Sweet Tea

It's 10:41 Pm. I'm sitting next to my computer watching a video made by some friends back in Orlando. Sipping on sweet tea, I began thinking of home, my friends, and family. I miss them.

Then the thought comes to my mind; is it my friends whom I miss or the thoughts, expressions, words, and love they constantly share. Sometimes, I feel like I am in an expressionless void surrounded by zombies whose main motivation for living is money. Surrounded by people who are afraid to fully express themselves. To share who they really are. I miss them.

I miss the freedom of expression my friends and I shared. The constant flow of love and the creativity it created. It was beautiful. When I hear of what they are up to, I yearn for it... here, in Korea. I want people to freely express themselves. I want people to think of things other than money, jobs, and the outward appearance. I want to become creative again.

I have become caught up and the everyday life, that I have actually forgotten about why I am here. Why I came to Korea in the first place. I have forgotten how to be creative. It's time to step it up. To love those around me and to allow that love to create creativity. The love of Christ. My God. My Friend.

Thank you to all those from Orlando. You have deeply shaped my life and I'm constantly thinking of you. I don't stay in contact as much as I would like to, but know that I love you. I like reading about your lives and the things going on with Status. Thank you for the freshness you bring.

These Days

I have been in Korea for just over one year and a half now and I love where I am. I'm living in Seoul, teaching for a kindergarten where my boss loves me. The kids I teach also love me. I'm paying my own rent now and all the bills that come along with it. I really have no complaints.

Since I have been in Korea, I have been part of things that I never dreamed of when I first moved here. I was in a Korean musical that where I had to act and sing in Korean. I was one of the main characters. I guess you could say I was the comic relief. It was a hard journey, but am really glad I went through it. I was able to learn a lot about my self. Some good, some not so good. After I finished the musical, I was asked to be part of Othello... done completely in Korean. This time I was just part of the ensemble. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some really great people.

Other than that, I have just been working and hanging out with friends. I'm starting to learn that I need to take time for myself. Without this, I tend to lose myself. Hopefully, I can keep that up and always remember to take time away from everything and just relax, enjoy all the things God has given me.

Also, I have found a coffee shop that I really enjoy coming to. While skiing the other day, I scraped my elbow. Now whenever I come into the shop, the owner always puts medicine on it. She is quite motherly. I like that.

10 Movies I Do Not Want to See

10. Stone - I actually like all the actors in this movie, however this one just doesn't seem too interesting.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/stone/

9. The Karate Kid - I love the original. Why would I need to watch this. Jackie Chan what are you doing?

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/karatekid/

8. Book of Eli - Sounded interesting, however I really do not like Denzel Washington. However, I did like Training Day.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thebookofeli/

7. Frozen - The idea of watching teenagers scream for 2 hours or so does not sound appealing.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/frozen/

6. The Spy Next Door - I use to really like Jackie Chan, now I'm starting to really dislike his movies. Dear Mr. Chan Could you please go back to your old Chinese style movies. You were best at those.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/spynextdoor/

5. Faster - The Rock... er I mean Dwayne Johnson is in it.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/faster/

4. Twilight - Any and all of these movies. Everything about them is terrible.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/summit/thetwilightsagaeclipse/

3. Step Up 3D - Why are there so many movies in 3D these days. Dance movies are never good, even if they are in 3D. Okay, maybe Dirty Dancing and Footloose were good.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/stepup3d/

2. Piranha 3D - I guess if you put it in 3D people will watch it.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/piranha3d/

1. Saw 3D - I never liked the original, nor the second one. I haven't gone past that. Being in 3D will not make it better.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/saw3d/

From the last three, just assume that any movie that comes out in 3D, I will not be there to see it. I hope this trend goes away fast.

Letters From the Past

Last night I was with a friend just walking around a lake and chatting. I seem to be walking around that lake quite often these days. Well, after awhile of walking, my friend asked if to sit down for a bit. I did and we began talking about God. As we were talking, she began to ask if He was really listening to what she had to say. She said she doubts Him sometimes. I began to tell her that He is always there. When we think He isn't listening, we just have to trust that He is. I told her there were and still are many times when I have the same thoughts. However, we shouldn't allow these thoughts to turn us away from Him.

I then opened my notebook and wanted to show her something I had written during a pretty dark time in my life. When I couldn't find it on my computer, I saw a different piece on my desktop. I opened it and we began to read it. It was crazy because I had completely forgotten what I had written about and as we read it, we saw that it pertained to exactly what we were talking about.

After we finished, I began thinking about it. It might have been good for her, but it was also something that I needed to read. It was things that have been on my heart and have placed to the side. It was God telling me to come back to it. I thought it was funny how God would use something I had written several months ago to get my attention. To tell me not to forget my promises.

And even before all of this, we were at a Korean church. The pastor was talking about time and our promises. For me, I don't usually listen the first time. I usually need something to hit me in the face before I actually hear it. I guess seeing it in my own writing was God's way of doing just that. I actually enjoy those moments. Moments of clarity. I know I could use a lot more. Sometimes it is quite easy to get distracted.

A Sabbath

Okay, so I'm sitting at a coffee shop I discovered earlier this week with a friend. Today would actually be the third day this week that I have come here. It's a good place to come and write. Its semi-near where I live and the people are friendly.

Well, I have finally begin to work on my body. I started yoga and am trying to ride my bike more. And by ride my bike more, I mean actually ride it. Since I started the musical back in December, I feel like a lot of things went to the wayside. I stopped riding my bike, I began eating fast food, and I was eating out way too much. I'm in a process of changing all of that now. I'm setting a budget for myself, exercising, and even writing more. Actually the past few weeks have been pretty good. I'm no longer in the musical so all of that stress is gone. However, now I have quite a bit of free time on my hands. Therefore, I am placing things such as yoga, riding my bike, and writing where the musical practice use to be. I think it will be good for me. Who knows, maybe I can write a story and try to shoot it later on.

So, I titled this 'A Sabbath' because today is one of the first days and a very long time where I didn't have anything planned. I mean, I did yoga this morning but after that, my day was free. I have no plans of meeting people. Today is a day of truly resting. I decided to come to the coffee shop because it is quite peaceful here. (And I was just given some food from the barista... for free.) It is a place I can come and just sit. I can eat a chicken salad if I want and drink some coffee. It has been refreshing to not have any plans.

I am one of those people who is always thinking of the future. I don't really allow my brain to rest. I'm constantly thinking of what I should do next and when I don't have something planned, I feel I need to plan something. I sometimes forget to take time for myself and just enjoy the moment. I have had so many conversations where I have given advice to not worry so much about the future, but to enjoy the now and never seem to listen to myself. I always seem to think this advice is for others and not me. However, days like today remind me, I need that just as much as everyone else. I'm no different than the person next to me.

2 Months? Seriously?

I can't believe it has been two months since my last update. I think a lot has to do with the fact I have been writing a lot more on paper these days. It's been a lot more personal and stuff I guess I didn't feel comfortable sharing with the world.

Anyway, I would like to give an update on things in my life. I guess I will start with the musical. We started back in December and have been working hard ever since. A month in, we changed the script. It was a good script and the director was good. About 3 months in, the director was let go. Thus, a new script had to be made. The old director wrote the previous script so when she left, the old script left also. Sometime in April we were given our new script. This one is just as good. It's very different than the last one. However, we were given this script about a month before we were suppose to perform. The date never changed.

There has been a lot of stress on everyone's part. Some disputes, tempers flared, and hugs given. We really are like one big family... Korean/Foreigner family. I like it. I think we have all learned a lot through this experience. God has been stretching a lot of us. I know in some ways, I have become much stronger, but have also discovered weaknesses. I'm learning when to keep my mouth shut and when I should speak. I'm also learning a lot about friendships. People I never thought I would be friends with have literally become best friends.

So, we will perform this coming Sunday, May 16th. I'm excited and extremely nervous. I know it won't be perfect, but we are putting our all in it. I guess that is what is important.

This past weekend we went on a trip to 산청( Sancheong.) My experience there was quite... well... something. For the very first time I tried acupuncture. I'm not sure what happened, but my body became extremely week and I actually almost past out. (I have photos of the needles in me. I show those later.) After I was able to get up, I felt very sick. My body began to ache and felt drained. It was as if all my energy was pulled from my body. The next day we went to a place where they believe Korea's chi is the strongest. We touched this rock that was suppose to give us energy from the earth. Then, I noticed afterwards, my body was gradually getting better. By the time we got home, there was no pain in my body and I had quite a bit of energy. It was quite an amazing experience.

Now, I'm home and am ready for the week. We still have a lot of work to be fully prepared for this Sunday. Pray for us this week as I'm sure it will be quite trying on all of us.

10 Ways Korea has Influenced Me

Well, I have been in Korea for over a year now and I guess it was only a matter of time before things that I normally wouldn't do, become completely normal and are done without thinking about it.

10. May have forgotten how to drive a car.

9. No longer say, "bless you" when someone sneezes.

8. Crave squid when out with friends. (It's so good and there are many ways to eat it!)

7. Say 아이고(I E Go) or 어떻게 (oh ddah kay) when something sudden happens.

6. Type Korean names only in Korean. It's really hard to translate them to English. (Above: It was hard to spell 아이고 and 어떻게 so you know how to say it.)

5. Would rather text only in Korean. It's faster and takes up less space.

4. Probably eat rice at least once a day, sometimes more. Actually, I crave it most of the time.

3. Can sleep on the bus or subway and wake up just before my stop. I will never understand that.

2. Give and take things with two hands. I noticed this while in Japan. My friend kept making fun of me because they don't do that there. However, we do it here in Korea.

1. I bow to everyone while saying 안녕 하세요. It's a greeting. (And when I say everyone, I mean foreigners as well.)

Well, there are 10 things that you might see me doing if we meet. I'm sure there are more, but this was what I could think of. Enjoy^^

2010/2/13

Right now, I'm sitting in a coffee shop a few minutes from my house. It's small and cozy. The coffee is okay, but think it could be a good place to come from time to time. For those who don't know, I have recently moved to a new place in 건대 (Kondae) which is located in Seoul. I have been trying to get my place to look nice and am awaiting the arrival of my couch. Hopefully it will be here by Tuesday. It was suppose to arrive by Thursday, but apparently a little snow stopped that from happening. Other than that, the place is coming together. I like it.

I just found out that I will be transferring to another branch for my kindergarten. It is located in Jamsil which is about 10 minutes away from where I live by subway. The other place took me about an hour and a half to get to work. This means I will get to sleep an extra hour!! That's good news for me. The director I work for now is moving there also. It will be good to continue to work for the same boss. That way, we already know how each other works.

I'm done with Seoul National University. Since I am in the musical, I will not have time to go back until after the musical. I'm also thinking of not going back to SNU, but instead to a school closer. Maybe Kondae. We will see how things work out after the musical.

Speaking of the musical, that is going... well... it's hard. Trying to learn a script that is in a language you don't fully understand is really hard. However, everyone is trying to help and makes it a lot of fun. Friday, we had an interview with tbs efm, a radio station here in Korea. That was fun. Apparently, Tuesday KBS will be coming to document the rehearsal process and take some photos. I guess I should look decent for my TV appearance.

I honestly cannot say how thankful I am. God has truly blessed me with this amazing opportunity. I work with wonderful people and have met so many people. It truly is a great experience. I'm anxious and excited about the performance. I just hope Koreans understand that we are giving our hearts into it, but it will not be perfect. I mean, we are foreigners acting in a language we don't know. But I believe they will understand.

Pray for us. We will all need patience during this time. People can become frustrating during situations like this and we all need to stay cool and calm.

A Man Sitting on His Shoes

I'm walking home from the bus when I see a man sitting on the ground barefoot. He is barefoot because he is using his shoes to keep him off the wet ground. It is raining slightly and the man looks cold.

I want to do something for him, but what? I reach into my pocket for my change before deciding to pull out my wallet. I grab a few thousand won and hand it to him. I put my wallet away and cross the street.

"Is that all you can do?" my heart cries.

"He's Korean. I don't speak Korean. What more could I do?" I reply.

I walk to the bus stop thinking about the man sitting on his shoes. Could I have done more? How do I communicate with someone who speaks a different language? How do I show Christ's love without words?

After I got on the bus, I went home where it is dry and away from the cold. I can't stop thinking about the man sitting on his shoes. Guilt tries to come in, but I know guilt is not needed. Action is needed. But what action? I'm in a foreign land with a foreign language. What can I do? God has called me to stand up and stand out, but how?

This man sitting on his shoes has stirred something inside me.

Larry David Should Move to Korea

If Larry David thought he had awkward moments in the States, he should move to a country where people speak a different language.

Today, while riding on the subway to rehearsals, I got a phone call from my realtor. She, nor anyone in the office, speaks any English.

*Also, it is difficult to spell out how Korean sounds in English so maybe to all those who can't read Korean; you will understand how frustrated I was during this situation.

Realtor 1: 여보세요.

Me: Hello. 여보세요.

Realtor 1: 쟈니예요?

*쟈니 is Johnny in Korean. One of the ways to spell it that is.

Me:네

This is where I can no longer understand the situation. A lot is said in Korean and I understand words such as bank and deposit. However, I have no clue what they were saying. Then, I hear, "One moment please."

Realtor 2: 여보세요.

Me: 여보세요.

Realtor 2: 쟈니예요?

Me: 네. 네.

Then, she says the same exact thing the first person said... all in Korean. I tell them I do not understand in Korean. Then, I hear, "One moment please."

Realtor 3: 여보세요.

Me: 여보세요.

Realtor 3: 쟈니예요?

Me: 네.

Again, the same thing is repeated all in Korean. At this point I have given up on trying to even speak Korean. On several occasions I said I was meeting a friend and would call them back all in Korean. They just said okay and kept talking. Then, this happened.

Me: I'm meeting a friend. I will call you back.

Realtor 3: What?

Me: I'm meeting a friend and I will call you back.

Realtor 3: What? (In the back ground I hear, "어뗳게" which is what Koreans say when they don't know what to do.)

Me: I will call you back.

Realtor 3: Okay.

After about 15 minutes of this conversation, I finally hang up. Then, they apparently realized they knew my teacher's number who is Korean and called her and had her talk to me. Apparently, if the same thing is said by three different people, you will eventually understand what is being said. This gave my friends and I something to laugh about later at dinner.

Just in case you are wondering, everything is going well with the house. They apparently couldn't find the money I deposited, but eventually did find it. Not sure how they couldn't find it, but at least it was found and I am still able to move in on Sat!!

Umm... What?

Okay, I told you I had some big news and I wasn't lying. I finally have a few moments where I can tell you a little about what it actually is. I can tell you it involves Korean and singing. I can also tell you that it involves acting. Can you guess what it is? It's a Korean musical that yours truly will be part of.

Now before you start, I know, I'm not Korean and I haven't acted since I was in high school. However, the director saw something in me and decided I would be good for it. Here is a little bit more info. The people I am working with are doing a musical that is equivalent to Romeo and Juliet in Korean without the tragedy part. There will be a Korean cast and a foreign cast. I am pretty sure you can guess which cast I am part of. This is a great opportunity for me and am ever so thankful I was asked to be part of it. I have already met a lot of people who are extremely nice and always willing to help. Pretty much, it's amazing.

In case you still don't understand, I will break it down for you a little more.

1. There will be a Korean play with two sets of cast; Korean and foreign.

2. I am in it. I will be singing and speaking in Korean.

3. I am in a musical in Korea!!!!

Keep reading for more updates. I will constantly update as much as I can and am allowed to. Yes, I know this might seem really random, but come on, it's me we are talking about.

December 4th Should Have Been a Snow Day

I was awaken with the great joy of snow today. I am from the south and have only lived in the north for a little over a year and have never had much snow. Last year in Korea, it didn't really snow either. Last night however, it did!

I felt like a child today as I walked to the bus. I kept grinning as my feet were sliding around and I was trying to keep my balance. I can't explain the joy I felt. I believe today was a gift. A little bit of joy to wash away the frustrations of recent. All day, I heard people complaining about the snow; I just smiled. It wouldn't leave. When people were slipping around me and I, myself was struggling to stay up, I just laughed. It was nice. It was pure.

I truly haven't felt this way in awhile. I felt like a kid again. No worries, no pain. Just pure joy. I am so thankful for the God I have. This joy I have, I know comes from Him. It is such a blessing to have a God who does love us and cares for us. I know the snow wasn't just for me, but it brought a smile to my face... and giggles (even if giggling annoys me 99% of the time). I had a good day.

I just wish it would have been a snow day so I could have laid in the snow, haha. Maybe next time.