Going Going!

Hey gang!

I just wanted to give you the latest on what's going on... I don't have any photos to post yet though because I've packed everything up and can't upload them onto my computer because...... I MOVE TO MY APARTMENT TOMORROW!

This is very exciting as I wasn't supposed to move in until Saturday. It's now 3:48 a.m. my time because I'm trying to get everything packed for tomorrow plus plan for class tomorrow. Today was my first day of teaching and it went rather well! I can't wait to see how the rest of the week will go. My schedule for the next three months will consist of two classes, each three hours long, four days a week: Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri, which comes to a total of 24 hours.... This gives me lots of time to play : ) My first class begins at 4 p.m. and the last class ends right at 10 p.m.

This last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to meet up with a gal named Michelle (we were put in touch via email from a local pastor). We met up and went to Itaewon this past Saturday and spent time talking and eating and just hangin out. Itaewon is a foreigners hot spot... there's actually a U.S. Military Base stationed there, and you hear lots of people speaking english. I also went to church this past Sunday and had an amazing Thanksgiving meal after the service. This weekend was a total blessing, as it was an opportunity to fellowship and get out and get around town a little bit!

This Wednesday I head to Japan to get my Visa, come back Thursday evening. This weekend I'm going to go with a few teachers from my school to sight see around Seoul because one of my co-workers has a friend coming into town. It should be pretty exciting and I look forward to having more opportunities to see all the amazing stuff around me.

All I can say is this is keeping me on my toes! : ) if there's one word I can say is needed at this season in my life.... FLEXIBILITY! I continue to be humbled at the ways I lack patience and understanding and continue to grow as I learn to be flexible in every situation every single day.

Until next time...
Many blessings.

Just a little update!

So I don't have a whole lot to update you on, but definitely wanted to say thanks to Mark who got Skype set up so I could talk to a bunch of you at Kara's house on Thanksgiving! It blessed me tremendoulsy, so THANKYOU!

Today was a really rainy day in Seoul- I walked out of my hotel without looking and it was POURING! I noticed everyone, and I mean EVERYONE had an umbrella around me, so I'm thinking "Hmmmm I think I should get one of those!" So even though I was running late for my meeting, I ran into the store and bought a cute little red umbrella. But, um, hello! I can't tell you the last time I used an umbrella..... like Kindergarten, maybe?! So I felt really lame when I couldn't figure out how to open the thing.... wow, and I'm a teacher? Haha. : )

Also today, I found out I will finally move into my apartment next Saturday... Dec. 1. Even though it's more than a week away, it's nice to finally have an end in sight for hotel living!

So, please keep me in prayer as I start teaching on Monday (yes, very excited, but also VERY nervous), I have the extremely daunting task of heading to Japan for a Visa run on Wednesday, and then moving on Saturday. This will be pretty intensive, especially as I seriously won't know what I'm doing the entire time.... nothing will be of the "norm" but it's all for the sake of adventure, right?!

I am so excited though because I think I've found a church! I'm going to a church called Youngnak (located in the middle of Seoul) and spent some time talking with the Pastor today and got in touch with a few of the members. I'm so excited to have this fellowship again and to spend some time with people! There's actually a girl who is from Boise who goes there, so I can't wait to meet her! Actually a few funny things about Boise... one of the Koreans who works at my school actually asked me if we had cars in Boise or "Where I come from". I was laughing so hard when he asked me if we got around by horses or donkeys. Yeah! Go Idaho! The other interesting thing about "Where I come from"... I was watching CNN the other night and they went on to talk about the top 5 "Political Turkies" of the year... and who made #2? None other than our very own Senator Larry Craig. It was then I realized really how terribly he has put us on the map!

Earlier this week, my new baby cousin was born - meet Keylie Joe Christensen!

Wish I could be there but I'm so excited!

Well, that's all for now... I don't really have any pictures to update you with - sorry. I'll try to remember to take pictures of my school for you guys though next week.

Love you all - have a great weekend!

Be Blessed!

Out on the town...

So after a few phone calls to a few of you guys back home, I decided to take the advice of the last person I talked to and decided to get out for a while (Thanks Nate.... I had no idea how great it would be!)

The first thing I did was head over to the department store again (so far so good.... DIDN'T get hit by a car this time) and tried on a few $300 pair of boots that I desperately want ; ) but I did decide to buy a new winter coat. It suddenly dropped like 15 degrees last night and it was snowing!

Here's a picture of what it looked like last night from the window of my hotel:

So I decided the snow was excuse enough to buy a new coat - but I love it!

Then, I went to a little place called Holly's Coffee (kind of like Starbucks.... but in Korea) and had some amazing time to read - and enjoy a sandwich!

I wanted to share something real quick though from the book I was reading. Donald Miller (the author) is describing in the beginning of his book how a lot of authors provide steps in self help books and formulas or ways to be succesful and such.

"The truth is there are a million steps, and we don't even know what the steps are, and worse, at any given moment we may not be willing or even able to take them; and still worse, they are different for you and me and they are always changing. I have come to beleive the sooner we find this truth beautiful, the sooner we will fall in love with God who keeps shaking things up, keeps changing the path, keeps rocking the boat to test our faith in Him, teaching us not to rely on easy answers, bullet points, magic mantras, or genies in lamps, but rather in His guidance, His existance, His mercy, and His love."

I felt this was extremely powerful and very real to each and every one of us. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did. I took great comfort today in knowing that even though I still don't have my apartment, and I feel so bored because everything is new and unknown, that I have been perfectly placed here by the Lord and I can place my hope in knowning that He's guiding me the entire way.

I decided to go for a walk and that I was up for the challenge of trying to find out where my school is. And guess what! I was successful in finding it!

Here's a pic of the building I'll be teaching in.... I'll be on the 6th floor:

Also on my "journey" today, I realized there's a little greenbelt that runs along the barely filled river:

I finally made it back to the hotel and there was a huge amount of flowers/arrangements in front of the hotel.... I thought it was either a funeral or a wedding. And since there's a wedding hall on the 10th floor, I decided it was probably a wedding. I felt so awkward about heading through the front doors. I was thoroughly expecting the bride and groom to walk out, right as I'M walking in because wouldn't that be my luck. But it didn't happen and I met the most wonderful older woman on the elevator. Usually older women here are brutal. Since it's a confucian society, EVERYONE respects their elders. Basically you get pushed out of the way by these old teeny tiny women if you're in their way. But not this lady. She was gracious to put me in the elevator first and to make sure my ride from the 1st to the 7th floor was ever so enjoyable. This honestly made my day and brought a huge smile to my face.

Here's a pic of the front of the hotel with all the flowers. And of course I can't read any of it : )

Here's a few other pictures from my walk - I was gone for about 4 hours so I was able to see quite a bit. I can't wait to go the other direction tomorrow!

And as requested..... more video!! : ) This is on the way to the school.

I continue to miss you all VERY much but will continue to pray for all of you and look forward to hearing more about how things are going back home. Some of the more exciting news on the home front is the new addition to our family - my aunt Beth heads to the hospital to have the baby tomorrow.... Welcome Keylie! I'm so bummed I'm not there but can't wait to see pix (hint, hint!!!)

Blessings!

A little video action

Here's some more video from the first location I was at.....

Guess what.... I PASSED!

WOW! I can't believe it's nearly been a week since I've been able to post anything. It's been quite the week! I apologize for the length..... but I have to catch you guys up!! I've tried to upload video to this post, but my connection is too slow.... so I'll do that soon. Miss you all very much. Please continue to pray for provision and for strength.

I can't even describe how intense this last week of training has been. It has consisted of many intense mock teaching trials, Grammar tests and lots of prepping! This training was the last step in the interview process, and we had to pass in order to be officially offered a contract with CDI. There was approximately 25 of us going through the training, and even though each of us has a University degree, this week kicked our butt!

Linds and I uncertain whether or not we have a job yet or not.....

Immediately following the results of the training, we were all whisked off to our different teaching locations. I'm going to be teaching at a CDI branch located in Dobong, which is in the northern part of Seoul. I've been in a hotel the last few days until they find me an apartment to live in. Lindsay (my roommate) is in Incheon (east Seoul) and has a brand new apartment. I hope I'm as lucky!

Here's a picture of us one day. We like to call this one "Merry Christmas" Haha.

Here's a few other photos - these are taken from the roof of the building we had our training in:

I've been in a few different hotels for the last few days and felt a little kooped up, so I headed out to the streets to get some fresh air to explore what was around me.... and what? I ended up getting hit by a car. Yes, that's right, I got hit by a car! Thankfully I wasn't hurt, but gosh was I irritated! I gave the driver a really stern look showing my disapproval and it was witnessed by an official of some sort, which is good considering if I was really hurt it would have been helpful! But I headed on my way to a department store and ladies.... let me just tell you - SHOPPING GALORE!! It was huge.... with LOTS of WAY cute clothing. I only made it to floor 3 of the 9 though, because it started to close. So I'll have to update you on the shopping a little bit later : ) Sammee.... you were right about these things!!! Geez!

We also went to Itaewon earlier in the week to meet up with a few of Lindsay's friends for dinner ... I was excited to ride the subway for the first time in my life!

Lindsay and myself on the subway:

And me on the streets of Itaewon:

So far, everyday is full of the unexpected and full of adventure and the unknown! It feels like I've been here for much longer than a week! Information overload! : ) I'm thankful I've traveled overseas before, because I feel like it has helped getting acquainted, but nothing can prepare you fully.

Next week I will head for Japan for a Visa run to get my work Visa. I count on that experience to be full of adventure as well. Haha, and let me just say when I say "adventure" it doesn't always mean fun... it might also entail stress and overwhelment! : ) I will meet the rest of my co-workers at my branch this Thursday and Friday for an orientation/training for our branch.

I begin teaching in my class next Monday the 26th! I definitely have a newfound respect for teachers because of how much work it really is to be a good teacher.

Blessings to you all!

Busy Busy!

This is in the lobby of our hotel, Seoul Residence

Yesterday (Monday) we had our first day of training - so we set out to the city in the morning to head to the training center. It was nice to finally meet everyone and see who all was staying at our hotel... in other words, my roommate and I now have friends and we're no longer loners. haha.

Directly afterward from our training for the day, we all headed to Seoul Medical Center (the big hospital) to head for a complete physical. What a surprise it was to the cute little Korean women nurses helping me when I tried to explain to them why I couldn't hear the hearing test on the left side! It was nearly 3:30 or 4 and not a single one of us had eaten since breakfast so we were all very hungry and there was quite a few of us to complete the exam.

So funny story: One of the last stops is to get your blood taken and then a urinalysis... the blood was no big deal, I mean, afterall, I have had my blood drawn more times than I can count over the last few years with all the problems I've had. I knew I'd have to concentrate on breathing just simply because I hadn't eaten, but all was well, she did a great job. It wasn't until I headed to the bathroom to do my business there that I took off the cloth, and when I looked down, blood was squirting, yes, SQUIRTING from my vein. It was all over - and I just about lost it.... I hurried up and walked over to my seat and was doing everything I possibly could to breathe and not pass out. I was close though.... it was getting dark. So my roommate, bless her heart went and got me some water (in a paper bag no less). It all happened so fast but I'm thankful I didn't pass out. So that's the tale of the squirting blood.

We all made it back to the hotel and met up with the guys we've met and we went out to dinner. It was amazing. It only was about $6 for each of us. The majority of our nights this week will be spent studying for an incredibly intense training. We have to pass a test if we want to continue to teach with CDI.

Here's some pictures from the last few days:

Please just continue to pray for provision during our week with travels and also for our testing that has to take place. Everytime I am walking outside just marveling at the big city I just can't help but be so thankful and still can't believe I'm really here. The culture is great and I'm having a great time!

Much love and blessings to you.

My other half returns to me!

Yay! Praise the Lord! My baggage arrived. To my absolute dismay, I called the airport (and got someone who speaks English, even!) and they had my bag!!! As you can see, I was pretty excited.



Some guy from India picked it up is what they told me. Knowing that I have all my stuff has really allowed me to relax a little bit more - so here's a few pictures from my roommate and I outside the doors of our hotel exploring our surroundings.

This is me walking down the "alley" of where our hotel is to head out to one of the main streets

Me and and Lindsay out on the town - I apparently have allergies in Korea, so give me a break ; )

And here's a little video action of us walking down the street.

Bittersweet Surrender

Well all - I have finally made it to my new home.... Seoul, Korea. Travels were pretty good for the most part (I love flying, so it usually takes a lot to make it bad) But did have a few hiccups along the way. Before I get into that though, can I please issue a HUGE THANK YOU! to all my friends and family who have been amazingly supportive. Honestly you guys, I don't think I have ever felt so loved. It's so nice to know that when I was flying, when I was sleeping last night, I knew I had people praying. Here's a few pictures from the going away party and from the airport - these are from the new (way too nice, I might add) camera my Bible Study bought me:

Adrian, myself and Naomi : )

And this is the gang that was at the airport:

So thank you all so much for being there for me when I left and for all the kind words and cards! I was a little bummed though that my awesome friend Wes didn't make a showing to my going away party. He's in SLC and wasn't able to get work off. Bummer.

Anyhow.... I made it to San Fran on time, but it was a very short layover.... just about an hour, and flying internationally always makes things more complicated and takes longer. And it wouldn't have been a problem except the handle (the one that pulls up and out) for my carryon totally busted! So here I was running through the airport with my heavy carry on until finally I made it through all the really important stuff. I made an executive decision though and bought a new suitcase in the airport, hurried and switched it over, literally ran to my gate, checked in and got on the plane just in time. Needless to say, my shoulders today, after sleeping on a hard Korean bed are tremendously sore : )

The flight was uneventful and I got my first hard dose of reality though when I got off the plane and had to really make it happen. I said to myself "It's go time!" and with that, I went. With much misunderstanding and frustration, I finally made my way to get a cell phone, get a bus, catch another taxi, and finally to the hotel.

In the midst of my flutter and EXTREME tiredness, I kept almost speaking Chinese to every person I tried to talk to, just to have some small means to being able to communicate. But then I'd have to remind myself they don't speak that, either!

The adventure will continue this week as I enter training to teach. I have today to rest and explore and get myself a bit more settled. I am excited to see and explore my new town and meet people to share with!

Please pray for the return of one of my suitcases. One of my major pieces of luggage was not at the baggage claim when I got there.

Thanks again to you all.

Blessings.

KOREA!

So what an interesting adventure it has been getting this whole teaching thing organized and decided. The decision to go to Korea came last Friday after I had an interview with the school I'll be teaching at (CDI) on Tuesday. Instead of going through the typical visa process (which would take anywhere from 1 month to 2), I'm actually heading over there immediately on a travler's visa.

As I prepare to embark on the adventure, it's been incredible to see all the support from all my wonderful friends and family. I can definitely call myself blessed! I look forward to the going away party on Thursday before I head out and know I really would struggle with my departure if it wasn't for all the great support.

I've also been in touch with two friends from the past who are actually about 5 hours away from where I'll be teaching. It's nice to know I can be in touch with them when I get there... even if they are 5 hours away!

I was encouraged as I spent time with about 600 kids from the Treasure Valley this last Saturday at the BSU game for an event called Lift Up America. This is a photo of a little girl named Kiki. She was so cuddly and loveable. I had a great time with her!

I was helping out for one last time with the wonderful organization here in Boise called Catchlife. Check out their website at http://www.catchlife.net/ . Debbie and Robert are hugely instrumental in assisting in the transition for local refugees. These kids have so much to offer. Pouring into them in whatever capacity is so rewarding. I also ran into a few other favorites of mine: Monite and Miss Alexia!

Needless to say, I'm so excited to go back overseas to serve, to learn and to grow. Blessings to you all.