Happy Thanksgiving from Korea!
As I'm about to lay down my head after this Thanksgiving Day in Korea, the sun is beginning to shine in Iowa. Today was bittersweet as I was thankful to be able to celebrate this, one of my favorite, of holidays in Korea, but I was missing my family a lot. It's difficult to believe I won't be at Grandma Landers's house in a few hours to eat and eat and eat and then relax with the cousins drinking Dad's rootbeer, and stuffing our faces some more with Grandma's veggie-beef soup and dumplings. However, Chaz and I are SO thankful we have great friends, Randy and Charlei, who prepared an absolutely fantastic Thanksgiving feast for us. Turkey (prepared to perfection), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mixed veggies, homemade biscuits, apple pie, pumpkin pie....it was fabulous! Best meal in Busan, fo sho! The company was also wonderful as we relaxed and watched television and chatted. Now I am properly stuffed and exhausted, the way it should be at Thanksgiving. We are also looking forward to celebrating the holiday with Kelly and some Korean friends this weekend, as well as with our new church family.
On this thankfulness-est of days, I am thankful for many things:
Living in Busan and fulfilling a dream of teaching overseas.
Being surrounded by mountains and ocean and so many other sights so unfamiliar to these midwestern girl's eyes.
Obnoxious middle school boys who fill my life with joy (and pain).
Great co-workers who do try to help me, even through a language barrier.
Excellent foreign friends who provide a precious link to sanity on those crazy days.
Understanding public transportation in a different language.
Friends back home. We miss you but are so thankful we get to talk to you!!
The support and love from our family back home. (Mom & Pops Schmidt, Papa Chuck, Mama Penny and Black Daddy, Ben, Sam, Apro, Bobert, Jon, Sounthone, Great Grandma, Grandma Irene, Grandma Landers, Grandma Betty, Grandpa Wilbur, and all them aunts and uncles and cousins)
The internet for making it possible to get said support and love.
Our nieces who, let's face it, rock the world.
Kat's help in those crucial, tough beginning moments in Korea.
Kelly, my 베프, for ALL of the great times in the past, and the new great memories we're making.
My husband, Chazlekins, who loves me more than I can even comprehend. Jesus-type of love. Selfless love.
I could go on and on and on because I am thankful for so much in my life, but I will only bore you. Instead, I'll leave you with a smile on this day. My students made Thanksgiving cards in my classes this week. I received a few, and here are two of my favs:
"Kate Teacher- You good teacher."
"English teacher- I am thankful for you because you are best."
"To Mrs. Kate- I am thankful for you because you taught me about interesting American cultures and traditional things. For example, Thanksgiving Day and Macy's Day parade. Also, you taught me presidential pardon, Black Friday. Most of all Black Friday was very interesting and funny. From Samuel."
And the best one:
"Kate Teacher- I am thankful for you because you are the best teacher in the world." (okay, i MIGHT have coerced that one)
Enjoy this beautiful day!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Past Month...
This past month has been a whirlwind, and I apologize to those of you wondering, “Where in the world did Kate go now?” I’m still in Busan, and I’m still alive, and I’m still going strong. So, here’s my whirlwind update of the past whirlwind month:
In October, Kat left us for the great plains of Ioway. It was sad to see her go, but we spent one last excellent weekend before she flew away. Her last adventure? Climb Mt. Sinbul in Ulsan. It was an epic climb as we, unknowingly, took the steep, and sometimes perilous, trek up the mountain. Three hours later, however, we were at the peak to get an incredible view of the Korean landscape around us. Absolutely breathtaking, especially as leaves were changing colors. It was just what Chaz and I needed to even more fully appreciate the beauty of Korea, and just what Kat needed to remind her about why she loves Korea so much and wants to come back in January.
The week that Kat left, although sad, was also one for celebration as KELLY made her return to the Land of the Morning Calm. It was a joyous reunion after thirteen months of being apart as Chaz and I met her (a surprise to her) at the airport to welcome her back with Korean signs, hugs, hearts, and treats. It’s been absolutely wonderful living in the same city as her for the first time in five years. Although she lives a good trek across the city away from us, we still find many times a week we can get together, usually meeting halfway. I love having my best friend back (!), as well as a tie to home.
Halloween was also a blast, as we celebrated our first American holiday since coming to Korea. We met some friends for dinner, and all of us were decked out in costumes. Chaz and I went as Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, and Korean children we met on the street laughed and ran away from us as we pointed our wands at them shouting spells. Yes, we are nerds. And we love it.
Besides major events, life continues to bring newness, but also comfort as we continue to become “pros” at living in Busan. We have started going to a church in the past couple of weeks. It has been great to fellowship with other foreigners, and even Koreans that attend the church. We also have enjoyed hanging out with some of Kelly & Kat's friends (and now ours too!) from Ulsan: Ji and Ots. We even got to attend one of Ji's Sk8ing competitions. Korean class has kept us busy, but we are also enjoying showing off our knowledge to our students. Every time I say something in Korean, my students all are shocked and say, “Whooooooooooooa, teacher!” Then they give me a “power clap” (our class symbol of a job well done). Okay, I might like to show off just a bit. It gives me a little confidence boost during an especially tough day or week. ^_^
Now we are looking towards the holidays with excitement, but also a bit of trepidation. We are excited to celebrate in Korea, but we are also sure that they will bring homesickness and a desire to see family. This will be the first Thanksgiving I haven’t spent with the Landers family, and I will definitely miss the food, the conversation, the laughter, the movies, and grandma’s vegetable beef soup and DUMPLINGS. sigh. I guess I’ll make it. We are also looking to winter break. We will begin winter break Christmas Eve, and the semester begins again the second week of February. However, during winter break, we will teach one week of Winter Camp, and then I will have two weeks of After School class. The plus side: both of these will be done with by noon everyday, AND we still get at least two weeks of actual break after they are over. Once the semester begins, we will have one or two weeks of classes, a week off for “Spring Break,” and then a new school year will start which also means I WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO THIS TIME AROUND. Really looking forward to that “new beginning.”
Rest assured, dear family and friends, we are still alive and well, just incredibly busy. I dream of simplicity and rest, but I know in a fast-paced culture, I will get less and less of this. I’m making it, though, and still enjoying life in Korea.
In October, Kat left us for the great plains of Ioway. It was sad to see her go, but we spent one last excellent weekend before she flew away. Her last adventure? Climb Mt. Sinbul in Ulsan. It was an epic climb as we, unknowingly, took the steep, and sometimes perilous, trek up the mountain. Three hours later, however, we were at the peak to get an incredible view of the Korean landscape around us. Absolutely breathtaking, especially as leaves were changing colors. It was just what Chaz and I needed to even more fully appreciate the beauty of Korea, and just what Kat needed to remind her about why she loves Korea so much and wants to come back in January.
The week that Kat left, although sad, was also one for celebration as KELLY made her return to the Land of the Morning Calm. It was a joyous reunion after thirteen months of being apart as Chaz and I met her (a surprise to her) at the airport to welcome her back with Korean signs, hugs, hearts, and treats. It’s been absolutely wonderful living in the same city as her for the first time in five years. Although she lives a good trek across the city away from us, we still find many times a week we can get together, usually meeting halfway. I love having my best friend back (!), as well as a tie to home.
Halloween was also a blast, as we celebrated our first American holiday since coming to Korea. We met some friends for dinner, and all of us were decked out in costumes. Chaz and I went as Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, and Korean children we met on the street laughed and ran away from us as we pointed our wands at them shouting spells. Yes, we are nerds. And we love it.
Besides major events, life continues to bring newness, but also comfort as we continue to become “pros” at living in Busan. We have started going to a church in the past couple of weeks. It has been great to fellowship with other foreigners, and even Koreans that attend the church. We also have enjoyed hanging out with some of Kelly & Kat's friends (and now ours too!) from Ulsan: Ji and Ots. We even got to attend one of Ji's Sk8ing competitions. Korean class has kept us busy, but we are also enjoying showing off our knowledge to our students. Every time I say something in Korean, my students all are shocked and say, “Whooooooooooooa, teacher!” Then they give me a “power clap” (our class symbol of a job well done). Okay, I might like to show off just a bit. It gives me a little confidence boost during an especially tough day or week. ^_^
Now we are looking towards the holidays with excitement, but also a bit of trepidation. We are excited to celebrate in Korea, but we are also sure that they will bring homesickness and a desire to see family. This will be the first Thanksgiving I haven’t spent with the Landers family, and I will definitely miss the food, the conversation, the laughter, the movies, and grandma’s vegetable beef soup and DUMPLINGS. sigh. I guess I’ll make it. We are also looking to winter break. We will begin winter break Christmas Eve, and the semester begins again the second week of February. However, during winter break, we will teach one week of Winter Camp, and then I will have two weeks of After School class. The plus side: both of these will be done with by noon everyday, AND we still get at least two weeks of actual break after they are over. Once the semester begins, we will have one or two weeks of classes, a week off for “Spring Break,” and then a new school year will start which also means I WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO THIS TIME AROUND. Really looking forward to that “new beginning.”
Rest assured, dear family and friends, we are still alive and well, just incredibly busy. I dream of simplicity and rest, but I know in a fast-paced culture, I will get less and less of this. I’m making it, though, and still enjoying life in Korea.
Monday, November 09, 2009
I know I've been slacking...
I know I have so much to update. On the list:
—Mountain Climbing
—Kat's departure
—Kel's arrival
—Halloween
I promise to cover all of those topics in an incredibly large post very soon. However, time is short right now due to it being 11:09 and having to get up early for school, so I decided to write a quick update on current happenings. Life seems to be incredibly busy lately.
Among the list of current happenings includes Korean class. Chaz and I started taking a Korean language class midway through October. I can't believe it's slipped my mind to blog about it until now. We've enjoyed meeting Tuesday and Thursday nights with a group of 20 other foreigners to learn basics of Korean. It's already helped out tremendously as we've learned the Hangeul alphabet and can successfully read (slowly) Korean. Most of the time we don't know what the words mean, but there are many instances in which English words are "Koreanized," so as I'm reading, I suddenly realize I'm reading an English word.
For example:
피자=Pi-ja (pizza)
커피=keo-pi (coffee)
There are many more Konglish words, but those are two prominent ones that are noticeable. That's today's Korean lesson! Hope you enjoyed these little Korean tidbits.
—Mountain Climbing
—Kat's departure
—Kel's arrival
—Halloween
I promise to cover all of those topics in an incredibly large post very soon. However, time is short right now due to it being 11:09 and having to get up early for school, so I decided to write a quick update on current happenings. Life seems to be incredibly busy lately.
Among the list of current happenings includes Korean class. Chaz and I started taking a Korean language class midway through October. I can't believe it's slipped my mind to blog about it until now. We've enjoyed meeting Tuesday and Thursday nights with a group of 20 other foreigners to learn basics of Korean. It's already helped out tremendously as we've learned the Hangeul alphabet and can successfully read (slowly) Korean. Most of the time we don't know what the words mean, but there are many instances in which English words are "Koreanized," so as I'm reading, I suddenly realize I'm reading an English word.
For example:
피자=Pi-ja (pizza)
커피=keo-pi (coffee)
There are many more Konglish words, but those are two prominent ones that are noticeable. That's today's Korean lesson! Hope you enjoyed these little Korean tidbits.
Konglish Quote of the Day
"English—A flavor everyone can enjoy!" —Seen on one of my students' notebooks
Monday, November 02, 2009
Konglish Quote of the Day
"The time for trying for bright future! Though it is sick and tiring for you to listen to studying everyday, How about trying a bit more? The hardship you are facing now will reward you as a precious present. Why don't you enjoy the moment now?" —from my planner
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