Update on life in Korea

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Get your own

I realized I haven’t really written about my life here in Korea for a while. I have had a few changes to report on. First, I moved apartments. My original apartment had a problem with ants, and I had a feeling the problem was never going to go away. After a few times of my landlord coming to spray chemicals in in to my small living space, I decided I would ask about moving apartments. I was impressed by how easy it the whole move was, very unlike Korean culture to do something speedy and efficiently. Fortunately, my work pulled through for me and I moved out within a week of asking about it. My new place is about the same size, but seems larger because of the set up and furniture. My furniture is definitely nicer and my bathroom is an improvement. It is larger and the sink and shower knobs are not connected, resulting in no more accidental showers when all I really wanted to do was wash my hands. I am also living right next door to Casey, one of my co-workers and friends. This is a little awkward at times because our apartments are not all that sound proof so we can often hear each other talking on Skype. It’s a good thing we get along so well, or this could have been a bad move. All in all I am very happy with my new place and as Toriann says, “it’s has a much homier vibe.”

I am continuing to go to yoga two times a week and love it! It is amazing how bad I am at relaxing my body. I have always struggled with being able to completely relax, and yoga is a wonderful chance for me to achieve this. My yoga instructor is great; she can switch from Korean to English like it’s all the same language. I am learning a few Korean words through this as well, such as breathing, and slow. Being able to say “slow” is helpful with my classes, especially the ones who try and rush everything they do! My instructor is also great at helping me relax through breathing. I am also amazed by how my body can stretch when breathing properly. I am going to buy a yoga mat and start doing yoga on my own too. We usually get to yoga a little early so we can stretch and relax before class begins. Having these 20 minutes to myself before class is truly a blessing. I have found myself using this time to reflect and pray. I know the whole point is to actually clear your mind of everything, but I am still learning this technique. I figure I might as take the time to pray than worry about teaching or other such nonsense. I think beginning yoga was one of the best decisions I could have made here in Seoul.

I decided awhile ago that I needed to volunteer somewhere while in Seoul too. Back home I taught Sunday school every Sunday and enjoyed my time with the kids. I wanted to do something here too, but since I’m not connected to a church here, I figured I had to find some other place to volunteer. I found a group that goes to a community center and tutors children who can’t afford to take English classes. These children come from single parent homes, something that is not too common in Seoul. I went last Saturday and was not really sure what to expect. I met the group at a subway stop and we ventured together on a local bus to the community center. We arrived and the kids were VERY excited to see us. I was unaware that we were supposed to bring something along with us to teach the children, because they had no curriculum available for us. We taught in groups of 3 and together my group came up with a lesson for the hour long session. Our fist group consisted of 5 children, who were incredibly hyper and excited to have us there! I have taught children who come from low income areas, but it was a whole different situation here in Seoul. Being that I am a foreigner, children already don’t give you the same respect , and they spoke very little English, and were too old to try and convince to be quiet and listen. It was quite the hour with the first group. The second group we were a little more mentally prepared for. Our second hour went much smoother, but still the kids were loud! After the two groups we had snack and walked to a local park to play with the kids. Again, they were happy we were there and even though they spoke very little English, we could communicate through playing and laugher. It was a great afternoon exploring a new part of Seoul and spending time with a new group of children. I don’t think I will commit to every Saturday until the fall because a lot is going on this summer, but I will continue to go when I am free. I will also come more prepared next time with lessons and activities!

I am slowly making new friends outside of my co-workers too. I have am fortunate to work with some great people, but it’s nice to make friends outside of them too. I have enjoyed exploring new areas of Seoul with new friends and am looking forward to continuing to meet new people. One of my new favorite places to go is a restaurant called roofers. Since it is sunny now, being outside on my days off is perfect. Roofers is in an area of Seoul called Itaewon, only a 15 minute bus ride away. I love sitting on the roof with friends and simply enjoying the sun and good company. On Tuesday we celebrated Toriann and are our co-worker, Gordon’s, birthday there. We had off on Wednesday for Election Day, so it was a great evening of relaxing on the roof and enjoying dinner and drinks with friends. Another one of my favorite activities is walking to the river and sitting in the sun. This weekend had both of these activities in them, making me a very relaxed, happy person!

This weekend I also went to a see Macbeth in Korean, with English subtitles. It was actually quite easy to follow, and you begin to realize how important body language and the way people articulate are actually important. I am not sure I would want to see all plays this way, but it was a good experience. This is a sort recap of my life here right now. I am going to try and post blogs a little more often than I have been lately!