red, white, and blue.

hot dogs. watermelon. lakes. potato chips. fireworks. swimming pools. croquet. sparklers. fireworks that are duds. family. angel food cake with strawberries. laughter. celebrating summer birthdays with the family. friends. blowing up watermelons. patriotic demonstration with Kidder leadership 2010. funny stories. sunburns. red, white and blue.

4th of July has always been such a fun summer holiday.  To me it is a celebration of everything I appreciate - my freedom, my family, my friends, my country, summer, good BBQ food, and just life in general.  Growing up we always spent the holiday with family hanging out by a pool, eating BBQ, throwing things at people until someone got hurt, celebrating summer birthdays (I always loved that part) and setting off backyard fireworks and sparklers. 

This is the first 4th that I haven't been in the USA - and it's weird. It was actually yesterday for me...and it passed quietly.  A few of us went out to dinner for fun, but beyond that, nada. Don't worry, I repped it at school by wearing red earrings, a white shirt, and blue jeans, but I don't think anyone understood. haha. It was just weird not to see fireworks stands, flag t-shirts for $5 at Old Navy, grocery stores with sales on typical 4th of July foods, etc.  It's little things like that that you don't realize are so familiar and wonderful until they aren't there.

Being in Korea has made me much more appreciative and proud of my country.  Although it probably contributes to it, I don't think it's merely because I'm away from it.  In the first few weeks of orientation and moving here, I was hit with negative comments about the US and Americans not from Koreans but from other foreigners.  While I'm quick to admit that the USA is definitely not without many, many problems, and that Americans sometimes fit the stereotype of being loud, over confident, etc. it really bothered me when I heard negative comments.  It still bothers me. Sometimes (often) I feel as if it's a lose-lose situation for Americans abroad. Negative comments/stereotypes are said and if we stay silent, I feel as if we're just accepting it and almost encouraging it.  However, if we speak up and either A. ask them to please stop because it offends us or B. defend our country we are either told A. they're just joking and to lighten up (riiight - joking) or B. it looks as if we're feeding into the stereotype of being overly confident. blah.  It's just so frustrating to me.  While I may not fully agree with everything our government decides to do, I fully support our country and am especially grateful to those who have dedicated part or all of their lives to defend the US in the military.

So as cheesy as this is,  I'm proud to be an American.

To lighten up after that serious note, please enjoy this hilarious video from my 4th of July last summer.  This was in the backyard of a family in Yreka, CA and it's all of the Kidder Staff of 2010 watching.  Leadership put together this hilarious production in about 5-10 minutes and it was sooo fun. Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!!

Fondly named "A Patriotic Demonstration"

The proper means of increasing the love we bear our native country is to reside some time in a foreign one.  ~William Shenstone

UPDATE: My family was all (well minus a few) together today and because it's finals and I had a half day of work, I was able to skype with them before they went outside to do fireworks.   As usual, it was SO good to talk to them.  My family is seriously the best at making a person feel loved and missed when he or she can't make it to a family gathering!  We usually celebrate my birthday on 4th of July (since it's July 21 and we do all summer birthdays in the fam on the 4th) so they even put the computer next to everyone else who was sung to and I "blew" out the candle via skype! haha! To be expected, it made me miss home even more, but was totally worth it.  Here are a few screen shots I took of the skype video!  Love you family - you're amazing (even when you do tease me with strawberries and pound cake!)

as they're singing Happy Birthday!

Josiah! He loves his Aunt Rachel even over Skype!

Off like a rocket!

Imagine walking along a nice, calm pathway in a beautiful national park.  Trees all around, it's a peaceful setting, and you just keep walking.  Eventually, without much interaction with others, you might get a little bored.  You are still enjoying the scenery and loving your time, but you want a little more to keep yourself occupied and not wishing you were somewhere else.  It's so easy to become complacent and even apathetic about a situation/place when you have been in it for awhile and can idealize what life is like in a different situation. However, you know the peace/boredom will not last long.  You know that you are coming to a large campsite where you will join with a large group of friends to go on a backpacking trip.  You're excited. It will change your perspective of the forest when you are with them - they will break up the trail, if you get what I'm saying.

The month of June has been like that solitary walk in the forest for me.  Not that I've been completely solitary - I've had fun with friends and such here, but I haven't left Daegu.  Life is normal, routine, and comfortable.  However, I'm coming up to the exciting change of perspective - July.  July holds so much excitement for me. It marks the beginning of summer break, which will include only teaching a few hours a day and relaxing a lot.  One weekend I will be gone to a very popular festival on the beach, the following week contains my birthday (the big 23! haha), the next weekend a friend from Point Loma who is coincidentally visiting South Korea to see family is hopefully going to visit Daegu, and then July 27 I will be flying out to China for 10 days! All of June I've been looking forward to July - and it's finally almost here! I'm excited to see Asia from a different perspective and see some new people/familiar faces!

Warning, however - I will try to keep up with the blogs, but be patient with me, all this excitement will call for lots of pictures and stories that I won't want to leave out so it may take me awhile!

OH! exciting, wonderful, exciting news - We just found out that my sister and her family will be welcoming a new little GIRL into the family in November!! I'm going to have my first niece!!!!

That's all for now - stay tuned for complaints about torrential rain and humidity, summer "camp", visitors, and trips!!

"No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath... We get one story, you and I, and one story alone." -Donald Miller

Gettin Jiggy With It

Well folks, today's post won't be particularly witty, nor will it be deep.  Just going to catch you up on random everyday (well, not for you) happenings in my life!

Dance Class

First thing I must share relates to the title of the post and provided me a wonderful laugh.  I joined a nearby gym a few months ago and am enjoying it for the most part.  It's much smaller than I would like, the machines are older, and the locker rooms are way too full of completely naked older Korean women for my comfort (seriously, they stand around talking and blocking walkways haha) - but a gym is a gym, and I love that it has given me routine and some other form of exercise than my p90x videos!  Anyway, they offer a few classes - yoga and dance primarily.  Well, because I'm not quite wonderful at either of those, I didn't think I would embarrass myself and attempt.  However, another foreigner I know who also goes to the gym convinced me to try the dance class.  I thought it would be a joke and not a work out, so I agreed. Oh man, my mistake.  We danced to Korean pop songs for an hour.  To clarify, when I say "we danced", I mean that they knew all of these pre-learned dances to the songs and Thumi (my friend) spent the hour flailing our bodies attempting without success to keep up.  It was hilarity at its finest.  I truly hope someone was watching (the whole back wall behind us is a glass wall to the main part of the gym) and had as much entertainment as I did just watching us in the mirror.  At some points I couldn't even try anymore because I was laughing too hard.  Now the question is...should I attempt the class again??

If you don't know what Korean pop (kpop) sounds like, here's one of my favorites:

http://youtu.be/JHzSd26gB-c

Transportation

In other news, I've told you about the transportation situation here.  Between the subway, cheap taxis and city buses, public transportation is surprisingly reliable and easy to use now so that's not a problem.  I know which part of the subway I like - I'd rather be up front, less people, more chance of sitting down - and I have only been yelled at once on the bus (This actually made me pretty mad because the bus driver just was yelling at me in Korean for no real reason in front of a bus full of people. blah).  As far as taxis go, I know the words for right, left, straight and stop!  Pedestrian walking is a whole other game.  I am a pro car-hearer (don't judge my choice of words) and before it gets close I can usually figure out if it is small like a small car or scooter or large, like a van, in which case I need to find a gap in parked cars to wait until it passes.  Basically, transportation is like a game. Pick the right subway car, time it right at a bus stop, weave in and out of cars without having to pause in stride to let a big one pass: you win. Opposite of those: loser.

Weather.

Just a warning, but I think humidity might be the end of me.  Apparently it not only makes me sweat and feel like I'm breathing water, but it makes me want to curl up in an air conditioned room and drink ice water.  That is not a good mix with having to teach.  Luckily, in my amazing classroom, I can control the a/c and boy do I ever! I love that wonderful room, and escape there as often as possible.  One day, I was having a teacher workshop with the head of the English department and this was the following conversation:

Him: Laychel, do you know how to stay not hot in summer?

Me: uhhh drink water? cold showers? (I knew he had a suggestion coming, so I quit guessing)

Him: Well, you should sleep with aircon on. Then get up in morning, take cold shower, and hurry to school where there is aircon. Then, stay late in aircon at school. Free aircon for you! Then, hurry home and turn aircon on in studio.

Me: Thank you Mr. Cheon - you are so wise! 

basically, never go outside in the humid, miserable heat in Daegu. 

oh, and it's getting into rainy season.  So not only is it hot and humid - it's raining too! wooo!!

China!

Friends, in case I haven't shared it with you yet - I'm going to China for summer vacation!!! I get 8 paid days of vacation during the summer and have decided to visit China for those days! I will arrive in China on July 27 and return to Korea on August 6th.  Because of weekends, that gives us ample time to check out a few cities and enjoy our vacation.  Traveling with me is my friend Amy Schmidt (I've done many things with her, blond hair) and we will be with 2 of her friends for part of the trip.  Our plan is to spend time in Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai.  We already have flights and partial hotels booked.  Needless to say - I'm excited!! June has been kind of a slow month and I'm ready for some excitement in my life - it makes missing things back home easier if I'm busy here!

Sunset.

On Monday this week, I was feeling pretty down.  I missed a lot this past week back home: a big wedding of close friends, Sarah and Josiah visited my parents for a few days, and the first week of camp was beginning at Kidder Creek.  After work, I was just relaxing in my apartment attempting to motivate myself to work out and I caught a glimpse of the sky outside my window.  Immediately I grabbed my camera and headed up to my rooftop. Look what God painted in the sky - and through it reminded me of all that I have to be grateful for both here and home!

"It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things"
— Donald Miller

Move Along.

When you first learned to drive, was there anything that your mother/father/whoever taught you had to continuously remind you to do?  Not me, of course; At 15 with my driving permit, I was a wonderful student, and I'm sure my driving was impeccable (let's be honest, I was terrified to change lanes).  When prepping to take the actual driving test after I turned 16, I remember being reminded to make it obvious that I checked my rear view mirror frequently.

I think we can all agree that there is a fine line between glancing at the rear view mirror once in a awhile to looking at it so much that it affects your ability to focus on what is around you right now and up ahead. Now, almost 7 years after I began driving, I sometimes think I check my rear view mirror too frequently.  As you can probably guess, I'm not talking about the physical rear view mirror in Wanda (my favorite little white Toyota Corolla whom I miss greatly).  I'm talking about looking back on experiences in your life.  Checking out the rear view mirror into your life, if that makes sense.

In my life, God has provided wonderful experiences for me to enjoy.  However, as all good things do, they eventually must come to an end.  As each adventure has come to a close and I move into something new, I tend to attempt to cling to the closing experience.  Whether it was moving from high school to college, finishing a trip like New Zealand or amazing study abroad, or being done with each summer at Kidder Creek, I look in my "rear view mirror" too much.  I long to relive the experience and relish in the wonderful details of what happened. It's good to have memories and reminisce once in awhile, but like with driving, if you get caught up in looking backwards, you might run into something undesirable in your future as well as not fully enjoy your current situation.

One amazing thing about glancing once in awhile into the past is to see where you have grown and been molded by God. Relating to that, here's what's showing in my rear view mirror these days - Kidder Creek Orchard Camps summer of 2010.

Exactly one year ago, I was beginning a summer as the Wranglers In Training (WIT) Program Director.  Insecure, I didn't know how to adequately do my position, where the summer would lead me, or why God even called me back to Kidder in the first place.  That first week I felt incompetent at my job - but looking back on it, God taught me so much that week, let alone that whole summer. 

He taught me that it's okay to fail and let others help me (picture a failed solo attempt at a campfire, and a grumpy Rachel when someone began to help). 
He taught me the importance of verbal encouragement (picture an old truck that was slowly moving toward a fence every time I attempted to start it and a wonderful encourager had to keep saying "Rach, you can do it. just try one. more. time.)
He taught me about pouring my heart into my students and the joy it brings to watch them grown in Him.
He taught me to open my heart to others rooted in Him and speak deeply, laugh, and grow with them (picture lots of late night talks under beautiful star-filled skies)

and I think the most important was Him beginning to teach me about trust.  That summer, I learned just the surface of what it means to truly trust His wisdom, love, and guidance.  It's the reason that I'm in South Korea today.  If I hadn't prayed so much about it and allowed Him to guide me, I don't think I would have actually applied and come here.  At the time of all of this, I didn't realize I was learning so much - but my glances in the "rear view mirror" of my life has allowed me to appreciate it.

However, like I mentioned, don't keep your eyes focused on the past.  If I did that, I wouldn't fully appreciate what I am experiencing every day here in Korea.  I wouldn't be able to embrace what He is gracing me with today because I'm still focused on yesterday.

Just like you do when driving, find a balance. Don't forget your past, but don't hold onto it like a lifeline.  God calls us to move forward - He has something new for us.

"But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.  For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.  I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19


by the way, although I may have rubbed the curb with the hubcaps, (whoops) I passed my driver's test on the first try.  However, let's not focus on that part of my past and as the All American Rejects would say "Move Along."

Open Class = donezo!

As you all know, today was a big day for me. In case you don't know and might feel left out, this is what happened.  I had my "Open Class" which is a mandatory part of my program.  Us newbies are all placed in Critical Friend Groups (lovingly called CFGs), where 3 or 4 of us new teachers are grouped together along with a mentor who has been teaching in Korea for at least 2 years.  We are required to visit the classrooms of each teacher in our group and observe a class.  Not only do we attend, but a representative from the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education (DMOE, we like acronyms here) is present and evaluates our performance. This not only allows them to make sure you aren't just being a goof in your job but let's them rate you for the chance of renewing your contract at the end of the year.

Some schools make your open class into a huge production and as well as the foreign teachers and DMOE evaluator, other English teachers, the vice principal, or principal may sit in to watch.  I've also visited ones where the class was video taped.  However, that being said, it varies greatly from school to school.  When I asked my coteacher who would be attending other than the few I knew for sure, she didn't have a definite answer. As it turned out, mine was [thankfully] low key.  The DMOE evaluator, my mentor and fellow teachers in my CFG group, and a video camera on a tripod were the only extra beings in my room (if you count a video camera as a being - it practically is.)

One more piece of background information before I tell you how it went.  Technically, I am always supposed to be "coteaching" in all of my classes - meaning I am planning and executing lessons with a Korean English Teacher.  However, my school told me in the beginning that I will be teaching alone and I actually like it - but for the DMOE evaluation, we needed to put on the front that we are always coteaching.  As I was preparing for the lesson, I found it hard to put together a lesson in which we'd equally teach and share.  1. I've never done that before 2. Our schedules conflicted so we never were able to practice in front of a class. 3. It's hard even if you have the time and the experience.  Anyway, I found a way to work her into the lesson and knew I would get some criticisms about her lack of lecturing but hoped my stellar performance would balance it out.

Now to the good stuff. To put it bluntly, I rocked that lesson.

I hadn't been nervous at all until the day before and then I was a bundle of nerves.  Plus, I'm a procrastinator by nature.  Usually, I'm frantically working on things until the last minute.  However, with this, I was way prepared - to the point where I had absolutely nothing left to do the day of the lesson.  I think it was worse to have time to be scared, so, in the future, I will go back to procrastination.

Anyway, the class could not have gone better.  I had warned the girls of that class last week that this lesson is very, very important to me and if they could be good, I would be very appreciative.  And I am sooo proud of them.  They were the most attentive and interactive they have ever been.  Their reactions made my lesson seem exciting, (well, of course it was, but their ooooh's and ahhhhh's made it even better), they laughed extra in the Mr. Bean video, they worked hard and overall made me relax so I could perform better as well.  After the class, a few came up to me and asked "Rachel Teacher, did we do good enough?" so it was wonderful that they cared.  I will definitely be bringing them a little treat next week to thank them!

Not only were the students wonderful, but lesson itself went well.  It wasn't rushed, it wasn't drawn out, and it actually taught them something.  I felt like I knew the material and was comfortable teaching it, and I received positive feedback from the DMOE and CFG group.  The only suggestion they had was to involve the coteacher in the lesson more - but remember, I don't even normally teach with her, so I'm seeing it as if I had no major criticisms!! Success!!

It is wonderful to have the Open Class behind me (we only need to do it once in the whole year) and I think I needed to hear the affirmation that I'm doing an acceptable job at teaching.  Sometimes I remember that I have no training in teaching and get insecure, so it was lovely to hear a little encouragement that I'm doing well.

One of the girls in the CFG group is a friend of mine, so I asked her to take a few pictures of me teaching.  They're pretty good for her taking them from her seat in the back of the room!  Here you go!

Class Objectives - I love my Smart Board!

Talking to Amy, who I cotaught with

helping a student on a worksheet activity

This girl is so sweet and hilarious too!

 If only my classes were this attentive and interactive every day, I would absolutely love teaching!

and the verdict is...she's human too!

Have you ever been in a parade? You walk down the middle of a street that is cleared just for the parade's purpose, and people are lining the streets sitting and staring openly.  Sometimes when I'm out in public in Daegu, I feel as if I'm in a parade with the copious amount of stars and second glances I get.  However unlike a parade, the street is not cleared just for me. In fact, it is usually the opposite and more often than not, I am getting shoved by an older Korean woman, especially if I may be within elbows reach of her beeline to the bus doors.

In the beginning, it was exhausting and I had to continuously remind myself to not be offended by the open stares.  Now though, I'm realizing I've adapted to it, and the best part is on the routes I do multiple times a day - usually seeing the same people every single day.  When I first did those routes, the stares were strong and I almost dreaded walking home or even to the bus stop because it made me feel like an alien.  However, it has slowly progressed for the better, and yesterday was a breakthrough.

First, I walk though the Duryu Open Market so I see the same fishman, vegetable sellers, kimchi sellers, etc. every day.  Remember me talking about the man with the little dog that adores him? Well we are now on hello basis and the dog recognizes me too! Then, 2 shop keepers acknowledged me with a slight bow instead of the normal blank stare.  Continuing across the street, I stopped to buy apples from an older Korean woman I normally buy from. She got visibly excited when I stopped in front of her baskets of fruit and added an extra apple for free!  But wait, it doesn't end there! There are these people I always pass that sit out on a low table under large umbrellas every day.  I can't decide if they are mentally handicapped or in poverty or what, but you can definitely tell they've had a rough life.  Usually they just all stare at me like I'm from Mars. Yesterday though, only one man was outside, and he did the slight bow of hello/respect and then went back to his business - like I was normal!!  I know it sounds silly, but with the combination of all of these happenings right after each other, I finally felt accepted into the neighborhood.

One more story about my neighborhood with welcome arms.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in here before, but I have found an amazing coffee shop, Ann&Andy about 10 steps from my apartment. building. This place is

wonderful yet simultaneously dangerous for my caffeine intake and my wallet.  Luckily, the lattes are the equivalent of $1.80!! whoaaa. AND the owner, speaks a little English.  Through various trips there, I found out that her English name is Vivian and she is a Christian.  She's so excited to see me come in and yesterday was no exception.  Not only was Vivian there, but so was her sister who is a former English teacher and Vivian's 5 year old son, the cutest little Korean child I've seen. He bowed and said hello in Korean and loved staring at me.  So fun.

So that's it, I'm officially recognized as a human being in my neighborhood!

In other news, as I mentioned in my video blog, I found out that I have roof access in my apartment building.  Here are some pictures from when Holly and I had dinner up there last weekend.

Dinner on the rooftop!

Last piece of information: Today is my big, intense Open Class where people come observe me teach.  Surprisingly, I didn't procrastinate and feel completely prepared.  If you know my study/school/project style at all, that lack of procrastination is very very rare.  However, now I realize why people plan ahead - it's much less stressful! 

so if you think about it, send up a prayer that the class would go well - it's at 10pm Thursday (your time)

Oddly Normal [video blog]

Happy June!

I seriously cannot believe that it is already June and that I have been gone from the USA for about 115 days or 3.5 months! Time is flying [but at the same time is crawling - I still have so many months left!]

This time, I've decided to do a video blog for fun - and because I just didn't feel like typing it all out! Beware, it's kinda long to listen to me ramble, but go get yourself coffee or something while it loads - and let me know if you like the video blog idea!