Anthony's quest for a better world

A White Canvas

2012-01-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

As of late, I have been seeking various ideologies of absorbing as much life as possible in the time we are given. We know and appreciate, too intimately for some of us, how precious and limited this life is and can be. You see, I live by the precedent that every day is an opportunity for me to improve; a chance to create a slightly better me; a hope of learning to be a better son, brother, friend, loved one or acquaintance. It is with that lens, that worldview, that I want to explain life in the commonly used metaphor of a canvas, or blank slate.

Aristotle coined the tabula rasa, or blank slate, as the beginning state of our being. I always enjoyed that metaphor, but I am a man of visuals, colors, textures, and images. So it was not until my time with a small group of awesome men a few weeks back that I finally came to a full appreciation of this tabula rasa epistemology, when I used a blank canvas as an illustration of our lives.

When we are born, we are blessed with a few essentials, the basics. We are given a white canvas, a paint brush, red, yellow, and blue paint. At this point we are as white as snow, as pure as the angels. We know no wrong, have hurt no others, and feel no pain. For the first several years of life, most of our canvases are likely quite similar. With the first angry cry we fling a red streak across that white surface; the start of countless strokes to come. With the warmth of our mother's loving embrace, we layer a glorious stroke of yellow. And the first frigid chill sent through our body down to our little tiny toes, brings the cooling flow of blue on the canvas that is and will continue to be our life. Even several strokes into our unique painting, it is still so basic, so modest and simple.

Before long, we realize the concept of shapes. And in a brief lapse of focus, we dip the brush straight from blue into red, without rinsing, to create a color we have seen but not yet created: purple! As we grow, and the world grows around us, we learn of more colors, more techniques. We gain better stability and precision in every brush stroke. The excitement of conquering a skill is met simultaneously by yet another new uncharted technique, leaving us in a cyclical flow of emotional triumph, then bewilderment. The task is daunting; how do I paint my life on a single canvas, a single work of art? What is it supposed to look like? What if I mess up? The beauty, of course, is that there are no wrong answers. It is not supposed to look like any one form, mold or template. With each turn in life, our painting takes on a new theme or direction. Do not be ashamed by the blacks and reds, thrashes and tears. They are all essential, and beautiful in their own way.

The next question that comes to mind: "what is my ultimate goal with this?" This question brings us to where I have been in this thought process recently. The documentary entitled "The Human Experience" was recommended to me by a dear friend a few weeks back. On New Years Eve I took her up on the suggestion. The film follows two young men seeking a better understanding of life. They literally placed themselves in the lifestyles of people throughout different walks of life, and in different parts of the world. This was a beautiful transition point between 2011 and 2012 for me. I watched the film and reflected upon my ultimate goal of my life, upon my painting. I want to find new tools to create new and exciting dimensions, use all the colors of the rainbow to display an array of light reflections, emotions, and visual stimulation.

My little sister and I went on a college tour road-trip this past summer and one of the stops along the way was Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. We had some spare time, and decided to wander the quaint town. We happened upon a small shop with several unique pieces of art in them, one of which was the handbags made of paint-splattered strips of canvas. Ever-so-conveniently, the artist's studio was upstairs in the loft of the shop, and she was up there working at the time. I was granted permission to see her studio, and we instantly struck up a conversation. She explained that she teaches classes weekly where she challenges the participants to use whatever materials, tools, or techniques they might feel so lead to. In her own work she uses kitchen utensils, hammers, back scratchers, gardening tools, and any other instrument she might be able to get her hands on. That is my ultimate goal. I want to be open to using old instruments in a new way. I want to find new resources, new techniques.

So how do I approach this goal? Expanding my horizons. Stepping out of any comfort zones I have left. Trying all new things I am given the opportunity to. Traveling as much as possible. Never asking why, but always why not.

But the biggest part of it all; relationships. Meeting new people, learning their story. Understanding the paths they took, decisions they made, to create the impeccable painting I see before me. Listening. Hearing what the believe, and what they believe IN. Hearing what they know and what they want to know. Seeing. Seeing who they love, and HOW they love. Seeing the minor oddities that make them them. Seeing the joy behind the tears, and the growth behind the struggles. Everyone has a story, everyone a painting. We are all artists, and each stroke, each decision, creates who we are. There is no room for regret in this life. If I have any regrets at the end of it all, it will only be that I did not hear enough stories, that I did not see enough paintings. But I will not let that happen. I will live a life that challenges me to ask "how did you create such a remarkable piece of art?" "what tool did you use in this spot?" "how can I do that?"

Do not try and figure out what your painting will look like in the end, or what it needs to look like. Take it a day at a time, one brush stroke before the other. Let it take it's own shape, and the final product will be an utter masterpiece that no other person could have created. And above all, respect every other person's masterpiece.

Blessing vs. Poverty

2011-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

"A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive." -Pearl Bailey

I want to be ever so alive. According to Pearl Bailey, the starting point for this is a love for my blessings. You see, the ones who know a bit about me know that I am deeply blessed, but the ones who know a lot about me know that I am impoverished. In my opinion, they're both correct (don't get me wrong, I am not referencing financial blessings or poverty, I am speaking solely on a spiritual and emotional level). I believe that the hardships and turmoil have all been blessings from above. I am profoundly blessed with a deep, deep well of experience and wisdom, all accredited to the "poverties" this life has thrown my way.

I strive to live every day like it's the last. I live for this moment, here and now. I live for the blessings of each day, both "good" and "bad."

To those who opened presents this Christmas season and were a little bummed because you didn't quite get everything you hoped for; or those whose gift cards and checks should have been a little bigger; or those who didn't receive a present from someone you expected to... all I can say to you is to get over yourself. I'm sorry I know this is really harsh, but if I sugar coat it, you won't get it. Yes, if there is ever a time of year we are supposed to be selfless, it is now. But I argue it should be every day of our lives. I have been so richly blessed by this season, and wouldn't change it for a second. And this is coming from someone who has been working 6 days a week 50+hours and did not get to see his family for Christmas. Instead, I have had the opportunity to help people find the right presents for their loved ones when they come to visit my store. I have put some smiles on faces, and sung Christmas carols on freezing cold street corners and I've been in the store and SINGING (Elf reference). I watched some uplifting Christmas movies, and spent time with my dear friends Kelsey and Jack, as well as countless others throughout the past couple of weeks. Beyond that, I got to hear the voices of my beloved family back home on Christmas, and share those three words with each other; "I love you."

This is one example of how I've done this right. Please don't mistake me as telling you I am perfect or always count my blessings. Each day I fall short of the glory of God, or forget to be thankful. I am just as guilty as anyone else. I wanted to write this more for myself than for anyone else. But I believe this to be of utter importance, and hopefully someone else can take something from it, too.

I am loved. What more do I need to know? I am fully alive today because I am in love with the blessings in my life, and that love catapults my ambitions. I charge you to find a daily love for you blessings, you will be endlessly surprised at the outcome.

The ones who know a bit about me know that I am deeply blessed, but the ones who know a lot about me know that I am impoverished, and the ones who know the most about me know that I am deeply blessed because of my impoverishments.

One of those incredible family members I was able to say "I love you" to this Christmas.

"This Little Light of Mine"- Addison Road

2011-07-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent bible study for my small group, and I like it because of its universality. I will adjust a bit of the language so that all readers, whether Christian or not can hopefully receive something from this. Enjoy!

Ephesians 5:15-16: "¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Making the most of every opportunity is a lifestyle! I full-heartedly believe that we all have been given a small insignificant light that is only ours. No other person shares the same exact light. This is the very thing that makes you... you and makes me... me. The problem is, we have been raised in a culture of expectations and norms. There is an unspoken outline of a person that we should all seek to live like. Now, I do not think we can switch off this little light inside of us, but I do think we can cover it up with a dark cloth and hide it from the public.

But what happens when we remove that cloth? Something beautiful. Something extraordinary. The world gets a glimpse of who we truly are, who we have the potential to be, and most importantly: who we were made to be.

Why am I talking about lights? Because once you open yourself up, allow for vulnerability, and freely express who you are, endless possibilities can be given flight.

So, if your light tells you to jump in a puddle, then do it, and do it full out. Or, if it tells you start dancing in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, then dance your little heart out. Not all of our lights are this awesome and spontaneous, but I hope you understand the underlying concept: please do not get in your own way. If an opportunity presents itself, take it. And beyond that, stretch yourself further than you might want initially. If someone offers you a chance to try something new, try it once. You might be surprised.

I just feel as though many of us are sleepwalking through life right now. It becomes so easy to fall into a routine of comfort and just follow the motions. Free yourself from that by letting your little light, that thing that makes you different, be your guide. Do not worry about the little stresses of life, and dare to dream.

Two great songs for this are the song mentioned in the title: "This Little Light of Mine"-by Addison Road http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVeB7ACVgO0 and the better known "Live like you were dying"-by Tim McGraw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xSGLZd9Vg4.

Thank you so much for reading!

Yet another attempt at a definition of love

2011-06-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Now my last post was indeed an articulation of this concept of love, but in my defense that was over a month ago and the topic seems to arise everywhere I turn. I assure you, if you read my most "recent" entry, this takes on an entirely different direction and aspect of arguably the deepest, most profound and mysterious of all human emotion and action: love.

The question arose most recently at the English club I attend on Friday nights, "what does love mean to you?" I will be utilizing my responses supplemented by others from the group, as well as from one of the greatest theologians, Martin Luther. Please note, it may end up being a bit lengthy, because no matter how long or hard any person can or will ever try, they will simply never capture love in all of its glory and might.

Love is seeing someone not just for who they are, but who they can be... and then challenging them every chance you can to move toward that. Their triumphs and joys are your triumphs and joys, even if the triumph is over you. Their sorrows and pains are your sorrows and pains. So, love is empathy. Love is respecting every action, word and even thought another might formulate. Love is dropping everything in your life to serve another's smallest needs. Love is the greatest sacrifice (take, for the clearest, boldest, and most unparalleled example, the cross) in which one surrenders everything for another, proclaiming that person's life to be more important and valuable than their own. Love is ultimately a commitment that is not even broken by the demolishing blow of death. It will never cease, no matter the trial or tribulation. It's utterly priceless.

But that is hardly scraping the surface. We can love a significant other, faith, family, dear friends, hobbies, and our passions or dreams. In all of these cases, love means these always come first. It means humbling yourself before them. Martin Luther proclaims that "love is the law of Christ." Did you catch that? It is not just an option for Christians, it is the law, punishable by eternity in hell. I argue that makes it something worth my time to not only ponder, but do everything in my power to get it right. 1 John 4 portrays some beautiful pictures of love, the most important of which is God. However, the verse that catches my eye the most is 18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Allow God to make you perfect in love. Put your fears behind you, and pursue whatever aforementioned love you might have, and do it with a full and open heart. (for you dance fans check this video out in reference to fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEtWUKYiscM&feature=fvst ) In the wise words of one of my beautiful fellow English club members, "love is borrowed time from heaven." There is not better way to describe it. But you won't receive that borrowed time unless you act on it.

And for one closing thought on love (for now, that is), I want to state that love is NEVER giving up on something or someone. Please take that last thought and apply it to each area of your life where you could/ should be loving. How are you doing with that? If you have let it slip, it is probably not too late. Follow your dreams, your heart, and choose your life, don't let it choose you.

All of these ideas could and probably should be given much greater depth and explanation, but I will spare you the tedious details and prolonged examples. Maybe somebody should write a book about love someday... oh right, there's already enough of those to build a bridge from LA to South Korea. ;) If you are curious of what's to come I have decided to type out a few of my favorite bible studies I taught this past year and put them up on here. So keep your eyes peeled for those coming much sooner than what could be expected by the general trend of my posts. Until then, here are a few random pictures I've take recently. Enjoy, and God bless.

Hitler's Love

2011-05-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

It's easy to look at society, watch world news, and learn about current events and conclude that love is seemingly so absent in our world today. Such things as terrorism, genocides, human trafficking, and corruption all contribute to this. These thoughts and feelings have been running through my mind since sophomore year of college when I first learned of the Rwanda Genocide, looked deeper into the holocaust and then discovered Invisible Children and what they uncovered to me about Joseph Kony's child soldiers.

The questions race through the minds of most: how could anyone be so evil? what could possibly lead a person or group of people to such horrific actions? what could motivate a person to hate so much?.... And I think the answer might be love. It's an utterly misguided and disfigured love, but I think it's still love all the same.

You see, Hitler's love was that for his people; for his nationality. His patriotism and profound love for his country seems to have been one of his major driving forces. (Please note that I am not a historian and will never claim to be. If my facts are slightly misinformed please feel free to correct them, but know that they are only minor details in attempt to explain a greater concept.) Love, at its deepest form, creates the passion that burns in people and motivates major decisions and actions. This is typically sought to be a positive attribute, and I will be the first to encourage a person to find a passion and pursue it, but if it is not given the proper direction, it can be absolutely destructive and fatal.

We can also look at terrorism, being one of the hottest topics in the news right now. Now, the motivations of terrorism have changed over the years from socialism to nationalism and ultimately to religion, but the key point is that each of these were actions of a love for each respectively. To give up your life completely to religion, for example, is such a powerful statement of faith. These people die for what they believe in... I argue that is love. It is, again, misguided.

I could continue with examples, but I will save it unless you request further articulation. The point is, what would have happened if someone Hitler trusted could have influenced Hitler to express his love through an alternative approach? One that did not include the elimination of another group of people, but simply one that shows the beauty of his people? Or, what would happen if an insider of the terrorist movement could encourage the expression of religious devotion through other means? Means of non-violence and love of thy neighbor? Imagine the possibilities of, not a love movement, but a re-chanelling/ redirecting love movement. I do not think there can be any world peace until both sides of every dispute realize they are all only acting out of love, and there can certainly be a different route to resolution.

We all have love, it is what drives us. Some spend their lives repressing it, others earnestly seeking it, and most falling somewhere in-between. As aforementioned, I will be the first to encourage people to find the love that makes their heart beat fastest and follow it. I will also, however, be the first to warn of the consequences of following it in the wrong direction.

The depth of love I see in some of the world's most evil people, is the depth that I so desire to have for my Father. The sacrificial love; the willingness to give up absolutely everything to worship Him and seek His plan... that's the kind of love I want to see in my life.

Love clouds our vision. Sometimes for the ultimate good, others for the ultimate bad. If God is love (1 John 4:16), then why do we not let Him cloud our vision? Take a chance on Love, see where it may take you, and always help guide your neighbor if his/her love is leading them to hatred.

What is success?

2011-04-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

This question has arose several times in my conversations over the past week and a half, so I decided to give my two cents on defining success.

Stating that success is culturally, geographically, and religiously relative is nearly a given, and not readily debatable. I can speak to my experience here in Korea that all three of these factors shape an individual and provide a heavy influence on their specific opinions of success. To give a single example (I say single because it is one among hundreds), a parent in Korea will be considered successful if they put their children through the best education with the most after-school academies and tutors, regardless of how many painstaking hours the parent has to work to pay for it. Even if their family has a lack of cohesion and relationship, the parents will still be considered successful. This is due to the overwhelming culture of competition here, which is entirely necessary due to the small land and lack of resources. In order for the next generation to be seen and excel, they must be the best of the best here.

So, is it enough to say that the endless variations of success found throughout the world leave it entirely subjective and void of any possible articulations or defining characteristics? Maybe, but I would like to provide a few that I would consider attainable and hopefully desirable to peoples of all nations and kinds.

Passion; the verb, not the noun. Do not reach for a dictionary or enter your favorite reference website, because there is not technically a verb form of passion. My point is, passion without action is dead (an alteration of James 2). The first step is to discover what it is that makes your heart throb with excitement and anticipation. It is necessary to have a good understanding of self, and what gives you that grin that never fades. Find your passion. Everybody has it. But do not stop there, it's only the beginning of the journey we call life. You will not start living until you find your passion, and then decide to pursue it. That is where many people fall short. And that is why I say that, in order to succeed, one must possess passion, the verb.

Love; the verb. You must give your heart to everything you do. Give it first to your family, and never stop. Give it to your work, to your passion, to your neighbor and to your enemy. Give it to friends and strangers alike. Give love to your "home," whatever that means to you, and give love to those who serve behind the scenes to make your day easier. If you give this kind of love, you will undoubtedly receive it right back in return.

Contentment; the verb. This is not the contentment that hinders progress or restrains one from reaching higher. On the contrary, it is the contentment that allows one to be so encouraged and grateful for everything they have that they are flourishing with energy and the desire to continue down their path. This looks like a genuine, full-hearted smile. A grateful heart and spirit. Enjoying where you are. Blessed by what you have accomplished, and what is still ahead. Peace with who you are and the choices you have and will continue to make. It is mobilizing.

The trend and overarching theme, of course, is action. Success; is it a verb or a noun in your life? It is your choice.

Utter Silence

2011-02-28T01:53:00.000-08:00

Prayer: one of the greatest mysteries of faith; one of the greatest areas of concern or worry for new believers; one of the most frustrating aspects of Christianity at times; potentially one of the most beautifully intimate experiences a person will ever encounter.

Our God is personal. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to have conversation with us. How often do we forget how extraordinary this is? Too often. We should be awestruck and humbled every time we bow our heads, because we remember that we pray because He wants us to! He wants to hear our grumbles and complaints, our praises and joys, our pains and sorrows. Unreal.

I can only speak for myself on this, but I am sure others might be able to relate to this. Often times I find myself praying out of habit or even necessity, but not praying in faith. Moreover, I struggle to feel His presence at times when I pray. I will sit and speak to the silence, and get only that in return; silence. This can leave a person contemplating their relationship with Christ, and why they feel so distant from Him... and rightfully so. However, God gave me a beautiful revelation a week ago, when sharing hearts with a dear friend, that allowed me to see this in a whole new light. Let me explain.

I want to start with a question: What is the distinguishing mark of a conversation between two people, one pouring out his/ her heart, and the other providing his/ her best ear and an open, empathetic heart? Silence. You see, when the "speaker" stops speaking (be it for a breath, processing time, tears, lack of words, or so on) the "listener" sits in silence. This is not necessarily an indefinite silence, and it's not one of ignorance, nor is it a case of cat-got-your tongue; it's the silence of love. They have been absorbing every piece of information that was shared to them, both verbal and non-verbal. They are attempting to feel the pain this person is being forced to endure. They are allowing this person time to gather their thoughts, or do whatever it is they need. They are allowing the person to speak if they have more to say, or let out a sigh and fall into the arms of the listener. When the time presents itself, if need be, the listener will speak... but this is not always necessary.

God is always our "listener." Whether we are talking to him while driving our car, praying with a small group, or we are broken down to our knees, uttering words between tears... He is listening. Whether our prayer is self-righteous, from an unclean heart, or of impure motives... He is listening. Whether we feel the eery tingle of the Holy Spirit in our body, hear God's voice respond to our prayer, or hear absolute silence... He is listening.

You see, I argue that God is silence. Silence is always present. Often it is clouded beyond recognition by the noise of life and the endless distractions... yet it never leaves, it is only drowned out by our surroundings, by our worry, our mind, our confusion, lack of trust, and sin. When we want silence, sometimes we have to work very hard, but we can find it eventually. We should be seeking silence in our prayers. When we finish speaking and all we hear is silence, that is truly beautiful, because that means God is right there listening, as He always is. It means that He is loving us. Find comfort in that silence, because it's given to you directly from the ultimate Comforter. Embrace silence, and praise God for it.

In the often silent love of Christ,
me

Thank you Socrates

2011-02-23T02:33:00.000-08:00

"The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing."

This is the harsh reality that I came to after hurting a couple of my dearest loved ones, and having the opportunity to pray to my God with a broken heart. It's been one of those phrases that I use to show the superficial humility that unfortunately presents itself at times before I can stop it. Thus, this lifestyle that Socrates discusses with this simple, yet profound statement has become diluted in my heart; subdued to something I have said, but never truly lived.

I lack humility in various aspects of my life, and this is something I have known and truly hated about myself, but have never done anything to change it. This past week, God forced me to process this. Thanks be to God. He broke me down over a couple of poor choices, and then persisted to give me the unfortunately rare experience of embarrassment to make his point. He was saying "Anthony, get down on your knees and bow down before me." So I did.

He wants me to consider the balance between two crucial tensions in spreading the gospel: educating yourself in the Word and teachings of Jesus, and trusting that God will provide the words for your tongue to speak to your audience. You see, I was not raised in the church, and did not commit to my faith until Junior year of high school. Yes, I earned a Theology minor at Whitworth and this is not to denote that education nor everything I have gained through church, small groups, bible studies and hands on teaching experience, but it is to say that a large majority of that was simply making up for lost time. I consider myself a baby Christian, and honestly I hope that I will always think this way. I know that I can learn more about God everyday of my life, and I will still not have enough wisdom to truly share about Him in all of His glory and wonder. And this is where He will step in, as He has done countless times already in my life, and fill in the gaps for me when provided the opportunity to speak to His name.

All of this is to say, the coming months are crucial in my life because I have to start preparing for what is to come next. My contract will end, and I will return home at the end of July... then what? Well, the answer is mission work. But the question is, have I prepared myself enough intellectually and spiritually for this, or should I look into Seminary or maybe bible school? This is my heart's prayer these days, as well as my desire for God to remind me daily of how little I know, so I can always humble myself before Him and others.

I trust God with all my heart, mind and soul and I know that He will always provide for me, regardless of my sin nature. It is me that I need to be weary of, and not put the trust in. My only confidence should come in knowing I have a loving God, and His plan for me is perfect. I know that He will work this all out according to that will, and therefore I do not worry or stress about whether or not I should seek further education or take the next leap of faith and fly out to Africa. He will reveal those answers in His time. I did, however want to share this in case God wanted anybody else to hear the message.

"The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing."- It's a lifestyle. Thank you Socrates.

Praises, blessings and cold winds.

2011-01-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

So much to share. It's most important to start this post by giving praise to God for the abundant blessings in my life.

I just counted my albums on iphoto since my last blog post: 33. Not bad, eh? I suppose that implies that I have a few adventures and stories to fill you in on, so let's not waste any more time.

Since it's fresh in my mind, I'll start with winter vacation. We had the last week of December off for holiday, and I had tried to fly home for the week. God decided that was not going to happen, and of course that was all according to his greater plan. My church had a music and dance celebration Christmas eve that my small group was a part of. I had the incredible opportunity to choreograph to "What Do I know of Holy," by Addison Road. I taught the dance to five of the members of the group, and then the rest of us sang, or played a variety of instruments. What a blessing. The piece turned out better than I could have expected, and the whole night was filled with great music, dancing, and best of all, God's presence. My church is phenomenal, and I am beyond grateful for them. Followed the service up with a small group party, then a midnight mass, finished with a middle/ high school all-nighter! What a beautiful Christmas eve.

Christmas day was a bit difficult because not only was I running solely on the 2 hour nap I took midday, but I was also missing my family because only the day prior I thought I was going to be with my family for Christmas. Little did I know, it would still work out just that way. See, after the 11 o'clock worship service, I went off with the four people from my church I'm closest to, the ones with whom I spend the majority of my free time. Central, Emanuel (formerly Sneaky), Norah, and Sky. We call ourselves the "Sneaky Family," for no reason other than sneaky being their favorite English word thus far. What you should know about this family God formulated is that we all have something missing in our lives that brings us together and allows us to create such a tight bond. I will likely expand on this in a future blog for a lack of time and space in this one. To get back to the point, we eventually wound up at my apartment where we poured out our hearts, some of our deepest pains, and greatest mistakes. We shared conversation that will never fully be understood by any others, because you simply had to be there. The night brought us exponentially closer, reminded us of the importance of family during the holiday season, and allowed us the opportunity to make ourselves vulnerable, and be lifted up by loved ones. This is a blessing that I simply may have never received had God not stopped me from flying to the states for the holiday. Time was spent in prayer, in tears, in shock, in laughter, and in silence. Time is priceless.

Throughout my week off I spent almost every day traveling to a new site, typically beaches or mountains, and simply enjoying the beauty of God's creation. I was with at least one of my Sneaky Family members every single day. I took pictures upon pictures, and I loved everything about it.

New years eve was yet another beautiful event. My church held another midnight service. It started at 20 till, to be precise, and spending time in worship, prayer, fellowship and communion was quite simply the perfect way to end 2010 and start off the new year of 2011.

I stayed up all night with Emanuel, Sky and Norah, and we went to Homigot (the beach with the hand statue). Thousands visit Homigot every year to catch the first sunrise of the new year, as it is the most eastern site in South Korea. This year was no different. The crowd was impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the frigid cold. But we endured it to catch a shot of the sun rise into the grasp of the hand statue. The waves crashed upon the boulders, and stranded people on previously dry rocks, ideal for striking your best pose in front of the massive hand. The anticipation was immense and readily apparent even though the wind chill was possibly cold enough to stop the beating of a polar bear's heart. We were fortunately warmed ever-so-slightly by the endless bodies hustling, bustling and rustling to get a clear view of the highly acclaimed and truly majestic spectacle. Sometimes things don't go according to plan... this just so happens to be one of those times. The sun could not break the clouds. Unfortunate, but worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and would do it again every time given the chance. No more than 3 minutes after we returned to the car the snow started.

I had such a beautiful vacation, that I just was not quite ready to be finished come Monday. Well God must have felt the same way I did, because he blessed our city with record-breaking snowfall that prevented my school from opening Monday and Tuesday. It was just the time I needed to relax and get a few things accomplished.

With that, I will leave you with some new words, followed by some pictures.
chu-sayo: please bring me
na: me na-nuhn: I am
no: you no-nuhn: you are
nooni pong pong: the snow is falling

Homigot. Thanks God for the presence of clouds in timely fashion.

Random adventure. My mom says that these beams of light are the pathways of angels.

The family. God's grace and love at work.

Working hard on our first day back from vacation.

At a massive windmill plant.

God is love

2010-11-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

I feel terrible: it has been over a month since my last post. Hopefully you have at least had access to my pictures on facebook to stay visually updated. The lack of diligence with my blog has been largely due to an increasingly busy schedule. For those of you who know me, you understand that I am most happy when I am busy because it means I get to be invested into many new and exciting opportunities, and typically this presents chances to develop and build relationships. These have held absolutely true over this past month in my experiences here in South Korea.

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to know what to share in regards to the culture and the country itself as it is reaching the point now where the aspects that many people would find new and interesting are just a part of my life. So instead, I will just tell you what I have been up to in this post and if I come up with a decent list of cultural differences then I will make a separate post for those sometime.

Church
I am so deeply blessed to have the church that I do. God has a profound way of providing me such peace and comfort in absolutely foreign situations. I look forward to Sunday all week.

I lead a worship song every week, and I love it. I have never been one to sing in front of people, so it was a bit intimidating at first. But, they actually enjoy hearing me sing. I am fully convinced it's just because I'm singing in a different language. Nonetheless, it has been a great blessing because I absolutely love music and singing. In order to compensate for the gap in my life that used to be filled by my favorite program at my college (hosanna, an hour-long student led worship time every week), I have spent my free hour Sundays in an isolated room on the roof of our 4 story church with a book of worship music in my hands and a fearless expression of vocal praise!

Speaking of music, I had the incredible opportunity to present to them a sacred dance that I prepared. They received it with such open and loving hearts, and they had so many affirming comments afterward.

I also was given the chance to preach to the whole church during 2nd service a week ago. This was certainly a first, but again they were truly receptive and took my words to heart. I discussed the importance of loving yourself for exactly who God created you. Imago dei (the image of God). My pastor was thrilled and asked me to preach and dance again on Christmas day.

Our God is utterly indescribable and worthy of more than we could ever try to give.

Food
Nothing too exciting: in the past month I have eaten silk worm larvae, live octopus, pig intestine, chicken heart, pig liver, chicken feet, pig lungs, and fish egg pasta.

Friends
I have been spending a lot time with Sneaky and Central (mentioned in the prior post) as well as Norah (another member of our church) lately. They are phenomenal people, and we have a lot of fun together. We call ourselves the Sneaky Family. We have our own language that is being developed as a mixture of Korean, English, German, American Sign Language, Spanish, Hebrew, and also including new and improved English phrases. For example: the phrase "such a ham" is now "sausage-y ham." I love my Sneaky Family.

I still try and spend time with my co-workers Jay and Joe, but I haven't been able to do much of that as of late.

And then there's Andrew. We go by A^3 ("a" cubed). He's originally from Michigan and ended up in California eventually, but is more of a Cali boy if you ask me. He's the one I can always count on to try something new with me. We are planning to sky diving sometime in the near future... I'll keep you posted on that one.

And finally, I am still attending English Debate Club on Thursdays, and I really love my group. They are a lot of fun, and all are much more intelligent than I.

Events
In brief, I visited a traditional Korean town, Geyongju, three times. It's gorgeous during the fall, and rich in culture. Started volunteering at a study room for young kids on Saturdays, helped at a kids camp, held a garage sale at our church, went back to Daegu and Busan, had a Halloween party at our school, went to a professional soccer game (the Pohang Steelers are one of the best teams in Korea), had a church sporting competition against two other churches, and went to a traditional Korean music performance.

Language
I've given you enough to read at this point, so I will just close with some of my favorite Korean words.

whey: why?
whey ande: why not?
mo: what?
hanle: sky (also, my korean nickname. given by Jay's girlfriend and her friend. I love it.)
keyopda: cute
babbo: fool

Enjoy the pictures. Much love from Pohang!

My Crazy Monkeys, of course.

And again

Sneaky, coming back from Daegu

Central, Sneaky, B-Rob and I at the sporting competition

Had to

They're still moving. The best part is when the tentacles suction to your teeth!

Where's Waldo? Also, the baby is having a good time, I think.

It's called a Hambok. Part of a traditional Korean outfit worn for special occasions.

Gangster and his precious daughter. While everyone was working the garage sale, I just played with her.

After the music performance. These are the kids I held on Saturdays with one of their teachers who was in the show.

"I want to be your hands, want to be your feet... I'll go where You send me.

God is good

2010-10-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

Anyong haseo,

Whelp, I've gotten myself back into the busy life to which I became so accustomed in school. On top of my full time teaching job, I unintentionally added a part time position as well. It is an incredible position, however, and I am utterly blessed with the opportunity. I am now officially an Evangelical Teacher at Chunglim Church, here in Pohang. This is the Korean church that took me to the sporting competition and invited to attend their worship services. Throughout the last two weeks we have been discussing details and contemplating what exactly my position will entail. So it is not yet set in stone, but this past Sunday was my first day of teaching so I have a general idea of what to expect.

I am teaching Koreans of all ages, ranging from small children to my 40 or 50 something pastor. My day starts at 8:45 in the morning on Sunday, and we walked out of the church at 7 minutes past 6 in the evening. This time does, however, include my hour long guitar lesson at the end of the day.

The members of the church are all so friendly and open to my presence in their church, and I already feel incredibly comfortable there, regardless of the fact that few people speak English and the services and worship are all in a language I cannot read nor understand. It is the reason that I know I am where God wants me to be. If I had not applied to teach in Korea; if I had not chosen to go through Kate (my agent); if Gwangju had not fallen through; if I had not accepted an initially sketchy position at Wonderland; if I had not been co-teachers with Jenny; if I had not accepted her offer to attend English Debate Club; if I had not conversed with Central after a debate club meeting; if I had not accepted his offer to attend the sporting competition with his church... if any one of these things would not have happened, I would not have this deep blessing to be working in God's house. God is good, and his timing is perfect.

More importantly, I have stopped biting my nails. People always told me to stop, and that is the main reason I continued to do it. I recently realized how unattractive it is, so decided that I should discontinue my habit. What can I say, if a person tells me not to do something, I will most certainly be more inclined to do it. Also, maybe this is not actually more important than the news aforementioned.

In other news, the Korean thanksgiving (Chuseok) was an interesting week. I had so many exciting options of where to go and what to do, that I decided not to do anything. At all. So, I stayed in my apartment about 85% of the week-long vacation, and did things people would least expect me to do. For example, I played video games, did not watch many movies, and did nothing of any importance or excitement. It was awesome. Then I got super sick physically and emotionally. It lasted a week. That kind of sucked.

I ate slugs Sunday, in church. I thought they were a weird mushroom, and was quite excited when I was told afterward what I had actually eaten. I guess the only thing I have to say about this one is... not as bad as it sounds?

I am certain I have 47 other things to discuss with you, but I cannot think of them right now, so I suppose they will have to wait. Instead, I will leave you with your Korean lesson: chocum (a little, or small amount) nay (yes) anyong hagaeseo (goodbye if you are the one leaving) anyong hacoseo (goodbye if you are the one staying).

God bless.
Anyong hagaeseo

(I call him Sneaky Kim. He's such a great guy. A fellow Evangelical in my church, and one of my besties. He is the one teaching me guitar.)

(This is Central, the one who introduced me to my new life at Chunglim. We spend quite a bit of time together, and he has been incredibly helpful!)

(The sushi that I mentioned in my last post. This was the first run, they loaded our table 3 or 4 times with different types of sushi)

(The fermented Skate fish, also mentioned in the prior post.)

Livin' the Dream!

2010-09-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry it has been a while since my last post, I have been busy. Accordingly, I have a lot to fill you in on... so I will jump right to it.

First and most importantly, I have been reminded that God is multilingual. I'm not. :) Through the Holy Spirit, however, sometimes you just know what is being said without actually comprehending a single word. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to tag along with a church to a day long sporting competition among churches. We played three traditional Korean games in a tournament style, with prizes and awards for the winners. I learned jokgu (soccer/ volleyball/ tennis), unori (you literally just throw up 4 small sticks in the air), and jegi chogi (juggling with this plastic bit with weights in it and small shreds from pom poms hanging off). This is what I learned from this experience: Koreans love you when you are the only foreigner among 200 people in a gym together; I'm not even good at the stick throwing game which is completely a game of chance; Korean culture is awesome (but I suppose we knew that already); and prayer, worship and fellowship can be universal languages. God was certainly present that whole day, and as much as I love non-Christian Koreans, I love Christian Koreans even more!

The next day, I went to the oldest traditional seafood market in Korea, Jukdo. My good buddy, Andrew, and I had a good time being squirted by squids, hugged by Korean men in cowboy hats selling chestnuts, and scolded for trying to eat live caterpillar/ worm things. We saw some bizarre looking fish, and bought some random things we didn't actually need. Makes sense. After that, we went to a park with some caged monkeys, ostriches and the like and tried out the awesomely random workout machines in the park with some Koreans.

Tuesday I finally got to play soccer! I played with the foreigners that travel around playing other foreign teams. I did alright considering no cleats, slightly pulling my groin and tweaking my knee. I also met a guy who plays basketball often, so I'm excited to get out on the court and shoot around again soon, hopefully.

Thursday in debate club we discussed whether social networking sites such as facebook and blogs are helpful or harmful to society. I argued that they are harmful. On that note, you should check out my facebook for more pictures after you finish reading my blog post. I love my debate club members, we have a lot of fun together.

Saturday, Andrew and I went to Busan (the second largest city in S. Korea). We went there on a mission: find a skim board and a pair of cleats. We came back with neither of those things. We did, however come back with the knowledge that there is only one surf shop in S. Korea (which fortunately was in Busan but obviously had no skim boards), Koreans don't make cleats in size 13, I should not lean over the ocean with my sunglasses attached to the front strap of my backpack, steaks in Korea are simply not up to par, and hour long bus rides seated in the aisle-way is less comfortable than in the seats. I did get a few decent shots at the beach, and though it sounds like we had a negative experience, it was actually quite fun!

And today, Sunday, I attended a Korean worship service. The church I went to the competition with is oddly interested in me, and so they wanted me to come today and just learn more about me, and have me be a part of their church. It was a blessing. The worship was really good, the message was on Psalm 150 (love that!), and they spent the last 20-30 minutes performing different instruments just because of the message. I chatted with the pastor's daughter for an hour and half while the worship team practiced for next week, and then Central (named after Central Park, the coffee shop where we hold debate club meetings) took me and this really nice man from the church to a beach further south, and then out for sushi!! Yes, I finally got to have sushi in Korea!!! We ate oysters, snails, fish, shrimp, and fermented fish. No, you didn't misread that... fermented fish. Needless to say, that last one was an experience. I do not have pictures of that meal yet, but I will hopefully have them for the next post. During the meal, Central and his friend gave me the ultimatum: they want me to teach them to read the bible in English. How could I say no?

Brief Korean lesson: shilay hemnida (excuse me) abba (dad) ahpa (pain) and chingja (really? or, really! depending upon intonation). And on a cultural note, Korean thanksgiving (Chuseok) is this coming week. Our school is only open on Monday. During Chuseok Koreans go to the house of the oldest uncle in their family, and they prepare a feast of traditional Korean food that they offer to their ancestors. They bow to their ancestors and show the respect and gratitude.

One love!

Trouble in Paradise?

2010-09-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry this has been a while coming; things got slightly chaotic. There has been a lot of continuous change under the supervision of our new director and this has led to extra duties and preparations. We have lost many students and a few employees, so my duties at work have changed, both concretely as well as in more subtle and abstract ways. Allow me to explain.

I am in a unique position at my school, having great relationships with the foreign teachers, Korean teachers and the director. Further, of the foreign teachers, I have the best communication with the new director. Her English is a work in progress, but we have spent more time together with health checks, immigration visits and such, and have therefore developed a Konglish communication system of our own. This has proven to be quite beneficial, especially as of late. With any change of management, there is always flex and flow within the tension between power and respect. Respect is always something that must be earned, and therefore the power is the ultimate force in the initial stages. That being said, many people do not respond well to direct authority, and this leads to conflict. Our school has experienced this conflict and, as aforementioned, my position has allowed me the chance to help all sides. So when the Korean teachers are frustrated, I have the ability to stand up for them just as I can stand up for the director of the foreign teachers if the need arises. Peace keeping: it's what I do, and I am very happy to do it.

Oh, I attended an English Debate Club last Thursday with a Korean co-worker that I will now frequent every Thursday. It was quite fun, as I thoroughly enjoy a good debate. I got the opportunity to argue with people twice my age, and it was not disrespectful... how great is that? The topic was the direct correlation between academic qualifications and success. I was against this proposition, for I believe that success is defined by an individual's heart, not their pocket book. I could continue to explain, but I will spare you the details. Moral of the story, I made a strong argument and when the time came to make final comments, those in support of this proposition were literally speechless. I enjoyed it, and eagerly look forward to this evenings debate: should reality TV be banned?

Here is the most exciting part: I visited 3 beaches in 3 days! Friday I went to Bukbu, the beach nearest my place of residence; Saturday I journeyed to Homigot (the beach with the hand statue you will see at the end of this post); and Sunday I went to a small slice of paradise, Chilpo. My church service this Sunday was listening to my worship music whilst enjoying God's immaculate creation- my favorite way to praise Him!

As for foods, the only thing new that I can recall right now is this random white fruit that a nice elderly lady handed me at Chilpo beach. I was walking past her and her family to reach the restrooms, and I smiled, bowed and said hello in Korean- anyong haseo- and she probably thought "look at that tall, skinny, white man... he must be dying for food." So I thanked her- kann som nida- and walked to bathroom eating a sweet new fruit with a smile on my face.

All in all, things are well, God is good, and I am profoundly blessed. Please keep me posted with any prayer requests that you have! For me, please be praying for Wonderland, my school, as we fight through the adversities. Romans 5:1-5! :)

Much love, and thank you for reading. To reward you... here are some pictures of my adventures:

This might be fake, not sure

Meat, horse rides, old lady shopping and love motels.

2010-08-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

Since I updated last, I travelled to Daegu (third largest city in South Korea) with a few friends for 2 days, taught another full week, had a really great birthday, met more people, built stronger relationships with those I already met, visited the beach again, shopped, hiked, and found an English church service to name a few. So the following will be the latest cultural findings, random experiences and food encounters.
Cultural:

Norabong: (hope i got the name right) it is a typical form of entertainment here in Korea. It is a karaoke place with a bunch of private rooms. you take a group of friends and jam out to some karaoke, and I loved it! I went with my co-workers Friday after we all went out to dinner to celebrate the new director, and bid farewell to Cade, my fellow English teacher. I'm sure I made a fool of myself, but it was worth it.
Here in Korea they have these really awesome workout machine things in the majority of public parks, and they are mostly frequented by the elderly and families. they are quite comedic to watch, because you get to see people going to town on these funky machines in the middle of a park! they are all over the place, and make me smile every time I encounter one.
Koreans are very shy, and will not typically look up from the ground let alone make eye contact. And as much as they want to, they do not work up the courage to use whatever English they do know to attempt a conversation. Every so often one will go for it, and we end up having a great little conversation. I cannot emphasize enough how kind they are out here, I love collectivist cultures!
In Daegu we ran across this incredible cathedral that was established by an American missionary in the late 1800s, and it is a gorgeous building. We then also stumbled upon this really nice zoo with some beautiful landscape.
And, Koreans try to cover up their whole bodies when it is hot and sunny outside because A) they have an old belief that tan skin means you are poor and B) they would rather be more pale than darker because it is viewed as more beautiful here to be less dark. So I most be drop dead gorgeous! :)

experiences:

Birthday: so many people showed their love, care and appreciation for me on my birthday. it is strange because I felt more loved and celebrated this year than any other, and I am in a foreign country without any family or my closest friends from home. It was incredible, and so simple. Thank you for just loving me, whether or not I heard from you, I still know that you care. I am deeply blessed.
Okay, here's an interesting story: whilst in Daegu, we visited the underground shopping (mostly in attempt to get to our next destination) and we wound up in the middle of the worlds largest 65 and older women's clothing strip. Imagine four towering white guys in their 20's (mostly) and a 20 something woman from the middle east strolling the walkway populated entirely of short, old, whitened korean women. We were a sight to see. And to top it off, none of the shops had changing rooms, so we wound up seeing way too much of an elderly woman changing in the middle of a shop with clear glass windows. Enough said.
On a more positive note, I got to ride a horse! Okay you caught me, it wasn't real. We stopped in an arcade downtown and found this full sized horse arcade. So naturally, I jumped on, we threw in the necessary funds, I pushed a bunch of buttons to bypass the illegible options written solely in Korean, and then held the speed button down with absolutely no idea of what I was getting myself into. This is what I learned from Korean arcades: HOLD ON TIGHT! This horse took off running, and I was not ready for it. I was certain it was about to buck me off. At one point my arms were practically hugging the neck of this white arcade horsie and I was probably screaming like a 3 year old girl. I am happy to say that I made it out of this horrific experience alive, and with only a few bruises on my shins.
I found a church today! With the help of my colleague, I learned of a church that offers a service in English, so I made the journey for the first time today. I enjoyed it alright, but that was not the highlight of the adventure. I first got on the bus, thinking I was well prepared with a piece of paper in hand that had the name of my destination written in Korean so that my bus driver can make sure I get off where I am supposed to, and of course it was not that simple. I pointed to the paper and he shook his head and started telling me a story in Korean about a track star from the Olympics during the Roman Empire... I think. I might have misunderstood him. Fortunately, however, there was a very helpful young woman on the bus, Roxie, who happened to be going to the same service I was, and came up and told me that I was on the right bus and to stick with her. I thanked the bus driver for the history lesson and sat down, thanking the Lord for his perfect timing.
Then, we finally got to the church (after taking a handful of backroads that I absolutely never would have known to take and therefore would not have ever made it to the service no matter the length of time I searched) and started heading up the flights of stairs. A Korean family turned the switchback coming down the stairs, and a little girl, maybe 8 (?), turned her glance to me and instantly jumped backward in fright and let out a muffled screech. She then immediately reached for her father's leg and was utterly embarrassed at her reaction. Apparently she does not expect to see a 6'3" fair skinned, red headed man walking toward her around every corner. Strange. Anyway, Roxie and I got a good laugh out of it.
First scooter ride: awesome. Nothing like utter vulnerability, high speeds, terrible surrounding drivers, and steep hills.
The final experience I would like to share this time around, is our accommodations in Daegu... We stayed at a place known under the category of a "love motel." Split between three guys, it cost us $7-8 a piece. Incredible wallpaper, sagging ceiling, some blankets and a floor. What more could you need? See the pictures at the end of this post.

food:

MEAT!!! For my birthday, the guys took me to an all-you-can-eat meat buffet!! You literally fill up a plate with any assortment of beef or pork you desire, bring it back to the table and grill it up. It was beyond incredible. Quite simply, it was bliss. We ate meat for 2 hours straight, no exaggeration.
The coffee flavored cake I got for my birthday was elegant, and very aesthetically pleasing. And though it was made likely of potato and rice of sorts, it was actually quite good.
I have one complaint of Korea... I heard there was a Subway (my absolute favorite fast food) in Daegu, and was absolutely ecstatic to get my hands on a true sub only to find out that apparently all Subways in Korea (I think there were 3 in total) just recently closed down. This country lost some major points after that news.
I tried their grapes for the first time today, and they are completely different than western grapes. If you have ever had lychee, it tasted like the grape had a somewhat chewy lychee inside of it, filled with small seeds. They are pretty good, but I spent the whole time pondering the fact that grapes can actually vary this much.
At the karaoke place, we had dried squid as a finger food. It was more tough than jerky, but I enjoyed it alright.
Last but not least, I have realized I have a soft spot for baked goods. I am not a big fan of things weighed down with sugar and frosting, but love the lighter, slightly healthier, options you can find at any good bakery.

There you have it. Here are some images to stimulate your senses and add comprehension to my otherwise exceedingly too intricate descriptions:

The Korean Experience

2010-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I will stick to bullet points and such for this to spare you the tedious commentary, but the following are things that I have experienced during my short time here so far.

Food

Octopus-very good! I also hear they serve it alive here and you literally slice and eat it at your table... can't wait to look into that!
Chicken liver- quite good (we thought we had ordered chicken hind end, but found out we pointed to the wrong picture, so I will let you know once I have tried the anticipated dish)
BBQ beef! brought to you raw and you cook it over an open flame with vegetables and some incredible sauces
Shaved ice, milk, sweet beans, and fruit desert thing- delicious
Mango Peach juice!!
Gimbop- long sushi-looking roll with seaweed, rice, and your choice of filling. I got tuna, and it was enough to fill me for the equivalent of $2 or $3.
Kimchi, or course. If you dont know, it is a vegetable (usually cabbage) that is prepared with a spicy dressing of sorts. I'm learning to like it.
Tiny little fish that are served as sides at various different places. If not over-salted, I enjoy them as a nice little snack.
Seafood of sorts. Often times the lunch at my school has seafood in it that I have certainly never tried, and cannot distinguish what animal it might be. But I enjoy it nonetheless.
A pastry that looks similar to a thick pancake, and has the filling similar to that of the inside of a cinnamon roll. I love them!
I had an incredibly spicy chile that brought me to a profoundly purple face and extremely watery eyes. So that was fun.
More to come... but I do need to say that I have a deep love for many of the Korean foods I have eaten so far. Looking forward to my first real sushi experience here.

Cultural

Definitely has the traditional shoes off, head-bowing, sit on the floor to eat culture that is to be expected from a visiting Westerner. Respect is obviously of utmost importance.
Never serve yourself a drink at a meal, always let someone else do it, and you should always be looking to see if anybody needs a refill and then provide that for them.
And when you pour the drink, it is most respectful to place your spare hand on your pouring arm, and turn your wrist so that your sleeve (whether or not you actually have a sleeve) would not get in the way of the pour
When someone is pouring for you, especially if they are older than you, make sure that you hold the glass with one hand, and hold the other hand underneath the glass
Korean drivers are similar to New York drivers, only worse.
I am viewed as a celebrity in the eyes of many of the Koreans
Education is extremely important to Koreans, and very very competitive
The children most often speak better English than their parents
Coed bathrooms with multiple stalls are found in many public places
I think that is maybe enough for now

Experiences (whether fun, humorous, or painful, it is always an adventure)

I unexpectedly have wound up on two, count them 1, 2, blind double dates with Korean women that speak little to no English. Granted, in neither case was I expected to show interest or pursuit... which is good because not only was the desire not there, I could not have communicated even if I wanted to!
Within the first week of working at my school, our director sold the school, and so everything I was learning could potentially change already with our new owner and director. She is very nice, but I am certain she will make changes.
The new director, Mrs. Yong, and I went to the hospital for my health check on a rainy day. At the entrance of the hospital there is a dispenser for plastic bags to keep your umbrella from dripping all over... well I followed Mrs. Yong's (I hope I have her name right, haven't seen it written yet, and her English is still a work in progress) lead and shoved my umbrella into the dispenser... little did I know, it is made for the long pointy umbrellas, not the ones that condense into small rounded umbrellas, and it not only did not fit, but I snapped one of its arms in attempt to act as though I new what I was doing and am not some awkward foreigner who has never seen an umbrella-plastic-cover-dispenser-thing.
In the same hospital visit, I was supposed to pee in a cup, but the English word for pee must have gotten lost in translation because I was asked to fill the cup with a slightly different bodily function. Fortunately I knew what I was actually supposed to do, so I did not end up making a complete fool of myself. (Sorry if this is too much for you, it is quite uncomfortable to me as well but I'm sure someone will have a laugh at my expense, so it's worth it)
I went to the waterfalls! SO incredible! Dove head-first from maybe 20' up for my first time, and it was a really great thrill. I want to go back there every day of my life. The area has many waterfalls, and they are all along this day long (literally all day long) hike that does a very large loop that I hope to complete sometime. Pictures at the end of this post.
The beach is quite nice as well. It is maybe a 10 minute cab ride from the apartment. Volleyball net, shops across the street, sandy beach and warm water. Big mill/plant with bright neon colored lights and a large fountain with lights. Sunday we saw what looked like a comet coming toward us, that wound up being some sort of large balloon that had a flame under it for a while, then went out, and then it eventually fell into the water too far to swim to and investigate
A close nit group of foreigners
I met some very funny drunk Koreans on the beach that were very eager to talk with me and then throw up and pass out

Good thing I used bullet points to keep it short, eh? I'm sure things will become less new, interesting and exciting as time goes and I will run out of things to post. When that happens, you can come back to this and read the lines you skipped somewhere in the middle where you started getting bored. All the best, enjoy the pictures!

(more on facebook and upon request)

A Whole New World

2010-08-07T03:49:00.000-07:00

First things first: I love the movie Aladdin!

That being said, I have successfully concluded my first week in Pohang and have so much to say. I will do my best to keep this post concise and to the point so that you do not drift to sleep in the midst of reading it.

The first two days at Wonderland I had the opportunity to follow around Claire, the teacher I am replacing, as she went and taught in each class. From that point on, the classes were mine. Any and all "training" that I received was through observation and Claire's directions and recommendations. I do need to give her credit though, with the limited time she had, she did an excellent job, and has been so incredibly helpful to me since I arrived. She was and is an excellent teacher, and Wonderland should know that they just lost a valuable asset to their team.

My classes are filled with kids that are simply amazing. So incredible. They make me smile, make me laugh, make me raise my eyebrow, make me frustrated... but most importantly, they make me grateful. I am so blessed to be able to teach these incredible children, and for that very reason, I am reminded and affirmed that this is where God wants me. I will try and spotlight a child every post or so, and for this one I certainly want to share about Ellena. She is in the morning class that I teach two to three times a day, depending upon the day of the week. She is absolutely adorable, and such a sweetheart. We have already established a close bond; which, upon reflection, may have something to do with the fact that she is the sole girl in a class of six kids, and I have spent most of my life as a minority among many women (my family, for instance). Anyway, I hope to be able to post some pictures of Ellena and my other students in the near future.

As for my adventures, I will share one of many exciting stories:
On Monday, Danny (aka Mr. Ryu, the director of the school) asked me if I would be comfortable trying to navigate a taxi back to my hotel. Naturally, I saw this as an opportunity for an adventure, so I told him that I would love to. He said that it would be very simple and I just needed to tell the taxi driver "CGV" when I got into the cab and he would know where I needed to go because the CGV was right next door to the hotel. I did as directed and wound up at another CGV in the middle of downtown. I decided to pay the taxi driver and take the opportunity to explore the downtown shopping strip. It was similar to an outdoor outlet mall, and was complete with a mini man-made stream running through the middle. As I approached the end of the strip, there was a very friendly looking Korean man that I made eye contact with. He spoke English! He asked if I would follow him to his shop, and I responded "as long as you would be willing to tell me how to get to my hotel afterward." We had an agreement so we went for a walk. Two blocks and a drawn-out conversation filled with nothing but his bragging rights for his "we make anything you could ever need" shop (slightly paraphrased) later, we wound up at this incredibly sketchy shop with some adult, leather apparel items among many silk robes and bedding. He knew I would not be buying anything as I had told him I just arrived and he understood I would not have the money to purchase anything (they really do make basically everything, including some nice suits and such) but we entered nonetheless so I could see his handy-work. After some awkward moments of silence, I thanked him for showing me his shop and promised that if I need anything tailored or custom made that I would seek him out, and then we headed out and he told a cab where to take me. I arrived back safely to my hotel room.

One last quick note that you might be interested in:
I love Korean culture. They are so much more friendly than many other cultures I have experienced, have incredible cuisine, cheaper goods, good public transportation, interesting parks with workout machines that old people and families use, new and different shops, great baked goods, interesting showers, and amazing children! And Pohang is a really great city because it has a group of closely connected foreigners, good shopping, is much smaller than Seoul or Busan, has the beach, rivers and hikes all within a short taxi ride, and it is quite simply: my new home.

Okay sorry, it is not as short as I had hoped it might be, but I hope it is interesting enough for you to not become bored. I truly want to know what you have been up to as well, so please comment here, email me (apriest10@my.whitworth.edu) or message me on facebook.

God bless.

Whelp, here we go!

2010-07-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

So much to say. Well first of all, I am safely in Pohang, South Korea... my home for the next year! Crazy.

My travels went well, and I will spare you the "pity me" details. I will say though that I met a man named Nicholas Kim, on the flight, and he does animation for such companies as Sony. He worked on Alice in Wonderland (notice Wonderland is also the name of the school at which I am teaching) and 2012, the movie. It was pretty neat because Alice in Wonderland was one of the movie options on the plane, so I got to watch his handy work and then see his name in the credits afterward.

The director of my school, Mr. Ryu, met me at the bus station in Pohang last night and brought me to my hotel. I will be staying in the hotel for the next few days as they prepare my apartment. Which, by the way, he said I have one of the largest and cleanest apartments available, so that is always nice.

We met again this morning at 11 (Korea is 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, so it is currently Sunday afternoon) and went out for brunch. He brought me to this place with an incredible delicious soup. It is spicy, and the meat is so tender it literally falls off the bone. The best part: we took off our shoes at the door and sat cross legged on the floor! This will be my life for the next year, and I love it!

He took me past the school so I could see it, and showed me the apartment. It is literaly a block away from the school, so that will be a blessing. And now, I am sitting in my room in the World Cup Hotel. I got caught up a little on facebook and emails, skyped the fam and Thomas Robinson (get some!) very briefly, and after this I am going to head out for my first solo adventure around the town.

My emotions: ecstatic and very pleased.

More to come. God bless.

Itinerary

2010-07-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

I am flying out of Seattle at 6AM this Friday, and will arrive at the Incheon airport by 6PM the following day. A 5 hour bus ride later, and I will meet the director of my school at the bus station where he will bring me to my home for the next year! I probably won't be able to get internet outside of the airport until Monday at the earliest, but expect an update as soon as I get the chance. God bless!

Alas!

2010-07-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am sorry my posts have been few and far between. The plans starting changing practically daily, and I therefore decide to spare any readers I have the emotional roller coaster I was on until I finally had a solidified plan. I was debating whether or not I wanted to keep you in suspense and deliver you the finalized details till the end, but I am in a good mood, so here you go: I will be flying out to Korea next Friday, July 30th to arrive there the following day to start the next chapter!

If you are at all interested, the following will be a brief overview of the several changes as of late.

As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to keep all three options open. From there I sent out applications, emails and resumes to several organizations, all of which I have an emotional attachment to on some level. I started getting really excited about the option of working at any one of those places, and then on top of that, my dad added in the option of staying at my grandpa's old home in Sequim, WA. It is a place that I would love to live at some point, and when you add in the rent-free aspect, it becomes even more appealing. So from there, I decided to send applications to different employers in Sequim as well.

As you likely know, Africa has been my most desired destination, so when options started opening up to potentially be able to earn the required income WHILE living in Africa, my heart skipped several beats. Naturally, I immediately sent the required emails and began mentally preparing to finally get to Africa.

Then, Kate called and stopped all of those ideas in their tracks. She said that Wonderland, the school in Pohang, was ready to offer me a really great deal. They were ready to get me out asap, and even if I wouldn't get there before July 20th, enough time to fulfill my year contract and return in time for my older sister's wedding next summer. Wonderland said that even if I arrive later, they would be willing to let me leave early to make it back for the wedding, and would still pay me for my full 12 month contract including my severance pay at the end. Kate needed a decision within the next hour.

So I did some praying, talked with some friends and loved ones, convinced myself to be okay with canceling the plans with friends and family I had made, said goodbye to Africa, Sequim, Olympia, and, whelp, everywhere else in the world but South Korea really, and told Kate that I was ready to commit... again.

My paperwork was actually submitted to be processed for my visa this time, and they went completely through the system. Kate booked my flight, and everything is actually falling into place. God provides.

Here I come, Wonderland.

Finally Got News From Korea!

2010-07-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

God works in mysterious ways.
Kate, the agent working for me in Korea, emailed me back today in response to my plea for any sort of update... and I still haven't had enough time to process my emotions on the situation, but I do feel a sense of peace and can certainly feel God's presence in this recent development.
She told me that the employee who's job I will be replacing had something come up and needed to suddenly extend his/ her contract until the end of September. This means that I cannot start the job at Wonderland until the end of September or early October. My options are as follows: 1. Have Kate look for another position that starts asap 2. stick with the Wonderland job and not leave until the aforementioned time period, or 3. thank Kate for all her work and tell her that this just was not in the plans this time around.
So I did respond to her and asked her to find me another position if there are any available, but I am still leaving all three options open right now.
My biggest struggle at this point is deciphering whether this is God telling me that Korea actually is not in the cards and I need not force it, OR if this is Him challenging me to prove to him that I truly want to follow Him through my persistence and hard work. So that is going to be my prayer, and your prayers are certainly welcomed to support me in seeking this distinction. I'll keep you posted as more is revealed to me.
1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Brief update

2010-06-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

So I received two pieces of news a week ago regarding my upcoming adventure; one bad, one good. The bad news was that the original school in Gwangju at which I was planning to teach had to fill the teaching position a.s.a.p. so they had to hire a teacher who lives in South Korea and did not need to wait for a visa to process. On the other hand, I was further informed that my "agent" found me a new position immediately after at a school in Pohang. This turns out to be an incredible blessing because Pohang, South Korea is right on the coast so I have the joy of easy access to the beach! This is actually the one reason I was slightly bummed about my initial placement, and so God decided to respond to my petty cry. The school I will now be teaching at seems incredible. It is called Wonderland (no association whatsoever to Michael Jackson's theme park!!) and appears to be a palace for young children to come feel like royalty as they step foot into their beloved learning environment. The principal seems eager and excited to have me on board, and my visa paperwork i set to be finished sometime within the next day or two so that I can hopefully fly out no later than Wednesday of this week (June 30th). Here is a link to some of the attractions of Pohang City: http://eng.ipohang.org/home/eng/ courtesy of my sending agency. I am still going to be teaching Elementary school children, and there will be two other international teachers there with me.

As for my thoughts and feelings on this... I CANNOT WAIT TO GET OUT THERE!! I have been beyond blessed in my incredible month here on the west side of Washington with my overwhelmingly loving and beautiful friends and family, but at the same time, I so excited to finally get to Korea and start searching God's plan for me out there. Your prayers are appreciated that all of the paperwork and visa processing goes smoothly and quickly so that I can embark on journey.

I am endlessly blessed!

The Start of a New Chapter

2010-06-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

It seems as though I left Whitworth in the same fashion I spent most of my four years there: rushing to get more things done than realistically possible in such a small window, fitting in time spent with people I care so much about, planning for what is next, enjoying what was left, getting rid of excess, tears shed, reminiscent smiles shared, and of course, diving head first into the next adventure God placed at my feet. I would not have it any other way.

Before going into my journeys since May 16th, 2010, the day of my graduation, it is most important to me that I stop and give thanks. First of all, thanks be to God for the countless blessings and opportunities he has and continues to provide for me. Beyond that, I want to thank you for being a support to me. If you have ever allowed me to pick at your brain to see what you were going through, or vent to you about whatever petty struggle I might have been enduring, or especially if you have had the opportunity to be frightened by my adventurous, playful and sometimes childish outbursts, thank you. If you have challenged me, convicted me, mentored me, and/ or loved me, thank you. If you believed in me, thank you. If you took a chance on me, thank you. If you hugged me when I cried, danced with me when I rejoiced, or sat with me when I contemplated, thank you. If you took the time to get to know me, if you prayed for me, if you had the difficult conversations with me, thank you. No matter how much or how little time we spent together, I promise you that your impact in my life has been such an incredible blessing and I thank you for everything that you have done for me and all that you mean to me.

So I said "whelp, see ya later" to Whitworth, and "ready or not, here I come," to Jamaica. Come to find out, it was not Jamaica that should be preparing for me, but vice versa. Amidst the chaos of graduation, packing, checkouts, down-sizing, family, goodbyes, and clean up, I ran out of time to emotionally and spiritually prepare for my return to Jamaica. If you do not know, my first trip out there was the Spring Break Mission Trip '09 where 26 Whitworth students and 2 faculty/ staff members served for a week at the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf in Eden, Jamaica, as well as Blossom Garden Children's home in Montego Bay. That trip was my introduction to the world of international service, and my heart was immediately broken for the community of Montego Bay and neighboring towns. I returned for the spring break trip in 2010, and left just as shattered if not more so than the first trip. This time I returned with 5 other trusting souls all with the same agenda: seeking God's plan for each day of service.

Myself, Alex Bushy, Andrew Barnes, Emily McBroom, Naticcia Melendez and Sarah Trax spent 10 incredible days together of sweat, blisters, laughter, fruits, sunshine, rain and belly flops. There was so much that happened throughout our time that I will just focus on one of the most impacting elements to me personally, but if you would like more of a play by play, please let me know and I can type up my notes from each day with some commentary. One of the main driving forces behind my desire to return this time was a young boy from the school for the deaf named Omario Jackson, a.k.a. OJ. He is 14 years old, and lost his mother the day before we arrived in late March of this year. His biological mother died at birth, and his father has never been in the picture. He was adopted from the hospital by a loving woman who invested every ounce of love and joy she possibly could into OJ, always supporting him in all of his endeavors. She brought a vibrant and contagious energy to every occasion at the school, and was loved by all of the students and staff. When she passed suddenly, OJ was now orphaned for the second time in his life. He was my mission last trip. I left feeling as though our time together was cut far too short, and so this third trip was an attempt to pick up where we left off.

OJ was ecstatic when he saw me on our first day back at the school, and I too could not have possibly felt more joy in that moment. Our interactions were mostly spent writing back and forth to each other in my journal. He shared with me how deeply he misses his mother, and how grateful he was to have me there. He told me that he really wishes he had a laptop, as he hopes to be a computer technician when all is said and done. We talked about the failed attempts at bringing his father back into his life, and how I will always be there to support him no matter how far away I live. We discussed the extent of his deafness, and I asked him his opinions on cochlear implants. He also asked if he could ever come visit me, and we discussed how long it will be until I can make it back. He shared that this summer, as all the students and teachers will be heading home, he will remain at the school essentially alone the majority of the summer. The greatest part of our interactions though was not in these written dialogs, and it was not even when we agreed that we are true brothers forever, but it came on the very last day we spent at the school where I had the most encouraging and heart warming opportunity to serve alongside OJ, working on the construction project. He is strong, dedicated and such a hard worker. I could not have scripted it better... what an incredible way to end my time with him.

Coming back I felt a presence of peace, joy, and respect from the time I was able to spend with OJ and the rest of those I served with/ for/ alongside. I am forever grateful for everything this trip had to show me, and I cannot wait until the day I can return home to Montego Bay, Jamaica!