miss lindsey, masters of education

my college roommate just finished her masters. congratulations, windz! i'm so proud of you!!!

the sound of friends' voices is like healing water to this tired chikin. i love my lindsey. have fun with karen and christa! 3 weeks of teaching and then i come home for a break. pray i can make it without keeling over. lol.

can't wait to see you all!

When I grow up...

I am not one to toot the "America is #1" horn on a daily basis, but living in a technology-crazy country like Korea where extreme economic strides have been made in the last 50 years has made me think a little differently about the country I was born and raised in. Likewise, I wonder how I answered the infamous question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" as a child, when every student of mine here answers, "I want to be scientist and find the new discovery. Then Korea will be famous and then my family will proud of me."

The following argument addresses America's attempts to remain competitive amidst the global market.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203044,00.html

TRAVEL DETAILS

I have received my flight information for coming home to the States. I will be leaving Seoul August 24 in the morning, and flying into Richmond, VA the evening of August 24.

I fly back to Korea from Richmond the morning of September 8.

That gives me a little over 2 weeks at home. If you want to see me, please email me or call me at home and we'll set something up. I'd prefer not to be running helter-skelter everywhere, however, so that I return to Korea exhausted and worn out.

If you want more details, etc.. just email or skype me.

my new little ones
sophia took my kindergarten kids, and i have started out with a new group of little ones. they are - overall - very well prepared to be in my class. their grasp of phonics is excellent, and i find them a good deal less taxing than my other group of munchkins. the only problem children seem to be anthony (not pictured... he was hiding from the camera under the table), who sometimes gets stubborn and refuses to do anything at random times, and jason, whose attention span is about 3 seconds... before he starts staring off into space or pointing the finger at anthony and saying what sounds like 'don't speaking korean!!!" in the highest pitched voice i've heard in a long time. oh dear... but no... i am enjoying the class. God give me wisdom and grace to teach them well. and i must not forget david, who is meticulous and always worried, as he carefully writes each letter. "wait a minute, please, teacher! wait a minute!" (heaving a deep sigh) to his credit, he gets most everything right. and jake is very good. may i just say how nice it is to have a decidedly good student? one who tries his best and does well and is conscientious. ahh...

bryant, jake, hannah

david, bryant, jake

hannah, jake??, brett, jason

the ubiquitous peace sign

caleb update: he has been moved to a lower level (level 3 in gina's class)... and while his speaking and listening comprehension is good, he still doesn't know basic grammar concepts or how to write well. i am not despairing, though. i love that boy and desire for him to succeed. pray he will try hard to focus so he doesn't have to move down to the most basic level and start from the very beginning all over again.

this past weekend

laura and i went into seoul - first to a little coffee shop called seoul selection, where used books are sold, and foreigners can see korean movies with english subtitles, etc. it was a nice little place. afterwards we wandered around itaewon (the foreigners area in seoul) looking for a bookstore called 'What the Book?" ... we asked people where it was, and always we got the double-take. laura realized she had to take special care how she annunciated her words, so people didn't think they were being cursed at. it was really quite hilarious.

and after that we went to hapgejeong to the foreigners cemetery, which was really fascinating. i loved seeing the gravestones of missionaries from america, canada, germany, denmark... people who gave their lives to korea for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

and while i do not (at least not long-term) feel the calling of God to korea, i am eagerly awaiting the Lord's clear direction for where He is calling me in particular to serve Him. what joy there will be in going to that country and learning their language and giving my life for them... that they might know and experience the love and power of Jesus Christ.

Chaebu-do ... waterfront...
older women were looking for crabs, clams, and baby octopus in the mud. pretty cool, huh?
we were at the tail-end of the monsoon season, so everything is wet and green, and the clouds are thick and heavy.
i am telling you... the people out in the front of the restaurants trying to get you to park your car and come in and eat were beyond ridiculous. this is soliciting at a whole new level. we had back flips going.
playing like little children in the mud and rocks: daniel, philip, andy, naomi, and daniel

wheee!

don't let the mud deceive you. those rocks and shells were sharp. you had to be crazy careful...

chaebu-do retreat
the weekend before last was dave and winnie pitman's last weekend here in korea, so we went to dinner at outback (a treat to western fare amidst a stream of consistently - but often tasty - traditional korean healthy food), and i was able to thank them for the immense influence they had on my first year overseas. i will miss them tremendously. they flew out last monday for home, having spent 35+ years in missionary service.
sunday, the 17th, i went with ~15 people to chaebudo, an island that is only an island when the tide comes in, for an overnight retreat. it was wonderful, though i wasn't feeling the best. we talked - sharing brief stories, had galbi (Korean BBQ), and emily and i watched the rest play some group games. they were great! the next day we visited a waterfront town, where restaurants had people out front to entice the cars to come and eat at their restaurant. it was AWESOME to watch their selling techniques... lol.

naomi and andy, our worship leader. these two were hilarious.

phillip (?) and laura in conversation...

this chikin loves watermelon.

freeeeeeeeeeeedoooooooooooooom

in case you're wondering... i thought i'd tell you what's on my mind. starting next saturday i have 5 days off. it is the first vacation time i have had in the 11 months i've been here that is longer than 3 continuous days, so naturally i am excited. however, there is one problem. i have no idea what i'm going to do with myself for 5 whole days. and unfortunately most hogwans have their own personal schedule, which means most of my friends (who are hogwan teachers) have different vacation times than me.

my friend stefanie is going with friends susan and katie to thailand. i want to go to thailand and ride an elephant and one of those mopeds in bangkok... (sigh).... but our vacation times don't match... and - anyway - when i prayed about it, i didn't feel like the Lord was giving me the green light. so (alas) the elephant will just have to wait.

it is also worth mentioning that i am probably the palest i have ever been in my entire life. it has been raining for the past month - straight - and i'm starting to look ill again. lol. oh the joys of the monsoon season. there has actually been a lot of flooding especially in the more rural areas of the country, and several towns have had to evacuate to safer places, leaving behind crops that have been destroyed, as well as homes and belongings. i even saw the news over the weekend, showing flooding in the seoul subway stations. yikes!

on that note, dinner is ready and i'm starving! i think tuen-jang-jjigae is on the menu. YAY!

i would like to to take a moment to say that a few days ago a mosquito bit the tip of my nose.


i looked in the mirror... and to my shock and complete amusement, i saw a big red bump instead of a nose. upon closer inspection i saw that indeed it was not a pimple. and it itched.

oh, blessed concealer!


but even that didn't completely work.

now, in the privacy of my own apartment, i have found that those small band-aids work quite well in aiding the healing process.

we're working through problems here in korea... one mosquito bite at a time.

English Reading Club 

The larger English Reading Club (there are five ERC campuses throughout the Kyunggi province of Korea) is producing its' first newspaper. As our campus has successfully completed its first year of the Step 3 program, Mr. So (the Yeong-tong branch manager) asked Mrs. Kim to have me and a few of my students write on their experiences. You have read mine throughout the year, but here are Sehwan and Phil's...

Phil Kim
Step 3
7/14/06

Learning in ERC

I have been learning in ERC. Last year my mom said, “You should change English academies. Sehwan has been studying in ERC. You want to go to ERC?” So I changed English academies. First I had an English test. The test was not that hard. My first teacher was Carlos, who was fun. I liked ERC very much. I studied with Carlos very short time. Next teacher was Miss Ruth. I have been learning a lot of things with Miss Ruth. She is a good and fun teacher so English is not that boring anymore. We have studied thirteen books and we’re now studying ‘The Three Musketeers.’ I liked studying ‘Narnia’. That book was long and hard, but the story was fun. I had a lot of work when we studied ‘Narnia’. The essay was the hardest work, but it was not so bad. I hate only tests. When I had it first time, my score was crazy! Like C, D, B! But we studied ‘Narnia’ and my score was so good. I got an A+! I thought, when I had studied fun, score was good. So I got A+ in ‘Narnia’. We saw the English movies, too. We learn about the movie and learn English. Not only that, we had to summarize that movie! We studied so fun like these. We went to the CGV and saw ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Man’s Chest’, too. I had fun too much. In English, I’m very weak in grammar. In other English academies, there we studied about only books! But in ERC, we have been studying grammar a lot of time. I like ERC and my teacher. When I studied earlier, I thought, ‘I’m so good at English.’



Sehwan Jang
Step 3
7/14/06

The Process of Learning in ERC

I have been learning in ERC ‘Step 3’ for almost a year. The first time when I came to ERC I was very nervous and I didn’t know it would be my best English academy during my elementary time. Soon I was having a conversation with ‘Yeong-tong’s’ principal. Few months later I was learning under Carlos with my best friend Phil. He was a very fun teacher. When he was gone I met Miss Ruth. She is dramatically fun and amazing. That time Step 3 class’ students were only Phil and me. Our first books were ‘Jigsaw Jones’ and ‘A to Z Mysteries’ series. After mystery books, we started to read classic books. For example, we read ‘Black Beauty’ for the first classic book, then ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘Treasure Island’ for the next. These times a few students were included. These classic books were little hard for me the first time, but it became easier and easier. And we did study questions for help the understanding. And of course we watched a movie. We watched ‘The Great Dictator’, ‘The Princess Bride’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ and ‘Narnia’. Our class loves movies, so we watch at least one movie per book. After reading ‘Treasure Island’ we read ‘Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’. It was very, very long book. When I first saw the book I almost crumbled. It was too thick compared to the last few books which we studied, but I watched the movie first so it was not very hard to understand the story. Now days we have finished the Narnia book and we started ‘The Three Musketeers’ book. Ah! And last Saturday I watched ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean 2: The Dead Man’s Chest’ – with Miss Ruth, Mike, and Phil. It was so good and it made me so curious about ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 3’! And… oh bugger! It’s time to go.

COMING HOME....

vacation time: 24.august - 9.september. 17 days total, travel time included.

will confirm with more detail once the tickets are bought and things are more established. if you want to see me while in the good ol' us of a, let me know. will be setting plans so i can make the most of this short block of time.



whose little feet filled these shoes?

a few nights ago i was walking in suji and i saw these near a trash pickup. (there's a lot of trash here, btw) i was struck with an oddly bittersweet feeling, seeing these precious little shoes. maybe the little feet grew so quickly they couldn't wear them anymore. i don't know. i like them, though.

emily and i have established our very favorite korean meal. it is called budda-jjigae (pronounced buddha- jee-gay).

Korean: Do you like Korean food?
me: Oh, yes. I eat it every day. My favorite is budda-jjigae. And tuen-jang-jjigae.
Korean: (gasp, shocked face) You like budda-jjigae?! Oh, you must like hot food. Very spicy. You are true Korean.

CHURCH
sunday night a small group of us went to my favorite restaurant - nolbu - where we had budda-jjigae. i am pleased to finally have a picture of my pastor and his family to show you all. here is Pastor Bob, his wife Anna, and his daughters who are absolutely hilarious. it has been a pleasure to be part of GEM and under his loving shepherding. he and his family came to korea from canada only a few months (??) before i did, so their english is all enough for solid communication. i am truly thankful for them and i pray God's blessing an anointing not only rests upon his ministry and teaching, but on his leadership in his family, as well.

yesterday: stressful. got home from work around midnight. new class of little ones. 6 children. good grasp on phonics. now to get them talking, reading and writing well.

TEACHING
4 new faces in my upper-level classes. starting the bald bandit (A-Z mysteries) in my prep class, and the three musketeers in my step 3 class. been busy writing study questions, vocabulary lists, and grading tests, quizzes, and papers. exhausted. 

caleb slammed peter's head against the door?? wall?? yesterday. sophia's first day teaching them without my supervision. his head still hurts today/ dizzy. worried about caleb's bad behavior. mrs. kim is moving him to gina's class starting next week. pray that sophia can control them. pray the fear of God will rest upon them. i fear their excitement/confidence/ happiness in being able to speak english is out-of-control in the way they treat one another... it's hard for me to pass the baton... i still see them as my children. when they leave the classroom to go get water or go potty, they come and talk to me. encouraging them to be loving and kind to miss sophia and each other.

reading in James today. what a SWORD the Word of God is.

Captain Jack is back!

'oh, bugger!'

Yesterday I took three of my step 3 children to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2. It definitely left us all in eager anticipation for the 3rd installment! Overall, I would say that the storyline and plot development was very different from the first... and yet it made an impression on me as an excellent, well-made movie. I highly recommend it!

Then last night I went out for galbi (pork barbecue, where you all sit on the floor, etc.) with two sweet couples who I've met through church: Grace and Ian, and Roverly and Rush. Grace and Roverly are both Filipina young ladies who taught English back in the Philippines, and both their husbands (Koreans), were English students at their school! I couldn't help but marvel at the wonderful diversity around the table - with Filipinas, Koreans, and an American. All of us live here in Suji, and I hope we can develop deeper friendships.

Thoughts on my devotional...
I am still reading through E.M. Bounds classic collection of Prayer, and LOVING it. An excerpt from a recent devotion:

The good or evil of trouble is always determined by the spirit in which it is received. Trouble proves a blessing or a curse depending on how it is received and treated by us. It either softens or hardens us. It either draws us to prayer and to God, or it drives us from God and and from the [prayer] closet.

Trouble hardened Pharaoh till finally it had no effect on him, only to make him more desperate and to drive him further from God. The same sun that softens wax- hardens clay. The same sun that melts the ice - dries the moisture from the earth.

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known My Name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."

Psalm 91,14-15

...randomness...

There is nothing that embodies Korea more than their essential sidedish called 'kimchi'. It is neither pleasing to the eye nor delightful to the tastebuds (initially, at least). To put it bluntly, it is cabbage- fermented with salt, kimchi sauce (which contains some sort of fish paste), and chili powder... and squished together. I found the above picture in the subway, and I couldn't resist taking a picture. Gotta love the Korean patriotism.

This picture was taken at City Hall - a week after this same place was flooded with Red Devil fans, supporting the Korean football team in the World Cup. And, oh friends, you should hear the complaints in my students' journals about the unfair call of the referee (or shall I say, the lack of a call) on the Swiss player's hand foul. In any case, if you look closely you can see an older man on a pink moped. The effort I took to stealthily grab this shot was solely for the pink moped. ^^

This weekend's visit to a Seoul Art Museum for a Picasso Exhibition... Picasso isn't my favorite artist, I'll admit, but it was still quite nice to see his works.I fear I am ill-qualified to fully comprehend or explain the various mysteries of such creations fashioned in the name of "art" ... If you have such wisdom, please enlighten me.

Thea flies out for Germany tomorrow. Please pray for safe travel.

A great post on Korean food (with pictures) http://thea-in-korea.blogspot.com/2006/07/koreanisches-essen-am-samstag-hat-mich.html.

'strength in weakness'

This past week has brought some changes, and I find myself once again depending so very much on the grace and strength of the Lord.

I am reading E.M. Bounds messages on Prayer, and they have absolutely floored me. Last week I was reading his message on Prayer and Humility, as well as in Galatians (Chapter 5) on Christian liberty. My heart was so convicted by the sobering reminder that I must be so drained of self-focus and attention, as well as reminded that Christ has indeed set me free, but the freedom I have in Him is solely for the purpose of being filling with His life and love to serve others, and not a license to sin. It has been a lot to meditate on recently.

I am also re-memorizing 1 Corinthians 13, and Brittany and Stefanie and I quiz each other every few days. It's good to have the accountability, and I am reading these verses with new eyes. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or clanging cymbal... love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up... it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (vs. 1, 4,7).
When I first started re-reading the chapter, I was overwhelmed with shame and conviction about the areas of my life where that love has not existed. Now I am trying to submit them to Him and ask Him to give me His strength so that I can love as He does.

Also, now that I have decided to remain in Korea, the euphoria of answered prayer and a decision behind me has given way to the reality of what my decision will mean for the next 10 months. As I told my mom earlier, the danger of living and working in Korea is that I have such liberty to become selfish... totally self-focused, self-centered, and self-serving, if I am not careful to submit myself first to the Lord, and then to my church and Christian friends.

I am praying for the Lord to enable me to remain humble and focused on Him and on those around me. May I love Him with all that I am, and then to love others.

School last week was very busy, as well. Our school lost two teachers - both are going abroad - and so we were in the process of hiring three new teachers. I have had one girl in particular, who is preparing to take over my little ones for the summer. Her name is Sophia, and she is Korean, but she has been living and studying in England for the past 6 years. She is 20 years old and a freshman in college. I feel like a mother over my seven children - no one is good enough to teach my little ones. And I know it may only be for ~ 2 months, especially for when I am in the States visiting for two weeks next month, but it's still hard. She has been observing my class and peppering me with questions. It has been exhausting.

Oh dear... the time has flown and I need to go. Please be in prayer for me as changes continue.

Love to you all. Be in touch.
Ruth

strange... the word i used in my blog address: sojourn. it is the word for today.

SOJOURN

1. To dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident or as a stranger, not considering the place as a permanent habitation; to delay; to tarry.
2. A temporary residence, as that of a traveler in a foreign land.

pictures from the Jazz Club a few weeks ago...

so two weeks ago thea, nahamm and i went to a jazz club in seoul. although i wasn't feeling very well, we had a great time together. it's amazing how time has flown...every opportunity to meet with thea is precious, as she will be returning to germany in a few weeks. also, nahamm is so busy adjusting to teaching here in korea. she was a professor in germany, and now she has to switch to using korean in her lectures. what a daunting task, no? on top of being back in korea after 14 years of being a free and unfettered german woman.. wow..


thea has been an english teacher at the liebenzeller mission, a german-based missions organization, for the past 4 months as an internship. nahamm has asked me if i know of anyone who would be interested in this position, and i thought it was worth sending a shout-out to everyone back home. if you are interested in an internship-like position teaching english in seongnam, korea, please let me know!

random observations from living in korea

1. korean women don't know the meaning of "bumming it." it is the norm to wear heels (with anything, mind you, but usually with the whole get-up)... usually a skirt, a lacy/frilly top, and a fair amount of make-up. i do believe a friend and teacher at church called the style 'victorian throw-up" ... but the possibilities to bash korean female fashion are endless and should therefore, probably be left largely unsaid. lol 
2. very few people wear braces. or have ever heard of Crest White strips. i think i'll be blinded when i return to the states. 
3. korean bathrooms are a cultural experience all their own. the likelihood of toilet paper in the public bathrooms is uncertain; sometimes it's there, but usually it's not. i have learned to keep a pack of tissues (just 500won ~ 50cents at a subway or convenience store) on hand for emergencies. and then there's the squatty potties. i wanted to post a picture of one, but then realized it would probably not be a very appealing shot. i've gotten pretty good at using them, though. and another thing - koreans are afraid to flush the toilet paper, so there are usually trash cans right next to the potty for soiled TP. yes, friends, yes. it's disgusting, i know... but.... WELCOME TO KOREA. (^.^) 
4. the age and hierarchical gap is a big deal. it's all about being on the same level with people, so koreans join as many clubs and groups as possible to increase their spheres of equal footing. you don't hang out with or marry someone who is too far above/below you. and this is reflected in their language, too (how they address each other, etc.) 
5. the concept of a line is foreign here. they don't know how to... or don't care about forming a clear line, where one person finishes and the others in the line wait calmly and patiently for their turns. so yeah, all those lessons your kindergarten teacher taught you about staying in line while walking through your school do you NO GOOD WHATSOEVER in getting your subway tickets or checking in your card at the YMCA. so go ahead, stick those elbows out and PUSH your way through. be as RUDE as you like, and you'll just be one of the crowd. 
6. traffic lights are more like suggestions to most drivers here. 'red' is the new 'green' ... or didn't you know?! 
7. pizza toppings have taken on a whole new meaning. try mustard and corn and potato slices.... all on the same pizza. oh yeah. yummy. and a whole pizza - sometimes pushing $25 or $30. phew! 
8. confucian thinking still undergirds most korean behavior. younger must respect and defer to older. if a halmoni (grandmother) gets on the bus and there is no available seat, i need to get out of mine and give it to her. everyone is bowing to everyone, and i've seen some pretty DEEP bows from little kids. it's HILARIOUS. also, so much more is left unsaid... it is inferred instead. i've gotten pretty good at reading what koreans are implying and learning how to - basically - communicate as they do... without actually learning their language. lol.

and that's all for now, folks.

lots of RED
here is a aerial shot taken of seoul the morning of saturday, june 25th with about 20 minutes left of the football match between korea and switzerland. people started gathering late afternoon- early evening the day before (friday, 24.june) in front of the city hall. there were lots of performances and activities to keep the crowd pumped until the game started at 4AM (korean time).

(picture taken from official World Cup website)

after work friday night, thea and i went to brit's and stef's place and got all decked out in our gear - shirts, bandanas, tattooes... even football socks.. oh yeah. as if being foreigners wasn't enough reason for us to be stared at or commented on, we definitely looked odd until we got into seoul and were joined by hundreds and then thousands of others equally or more ridiculously clad. :)
there were a few scary moments once we reached the city hall, just because of the sheer volume of people packed into the place and there just wasn't enough room for everyone to sit down. there was some pushing and shoving, etc.... but the Lord kept everyone safe, and we ended up being able to sit down together to watch the game.

a random guy also heading for the city hall, and brittany. fun fun fun!

.

Contract Extension

i have about five minutes before class, and i wanted to write. it seems like there just hasn't been enough time in each day recently. thank you to everyone who has responded to my update email. i will try to get back to each of you personally. bear with me.

for those who did not receive it, i wanted to write officially and let you know that i have made the decision to remain in korea for at least 6 months longer - tentatively until the end of march 2007. this decision came as a result of mrs. kim's request, and subsequently experiencing such wonderful peace from the Lord. such a drastic change of heart has come, i know, purely as a work of the Holy Spirit in my life. i praise God for His hand, and i pray He continually works in and through me here in korea.

friday night i went with a bunch of friends to downtown seoul for the korea vs. switzerland match. obviously it was a disappointing end, but it was still quite an experience. will post pictures later... and i wish i could figure out a way to post short video clips, as well. 

well enough of that.. my kids are waiting. and they need to be ruled with a rod of iron. pray for me! lol

news from home...

last week my brother luke and my cousin katherine graduated from high school, so my family traveled down to chesapeake for kat's graduation party. i cannot believe how much my family has changed in the past 10 months!

my nephew nathan and cousin kat... (holy mackeral, nathan has grown!)

the graduates kat and luke... (holy moley, luke looks like chris)

my youngest sister anna, kat, my younger sister sarah... (anna in braces!!!)

aunt conway, uncle steve, the graduates, dad, mom

my oldest brother josh and kat... (josh looks amazing!)

my cousin elizabeth, kat, cousin doug, grandma etta, cousin john...

i am so thankful for my family. thank You, Lord, for the support network You have given me.

thank you, conway, for sending the pics.

~~ ~~ ~~

CONGRATULATIONS to the GRADS!

what's going on with north korea??


kim jong-il isn't behaving himself, and it's making everybody a little nervous. my older students have mentioned it in class. but i reassured my mom that south korea isn't in line with their missiles. the US is... 


"It should make people nervous when non-transparent regimes, who have announced they have nuclear warheads, fire missiles," Bush said of North Korea. "This is not the way you conduct business in the world."


to read the rest of the article:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200377,00.html