South Korea

Sometimes it's good to step away from "regular" life for a while in order to appreciate it more. After a very roller-coaster year in Thailand, full of ups and downs, exciting moments and exhausting adjustments, God gave us exactly what we needed by sending us to South Korea to visit my best friend, Nikki. We totally needed a break, and now we are back, refreshed and at least a little more ready to start a new year.

It was wonderful to get away from everything Thai, at least for a little while. Korea was totally different, and that's what made it such a great place to vacation. For one thing, we went from 95 degree weather to lower 20s; it was like going from the hottest day of the year, to the coldest day of the year, to which all I can say is: Thank God for spring and autumn! But it felt great to wear sweaters and scarves and gloves and heavy winter coats and hats and jeans and blankets and anything else we could get our hands on...

Aside from the change in climate, we loved trying Korean food: it's delicious!! It has such wonderful names. Try saying them out loud. Go on. It's fun!

Here's bibimbap:

Shabu Shabu:

Galbi:

Dac Galbi:

And of course... Kimchi! We think it looks like a smoker's heart in this picture.

I hate stereotypes, but in coming to Asia for the first time, I had my fair share, I'm sorry to say. Thailand did not at all look the way I pictured "Asia," but Korea fit the mold. High rises everywhere, efficient bus system, lots of lights, etc. It was quite amazing! Unlike Thailand, the streets were clean, there were no street dogs, people recycled, and (gasp!) they actually use the crosswalks! Here's a view from Nikki's apartment:

Of course the best part of the trip was spending time with friends. We loved seeing where Nikki lives, her school, her church and small group, and meeting some of her friends. Of course she took us sightseeing on the weekends, so here's some of the stuff we saw. We spent a couple of days in Seoul, and actually really loved the city.

I think it's the 3rd largest city in the world, but it's so organized, it's a very comfortable and fun place to visit. We saw Gyeongbuk gung and palace

and a museum about King Sejong, the king who invented Hangul, the Korean alphabet, which is apparently the most scientific writing system ever made. We visited the Korean war memorial, where we learned a lot that we never learned in US History class.

We walked down Insadong, a handicraft street, and through the shopping district. At the end of the day, we went up to Namsan Tower for an overlook of the city.

It's a very "cutesy" place where couple attach locks to the fence to represent how their hearts are locked together. Here we are.

Aren't we adorable?

Our second week, we went to visit our friends Charlie and Natalie, whom we spent a lot of time with during our TESOL course in Thailand. They live in a small village on the Eastern sea, about 40 km South of North Korea. They got us a motel right on the beach,

and while they were at work, we went for a walk on the beach in the snow! They took us to an awesome coffee shop in the mountains:

A couple days later, we met Nikki, had lunch, and went for a paddle in these beautiful swan boats on the Hwachan lake.

She took us past the small village where she taught last year. It's in a beautiful, mountainous part of the country, and we loved it!

In Cheonan, Nikki's city, John and I went to Independence Hall, a huge park with 7 or 8 museums commemorating Korea's Independence from Japan. We didn't have time or energy to walk through all of it, but it was really interesting.

Our trip home was mostly uneventful, but we went home feeling so happy. Here's why: we were waiting in the immigration line in Shanghai (during our layover) and saw a woman who looked Peruvian, beyond a shadow of a doubt. We started looking around and noticed a group of men who looked Latin as well, and they had Peruvian Passports. As we got up to the front of the line, we noticed they were having trouble filling out their arrival cards (the only languages were English or Chinese), so I jumped in and offered to help. Those 5 minutes of speaking Spanish totally made my day!! Man! We miss Spanish, and more than that, we miss living in a country where we can communicate! But we are back in Thailand, determined to stay positive during our second year, Gracias a Dios!

Good-bye Saint Francis, Hello Summer Vacation

Sorry to make you jealous with my title, but yes, we are enjoying our first day of Summer vacation. It's been in the mid-90s all week, and very humid. Although you may be sick of inclement winter weather, let me just say that we wish we had some... We are so sick of sweating! So there you go, the grass is always greener on the other side.

It's hard to believe, but we have successfully completed our first year of teaching. Granted, we started in the middle of first semester, so we're really only been teaching for a semester and a half, but it still feels like a whole year. We have learned a lot, about teaching, about ourselves, and about life in (for lack of a better word) an opposite culture. There have been a lot of good moments, but to be honest, we are glad to be done at Saint Francis and moving on to another school. We will really miss some of our students, though.

So here's the update you've all been waiting for:

We have decided to stay in Thailand another year. We got accepted to teach at another Catholic school not too far from here. Here's the real kicker: we will be teaching Kindergarten and First Grade!! Yep!! We are moving from 5th and 11th Grade to 1st Grade! We did teaching demos during our interview, and I was blown away by how tiny they are, with their miniature little desks, and how easy it is to entertain them!! We think it will be a lot of fun, once we get used to it, and it means we'll come back to the US with more experience whenever this whole Asian escapade is over.

Thank you for all your prayers!

Pictures... Let's see. Here are a few to show our last weeks at school. We really haven't had anything to do these past two weeks without students, so we've had to be creative to entertain ourselves.

...finishing up grades. Our "beloved" blue books.

...going out to lunch for 2-3 hrs with some of our fellow teachers.

...taking advantages of the empty classrooms to watch movies on the TVs.

Signs, Billboards, and generally bad English

No blog on Thailand would be complete without a post on some of the funny things we see written everywhere. Misspellings, grammatical errors, and just general nonsense. Here are some of our favorites:

Starbucks Coffee: We never could find the thrid floor.

This was a card they gave us at school: "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011. May the love and peace of Jesus threit be with you always" Sweet thought. We don't know who Jesus threit is though... By the way, we do work at a Catholic school.

"Don't let finger to my dog." We think it means don't pet the dog, maybe...

At a wat (Buddhist temple): "NO ENTRY WOMAN." The meaning there is pretty clear.

At a fish-feeding pond: "Please to make merit to buy the nutritions for the temple's fish." OK.

I don't know where the owner learned about marketing, but he could use some help.

"The Sidewalk Cafe: Probably the best coffee around."

And my all-time favorite. In a coffee shop, we found this on the wall...

It says: Plague of Appreciation.

Ahhhh, yes. You gotta love Thailand.

Life in the Kingdom, Part 1

When I was a kid, I used to think that since the earth was round, then the people on the other side of the world must be upside down. Turns out, I was totally right, except that it's not physical, it's mental. In the seven months I've spent in Thailand, I have realized that people here really and truly think the opposite of the way we think in the West, and I think this is true for most of Asia. We have personally experienced "East meets West," and it's far crazier and more different than the trend for decoration and food that has become popular in recent years. I think that the two biggest differences between Thailand and the Western cultures are the King, and Buddhism.

As Christians, we live in a Kingdom, but we don't really get what that means. This is one of the biggest things we have learned by living in the Thai culture, and I think there are many lessons that the Church can learn from it.

The most obvious is the incredible respect that Thais have for their King. In the US, we take this as a no-brainer, but I don't think we really GET IT. In Thailand, showing respect for the King is a part of every day life, even for those who have never physically met him. At 6 pm, in crowded places such as malls, train stations, and some public squares, the National Anthem plays and everyone stops what they are doing and stand straight to show respect. Our first experience with this was at a mall. We were talking with a vendor and looking at products and we turned around to find everyone else standing frozen like statues, staring straight ahead. We were blown away to see such a crowded place suddenly quiet and reverent. It was incredible! In case a person is not at a mall at 6, every radio station and TV channel stops at 6 pm to play the King's song. Every Monday morning, in addition to the National Anthem, all the school children of Thailand sing the King's song. When you go to see a movie, after the previews and right before the movie, they ask everyone to stand up and watch a movie clip of the King's song. Showing respect and honor to the King is a part of everyday life here. In fact, it is illegal to speak poorly of the King, which is why it is best for foreigners not to speak of him at all in public. Something that was meant to be perfectly harmless might really offend a Thai person because of their deep honor for their King.

Tonight at small group, we watched a video on the tabernacle and the speaker mentioned that one thing we notice in the inner court is that there are no chairs. Why? Because no one stands in the presence of a King! We see that tradition continue today here in real life in Thailand. It kind of makes me wonder about our modern worship practices in many churches. I'm not saying that there is never a time to sit in reverence, but I don't see much justification for sitting in the presence of a King, either in the Bible or in this modern-day Kingdom. Hum....

Even more than reverence and respect, people in this Kingdom have an immense LOVE for their King. I have had countless discussions with my students about why the King is so wonderful and what he has done for Thailand. Even young children can brag about the King's many accomplishments and contributions. Even if they don't know the details of his history, they know the details of his character. They are so quick to sing his praise. This is a wonderful lesson for us Western Christians to learn. Actually, Father's Day here is the day of the King's Birthday, and Mother's Day is the Queen's Birthday. In case you weren't observant enough to notice these subtler nuances, you would at least notice the huge amount of "Long Live the King" bumper stickers and "We love the King" T-Shirts. Perhaps this is an aspect of the Kingdom that needs to be taught in the US. We tend to think of a Kingdom as oppressive to our "free wills and independence" that we hold so near, but in fact, those in this earthly Kingdom are so proud of their King and love him as much as their own family members.

Third, there is an understanding that having a King is permanent, secure thing, and that there is great freedom in that. Many Thais do not like talking politics, but the King is not in charge of politics, his job is to take care of the people of Thailand. One of my students put it very nicely: the King is not involved in government, that's why he stays the same even though the government changes. That is why the Thai people's faith in their King has not wavered even through this time of political unrest with the Red Shirt riots last summer. They know that although the government may be in turmoil, their King will take care of them! How profound is that! God says many times in Scripture that though the Kings of the Earth rise and fall, His Kingdom lasts forever.

So there you go: those living in a Kingdom understand respect and love for their King, and know that they are secure because their King will take care of them! Many blessings! Let me know your thoughts.

Tune in next time for Part 2: Buddhism

Paid to be BORED

This week, the students are taking their final exams, which means hours and hours of a teacher's worst nightmare: proctoring (or invigilating, as they say in the rest of the world). Proctoring is my all-time least favorite part of being a teacher. It involves hours of sitting in a quiet room, watching students take tests. We're not allowed to make any noise. We're not allowed to read, or write. We probably aren't allowed to listen to music, but most of us sneak in an iPod or something.

It's funny talking to our fellow teachers and figuring out what they do to pass the time. Some try to think of all the States in alphabetical order. Some people pace. Some people struggle not to fall asleep. Yesterday, I calculated exactly how much I make a minute. The answer is: not enough to make it worth sitting here. I try to play little games with myself. I try to stare at the clock intensely enough that time speeds up.

During all this pondering and observing time, I have noticed there are at least 10 different kinds of test-takers. Let me know if you can think of any others.

• Slow and Steady wins the race: These students pace themselves so they finish with just enough time to check their answers.
• Adrenaline Junkies: With their legs bouncing and a look of intensity, these students treat the test like they are in race and they have to finish first.
• Ponderers: These students look at the question for 3 minutes before writing anything down.
• Fidgiters: Those who can't sit still and have to change positions every other question.
• Bench Pressers: Complete one question, rest for four minutes. Complete another question, rest for five minutes.
• Auditory Learners: I have a couple of students who have to talk themselves through every question. Over the course of the year, I have tried to encourage them to not actually say the answers out loud, so now they mouth everything they are thinking. It's quite funny to watch.
• Writing on the Wall: "maybe if I stare at this wall long enough, the answer will appear there..."
• Random Chance: They think that if they push enough random buttons on their calculators in rapid succession, the answer will appear.
• The Sweet Talkers: They try to weasel the answer out of the teacher, either by asking for vocab, asking for hints, or even just asking the questions verbatim.
• Artists: These students write and write, answer and re-answer so many times that by the end, their desks are covered in eraser bits and their papers are covered in white-out.
• Nap Time: There is a surprising amount of students who write their name at the top, turn over the paper, and sleep for the period. I don't get it.
• Flat out Cheaters: some creative, some definitely not.

Which were you?

A long-overdue trip

After 7 months in Thailand, it was starting to be embarrassing to say that we had never been to the beach. So, with an unexpected three-day weekend, we finally got in a white mini-van and headed three hours South of Bangkok to a town called Hua Hin. It's a retirement community for ex-pats, mostly, and also boasts so very high end hotels. It's not one of the really pristine beaches (you have to head further South for those), but it was close and we found a good rate for a room in a small guesthouse.

The weather has turned hot. The cool season is over, and we are quickly transitioning to the HOT season, but the wind at the beach made it very comfortable.

The town of Hua Hin is small enough to walk around, for the most part, so we did all of our exploring on foot. Although we saw more fat, old men and women in speedos and bikinis than we ever wanted to see, there was a lot going for the place, especially the large variety of delicious restaurants. We splurged a little and shared a three-course meal at a real French restaurant.

During the day, we took frequent trips to the beach (about 10 minutes from our guesthouse), and spent most of that time in the water. It was pretty, but very crowded, and we're not really the type of people who like to pay for a beach chair.

Still, it was a wonderful way to relax!

My favorite time of the beach was after sunset. We made an amazing discovery the first night that if you go after 9:30 pm, the beach is deserted, and you can go for a romantic swim, under a full moon, with no one to bother you. Ah...

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was meeting this dog.

She came down to the beach to meet us while we were putting on sunscreen and decided that we would be her people for the day. She followed us all over a bunch of rocks, around a point, to another beach, and even came out in the water with us when we started going in. We went in over her head, and she started whimpering, but she kept swimming when she saw John further up ahead. She was so sweet! In the end, we had to walk back up to the beach to get her to stay. We both miss having pets around...

All in all, it was a great weekend. We were glad to get out after two months at home. The beach was beautiful, the water was lovely, but if you want my honest opinion, it ain't got nothin' on the Pacific Northwest!! :)

A Quick Note on Packages

Hello everyone!

First off, we want to say thank you so much to those who have sent us letters and care packages. We love getting them!!! so much!!!

But we are looking at moving in the next 3 weeks, so until we give you our new address, PLEASE DON'T SEND ANYTHING TO OUR CURRENT ADDRESS. We don't want stuff to get lost in transit.

We'll post our new address as soon as we know it!

Thanks!!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!

I'll write a post about what's going on with us soon, I promise...