Grieving

I won't be posting for a little while due to my father's death. It was eventually expected, but not quite so soon. At the end, it seemed to come on quickly and he passed away with family at his side.

I will be back some time soon.

Heading Home!

I'm leaving Korea tomorrow. After some struggle (which I'll try to remember to discuss here at a later time), I will be leaving Sunday, August 10th around 11am, Korea time. I arrive in my hometown about 11:10pm, Sunday, August 10th. However, I will be in transit nearly 24 hours. Gotta love those time zones!

My dad doesn't know I'm heading home yet; however, my mom and brothers and some other know. We are going to surprise my dad...but I think Mom is going to wait til I arrive in Toronto and let him know I was able to get an earlier flight so that it won't be too much of a shock on him. We don't want him to have a heart attack or something.

Dad's doing better with his kidneys. They've put a couple of stents in and so far his kidneys are working again. The nurse thought part of the reason he couldn't keep food down was because of the fluid build-up. He's on a liquid diet right now, but even before he couldn't always keep liquids down either. Now he seems to be, so that is good at least.

Not sure how I'm going to react when I walk into the hospital for the first time and see him there. I just don't want to break down and cry in front of him or anything - though I know he'll understand. I want to be strong when I'm around him - and then cry when I'm alone. I'll be praying that God will give me strength and that this will be the way I am.

Anyway, I have to go get ready. I'm leaving in awhile to go to Seoul to do some last minute shopping. I'm staying there over night because it's close to the airport and I wouldn't be able to get transportation to get there on time if I wait and leave from the town I'm in tomorrow morning.

The next time I write, I'll be back home in Canada. Talk to you then!

In A Fog

I've been in somewhat of a fog these last 22 hours or so. I talked to my mom last night and found out things with my father are far more worse than we had thought or known.

He's been in the hospital again for a week now. He went in because he was having some difficulty breathing. Also, his hands and feet were swelled up again. They've been monitoring him and doing more tests, giving him meds intravenously to help with his heart (it was beating a little fast), and to bring down the swelling. They also scheduled an endoscopy for yesterday, and wanted to check his stomach to see if there was something causing him not to be able to keep his food down too well.

Well, yesterday when I talked to mom, she said that the reason he had been retaining water (the swelling) was because the tube running from his kidney to his bladder was bent. It's supposed to be straight. They operated that night to put in a couple of stents to straighten it and it looked promising. They had managed to drain about 3 liters of fluid from around his lungs. The nurse said that was probably why he was having difficulty breathing. However, since then, there hasn't been much drainage - little if any really.

They said Dad's kidney (not sure if it's one or both of them) was working when he went in last Wednesday, but somewhere along the way it stopped working. They said the kidney is the problem and the only option is dialysis. However, before they put him on dialysis, they want to do a CT scan or something to see if there is cancer in his stomach. If there is and the oncologist decides that he can't or won't operate, then they will not put Dad on dialysis. The doctor said that dialysis would only prolong any pain and suffering Dad has.

When I got up this morning, I called because mom had left me a message about an update on my dad. It's not good. My brother had been talking to one of the nurses (they didn't get to the hospital in time to talk to the doctor I guess) said that they are going to put another stent in to see if they can get Dad's kidney working. However, they have now found the reason why Dad wasn't, and isn't, breathing too well. The cancer has spread to his lungs - and it's a fast spreading cancer.

I'm praying for my dad, and for my family. We've got lots of people praying. I'd appreciate any more prayers I can get. It's difficult for me being so far away, even though there is nothing I can do even if I was there. Right now, I'm praying - actually begging - that my dad can and will hold on til I get home from Korea.

So, that's what I'm dealing with now. I'm working away at packing up some more boxes to send home, and I'm starting to clean up the apartment and get it spotless and whatnot...especially if I have to end up leaving sooner than expected. It's definitely not a fun time. I never thought a year ago that when I would leave to come back to Canada, it would be under such circumstances.

Free Time

Whew! I finally have some free time to myself. I'm on vacation!

This past week we had summer English camp, and there were 80 students registered. It went pretty well, though the days were long. We started at 9:00 in the morning and ended at 9:00 at night. My friend Sarah and I decided to come home each night to our apartments, because we felt more comfortable doing that. The rest of the teachers stayed on campus (the camp was held at a university about 20 minutes from where we are) all week.

Thursday evening the kids had a performance for the parents, followed by a little snack time. The kids in my homeroom class did a great job. One of the boys really didn't want to go on stage (each kid had to have some kind of part in the performance), but he finally did. He was really nervous though. I made sure to let him know he did a great job, and I think that helped to boost his self-esteem some. They all seemed to enjoy the practices and actual performance, and they did a great job.

In other news, my dad is back in the hosptial. He's been there two or three days now because he was having trouble with his breathing. His feet, legs, and hands have been swollen lately and he wasn't sure why. We all seemed to think it might have been from the heat or something like that, but after doing some tests, the doctor came in yesterday and said that there was some kind of blockage between his bladder and kidneys. They performed surgery (after 10pm) to place a couple of stents to open up the passage and help drain the buildup of liquid. He also has a catheter, which is/was supposed to come off after a day or so. My mom left me a message this morning on MSN saying that they've already got about 3 liters of liquid drained, and all or most of it was from his lungs. The nurse said that no wonder he was having difficulty breathing! She said that should help with that now. My dad's heart rate had also dropped during surgery (and his breathing was difficult) so I guess they put him in the ICU to keep an eye on him. His heart rate is up (he's been having some issues since the 2nd chemo treatment where his heart will beat too fast), so they're giving him some kind of injection to help get it normal.

I guess my big fear is that something bad is going to happen before I have a chance to get home. I've been praying for my dad and his health, and I know it's all in the hands of the Lord. But, to be honest, the fear is still there...

As of today, there are only 27 more days until I leave Korea. I'm getting antsy - I want to go home! Yes, I will miss some of the people and some of the places/things from Korea, but I will be really happy to get back home. I'm thankful for this experience and I'm glad I had the opportunity and came here.

I'll be packing up a few boxes over the next few days and sending some of my things home - souvenirs, clothes, etc., so my suitcases won't be so heavy. A few weeks ago I went to Seoul to pick up some more souvenirs to take back with me, and I think I'll probably go back again at least once more to pick up a few more things - especially for myself. After spending a year here, I would like to have something to remember my time spent here.

The weather has been getting a little more hotter and hotter (and humid) as the days go by. Rainy season is over now, and the really hot days are setting in. I have to wonder if I'll find them quite as hot as I did upon my first arrival here. Back then, as soon as we stepped out of the air conditioned airport into the heat of Seoul, it felt like I was going to melt right away. I didn't have to stand outside too long before being drenched by sweat! Now, however, we've been slowly exposed to the heat so it isn't quite as shocking...I know it will be (as it is now) HOT, but I really don't think it will compare to the first exposure of it last year...we'll see.

Well, must be off now and go talk to my mom to find out how my dad is doing since I talked to her last night. And, I do have to get a box or two packed up as I plan on heading out to the post office tomorrow...

Have a Christ filled day!

A Little Odd...

I'm feeling a little odd lately. I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm sure part of the feeling stems from the fact that it will be soon time for me to leave South Korea and head home. While I am not particularly sad at having to leave (I don't feel I've grown attached to this country), there are some people and things I'll miss. However, I am getting more and more excited and anxious to go home again.

I think that part of this odd feeling is stemming from being sick yet again. Oh, it's just a cold that I have, but once again I am sick. So far, since I have been in Korea, I have had a cold in August, September, October, November, December, February, March, April, May, and July. Since I wasn't sick last month, I had hoped that maybe I had finally grown accustomed to the viruses and germs here and that I wouldn't be sick for the duration of my stay. I guess I was wrong. However, maybe August will be different and I won't be sick for my last month. Only time will tell. I'm glad, however, that this doesn't seem to be too bad of a cold.

I had thought yesterday that it was going away because it didn't bother me too much. But, today it seems to be back a little more. That could be from spending Saturday in Seoul, in the rain hunting for souvenirs to take back home to Canada when I go. Also, it was pouring out yesterday and I went with my friends Sarah and Tamara to go get smoothies in the evening. It was raining harder than we had thought, and when we got part way down the street, the wind seemed to pick up as well. We're not sure, but we think maybe it could have been from a typhoon or something (though in this area we tend to not get them badly or maybe just the bit of the tailend of them). As we drew several feet away from the building we'd be going to (actually, I was just inside the doorway and they were a few feet outside), there was a loud crack and crash. Tamara said a tree had broken and fell onto part of the building. We were safe though, and there wasn't anything wrong inside.

On the way back, it was only raining lightly, but we stopped into a store for no more than 5 minutes, and when we got back out it was down pouring again. So, needless to say that even with our umbrellas, we got drenched.

The last couple of days I've been watching season 3 of Grey's Anatomy, and I think this may be contributing to my mood as well. You see, on the show, George's father is admitted to the hospital with the same kind of cancer my father has. The only difference is that George's father is worse off and his cancer had spread.

My dad had a couple of biopsies taken a few weeks ago when he was in for his last chemo treatment (the final one actually) and the doctor told him a few days ago that they came back fine, that there were no problems. Also, when he had his endoscopy done at the same time, that doctor said he didn't see any cancer above or below the 'lump', and that's good news (I think). Dad has an appointment to see the oncologist tomorrow (Tuesday) so he will hopefully be able to find out more - like what the next step is, if they will do surgery like they said at the beginning (they wanted to try and shrink the lump and then possibly remove it surgically). As of this moment, dad doesn't even have a prognosis so that is a little frustrating and scary. He's had many prayers said for him, so we are holding out for good news and that maybe there won't be any cancer left at all.

So, I think a lot of my odd feeling is thinking about my dad's situation. While it's different that the character of George's father on Grey's, it still got me thinking about my dad's situation and the fact that I'm so far away during this time. I'm sure, though, this feeling will pass and I'll be fine again in a day or so (maybe even sooner).

In other news, I've been working again (off and on) on my novel. I have roughly eight or nine thousand words so far (maybe even more), which is only a drop in the bucket since I'll need about one hundred thousand, roughly. But, it's more than I've written for a story in the past, and I'm really wanting to finish this novel. My main problems seems to be procrastination. That is definitely NOT something you want when you are trying to write. Not sure where the procrastination stems from, but I'm sure there is a cause for it...such as some kind of fear. It may also be the enemy trying to stop me from writing it - especially since it's a novel dealing with spiritual warfare. It's hard to say, but I have been doing some writing and I am proud that I've accomplished more with this novel than I have on novels in the past. Usually I stick to short stories and find them much easier to complete.

Well, I'd best sign off for now and go work some more on my writing. Have a Christ filled day!

I'm Meeelllltttttiinnngggg!!

It's so hot here in Yesan, South Korea. It's about 32C (90F roughly) but it feels like 37 C (or 99F) with a humidity of 60%. So yes, it's hot out there. And, it's only going to get hotter as the summer goes on.

Today I had to get some errands done so Tamara and Sarah came along with me. I needed to go to the post office to mail home a couple of boxes filled with some winter clothes, knick knacks (or is it nick nacks...I never know how to spell that), and souvenirs from my trip to Egypt. I figure it's better to do this (and probably cheaper in the long run) than to try and stuff everything in my alotted two suit cases and end up going over the weight and being charged extra for that - and who knows how much that would cost. So, we headed out in the heat, Tamara and I carrying two large boxes. Sarah would be the one to flag a cab to get us to the post office. The boxes weren't overly heavy. Mostly, they were just awkward to carry because of their size.

I also had to go to the bank to transfer some money home to my account in Canada. I went to a new teller this time (I think they have two who can do this now, but before there was only one). He seemed really nice and his English was very good. He made conversation and told me he was scared to speak English - but then he laughed. I told him he was doing good, and I wasn't lying either.

So, I'm glad I have those two things taken care of now. It'll be that much less that I have to do before I head home at the end of August. I'll probably pack another couple of boxes to ship home during the summer as well, so I'll have another trip to the post office to make. Sarah's going to do this as well, so we'll probably go together and mail them over the next few weeks - definitely before we leave.

After the bank, Tamara wanted to stop at the outdoor market (it's market day today) to get some veggies. Sarah didn't want to go so she headed home, but I tagged along with Tamara. I bought a zucchini for 500 won (about 50 cents). I've never really had zucchini until I came to Korea and I find it to be pretty decent. I also got some plums - Peter (the Korean English teachers who heads up our Wednesday weekly get together dinner) had brought some to our little party we had last Friday and said they are sour plums. I tried one, and while I didn't find it sour in the least, it was tasty. These cost me 3,000 won (about 3 dollars) for a dozen or so (to be honest, I didn't count them but I didn't mind since it was cheaper than buying them at the grocery store). I also got some rice cakes - similar to what we refer to as rice cakes in Canada, only thinner. The bag was big and packed full and I only paid 2,000 won (about 2 dollars). Then on the way back we spotted watermelon. Actually we saw several stalls with watermelon, but they were big ones. These ones were a lot smaller and half the price (5,000 won/5 dollars). I bought one of those too, and I plan on cutting it up and putting the pieces in ziplock type containers or maybe even just cutting it in half and giving one half to one of the other foreign teachers.

So, the day was quite productful even though it doesn't seem like I got a lot done. It only took a couple of hours as well, which is nice. The rest of the day I just plan on staying in the apartment where I will keep the air conditioning running at regular intervals so I don't melt. I'll also probably read, watch tv, surf the net (or go on Facebook), and go over my lesson plans for summer camp. Those need to be in by Friday the 11th. I am using a lesson from one of the ESL sites, so I just have to go through it and divide it up in to 4-5 lessons, add some games/activities, and make the lesson plans up. Really, I just have to get the information they need to make up the work books in by the 11th - I can actually do the lesson plans, etc. a a little later. We'll see. I have tomorrow off as well, so I can work on it then.

Speaking of having tomorrow off, I have not had to go into work yesterday or today either. The schools are in the middle of final exams for the first semester (their school year starts in March whereas ours starts in September). I don't have to go to school while they write the exams because there is nothing for me to do. I go back Thursday and Friday and all next week, and I am going to show a movie since the kids won't be interested in working at this point (school ends for summer break on Friday the 18th). After that, I have a week off, then a week of summer camp (with the other foreign English teachers as well), then nothing so far...unless the school plans on having me teach a week or so in August (really, the never seem to let the kids have much of a break - it's all work, work, work). But, as it stands, I don't have anything after the summer camp. School also starts back up for the next semester on August 20. I leave August 31 and will more than likely have to teach that week and a bit...though it really makes no sense to me since they'll be getting a new teacher when I leave. I don't see the point of having to teach, but if I have to I will; not much I can do about it. Besides, I'll be leaving shortly after that anyway, so it's not a big deal.

Well, this has ended up being a much larger post than I had intended. Hope your summer is going well so far!

Have a Christ filled day!

A Sunday/Monday Update

There is no real news here in South Korea lately. It's been cool and rainy this weekend, which is fine by me. I know that very, very soon the weather will turn quite hot and humid. We've had a lot of hot weather already, but not the unbearable kind we will have within the next couple of months. I'm not exactly sure when this extrememe heat and high humidity will begin, but it's soon.

Today, well tomorrow in my hometown (there is a 12 hour time difference between there and here, with Korea being 12 hours ahead), is supposedly my dad's last chemo treatment. That will be nice, and I'm sure he's thankful for that. I don't know what happens next though. The original plan was to try and shrink the lump in his esophagus and then remove it. I guess once these chemo and radiation treatments are finished (he has already finished the radiation), they will do whatever tests are necessary to check on the results and take it from there.

It's frustrating for my dad and mom, no doubt. It seems that they don't know much about what's going on. As far as I know, my dad hasn't even been given a prognosis yet. I don't know if that is something they can only decide once his treatments are finished, or what. A few months ago - well, after the chemo treatment two months ago - my dad had problems with his heart. It was beating erratically, which caused him to feel weak and dizzy. They've put him on a pill to help regulate his pulse, and it seemed to help. After the last chemo treatment, they kept him in the hospital (he was actually in the hospital before that as well - about a month in total) to try to get this new pill and his blood pressure pill regulated so that they would work together. He's since been discharged from the hospital, and has been out a couple of weeks now.

While he was in the hospital for that month, they put a heart monitor on him, but never told him any results. Finally, one of the doctors who helps the cancer doctor (the proper name escapes me at the moment) told him it was ok. They had also stuck a tube down his throat, again the name is escaping me (it's early in the morning and my brain isn't awake yet), to check his esophagus and why he wasn't keeping his food down again. They had thought that around Easter his stent had dislodged and he threw it up, but apparently it's still there. However, what is frustrating about this is that this same doctor told him that the stent was blocked, and that is why he was throwing up. However, within a week, the doctor who had performed this procedure and had put the stent in, came in to see him and said the stent wasn't blocked. Talk about being confused. But, no, it is not blocked, so I am led to believe that it's quite possible that he has been throwing up from his chemo treatments.

In other news - well, ok, there really isn't much in the way of news. I just needed something to say to show I was finished talking about my dad...anyway, I have been getting antsy to go home. The time draws near when I will actually leave, and I will be on the plane heading home in 9 more Sundays!

It's hard to explain, but the feeling I have is like my "release" is being dangled in front of me, just out of my reach. It's just out of my reach, and I feel a little frustrated - like I can't get to it. I know that it's just a matter of time before I will be packed up and heading back home to Canada, but it's so close I can almost taste it. At the same time, it still seems to be far off and this is what is causing the frustration.

I want to be home. In Canada. Back among my family and friends. Back among the familiarity and convenience of my hometown. Korea has been good; it's been an experience for sure. It's had some good things and bad things, but I'm at the point where I want to move on with the next chapter in my life (going back to university to get my bachelor of education), and I'm getting antsy. It's just a matter of waiting now.

Two months. That's all I have left of my time in Korea. There are times I can close my eyes and it feels that when I open them, I'll be home. Like I've only been dreaming. But, the reality is, I'm still in Korea. I'm just getting anxious. There will be so much to do - packing and whatnot. I'm going to attempt to pack some things and mail them home so my suitcases won't be so heavy and go over the weight restrictions. I'll be doing this soon. I just don't know when - hopefully this coming weekend.

Anyway, it's time for me to get ready for work now. I'm hoping today will go well without any problems. Have a Christ filled day!

I Can't Sleep

At the moment, it is 5:26 AM. I can't sleep. I've been awake since a little after 4:30 and I don't know why. The last couple of nights haven't been too bad, sleep wise, aside from waking up several times during the night. Tonight I only woke up two or three times, the last time being around 4:30.

I was aware that I had an odd dream, but it wasn't disturbing or anything that would keep me awake. It was simply walking down a road with a couple of ladies I used to work with. Then a few more of the ladies I used to work with were there as well, and one of them had her grandson with her. He was only about two years old, very cute, and had extremely long hairy legs - which we were commenting on. Then I woke up with somewhat of a "jolt", as though I had just remembered something. I haven't been able to sleep since.

I have been quite tired during the days for sometime now - maybe since last fall. I know it was a few months after I arrived here in South Korea, but moreso since the new year. I think it has something to do with not eating properly here, and not getting enough vitamins and eating nourishing foods. I do take a vitamin every day - well, most every day. I have missed some.

It's not that I'm trying to starve myself or anything like that. It's just that I don't like a lot of the food here, for one reason or another, and my options are somewhat limited. I will admit that I've been eating a lot of fried foods (once in awhile actually getting to a Burger King or McDonalds in the city that is over an hour away), which seems to be how they serve a lot of the "western" type foods. I know that's not healthy, eating a lot of food like that. And, the result is that I'm probably low in iron and who knows what else.

I had been going to the gym with a friend for a little bit. I got sick though and couldn't go for nearly a week. Then I had a muscle problem in my neck/shoulder area. It was really tense or something, so I didn't want to hurt that area (I did go a couple of times hoping the weight machines would help stretch it out), so I didn't go. As well, it was really hot in the gym. They had a fan on, but it was in one area only. They have air conditioning but tend not to use it since it costs a lot. The window were open, but no breeze. Anyway, to make a long story short, I didn't want to pass out from heat exhaustion from working out. So, my friend and I decided not to go anymore since it gets extremely hot here in the summer and it wouldn't be good working out in conditions like that. I will say, however, that I did enjoy going and was seeing some results, even in the short amount of time I went. If I can afford it when I get back home (since I'll be going to school and probably won't be working), I might consider joining a gym there.

Well, it is now 5:40 and I still don't feel the least bit tired. I'm probably up for the day, and I know that later this morning or afternoon I'll get dreadfully tired and want to sleep. But, that won't be possible until between 4:30 and 5:00 this afternoon, when I get home.

Dear Lord, please give me strength the make it through my day, and please help me not to be tired while I'm at work. Amen.

A Little Bit of This and That

Well, first up is that I have confirmation on my ticket home to Canada! I have a copy of the e-ticket and the receipt, and I'm booked to go home August 31! I can't wait! I hadn't heard back from the travel agent since last week, but we had a school field trip on Thursday, and there was a holiday on Friday. Also, they only deal with walk in customers on Saturdays and aren't open on Sundays. Yesterday morning I called to find out what was going on and was told the agent had sent me an email. I, however, didn't get one. The lady I talked with said that payment for the ticket was due then and I told her I didn't know that. Thankfully I was able to get the money transferred after work, and Sarah gave her credit card info - so we're all set! One good thing about this - we get reimbursed for the airfare. The company we are working for pays for our flight back home so I'll be getting the money back, hopefully sometime soon.

We thought there was going to be a problem with the district supervisor. He was telling our coteachers that we couldn't leave before midnight on the 31st because our contract runs out that day. I promptly told my coteacher that that's not possible since our flight leaves at noon and the flights for that time are pretty well booked now. The only other solution would be to leave earlier in the week before the 31st (which is on a Sunday). I am starting school the first week of September, so waiting later is not an option for me. After explaining about having to pay a higher fare (if we went later) or leaving before the 31st, the supervisor finally agreed to let us leave on this flight.

We will fly from Incheon (the international airport in Seoul) to Tokyo to switch flights, then from Tokyo to Toronto, and finally from Toronto to home! I'm excited - I want to go now...

For the past ten days my shoulder/neck have been bothering me. It started out as a kink or something in my shoulder, just below my neck and seemed to progress worse for the next while. For a few days I could run my hand over my shoulder area and feel a bump where the muscle was tensed. That's gone, but the ache/pain still remained. It was difficult to get to sleep at night because no matter what way I would lay, I had some pain/aching.

Yesterday I had my coteacher take me to an accupuncturist to see if that would help. I had taken muscle relaxers, Advil, used heat and massaged the area and that would only help for short amounts of time. I figured nine days was long enough and the accupuncture was worth a shot. I had some for my lower back when I first got here last year so I knew what to expect.

My coteacher had talked to the doctor and said that if I didn't feel better after this session I might need another one or two, and if that didn't work then they might send me for an x-ray in case there is something else wrong. When I finished the session yesterday, my neck and shoulder seemed stiff but didn't hurt much at all. The doctor was in the elevator when I got in and she asked me how I was, so I told her. She said to come in again on Wednesday (which will now be tomorrow) before 6:00 because she's finished work then. So, I will go there again after work, and hopefully it will help.

I managed to sleep pretty good last night and only had minimal aching/pain when I went to bed - nothing that would make it difficult to get to sleep. Today, however, I have had some pain quite a bit and it seems like it might be muscle spasms. that's the only thing I can think it feels like. I'm going to make sure to let the doctor know tomorrow about this. Not sure if I should be taking anything (like a muscle relaxer or some Advil) so I don't want to, just in case. I just hope I'll be able to get to sleep tonight.

In other news, my dad has started his third round of chemo yesterday. He was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in March and has undergone his radiation treatment and some chemo. He has one more round of chemo after this one, and that will come in July.

After the last two treatments of chemo, his heart seemed to beat irregularly...like his pulse wasn't regulated or something. He's been in the hospital since his last chemo treatment, so it must be a month now. They are trying to adjust the medications he is on to get a balance between the heart pill they've been giving him, and his blood pressure medication. Also, he hasn't been keeping food down again and they did an endoscopy last week and discovered the stent in his esophagus is blocked. Not sure if they are going to remove it and put a new one in or if they will just try to unblock this one, or what. I guess all we can do is wait and see.

Anyway, I'd appreciate if you'd keep my dad (and mom) in your prayers.

Well, off to surf the net and try to catch up on blog reading. God bless!

Happy June 2nd!

Wow, it's already June. Hard to believe! I don't know where the time is going. I suppose being busy with work helps the time go. But then maybe I'm just getting old and find that the time doesn't seem to drag as much as it used to when I was young.

Right now, my friend Sarah and I are looking into booking our flights back home to Canada. We are supposedly leaving the 31st, but our co-teachers are trying to see if the office of education will let us go the last week since we probably won't be working.

Our flights are supposed to be paid for us (the company we are working through, or rather our schools...who might get reimbursed by the company we work for, but the exact particulars I'm not entirely sure of), but we have to pay for it first and then get reimbursed...at least that is the way it is seeming. That is the way it was when we came over, too.

I also have to check into how this will take place. A lot of travel companies over here give you a bank account (theirs) to deposit your money in for your airfare...if that's the case with this flight, then I'm ok. If I need a credit card, then I'm a little stuck...my credit card only has a limit of $500, and the flight is definitely more than that! So, I will need to do that. Not sure what I'll do if I can't transfer the money...but I will pray about this, and trust the Lord to work in the situation to get me home in time for school!

This week will be short at work. On Thursday the school has a field trip so there are no classes, though I'll be going on the trip with them too. On Friday there is a national holiday so there are no classes. I also have this Saturday off, so I'll have a nice three day weekend! I can't wait! I don't have any plans, but that's ok. Sometimes all you need is just time off to relax and do nothing. I am hoping, however, that I'll be wise and get some work on my writing done.

Well, off to check flights and whatnot to go home at the end of August.

It's Been A Long Time...

...since I've written in this blog. I have been writing a little more often in my knitting blog, Kitten Knits Yarn and a bit in my writing blog, Ink Scrawls (plenty of CFBA book reviews posted in that one too).

I am now about three months away from returning back to Canada from here in South Korea. In some ways the time has sped by, and in others, it has dragged on and on.

Let's see if I can update you since my last post of nearly five months ago. In January we had to work at winter camps. Basically, winter camp is just extra classes during the winter break. Not every kid takes these though. We taught four classes per day, Monday to Friday, and it lasted pretty much the entire month.

On January 31, I left Korea with three of my friends from here (one Korean, one American, and one Canadian) on a 24/25 day trip to Egypt. What a blast that was! I am so glad I went! We started our trip in Alexandria and visited Pomp's pillar, the Catacomb tombs, Quaetbay Forte, the Aquarium (which in my opinion was a waste of money because there isn't much there at all), the Roman Amphitheatre, the Alexandria Library and Montzna Palace & Gardens.

Next we drove to Cairo. While there we journied to Dahsur, Memphis and Sakkara. We went inside two pyramids which was pretty cool...and no, there were no mummies or treasure, etc. to be found. They had been emptied out long ago. We also went to the pyramids and the Sphinx in Giza. We got to ride on camels to go to the pyramids and Sphinx - totally cool!

Next came the Baharya Oasis with a drive to the black desert, crystal mountain, the Salt lake in the Bedouin village, the old and the new white deserts and we also camped out in the desert overnight. That was an experience. The vastness of the stars in the sky that night was incredible! I have never seen the sky so full of stars like that (probably because I'm from the city). It was amazing to see God's creation hovering over me like that. We were even lucky enough to see a few shooting stars that night. While camping, we were under the stars the entire time (glad there was no rain) and not in a tent. We had little mattresses under us and about 4 or 5 thick camel hair blankets over us. We also had several layers of clothes on, plus our winter coats so we were nice and warm.

From there we made or way to Aswan and had a feluccca boat ride to visit the botanical gardens and the Elephantine islands. We also went to the High Dam, drove to Abu Simble and went to St Simeon Monastery and the Philae Temple.

From Aswan we boarded a ship and cruised to Kom Ombo to visit the city and temple there, sailed and visted Edfu city and temple then sailed to Luxor. When we got to Luxor we visited the Karnak Temples, went to the Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens, Queen Hatshipsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon.

From Luxor we flew to Sharm where we got to go to the beach (it was actually hot, beach-like weather there, a change from the rest of the country which was cooler) and I waded into the Red Sea. I didn't actually go swimming though and I ended up with a sunburn. After we were in Sharm for a couple of days we drove to St Catharine where I got to go to the top of Mount Sinai! Only one of the other girls went with me. One had a bit of an injury (she had the injury before but now it was just bothering her), and one decided she didn't think she'd be able to make it up the mountain. We went half way up on camel, but the last half we had to walk because it was comprised of a bazillion stone steps of odd shapes and sizes. I think we were told the whole trek up was something like six or six and a half kilometers (we walked the entire way back down though, no camels that time). When we got to the top it was FREEZING!! I had on knee high length tights, wool hand knit socks (that I made), a pair of leggings, my jeans, 2 tshirts, a sweater, my winter coat, a scarf around my neck, ear muffs, two scarves around my head and gloves...oh and we borrowed a thick blanket from the hotel (and yes we did return it afterwards). Even with all that it was FREEZING - probably from the wind and high altitude.

We left the hotel about 2:30 in the morning to get to the top of Mount Sinai to watch the sun rise. What an event that was. There were tons of people, many Christians who were singing and praising the Lord. It was definitely an experience! We also visited The monastery of St Catherine and got to see the burning bush...or what they claim is the "descendent" of the burning bush.

From there we drove back to Cairo to tour Islamic Cairo, the citadel, Old Cairo, the church that is on the site they claim the Holy Family stayed at while in Egypt, and we went to the bazaar there twice. We then made our way back to Alexandria and flew back to South Korea, with an eight hour layover in Dubai.

In March, we started a new school year. Over here their school year begins in March, and not in September like back home. This semester I teach the first and third grades of the same middle school. That would be like grades six and eight back home. Some of the boys are great, but many aren't - not just because of their lack of English skills, but their attitude, lack of respect, etc. But there is nothing that can be done about that. No matter how much we tell the coteachers, nothing is ever done. Their way of discipline here involved corporal punishment - physical beating in many cases. I don't agree with that, but these kids need to learn to respect their elders. It's driving me insane - that and the fact that they don't do their work, they don't listen, and the talk in Korean all the time in class. I wouldn't mind so much if they talked in English, but they don't. But, I keep telling myself there isn't much time left and to hold on.

I also found out in March that my dad was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He has since finished his round of radiation treatments (just this past Monday) and has two more chemo treatments to go through - on in June, the other in July. He has also been having some problems with his heart after the chemo treatments, and they aren't sure what's causing it. His heart beat is all out of whack at times. They had him on a 24 hour heart monitor but we haven't heard the results back from that yet. So, it's been a little difficult for me being way over here with him going through that back home. He's been holding up pretty well though. My mom and two brothers are there, so at least he's not alone.

So, other than having a lot of stress at work, not much has been going on. I'm looking forward to going home so I can get back to church and get back into a walk with the Lord. I've not been good since I've been here - the churches either don't have English services or translations, or the translations aren't very good. When I did go for about a month, I didn't get fed. The translations weren't the best and it was difficult to understand. My Bible reading has also suffered, though lately I've been getting back into that - same with prayer. My prayer life has been hit or miss, though I'm trying to get back into that more as well.

Anyway, this is rather long now so I will end for here. I hope to get back to posting here more frequently. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to update!

Oh...and I almost forgot. I applied back in January for the Bachelor of Education program at the university where I got my B.A. from, and I found out a few weeks ago that I got accepted! I will be starting school pretty much just a few days after I return home from Korea...

The Latest

Tonight I am feeling a little blah. I don't know why, but perhaps I'm just bored.

School has ended for the year, and the new semester (new school year actually) begins in March. Currently, for the month of January, we are required to teach the winter camps. I'm not sure why they call them camps, but they do. What it is, is basically extra classes that the children sign up to take - it's not something they have to do though, just if they want it or if their parents want them to take it.

I've taught for two days so far. I'm teaching the Earth Sciences class, which I know nothing about (though to be honest, I don't know anything about any of the other topics either). Our first topic is the solar system and that will take two classes. Yesterday's class went fairly well; the kids participated, answered questions, etc. Today's class was like pulling teeth - they didn't want to speak...even when I would ask a question and tell them the answer was on line one. I hate teaching classes like that. To be honest, the material might have been a little difficult for them - that is their English is limited so they probably didn't know a lot of the words; therefore, I tried my best to explain some of them. I would ask them what words they didn't know (yesterday's class would tell me the words they didn't know) but no one said a word. Grrr, I hate that.

So, all in all, my first semester went fairly well. I know that I need to make my classes a little more enjoyable (like more games, etc.) for the kids so they aren't bored. I also need to make the boys more involved - going up to the board to write answers, putting them in groups to do team work. The thing with making groups (even if it is just a group of two), the majority of them don't even do the work; they just sit and talk in Korean about whatever they want to. Some of the boys will do the work, but most of them won't. That is so frustrating. How do you make it fun so that they learn and enjoy the classes and they aren't bored out of their minds?

I'm looking forward to vacation next month. I'm heading to Egypt with three friends from here for the month. We've got our airline tickets paid for and the money out for the hotel/tours/etc. The odd thing is that we pay the travel agent guy who booked us when we get to the hotel in Egypt. I've never heard of that before; usually you have to pay before you go. My friend, Tamara, who has been setting things up for us has dealt with this guy in the past and he's very good at what he does. She also saw people talking about the tours (online), etc. and they said they are awesome and that the way you pay is correct (paying when you get there), and there are no problems with that. We have one girl who might not be able to join us, but she will find out on January 7th if she can or not. If she can't go, then the rest of us will have to pay a little bit extra, but it's less than $100 I believe - wasn't all that much from what Tamara said.

I'm excited to climb Mt. Sinai. The tour (the way it's done) has you climb all the way, or take a camel part way and walk the rest of the way (the camel can't climb the whole way) at night. From what I read somewhere online, the climb will take about four hours. Then you are at the top for the sunrise. It's supposed to be an awesome experience, and I can't wait - I'll be taking lots of pictures. Just think; climbing and standing on the same mountain that Moses did when he got the Ten Commandments from God. I don't know if we will be going to the same spot (that is if they know which level or whatever that they believe he was at when he got the Commandments) or not, but it doesn't matter - it's still the same mountain. There is a monestary there, at the bottom, that you can tour somewhat (I don't think you can actually go into the building though), and they have in there what they believe is a 'descendent' of the burning bush. I don't know how they would know that, but I find it interesting nonetheless.

So, we leave Korea on January 31 and come back February 25. It will be a long way to travel - about 10 hours I believe, but I'm sure the trip will be exciting. It's definitely a once in a life time opportunity (at least for me). My parents had said something to the effect of me not saving money (one of my main objectives here) for my student loan, but I said I am saving some and making my payments, and besides, the way I am looking at this trip is that once I get back to Canada, I probably won't have the opportunity to go to Egypt again. And besides, it would more than likely be a lot more expensive to travel from there.

Well, I just wanted to give a little update on how things are going for me here in South Korea. I'll try not to wait so long between postings next time.

Brief Note

Just a brief note to say I am still here. I haven't been feeling up to posting much lately because I've been tired by the time I get home from work, or I just don't feel in the mood. Usually at work I am in the mood to post here, but for some reason I can't access blogger from the computer at the school.

Things are going pretty well. The first semester has finally come to an end and I start teaching winter camps (which is just basically extra classes for the kids who want to take them) on January 3rd. We were give topics to teach: politics, history, literature, biology, and earth science. I don't know a blessed thing about any of these topics so I wasn't too thrilled. My friend Sarah (who came to Korea with me and another of our friends, Lorie) is a history major so she jumped at that topic - lucky her. Anyway, my topic ended up being earth science. I've got the topics that I'll teach chosen, just don't know how well I'll do with it. I'll trust that God will get me through this, since He's the only one who can.

As well, on January 31st I, along with friends Tamara, Tiffany, and Epinine (she's Korean, and that's her English name) are going to Egypt until February 25. We'll be going to the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, taking a Nile River cruise, climbing Mt. Sinai, etc. I'm excited to go, but also a little scared. Other than coming to Korea, I've never travelled before.

Anyway, just wanted to give a little update to let anyone who still stops by here know that I am still around. I'll try to write more often. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and happy new year!

Another Update on Korea

I keep meaning to post here and keep everyone updated, but sadly I think of it when I'm no where near the computer. So, since today is Teacher's Day in Yesan and there is no school, I thought it would be the perfect time!

Last Friday we had a "festival" at the school and the kids played various games in the morning, had some lunch and then in the afternoon had a variety show of sorts. There were also prize give-aways but I don't have any idea what the prizes were.

Here, two students are hopping on one foot while holding the other up. The idea is to knock into your opponent and get him to lose his balance and put his foot down...at least that's the way it seemed to me. They seemed to be enjoying this one a lot.

These are just a few of the pictures. I didn't think anyone was overly interested in seeing all my students...and not sure what the protocol is of posting their pics on here. So, I thought I'd just post some.
To the right are several of the students in the school just after lunch. They were playing around, reading and just socializing while they waited for the variety show to start. To the left are four of the students playing brass instruments. They look far away, but really they weren't. I was using my camera phone zoomed in as close as it would go, and the picture makes me look like I was very far away from the stage.

All in all, the day was pretty good. After it as all said and done the teachers (or most of them) went out for supper. That wasn't too bad, except the Korean's like to drink and they kept offering me drinks. I've told them over and over again that I do not drink. They find that concept hard

to believe I think. They keep asking me, I keep saying no. Then they'll say, how about trying just a little or just a sip...and I keep telling them, no I don't drink at all. I wish they could get it into their heads that it's pointless to keep asking me.

Well, I think I will just keep this post short and post the next time about the school trip to Seoulland and a festival in Hongseong that I went to a couple of weekends ago. I've got pictures of those as

well. I just basically wanted to update you and let you know that everying is going well. The leaves are changing colour which I was beginning to wonder about since being told that they do in fact change here. It's towards the end of October when it happens though, and not earlier like in Canada. Some of my pictures from Seoulland shows the coloured leaves, so I'll even have proof :o).

I haven't been getting to church lately. It's just so difficult to find the motivation when the service is held in Korean and sometimes the translation isn't the best, and can be hard to understand. I don't find I'm feeling any connection there, nor do I feel like I can worship because I don't understand things, nor do I feel like I'm being fed. We are thinking of trying out a church in Chonan (an hour and 20 mins away) that we've seen from our bus trips into the city. They advertise English services so we might see if we can find it from the bus stop and try that service. We're not entirely sure yet though. I'll let you know what we decide to do and how it turns out.

So, that's all for now. Have a Christ-filled day!

Feelings of Frustration

Well, I've been in Korea now nearly two months. Things are going about as well as they can I suppose. I am still trying to get used to the customs, the people, and the culture.

I have been feeling a little frustrated lately with the whole "lack of communication" thing. It's rather irksome to not be able to communicate with people. The thing is, I'm not frustrated or irked at the people who don't understand English; I'm frustrated with those who can (the Korean people that is). I think what it boils down to has to deal with translation issues. I try to explain things to one particular co-teacher and she just doesn't seem to understand. Her English is very good though. One example is just yesterday I was asking her if she could ask the computer teacher if he could change the language over on my computer at school as well as the lap top they gave me to use. Everything is in Korean and I can't understand it; therefore I can't really use the computer. I'd like to do Power Point in the classroom, but I can use it because the program is in Korean. I'm trying to install a webcam on the laptop, but it's not working because the program (cd) is in English, and the computer might not be recognizing it because of the language thing - at least that's what I'm thinking because my friend Sarah has the same computer in her apartment (from her school) and her's is in English. She also has the same web cam and her's works fine. Anyway, long story short, my co-teacher went to ask him and a couple of the other Korean teachers got in on the conversation, one of who is another of my co-teachers. This co-teacher comes over and tells me if I'm wanting an English site to just type it into the computer and it will come up English. I said I know that, and I do that. I want the whole computer changed over so I can use the programs and know what to do when the boxes pop up on the screen with errors and whatnot....aarrggghhhhh!

My last class on Thursdays are horrible. These kids, I've been told, are the worst class in the school and they also have the lowest marks. I can totally see why! They don't listen. They talk when they shouldn't be. They are smartalecky (or however you spell that). They are loud. They just don't care. My co-teacher said that all the teachers, including the Korean teachers, can't control this class. Nothing seems to work, and finally I am at my witts end - I've given them all the chances they are going to get. My co-teacher was only in the class for five minutes and she was yelling at them and hitting them (that is still allowed over here...I don't agree with it, and I refuse to hit them). She had to leave, and was gone the rest of the class. I told her afterwards that I didn't get anything done (again) with that class and that I told them next time they are getting kicked out of my class. I don't know how well the boys understood me, but I asked her if kicking them out into the hall or somewhere else was allowed. She said it was. So next week as soon as someone starts acting out, I'm kicking him, or them, out. I don't care if I'm left with the three or four or five that actually seem to try to listen and do the work.

Thankfully, my classes today aren't like that. They are pretty good, so I shouldn't have any problems with them. There is another class similar to this class I was just talking about, but they aren't nearly as bad. That class is on Mondays. I pray that my classes go well, and that I can especially handle that Thursday class.

Well, I had better go and start getting ready for work. Have a Christ-filled day!

A Jumble of Topics

I don't understand the postal system. I know a bit about how it works and the "behind the scenes" sort of dealings with the mail, largely in part because my father used to work at the post office sorting mail. I also did some casual work doing the same job back in the late 1980s.




My parents have sent me three small packages within the last three to four weeks. The first package, my dad was told, would take fifteen days to arrive. That coincided with the Korean thanksgiving holiday, Chuseok. For that holiday, the Koreans have three days off plus the weekend (unless the holiday lands on the weekend). The fifteenth day would have been on the Saturday before the holiday, thus no mail (there is no mail delivery here in Yesan on the weekend). So, since the next three days after the weekend were holidays, there was also no mail service. The next possible day for me to receive the package would have been the Thursday immediately following the holiday. I did not receive the package.

That Friday, I did get a package. It was not the first package (which I really wanted quickly because it contains the cord for my camera so I can download my pictures). No, the package I received was the third package (which I also needed). It has now been nearly a week and I still have not received the first or second packages. Weird. The third package only took eleven days for me to receive. This experience has left me wondering if the other two were sent surface mail (though I don't think that was how they were supposed to go, especially since my father was told the first one would only take fifteen days for me to receive). If that is the case and they were sent surface mail, then it will take about six to eight weeks before I will receive them.

In other news, last weekend Sarah and I went to visit Lorie in Hongseong where she lives. Hongseong is about a twenty minute bus ride from Yesan and is a little bigger than Yesan. The streets are also wider, and they actually have sidewalks there - Yesan doesn't have sidewalks.



We had a great time walking around the town, shopping, stopping to have some pizza (man, it was soooo good!), and of course visiting Lorie. The pictures I've scattered in this post are all from Hongseong.




One place we stopped at had the best frozen yogurt! It had a fruit taste to it, but we couldn't put our fingers on the exact taste. It might have been a mix of tropical fruits though...regardless, it was really good. I took a picture of the yogurt because the spoons they use are so cute - they are little shovels! Sarah and I both got frozen yogurts, and Lorie had some kind of latte or fancy type coffee. We aren't sure why, but Sarah and I both got two spoons with our yogurts. I can't remember the name of the shop, but it was really cute and colourful and we remember how to get there so the next time Sarah and I head up to visit with Lorie, we are going back for more frozen yogurt!



This tree was also in the shop. It's not real, but there are hundreds of little slips of paper with Korean writing on them, and these pieces of paper are literally attached everywhere to the tree. It would have been nice to have someone who knew what this was about (or someone from the shop who spoke English so we could have asked what it was about) to explain it to us.



Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up in a few days (October 8 to be exact), and Lorie is going to come visit Sarah and I in Yesan. We are going to have some kind of celebration meal, but it won't be turkey. I'm really going to miss that this year because I always enjoy turkey dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think we are going to have spaghetti and try to find some spaghetti sauce that is similar to what we get back in Canada. At least that is what we were thinking of having; it could change I suppose.


I was talking to my parents the other day and they were telling me my older brother and his wife are going away for Thanksgiving this year, and my younger brother and his family aren't going to be making it up for the holiday either. And with me on the other side of the world, they are going to be alone for Thanksgiving - the first time ever I think. Even before we were born, my grandmother was living with my parents so if no other family came for the meal (or if my mother's brothers didn't invite them over), they wouldn't have been alone. They are going to see if there are any church suppers being served for the holiday and go to that. It makes me kind of sad to think that they aren't going to have any of the kids over for the holiday. I'm sure my brothers and their families will be there for Christmas though, and that's the main thing I think - having family around for that special holiday.


Well, I've rambled on quite a bit in this post so I will end here. Have a Christ-filled day!

Annyong Haseyo

The title of my post is Korean for hello. So, annyong haseyo everyone!


Things have been better since my last post. In fact, the next morning I was much better and the feeling of homesickness was gone. I've been keeping busy with work, and I'm sure that has helped. However, I did a lot of praying that night and I know that definitely helped! God heard my cries and helped me get over my homesickness. Yay God!


This week we have had three days off from work - actually, we have one more day left to our holiday. Today, September 25 is Chuseok here in Korea, and that is their version of Thanksgiving. So, after working Saturday morning for three classes, I have had a holiday. It's great to have this time off to help relax.

Yesterday Sarah, Lorie, myself and Tiffany and Katherine (two other ESL teachers here in Yesan) went to a bigger city called Chonan (I'm never sure how to spell it because I've seen different spellings for it). We went to an English movie with Korean subtitles, and it was ok. The movie was Irish, and was called "Once". It wasn't too bad, though I didn't find there was really a plot. The best thing about the movie was the music, and that was written and performed by the two main characters from the movie. I want to see if there is a CD available with the songs on them because I quite enjoyed those.

I thought I'd include a couple of pictures here. To the right is the view up way on my street here in Yesan. It is empty today because of Chuseok. Normally the street (which is smallish) is crowded with parked cars (on both sides none the less) and many people walking about. It's not too loud and noisy though, but you can hear noise from there in the apartments at times.
For comparison, here is a street in Chonan, yesterday. I would think that things were pretty quiet there today for Chuseok...maybe not, though. I suppose they could have had a festival or something. I honestly don't know though. It doesn't look like a lot of people in that picture, but trust me, there were tons of people out on the streets in Chonan yesteday.

At any rate, I'll try to post some more pictures at another time to show you my adventures in Korea!

A Little Down

Well, aside from when my back was bothering me and I was in pain (when I first got to Korea), I think I have my first bout of wanting to be back home. I don't know if I would really call it homesickness, but there might be a touch of it at least.

I have a lesson plan for my teacher's class for tomorrow afternoon that I need to get done, and I honestly just don't feel in the mood to do it. I'm trying to tell myself that the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can go and read or knit or even just play on the computer. But, that doesn't seem to be working. I'm stumped. I don't know what to do it on. It's only 7:38 pm and I want to go to bed. That's out of the question though, otherwise I will be up at 1 or 2 in the morning and I do have to work tomorrow. I already feel like I need a holiday, though that could be because we are teaching 3 classes on Saturdays now.

Thanks for all the prayers for my back. It seems to be pretty much all better now with just a few tweaks of stiffness in the morning - not as bad as it had been. I hope I never have back pain like that any time soon - or ever again.

There isn't a whole lot going on right now, just mainly working. However, every Wednesday evening (unless it gets cancelled for some reason), the foreign English teachers and a few of the Korean English teachers all get together for supper and to catch up on how things are going. Sometimes (or often) they go out for karaoke afterwards. That's not really my thing and because of my cold, I ducked out of going this past week (two others also didn't go). I suppose I'll probably go sometimes, but not all the time - especially if they get back late. We're supposed to go this week as well, but I don't really want to...I mean, I'll go to supper with them, but I don't want to go out to karaoke, mostly because of the drinking that goes on at that time.

Well, I suppose I really should go work on my lesson plan. It does need to get done. Have a Christ-filled day!

Note To Self

I really need to invest in a pair of indoor shoes for school. You see, the school has a policy that you don't wear the shoes you wear outside in the school. I can understand why. What I can't understand is that we have to go outside toget to and from the cafeteria and you don't change into your outside shoes. Doesn't make much sense to me, but it's not something I worry about.



Anyway, the reason I need some is that I've been using a spare pair of shoes from the school. They are more like slipper than shoes, and the bottoms make for tricky walking if the floor happen to be a little wet. Trust me, it does. I found out the hard way.



On the way back from one of my classes this morning I stepped into some water that the boys (remember, I teach at an all boy school) had spilled on the floor. I did this weird funky dance and fell flat on my butt. How embarrassing!!! My main co-teacher was with me and she felt so bad. I think she went and told the boys to clean it up. It was nice, though, that two of the boys came right over to see if I was ok and they were more than willing to help me. This little incident happened again a bit ago when, after my final class, I went into the teachers meeting room to fill my bottle with water. Someone had dripped water on the floor and I slipped again. Thankfully, though, I didn't fall this time. The only thing I'm worried about is that it might further injur my back.



My back has been getting a lot better lately, but I still wake up somewhat stiff. Today I don't think I was as stiff a I had been, but I was still stiff. I would hate to have my back almot better only to have it get hurt again. I've taken an Advil a bit ago and hope that it will help. I still have a couple of pain killers and muscle relaxers, so if it starts acting up I will take those ASAP. I'm praying that my back will be fine and that it wasn't hurt further.



In other news, our escapade to Seoul was great. Seoul is a really big city. We didn't go to a lot of places, but we walked around and bought a few souveniers from vendors. We did go into some stores, but I didn't find any yarn stores this time so couldn't feed my knitting addiction. We plan on going again (hopefully soon) - maybe in October and I hope I'll be able to find knitting/yarn stores ahead of time online so we'll know where to look for them.

So far, work is going well this week...though to be honest, it's only Monday so I have four more days to go. I found out today that they've added three classes to my nineteen. These new three are teaching conversational English to Korean elementary teachers. This will be on Tuesdays, and it will make my day even longer...longer than Monday. Monday I have five classes; Tuesday used to have three classes, but now including teaching the teachers, I will have six. As well, we are supposed to teach for about three hours on Saturday afternoons (we get extra pay for this, and I'm told it is very good money). We're not sure exactly how Saturday will work out because they've changed this program from last semester. The other ESL teachers in our building that are doing this have told us that they could tell us one thing one minute and in a five minutes change thins...it's very frustrating, and you can't really make plans.

Well, I'd better go for now. God bless and have a Christ-filled day!

School Is In

Well, I have now finished my first week teaching Engish here in Korea! My lesson was the same for all 19 classes I teach - a basic introduction lesson where I would tell about myself and ask them questions to "test" their listening. I've been told that I can do just one lesson plan for all the classes, and just adapt it so that it will reach those who don't know very much English, and also those who would be classified as intermediate beginners.

Monday is my busiest day with five classes in a row. My easier days are Tuesdays and Thursdays (so far), with only three in a row. I teach at Yesan Middle School for boys. That's right, I teach all boys all the time! The grades I have would work out to grade seven and eight in our school system. Here, though, they go by levels and I have all the level ones and twos - each class (there are 9 classes in each level) is 45 minutes long and has roughly 30ish boy in each.

The heat has pretty much disappeared, thankfully. We had several days of rain in a row, which brought welcomed coolness. Today is sunny and cloudy and very warm (though I'm not sure of the exact temperature). Those first days were so unbearably hot, so I am enjoying today's weather.

I'm pretty well settled into my apartment. I'm just waiting for my stove to be hooked up and my chair to be delivered. The apartment is a bachelor/studio type - just one room; two people could comfortably live in it though.

On Tuesday, Sarah and I were taken to one of the main cities that is about two hours away so that we could apply for our alien registration cards and a multiple entry visa. The visa is so that if we want to travel while we are in Korea, we can do so and still be able to get back in (our work visa only allow for one entry, which was when we landed in Korea two week ago). We were told that it would take two weeks for us to get but one of the ESL teachers in our building said she got hers in ten days, and another one told us she got hers in seven days. We need the alien registration cards before we can open a bank account, and have internet and phone and cable hooked up. Thankfully I have access to the net at school! Not to worry though, during school hours I use it to check email and surf for ideas to use in class. The only time I do anything personal is at lunch or after classes. All the ESL teachers have told us the schools don't care what we do at our desk just so long as we look busy. One teacher told us she reads a lot of books and another has said she has observed other ESL teachers playing computer games...

Tomorrow Sarah, Lorie, and myself are heading to Seoul with two other ESL teachers that live in our building. Sarah and I are in the same town and her apartment is above mine, but Lorie ended up getting placed about 15 minutes from us (she's coming in tonight on the bus to go with us in the morning to Seoul).

Latest prayer requests would include that my back continues to get better (it is now more stiff and a little sore rather than the excruciating pain I was having), that I do well with my teaching, that I can handle the boys, that I get along well with all my co-teachers and develop good relationships with my co-workers (I'm the only foreigner here - everyone else is Korean). Also, please pray that Sarah and I can find a church that speaks English. There are none in the town we ended up in (the town is called Yesan).

God bless, and have a Christ-filled day!