Afterburners and Aprons

the last one

2015-05-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

This post has been a few weeks coming but I haven't really known what to say. It's hard for even me to put words to my thoughts and emotions. My teaching contract will be over at the end of May and just like that, my job title will be past tense and the memories will be just that - memories.

Some moments from the past year I'd like to forget, out of cultural annoyance or simple awkwardness. Things like my lunches when the principal would comment on my chopstick ability, or when a few older men would invite me for instant coffee during a break and I'd sit and "talk" to them about their kids and what I like about Korea.

But I'd like to always remember what my students were like.

Of course, these were the kids I got to know at my school and should not be taken as a overall rule for all high school students in Korea. My school is in a relatively small city and boards students from the surrounding cities to train for technical jobs. The students will spend their first and second years of high school taking regular classes and will spend their third and final year only training for their specific job and their specific company, which they hopefully had gotten hired for in the previous years. They will go directly into their jobs following graduation until doing their two years of mandatory military service. After their service, most will choose to go back to their jobs and a few have the desire to apply to a university, which the application process and selection is stressful and highly elitist. All other high schools that are not technical schools have students who apply while they are in high school for their follow-on education, so the pressure to learn English is much higher than at my technical school.

My job for the past year has been to get the students to practice speaking English, using as many games and interactive activities as possible. It didn't take long for me to refocus my goals to just keeping the students awake. And trying to keep 360 students each week awake and alert at the very least, having fun at best, was not always easy. My 20 minute drive home is always spent getting the short, concise sentences I to try and communicate with everyone I spend all day with out of my head and trying to transition to whatever English speaker I'd need to sound normal around whomever I would be seeing after work.

Each class period starts with the students either filing in separately to the English room or running because they're late coming from the snack shop or their homeroom. I try to talk for a couple minutes, which usually just means saying "Hello, how are you?" and the students replying with their phrase that has been ingrained in them since kindergarten: "I'm fine thank you, and you?" I try saying things like, "How was your weekend?" Or "What did you do this weekend?" Or "How do you like the weather?" But after blank stares and no responses, I end up saying, "Weekend? Good? Bad?" Or "Weekend? Movies? Sleep?" Or "Nice weather. Warm." One or two students reply with one word answers and to everyone's relief, I usually move on to the lesson.

My first impression of the kids were that they were shy, eager and easily awed. I'm not saying this because I'm a 6 foot tall woman with curly hair and blue eyes (all things that are literally unheard of in their entire country) but because I could play a music video like this one with a few tricks and dance moves and they would be enraptured the entire time, oohing and ahhing. It made me want to find the best videos out there and as a result, I have spent way too much time on youtube this past year.

These Korean students are extremely hard workers. To the point where I'm not sure they have a childhood. I tutored a woman who had a son in kindergarten and she told me that while the son's teacher was constantly reminding her he needed to practice his English and arithmetic, even staying up later than she would at night, the mother was mostly concerned that her son grow up to be a good person. The school day at my school starts at 9am, but the students are all in their classrooms before I show up at 8:40am for homeroom. The regular day ends at 4:40, where the students have "free time" before dinner before starting their night classes that go from 6:30-8:30pm. And as crazy as this sounds, I know other high schools have much longer hours, sometimes with night classes going until close to midnight. There are two hours every Wednesday during the school day for "club activities" which the students can choose where to go, either soccer club, badminton club, music club, or English conversation club (you can guess how many students I have there) This is the only sort of "extracurricular" I have found. We all get an hour lunch every day (a teacher's dream) and it usually means the students are playing soccer or basketball. Other than that, it is straight school from March-July and August until December. Even during school breaks in the summer and winter, the students are either going to different academic camps or doing internships at their future companies. It's exhausting just thinking about it, and has always given me a little sympathy when the kids nod off during my class.

For the most part, the kids are eager to learn or practice English. But they are still high school students at an elementary level, so the best lessons were always ones where I showed up with a wig on or had games and candy as a reward.

Once in a while, I had to make a speaking test where the kids would spend one class period practicing the test and the next time we'd meet, speaking for me while I graded. It took me one test to realize that the students were just going to memorize their answers. Sometimes I'd ask them a question ("how are you?") before starting the test and they'd look at me, clueless, and start talking like I'd asked the first question on the test. They were always very nervous during the speaking tests. Most kids would sit down, shaking, and barely make be able to make eye contact. They relaxed a bit after I smiled at them when they sat down and gave most of them A's.

It didn't take much time for the students to warm up to me, and it took even less time for them to wriggle their way in to my heart. Sometimes they were so messy and would leave the classroom a mess of candy wrappers and scribbles on the desks, other times they'd show up with candy or a drink for me after a trip to the snack shop. Sometimes I had to be stern and "teacher-y" with them, but 98% of the time, standing at the front of the class silently was all it took for them to quiet down. I'd never known any students to respond to verbal affirmation more than these kids. Both good and bad. I made the mistake only a couple times of telling a kid "wrong" before I realized how devastated they were at that response. Instead, I'd say "almost" and then after fixing their answer, they'd beam at my exuberant "perfect! good job!"

I've had to say goodbye to a couple classes already, since we will not have Monday class due to Buddha's birthday next week and it has broken my heart every time. Maybe it's how excited they get to see me and say, "hi teacher!" every time we pass each other in the hallways, or maybe it's the few kids who say, "hi sir" and I've never had the heart to correct them. Or maybe it's the other few who say "Teacher Danielle" or "hi, Brummer" when I walk by. I'm not sure.

It is very easy to say how lucky I've been to have a job in Korea, but it's a lot more work than just the teaching. Tyler works long and unpredictable hours. Having a regular "9-5" job has meant that many weeks when he flies nights, I simply don't see my husband from Sunday night until Friday evening. And if I don't cook/clean/do the laundry/walk the dog, it does not get done, not because my husband is lazy but because he is rarely home. It's frustrating to acknowledge that because I work, I don't get to see my husband. I'd obviously choose being able to see my husband as much as possible over working, but don't get me started on how unfair that is. I think that's why teaching in Korea this year has been so special to me. Thank God, our marriage hasn't suffered and I've grown and learned so much and literally had one of the best experiences of my life. That's why it breaks my heart that it's almost over. Of course, I can look for a teaching job in Germany or work part time but it's going to come at an even greater cost as his schedule will not slow down and there is no time limit of one year.

I will cherish the memories I've made and treasure everything the kids taught me about the English language, Korean culture and how opposite yet similar our lives can be. How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

teach Korea: watching the tv, playing the game

2015-03-12T08:34:00.001-05:00

I ate lunch at school with someone new today, which doesn't happen often. When it does, the following occurs: they let me go first in line so they can talk later about what food I took and how much. They sit across from me and next to Bitna (my sweet co-teacher who is my usual sole lunch buddy) and comment about why I put a little bit of salt on my rice, whether or not I like the fermented soy bean soup and if I enjoy kimchi. Usually they comment about how good I am at using chopsticks, which I know as well as they do that comment is like the southern "bless your heart" - I'm not really good at eating with chopsticks but it's a "oh she's trying" sympathetic comment. They also notice and ask about my water bottle that accompanies me during lunchtime. It's a habit I have, and feel like many Americans do, to drink (or have) a water bottle or other beverage while they're eating lunch, but to the Koreans it is very strange and prompts a series of questions. (Apparently they're taught that drinking water during a meal, or too much after, makes you fat - in reality, I think it makes the food harder to digest, but it doesn't surprise me that to Koreans, drink during a meal equals obesity) This took me off guard the first time when Yongsan asked if I was on some special diet, or if it was special water. I say that I like to have it with me in case the food is too spicy, which is mostly true. They also go on to ask if I like Korean food and what do I think of the food in the cafeteria. None of this lunchtime exchange happens in English, by the way. I sit across from them and watch their eyes to see what part of my tray they are talking about and how I should respond next. Fortunately, for the most part, Bitna and I are treated like lepers in the staff cafeteria and we can usually eat in peace, so I'm not being scrutinized (at least not so obviously) and Bitna doesn't have to explain my barbaric behaviors.

Typical lunch in the cafeteria: (actually, a couple of these were taken on Fridays, when the cafeteria does a "special menu" - the drinks aren't typical. The white blob in the middle picture, top right compartment, is sweet potato salad with carrots and corn).

It is so hard to comprehend that I've been teaching at this school for almost 10 months. We just started a new school year (the Korean school year ends in February and begins in March) and I have said goodbye to 160 students and hello to 160 new 1st graders (high school sophomores) the new students are much smarter in English than last year's 1st graders, now 2nd graders. When I introduced myself with the usual "Dan-YELL" and it only took them 3 practices instead of 7, I knew they were special. It's actually a lot more fun having students who understand what I'm saying and it's great to not lose my train of thought because I'm talking so slow. I think we're going to have fun together in the next couple months. If only I could remember their names. I do remember one kid's name- he introduced himself as "Handsome Guy" because his name is "Han Sun Gyun" or something like that. I was impressed with myself for catching him being funny because after 100 kids saying some kind of "Yun Song Park", it was all I could to not be totally spaced out.

Fortunately, it's warming up in Korea and I think spring is right around the kimchi pot. That's a relief - this winter was chilly. It's not that outside was actually too frigid, it's just that everyone treats the hallways as part of the outdoors (as in - windows and doors open) and the classrooms and teacher's room are the only things that get heated. The insulation is non existent, so nothing actually stays warm and if you sit anywhere near a window, you will freeze. It was a weird couple months - November/December through February - teachers were coming to school to sit in the teacher's room (I'm the only one with my own classroom - but I usually do my work on my English computer in the teacher's room anyways) and brought blankets and wore their ankle-length down jackets with finger-less gloves to type on their computers. I didn't go quite that far, but I wore cuddle duds under my pants everyday from the first of November until March. I also wore the same top all 5 days of the week, because I never took off my jacket so no one ever saw what was underneath. I did purchase my own personal tea kettle, which probably saved me. I drank anywhere between 12-20 cups of tea per day, which kept me warm at my desk but also sabotaged my comfort because almost immediately I'd have to go outside (in the hallway) to get to the bathroom (that was of course not heated) and then upon returning be cold enough that I'd turn the tea kettle on to do it all over again. My classroom was a real treat - I had the heat on full blast during the first couple weeks of December but they must have gotten the heating bill because they sent 3 men in to put on a timer, which took all of them a total of 3 days. So from the end of December and even now, my large, non-insulated English room's heater turns on at 19 degrees Celsius (66F) for 5 minutes at a time and takes a ten minute break to turn on again for another 5 minutes. I get a lot of complaining from my students so I taught them how to say that utilities are expensive and the school is cheap. Soon enough the cafeteria will start serving their chicken soup to "cool the body down" and I'll be complaining about the A/C not turning on.

It really does seem surreal that my time at the school is running out. Each one of my classes has at least one kid who is a little bit sharper than the rest and makes me laugh - as soon as one can understand humor in English, it seems like my work is done. When that happens, I am literally thinking in my head: THESE KIDS ARE HILARIOUS. THIS IS AMAZING. I WISH THEY KNEW HOW FUNNY THEY WERE. And of course, sometimes I am screaming the other sentiment: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU JUST SAID BUT I CAN TELL THAT YOU JUST MADE FUN OF ME AND I WILL MAKE FUN OF YOU IN ENGLISH AND LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE WILL UNDERSTAND AND I WILL LAUGH AND IT WILL BE FUNNY. In those moments, I'm not so high on life. But, the latter seconds are more rare, and even then they're fun in their own right. I know I'll laugh later at the kids who knocked my coffee mug over but were too shy to tell me.

In the meantime, Tyler has had a pretty busy schedule at work since he's going through an upgrade. I haven't seen him during the week in a while, but I know he's coming home because the food I cook disappears slowly. Next weekend, I'll be heading up to Seoul for a Fiendette girl's weekend aka "Pink Flag". I'm super excited to be in Seoul for a whole weekend and to get some good shopping in!

Thanks for stopping by - maybe next time I update I'll be able to say where our next assignment will be!

playing catch up

2015-02-23T07:14:00.001-06:00

Thanks, grandma, for reminding me it's been since November since I've posted. Shame on me!

I promise we've been busy - Tyler got home from a month long trip to Singapore and our December flew by. Before we knew it, we were celebrating our first Christmas away from family and ringing in our 6th new year together, and our 5th wedding anniversary. I've had time off from school in January and February, so Tyler was also able to take the same days off so we could travel. January took us to the temples of Cambodia and the islands of the Philippines. Last week we skied the most powder we've ever seen, it only took a trip to Hokkaido, Japan for that to happen! I've also been told that's all Tyler wants for his birthday, so it sounds like I'm off the hook for March! ;)

I've also finished a school year with the Korean high school and will be starting their next on March 2nd. It was entertaining attending their graduation ceremony, of course I didn't understand any of it, but it was a neat experience. This drum performance was done by a few of the special education students.

It's hard to believe that I have 3 short months left teaching and then we'll be off to Minnesota for Little Brother's wedding! I will also be able to stay for Maria's on June 20th - it was so thoughtful of them to plan their weddings around me ;)

Here are some favorite pictures of our last couple months: (and thanks to my awesome uploading skills, they are in no particular order)

We saw a crocodile farm in Cambodia. The babies are the ones that get sold - these mamas and papas are just there for breeding until they get too old (what happens then, I don't know)

My little brother got engaged to his sweet girlfriend, Taylor. We can't wait for her to be a part of the family and I am so excited for their wedding this June!

This was outside a market on our bike tour in Cambodia. A herd of water buffalo had just passed through which explains the...brown stuff...

This was probably the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. We were on a remote island in the Philippines on our sailing trip and were absolutely amazed.

this was our home for 5 days. We sailed around the islands, camped out and didn't see any other tourists the entire time. We met amazing people and I still can't believe how lucky we were to go on this trip.

Tao Expeditions has a farm where they get all the produce for the boats - we stayed at the farm one night and were able to meet the founders and see what amazing work they've been doing for the local villages.

Tyler couldn't get over their cooking method - an old barrel fueled by bamboo.

This is a pretty good depiction of what the days looked like on the boat. There was a lot of reading and chatting.

Emerick, a crew member from the islands.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia at sunset

It took me until the last day to figure out what an awesome nap spot this was at the front of the boat.

We saw over 10 temples in two days in Siem Reap. And were always back in time for an afternoon of relaxing by the pool.

I couldn't get over this lady and her daughter, traipsing across the temple lawns with their rolly suitcases and taking pictures with her ipad.

Many, many tourists. Apparently January is (not) a good time to visit.

Tyler climbed the ladder to bring you this selfie of him and the sailboat.

On January 28, my sister gave me a nephew. He is Luke William and perfect in every way (says the person who doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night with him). It kills me I won't get to hold him until the end of May, but hopefully by then he will appreciate all the toys I'll bring him and I'll win favorite Auntie.

Ikea Seoul opened in December so I ventured there one day with a couple friends and baby Jack. After driving in the wrong direction for twice as long as it takes to get there, we were finally enjoying the Scandinavian furniture and Swedish meatballs.

This boy at one of the temples was too cute to not take a picture of.

We walked through the local market on our bike tour outside of Siem Reap and saw a lady in the beginning stages of making coconut milk.

We also watched this lady eat her corn on the cob with the same dirty hands with which she was handling all that raw meat.

This lady was grinding up all the parts of fish people don't usually buy and sells it like ground beef. I think we have something similar in the form of hot dogs, right? :)

This was the little town of Coron, where we left on our sailing trip.

This was our little hut on our last night, tucked up in the trees. The mosquito net was a lifesaver and those mattresses were way more comfortable than they look.

My students made Valentines and these were my favorites, especially "I wish you healthy body"

We crossed "skiing in Japan" off the bucket list. The first two days there was so much snow and wind that most of the lifts were shut down. We still enjoyed the fresh powder, though!

This is not a great picture of it but this was literally the most snow I have ever seen in my life.

There is a cozy bar behind this refrigerator door. We both had to hunch way over to get through.

Taking a little longer lunch break than Tyler...

Our dinner view was half street and half snow :)

On the 3rd day, the snow stopped, the sky cleared and we were finally able to see the beautiful volcano that was in front of us the whole time.

I think that about sums it up! Our winter here in Korea has been cold - it's been several years since we've experienced a real winter and it has definitely taken getting used to. We reached our 1 year mark of living here on February 10 and while I feel like we've missed a lifetime of occasions back home (including my sweet grandpa's 90th birthday in December), the last year has gone by so fast. We will be finding out our next assignment soon and before we know it, summer will be here. I am so thankful to be surrounded by friends who make Korea feel a lot more like home. Of course, this would be a millions times harder without skype and facetime.

Thanks for reading!

the 5 year report: issue 1

2014-11-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

It's hard to imagine Tyler and I will soon be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. I don't think 5 years is necessarily earth-shattering or an Everest-sized milestone. If nothing else, I am saddened by how fast the last 5 years have gone.

A few months ago over a skype date, my dad said something that I still get choked up about. I don't remember the story exactly, but he was on his milk route and saw a young mom getting her two young daughters out of the car as they went on with whatever activity that keeps families busy. In his mind, he saw his young wife and new mother helping my older sister and me get out of the car, which tugged at his sensitive heart. It is a common sentiment that kids grow up too fast, and one that I share from the opposite side. We truly grew up fast.

I would love to strangle the "wise" people who tell young adults that the best is just ahead. "Just wait until you graduate", they say. "You have no idea how hard it is being in a relationship," pleading for sympathy. And if they're happy: "Your life really isn't complete until you have someone to share it with, let me set you up with someone!" As if they have found their missing link, and now whatever they have must be what everyone else needs. And then you are actually in a relationship and the "advice" shifts, "Just wait until you have your first fight, then you'll really know if it'll work out." "I miss dating, life is so much simpler before you're married." And then you get married and you're finally on the same playing field: you grew up, you are sharing your life with someone and you are a "real adult" with shared bills and a standing date every Friday night. Like a slap, you realize you haven't arrived yet. Now you need kids. Strangers and family alike will tell you when, why, and how much you need them. And it's not going to stop there. As soon as you create and birth a miracle that is the perfect combination of both of you, you're going to get the "Is so-and-so going to get a little brother or sister soon?" (Am I right, parents??) Before you know it, your schedule changes from middle of the night feedings to play dates to cub scouts to track meets. You blink and all of a sudden, you're my dad telling his grown daughter via video chat on the other side of the world that his nostalgic flashback confirms that life truly, seriously goes by fast.

My story isn't unique or earth-shattering. I fall into the ever-cliche "10 years ago, if you were to tell me I'd be here, I would have laughed you out of town" category. When I met Tyler I had moved away from my family to "start my own life", as if space were the only requirement. I was young (I still am, thank you very much) and was somehow surviving on a diet of rice, popcorn, and diet coke. I was barely (if at all) making rent with my random babysitting jobs while running around Colorado Springs with my pathetic resume to every company who might hire a recent college grad with no experience right after the '08 crash. Read: I went on countless interviews over the course of two months and finally landed a less than dreamy job as a cashier for a catering company. I didn't have any options other than saying "yes", but as I set up the salad bar and scrubbed dishes for $9/hour, I knew I was definitely thinking of something better when I had packed up my life to start a new one.

Fortunately, I had a great group of girlfriends, a few of whom introduced me to a group of cute boys who were in their last semester at the Air Force Academy. You know where this is going.

Tyler entered my picture at a Superbowl party. He was wearing a Steelers hat, which he admitted was picked up off the street. I was cheering for the good guy, Kurt Warner, and his underdog team. I was way too into the game, which proved futile for many reasons.

A couple months passed with bowling nights, game nights and trips to the always wonderful Golden Bee at the Broadmoor Hotel and I had grown rather fond of these guys in their final stretch before moving on to better things. I had also counted the register at work wrong a million times, but that was probably my sub conscience reminding me that my work situation was supposed to be better. I was dog sitting for the family I babysat for, and had gotten a voicemail from Tyler (this was back when voicemails scared me and I avoided listening to them like the plague). I listened anyways. In his message, he said he had a little bit of free time and asked if I wanted to meet him for coffee.

This is why I don't listen to voicemails. You find out that the guy you had been flirting shamelessly with for the past couple months had picked up on it and the next thing you know, you're married and have picked up your life 5 times in 5 years. Stay away from voicemails.

I had a minor freak out and took the dog on another walk. When I finally called him back, I had missed my coffee window and dodged what I know now would have been a very delightful bullet. Thankfully, he asked again and I didn't say no to a casual lunch date after church. I don't know why I was so nervous, besides the fact that I couldn't remember the last time I had been on a real date, or eaten a real meal, thankyouverymuch9dollarsanhour. I don't know what I thought our little date would be like, but I found myself more comfortable and relaxed than I had been in a long time. I don't remember covering every factual area of our lives, or having awkward pauses like the ones chronicled in movies or tv shows. When we parted company, I called my friend Waverly and said something that she probably could have guessed was coming, "Well, I wasn't sure if I liked him before, but now I guess I might have a crush on him."

After a couple more dates, I remember feeling like I should fill my mom in. I told her what a great guy he was, but that she didn't need to worry-it wasn't going to get serious, since he would be moving in just a few months. After a few more dates, I called my dad. I told him that I thought it was getting a little more serious than what I had told my mom. I wasn't sure how he would react. But, the same dad who had pulled my sister's boyfriend out of choir in high school to take him out to lunch and the dad who drove three hours to my freshman dorm after I announced I had spent tuition money on a tongue ring, asked simply and ever so gracefully, "Does he make you happy?"

As we were nearing Tyler's graduation from the Academy, I called him from my balcony, even though we had just seen each other. I had avoided the whole "what would life in the military look like" talk because I knew once I found out, I would have to make a decision. I don't know how I decided I was ready for that talk or how I got the guts to ask him, but I did. When he told me, it didn't scare me and I felt relieved. I always thought God had it in His plans that I would marry a Pastor and I would spend my life like my mom: leading VBS and planning potlucks. I didn't necessarily decide that Tyler was "it" after that talk, but I certainly decided that he very well could be. How could I have possibly known that a little fling with the cute wanna-be pilot would turn into so much more?

There was a rough patch in the beginning of our relationship that lasted all of an hour. Tyler and I had plans which got cancelled at the last minute (a little foreshadowing of my future life as a military spouse?) so a couple friends and I went downtown to talk about it. I remember saying that I could "easily" end our relationship and not feel like I had invested too much. I thought about my life without Tyler and didn't like it. I knew immediately that not only was my life better with Tyler, but I was better with Tyler.

As I have found myself the recipient of more cancelled plans and even more waiting, I know more and more how much he is worth it and how lucky I am to be kept waiting.

Be hesitant to blink. Life goes by so slowly until we see that each day was worth so much more than the 24 hour limit time allowed. I know my dad would tell you to keep your eyes open as long as possible, and even now, as I live each day, I see exactly what he means.

**and for those of you who noticed the title and are curious: I'm not sure how many "issues" there will be in this "series" but I would love to share some of my fondest memories of the past 5 years, and hope you don't mind.**

Veteran's Day: Are our grandfathers proud?

2014-11-10T08:58:00.001-06:00

I wrote this last year on Veteran's Day and while my perspective has shifted a little after living in a foreign country, these thoughts still resonate with me, which is why I have chosen to share them again.

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Like many people my age, both of my grandfathers served our country in the second World War. I knew this from a very young age and while we learned about WWII in history class, wrote papers and took tests on it, I am sad to say that we were never taught what that meant for us or how WWII affects us now, 70+ years later.

It's hard to put ourselves in the shoes of our grandparents, mostly because we're comfortable with the "world" we've built around ourselves. We're okay with liking (or not liking) what we have now and not thinking about the struggles it took for us to acquire those things, tangible or not. A military draft and a population on food, water and gasoline rations isn't something anyone is anxious to repeat. But do we really understand why an occasion so grim will never again be a reality?

We can never understand what it was like to have an entire country's population of young men be swept away in a sea of shaved heads and somber uniforms. We can never understand the anxiety of reaching an otherwise special birthday and instead of celebrating, being ushered away into the confusion and struggle. Now, in a time where we can't imagine not having instant updates or the latest facts at our fingertips, can never really understand the motivation behind leaving work, school, families and lovers for a war where the country wasn't allowed to vote on, (or make a trending topic on twitter) and it's lawmakers weren't permitted to stand behind the battle lines with gavels and lawsuits. We can never understand fighting at such a young age and being blessed to live a full life, all the while watching the world become bigger, better, and yet infinitely more cruel.

We can never understand the how and why 70 years ago, but we'd like to think we're a part of the end result. We'd like to think we can imagine donning a uniform if the end result is the freedom to enjoy a church service on Sunday. We can imagine it in the beauty of a sunset, or the joy of a new baby. We can see the reasoning standing at the edge of The Grand Canyon, or traveling through the Smoky Mountains. We can comprehend the desire to forever feel so serene when we wake up and enjoy the sunrise over a lake with a warm cup of coffee. It's easy to see why there was little questioning in moments so peaceful and majestic.

It's easy to see why our grandfathers stood up to fight for something that was already there, to defend their title of the greatest country on Earth. But what about what was to come in the future? What about the things they didn't know they were defending? The changes in industry, the shutdowns in government?

I am curious to know. Is this world, 2014, what our grandfathers fought for? Did our grandfathers leave their families and watch their friends die in battle for this? Were they really hoping to save a world that would later reject them, as young men, in favor of equality? Were they glad to have risked their lives and their futures for a world of sexting, scandal, immigration battles and political correctness?

They might not have known what they were fighting for, or what their bravery would mean. But we can ask ourselves something more relevant: are they proud of the country and the world they fought so hard to save?

Are our grandfathers proud of what our food industry has done to our health industry? Or what our health industry has done to our democracy? Are they proud that our clothes are no longer being made down the street, employing our taxpayers but in some (now, not-so-distant) Asian country, employing child slaves? Are they proud that they stood up to fight for women who would later murder their own children? Are they proud that the military is now, although well-loved, used as a ploy in lawmakers' and politicians' conniving games?

We may have a hard time connecting the dots with what our grandfathers did long before we arrived, but it's not hard to see that without the sacrifices they willingly made, our lives would look nothing as they do today. They did not fight so hard and risk so much so that their country can dismiss them and their ideals easily as outdated and old fashioned.

A mere "thank you" is not enough. We are very much past "thank you".

Instead of verbalizing it, let's show our gratitude. Let's rebuild a world our grandfathers not only fought to save, but would be proud of what they fought for.

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After teaching English in a high school in South Korea for 6 months, I am even more proud of the country our grandfathers defended. When we first got here in February, I thought it incredible that every head was not only one or two heads shorter than me, but that each one was covered in dark, straight hair. It was like looking down at a sea of black, bobbing lava. I thought how unique it was that everyone was the same. Now, after being immersed in Korean culture (as much as only knowing a handful of words will allow me), there are things I don't care for about the "uniqueness" of Koreans being, in large part, the same. And I think how amazing it will be, when I finally do make it back on home soil, to see not only varying heights but also the beautifully different hair color! And surely you realize that I'm not just talking about how Americans look, but who they are, what they know, where they travel, what they eat, everything. This is not a Korea-bash, by any means. Merely an example of how quickly we take for granted the things we are so used to seeing and having.

How proud I will be to tell my children what our grandfathers did for them.

natural hair washee

2014-10-17T01:40:00.001-05:00

It's a quiet afternoon at school. The students have left for the weekend after a few days of seemingly intense midterms and I am prepared to start classes as usual next week after a few weeks of a different schedule. While sometimes there is a deafening realization that our two worlds are not so far apart, sometimes I feel as though Korea might as well be Mars.

It seems to be a pattern of mine that I agree to do things I'm not entirely confident of what they are. Yesterday about mid morning, another teacher (who I had met through my former co-teacher) came to my desk and asked if I would like to make "natural hair washee" that day at 1:30. I said that I would love to, but I would have to leave school at 3:00 for an event I was helping to plan on base. She said "no problem" and at 1:30, I walked to her room, a little excited that maybe Korean was into pure/natural/organic products. There were 5 other women who joined us, (and a man who was in the room, I was told, to talk in English to me but he sat on his phone the whole time and never actually spoke) and before I knew it, we sat around a table that had a handful of bottles with scientific-looking labels on them.

And then we were told to stand in a circle, still around the table. Of course, nothing is in English except for the occasional single word that someone spits out and the rest of the women giggle about, like "stand", or "happy". Before I knew it, we were circling our arms and stretching. And then we were breathing deeply and listening to soothing music. Finally, after everyone seemed like they had gotten the kinks worked out, we sat down . We watched a little bit of a slideshow presentation that had clouds and the words "heart" and "happy" and "body" on different slides. Then the host brought a ball of yarn to the table and it was tossed to me first, while she held on to a piece of the string (an activity I recognize! wahoo!) The only words that indicated what I was to say were "make happy, you" Assuming I was supposed to say what makes me happy, I said being outside, and cooking (the real crowd pleaser) then I tossed the ball across the circle, while holding on to a portion. Each person took their turn and spoke for at least a minute. Fortunately, someone was always able to summarize what they said in one word, of course followed by giggling. "Reading" "Watch movies" "Eating" were a few words I was able to pick up on. When everyone was finished, we all lifted the web of yarn high above our heads (obviously that meant my end was drastically higher, so the kink I put in my elbow didn't go unnoticed)

We were officially cleansed and "happy" and after watching some sort of science slideshow that was there to prove to us that what we were about to mix together was healthy for the environment, we were ready to make our "natural hair washee", which I told them is called "shampoo" (oooooohhhhhhhhh. ahhhhhhhhhh. mmmmmmmmmmm. shamppooooo.) We had a LONG list of ingredients that included both light and dark colored syrups and liquids (and one powder) and while I have never made shampoo before, I don't remember recalling that "natural" would mean that many ingredients (or with such strong odors) to clean one's hair. After just a couple steps, we brought our science glass cylinders over to a burner and heated it so the powder would melt. Then we brought it back to the scale and measured the rest of the ingredients, after each one stopping to reset the scale. The last three ingredients I recognized-lavendar, rosemary, and tea tree oil. Thank goodness! After this, we bottled the mixtures into 8 bottles and labeled them.

We watched a little more of a slideshow and then the host brought out snacks-tangerines, dried apples, dried sweet potatoes and crackers (bought from "Coastcoaa-have I heard of it?" "hmmm...no...OH! 'Costco!' yes!" followed by much more giggling) At that point, I realized I was 15 minutes past my departure time, so I excused myself and said "thank you" a million times. When I got back up to my desk, all three of my co-teachers asked how I liked making the shampoo. I said it was very fun and interesting, which was not too much of a stretch. It likely would have been a little more interesting if I knew a little bit more about the purpose and why it felt like a little yoga/meditation/science lesson. But fun, and a great break from sitting at the computer while the students slaved over their midterms.

And while I sit here, after lunch and coffee off campus with a few of the same ladies, sipping a hot beverage with scoops of a fermented fruit that grows in the front yard of school, quince, (given to help find the voice I lost yesterday), I feel as if this is, indeed, one of those moments Korea is more like Mars. And I welcome the weekend, where I can do regular chores, cook Mexican food, and not smell kimchi or be worried that I will accidentally eat octopus or seahorse.

bali, indonesia

2014-08-27T08:25:00.001-05:00

Well July (and nearly August!) came and went in a flurry. This post has taken me days to complete, so thank you for your patience! I hope you can make it through the whole thing, and if nothing else enjoy the pictures...

My main man (okay, only man...) returned on the first or second day of July from Alaska and we proceeded to have an exciting month... my birthday, vacation, our friends from Norway visiting, and our vacation to Bali... my contract says I get 10 weekdays off in the summer and 10 in the winter, but my darling co teacher said before we left for vacation, "off the record" I could take an extra 5 days. And so I enjoyed the extra week and of course waited until Sunday night to plan my lesson for the following week. While we were in Bali, the new Noonday fall line launched and it is simply stunning. I can't wait to show you what our artisans have crafted and the HUGE ways Noonday is growing and impacting so many corners of the world. But first, you may want to hear about Bali...I'm excited to show you these pictures, and hopefully Tyler will work on a video of our adventures.

Bali is still a good 6-7 hour flight from Korea, but both Tyler and I thought it was really fun to be able to sit and watch movies the whole time, since we don't watch any sort of tv here (besides the occasional Jimmy Fallon clip on the computer) We landed in the late afternoon and sat in a few really long lines in the airport getting through customs with the rest of the tourists who traveled the short distance from Australia before we were finally released into the city of Kuta.

Ty and I flew in a day and a half earlier than Pal and Kristin, and for that one day we were apart, my darling husband had his heart set on traveling from the southern part of Bali to the northern, in order to get on a ferry and go to huge island of Java so we could hike into a volcano in the dead of night in order to see blue flames only visible in the dark. Yeah. You're thinking what I'm thinking. I must love him a lot.

Side note: I couldn't get enough of the Indonesian smoothie, called a lassi. Made with some kind of fruit and yogurt, it is the perfect combination of tangy and sweet. I sat sipping on this mango lassi and enjoyed some wifi while Tyler went in search of a honest and cheap/fair driver to take us to the ferry.

Tyler agreed on a price to pay our driver to take us the 3-4 hour trip to the ferry and we got kicked out no more than 20 minutes into the ride. The price was set before we got in the van but as soon as we passed a petrol station, the driver motioned and said that we will fill the van up at the end of the trip, when the tank is empty. Tyler disagreed and said that we didn't agree to pay for petrol and the driver got upset with us and kicked us to the curb outside of town. I accidentally closed my door a little loudly and made him even angrier. Fortunately, there was a taxi driver across the road and he came running over to us and asked if he could bring us someplace. He agreed to the price we were going to pay the previous guy and when Tyler clarified that we weren't going to pay for his petrol, he seemed surprised we would think that.

When we finally made it to the rickety ferry that crammed as many cars and motorbikes into the basement as possible, we went to the top as soon as possible. It wasn't but a few minutes into the trip that we were asked to take a picture with a family. And then another family. And then with them by themselves. It would have been fun for us to get a picture with our camera, but I didn't want to keep encouraging it.

We checked into a hotel in the town of Banyuwangi, got dinner and then were hoping to get some sleep before leaving to hike at 12:30am. Ty fell asleep and I, of course, tossed and turned until our alarms went off. Our bathroom was being invaded by large black ants when we left for the hike and I was worried we'd come back to them crawling all over our luggage so we closed up our suitcases and put everything on the bed. They must have been just a nighttime ant (?), though, because there was no sign of them when we returned, thank goodness.

We hired one guy to drive us up the mountain and another guy to guide us into the volcano. I had no idea what to expect and quite frankly, was hoping to get the hike over as soon as possible so we could head out of the visibly impoverished Banyuwangi and back to touristy, photogenic Bali. We had great timing, naturally, as our hike corresponded with when the local students had vacation and during such was was their tradition to hike this volcano, apparently. So the entire 2 hour hike up, we were surrounded by mostly male young adults, talking, laughing, pushing each other, running past us and then stopping for a snack and smoke break - not exactly what you want to surround you when it's pitch black and you are going up a mountain. And if I thought it would be a quiet, serene hike in the middle of the night, I was dead wrong. There was never a peaceful second. I didn't want to stop for any breaks so we would just zoom past everyone looking and talking about us. But that didn't last too long. Thankfully, when we finally made it to the edge of the volcano, we had passed a lot of the people and only the really hard core ones were still hiking with us.

After hiking 2 hours up the side of the mountain and then along the ridge to the edge of the volcano, we could finally smell the sulfur coming from the depths of the volcano, even if we still couldn't see the blue "flames". We got our masks out and covered our faces so we'd be able to handle the odor of the sulfur. Then we hiked 25 minutes down into the volcano and once we got closer, could finally see the blue flames. They were stunning when the wind was moving away from us, but we could only handle a couple big gusts of the sulfur straight in the face before we had to hike up.

We knew the pictures (and this terrible video) would do nothing to properly show how amazing the blue flames were. But hopefully they help a little. If you're really interested in the more scientific explanation about the sulfuric combustion, maybe this article will help, if nothing else will show better pictures.

And as stressful and frantic the hike felt, watching the sunrise behind us and the light take over the dark so we could see where we had been was more amazing than I can say.

There are sulfur miners who work in the volcano carry out 90 kilos/200 lbs each trip (to make less than 25 cents/lb) - the same trip we had just done (and I had whined maybe once or twice about). The picture below is what they use to carry the sulfur. They get paid extra if they work in the night. A little perspective.

We thought this sign was ironic because there was trash everywhere on the entire hike, even in the volcano.

We made it safely back to Bali and enjoyed a couple days on the beach after meeting up with Pal and Kristin again.

The Balinese people mostly follow Buddhism, so everyday they set out tiny offerings at the front of each business and household and in restaurants. They were beautiful, but sadly by midday were usually trampled by oblivious tourists.

After a couple days at the beach, we went inland to Ubud and enjoyed a few nights at this villa outside the town. We found this gem on Airbnb, but they failed to mention that it also comes with resident lizards. One bigger than I've ever seen in a zoo, and it was on the wall in our room. Terrifying. They do have nets over the bed, but I don't know how much that would protect us if the lizard decided to jump on the bed. shudder.

Our villa came with it's own spring-fed pool.

Walking around the artsy (and touristy) town of Ubud.

I had my heart set on taking a cooking class, which the manager of our villa said he'd arrange for us. What we had read about online was that you'd be picked up and brought to a local market and shown around and explained what common Indonesian ingredients were for popular dishes. Then you'd be taken back to the kitchen where you would help cook and learn how to cook some amazing things. Some places would even give you recipe cards to make the meal back home. Welllllll let me tell you that what we got was laughable compared to descriptions we'd read about. First, yes, we were taken to a "market" to get ingredients. BUT it was a supermarket and our cute little escort didn't tell us unless asked what items she was throwing in the cart. And by the amount of food she was piling in, we thought we were being scammed and were going to be cooking food for the entire hotel. Then we were taken to a hotel (turns out, it was run by the same family who manages the villa we were staying in...ah ha!) on the opposite side of town and past way too many rice paddies and shacks. We finally got to the kitchen and knew what kind of treat we were in for. The kitchen was tiny and not exactly sparkling. The selfie you see below was most of it. And our job, as the cooking class students, was to peel and chop onions and garlic. No joke. Oh okay, and shred water spinach. The two women, on the other hand, were busy at the stove and would every once in a while turn to us and say what they were putting in the pot. lemongrass. garlic. tomatoes. chicken. I finally asked if we could do anything else and we were ushered out to the dining area, where we sat for quite a while. Kristin overheard a German family trying to get food and they were told the kitchen was closed for a cooking class. Yikes! The food was finally brought out and oh my goodness was it a lot. And delicious. There was fried tempeh, noodles, chicken, water spinach, rice, and corn patties (okay, most of it was fried, which was probably why it was so good) but still. We hardly did any damage on what they brought out. And while we didn't exactly get the cooking class we had thought, it was still quite the experience!

I had to take this picture of our cab driver going in the wrong lane around this entire line of cars. As soon as the light turned green, he cut everyone off to make a very sharp right. (they drive on the opposite side of the road)

We got to see some monkeys at the Uluwatu temple on the way to our final villa of the trip. I was almost suckered into paying for an escort to protect me from the monkeys, but my husband overheard him trying to sweet talk me and said it was not needed. But the monkeys really were ridiculous. They are trained to steal things from you so there are signs everywhere that say to not go in with sunglasses or loose clothing or shiny electronics. And if you don't listen to the warnings and the monkeys get away with something, the clerks will charge you to get your items back. Yep. I watched a monkey try to rip a girl's purple skirt off and try to yank a sandal from the bottom of another girl's foot!

The cliffs were truly stunning. We stayed a short distance from here.

Monkeying around...

The not-so-cute monkeys...and my husband trying to provoke him with the stick he was supposed to be protecting me with. There was only one cute monkey and he managed to groom Pal for a little while.

Another lassi in Uluwatu...

This was our second villa, on the cliffs of Uluwatu. Of course, any beach was a little bit of a drive and then a hike down the cliff, but totally worthwhile. And this villa was amazing and very close to a few local restaurants. And look! Do you see? That's BLUE SKY. aahhhh...something Korea has taught us to never take advantage of.

We were told to find this place, called Bingin Beach, where not many people go and the crowd is small and laid-back travelers looking for some good surfing. And we were not disappointed. The view was perfect, the water refreshing and it felt like we were finally on a tropical, secluded island compared to Ubud and Kuta, where we had spent the first part of our trip, along with thousands of other tourists. Being at Bingin beach made me wish I was a tan surfer girl with a few weeks or months to kill doing absolutely nothing. If only.

Our last night we enjoyed freshly grilled seafood while watching the sunset. Not a bad way to go out.

Our flight didn't leave until midnight on Saturday, so we got to spend the entire day relaxing on the beach and doing some last minute shopping and eating. Of course, I couldn't leave Bali without a little sunburn.

It was such a fun trip with our good friends. We always thought it would be great to vacation with another couple and it was even better than we could have thought!

I just had to take this one last picture of Bali trying to rip it's tourists off. It was sad to see how much extra money the island and country gets from people who come to experience their culture, everything from an entrance fee off the plane to a government restaurant tax AND a surcharge, to the taxis and the service charges and finally, this "passenger service charge". It was a great example of the good and bad tourism can do for a beautiful place.

Korea is teaching me...

2014-06-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

My husband left for a few weeks, and someone else stole my heart.

It might have been day two or three, or maybe even the first time I heard them repeat a word in English, muttering as to not disturb anyone, but still wanting to hear themselves say it. Maybe it was when they called me, "Teacher" for the first time, or explained and then apologized why they fell asleep in my class. I'm not sure, but either way, I do believe my heart was stolen politely and quietly by the youth of Korea, and thus, Korea itself.

I've said this before, but it is so hard to explain the gravity of a student on the edge of their seat, waiting for you to say a word they don't know so they can repeat and commit it to memory.

Today I met with a woman I will be tutoring once or twice a week after we are both finished teaching at our respective schools. She is a Korean who teaches Chinese who has a dream of learning English well enough that she is no longer shy or nervous to speak it. She told me she was nervous to talk to me, and I made sure to tell her she was much more adept than she realized, which was no stretch.

I have found it to be true with her, my students, co teachers and the people I have had lunch with on schools days that it is a challenge to talk simply (and slowly...) but also use regular jargon that makes everything seem much more natural than the rules they know so well from studying their books. And this has done wonders for my understanding of just how complex the English language is, something that I have never totally had to understand. For example, when I greet the students when they come in to class, I have to make a conscious effort to not say "hello", followed by "how are you" because they have learned and will repeat until their death to say hello and also immediately "I'm fine thank you, and you?" It is like clockwork. This is a typical conversation at the beginning of class:

me: "good morning! how are you today?"
student: "I'm fine, thank you, and you?"
me: "I'm doing really well today, thank you for asking...how is your day going, good or bad?"
student: "I'm fine, thank you, and you?"

Forcing myself to speak as I would normally, in a regular-school setting is something I hope will stick with them in order for them to learn other ways of greeting each other. Of course, every single textbook tells the students to respond how they do, so they will still do well in the grade book.

I didn't realize but the second I stepped foot in that school, I would be regarded as the "expert" of the English language. (if they were to examine my test scores and school records, they'd find how misguided that may be) I am asked daily, sometimes more than once, to check the grammar and usage of a particular sentence or paragraph, especially now that finals are coming up next week. If you know the really weird things about me, you probably know that editing is something that has always gotten me excited. There is no better flattery than someone asking me to edit a paper of theirs. And here I am not only allowed to do that any day of the week, but it is expected of me.

There are other ways Korea has stolen my heart. Seeing it through the eyes of people who have just arrived to the squadron make the country come alive. I took a few people on their first train ride to the shopping mall a few stops away (which is coincidentally just a 10 minute walk from my school) and even though Tyler and I spent his birthday there, and I have been a couple other times, was blown away anew by each of the 10 floors, and the rooftop garden that I had never noticed before. Korea does shopping and entertainment really well, and this building is no exception.

I couldn't help but snap a picture of this clothing rack in the mall/plaza...my brother Andrew will appreciate another great example of the korean/english that is so entertaining. I can't wait for his visit here!

The plaza had a basement half devoted to little "fast food" eateries, but the other half devoted to amazing Korean produce and fish and otherwise impossible to find (outside of our American commissary, of course) imported food, like this awesome sauerkraut.

somewhere over the yonder, there is a patch of green that resembles some sort of football field that belongs to the school I teach at. :) It was fun to find that and point it out to my friends.

I couldn't believe the other times I'd been to AK Plaza I have totally missed this rooftop garden. It gave an amazing view of the city of Pyeongtaek and surrounding area and was great to imagine bringing up snacks and drinks in the future to enjoy it even more.

Kory and I met in January, at our mutual friend, Emily's baby shower in Tucson. Tyler and I were on our way to Korea and Kory and her husband Jason joined us this summer. It has been fun showing her around a little bit and even better that I talked them into living close to us over in the Pine House :)

Back in April or May, I was able to go to a rare cultural briefing on base given by a man whose position had been the liaison between the Korean and American militaries in Korea. He spoke Korean fluently and had lived as the Koreans live with his family for quite some time and was very knowledgeable in explaining the vast differences, and few similarities, of our two cultures. It was here that I learned about how important food is to the Korean culture and that eating by yourself is taken as a sign that you have been excommunicated by your family and friends. So while I usually have lunch buddies in the cafeteria in Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Pa, a couple times they haven't been able to eat lunch with me so I've been handed (very politely) off to someone else, so I never have to eat alone and risk the public humiliation that would apparently ensue (not that I would know about it, not speaking Korean and all...) Today's lunch buddy was a guy whose name I knew I could remember, until he said I can just call him "Mo" and prior Korean association went out the window. We talked on the way to the cafeteria and realized that we were nearly the same age, him being born just a month and 10 days after me. Apparently that meant we were friends and he reached out and shook my hand (the first time in all of the introductions I had made that a hand was extended to me) I know that one's age is on the same level of importance as the food thing, so I took it as a great sign that I now have an official "friend". We ate with my faithful lunch buddy, Yung Sun, and I was glad to have someone else in the school who is no longer too shy to practice their English on. When we got back to the teacher's room after lunch, Mo told me that he was "ordered" to treat me to coffee, but he decided that coffee would be too hot and disappeared to the "lounge" side of the room. I didn't know if it was the fact that when we shook hands, he could tell how sweaty I was from the humidity and heat, or if he was sick of watching me take napkin after napkin to wipe my sweaty brow from the spicy kimchi and soup at lunch. Either way, he came back with this pouch and said it was much better than coffee today. The pouch was frozen like a rock but melted very quickly when I held it up to my neck to help me cool down (where were these things hiding?!?) it finally melted and I was able to enjoy the "milk shake" pouch, which was basically sweetened frozen milk. And it was awesome. Thank you, Mo.

I know you're not supposed to have favorites, but my last class of first graders (16 year olds) on Mondays might just be it. I have never seen a more excited group of kids to play the game "stay standing" and I dare say that after 3 rounds, they still don't fully understand how it works.

This sweet boy came wearing his friend's blanket as a cape, so I made him hold it up for a picture. He was very kind and explained that he and "many others" were awake and watching the 4am Korea World Cup game so they might be a little sleepy. I told him I understood, but hopefully class was fun enough that they would stay awake. It worked for everyone except him.

Of course, I would be amiss if I didn't acknowledge the fabulous Fiendettes who stuck around this summer, even though our husbands are all away. I have received a couple awesome gifts from my Secret Sister and it is driving me nuts trying to figure out who is spoiling me! Whoever gave this awesome personalized breakfast tray (with both of our names/"call signs") had it delivered to my front door by the time I got home from school last week!

Korea is not without it's quirks and inconveniences (as I had to pause just now and kill yet another centipede-looking bug) but it has grown on me rather quickly. Even saying such today might mean that I risk having a terrible day tomorrow, as things have been going, but I am not the least bit concerned that these students and this country have swept me off my feet.

Lunchee, Frenchee, and Englishee

2014-06-18T09:12:00.000-05:00

It didn't take me very long into my communication degree at Bethel to figure out that I have what "they" like to call a "high external self concept", which means that I may or may not be easily persuaded by external factors. I'm not trying to point fingers, but this could be why my online shopping favorites coincide with which magazines/catalogs come to my PO box...or why I can read one article that says white rice is completely void of all nutrients and should never be consumed. Which explains why I would immediately throw out the 7 varieties of white rice in my cupboard only to read another article that says brown rice has more minute traces of arsenic than white because the "hull is still on the grain" and that's where the arsenic hides so if you must eat rice, white really is better. And so I proceed to dig in my trash and salvage the precious arsenic-free rice...but hey, I'm no scientist. Just your poster child for knowing your audience.

This is really the only reason I can think of to explain why, when teaching the English language in the state of Texas, my English actually got worse. Or why, as I am seeing all too quickly, I am now answering the students when they ask how "lunchee" was, I respond with a chipper grin, "lunchee was good!" Or when I finally understand what a student is saying, say very quickly, "okayokayokay" with full appreciation.

But don't worry, I still haven't totally mastered the Korean language or culture...after my first two days sitting in the English building eating lunch alone, I decided to jump feet first and get meals in the cafeteria, like the rest of the staff. And most of the time, the food is good! I ask my co-teachers to go ahead of me in line and tell me what everything is, of course...and most of the time, I eat all of my lunch. For example, today was delicious. There is usually a stew of some sort (almost always spicy); today was chicken and carrots. The cold salad of the day was an even spicier fresh cucumber with sesame seeds. The kimchi was the regular cabbage kind (delicious) and the soup was what looked and tasted like a collard green with onion miso soup. Of course with rice (cooked with different grains, to increase the nutritional value), which I always take a lot of, since I love rice and sometimes it's the only thing my taste buds can truly appreciate. I tried it all and finished most of it.

For the most part, I'm glad I chose to eat lunch with everyone. For starters, the teacher's lunchroom is separated by a couple doors and is, as far as I can tell, the only part of the cafeteria with a working air conditioner. So for the most part it is comfortable, with the exception of sweating through all the spicy food and not understanding what my lunch buddies are talking about, unless they speak to me in English.

And then there are days when the co-teachers (Mrs. Pa and Mrs. Koh) don't know how to tell me that maybe I won't really care for the food that day (I told them that while I "like" seafood, I'm still learning to really "enjoy" it) for example...last week there was a particular dish that looked like a tasty cabbage salad. I followed suit and took a big pile of it (to compliment the fried mackerel that I took but basically convinced myself I wouldn't try...and after watching the ladies pick bones out of their teeth, knew I wasn't missing out on much). I took a bite of the red salad and surprisingly, it was pretty good! I commented that I like the cabbage salad and took another bite (of a different looking piece of cabbage, but still covered in the same delicious red sauce) I examined it between my chopsticks while Mrs. Pa noticed my curiosity. Before I knew it, I was chewing said item and made eye contact with her in a way that didn't need a language "this tastes different than the cabbage" She immediately turned to Mrs. Koh and in Korean they spoke to each other about what I was chewing, and the best way to translate. My eyes gave it away and she started to explain what I was eating. I spoke around the long, stringy, chewy thing in my mouth and said, "don't. let me finish chewing it and then you can tell me." my eyes darted for a napkin and in true Korean style, didn't find a single one on our table or the one next to us. I thought that maybe I could make a run for the bathroom. If only I knew where the bathroom was. But then I decided to be brave. And thought how badly I wanted my terrible peanut butter and jelly from the past week. I swallowed hard. And winced as I asked, "what did I eat?" Mrs. Pa and Mrs. Koh agreed that the best translation was "dried squid". Oh. just dried SQUID. I'm sure my eyes said it as I spoke, "I like the cabbage better". But hey, chalk one up for eating squid! wahooooooo.......actually, if I'm being truly honest, I thought I would hear the dreaded "octopus" when I finished chewing, so squid seemed ironically not as terrible. huh.

While I can not actually admit to remembering any students' names (except for Jin Hoh, who is lazy as can be and will actually request to stand in class so he doesn't fall asleep), I will say that I am treated like everyone's best friend. Last Wednesday was the "5th Annual Foreign Language Competition" and while there were quite a few languages making their appearance (Chinese, Russian, Japanese), they chose to start the competition with English, which I was a judge, along with Mrs. Pa and Mrs. Koh. We sat at the side of the gymnasium, which was a good 10 degrees warmer than outside. The 1st and 2nd graders (16 and 17 year olds) were all seated in the audience, all of my students, a total of 360+ students, and a few parents. The students presenting were behind us in the bleachers and were busy practicing their lines while introductions were made.

I was told earlier in the day that I was to introduce the English portion of the competition, and like most things, I have learned to just nod and go along with it. I didn't know what introducing the English part meant, but after seeing the huge assembly knew I had to get more details. When Mrs. Koh made sure I knew I was speaking, I asked what exactly I should speak about. She answered with the very vague, "tell them good luck and you are happy to hear their presentations"... Little did I know that I would be the introduction immediately following the Vice Principal and that I would have my own introduction-of course in Korean, which I didn't know what they were saying to illicit such a grand applause; before I knew it I was standing 6 feet above them on the stage with a microphone. I resisted the urge to chatter like a good Midwesterner and said simple (I think), "Hello" (followed by cheering that I relegate to be similar to that of a World Cup star...just sayin'...) and then, "I am excited...to hear your presentations...I know...you have worked hard...Don't be nervous...Do your best...and have fun! Good luck!" I would be surprised if the crowd knew what I was saying, but after their raucous applause I felt like I needed to sign autographs. The competition followed with groups of 2-4 presenting on topics such as "Eminem's Life", "Skateboarding", "The Three Little Pigs" and a math game that had to do with the end result being an elephant (they scored the worst, in my book) I wish very terribly that I had brought my phone to take pictures or a video, and while I was very serious in my judging on pronunciation, memorization and expression, thoroughly enjoyed the competition.

I wish I could explain what a joy it is to me to teach these students the English language. I barely feel qualified, especially when I see the students working so hard to understand the correct grammar. It is the most humbling experience realizing that you speak the language that these students want and need, in their minds, to become successful in the world. I don't know where I get it, but every class period is a new burst of energy and a new dose of patience for those students who work themselves to the point of exhaustion.

(this student was like this as I returned from lunch...while some students fall asleep in class, I do not punish or embarrass them, as I know the pressure they feel with their grades and especially with finals coming up in a couple weeks)

This week we are planning the students' dream vacations and learning about asking permission. While I relegate myself to humiliation for the sake of them feeling relaxed, I will say that acting out being a tour guide or being a thief with the assumption that they don't understand the words I'm saying, only my actions, has made every class a bit more exciting and challenging.

teach Korea

2014-06-10T08:14:00.003-05:00

It seems like all of my awkward and sweaty Korean experiences have needed a few days for me to lose the goosebumps and process before sharing. And my first couple days teaching were no exception.

My first day, last Monday, I was to be at the school at 8:20 to introduce myself in the staff meeting, so I walked in to the teacher's room, armed with my book bag and the 5 gifts I was "supposed to" give (chocolates wrapped in tissue paper) (one for each English co-teacher and the other two for the principal and vice principal). I was immediately escorted by Ms. Koh (the co-teacher who speaks the best English) to the staff meeting, which was outside the main building. The room was FULL. I mean, we sat at the wayyyyy back and there were probably about 15 rows of 5 desks on each side of the room, all full. I wondered where all these people had been hiding the 3 times I'd been to the school previously. The person standing at the front with the microphone motioned to Ms. Koh next to me and she nodded at me and started walking. So I quickly followed. Alllllllllll the wayyyyyyy downnnn the aisle. I was handed the microphone and gave a very simple greeting and told them all how excited I was to be in Korea and to be teaching their students. I couldn't think of anything else, especially to a group where I had no idea if they knew what I was saying or if I had suddenly sprouted two extra heads. I handed the microphone to Ms. Koh and she added a couple things in Korean which made the crowd ooh and aah. Then we walked back down the aisle and she told me I could go back to the teacher's room and not have to sit in on the staff meeting, which would of course be nothing I could understand.

And it wouldn't be a proper first day of teaching if you (and the Korean co-teacher) can't figure out how to work the equipment. The most frustrating thing to date is having all 3 of the computers that I have access to and will use on a regular basis be in Korean. Every day, I appreciate coming home to my simple laptop in English.

It turns out that on Mondays and Tuesdays, I will be teaching all 1st graders (which is high school sophomores, I believe...?) and 4 class periods of 50 minutes each. I figured out that their bell (which is delightful and upbeat music) rings at 40 minutes after every hour, signaling the end of a class period and doesn't ring again until 50 minutes after every hour, which means the students (and ME!) have a leisurely 10 minute break between every class. Anyone who wishes can visit the snack bar or use the bathroom during this time (me included!) It's amazing. My first day slideshow was both wildly successful and a terrible flop, depending on which class I was showing it to. It had pictures of where I grew up, where I had lived, my family and friends and some of my hobbies and took anywhere from 7 minutes to get through to 20 minutes. The first class had the most questions and are the most energetic. I was quite surprised that the very first question I got asked was if I could speak to them in a British accent. I managed to keep back my laughter and spoke to them in a way that Jude Law would be ashamed. After my slideshow introduction, I asked if each one of them could stand and introduce themselves by giving their name, telling me who is in their family and their favorite hobbies. After the first day and having 15 extra minutes at the end of the class, I added asking them about their favorite animal, which left us with only 13 extra minutes. I would be lying if I said I understood a single name, but boy did I pretend. As far as I can tell, the Koreans introduce themselves with their last name first (a lot of them are Kims) and then what they call themselves. For example, the one teacher who seems to like sitting with me at lunch and practicing his English introduced himself as Kim Yung Sun. And the next day all I could remember was Sun so he said yes, and then said Yung Sun.

As far as teaching goes, I have had to be very simple and slow, which I've found it hard to not dumb my own speech down in doing so. In this school, the students all live on campus (many high schools are boarding schools) and are training for technical jobs. (the equivalent of attending a vocational college in the U.S.) So their motivation for learning English is simply not as high as other Korean high schools because they are not taking a college entrance exam that is dependent on their grasp of the English language. These students hope to learn English for potential job advancement, or future travel. Or perhaps just because the Korean government requires it. So my lessons need to be fun and motivating.

Speaking of motivating. For some reason, the air conditioner has not been turned on in the school (except for the room where the staff eats lunch in the cafeteria, thank goodness) so while I have this big fancy English wing (a separate building from the rest of the school), it is hot and stuffy from the moment students walk in. And if you have ever been in a humid climate in the summer, you know what that feels like. It's the kind of weather where you wonder why your face has a permanent sheen, or why there are beads of sweat on your forearms after bringing the trash down. There is no eyeliner, eyeshadow or blush that can stay on a face after being exposed to this kind of humidity. So not only do I literally come home and have to dry my soggy body out, but the poor students are not only exhausted from their 12 hour school days, but the room is probably 80 degrees (and again, stuffy) so in the likely event that they do not understand what the American teacher is saying, it is very easy for them to slowly (or quickly) nod off. I'd like to say that my teaching is so good or my height so intimidating that no one would ever dare not pay attention, but that is simply not the reality. One time yesterday during my otherwise amazing lesson on geography and the World Cup, I counted 10 dark haired heads down. Out of 20. And yes, neither I nor the co-teacher condone sleeping in class, but I can truly understand how it happens. Especially when the teacher is at the front of the room sweating through her clothes.

I could go on and on, but I am honestly having so much fun. It's only been 4 days, so I won't get ahead of myself. Apparently tomorrow I'm judging the students' English speech competition. I might have also agreed to playing in a soccer game and reading a historical novel to my friend, Yung Sun. I'm interested to see what kind of trouble can be caused by a mediocre grasp of the English language and a polite and eager new teacher.

the visa is here!

2014-05-29T10:37:00.003-05:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen...it turns out I got my visa today. Only I thought I had gotten ripped off.

It went a little something like this...

After my 4 hour wait at the immigration office last Monday, I was hoping my visa would arrive this week so I can finally start teaching this coming Monday. Today was the day, apparently. Of course the day I had planned to go to Seoul for a quick trip. The plan was to leave at 10:30 to get on a bus to Seoul at 10:50, however, a Korean called and in very poor English informed me he would be delivering my visa between 11am-12pm. I asked if he could come earlier, and he said one of his very few known English words, "impossible". I asked if he could come later, and again, "impossible". I knew someone had to be at the receiving end of this because of my experience getting my ARC delivered a month and a half ago. So in my mind I would be cancelling my trip to Seoul. I received two more phone calls from different people and they all said that my visa would be delivered today, between 11-12. Until finally, a phone call came at 10:05 and that person said he would be at the house at 10:30. How perfect! And then I could leave immediately and make it in time for the bus. To my utter shock and amazement, this Korean was on time right at 10:30, something that is almost unheard of. I quickly grabbed the rest of my stuff and my certified mail envelope and ran out the door to meet Jamie, who had already bought me a bus ticket and was waiting. Of course I opened the envelope at a stop light. Inside was just my passport (which I had to leave with the immigration office). No visa. OF COURSE this would happen. I made it on base in record time and pulled into the parking lot just as Jamie was speaking and motioning to the bus driver that I was coming. Whew! Sat down, calmed myself and told Jamie that I waited for nothing.

It wasn't until I got a phone call from my sweet and super helpful recruiter, Ciena, on the bus ride home that I realized I had, actually gotten my visa. She had me take a picture with my phone and email it to her (something we have done a lot of) I told her about the valid until date, and how that didn't make any sense since I was going to be teaching until May 2015. She promised to get to the bottom of it, and would call back with the results. A little while later I heard back from her, with good news and bad news. The sticker on my passport is my visa. (cue dumbfounded laughter inside my head) (seriously? I did ALL THAT WORK for a STICKER??) But unfortunately, it does expire in February. I have never gotten a visa before-how was I supposed to know it would be in my passport? Duh.

When Tyler got his assignment to Korea, it was just for 12 months. However, when we got here his commander asked if he'd like to extend to 18 months, keeping us here until August. We were hoping this would happen, as moving in just 12 months again seemed less than ideal. Unfortunately, since his original paperwork said "10 Feb 2014", (when we arrived in Korea) that is what I had to get put on my SOFA stamp in my passport (what I got when I got to base, saying that I don't have to leave the country every 90 days) but his official paperwork to extend literally JUST cleared LAST week (when my passport was at the immigration office) so because my SOFA stamp is my primary "visa" (or what I received first), my work (E2) visa is my secondary and instead of being based off my work contract, is based off of my SOFA stamp, which is only good until 10 Feb 2015.

Does this confuse you? It confuses the heck out of me. This is what I've had to deal with during this entire process. Hey Tyler, remember the last week of February when I first heard about this job? Neither one of us were sure if it's what I wanted because it's full time (I maybe just wanted to work part time), the school is 20 minutes by car (versus the numerous schools that are down the street from our house), and it would require getting a work visa. Remember when we said, "well it certainly won't hurt to send them my resume" ?? Remember that? Well here we are. The longest process of my life-I think I was engaged to Tyler in a shorter amount of time than it has taken to start teaching here.

It's like I have had no brain for this entire thing. Case in point: when Ciena found a company in Seoul that could process my apostille (the thing from the US government that tells the Korean government I am who I say I am) in a fraction of the time, I was so excited that I got my pages and pages of paperwork finished in literally one day, including two separate trips to get fingerprinted. I went to the post office on base (which is a US post office) and put everything in a "Priority Express" envelope. The guy stamped it, swiped my credit card, and sent it off without a single word. When Mr. Kim hadn't received it two weeks later, I went back to the post office and asked how long a priority express envelope should take to reach Seoul. "Seoul?!?" They asked, incredulous. (I had of course gotten the attention of all 4 people behind the counter, even though I had just asked the one in front of me) "If you're sending something to Seoul, you should definitely go to a Korean post office because anything that gets sent here goes to the US first and then out to it's destination" Of course, any rationally-minded person not in an extreme hurry would have thought of this. Nope, not me...

Or maybe when I needed to wire Mr. Kim 280,000 Korean won for using his "expedited" apostille service. Not only did it take two different days to call USAA (our bank back home, whose international wire transfer hours are only 8am-4pm central time), staying up past my bedtime to wait for 8am central time and 6 people later, (of course I had to use my precious skype credit to call an international phone number) but she finally realized that I needed to transfer it in won, which is not a currency that they can transfer. So then I withdrew money from the ATM (in USD), went to the US post office to buy a money order and pick up yet another express envelope (this was before I realized I needed to use a Korean post office) to mail the money order off immediately. There I was, standing with the $280 money order in my hand when I read on the bottom, "NEGOTIABLE ONLY IN THE US". So how did I think Mr. Kim would be able to cash this money order? I walked to the food court down the hall to think and wrap by brain around what it is that I had just done, and how to fix it. I googled "can you return a money order" on my phone (seriously-thank the good Lord for iphones!) and figured out that yes, you can, or you can just go to a bank and make the money order out to yourself and cash it. (again, dumbfounded laughter) So I walked to the bank in the BX (everything I have done this day has all been in the same building, mind you, so here I am walking back and forth like an idiot) and tried to explain to the very nice tellers what I had done and what I needed to do. They were all so helpful I wanted to reach over and hug them all. We cashed in my money order and he gave me very clear directions to a Korean bank which is just past the money changer just outside the gate. The Korean bank graciously wired my 280,000 won to Mr. Kim's account and he confirmed that he did, in fact, receive the money. And I felt like I needed to find the nearest bar.

But you're all saying, "it's going to be sooooooo worth it" And right now, I'm just thankful I'm starting next Monday, when I will just work the first two days of the week and then get Wednesday through Friday off for a paid holiday. Whew!

I promise this saga is almost over and you'll be reading about my teaching mishaps soon enough.

the ROK and the what ifs...

2014-05-27T09:30:00.001-05:00

As I drove home from base yesterday, after dropping the man off at the terminal, I couldn't believe that I am all alone in a foreign country. No, of course I am not totally alone. The fabulous Fiendettes are always close by, (until most of them leave for the summer) but I still could not and cannot wrap my brain around the fact that I am in Korea alone, without my husband. I attempted to swallow the rock that had lodged itself in my throat and glanced in the back at the dumb manual treadmill I had convinced Tyler to let me order months ago, which apparently had arrived weeks prior to the BX but since the jerk who took my order neglected to write down my correct phone number, each attempt to reach me was in vain. At least I'll have that to put together to occupy my time. And then, there's of course actually using the treadmill. Still the rock.

Of course, I am to start teaching English next week. Which has been long-awaited and totally my decision (with the enthusiastic support of my husband), so I really am to blame about being left on this peninsula alone. But I still can't believe that I'm here and Tyler will be there, in the land of fresh air and wide-open spaces. With mountains and English road signs and REI.

No, it's not Korea. As much as I am homesick, I am still over-the-moon excited about starting teaching English. But for some reason that rock is still lodged in my throat and my heart still races and my eyes feel bloodshot. What if is stronger than the smell of kimchi when I think about the myriad of things that could go wrong in the next 35 days. What if the dog runs away. What if the toilet floods the bathroom. What if crickets or ants or dragonflies come through the walls. What if I get hopelessly lost. What if I get a flat tire. What if I run out of food and the commissary is closed or I have no gas in my car to take me to base to get food and I walk to the Korean grocery store down the street but I have no won, or the store is also closed, or I can't tell what anything is. (seriously. these thoughts have crossed my mind) What if it gets so humid in the house that our humidifier can't keep up and mold grows everywhere. What if the dog goes crazy in the house all day. What if.

But you know what. What if. What if I start this teaching job and it totally blows me away. What if I learn Korean. (gasp!) What if, when I get a flat tire, I know how to communicate with whomever comes to my rescue, at least a little bit. What if my house stays clean, the clothes stay folded and my dog still feels loved. What if the days go by so quickly that I wonder how I can convince time to slow down, even with my husband away. What if my desire to prove to myself that I can do this is so much stronger than my desire to go home. What if.

I know this routine well. These first couple days are always the hardest. And before I know it, my mind goes from thinking how no wife should ever go through this to I hope he's having as much fun as I am.

And in the meantime, I'll look at pictures of our adventures together and start scheming for the next.

We took a trip to the beach on Sunday and although we took a wrong turn, there were no bathrooms in sight and it was misty most of the day, still managed to have a fantastic time. There is something about fried chicken in Korea...

We were both shocked at how green and clean the water was...this is not the Korea we are used to seeing around the base.

And these weird war-type huts were all over the place. Some were actual "houses" others were just a hole in the ground surrounded by sandbags and wire.

Washed-up starfish

Green!

Ada was too busy with her surroundings to be concerned with taking a selfie with us.

Never a happier dog than when she's exploring with us.

Korea and their signs...

And we finished the day with a quick walk to a restaurant back in our neighborhood. I ordered a salad-type deal that you were supposed to add rice rice and the ketchup-looking sauce and mix it all together. It was quite tasty.

Thanks for checking in! I look forward to giving you all positive reports that I am, indeed, thriving and loving it over here.

To Mom

2014-05-11T09:13:00.003-05:00

Because today I can't be with her...

Happy Mother's Day to the woman who put up with this...

and this...

and encouraged this...

even though, well, I was better at this...

she loved me when I had no idea what I was doing...

and has always been my biggest cheerleader...

she taught us to face each day with enthusiasm, excitement, and a great outfit...

because she knows that these days go fast...

and all of a sudden, this day comes...

and goes...

although times together are rare...

she has set the bar high.

her faithfulness as a wife, mother, and daughter is the best road map we ever could dream of.

to the woman behind the camera. and our biggest fan.

Thank you, Mom.

Korean adjustments...

2014-05-07T09:19:00.002-05:00

I'd be lying if I said after 3 months in a foreign country, the adjusting is over. Just today I walked into a Korean bank, showed them my ARC (alien registration card, the reason I have taken several trips to the Immigration Office via train) and after about 15 signatures, walked away with what I believe and hope is a Korean bank account in order for the school to pay me. Although I could have signed a mortgage for the building next door and never known the difference.

There are days I hardly notice we are a world away from everything we've known. Days when I can see the sun (as opposed to the majority, when the smog/humidity covers the only known source of light), days when the kitchen sink (without a garbage disposal) doesn't clog and stink, days when a walk around the block with Ada don't include people of all ages being scared of her 40 pound ball of cuteness and days when I spend a large portion of my morning texting (although now it's called "kakao-ing", for those of you who would like to join in) my siblings and parents. The days I can show my ID to be allowed on the American military base are comforting-I don't have to think twice about the rules of a crosswalk, or the parking space being large enough, or having to back up, adjust, and go forward several times just to go up a parking garage level. I also don't have to worry about the road signs being in a foreign language and guessing as to whether I can turn left on green. Of course, the speed limit signs are in kilometers, which conveniently match up with my Korean car's speedometer, thank goodness.

Of course, there are also many days when I find my head spinning and am forced to focus on big-picture, instead of minute logistics. One of these days, or evenings, happened a few weeks ago, when my charming husband was out of town with the rest of the squadron for a two week TDY. There were many fun activities planned to keep us wives busy, and one of those included seeing a 4pm showing of the new Captain America movie (in English, with Korean subtitles, thank you very much) and going out to dinner afterwards with a couple of friends. The "plan" was to meet at the large apartment complex where a lot of the people from the squadron live and figure out who was driving from there. I volunteered to drive, simply because parking at this particular apartment complex was annoying to me. In my mind, there are several underground garages (in reality, after stepping back and really thinking about it, there are just two) and each one looks the same, is ginormous and is rather hard to figure out where the car was left and making sure you come out and resurface at the same place. So, I avoided that altogether and chose to drive (our "new" Korean car, by the way) so me and two other girls traveled to the city with the movie theater, (which is in the big complex/mall where Tyler and I spent his birthday) about 15 minutes away. As we got closer, I recalled how annoying it was to find a parking spot the last (and first) time we had visited, to which Andrea had assured me wasn't a problem because she had "great" directions from Annette for the parking garage. However, the parking garage turned out to be rather elusive, as we kept seeing the garage, but no way to reach it. Numerous times we found the way "out" of the garage, but never the way "in", of course running into the train station, bus terminal and taxi station along the way. Noted-next time, take public transportation. And then, in a moment clearly sent from the Heavens, we spotted a parking spot, literally right next to the plaza. There was even a spot on the street behind us for the other car in the group. It seemed too good to be true, but surely, was simply good fortune.

We went on our merry way and enjoyed an amazing two hours watching Chris Evans and his crew of superheros, followed by delicious Indian food (served by Koreans, of course) and great conversation. Our night came to a screeching halt when, on our walk back to the car, realized that my new car wouldn't be going anywhere.

The three of us did a double take as we realized that we were, in fact, in the correct spot, looking at the correct vehicle. What didn't make sense to us was that a seemingly harmless (and rather available) parking spot had turned into a parking lot, that can be blocked off rather easily with a formidable gate. After a few stunned moments, we looked around for a solution to get the car out. Of course, a couple cars passed by and they all pretended to know nothing of the English language. Considering our location-several blocks away from the restaurant we had just eaten at, right next door to the shopping plaza and movie theater, but also rather close to a very "questionable" street, famous for "women dancing in the windows" We thought of alternatives, which would be getting on the train and coming back the next day to a hopefully open parking lot.

I wandered to a shop a few doors down from the "lot" and fortunately, the light was on and the door was open. I turned to the girls to make sure they knew where I was going when I saw that a man had stumbled up next to them. I motioned for them to ask him, and they quickly shook their heads that it was a bad idea (he was quite unable to give coherent advice, let alone in English, apparently) I proceeded to open the shop door, which turned out to be a hair salon, and attempted to explain our predicament. The hairstylist yelled upstairs to a man, who stumbled down in his pajamas and slippers. I did the usual pointing and simple speaking (slowly, of course) and he, like a good Korean, got his phone out immediately. After a while, we realized he had called the number of the car rental place (?) that had likely locked the gate and we had figured out the gate would be opened at 9am the next day. The three of us were very relieved, and had conceded to hop on the next train to go home, when someone thought to ask him if he could maybe find out the padlock code that was keeping the gate closed. He seemed to realize what we were saying and after a few more minutes motioned for us to turn around. We gave him his privacy and before we knew it, the gate was open! I was able to back the car out (doing an Austin Powers 7-point turn, of course) and we thanked the nice man profusely.

We rode away relieved and feeling rather victorious at another Korean predicament-turned-accomplishment.

Also...I just wanted to share with you a couple pictures of the beautiful spring we've had.

This second one is right in front of our house. Of course, after I took this a bunch of white blossoms appeared and then disappeared before I could take another picture. Turns out Korea really is pretty!

Why Noonday?

2014-04-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

I know a lot of my blog has been about us living in Korea and all the fun times we've had so far, but I am still very much involved in Noonday and am even more convinced that what I am doing, by representing these women, and what you are doing, by purchasing things they've made is making a global impact. But how can buying and wearing stunning jewelry really have that much of an impact?

Do you wear TOMS shoes? Have you ever purchased a pair? Their big mission is "1 for 1", or for every shoe purchased, they will give a pair of shoes to someone around the world in need. While I love this mission, I had a hard time with it myself for a few reasons: the shoes that we purchase (for a lot of money, in my opinion) seemed flimsy and poorly made. And two, if I want to help someone in need, I can just donate that money directly to them. I now have two pairs of TOMS, and neither one have wore out and neither pair are uncomfortable OR flimsy. And the best part is, if you have an issue with the price point (which I did), if you buy them on sale (hint hint), they will still give a pair to someone in need. And can you guess how many times I have given money (or a pair of shoes) directly to someone around the world in need? (crickets) Not asking you to judge me. I can't help but have feelings of doubt that any money invested is actually going to the people who truly need it. The final thing about TOMS that continues to bother me, is while they are clearly having an impact and providing shoes for people who need them, eventually, those people's shoes will wear out, or they will grow out of them, whether it is in a few months or a few years. But it will happen, and that is the end of their reach. So while TOMS is a great and powerful charity, charity does run out. However, I am glad to say that TOMS is now expanding their company and have an amazing business called "TOMS Marketplace", which sells items from different companies whose items are made by the very same people who would qualify for a pair of free shoes from TOMS, only those people can now afford their own shoes, because people like you are buying the things they make and giving them an income.

This is why I am so in love with Noonday, and have felt even more compelled since moving across the world, so close to impoverished nations, to really get the mission out there. We may never know the impact by the numbers, and it may be hard to tell how wearing a necklace allowed the craftsman to send his/her daughter to school, but it's there. The business is real. Charity runs out so quickly, but giving someone a way to earn an honorable income is groundbreaking.

How does this work, you may be wondering.

Well it's quite simple. Noonday finds artisan groups, which can either be a group of people who are already established with a skill, or a person or two without any skills, but the desire to learn. The materials they use are often found in nature, or recycled. Noonday then works with them and gives them vision and design and the skills they need. The only missing link is the consumer, you and me, to purchase those items. And yes, the price for those bargain shoppers is probably not ideal. But when you think and truly examine where not only the people and resources came from, but also who it is benefiting, the impact is clear. Noonday is out to change the world, one stunning piece of jewelry at a time. Every time you purchase an item, and then wear that item, you are telling the story of the person who made the piece. The story reaches to the far corners of the Earth, and impacts areas of poverty you and I are scared to even think about. But you can do something, and it is so easy. I recently participated in a conference that asked the question, "what would you do if you realized that the resources you have at your disposal were unreachable to those around the world? Would you share those resources?" Yes, we are given much. And to those who are given much, much is to be expected. I'm not asking you to sell your houses and live in the slums of India. The thought shakes me to my very core. But I am telling you that you and I can do something about those slums. We can change them. This is not through charity, but through business, which is sustainable and reliable. The jewelry you purchase through Noonday (and companies like it) give it's artisans wages that make them able to support their families, and thus propel them miles apart from the poverty and violence that threatens their well being. Are you willing and ready to join the movement?

Do you purchase jewelry? What would it look like if you purchased jewelry that was not only fashionable and attractive, but also helped lift others out of poverty...?

That is why I am a Noonday Collection Ambassador. I can't explain the many ways it has changed the way I look at the world, and the world of consumerism and fashion. (and those of you who know me, know I love fashion, shopping, and generally speaking, being a consumer)

Please, if any of this piques your interested and you are further inclined or intrigued, visit my website at http://daniellebrummer.noondaycollection.com/ -- there are so many ways to get involved! You can host a show, and earn rewards towards free jewelry; you can become an Ambassador yourself and advocate for these men and women who are struggling to challenge their culture's norm; or you can simply, and very effectively, purchase the items they have slaved over, and wear them proudly.

I'd love to answer any questions! Do not hesitate to ask-I am ready for the challenge! In the meantime...take a look at some of the pieces our inspiring artisans have hand-crafted, just for you...

Korean Health Check

2014-04-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

I never thought living in another country wouldn't be an adventure. And trust me when I say I consider myself adventurous, spontaneous and laid-back. However, these qualities have been tested and proven less true quite a few times already since we've moved to Korea. I can't tell you why, as I am not sure. I can only tell you the occasions that have given me reasons to doubt those traits.

I hesitated sharing my story from last week right away. While I realize it is best to write when something in fresh in your mind, I also knew more than anything that I was not ready to relive my experience yet. And no, I'm not trying to be overly dramatic. But keep reading. The comfort level goes from white-knuckle on steering wheel driving through traffic to I might as well be walking around stark naked playing a banjo.

For those of you who don't know, I have found, accepted and signed a contract for a teaching job (yay!!) I will start teaching high school English in a town about 15 minutes away starting the first or second week of May. Yes, I know, to those of you I talked to before we moved I said that's what I wanted to do, but I seriously never thought it would actually happen. And in the last month of getting paperwork together and running errands, I have doubted it more times than I care to admit. But honestly, if you have no deductive reasoning skills or common sense, you would be a goner in a foreign country.

One of my many requirements on the path to getting a work visa and to prove that I am healthy enough for work in Korea, was to visit an approved hospital and get a "Korean Health Check". The hospital was fortunately in the next town away, (not the town I'll be teaching in) but I had never driven or ridden through it yet (besides maybe on a bus to Seoul) and I was quite nervous. I would be making the trip alone and without a GPS or google maps. And obviously (or not), road/building/business signs are not in English. This picture is all I knew about where to go and how to get there. And now that I'm looking at it after making the trip, it looks nothing like this in real life. This looks chaotic, but also orderly. You cannot see order when you are driving on the street.

I was terrified of not being able to find the hospital and where I would park once I did find it (God forbid I get my car towed or ticketed and have to find an alternate way home) Fortunately, after missing just one turn, and navigating some alleys, I came across a group of men outside wearing hospital gowns and smoking. I'd found the hospital. Parked in the garage that looked much bigger online (of course) and found a spot 3 floors up.

I wish I'd spent more time worrying about what would happen in the hospital as I did about getting there. My directions from my recruiter were these: "The hospital address is again, 경기도 오산시 원동 560-70 오산한국병원 The contact number is 031-379-8691 but I don’t think they can communicate in English. Once you get to the hospital, there is a big main building. But that is not the one that you are going to. Next to the main building, there is another new building which is called 신관 (new building). You will need to go to the new building and then go downstairs which is 1st Floor, just one floor down from the gate. Once you get to the 1st floor, you will see the section saying 종합검진센터 (general check center), that is the place that you will need to go." I stood at what I could only assume by the hospital gowns was the hospital looking at the two separate doors that were supposed to be two separate buildings, but were clearly not, and wondering which set of doors was "newer". Fortunately a very nice older man noticed I was having difficulties and I showed him the email I had pulled up on my phone and pointed to the set of symbols that was supposed to say "new building". He pointed me to one of the sets of doors and I thanked him profusely. Once inside, I found my way to the first floor (which is the basement, of course) and matched the symbols up from my phone and the ones above each door, which all looked the same. Whew. I'd found the general check section.

Of course, no one knew any English so I showed the email again, which my recruiter had written a paragraph in Korean that explained why I was there. The nurse filled in some paperwork for me, after I showed her my passport (she confused my middle name to be my last name, which I didn't notice until I was almost done with everything, so hopefully they still accept the results...) and after a little waiting, I was escorted by a sweet woman upstairs to a desk where it looked like I would pay. There were many people in the waiting room and we stood waiting for my number to be called for over 20 minutes. In the meantime, I watched a nurse who was holding a cup filled with individual blood samples drop the cup, pick the 10 or so samples up and then notice that one of the samples had opened and spilled blood on the floor. She secured the lid and then wandered around looking for something to wipe it up with. Finally she found a roll of napkins and wiped up the spilled blood and went back to her business. No commotion. No panic or warnings about the blood and definitely no sterilizing. (pause for moment of horror)

After I paid, unnamed nurse escorted me back downstairs, to a guy manning a desk in a hallway where we were directed to sit on a row of chairs in the hallway, apparently a waiting area. I had no idea what was next. During the wait, I watched a distraught woman walk alongside her husband, who was unconscious and laying flat on a hospital bed. A door was opened and what looked to be an MRI machine was inside. All of a sudden, 6 Korean men start lifting the man's hospital sheet (with him on it) and placing him on a smaller bed and moved inside the room. Then they proceeded to lift him onto the machine, adjusting so his head was secure. And yes, I am watching this whole thing. Fortunately, either they closed the door or I stopped watching and didn't see them actually start the machine.

Finally, I was called to a room with a large machine, where I was handed a hospital shirt by a young Korean man. I tried asking how much of my own clothes I'd need to take off, and understood that I could leave my pants on, but the shirt needed to go. Okay. There was a curtain I changed behind and then was told to stand still and hold my breath while they did some sort of chest Xray? He said "okay" and I exhaled. After seeing my results, the man spoke with the woman and she pointed to my bra, which I understood to mean that I was supposed to take my bra off for the Xray. Oops. So back behind the curtain, and back in front of the machine. They got a good reading, I exhaled literally and mentally and changed back into my own clothes.

The next room we went to was back to the general check section, which was just an open room with a couple desks and what looked like different stations for each "test". My escort was handed a paper cup, which looked like a dixie cup you'd fill with water, to which she turned to me and said "urine". I looked at the cup again, and she drew a line on the outside where I was apparently supposed to fill it to. Then she walked me into the bathroom, which was outside the general check section, down the hallway, and was a public women's restroom with 5 stalls. Apparently my escort was going to wait right outside my stall until I was finished. All the while I'd been being escorted, I felt not only out of place, since I was the only one over 5 foot 5 inches in the entire building, but I also felt rather incompetent to navigate the hospital alone and a little like a prisoner who was being guarded. This feeling was most evident as my escort stood outside my stall door. I managed to fill the cup as much as I needed, and sat there wondering if I should just walk out with an open cup of urine or what my other options would be. I opted to take a strip of toilet paper and try to cover at least the top of the cup. I opened the stall door, and my escort held her hand out to get the cup. uhhh....okay...then she took my lid of toilet paper off, and looked into the cup to make sure I filled it enough. So much for trying to be modest. She took off out the door and I stopped her to let me wash my hands. We walked back down the hallway and back to the general check section, where my cup was placed on a tray on a desk, out in the open, with nothing that could possibly set it apart from the other cups.

I then got my hearing checked, and my vision. Finally I was pointed to sit down at a desk, where a lady had a tray of blood samples. Fortunately, getting my blood drawn doesn't bother me, and she filled up two vials. I was given an alcohol swab to put on the vein after the needle was taken out. I moved the swab so I could make room for a bandaid, which I assumed I'd be getting. The nurse immediately scolded me in Korean and held my arm up to keep the blood from gushing out of my arm. Apparently no bandaid. I then was pointed to a room with an open door, and when I walked in the man sitting at the desk had his head back and was snoring quietly. Uhhh... I cleared my throat and he woke up and motioned for me to sit. In very clear English, he asked me if I felt safe in my home and if I consider myself happy. I answered both and was shooed out the door.

My escort appeared again, and I was ushered to the first desk I visited, where I figured out by the nurse pointing to a calendar that I was supposed to come back in one week at the same time and pick up my results.

I walked out of the hospital feeling not only victorious but also surprisingly shaken up. For Koreans, who I'd consider to be a very modest culture, their lack of privacy in a hospital was unnerving. I couldn't believe that I'd witnessed blood being spilled and wiped very carelessly up, and a man in very serious condition be lifted onto a machine for tests. I hope to never have to experience something like that again, and can now appreciate the numerous different protocols American hospitals require.

In closing on a happy note, I've been meaning to share these pictures I snapped while out walking Ada a couple weeks ago. This is how Koreans move furniture into their high rise apartment buildings, apparently...

the apron side of life: roasted sweet potato tacos

2014-04-03T07:49:00.001-05:00

I guess since I've made this dish three times in the last month and a half, I probably better share it with you. I first had this when I was at my friend, Jamie's, when we first moved into our house and a few of us ladies were waiting for our husbands to be done with work on a Friday evening (oh, the life...) I never even saw the recipe that day, but it was so good I thought about it the whole weekend and finally gave in and made it for the first time that following Monday (so I guess I've had it four times in the last month and a half...hmm...time for some new recipes...?)

I modified a few things, due to our taste for spicy things, the fact that my avocado wasn't ripe, and at that point didn't know where the soft corn tortillas were in the commissary, but I am very pleased with the results. (obviously, since I can't seem to stop making them) And forgive me, but if you are one who needs exact measurements, this might be frustrating for you. It's a really simple recipe, but adjusted depending on ingredients and preferences.

Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups of sweet corn
1 1/2 cups of black beans

(okay, to be honest, I don't really measure the corn and beans...I almost always use dried black beans for cooking, soaked overnight and then cooked for 45 min before adding them to this dish, but the amount of corn and beans you use depends on how many people you're trying to feed-this amount is good for the two of us, plus leftovers for one meal) I bet if you are canned vegetable person, one can of each will be just fine.

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
crumbled cotija cheese (what I would call Mexican feta...comes in a large, round block...you only need a little bit for this recipe, but it keeps for a month or so)
cilantro
1 avocado
1 spoonful of greek yogurt
1 lime
pinch of red pepper
salt, pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 T olive oil
soft or hard corn tortillas

Preheat oven to roasting temperature, 400-450 degrees F. Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Add a couple pinches of salt, almost a full teaspoon of cumin, and about half as much cinnamon to the potatoes. Stir and place in the oven. Stir at least once while cooking, until soft, about 20-30 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, dice up the red onion and the jalapeno.

You will also have time to crumble the cotija cheese, dice/shred the cabbage and cut up the cilantro. These can all be placed in separate serving dishes.

For the avocado dip-cut up the avocado and place in a food processor or bowl to blend. Add the juice from half a lime, a pinch of salt, a spoonful of greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend/mix until smooth. Taste test and add what's missing. Add a couple shakes of red pepper for some spice. Put in serving dish. (you can also use simple diced up avocado chunks, but this is good for a tangy addition)

warm up some olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the red onion and jalapeno and saute for 5-7 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Add corn and black beans, and cook until warmed through. At this point, take out the sweet potatoes (if you haven't already) and add them to the skillet, along with the juice from the other half of lime, stirring for a couple minutes until the flavors have blended together.

Warm up hard or soft tortillas in the oven for 2-3 minutes, until ready to serve.

Serve sweet potato mixture in tortillas and top with avocado dip, red cabbage and cotija cheese.

I love serving this with a green salad.

And there ya have it! Let me know if you try this recipe, which can be good for "Meatless Mondays" or "Taco Tuesdays" or no-name Wednesdays ;)

as seen around Korea

2014-03-18T04:21:00.004-05:00

This past week was a blur-I talked to my husband for a total of 3 minutes and saw him even less. While he was busy flying and going through qualification, I was busy baking for the F-16 maintainers, going to fun squadron events, and starting the process of getting a visa so I can teach English over here. Whew!

Here are a few photo-worthy moments from this past week...

It was raining for one of the fini flights last week, so we were all tucked in a hangar, which turned out to be the same one belonging to the jet that had just gotten back. It was funny watching all the guys push the plane back into it's home. (a fini flight is the last flight someone flies in the jet at that current base, or sometimes ever. whoever can gather, does, and watches the pilot try to run away while climbing out the jet to avoid getting sprayed with water by his family)

It has been so fun being here at Osan with Nicki and her husband, Tim. They were just leaving Sheppard when we arrived, so we didn't get to know each too well. And as it goes in the Air Force, they are leaving in the next few months. But that's long enough to make some good memories, including purse shopping last week and our first "out on the town" squadron event.

If you find the damage to this area of the car, you win!! But seriously...Tyler got out of a very tight parking spot cleanly (or so we and our friend, who was spotting, thought) and as we tried leaving, were bombarded with two Koreans trying to tell us we had hit and damaged the car. And by bombarded, I mean shoving and leaning in the car window to try and turn the key off. Before we knew it (well, 45 minutes later), we were surrounded by 8 Korean police officers, 4 cop cars and 1 ambulance (apparently the driver of the car Tyler "hit" had told them he was drinking and driving, so they were ready to carry him to the hospital...?) In all seriousness, we weren't sure what was going on - the frustration we felt at not being able to communicate with the police officers and the accuser (who would speak English at us and then, when spoken to, would say "I don't speak English") was something I hope to never repeat. In the end, between a security forces guy from an Army post on the phone and a nice English-speaking Korean who stopped by, we walked away $30 poorer and 2 hours of our lives wasted.

Let's play "spot the jet"...anyone? :)

Now? I was sitting at this light for a very long time and watched 6 F-16's come in for their landing. Glad I snapped a couple pictures. After telling this to Tyler, and doing some time calculations, we realized that I was probably taking a picture of him landing! Crazy!

This is another light I sit at for wayyyy too long, but I just thought I'd show you how Koreans sit in the middle of the intersection, waiting for the light to turn (or just waiting for a break in the traffic so they can run the red light) from my observations, scooters and taxis are except from all traffic laws.

As are little old men on motorized wheelchairs... (forgive the mustache sticker inside the car...)

This was taken at the cultural "Pumpkin Duck" restaurant, where we had a squadron event last weekend. Indeed, this is a slow-cooked duck inside a pumpkin. Served with Korean sides-kimchi, pickled jalapenos, steamed green leaves, and a mustard sauce. And yes, it was delicious, both the duck and pumpkin.

This was Tyler's birthday lunch at AK Plaza, a large shopping center in Pyeongtaek. It was very good, and where we came to the realization why Koreans are not usually overweight...their food is all really spicy, which makes you have to eat it slow, and when you eat really slow, you fill up faster. aha! From your personal dieticians, Tyler and Danielle. You're welcome.

Bubble tea for dessert.

Thanks for checking in!

home sweet Korea home

2014-03-10T00:42:00.000-05:00

It is a little weird posting pictures of our house for the world to see. But considering I couldn't tell you our street address if my life depended on it, I think I'm probably okay. There are some pretty fun quirks to this house, including the chipping floors (the tiles looked so fancy upon first glance) and the security system that shows a video of the person ringing the door. The oven is too small for my cookie sheets and only has one rack and we have a plate drying/sterilizing contraption (where a microwave would normally be) above the sink that we have no idea how to use. We have huge windows throughout the whole house and love sitting on top of a hill with a great view of our neighbors and the surrounding area. And as you'll see, the upstairs is completely empty and is just waiting for visitors! We have furniture and a washer and dryer thanks to our landlord, who gave us money to buy American furniture at the BX on base, and a second couch thanks to Zack and Beth.

So here is our house in pictures, per numerous requests. Seeing these does not mean you now have an excuse not to visit us, mmk? ;)

our living room-the white contraption is the air conditioning unit. and the heat comes through the floors. the blinds in the corner are currently broken and we were told the new ones are "on the way"

this little room is the entrance. the storage unit on the wall is great for all of Tyler's shoes... ;) despite the door not closing all the way and having a considerable gap on the bottom, this room is much colder than the rest of the house.

m.e.s.s.y. laundry room. but American washer/dryer! Korean units are just one machine, both for washing and drying and apparently to encourage them to hang dry their clothes, it takes hours to dry one single load. so we are very thankful for these.

we love this wall in our living room. makes the wall seem less bare, since the two items you see hanging are two of four we brought with us.

yes, I know. It's a toilet. sorry. but this is to show how we've blocked off the upstairs - we just need you to see that even though we're living in a fancy Korean house, we're still 90% ghetto. perhaps these will be replaced one day. perhaps. all the cold air stays upstairs, so we don't even have to turn the top floor boiler on (until we have visitors, of course)

this is the first floor guest bathroom. no, we haven't tried the shower yet.

our "walk in" closet off the master bedroom. we did not choose this house because of these built-in closets, but oh my word...I have no idea what we would have done without them!

master bathroom

master bedroom right off the living room, with doors to the patio and another fancy wall, so a headboard is very unnecessary (which is good, because ours is in storage)

now for a couple fun quirks: this is the right side of our refrigerator. you push this little square box and they have a compartment so you can grab your "most reached-for items". very energy efficient, so you don't have to open the door every time you want milk/orange juice/water. I mean...how could we have lived without this?!

and while this isn't the largest ice box and it is annoying having to refill the trays in the sink, all you do is twist these nobs and the little ice cubes fall out of the trays and into the bucket. adorable.

here is our kitchen, fridge in the back left corner. and while the oven is small, the dishwasher tiny and the counter tops about mid thigh-high, I really like this kitchen. And I love having our table in here-makes it very "family style" and informal.

this is our sad and bare upstairs. and this little elevated room is what our neighbors are using as their living room. they were also able to bring all of their belongings, so it looks very cozy and homey. and when I want to watch a real tv, I'll just scurry up the road. behind these shades is one of two balconies upstairs.

this is guest room #1, which is our storage room (there are two more guest rooms, both larger and brighter than this but since they are completely empty will go down as "not pictured")

upstairs bathroom

upstairs balcony #1, with a great view of the neighbors (where Ada is walking goes to the front part of the balcony)

and finally, this is the view from balcony #2, behind the upstairs "living room" the rooms upstairs are quite chilly right now, which will change rather quickly when it starts warming up.

And there ya have it! this is where we live. we love it and are excited about being here for another 17 months (today is our one-month Korea anniversary! and I promise I will not be letting you know that every single month)

Thanks for stopping by! hope you have a great week!

Seoul incredible!

2014-03-05T07:48:00.002-06:00

My trip to Seoul yesterday was fabulous! A few of the girls at the Army post there showed us "country bumpkins" around and it was so much fun riding the subway like a local, stopping to eat street food and eating some good ramen from a famous noodle shop. It was also fun to talk Noonday-it's so strange having other Ambassadors so close to chat with. They are all so fashionable, which makes it even more fun! (Thanks for the pose, Amber! This is the purse I think you should get, mom! And anyone else...it is SO much better in person!) link here: http://daniellebrummer.noondaycollection.com/bags/lines-and-stripes-catch-all

Our lunch at the noodle shop was quite the experience-they have two kinds of noodles...spicy and not spicy. Most of us chose the not spicy option and were very happy (especially after seeing the deep red color their broth was compared to our yellow broth...yikes!) I can't wait to come back to Seoul and have my tour guide, Amber, show me around again! (wink, wink) Amber and I have been emailing back and forth since starting with Noonday late last summer and when I suspected we might come to Korea, she was so helpful in reassuring me that being an advocate with Noonday can still be very effective overseas. She is a rockstar Ambassador and I love soaking in her wisdom. Chalk one up for the Air Force!

Tips from a mover...

2014-03-04T08:04:00.000-06:00

I wouldn't say I'm an expert. Ask me in another 15 years. But, after 4 years of marriage and 5 moves, I might know a little bit about moving (and still less than others) Yet, I would say that packing up a house and unpacking/settling into a house does get a little bit easier with time. And these days, it's the little things I'm thankful for. Like having Mrs. Meyer's hand soap, that I have kept in our suitcases since moving from our house in Tucson in December. It was annoying at times, but oh-so-comforting when other options spout antibacterial qualities in Korean characters (or the dreaded BAR SOAP in hotel rooms...ugh). This move, we were only able to pack 1,400 pounds of earthly belongings, which seems like a lot to you, probably... A little perspective: we packed over 10,000 pounds from Wichita Falls to Tucson when we moved just nine months prior to getting packed up for Tucson. So my earthly belongings either had to go into storage in Tucson for the next 18 months (to be unpacked in a future, unknown location) or "high priority" items (as in, items we would have a hard time living without/would not be able to purchase) shipping to Korea, not to be seen for two months. So, at the end of those two months, knowing that most of our familiar belongings would still be missing, there were some very familiar items I discovered among the boxes and packing paper. A few favorite cookbooks, a couple comforting mugs for hot beverages and most surprisingly, I remembered to buy and pack extra boxes of my favorite teas. (which, of course I can order online, but after unpacking in a very foreign place, the boxes of "stomach ease" and "green tea antioxidant" tea were most reassuring)

Note: we still do not have a microwave in our house. And we are somehow (sarcasm) managing with a teeny, tiny oven that doesn't fit any of my cookie sheets and a dishwasher that is more high maintenance than I. We do not have television. Nor Pandora :( And yet, we are still living and breathing (dramatic pause). You mean we can SURVIVE without American amenities?!?!?! Okay...in all reality, we are very fortunate because our landlord let us buy American furniture AND an American washer/dryer (which is SUCH a blessing!) so really, I cannot complain.

I do have a few simple moving tips for those of you looking to pack up your lives soon...some of these were passed on to us, and some of these are just what we have experienced in the past few years. take them or leave them and if nothing else, know what we experience every 9-18 months, and others in the military experience even more frequently...

*when moving into a new house, always make your bed first.
--find the box your sheets are in, and set up where you'd like your bed to be. make your bed. because at the end of a long day of unpacking, the last thing you're going to want to do is make your bed. so make it first. this advice was given to us by our friends Channon and Joni, who we knew in Houston. we have always heeded their advice and every time are SO thankful to be sleeping in our own bed when we move into a new house, some nights on the first night, other times a week or two later. (So thank you, Channon and Joni! Great advice!)

*when buying new appliances, try and keep the boxes the appliances come in (kitchen especially)
--some houses, it may be hard to have the proper storage for countless appliance-specific boxes. but when moving and packing up, the movers will always be thankful to have an original box to pack the appliance in. the box was created for that appliance and will be so much less likely to break/end up damaged. you'll be thankful for using up precious storage space. This advice was given to us while we were dating (talk about a reality check!) by Tyler's aunt and uncle, who was an Army family.

*when unpacking/moving into a new house, a top priority should be unpacking and setting up your kitchen
--after your bed, of course, the kitchen is next on the list. because quite simply...after moving and traveling for so long, how much longer do you want to be eating on a whim and getting take-out? yeah. that's what I thought. Even if you're eating on cardboard boxes (or plastic storage bins) for a week (like we literally just did), your mood after a home-cooked meal will be SO much better than always being anxious about where/what to eat...especially in a new town where you don't know the restaurants yet. And I'll just say that the simple/fresh "tacos" I made the second night in our home here were light years better than the meals we'd had in the past week.

Well, those 3 pointers are the best I have. Everything else will really fall into place. Laundry, furniture, etc. Moving is uncomfortable; there is no way around it. You are blessed beyond measure when you can move across the Pacific and still be close with the one you hold most dear, which is where I have found myself.

good eats...

2014-03-03T06:48:00.002-06:00

Some of you probably understand that when you travel to foreign countries (or even to another part of the U.S.) a large portion of the travel experience is the food and how much you enjoy the taste/texture/atmosphere of what is supposed to give you energy. I am much pickier than my husband and have so far, had mixed feelings about the food in countries we've traveled. I will say, however, that this past weekend I had a delicious Korean meal and it has given me renewed hope that I will not most certainly enjoy the food here (although perhaps somewhat Americanized, since it was in the village right outside that base gate and about half of it's patrons were, in fact, Americans...) Alas, it was delicious. The kimchi was crunchy and had a good kick to it and the salad pictured below was one I could dream about. And this soup! The menu (in Korean and English, thankfully) said it was "mama's homemade Kimchi soup" and oh my word was it amazing! It came out literally boiling, and in a stone pot. We almost forgot about it and went about enjoying our salad, kimchi and other sides (and our beef and mushrooms) and our friends' company. Fortunately, when we were ready for the soup, it was the perfect temperature. The kimchi was tangy and spicy and I was very thankful that it cleared my stuffy nose.

Even though it was pretty cold outside, we thought the perfect ending to our double date night would be a McDonald's ice cream treat.

I'm going to head to Seoul again tomorrow to have lunch with a few other Noonday sisters. I can't wait to talk about the new spring line and gush about our favorites in person. :) I also can't wait to see more of Seoul!

Have you checked out Noonday's spring line? It is soooo stunning. Each time I wear or hold a piece I can't help but feel connected to the artisan who handcrafted it. What a blessing it is to be a part of something that is literally giving others hope, sustainability and opportunity. click http://daniellebrummer.noondaycollection.com/ to find out more!

first glances...

2014-02-18T02:50:00.003-06:00

We have officially hit the one week mark of our arrival to south korea! in some ways, we've been really busy and the week has gone by fast. in many other ways, we didn't do too much since there was an exercise on base last week that limited a lot of the checking in that needed to happen. we've met a few of the guys and their wives in the squadron, and they are all so amazingly nice and welcoming. I'm going to feel really bad when I can't remember their names. our sponsors have been incredible, as well; figuring out all the little things (phone, exchanging money, paying rent, squadron things, etc) would have been a whole lot more difficult without their help. we have been in the nice pet-friendly TLF and as comfortable as they make your initial arrival, we are really looking forward to moving into our house, which will happen tomorrow! (trust me, you're going to want to check back in for pictures of that...elaborate is a good word to describe it)

we took a quick little day trip to Seoul on the day off yesterday and the bus delivered us straight from the base here at Osan to the Army post in Seoul, Yongsan, in about an hour. can't beat that! Seoul is the world's 5th largest city and I can definitely see many more trips in our future.

I've only taken a few pictures so far, in the interest of protecting my hands from Korea's cold weather. I feel a little silly that I haven't been prepared for winter-I guess I knew it was coming, but it has been three years that I've had to wear a jacket (and really hat and mittens) outside on a consistent number of days. Only I haven't done that and instead, spent our whole day in 30 degree weather walking around Seoul shivering. And you're right. 30 degrees isn't even that cold. But I was rather ill-prepared for it. Fortunately, our HGs (household goods) arrived in Korea ahead of us and will be delivered tomorrow, on the first day in our new house, which is almost unheard of when you move around in the U.S. One of the many things I've been thankful for here in Korea so far is their expedition.

Enjoy the pictures (the one of the pad thai is yes, Thai food in Korea...however, it was far better than any Thai food I remember eating while in Thailand a few years ago)

let's just say that everyone knew we were coming before we arrived, as we agreed to buy our "good friends'" car, who PCSed just a week before we got here. no, we had no idea what we were agreeing to buy. if you think the outside is creepy, the inside is worse. Zack, I hate you. (xoxo)

this street shot is pretty terrible, as it was cold and cloudy when I took this. it's from the little town right outside the gate, Songtan. Everything is Korean but catered very well to the Americans stationed at Osan. Most shopkeepers speak English and I have already been in quite a few "secret" purse closets.

This is the amazing pad thai. I can't wait to go back here...maybe tonight...?

It was fun seeing this little coffee shop (that's also a lounge?) called "Hollys" on our trip to Seoul. This is in Itaewon, which is right outside the Army post, also very catered to Americans. but GREAT shopping! I can't wait to go back. Mom and grandma, you wouldn't even know what to do here.

This was my first bibimbap in Korea and while I still liked it, each shop makes it differently (it's a very classic Korean dish of rice and veggies in a scorching stone pot...the egg and veggies are all raw when it gets to your table, but you're supposed to mix it all up and flavor it with hot sauce or it'll burn quickly) -- this variety had seaweed, which gave it a rather fishy taste and also some rather sketchy looking brown tentacle-looking things, which I picked out.

Tyler enjoyed his beef stew, which came out boiling.

This was actually for reference for our subway travels, but I thought I'd include it. This is just one tiny portion of the Korean subway system. The whole thing includes several different levels and at least 10 different colored lines. yikes!

Dongdaeum, a famous shopping area in Seoul, was fun to walk around in. It was, however, mostly a flea market filled with crafting pieces. It was all very overwhelming, and since the aisles are so narrow and there were so many people, we felt rushed and very much in the way.

This was another building of Dongdaeum. SO narrow!

And then just a few random buildings...

That's all I've got for now! Thanks for checking in. We're really looking forward to getting our stuff tomorrow and sleeping in our own bed for the first time in two months. Sigh.

the last few...

2014-02-06T18:44:00.002-06:00

We are in our last days here in the incredible United States. Nostalgia aside, we have had some amazing experiences and since Christmas have left Tucson, traveled to MN, flew to Phoenix, traveled to Rapid City and then west through Oregon and south through California, where we will leave from on Sunday. SUNDAY.

Just a preview of the tons of pictures you're about to see...and yes, we were totally into selfies. Timed, walk-away selfies and hold-the-camera-out selfies. I'm not even going to feel guilty about it.

We drove through Arches National Park and saw the beauty in the rock formations and distant mountains. The park is huge and after spending an hour and driving and walking to see about 7 arches, called it good. On the way out we read in the brochure there are over 2000 arches in the whole park!!

We then met our niece in Rapid City and got to love on her for a few days and spend time with family and friends there. We got chased by winter weather on our drive to Bozeman and instead detoured to Casper, WY and then continued on to Boise, where we stayed with a dear friend and her charming children and saw my cousin, Patrick.

From Boise we drove to central Oregon, and immediately fell in love with the quaint city of Bend, where we spent a couple of days (where all the hiking pictures are from). On our drive out of Oregon we were fortunate to be able to see stunning Crater Lake (and in the winter, even luckier!) Standing on the edge of that sure was nerve wracking!

Then we stayed in Crescent City, CA - right on the coast - and saw the jaw-dropping redwoods for the first time. And boy, will we not soon forget those! Nothing like a million pound tree to make one feel so small.

We were able to drive down the coast for a large part of our drive to Sonoma and loved the rocky views of the ocean. There were few sandy beaches and even fewer people, which made it seem like we weren't in California at all. We stopped in Sonoma as a budget-friendly alternative to Napa Valley and got to taste some wine and see a good friend from Sheppard!

From there, I dropped Tyler off at the airport in San Francisco for him to do training in FL this week and then drove north again (this time inland) and saw Misty for a night and now am enjoying staying with my friend, Buddy, and her adorable family.

It's hard to fathom the kind of love and hospitality we have been shown the past few weeks. We have experienced so many amazing places around the Western US and reconnected with many old friends. We have been shown great kindness by old friends, and new friends we haven't even met who are preparing for our arrival in South Korea. God has shown us His love through many ways and I am so thankful I can't even find the words.

2013-11-18T15:58:00.000-06:00