Day 10 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

The hardest thing about living abroad and so far away from family is seeing these babies growing up from a distance.

I definitely miss my siblings and family, but with technology these days it's easier to stay in touch and maintain relationships long-distance. But, I can't build relationships with little humans from so far away! It's a lot harder to do!

Within the 2 years before I moved away, I think 6 little ones were born into my (extended) family, including my first nephew and niece. Also, the 7 littles pictured below, include my cousin that was the first baby to be born (1) to someone I consider a sister, and (2) the first time I remember really giving my heart to a newborn baby (aka when I was old enough and mature enough to realize the miracle that is a brand new little human being).

And... I left home just in time for all these little babies to start growing into little humans of their own. Going home for a visit, especially at just the right timing when all of these kids are little toddlers with blossoming personalities, makes my heart ache even more now not being there.

AGGHHH~~~ 😭

💗 all the new littles together at once 💗

throwback: baby E1 before I left

throwback: baby E2 before I left

throwback: baby S before I left

throwback: 1st baby to steal my heart 

Day 9 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

Still been feeling a little under the weather these days so here's another late blog post. Yesterday my mind was just straight up blank and tired. I'm blaming the weather (it's been raining all week), the change in seasons, starting back to school (2nd full week), and my unhealthy obsession with ice cream 😅 ...lots of things all at once. Buncha excuses. But I'm still here! 

One of my favorite things at work is talking with students. I've found this is true regardless of where or what level I teach. I just love getting to know people and hearing how people think. This is especially fun with English language learners and teenagers - and working at a middle school in South Korea, I get BOTH!

So, a little context. I have around 800 students (average 30-35 students per class and 23 classes). When I only meet each class once a week, it's really difficult to get to know students individually or even give them a chance to talk to me and practice with a "native speaker" (a big deal for language learners). In an attempt to build rapport with students and get them over the fear of speaking English, I incentivize the crap out of my status as a native English speaker. I tell students that if they talk to me in English, I'll give them a candy (something small, like *ABC chocolates, hard candies, or *"jellies"). They don't have to speak perfect English - I'm all about communicative competence, so if we can communicate, it's a win. And if they have the courage to come talk to me, that's, like, MAJOR. So there's a lot I'm rewarding here. Also, with that many students, the range of proficiency is pretty much all over the place so my questions likewise range from really basic facts ("How are you today?" ... "What did you do last weekend?" ... "What is your favorite color?") to expressing opinions ("What do you think of Sony, Marvel, and Spiderman?" ... "What do you think about Japan?" ... "Did you hear about ___? What do you think?"). 

I've now been doing this with my current 3rd graders (US 9th grade) for almost a year, so I've definitely (1) built rapport with many students, and (2) had to get creative with my questions. These days, I've found that if I ask students their opinions on politics, they will clamor to find a way to express what they mean in English 😂 and they have some really good ideas. And, I find myself just wanting them to know that they can be the changes they want to see in their society! Also, my students are pretty hilarious, even in English. I often tell them that you know you have a knack for a language when you can make jokes in that language. Sometimes I wonder if Koreans are generally funnier or better humored than Americans? Is humor and comedy cultural? What do you think? Maybe it's just because crossing that language barrier makes for a lot of comedy 😅

Anyway, talking with my students and hearing what and how they think is definitely one of my favorite things. I hope they know how much they encourage me to be more brave (braver? English...) in expressing myself in my own life, not just across language barriers, but in relating to people. It takes a lot of courage! Man, I love my students. Even when I'm really tired and even knowing that I'm such a small little blip in the stories of their lives, I hope they know I'll always be there to support them if they need it 💗

*ABC chocolates are small squares of chocolate, like the Lotte brand version of Hershey kisses:

*Gummy candies (like gummy bears, gummy worms, etc.) are called "jellies" here. Occasionally, Haribo fun-size gummy bears go on sale and then ALL THE STUDENTS can manage to speak English 😂  

Day 8 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

That cafe culture tho! 

One of my favorite things in Korea is the overabundance of cafes. And it's not just a cofffee-lover heaven. Oh no, these cafes have all of kinds of smoothies, frappes, bingsu, teas, ades, bakery treats, sometimes sandwiches..., ALL OF THE THINGS. And it's so common to just chill in a cafe and study, which I also love. That means I have no reason to stay cooped up in my apartment, because there is a plethora of public spaces to occupy, even if I'm solo 

Also, one of my favorite things about Korean culture is going out for several "rounds." Like, usually you go out to eat and then your group will migrate to a 2nd place for drinks or dessert, then migrate to a 3rd place maybe for entertainment, then maybe for food again... Granted, there's a bit of this in the US, but it's not nearly as common. My favorite thing to say after eating with friends is "2차? 2차! 갑시다!" (Round 2? Round 2! Let's go!"). However, I'm pretty sure this concept of "rounds" is more for drinking and the intense drinking culture here. But I have definitely adopted it as my own and integrated it with my love for Korean cafes!

Cafe culture ❤ defintiely not the healthiest thing for me, but I sure love it!

Day 7 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

Today was a good day!

So I skipped a day of writing. I basically slept my entire Saturday away after falling asleep Friday night. Much needed. I feel so much better.

I agreed to help a friend move today (Sunday), and wasn't sure I'd make it to church. Which, to be honest, I was feeling kind of bad about since I also didn't get to make it to the temple. But, I really do think that the Savior would rather us use our time on the Sabbath for service or helping a friend than telling someone, "No, sorry, I don't have time because I have to go to church." 

Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling so rested and recovered. I met up with my friend to help her move (I even got to ride in one of those little Korean trucks - squished in between my friend and the ahjussi 😅). We ended up finishing within 2 hours, giving me enough time to make it to church!

So, I went home and changed really fast, grabbed a taxi, and made it to church. My bishop even called to see if I was alright (since I hadn't been feeling well and cancelled plans to go to the temple) and he was happy to see me at church. I'm really grateful for these past few months where I've had opportunities to get closer to my ward members. It's made a huge difference in feeling like a member of my community here. 

Anyway, I get to church and - surprise surprise - I see a familiar face from Arizona there... a girl who I kind of knew of from church back home is here in Busan for 2 months! Crazy how many people from Arizona are finding their way to Korea these days (Me, Addri, Michael, Bianca, Meagan, Aubrey, and now Miriam). 

There are 2 highlights from today though:

1. *Successfully* free-writing my thoughts in Korean during Sacrament meeting

2. *Interpreting* in Sunday school

First, I say *successfully* because I haven't actually had someone check my writing. I just decided to write down what I was thinking in Korean and challenge myself not to check my notes or use Papago (translating app). It's short and so simple, but here's what I wrote:

성찬식 생각:
오늘은 마음이 너무 행복해요. 어제는 많이 아팠어요. 그래서 성전에 못갔어요. 제가 너무 슬펐어요. 근데 어제 제가 많이 기도했어요. 그리고 감독님과 *** 자매님가 화이팅하는 메시지를 보냈어요. 와드의 친절를 주셔서 감사해요. 매일매일 우리 하나님 아버지의 사랑을 주셔서 너무 감사합니다.

I know there are a few places where I didn't have the vocabulary I needed to express what I was trying to say so I just did the best with what I could 😂 but, I'm just impressed that I was able to compose all of that without referencing notes or translation!

Second, I say *interpreting* because that's a stretch hahaha but I was at least able to relay gist!
Usually, in Sunday School, I have friends who will interpret beside me (sometimes this isn't the case and I can happily just follow along in the scriptures, because I can at minimum understand books and numbers in Korean). Anyway, my good friend is in Seoul these days and today it was me and the visiting Arizona girl. I could understand the teacher asking the other students if anyone would interpret for her. Most of the students in this class have studied abroad or served English-speaking missions, but that definitely doesn't mean they want or like to interpret or even use English - I try not to take it personally 😏 Anyway, so when the teacher was trying to get different students to "volunteer" to interpret, one of the students said in jest, something like, "Bekah knows enough Korean and she's obviously good at English - she can interpret!" Hilarious. I told the teacher it was okay and we could learn by the Spirit 😉

Anyway, I followed along and did my best to tell the Arizona girl what I was understanding, and... GUYS. THERE WAS SO MUCH I PICKED UP ON. Obviously, not nearly complete sentences or whole paragraphs but, I definitely knew a lot of the words being used and could tell the girl main concepts. At least until we changed direction for the last 10-15 minutes when I got lost... but up until then, I felt pretty surprised and like, wow, compared to a year ago I've learned so much! Obviously, the Lord definitely blessed me in that moment and I am so grateful.

Also, I am doubly grateful for both of these highlight moments today because Church Korean is way more difficult than school/work Korean because it's not words I use regularly. It's very specific church and scripture words that don't really transfer to other contexts (just like Church English). So I feel like I made some headway in an area I usually find challenging 😊

Today was a success. I feel a renewed sense of dedication to studying and improving my Korean.

Tender mercies 💗

And just like that, 1 week of Blog Round 2 is complete ✌🏼

Day 6 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

*2019.08.30

*(apparently the posts I've made this past week from my Blogger app haven't uploaded and I'm having to do it manually from the computer... oops!)

SO. TIRED. Wow. This week I just kept going and going and going. There was just so much to do and I didn't want to miss out on any of it. It's a constant battle learning to say "no" and make time for myself. Also, my immune system always struggles around this time of year and coming back to school. After dinner with the sister missionaries last night, I felt the beginnings of a migraine - light sensitivity, heavy eyes, foggy brain, everything just dragging in slow motion. That made work a total drag today, too. Plus, my new schedule for this semester has my Fridays packed from 2nd hour to 7th hour (minus lunch, obviously). Anyway, it was a struggle today to say the least. I ended up cancelling plans with friends, crawling home to call my Mom, and eventually deciding that I couldn't make it to the temple trip tomorrow (Saturday) with my ward. My ward at church makes a trip to Seoul once a month to attend the temple there. Sadly, I bailed out at the last minute. But, I feel like it's what I need. Spiritual, mental, emotional health all rely on good physical health as a foundation. I also haven't taken any time to rest since getting back from vacation travels. So I'm calling it a day and checking out for some much needed recovery time. Thanks for listening to me complain 😅

Also, a Happy Happy Birthday to my Dad from South Korea! 😘

Day 5 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

*2019.08.29

*(apparently the posts I've made this past week from my Blogger app haven't uploaded and I'm having to do it manually from the computer... oops!)


Dinner with sister missionaries 💗 Seriously, the sister missionaries are some of my favorite people and best friends. Special shout-out to Sister Urbano who has been here for a few transfers and is so amazing. I keep telling her the Lord hasn't transferred her out yet because He knows I need her too much. I really don't get to see them all that much, but I always look forward to their warm smiling faces on Sunday and taking them out to dinner whenever they have a cancellation (aka: a free evening). I always tell the missionaries that if they ever don't have dinner plans to hit me up and I will either cook for them or meet them wherever they'd like to go. Thankfully, the last few months, these sisters have been taking me up on that offer, for which I am so grateful! 

Since I reached my one year mark and I recently had a pay-day, I told the sisters that I wanted to take them to my favorite Italian restaurant here in Yangsan/Busan (there are branches in both!). It's called 1984 Napoli. It's a favorite of all of the English teachers at my school (I've been to this restaurant with each of them and then for department meetings - so easily 7+ times). It's pricey but SO GOOD. And the sisters agreed 😁

It was a long day but I was happy to get to meet up with these sisters and feel spiritually edified. We always have such fun talking about all kinds of things, but I'm also so grateful that we can connect and uplift each other with gospel discussion, too. 

감사합니다 자매님~~~ Thank you, Sisters! ✌🏼

Day 4 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

*2019.08.28

*(apparently the posts I've made this past week from my Blogger app haven't uploaded and I'm having to do it manually from the computer... oops!)

Today marks my 1 year anniversary in Yangsan! WOOT! WOOT! Today was also a retirement dinner for our school's principal. So, being me and loving any excuse to celebrate, I asked my co-teachers to grab 2차 ("ee cha" or "round 2," usually for grabbing drinks after a meal - actually, Koreans can go so many "rounds" from drinks, to more food, to more drinks, to 노래방/karaoke - Koreans like to have a good time 😄). Anyway, only 4 out of my 6 co-teachers could make it but I was so grateful to spend time with these ladies who have done so much for me and who I am blessed to consider friends. As I sat there listening to them talking in Korean, trying to follow the gist, again it was strange thinking it had only been a year and that it had already been a year. I am so grateful I've had the opportunity to get close to each of them individually and that they've each made time for me outside of our work days 💗 just feeling super grateful!

Also, funny story of the day. I regularly find myself in situations that wouldn't be half as awkward if I didn't have the language barrier but do I let that stop me? No way (or at least I'm trying to have more confidence these days and not let it stop me 😅).

At lunch, a teacher sitting across from me was wearing a shirt that said "Feminism Perfects Democracy." I had to think about it for a minute. Here in Korea, people wear shirts ALL THE TIME that the wearer has absolutely no clue what it means. Regardless, I thought it was pretty bold to wear a feminism shirt in Korea since it's quite a hot topic these days but since I also totally agree with the statement, I really wanted to take a picture of it. So.... I asked my co-teacher (CT) beside me if it would be totally strange to ask the teacher if I could take a picture of his shirt. My CT said, "A little, but you're a foreigner so.... it's okay" I both love and hate the "foreigner" cop-out, but in this situation I embraced it.

So my CT helped me perfect how to ask if I could take a picture of his shirt in Korean. He totally knew we were talking about him and the whole thing was super awkward BUT he said yes hahahahhahaha AND it then opened a discussion around me in Korean about feminism and why I thought it was important. I explained (and my CT translated) that to me, feminism just means equality and equal opportunity for all in the sight of the law. Therefore, feminism DOES perfect democracy because it allows equal access to and representation in government for all individuals. The guy teacher explained that he was actually a part of an advocacy group and that's exactly why he sports the shirt. My CT's then asked if I liked him (in front of him!) and I was like, "you've got great style AND you're a feminist... what's not to like?" 😊 YAY for connecting on important issues across language and cultural barriers!

"It is often advantageous to forget. Forget your wincing humiliations, forget life's blows, and get on."

- Anna Godbersen, Bright Young Things

Just a little reminder to be confident~~

안녕 ✌🏼

Day 3 of Blog Round 2 ✌🏼

*2019.08.27
*(apparently the posts I've made this past week from my Blogger app haven't uploaded and I'm having to do it manually from the computer... oops!)


Today I was SO TIRED after only a few hours of sleep, after staying out way too late with Alex and Jun. Plus, I always feel a little under the weather with the start of school and getting back into the swing of things.

Today I was thinking about an Instagram post my sister shared with me about depression. Anxiety and depression are things I have dealt with most of my life - it was actually one of my biggest concerns moving to a foreign country (but I think this move was one of the best things for me).

Anyway, I've been a little hard on myself since getting back from vacation regarding goals. I have a lot of great goals but I'm still dragging my feet on getting started with them... but, realistically, it has only been one week since I've been back to my house and back to work... but, at the same time, isn't that just an excuse? So I end up in these debates with myself over "laziness" or "rest" and I thought this Instagrammer (is that a word? like YouTuber or blogger?) expressed it really well:

1. Recognize the fog of depression when it is depression. I think coming back from holiday is bound to bring a little fog of depression. Luckily, my job also brings me joy, too. But there is definitely a period of adjustment and THAT'S OKAY. I got a little stuck on the idea that last year I was just floating through life, experiencing as much as I can here in a new country, but that this 2nd year I'll get my life all figured out or something. That's unrealistic. Life is never going to be "figured out" - that's just life. But I can make goals for a next step. I don't have to do everything all at once.

2. Allow yourself to exist in the moment, give yourself breaks, breath and connect. Remember, "Life is to be enjoyed not just endured."
Most importantly, life is a balancing act, and it's my challenge to figure out the balance that works best for me during different phases of my life.



Just some thoughts ✌🏼