Settling In

This week has been my first week at Lila Elementary School, so finally I am beginning to learn what my daily rountine is like. In the mornings I take a taxi to Lila, then teach 2 or 3 classes depending on the day (grades 1-3). Most days I stay for lunch where I eat with other teachers. From what I hear, there are about 28 Korean teachers and 2 Foreign teachers (Yup, Ken and myself). The other teachers are nice and some try to speak English with us. After lunch, I usually take the subway back to my apartment; then it's to FFLS to teach 4 or 5 more classes. The difficult part of the routine is that much of my weekday is taken up by teaching; I normally leave around 9-10 and don't get home until 7-8 (with the exception of a few hours for break). But honestly, I enjoy the teaching! The students are very good learners, most of whom have a prior knowledge of English. And because of my teaching schedule, I see that being a teacher is the major part of my ministry here. At FFLS, I have been able to start my classes with prayer and then have the students write down a Bible verse of the day. It's a good way to share about God with them because I get to explain the meaning of the verse. I am still growing in what it means to be a good teacher and still learning what it means to be a Christian while living in another country... but the challenge is rewarding. No matter where we go, we are called to 'fight the good fight of faith.' God always has lessons to teach, if we are just willing to take time to learn. I want to close with a familiar hymn. The words reflect some of my own feelings while I have been here in Korea:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Did Someone Say Pictures?

Now there's proof- I am officially in the city of Seoul! :) This is a picture from Sunday's excursion to northern Seoul. On Sunday, I was able to go to an international church service (in English) and then had my first Korean meal afterwards. It was a good experience- I am thankful, though, that I had learned how to use chopsticks in Japan!

This week, I have been learning how to fit into my job. I actually teach at two different schools, but the bulk of my teaching hours are at my boss' school, First Foreign Language School. This school is called a 'hogwon' because it is a specialized institution and not a public school with many subjects. In Korea, there are many hogwons that students can attend where they can get extra help with subjects, such as English. FFLS is about a 2 minute walk from my apartment. The basic routine for the students is to have a lesson with their Korean teacher then they come to my class to review the lesson. My boss, Mr. Lee, told me that I have some flexibility as I go over the lesson with the students. Writing, group activities, and games are all ways he wants his students to learn. As you can see from the picture of my classroom, my class sizes are small. I would say my average class is 4 students. I am glad for this because it allows me to connect with the students more personally- being able to learn their names and call on each of them during speaking exercises. The age of my students range from about 6-16.

As for life outside of my work, I think my body is almost done making the transition to the new time zone. Right now, I am 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The warm days here sometimes become rather hot, but from what I hear- as fall quickly approaches, the weather only gets more beautiful. I have not stopped receiving the warm generosity here in Korea; it has been a blessing knowing that God truely provides no matter where our lives take us...

"If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast."
Psalm 139:8-10

Ahn-Nyong-Ha-Se-Yo (Greeting)

Today was my first day to venture out by myself. I heard there was a local park nearby, so I got on my basketball shoes and headed there hoping to make friends. As it turned out, I met another American teacher who loves basketball and lives just a couple buildings down from me. He filled me in on the area of Seoul that we live in, telling me that this is a central part of the city where more of the upper class live. After basketball, he showed me more of the neighborhood, had dinner, and played chess.
Over all, I'm learning a lot about Koreans, the city, and how there seems to be restaurants on every corner! I'm still learning what it's like to live in a big city, but I'm actually getting used to it- now if I can just figure out the subway system!
So far what I've picked up on is that people here are generous. Whether that is a Korean bellboy helping me with my bags, a hotel manager letting me use his phone, a lady on the bus giving me a signal that my stop is coming up, students cleaning my apartment, Ken taking me out to eat and then shopping, Ken's patience as I made decisions while shopping, my boss' wife making sure that I have proper dishes and furniture and snacks between classes, my boss' daughter showing me how to use my Korean phone, my Boss giving me some money to get me established, or my basketball buddy giving me a basketball so I wouldn't have to show up to the courts empty handed- I have definitely received much generousity over the past 3 days.
God has definitely blessed me through the people around me. And this is something that I have had to learn to accept. The hopes I had coming here was to be a blessing to others- but to receive it is humbling. I have been encouraged in seeing others practice this gift and also seeing that God is providing for me in the process. May He get the praise for the givings and the receivings :)

"A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
(Proverbs 11:25)

Safe and Sound

Ticket to Korea= $941 Dollars
Phone call home from San Francisco= $.65 Cents
1 hour Bus ride to Seoul from airport= 7,500 Won
Sleep= Priceless

Just a quick entry to say that I made it safely to Korea... and with all my luggage. I have already met my next door neighbor, Ken, who also is working at the Academy. He has already shown me around my apartment and I look forward to him showing me around the city. Tomorrow's plans are to leave before school to see some of the neighborhood then go to school in the afternoon- thus marking the first day of being a teacher!