The Little Tom Cruise and Backyard Football

Christopher is a HUGE hit here in Korea.

Everywhere we go, people-- and by people, I mean random strangers on the street-- stop us to comment on how good-looking he is. They are in complete awe of him. And I don't think Christopher is quite sure how to deal with it. He always kind of gets this deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face whenever people start fawning over him in Korean. We've told him to just bow and say kam sa ham ni da whenever he is spoken to, even if he doesn't understand, because chances are it is just yet another person saying that he looks like a "little Tom Cruise"...

Yesterday, Shelly and Christopher came and met me at school for lunch. We went to a restaurant nearby that serves handmade noodles and is owned by the parents of one of my students. The owners don't speak any English and I can never remember the name of the food I like, but when we walked in they knew exactly what we wanted. The meal was wonderful, as usual, and Shelly and Christopher really enjoyed their first experience getting to sit on the floor in a restaurant.

After eating, Christopher and Shelly decided they wanted to go play in the park next to my school. I whined for a minute about wishing that I could join them, and then got the brilliant idea that I could join them if I just brought all of my students along. My lesson for the day was on Thanksgiving, and I was planning to teach the students about American football-- so I decided, why not take the students outside and actually teach them how to play backyard football? Or, better yet, have Shelly and Christopher help me teach them! So I sent Shelly and Christopher off to Home Plus in search of a football (their first shopping adventure alone!) while I conducted the first 3 periods of classroom time, and then we all met back up the park for the last 45 min of class to play a game of touch football. It was a little haphazard and crazy but a lot of fun, and the students were able to demonstrate that they understood all of the basic concepts. They were also really happy to meet my brother and sister, and their excitement over Christopher's adorableness seemed to match with the rest of Korea's.

Below I've posted some pictures of the game that I took with Shelly's camera. Christopher and Shelly look like teaching pros, don't they?




Group shot!



I told the students to be crazy, and this was the result. It doesn't give a very accurate picture of how really crazy they can get.


:)

Sheldon and Ferf take on Korea!

I've taken a short break from blogging to deal with the excitement of SHELLY AND CHRISTOPHER'S ARRIVAL IN KOREA!!

They got in on Friday of last week around 9pm. Their flight was smooth and even arrived in Incheon a little early. The only minor glitch was that Christopher left his Nintendo DS on the plane from DC to Tokyo and had to fill out a lost item form... but we are still hopeful that it will be returned to us.

Right now I am wrapping up my last week of camp before my TWO WEEK(!!) vacation. Shelly and Christopher have lots of ideas for things that they want to do to fill up those two weeks, and I will try my best to post lots of updates as our adventures unfold.

All my LOVE... :)

What makes you happy?

This was the opening question I used to jump-start conversation in one of my advanced adult ESL classes this week. I learned a lot of things both about and from my students in the conversation that ensued, not the least of which is that there is a very distinct difference between the things that you feel happy doing, experiencing, or having, and what it is about those things that actually makes you feel happy. As a class we came to the conclusion that if you really want to know and understand yourself, you must get at this second and often much more difficult question.

In my last post, I rambled a bit about how simply *happy* I have been this week, and listed a few of the reasons why. But these “reasons” only addressed the things that made me happy, rather than what it is about these things that have had such undeniable power to fill me up with so much joy. So I decided to give a little more thought to the things that have recently made me happy, and encouraged my students to do the same. Here’s a bit of what I came up with in my own reflections…

I was happy this week because it was snowy.

What makes me happy:

Experiencing beauty that is pure, natural, and utterly beyond my influence or control

Giving into the urge to simply *play* and feel like a little girl again

I was happy this week because I got to teach an adult class at my school.

What makes me happy:

Getting to pour myself into *women* and connect with them on a heart level

Building relationships and offering people what they want and need, rather than simply instructing them

Being appreciated

I was happy this week because I have spent a lot of time anticipating the arrival of my brother and sister in Korea.

What makes me happy:

Knowing that I am loved and cared about

Showing my love and affection in physical and tangible ways, rather than solely by my words

Being part of an intimate and affectionate family with whom I can be completely authentic and real

I was happy this week because I got to go to an advocacy and prayer meeting for an issue that matters to me.

What makes me happy:

Being connected to like-minded individuals

Being a part of something bigger than myself

Feeling that my actions are in line with my values, passion, and heart

Being enabled, and enabling others, to make a positive impact on a hurting world

For me, making this kind of list is about more than just self-discovery. It is about acknowledging the desires of my heart, and having eyes opened to see the ways that God shows me His grace in meeting those desires; it’s about recognizing my created purpose and the hand of God at work in my life.

More than anything, it’s about understanding JOY-- not only in order to pursue it, but in order to be driven to thankfulness for it.

I am the happiest person in Korea right now

I LOVE THE SNOW!! It's been snowing all day and has yet to stop-- when I stepped out for work this morning, I was nearly knee deep in it! AND they are calling for another 10-12 inches tonighttt! I'm liking the way that Korea kicks off the New Year!


This week, since our students are on winter vacation, I am running a conversation class for a few of the other teachers at my school. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but today turned out to be such a pure JOY! SO much fun, and I'm really looking forward to the next few days with them.

Andddd Shelly and Christopher are coming to visit me in JUST TWO SHORT WEEKS and will get to stay for A WHOLE MONTH! I am planning all kinds of wintery activities and Korean cultural treats for them that I am really excited about-- the main one being that I will hug their necks for approximately 4 days straight when do I finally get to see them!!

I literally don't think I could possibly be in any better mood than I am right now.