Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends while remembering to give thanks for the many blessings God has given us. I was able to get a traditional Thanksgiving meal several times over the past week, so I'm not lacking in the turkey category. I was also able to watch a little bit of football, which really made it feel like Thanksgiving (my dad did a good job training me in that respect). I'm also thankful that the cold I had this week is starting to get better, due in part to having two days off school. Hallelujah for school breaks! The extra rest has helped a lot.

The thing I am most thankful for right now are many friends to celebrate the holiday with this year, which makes up a little bit for not being able to spend it with family. There are three groups in particular that I am thankful for (yes, there is some overlap among the groups).

Group 1: The PICS community. I am grateful for the staff community that exists at PICS. This group includes the other teachers, the staff members, and all of their families. One of the reasons this year is going so well is because of these people. They all care and are concerned about others. They've helped me when my carpal tunnel has acted up and told me where to find things or how to do something in Korea. It's a very fun group that is able to tease each other but can get serious when the situation calls for it.

Group 2: My church family. One of the things I was concerned about in moving was the kind of church I would be able to find. I have been very blessed to be a part of Mission Baptist Church (MBC). The church is made up of people from around the world, though mainly Americans and Koreans. With Osan Air Base just a few blocks away, there are many people at MBC who in the military. I am very thankful that I've been able to get involved in a wonderful women's Sunday school class. I've also become part of a Sunday "lunch crew." Every week after church I have lunch with the same group. There's usually about 8-10 of us, and sometimes we hang out at other times throughout the week (like we did last night). Because of the nature of the church's situation, the specific people in the group are a little bit in flux, simply because people come and go all the time. One of the members of the lunch crew recently went back to the States. In a few months, a couple more will be gone. But, just as people move on, we also get new people in our group. I'm very grateful that I have found MBC and become a member.

Group 3: My roommates. I am very thankful for my two roommates, Kari and Jennifer. Though we all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences, we all get along well. We have a lot of fun hanging out and talking. These two girls are my closest friends in Korea, the ones I can tell everything I'm think and feeling. I'm very thankful that I have found those kinds of friends here. We spent this afternoon decorating our apartment for Christmas, putting up our tree and listening to Christmas music. Then, we wrapped our presents and put them under our tree. We got most of the shopping for our families done when we were in Seoul a few weeks ago, so we really don't have to worry about it anymore. Now we can just enjoy our festive apartment, like I am doing as I write this post next to our Christmas tree with the lights blinking in the dark.

I am also thankful that in less than 1 month I will be back in Iowa for Christmas! I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends that I haven't seen since July. The new friends I've made here are great, but I'm excited to catch up with the old ones as well. All of your prayers and support have been much appreciated. I couldn't do what I'm doing without them.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Fall Festival went very well. We raised a lot of money for the school, and there were no issues with Balloon Darts in my room. Everything went very smoothly, including when my roommate Kari got a pie thrown in her face.

All Work and No Play...

Where has the time gone? I feel like time is just flying by! I feel like I just got to Korea, but in reality, it's almost Thanksgiving and I've been here for almost 4 months. Life has really settled in over the past 4 months, especially in the past few weeks. While most of my life is pretty boring--wake up, go to school, tutor, come home from school, grade, and go to bed--I have taken the time to do something other than school the past few weeks.

First, I went up to Seoul with my roommates last weekend. We went to Insadong, which is a street in Seoul with lots of shopping. It is known for its art galleries, everything from paintings to pottery. Insadong is also a great place for souvenir type items, which happen to make great Christmas gifts. When we were in Insadong, I also bought a painting/wall hanging. These Korean paintings are painted on a thick, heavy paper and then mounted on a decorative background. There's a wooden rod on the bottom to help it hang straight, plus a ribbon at the top to hang it. I love these paintings! Most of the designs are of the Korean landscape, filled with mountains, trees, flowers, streams, and lakes. They are gorgeous! I bought one when I was here for student teaching, which is still in the States. I promised myself I would buy another one when I got to Korea to hang in my bedroom here, and I finally did it last weekend. Now I really smile every time I walk into my bedroom!

Here are some pictures from Insadong, including one with my roommate Jennifer. It was really crowded the day we went.

Now, before I go any farther, I'd like to take a few minutes to ask a few questions. What is the most commercialized holiday? What holiday was created solely to help a company sell more of its product?

If you answered Christmas or Mother's Day to either of the above questions, then you need to hear about Pepero Day. What is Pepero Day, you may ask? Pepero Day is celebrated on 11/11, and it is a day where you give Pepero to your friends, to your parents, to your teachers, etc. Now, I know most of you are wondering, what is Pepero? Well, Pepero is a Korean treat. It is a cookie stick dipped in chocolate. There a few different kinds: original, which is just regular chocolate; almond, which has pieces of almond stuck in the chocolate; and strawberry, which is strawberry flavored chocolate. The original are my favorite. Pepero Day was created by the company that makes Pepero as a way to sell more Pepero. And it worked! It is a very popular holiday, especially with kids. Student council did a fundraiser selling Peperograms, where students could buy Pepero to give to their friends, with a special note, that student council would deliver on Pepero Day. Since 11/11 was a Sunday this year, they did the deliveries on Friday. And, in case you were wondering, I did get Pepero from several of my students, including some homemade Pepero. It was yummy! Here's a picture of some of it:

Another fun thing going on right now is Fall Festival. Fall Festival is held at school every year, and every class creates and runs a carnival game out of its room. I am the 9th grade class sponsor, and they decided to run a game of Balloon Darts out of my room. Fall Festival is tonight, and they are getting ready right now. They just finished blowing up hundreds of balloons, creating a balloon mountain in one corner of my room.

Hopefully everything goes well tonight and there are no balloon avalanches! Or anymore water balloons like the one I just confiscated...