Craziness. In about a week we will celebrate 6 months in
Korea. 6 months of adjustments and challenges for sure, but we are in a good
place to celebrate the journey God has taken us on here in Changwon! We just
returned from our first VACATION, which couldn’t have come at a better time for
Traylor and I. A whole week of not being known as Hannah Teacha, and all the
responsibilities that come with it! We started our vacay with a “Farm Stay” for
the weekend with our church and then hopped on a plane and headed to Tokyo!
Just a short, two hour flight and we were in a completely different country and
culture. More on that in a bit.
August has been full of adventures in itself. I survived my
first haircut in Korea. I’ve been trying really hard to grown my hair out, and
was worried that they would give me the “Korean bob” like this:
..but I was pleasantly surprised when they did a great job.
The farm stay we did with our church was a ton of fun. We stayed in this cabin-like house ,where we slept on mattress pads on the floor and made “American S’Mores” and ate Korean BBQ. It was fun showing the Koreans how to do S’Mores, but the BBQ was equally as tasty. They showed us how to make traditional rice cakes, where we had to smash huge piles of steamed rice with a sledge hammer! Pretty awesome.
Great friends from South Africa
Making Rice Cake
Strong Boy
Strong Girl : )
Korean Style Sleeping
Midnight Choco Pie snack ; )
This month I witnessed my 4 year olds speaking in English to
each other all on their own during a break time. They can definitely form
sentences and understand almost everything I say, but they don’t typically
speak English to each other on their own. Even though they were arguing about
how many people can be at the sink to wash their hands (ha!), they were
speaking ENGLISH to each other and that made me happy. Next month we will start
introducing “sight” words and get them on the reading track!Unbelievable how much they’ve learned in just
6 months.
Field Trip Fun!
TOMS
Sweet Chloe
Fun Glasses
This month I celebrated a friend’s birthday party with my
first trip to a “Norebang” – or “Karaoke Room”. It was the BEST! Any song you’d
ever want to sing, complete with disco balls in an individual room for you and
your friends.
People have started asking us, “What’s next?” since we’re
reaching the half way point here in Korea. Our contract ends at the end of
February, so we’ll need to start looking at what we’ll do after this year
within the next few months. We have the option to stay if we’d like. Or—we
could go home, or teach in another country.…ect. The options are endless and we
would welcome your prayers. One thing we know is that God WILL make His plan
known for us. Would you pray with us?
And now quick rundown on our fantastic trip to Tokyo! My
AMAZING husband, as many of you know, is quite gifted at finding incredible
deals. Well, he landed us a pretty amazing hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the
most amazing view of the city. We loved the cleanliness, friendliness and
eclectic city of Tokyo. I loved the fashion and ramen, and seeing such a clash
of old and new. Tokyo is obviously a world class city, that reminded me often
times of parts of NYC. Then, you thrown in Japanese culture and history in the
middle of the city…so awesome. Here are a few highlights!
Hold on now--two posts in less than a week? Crazy, I know. Happy July everyone! We have to work this Wednesday while everyone else will be celebrating the lovely 4th of July. For some reason they don't celebrate the 4th here in Korea ; )
I am thankful that Traylor updated you on our last month or so. It has indeed been a month full of adventures, trials, new friends and experiences. Every weekend is filled with rest that we desperately need from our exhausting work days. We've had the joy of really seeing how far our kids have come this month! My little ones were reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do Do You See?" a few weeks back and they caught on so quickly. Here are a few sweet videos. Keep in mind, some of these kids are KOREAN 4 years old, which means by US standards, they are really 3. In Korea, when you are born, you are considered 1 years old.
It has been a fun weekend. We are embarking on "rainy season" that supposedly lasts between 2 weeks and a month, so Saturday was a pretty yucky, humid, rainy day. I joined a few new friends from South Africa on fun filled day around our city filled with a trip to the DVD Bong. A DVD Bong is essentially a private mini-theatre/room with plush couches that you can rent and check out movies to watch there. They offer a pretty huge selection of English movies, so it is way better than going to the movies. You can stretch out all you want! Forgot to take some pics--will try and remember for next time.
We've also gotten involved with an orphanage through some friends from church. It has been a blessing to serve with them and meet these children. Yesterday, as we were leaving, we turned the corner to find an elderly man with his pants pulled down and leg up in the air giving himself a bath from the waist down in the fountain. Absolutely hilarious! That image will be engrained in my head forever.
In the middle of our city is this fun little glimpse of history and culture called the House of Changwon. It walks through old traditional style Korean housing and the things they used to use in their daily lives. Really cool! Here are some pics:
Hannah and I both apologize. It has been quite a while since
we updated our blog; we have been super busy and also a little lazy all at the
same time. So, I will try to wrap up our past month fairly quickly.
I think the most notable development has been our time with
our church and some of the friends Hannah and I have made. It’s great to see
the body globally and no matter our many differences: linguistically,
culturally, family background, etc. We have our need for Jesus in common and
it’s really neat to see that played out around the world.
We got to go to an orphanage with our church (www.lovesoyang.org) about two weeks ago
and it was really great to be sort of outside of our kids whom we teach English
to everyday and actually get to hang out with them (without our lesson plans)
and show them Jesus.
Our Church (there were like four different cameras from four different angles, I missed the center camera)
The orphanage has around 80 children (youngest is six months old and the oldest are university students). The kids have to learn to play two instruments, take English courses, and learn the Bible in order to stay there. There is a worship service every Sunday and they also have a world-class choir that tours the world (they had just returned from Disneyland).
Some of our church with kids from orphanage
My friend Drew came to see us. We picked him up from a train
arriving from Seoul on a Thursday night and he hung out around Changwon for the
day and on Saturday we did a number of things I have wanted to do. We started
the day at the largest seafood market in Asia and I was able to eat live
octopus legs, still moving and sucking to the inside of your gums and mouth. It
didn’t have much flavor (except for the soy sauce). After I saw the many
octopus eyes looking at me on our plate, I decided it was time to end the meal.
After this, we went to a jiljilbang (I believe that’s how
you spell it). It is essentially a hot water spa where you can spend all day
for about 10$ if you like. There was a huge centerpiece of what was essentially
a hot tub. Peppered around the hot tub were different kinds of ‘bathes’. There
were milk bathes, kiwi bathes, cold bathes, and philosophy bathes. It was quite
the experience.
You get nude to start, I felt like I was a freshmen in high
school again having to take a shower with other guys; it was a very ‘unique’
experience. There were men and boys of all ages, from around five to at least
70 years old. It doesn’t help that you are a foreigner and everybody is staring
at you. After a little while we eventually got used to the stares and took it
in stride, it turned out to be a great, and almost exuberating experience to
walk around and sit naked for a couple of hours.
Then we went to a professional baseball game (Lotte Giants, they are a team from Busan and they are in first place currently in the Korean leagues). Unfortunately, my cheapness got the best of me. We sat out and had to scalp tickets for a Saturday afternoon game and these Korean men were laughing at us because we had a set price (I wasn’t going to pay 40$ for a ticket quite yet, even though they have slowly become my favorite Korean team). We eventually got in for 10$ and there was a ‘general admission’ section in the outfield, first come, first seat essentially. It was about the third inning and after we made our way through the fans with the bottle rockets and buckets of chicken and full size pizzas (yep you can bing in your own food into baseball games and movie theatres, it is lovely) we couldn’t find a seat and eventually left. Wish we would have prepared for that L
Finally, and this is something you can feel free to pray
for, I met a student’s dad at book club (occasionally we have to work on
Saturdays and read with children, we both like it because we don’t really get
to do that during the normal work week) about two months ago. He started the
usual conversation and wanted to work on his English a little, which I’m okay
because I want to work on my Korean sometimes. But, he eventually invited
Hannah and I out to dinner with him and his family and I said, “absolutely”.
So, we finally went to dinner with this family on Saturday (06/23). He took us
to a BBQ restaurant in a valley of this town beside the river (Korea is a
peninsula so there really are beautiful parts that are begging to be seen.
Unfortunately, we do not have a car).
Hello Kitty sand castle festival in Busan
This restaurant was incredible; we ate probably six pounds
of duck meat and proceeded to take a walk along the little coast. On our walk,
I find out this guy is a professor of chemistry at a University in Busan and
his wife is a history teacher at a middle school. I told them that my granddad fought
in the Korean War and they were just gushing over him telling me how much of a
hero he is and I agreed. The girl really loved Hannah and sent her a text
telling her how much she loved her after we left, I really think the dad likes
me. He wanted to play basketball in his valley home and have a wine party; it
was all great. The thing I would like prayer for is that the first thing the
dad asked about when we got in the car was, “So, are you Christians?” We,
almost shockingly, proclaimed, yes!” We got to talk a little more about it, but
we didn’t really feel the spirit leading us to unload the gospel on Him at that
time but please pray for the other times we are together. This relationship is
definitely one that will last and hopefully the Lord will bless us with getting
to be the blessing in this guys life.
We have many more stories that I’m sure will trickle into
blog conversation later on, but as for now, I believe I will conclude this
chapter. We both hope to stay more up-to-date with our blogs. Shoot us an email
if you need prayer or have any questions for us.
It's May already?! Our time in Korea has begun to really FLY by. Neither Traylor or I can believe that it is already the middle of May! It has definitely been an eventful couple of weeks since we last posted. We are thankful for yet another weekend of rest and fun. We ventured into Busan (coastal city) this weekend, all by ourselves--to tackle the subway system and try to navigate Korea for the first time on our own. It was fun to find our way around the city and do a little shopping. Busan is a huge city coastal city with beaches, fun streets to walk down and little shops to peek in. We've only scratched the surface of things to do there! During this trip, Traylor was approached by an older Korean man who had clearly had several facelifts. "Hello, you are very handsome." Hilarious. (He is a handsome guy, but it was funny coming from this older Korean gentleman). He then proceeded to tell us that our country's ancestors saved this country. He wanted to make sure we knew our US history and Korean war history : ) We also signed up for Korean COSTCO. Hello cheese, salsa, coffee, Heinz Ketchup, Cheerios and cheese. and also cheese sticks. and cheese (we love cheese!)
Two weeks ago my co-teacher Angela and Traylor's co-teacher Ellie invited us to go to Gyeongju--one of the more historical and traditional cities in Korea. We hopped on a bus and traveled 2 hours to this gorgeous city. It was really fun going to Angela and Ellie, because they knew their way around and could show us the sites. Fields of bright yellow flowers and traditional Korean houses were among my favorite things we saw there. We also enjoyed the feast of a traditional Korean meal : ) Traylor loved the museums and ancient ruins, too.
Here are a few pics from our day:
Traylor shaved his head this month. Kinda by accident (he thought it was a 6 guard and it turned out to be a 2ish guard on his razor!) I've never seen his kids laugh so hard. They were genuinely tickled by his haircut...it was so cute. It's really funwatching these little kids love my husband. My heart melts every time little Adam sneaks into our teachers room and leans his head on Traylor's teacher's shoulder. Butterflies in my stomach for sure.
We have been so blessed with Hanbit International Church--our church family here. I am so thankful we've found this place of worship for our time here. Since we are being so stretched and challenged here, it is refreshing to be uplifted and encouraged throughout the week. Again, God provides for His children. He provided Hanbit. Today Pastor Marius spoke on Hebrews 12:1-2, a passage I've heard often. Usually you see this verse at the YMCA, or on christian sports logos, but it struck a new cord with me today.
"Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
run with endurance. this race that is set before us - this race has been predestined..."set before us." - God knew there would be challenges. look to Jesus- He knew we'd need Him! the founder and perfecter of our faith - He was and is and always will be sovereign. who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross - Christ suffered on our behalf for us, so that we can find joy and God can be glorified. Even in my most desperate times of need, I am grateful to know that God always knows my heart. Thankful that he saved a wretch like me (to borrow from the ol' hymn ; ))
I can see how God is establishing His character in my heart during this time here in Korea. I am thankful for the hope He offers when we endure.
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." -Romans 5:3-5
prayer requests:
it has been incredibly hard to be here with some sad situations going on in our families back home. if you could keep my family in your prayers, specifically for my cousin, we would be very grateful. pray for healing for her body and comfort for my family during this difficult time.
continue to pray for traylor's dad and his upcoming surgery this week.
continued prayers for strength and patience throughout our long days. pray we would love our kids well!
we love you guys. if you are going camping in the future, here is a shirt we found for you here:
First, a HUGE praise to Traylor’s last post about his dad.
These past few weeks have been difficult for Traylor and I, as well as for our
families, as we heard the news of Traylor’s dad’s cancer. We are grateful for
your messages and prayers, and we were beyond relieved when we skyped with his dad
on Friday and he informed us that the MRI revealed that his cancer is contained in the prostate and has not spread. HUGE praise for sure! No chemo,
no radiation after the surgery! We are so thankful for the grace and mercy over
Traylor’s dad. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Once again, God
continues to prove His faithfulness to us and our families here. He can be
trusted. “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope that we affirm. For
God can be trusted to keep his promises.” Hebrews 10:23
I think that is an overarching theme both Traylor and I have
been learning in our two months here.
God really can be trusted to keep His promises. He sent us here for a
reason and a purpose, and will not abandon us. Sometimes I still wonder what we are doing
here, but we both know that our main job is not just to be English teachers. We
want to share the love that God so richly poured out on us with the people we
encounter. I know I don’t always do that well—sometimes I get so selfish and
get so caught up in my current circumstances, that I forget to see the needs of
those around me. Pray for me with this.
Pray for patience and boldness. I want
people to know about the love and grace that Jesus offers, and the strength He gives
when we need it the most.
School: This week at school has been one of the best weeks since we've been here. I've been able to tangibly see how much some of my kids are
learning-especially the younger kids. They are starting to at least try and
express themselves with the little vocabulary they have. It’s really neat and
very rewarding as a teacher! Have I mentioned that my class (of Pre-Kinder) is called "YALE" class? The other class is called "HARVARD". High expectations for these kiddos! The other day I had a planning
period at the end of the day and one of my pre-Kinder kids decided to call up
to the school to talk to me. I was surprised to hear her voice on the other
line when my co-teacher told me I had a phone call! It was so precious to hear
this 5 year old trying to talk to me over the phone in a language she is just
starting to learn! Here she is in her traditional "Hanbok" outfit for her birthday!
I love the end where she says “Hannah Teacher, no home!” The
have also recently started shortening my name to “Hannah T” instead of Hannah
Teacher. So cute.
Here are some recent funny things my older elementary school
kids have said to me recently:
After showing them a video my dad posted on FB, one kid
asked, “Teacher, why your dad famous?” Me: “What makes you think that he’s famous?”
Kid: “Because he in the TV.”
“Teacher, why your cat name is Steve?”
“Teacher, I think maybe you are little fat.” (AH! I laughed
to keep from crying on this one ; ))
Teacher, you have baby?
I’m not too good with words and writing, so here are a few
pictures we’ve experienced lately:
At the Cherry Blossom festival in a neighboring city!
I love this picture--Traylor's bunny hat is hilarious.
Octopus at the market
All kinds of kimchi
Yong on Pajama Day
Hiking
Pure water from the stream after a hike
Temple
Sophia with her chopsticks
Elina
View of Changwon from above
this guy.
Cherry blossoms down the street
we love you guys a whole bunch. thanks for following our journey here!
