when in rome...

These last two days have been quite wonderful. :)  Yesterday Bird and I met some friends for lunch and I had my first Korean meal dulsap bibimbap.  It was rice, vegetables, egg, and a spicy sauce... very good!  Then we toured the city and visited the market.  Right now it feels like I will always be lost, but I know that it won't be too long (hopefully) before I know it like the back of my hand.  Dinner last night was QUITE the experience.  One of Bird's students took us to a traditional Japanese sushi restaurant.  It was a very nice restaurant and they fed us a ridiculous amount of food!  Most of it was very good, some of it, ie crab sac, was quite terrible.  A funny custom was to tip the chef with a drink... from your own glass.   I guess sharing germs with strangers isn't a big deal.

Today I got to meet the other teachers at my school!  We all went to a buffet for lunch.  Mr. Kim picked out a lot of different foods for me to try.  The most interesting thing I saw there was a sushi roll with a purple sauce drizzled over it and topped with sprinkles... like ice cream sprinkles!  Needless to say I did NOT try that one.  All of the teachers are so wonderful!  They are very fun, friendly, welcoming and they all go to church together on Sunday morning.  I think I will fit in here very well.  After lunch I got to see my new apartment.  It is in a residential area in a very cute brick house.  I am on the top floor.  Although it is VERY small, it is clean and relatively new.  I was able to go to the teacher's apartment that I'm replacing and pick out whatever furniture or utensils that I wanted.  Move in day should be early next week.  Thank you for your prayers in this matter.  They also are allowing me to drive the school mini van while I'm here so I guess I will be testing to get my Korean drivers license in the near future!

This evening I observed my evening classes and they are all so great!  Tonight we just introduced ourselves to each other and Michael, the teacher I'm replacing, taught the classes some slang phrases.  I think I will really enjoy my classes!  The size of the classes are very small ranging from 3-8 students per class.  After class Bird picked me up and we walked to a nearby lake.  Every night they do a laser fountain show on the lake... it was very cool!  I enjoyed the rest of the evening eating dinner and hanging out with some of the other foreign teachers here.  They are all so friendly and welcoming and Im excited to get to know that better in the weeks to come.

Praises:

• I have my new apartment and I think it will be quite cozy!
• I have been able to sleep well each night and am adjusting to the different time zone quite easily.
• The teachers that I work with are great people that I know I will be able to enjoy working with them and build great friendships.

Requests:

• That the Lord will continually use, grow, and stretch me while I am here in Korea.

God is so good and I am so blessed and happy to be here!  Thank you all for your prayers, I am already seeing God answer these prayers and I am very encouraged!

Bird at the market

My school!  It is the one with the blue sign with white writing.

                                          

Pretty fountain in the city.

                                      

                                                             

Some of the city.  This is what it looks like block after block... makes it very easy for me to get lost!

                                  

Bird and I at the Japanese restaurant.

                                                

One of the MANY dishes we were served: Baked eggplant with pumpkin, shrimp, edamame, and other vegetables.  VERY GOOD!!

                            

and so it begins...

Around 3 months ago I decided to start pursuing a job and a move to Changwon, South Korea.  Although I loved my job, students, friends, and coworkers in Florida, I was working ALL the time (teaching, coaching, and nannying) trying to pay off my student loans in a timely fashion and found myself having very little free time.  When I first graduated from Liberty my financial goals were to pay off my loans as quickly as possible and have enough money to travel.  I wasn't seeing either of these goals met and decided to do something about it.  One of my close friends from college, Brittani (also known as "Bird"), was living in Changwon teaching English and, in doing so, was saving up a decent amount of money and getting to travel all over east Asia.  Traveling and saving up money while teaching?  Perfect.  

This morning I woke up in Changwon!  I accepted an adult education position at a language school in Changwon city and I will be teaching adults conversational english.  As far as the specifics of my job, I really don't know much!  I know that I will be teaching 6 classes each day; three in the morning and three in the evening, leaving most of my day free to explore  my new city.  Bird has a similar schedule so I will have a friend to spend my days with.  

I was so excited to hear that there are quite a few christian foreign teachers in the area!  The world seems so much smaller when you're in the family of God.  What a blessing!  I am definitely looking forward to meeting these people over the next couple of days.  

So that's what I'm doing... I really have no idea what this next year is going to hold for me, but I trust that I am in God's hand and I am excited to see what He holds in store for my life!  I plan to keep this blog updated frequently to let you all know what I'm up to, what God is doing in my life, and how you can pray for me specifically.  I thank God so much for my amazing friends and family back in the States.  It is only through your prayers and encouragement that I have made it this far.  

Prayer Requests and Praises:

• Praises: 
• I'm here and safe and not an emotional wreck! :)
• Bird!  It is so wonderful to have such a dear friend here with me showing me the ropes and helping me adjust.
• Requests: 
• I don't have an apartment yet.  Mr. Kim, the director of my school, is working with a real estate agent and they hope to have one by early next week.  I am currently living with Bird and her roommate Shylah.  I am so thankful that it has turned out this way as it is so nice to have people around me while I'm still trying to get comfortable with being so far away.  
• SLEEP!  I travelled for 30 hours yesterday, sleeping for less than 2 of them.  I was so excited to catch up with Bird that we stayed up late chatting.  This morning there was/is a lot of construction going on in the building so I was unable to sleep more than 6 hours.  I feel ok now but I know that this is going to catch up with me!  I start my job tomorrow and will need to be rested.
• That God will use me to be a light and encouragement to all those around me, Koreans and foreigners alike.  Being so far away from my friends, family, and anything familiar really brings me to my knees asking God for strength and comfort.  I am hoping that this year in Korea strengthens and deepens my relationship with my Lord and Savior.  He is so good to me and I know that I am blessed far beyond what I deserve!

Hopefully I will be able to update you all again soon and maybe include some pictures of my new surroundings!  Until then, God bless!