There's Never a Convenient Time to Move Overseas...

I've been in Korea for a month. 

It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Lots has happened since my coming here. One big thing is that my brother got married... 

Photo Cred: Stacia Jones

Wow! I'm, of course, incredibly sad to have missed such an important day! Unfortunately, it was impossible for me to attend due to my school schedule and being a 15 hour flight from home. These two love birds are off on their honeymoon on a Mediterranian cruise, probably having the time of their lives. I can't wait to Skype them, since I haven't had a chance to speak with them since the wedding! 

My best friend had a baby a few days after the wedding. The day after that, my other best friend got engaged... and I'm sort of on the other side of the world losing my mind! :)

What I've learned from this is that there's never a convenient time to move overseas. But life is short, and this is where God has led me. I consider missing these things, though they are dear to my heart, a small sacrifice compared to what some have made. 

In other news, I still love it here. Naju is so peaceful. My job is sometimes tough, but rewarding. My boss is like a second mother. My co-teachers are awesome. My apartment rocks! I have a great roomie who keeps me from getting lonely. AND I have an awesome church community of foreigners similar to me that I can fellowship with and grow spiritually with. God has entirely provided all my needs! It is so clear. And it just makes me love Him more. 

New stuff. I practiced my "football" skills all summer so that I could hope to keep up with these South Koreans (just in like recreational games and such). My second weekend here I was invited to play with a South Korean men's league!

Photo Cred: Ricky Jung

Honestly, I think the invitation was given quite hastily and before having had a chance to see more than my moderately good (when I'm lucky) juggling skills -- but at any rate, mission accomplished. :) My goal was to at least "look" like I knew what I was doing, even if that really isn't the case, and I guess I succeeded. Ha-HA!

I finally got my ARC card back from the immigration office, so I guess that makes me official. In the next couple of days I'll hopefully be setting up a bank account here (which is good, because I'll be needing to do some fall shopping on GMarket since I wasn't able to take most of my clothes with me upon coming here). 

Adventures: Last Sunday, Brandi and I went with our new friend (the one who invited me to the soccer league) and his two sons to observe the men's soccer league play a game against "the Cambodians" (dun-dun-dun!). Before going to the beautiful park, however, we stopped for a bite to eat at a famous Western-style restaurant (okay, yes, McDonalds). It was there that I made use of my french fries to win the friendship of this little nugget:

 Isn't he cute? He fell asleep on me during the car ride (obviously). Below is a photo of the park the game was at. Pretty nice for a recreational field! When we got there, Ricky pointed to me and then said something in Korean to one of the guys on the field, who then responded back, at which point, Ricky turned to me and said apologetically, "He says you can't play. You'll get hurt." Thus ended my future in the Korean men's soccer league - probably for the best.

 Oh! For those of you who don't know, I've taken up a new hobby -- juicing! It's a fantastic way for me to get my fruits and veggies without the nasty taste! I eat at least one juice meal a day now. A few days ago, I spent about $40 in fresh produce... that made me feel quite grown up, I must say! 

Looking ahead. Next month, I'm starting Korean classes! Yay! I can't wait. I also might be getting a cellphone very shortly... but don't get too excited, I probably won't be able to make calls to the U.S. with it. It will be good to have though for emergencies and so that my boss can get a hold of me when I'm out and about. Also, several ministry opportunities have been presented to me. One of which is that I will be a participating violinist at an upcoming worship night at the church I attend here. I'm super excited about it! I'm loving having time again to do some real practicing! The teachers who lived in my apartment before me left me an acoustic guitar too, which I have been making use of. Learned to put a new string on it today! I'm resourceful, huh? :) 

The best thing about my job, is probably my tutor students. I have four -- Zac, a 13-year old boy, sweet as muffins. Chuck, a Junior high school student, pretty much deprived of a life outside of studying like many Korean high school students here are. Josephina, Chuck's mom, a hard-working woman who loves to better herself. And Stella, in her 30's, wanting to better herself as well by learning English. They are all special to me in their own ways. I love getting to know them one-on-one and helping them with something that will really help their future success. These souls are what makes up for everything at the end of a frustrating day in the classroom. I can only pray that, somehow, God's love will shine through me in my daily interactions with them and make a difference in their lives.