Catching the Christmas spirit....just in time to fly home for the holidays!

In about four hours I will drag my two stuffed suitcases through campus to meet the bus that will take me and some of my colleagues to the airport.  Granted, my flight doesn't leave until 6:30pm so I'll have a LOT of extra time to kill at Incheon Airport, but I get a free (monetarily and stress-wise) ride to the airport.  This trip I am not traveling alone--there will be six SFSers making the trip to Portland!  Our flight across the Pacific will last somewhere around eleven hours before landing in Vancouver, BC.  Here's the part that gets stressful...we then have EXACTLY one hour and five minutes to go through customs, recheck our luggage, board our flight to Portland, and get the plane off the ground.  Yikes!  I'm praying that today goes without a hitch and by Saturday at 2:30pm I'll be saying hello to mom and dad at PDX.  Want to know something really fun?!  I land in Portland on December 18th a full 4 hours before I departed from Seoul (on December 18th).  Yay for crossing the international dateline!


After a super busy first semester, I'm hoping for a restful and relaxing break...but I know my best laid plans will soon be jam packed with activities, catching up with friends, and wedding preparations for Erin's New Year's Eve nuptials.  With so many things going on around me I've found it difficult to recognize that it is indeed Christmastime.  Sure, I've done some shopping (Insa-dong is my absolute favorite shopping spot in Seoul for Korean style gifts), attended the Christmas concert (have I told you how talented my students are?), and put up a few twinkle lights in the window.  Finally on Wednesday night, I caught the spirit of the season.  Two other new teachers organized a secret Santa gift exchange, so for the last week I've been giving and receiving little gifties.  On Wednesday all of the ladies who participated gathered for the big reveal and it was so much fun!  The person I was giving gifts to figured me out a couple of days before (wouldn't you know I drew the other Miss James at SFS) and I narrowed my secret Santa down to two.  Ashley turned out to be the elf in question and each day she blessed me with a fun gift and clue, written all in rhyme.  I hope we continue this tradition next year!  Well, I have a few exams to finish grading and a bit of packing and cleaning up to do before I can take my trip across the ocean, so off I go.  I'll write and post more about my trip home soon!  Merry Christmas to everyone reading!

Finding Joy...

My friends who have lived overseas warned me before the big move that my experiences living abroad would be filled with ups and downs--they were absolutely spot on!  Last night's faculty Christmas Party was definitely a high!  I found a really cute dress to wear at the last minute, got all dressed up, and joined my fellow SFSers at the Grand Hilton for a night of celebrating!  We caroled, we ate, and we DANCED!  Even though I'm kind of a spaz on the dance floor (yep, no dancing skills here people) I had so much fun kicking off my shoes and cutting loose with the rest of my daring colleagues.  The single ladies sure know how to have a good time!  It was a late night and even later until the wave of exhaustion hit me.  

A few of the "single ladies"...me, Kristen, Jenny (also Miss James), and Misty

Me with the Christmas tree

The incredible cover band of teachers--way to go Ruth, Paul, Pam, Marion, and Ryan!

Misty and Allison

The Miss James' dancing the night away

Ashley (who is pregnant with twin girls) and Kristen busting a move!

Kyla, Kristen, and Allison

I let myself sleep in this morning and didn't wake up until nearly 11am.  As soon as I climbed out of bed I was hit with a wave of panic as I started to think about all of the things I need to accomplish today!  As I sit at my computer I am surrounded by piles of laundry needing some attention, I can see the pile of ungraded posters sitting on my living room floor, and I am haunted by the fact that I still have planning to do for this week.  Plus, I have to go to school and re-enter EVERY grade from the start of the school year into my electronic gradebook because three of my classes were named incorrectly at the start of the school year.  What a fiasco.  There are not enough hours in the day!  The thing is, I don't want to do any of it.  I want to pack my suitcase, get on the plane, and forget about school for awhile.  I want to give up the responsibilities of adulthood and return to the simple life of....oh, I don't know what.  How about just wanting a life that is simple?  I can obviously recognize that I have a problem letting go of the small things, thus I end up with a stress mess.  Sigh.....


Putting off my school work isn't helping, so it's time to get working!  

Fight or Flight...

It feels like I haven't sat down to write in awhile, so I'll continue procrastinating on the planning of tomorrow's lessons by blogging about the happenings in Seoul over the last two weeks.  I have finally reached the settling in point where I feel less like a tourist and more like a resident in this city.  Although much of the massive city is still unknown to me, I have been less inclined to go out exploring during my evening and weekend time and more inclined to enjoy down time.


With this notion of "down time" fresh in mind, I was really looking forward to the four day weekend that came with Thanksgiving (one of the many blessings about working at an international school--we get to celebrate American and Korean holidays).  I had planned nothing other than rest and relaxation for the long weekend and that's exactly what I did--I didn't even eat turkey!  I did, however, thoroughly enjoy sleeping in, getting a much needed haircut, shopping for clothes, having my first massage (who knew you could store so much tension in your shoulders?, getting a manicure and pedicure, watching movies, and reading.  Simple pleasures....ahhhhh!  


On a more serious note, literally the day before Thanksgiving we got word that North Korea had shelled a South Korean island.  The news reports called this attack one of the worst since the armistice treaty halting the Korean War was signed.  Amazingly enough, I didn't feel the sense of panic or fear that I first expected.  Instead, I experienced a deep sense of sadness--the kind that makes you shake your head and wonder if Kim Jong Il has even a shred of humanity in him.  Didn't we just go through this in March with the sinking of the South Korean ship?!  That incident definitely caused a bit of concern, but it was easy to distance myself from the real implications since I was still living half a world away.  


Now, I am personally invested in this place and the people here.  I don't want to be forced to leave my students and colleagues.  I don't want to leave this city that is becoming my new home.  Mostly, I don't want to imagine the extent of human suffering that occurs when a nation is at war.  In the stress of the situation, the "What If's" have started to come to the surface..."What if North Korea follows through with their threats of increased violence?"..."What if the two countries go to war?"..."What if I can't get out of here if things get bad?"...and the worst of all, "What if North Korea drops a nuclear bomb on Seoul?"  After visiting Hiroshima this fall and seeing the effects of nuclear weapons up close, I cannot think of anything worse.  


Presently we (the teachers) all chatter about the rumblings between the two countries in the staff room and talk with students whose parents work for the embassy or are in the military with the hope of setting our minds at ease.  We rationalize our own thinking by commenting on how stupid North Korea would have to be to do anything, we discuss the imminent demise of North Korea should they attack--and then we wake up and realize that nothing happening in North Korea is rational and the cycle is set in motion again.  For the record, if I happen to witness an atomic bomb heading my direction I will follow the urging of my brother to run for the center so I can ensure immediate vaporization rather than risk the possibility of a tortured survival laced with the after-effects of radiation.  This is one of those instances where I am certain I would be ready to meet my maker!


At this point I have seen only a few students and their families decide to abandon ship, so to speak, but the rest of us will remain and carry on.  All we can really do now is pray that diplomacy, sense, and goodness prevail.  I hope it will.  

Late-ness, Laughter, and Lanterns!

Have I mentioned that I love weekends in Seoul?!  This weekend started out on the right note--with food!  The D-Dong ladies (well, 6 of the 9) got together for our monthly dinner and since it is far too cold to dine al fresco on the roof we decided to take Alex's lead and go french.  Alex took us to La Celtique, a cozy second floor creperie between Sinchon and Edae.  When I glanced at the menu and saw the sweet crepes, my decision became easy.  I had the house special, the Celtique, which consisted of a crepe topped with apples, cinnamon, caramel, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream.  What's not to love?

Oh my goodness, heaven on a plate!

I have been looking forward to Saturday for over a month--since the day I booked six tickets for a girls' night out to see Urban Ballet as part of the Seoul Performing Arts Festival.  Allison, Joy, Misty, Rebecca, Jen, and I met Saturday afternoon and made our way across the city to the Performing Arts Center.  I knew it would take us a good amount of time to take the metro, but I didn't anticipate the confusion that would result at the theater when we tried to claim our tickets.  As a result of some language issues and my our lack of knowledge of the city, we arrived a few minutes late to the performance and found ourselves outside the theater hoping to get in.  Needless to say, I was super frustrated as we stood there and a fourth of the show passed us by.  Eventually we got in, carefully felt our way to a row of empty seats in the dark theater, and spent the next 45 minutes mesmerized by the incredible abilities of the human body.  The dancers took modern hip-hop dance moves and broke them down into precise ballet maneuvers--it was AMAZING and left us wanting more!!


After the show we wandered around the Performing Arts Center complex, marveling at the beautifully adorned buildings and the sheer size of the complex.  Working our way back toward our neighborhood, we stopped near City Hall where Kristen joined us for dinner.  Watching us try to choose a restaurant was pretty comical--"I think that one is too small," "What about that one--do the pictures on the door look good?", "Nah, let's just go to Outback."  Thankfully the Outback Steakhouse had a 20-30 minute wait, and we were starving so we opted for one of our initial picks and sat down for Italian food at Sorrento's.  It turned out to  be a fabulous choice and the six of us spend the next hour eating, drinking, and laughing.  Spending time with awesome women is good for the soul!  The group split and parted ways after dinner despite our best efforts to find a nori-bong to keep the party going.  We decided to save karaoke singing for another time, because the Lantern Festival was waiting!

Misty, Joy, and me at the Performing Arts Center

A small part of the Performing Arts Center complex

Kristen, Allison, and I took advantage of the beautiful, clear evening and made our way down to the creekside to see the collection of lanterns from countries all over the world.  In honor of the G-20 summit, various nations made their mark in light and it was splendid!  Apparently we weren't the only ones hoping to take in the spectacular sight before its end on Sunday--we found ourselves in the middle of a stream of people and we hopped right in.  Finally we figured out a way to skip the line and see the lanterns away from the crowd.  Here's what awaited us...

The site of the G-20 Summit attended by world leaders from 20 nations (yep, including President Obama)

Entrance to the Lantern Festival

One of the enormous lanterns...and part of the enormous crowd!

Lines, lines, lines! 

Show us how you really feel about waiting in line!

Just in case the throngs of people waiting in line get hungry...you can get yourself some sauteed silkworms (eww!). 

Like a torch lighting the way...

Sneaking in a photo of me enjoying the lanterns!

Strings of colorful lanterns illuminating the darkness.

Man and woman lanterns

More lighted beauties!

Just a guess, but I think this one is from China

This was one of the most impressive lanterns of the night!

Hmmm....I wonder which countries these babies represent?!

A view of the entire creek bathed in light...

Guess what holiday is coming soon?!

Stopping to snap pictures at an interesting cafe near the creek.

Lanterns and pinwheels all in one night!

Every outing I take into the city seems to reveal new treasures hiding all over Seoul--like a French ballet in Seoul and lanterns glowing into the night.  It will easily take me the entirety of my two year stay here to become familiar with this amazing city that was once a total enigma to the rest of the world.  All I can say is, more good times please!

Falling in love with Fall!

What a week--I think I've walked a hundred miles over the last four or five days!  Here is how I've spent my time enjoying autumn in Seoul...

After a productive day of teaching on Tuesday, Stephanie invited me to join her on a walk/hike up Mt. Ansan, the mountainous area behind our campus. Many of the new teachers took this same hike during our first week in Seoul, but seeing that the gathering time was somewhere around 5 or 5:30 am, I opted for sleep instead. Today, however, I had no good excuse for passing up a walk in the beautiful fall sunshine--so off we went. Stephanie knows the mountain like the back of her hand and was a fantastic guide, even allowing me to stop and capture photos of the incredible fall foliage.

Rows of trees with leaves of green. 

The colors are changing! 

Reaching the pagoda.

Our first stop was a rest point midway up the mountain.  I'm not much of an athlete or what you would call a "nature girl", so by this point in the hike I was ready to stop and take a breather.  My legs and lungs were burning!  We came upon a beautiful pagoda and exercise area where several Korean men and women were working out on a series of machines (just like you'd find in the gym!).  Steph and I had a great time trying out the workout equipment and looking like fools in the process.  We stayed long enough to snap some photos near the pagoda, then pressed on.

Trying out the workout equipment.

Now doesn't this look like fun?!

Me and the pagoda!

Not far down the path we detoured so Stephanie could show me some of the original trenches that remain from the Korean War.  Some are lined with sandbags, others with tires.  Regardless, it is both difficult and frightening to stand on the edge of a trench and imagine what this area looked like just sixty years ago.  The entire mountain had been stripped of all trees and vegetation--the city below was in ruins.  Looking at the photos, you would never know.

One of the many trenches that cut into the mountain.

Remnants of the Korean War still remain.

Back on the main path, we reached a huge flight of stairs.  This hit at the part of the hike where I was totally exhausted, but I managed to coax my body up the stairs.  We were in sight of the top at this point and I wasn't going to quit now!  There is an observation point at the top of the mountain with a 360 degree view.  Seeing the forest surrounding us painted in beautiful fall colors made the entire hike worthwhile!  

The observation point at the top!  We made it!

A view of the city...

Looking over at Mount Namsan

The beautiful fall foliage on the mountain.

If you look carefully you can see remnants of the old city wall.

Daylight was fading fast and Stephanie still wanted to take me down to the Buddhist temple nestled on the side of the mountain.  The trail wasn't much of a trail at all, rather we climbed down the top and side of large rocks with a rope handrail threaded throughout.  It was a bit treacherous, but we made it down and could hear the bell at the temple ringing out.  The temple certainly did not disappoint and we spent a few minutes wandering through the grounds.  The most incredible sight was inside one of the buildings--it was filled entirely with burning candles which cast an incredible glow throughout.  We weren't sure if we should enter or not, so Steph held the door open for me so I could peer inside and snap a photo.  There were cool statues everywhere and a few monks milling about.  The biggest treat was witnessing one of the monks ceremoniously ringing the bell we had heard from the mountaintop.

From the outside, not that impressive...

...but look what you see when you peek inside!  Thousands of candles!

The altar inside one of the main buildings.

Just passing through...

A place of worship.

A very old, and very bizarre tree!

A few sculptures from the row of demons.

I saw this as we made our way out of the temple grounds.   Something about the position of the hands caught my eye.

As darkness fell we hiked back to campus and by the time I reached my apartment, I was beat!  I'll definitely have to make that hike again and again as the seasons change.  There's truly no better view in town!

Parent conferences hit on Thursday and Friday of this week, and I'm happy to report that my meetings with the parents went quite well.  After sitting through a total of nine or ten hours of constant chats with the parents, I was so ready for the weekend.  I managed to drag myself out of bed early on Saturday for an 8am Costco run (gotta go early to beat the crowds).  As soon as I got back, I dropped my groceries in the kitchen and ran out the door--a tour of the Secret Garden at Changdeokgung Palace was waiting!  Somehow I actually made it to the palace, purchased my ticket, and found the tour just in the nick of time.  About 100 lucky English speaking visitors gathered around our very cool tour guide for a two hour guided experience that was full of beauty and history.

Truly I don't remember much that the tour guide said, but I was able to spend some time soaking in the surroundings.  Welcome to the Secret Garden of Chandeokgung Palace...

This is what I came to see!

One of the large ponds on the palace grounds

The trees are "burning" with fall colors!

Entrance to the living quarters of one of the Joseon dynasty kings.  He wanted it to look like a common man's dwelling.

One of many pagodas I saw on my tour.

Part of the servants' dwelling.

Another tranquil pond!

I think the ceilings showcase the most interesting artwork!

Observing proper temple protocol and removing my shoes.

Since I went alone on today's tour, this is the only picture of me you'll see!

I just love the bright colors in Korean decoration.

Check out this 750 year old juniper tree.  Half of the tree was lost in the September typhoon.

The actual palace--I figured I should check it out since I was already on the grounds.

A little closer view!

An interesting adornment on the stairway.  He looks happy to be guarding the palace steps!

The altar inside one of the palace buildings.

I love capturing the little details that makes Korean architecture so cool and unique.

Some adorable Korean girls chasing the falling leaves!

Making my way toward the exit, I came across the little cuties in the photo above and I couldn't help stopping to watch them in their game of "chase the falling leaves".  It was such fun to see kids expressing such an innocent joy at something as simple as a leaf falling from a tree.  It really made me stop and think about the simple joys I chase after these days--reading a good book, downloading a new song, turning up the music and dancing, talking with a friend from home, writing a postcard or letter, receiving mail, working on my life list...  I think one of the reasons God placed me here is to give me a chance to re-discover joy in my life.  So far, I've found the joy in teaching again and I have a bit more time to pursue my passions.  As I reach these conclusions, I wonder if the people I left behind at home are experiencing this same sense of contentment I feel.  What are your simple joys?  Are you seeking them out, experiencing them, and living each day to its fullest?  I sure am trying and I think things are working out fine.  No, better than fine.  Things are working out great.  Can you believe all of this came from admiring the beauty of fall?!