communities here so everything is new to us & Jamaica is so crazy already so it's been stressful trying to figure everything out. But our staff rocks & God has provided everything we've needed.

Got to spend the beginning of the summer in Texas with my fam. Stayed in Dallas & went to Houston to see my bro. Got to spend a lot of time with my friends! As you can see, Sandi had another baby...Maddox! Precious!

This is our new friend Ninga. Funny story behind his name that we made up, it's actually Essa. So, the first night we were at Calvary Baptist in MoBay, Lindsey is getting ready for bed in the bathroom after all of the group is asleep. She glances out the window & sees a guy dressed in all black on the roof, with a machette in his hand headed toward the gir's room. She freaked out & came running back to our room & asked me what color of hat Essa had on earlier, I told her white. She told me there was a guy outside with a black hat on. I got up to investigate & looked outside & there was this guy laying on his stomach in the attack position. He saw us & stood up & started walking toward us, my heart dropped. Then he started waving & smiling & we realized it was Essa!!! So, we named him Ninga. He's been such a blessing! We were histerically laughing. Check out his shirt! He's our security guard at Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay this week. His dog attacked me the other night & bit me. :(

Surviving in Jamaica

2008-07-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy, stressful, joyful last month here in Jamaica. But it's been fun too! I love this country! And it's been really fun getting to know our staff here. This week we are in Savanna-la-mar (Sav). We have a group of 51 participants (4 different groups) & 8 staff! This Thurday we are going to Negril for the day, can't wait!! 7 miles of beach...here we come! Then I have 1 more trip & then a break! I'm for sure going to Dallas during my break & I may even be meeting up with Bruna somewhere either in Jamaica or another caribbean island. Can't wait!!! Anyway, lots to catch you up on when I get back....like future plans...could be changing!! Exciting though! LOVE & MISS YOU!!!!

Bucket List...Skydiving...Check

2008-06-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

So spring FINALLY came to Minnesota...it's about time!! Let's see...what's been going on, not a whole lot. Like I told you, Emily & I have been training for a 10-mile race. And the race was yesterday. It was along the Mississippi River in St. Paul, gorgeous run! And the weather was perfect running weather! Her friend, Christina, ran the race too! It wasn't bad at all, considering we didn't train as much as we should have. The last 2 miles seemed really long, but overall, not bad. And I'm a bit sore today, but not as sore as I thought I'd be. The thing I'm most excited to tell you about is that a group of us went skydiving today for the first time!! It was INCREDIBLE!!! So we did like a 10 minute info session...& that was it!! We of course went tandem, my guy was Joe...who is in the video. I bought the video that shows us falling in the air to some cheesy Top Gun music (danger zone), but I can't seem to upload it on this blog. Will work on it. Tati, Laura, Travis, & Travis's 2 sisters all went. I'll admit it, I was nervous!! I hadn't thought about it too much so I wasn't nervous until I started seeing people jump out of the plane! But I knew there was no turning back. It was a cloudy day, too bad, but still, totally worth it! Kinda seems like a dream now. So I leave for Texas on Thursday, can't wait! My mom & I are going to meet my bro in Austin & stay a couple of days. And just hang out in Dallas. Sandi had her 2nd baby boy recently, Madix, so I can't wait to see him!! Then, off to Jamaica for the summer! Lots of work to do to set up for all of these trips!
Texas: Dallas & Austin
6/10/08 I just arrived in Jamaica. More later. But first I have to tell you about my WONDERFUL time in Texas last week! I was there 10 days. I stayed with my mom at her new place. Oh...my mom....I think I have the best mom in the world. We has such a good time together!!! Went running, walking, biking at White Rock lake (10 miles...go mom!!), went to the movies, rented movies, had a mother/daughter night with my girlfriends, went out to eat, cooked at home, went swimming, relaxed, etc. I miss her so much already! When it came time to leave I got so sad. Makes me want to move back to Texas just to be closer to her! Guess I'm a Mama's girl. Besides that I got to see a lot of my girlfriends, saw Sandi's new baby, Maddox, hang out with family, & best of all...went to Austin!!! OH MY...that city is growing like crazy!! My mom & I met my brother there. There is a new sky scraper & new apartment builiding being built almost on every block!! My mom & I got a hotel in south austin. Adrian hung out with us some, was so good seeing him! My brother's friends were there too, crazy guys!! We went to First Thursdays on South Congress where they open up markets, boutique shops, have live music, food, etc...it's really cool. But the best part of it was I saw Christy from my old job at Media Plus! I was in a boutique shop & ran in to her! She currently lives in Dubai & just happened to be in town for a wedding!! It was so great seeing her even for such a short time. We had gone to Lebanon together & I went & visited her in Dubai. SO SWEET! It made me miss the people I used to work with & the middle east!! Hopefully I can go & visit again sometime soon!!! The rest of the time in Austin was so fun! We ate at some really good restaurants, went running at Town Lake, swam, & ran in to other random old friends...that's what I love about Austin...you always see people you know! Seems like everyone is flocking there! And I love out laid back & outdoorsy it is!! Then my mom & I went back to Dallas. Time to pack & get ready to leave for Jamaica. I was excited to go to Jamaica but also really sad to leave my mom!! But hopefully I'll be going back to Dallas during my 2 week break in July. At least that's what I'm telling myself so I won't feel homesick.
Jamaica
So right now I'm in MoBay, preparing & setting up my upcoming trips. My first teams arrive on Sat, June 14th....& I have a lot to do before then. I've already had a couple of meetings. Lindsey from PPM staff arrives tomorrow so it'll be good to hang out with her. Hopefully we'll be able to catch a day at the beach before the teams arrive. I'm soaking up the hotel right now..enjoying it while it lasts. Because once the teams arrive....it's sleeping on the floor!! Gonna be roughing it all summer long!!

Summer in Jamaica

2008-06-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

So I finally did it...I've converted from my travel blog to blogger. I made the switch. Feel free to check out my old travel blog. So, right now I'm sitting in my hotel room at Toby's with Lindsey (I'm so excited to be on a lot of trips with her
this summer....she's awesome!!) in Montego Bay. I've been here a few days already, getting things ready for the upcoming crazy summer of missions in Jamaica!! Stay in tune for what is to come!! Tito & Josh arrived yesterday. We spent the day today (friday the 13th, by the way!!) getting everything ready for tomorrow, when the first team of the summer to Jamaica arrives. Please pray that everything goes well...that we put ourselves aside & let God take control!