Students

We have just finished up our third term and I wanted to show you some more picture of our classes. Unfortunately Matthew didn't think about taking pictures of his classes until part way through party day, so there aren't very many of him with his students.



This is a picture of Matthew's level four class. Starting on the left and going clockwise: Chris, Olivia, Shiny, Bo-Ram, Violet, Jennifer, Orchid, and Sue. They really got into the Scrabble game! =)

One of my students, Judy, was quite the creative cook. She made things for me on both of our party days that were really fun.



I translate this to be, "Beth I love your smile."



I cannot make this picture turn the correct way so you can just look at it from there. These were chocolate bars with a bottom that was kind of crispy and carmel like. Matthew really enjoyed it. I just thought the whole thing was really sweet of her to make.



This is my 7am class going clockwise from my left in the picture. Jim, Karen, Judy, Alyssa, David, Evan, and myself.

For my 10am class they took Matthew and I out to lunch at Ashley's. He had taught most of them the term before so it was a good time for them and him to spend time together. Back row from left to right: Jenny, Jessica, Kate, and Julianne. From row: Sarah, Sophia, Sunny, and myself.

Right before he took our picture he turned around and took one of himself. All the girls laughed, and so I thought I'd post it for fun. =)


And now...for some junior classes!



This was one of Matthew's more active and involved classes. When that happens you can have a lot of fun. =)



This is my "Yes I Can 1" class and they were a lot of fun. The teacher, Joanne, in the back is not only my co-teacher, but both Matthew and my friend.



We are not supposed to have favorite classes but this was my favorite class for SIX MONTHS. I was so blessed to have them for three terms and so I was really attached to them. They are brilliant students and the teacher, Wendy is amazing as well. Left to right: Nana, Lily, Annie, Moon, Steven, Tommy, Poohti, Alice, and Sarah. I am really missing them this term but I pray for them and wish them the best.



This picture is of my "ABC Hunter" group. These children are pre-K and Kindergarten age. I signed up for this class just to see what it was like. I was actually nervous that I wouldn't like it. Those of you who know me, know that children just make me nervous and I'm not totally sure around them if I don't know them well.

This class changed my whole perspective on teaching and children. They won my heart over and I'll never be the same. I signed up for them this term so I'm excited to be teaching them again. Below are some videos of my class time with them. Last term we sang songs to learn different English words and vocabulary. I will put the words underneath the videos. I had to link the videos from my facebook, so if this does work you can try to view then via facebook.



Hello Teacher, Hello Friend
Good to see you everyone
Happy, happy, happy is the time
When we have ABC Hunter
Let's have fun, fun together (x2)



Teddy Bear, Teddy bear jump up and down.
Teddy Bear, Teddy bear touch the ground.
Teddy Bear, Teddy bear shake your body.
Teddy Bear, Teddy bear turn around.



I will...
Swim, swim, swim like a turtle
Walk, walk, walk like a duck (x2)
I will...
Hop, hop, hop like a rabbit
Jump, jump, jump like a frog (x2)
I will...
Run, run, run like a dog
Fly, fly, fly like a bird (x2)

So that is just a sneak-peak into our classrooms. We have a lot of fun teaching here in Korea and have also learned a lot. We pray that we are being examples of Jesus to them in big and small things.

23rd Birthday

For my birthday, on February 20th I woke up to my husband making me breakfast! It was a lovely meal and then he gave me flowers that were from my Daddy!








Aren't they beautiful!


Then I went to go and teach but my 7am class surprised me with a cake! They were so sweet to remember and do that for me.




As a reward we spent the class just talking with each other =P Left to right: Evan, me, Judy, and David.

Since my birthday landed on a Friday Matthew took me to a restaurant for lunch. mmmm. We went the the Chinese restaurant we had been to once with our other teachers.




Check out my birthday on the wall!

Chinese food brings me joy, like salsa brings Jason joy. And even though this was Korean-Chinese food, it was still Chinese food!

This is my friend Mr. Dragon-Statue-Man.

Then we went to E-Mart because Matthew said I could pick something out for my birthday, I didn't find anything that day, but I wanted to show you some of their amazing cakes.

Look at the cow and the shoes below it. All edible. Incredible. =)

That night we had our famous chilliman, garlic bread, and grape juice supper. Family tradition.

But for a surprise Matthew brought out a cake for me!! I was really surprised and happy.

It was strawberry and what made that extra special was that my mom always makes me strawberry cake.

It was a really good birthday and Matthew did everything to make it special. It was a "weekend" birthday and so I got to have all my favorite foods and got to pick what movie I wanted to watch and different little things like that.

I also received some packages for my birthday from my Aunt Shari, my mom, and our friends Brooke and Justin. My grandparents also sent a package but it got sent back to them, so now I will get my birthday even more extended! Thank you to everyone for their love and birthday wishes!

Friends

At this point I will insert an out-of-order post.

During Lunar New Year we were invited to Paul's apartment and then his girlfriend Mary would come over to cook for us. We were very excited and this was our meal.



It's all about presentation. But it was good as well. The only negative part was that Matthew ate fish accidentally. He says, "I don't understand why people eat meat."

After dining, we played jenga! We also sort of learned to play a Korean game, but Mary and Paul said it was usually used as a gambling game. It was fun though =)

When we returned from Colorado in February we wanted to thank our fellow teacher for all the extra work they did for us. So we invited them over for supper one Saturday evening. After eating and playing some games we had a raffle. Matthew had made up numbers and put them on pieces of paper and I drew out the number and would read it off.

The following video is the intense excitement as I read off the numbers. hehe.

No Regrets

The Sunday we returned from Winter Camp, Matthew and I slept very soundly. The next morning there was an urgent email from my Dad asking us to get online as soon as we could. I was worried that something had happened to my Aunt Teresa who is currently dealing with leukemia. I was not prepared for what he told us. He told us that my grandpa had died. Even now, as I type those words my heart aches and I want to cry.

But there wasn't time to do much of anything, except head out to school. We had classes to teach. When Matthew told the teachers they all were so kind and offered to take my classes or do anything they could to help. But all I wanted to do was be with family. Grief is something terrible and strange but all I knew was that I needed to be with family.

So I looked up the policy on funerals and found out we had five days to go home. And so we packed. It was a flurry of the next two days of teaching and packing. The teachers that we teach with are amazing. They didn't complain at all, as they all took on extra classes so that Matthew and I could fly to Colorado for the funeral. It was Monday and the funeral was to be on Thursday. My Grandpa and Grandma Sarah live in Fort Garland, Colorado so we would not be flying to our home in the East Coast but it would still be America.

There was a mixture of joy and intense grief as we prepared to go. We were excited to be in America again, to see part of our family, yet the reason for our travel was heavy on our hearts. However, we were so busy preparing to travel and then traveling that the grief came in waves. Sometimes the waves were bigger than others. The biggest waves hit when we had to leave everyone and come back to Korea.

Here are some pictures and more details to our journey.



Matthew is now a seasoned traveler so he was prepared for our short trip to the USA with just carry-on items. The Incheon International Airport is very familiar to us now and it easy to get around. We're kind of proud of our airport.




Since Bear-Lee is my comfort bear, I had to bring him, even though we were trying to be careful with how much we were bringing. He was worth the extra space. =)




This was our plane that took us from Korea to America. Incheon to San Francisco. We were even able to get exit row seat and had wonderful leg room! If you are tall you will understand how truly amazing this was. Especially for a 10+ hour flight, and that was with a good tail wind!




Happiness was ours as we landed in America. I had a similar feeling to what soldiers might feel when they get back to America. I would have kissed the ground if I'd been outside right away =)



After using my cell phone (hooray for cell phone usage!!) to call family we were off again to fly to Nevada. As I slept Matthew was able to take pictures of some beautiful mountains.



We landed in Las Vegas, Nevada and I thought it would be a good time to show off my Adventist tee shirt. In the picture I'm pointing to an airplane that has "Las Vegas" written on it and to my shirt.

The air seemed so clear and all the details were sharper than in our polluted city. Our last flight to Denver was bitter sweet. We were excited to see Jason (who was waiting for us) but sad about what else awaited us the following days.

Getting off the airplane and wrapping myself in Jason's hug was so good for my heart. Family is so important.

Of course...the boys were hungry and Taco Bell was beckoning to us.




Here Matthew proudly stand by the Taco Bell emblem and then later happily ate his food.

We were all exhausted but managed to stay awake for the 3 1/2 hour drive needed to get to Fort Garland. Daddy was waiting up for us. What is it about grief that makes us appreciate what we have all the more? All of our hugs that day were extra special I think.

The following morning we woke up groggily and went to eat at Grandma Sarah's house.



My two of my aunts were there. Aunt Karen and Aunt Linda. Uncle Albert (who is only one year older than me, so he's more like a friend or cousin) had also flown in from his school in the East Coast was there and the first one I hugged. It was so hard, knowing that we were there for only a short time and yet we were all there to grieve together. I feel at loss for words as I write this blog.

The beauty of the mountains surrounded us that Thursday as did the bright sunshine. It was a beautiful day and the majesty of God's nature was oxygen to our souls.

We spent time that day together. Sometimes crying, something laughing. Always loving and always remembering. And for me I was learning. Korea has already been teaching me what is most important, but this was etching it into my heart.

We prepared for the memorial service/funeral that afternoon and dressed in black. I still can't believe my Grandpa is gone and I miss him. So very much.

Here is something my aunts, uncle, and dad wrote.

"Bill’s great loves were his family, country, community, and baseball ... in that order. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War and played for the Navy baseball team. The thread of baseball ran throughout his life whether he was playing aboard a U.S. Navy carrier, on a semi-pro team or simply watching one of the many kids he loved to support. His love for baseball was only surpassed by his love and dedication to his family.

Bill was a man of strong convictions, had a quiet faith, and deeply loved his family and his fellow man. He eternally had a tender spot for any and all in need, and for all living creatures. He tried to see the best in all. Bill loved to support young people in whatever activity they were currently involved. "

This picture is from part of the service where the children could share thoughts, poems, etc. Matthew and I read some poems that my Aunt Teresa wanted us to read on her behalf, because she could not be there. Jason's prose was particularly moving.

During the service there was a portion where anyone who wanted to could stand up and share about Grandpa and how he was a part of their lives. Grandpa gave to people even when he couldn't really afford to help them. Grandpa was a person that everyone trusted and knew would be willing to help them out. He lived out the Golden Rule. I am proud to be his granddaughter. Not everyone was able to speak but in this little town where people came in jeans and t-shirts to the funeral you could see that they loved him and respected him. It was not just the words that were spoken that showed this, but the fact that there literally were not enough seats for everyone. The potluck room had to be opened up to let enough people into the church and the doors were opened for people to listen and pay their respects.

Because Grandpa was a veteran there was another ceremony done for him by the VFW. It was very touching and a flag was given to Grandma Sarah.

After all this there was a fellowship meal. People could be heard around the rooms telling stories about Grandpa. Many people came up to me and my family telling us how great of a man Grandpa was.

This is a picture that was taken years and years ago. It's a favorite picture of mine. This is in front of Grandpa's antique shop. I'm the baby girl on the right side sitting on Mama's lap. Jason is sitting to the left. This picture was on display at the fellowship meal and I'm glad it was.

The night grew closer and it was time to go our separate ways. Some of us gathered in the hotel rooms and talked, spending time together. Some of us even went and ate dinner later on. But the most important thing was spending time together. To have those moments. The hug, the smile. Memories that are being stored in our hearts.

Friday morning came all too soon and Matthew and I had to prepare to leave that day. Our flight would leave early on Saturday so we couldn't stay that night. But Friday was a special day for us.

First we all had breakfast together.



Then we made our way to the Indian Creek Cabin. A place of huge significance in my childhood.

On the way there was saw some mule deer. This kind of nature is special to see even in America, but for Matthew and I it was spectacular.

It was so hard to see all the beauty around us and know that we were going back to concrete walls and polluted air.

This is the cabin that my grandparents own. It's a small place but when we go to visit them, we always stay here.

This picture is of my first real visit to Colorado. In the back are my Dad and Grandpa. Then it's Jason, myself, and Albert. Those were wonderful summer memories.

This picture will mean nothing to most of you but it's the kitchen of the cabin and so many memories are tied up in this house, especially in this room. Late night card games and laughter. Growing from children to adults.

We spent time there and then went down to Grandpa's antique shop. All of us have loved the antique shop. To look through things and ask Grandpa what it is and see all the people coming in and out of the shop. But now it was empty. Cold with the sign on the door stating Grandpa's death. Quietly we walked around the shop, picking things up and looking at them. Seeing where he sat and the papers that cluttered on his desk. Death is not when we expect it.

That evening we ate at a restaurant all together. The meal was actually a gift from someone, in honor of Grandpa.

Matthew is in the back, then Uncle Jim, Beth-Anne, Jason (brother), Daddy, then Aunt Linda, Grandma Sarah, Uncle Albert, Aunt Karen, Sarah's sister and another relative.

We ate dinner and then had to leave. We had a decent drive back to the airport and hotel for a quick sleep and then onto the airport. Leaving that night was harder than coming to Korea the first time. It was hard to know that I was making the choice to go back to a country so far from my family. Matthew's strength for me during that time was God given. I am blessed to be with a man like him.

We arrived and returned the rental car but then ended up going to the wrong hotel, on the wrong shuttle. We were frustrated, exhausted, and beyond emotionally drained. But we arrived to the airport on time and began our journey back to Korea.

This is the screen on our last flight. California to Incheon. Worlds apart.

If you look closely you can see the tops of mountains. This is Russia.

It was a long trip. Not only because of the distance but for all the other reasons that I can't even begin to describe. Some people would say that we shouldn't have gone, that it wasn't worth the time and money. But we have no regrets. We went for family.