Been a min. Sorry Fam.

Been a minute. Sorry fam.

Work has been crazy busy with the end of the year and all. Also, I've been learning a lot about myself lately, like past relationships and other emotional baggage that I didn't fully make peace with but now that I'm in a good place, I've had to deal with. And, while I guess I could've written blog posts about all that, complete transparency out here on the web is a little scary and vulnerable and all that so.... yup. There you have it. Just know that I am doing well, I'm staying busy, and I'm always trying to grow into a person my Savior would be proud of (but, of course, sometimes I fall short). It's a continual process but I'm feeling good these days. Also-also, I just suck at this whole blog thing, but... thank goodness for New Year's resolutions, right?!

Anyway, I’m taking an opportunity to reflect here on how I’ve changed since moving to Korea.


This actually came up a few nights ago while having drinks at a cafe near PNU. A friend and I got to talking about our experiences thus far living in South Korea. It started as commiserating over banking. Not like money and finances, but the process and “how-to” of using funds. I know I’ve commented on this before, along the lines of, “Yeah, back home it is SO EASY to just buy something online. Here, you have to jump through a million hoops and sell your first-born.”


Moving to another country is hard, but not for any obvious, tellable reasons. It’s hard in the everyday things we take for granted. Like online banking in a language you understand. Like the process of entering a 4-digit pin and confirming you’re not a robot as opposed to applying for a certificate in-person at the bank, to verify you are who you say you are, being given a password, downloading a randomized onscreen keyboard on each device you use, an initial authentication process for each device which includes confirming your mobile number to then be texted an extension to call where you then verbally confirm the authentication code you were sent so then you can finally type in the password you were assigned with your certification... 😪 Maybe US banks just don’t take security seriously or something. Maybe the process seemed longer because I sat on the phone with a very kind Korean-speaking friend for 3+ hours just to hit that “confirm purchase” button at the end of shopping online for something that felt rather trivial by the end of the whole process. And that’s my experience without any glitches. 아이구…


Other examples of everyday struggles that come to mind include doing laundry, trying to follow directions on packaging, oh and shopping! Wow it sure is strange not knowing any brands or preferred stores. These are all things I thought about before coming here but it’s different actually experiencing it. Shopping is a huge one. There are times when I think it would be nice to make something (food or crafts) or like when I needed a winter jacket but it’s not as easy to just do these things when you’re unfamiliar with what are considered “standard” or quality materials here. Back home I know what brands or materials to look for if I want to make pudding, or decorate a corkboard, or organize space in my apartment. I couldn’t find instant pudding mix at the stores in my area and then when I decided to try making it from scratch, well, all the baking ingredients are English terms that don’t translate well into Korean. And the baking section at my main grocery store is filled with strange things I don’t recognize. Also, sweets are kind of different here. I’m not sure how to explain it, maybe not as much processed sugar? Like, sweets here are much subtler or milder than sweets back home (like red bean and bread instead of rich creams, chocolates, and straight sugar). Similarly, when I was shopping for a jacket, I had no idea about common department stores or their quality. Those are all things you learn through culturalization. Also, brand and store quality is so subjective and dependent on a person’s income or preference, so when asking coworkers and friends I had to weigh all of that, too.


Please don’t get me wrong - I love the adventure of all of this! I really do! But after touching on this topic with my friend the other night, I realized some things. People always ask like, “How are you doing? How are things going in Korea?” but there’s not really a concise way to explain all those little, everyday things that you don’t even realize use up so much of your time and energy. Like, I think I really don’t do much here. I come home from work most days and sit in my apartment with time to just be. But then I wonder in those moments why I feel like I’m decompressing or just taking these moments to rejuvenate? I think it’s because each of these insignificant, everyday experiences of living make up culture shock. Culture shock is indeed a process, not an isolated experience. It’s compound. And it’s hard, but not in readily apparent ways.


Wow. Okay, so that was kind of a tangent, but at the same time I think it provides context so we’re gonna leave that as is.


So, while talking to my friend, we both agreed, “Oh yeah, I’ve definitely changed a lot since living in Korea.” I’m not sure if others would say the same of me just seeing or briefly talking to me (but I’m interested if any of you have seen a change in me - I often ask Rach and Kat if I talk different 😅). Some of it has to do with just these everyday things that I took for granted that change my perspective. In other ways, I think the way I approach each day is a little different, too. I feel like I have learned so much just through my daily to random interactions with people. Also, I think I’m learning more confidently what I truly want in life.

1. Expanding Worldview
I thought I was pretty open-minded, with a broad worldview before but - wow - living in another country and culture makes you realize how everything you thought was the “normal” way of society doing things is just ONE way of doing things (neither right nor wrong, better or worse) and it makes you realize how trivial some concerns are or, on the flip side, how social issues in one cultural context, though very important in that culture, seem to have absolutely no bearing on another cultural context. From work to social processes to church, I can't really explain it other than an awareness of my worldview expanding, I guess? Like the realization of how very small you are in this big huge world of ours and not to sweat the small stuff.

2. More Easy-Going
That being said, I think I am a much more easy-going individual. Actually, I think over the last few years I've become a more easy-going person just because it makes life easier. The only thing you can truly control is yourself - your attitude and the way you respond to the things you can't control. This might have been something I thought of before but I think it's really something I've come to consciously practice living abroad. I think this has primarily manifest itself in the motto I've jokingly adopted here: ADVENTURE! Actually, I kind of feel like Bob Ross, “We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents unexpected adventures." I seriously feel like anything and everything is a learning opportunity. Furthermore, why stress when you can enjoy the journey?

3. More Courage
A challenge I didn't expect to be quite so... well, challenging, is not being able to just randomly communicate with others. I'm pretty sure I talked about this here. Something I decided with the New Year was to be more outgoing despite language barriers. I might not know a lot of Korean, but I sure use the crap out of the phrases I do know. I think instead of shying away from my proclivity for talking to people (a proclivity I inherited from my mom and grandma), I'm striving to embrace it. I've been taking Korean language classes once a week and I think that helps me feel a little more confident. I think (and hope) my courage to reach out to others is waxing here in Korea.

4. Where "My Person" at?!
And lastly, a big way I've changed since living in Korea is actually wanting a relationship. It's been a long time since I recall actually wanting a serious relationship.

Perhaps because I'm finally in a place where I'm reevaluating and making new long-term goals, having accomplished previous ones (university degree, career experience, travel). Perhaps because Korean culture seems to place relationships pretty high on the priority list of having your life figured out (expect within the first three questions you're asked by a Korean to include, "Married? Boyfriend?" 😅). Perhaps because it gets kind of lonely living alone in a foreign country. Perhaps because my faith places high importance on marriage and family.

Whatever it may be, I find the idea of finding "the one" and (eventually) having a family pretty appealing.

So what am I doing about it? Not much 😂 leave it to me to realize I want a man in my life after moving to a place where my options significantly decrease! I say that because: (1) faith is important to me and South Korea is not really a Christian country; (2) I don't speak Korean, people are way shy about speaking English, and other foreigners (English-speaking) are realistically a very small percentage of the population here; (3) back home interracial relationships are fairly common (it's not something I think twice about) but it's definitely still uncommon here. Oh and lastly I'm just not ready to embrace the whole online/app dating thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ So, for now, I'll just keep working on being my outgoing self and getting comfortable with admitting that I want a serious relationship. I'm learning that I don't like being vulnerable (ok, who does?) and admitting I want my own "person" sounds kinda needy and vulnerable because, well, you know, "Ima strong independent woman that don't need no man." But... it'd sure be nice. 😏

안녕!



Bekah

Church, My Kim Unnies, & Everyday Struggles

An aspect of my life here in Korea that I tend to overlook but am so, so, SO GRATEFUL for is church. I am so blessed by my ward, just over and over again. I go to a ward in Busan, about an hour-and-a-half by bus and about 25 minutes by car from where I live. I took the bus the first Sunday I attended but since then I've been given a ride every week by my amazing Korean family here: my beautiful Kim sisters, 세원(Se-won) and 세현(Se-hyun) 😍 I'll talk about my fabulous adventures with them later, but first, a little more about my ward.

Fortunately, my ward has a resident translator (rare, right?!) because there is a Vietnamese couple in our ward who speak English, but not Korean (although they are learning). Translator-dude's name is Wyatt, an American who served a mission here in South Korea a while back and (I think) recently finished up grad school here. The Vietnamese guy's name is Vantu (spelling?) and he and his family joined the church a couple years ago. I think they also came here for his grad school and subsequent work. Anyway, so when I first came to church, people immediately ushered me over to Wyatt (because that's what people here do, connect you with other foreigners ASAP haha) and then I was introduced to 세현 because she lived and studied in the States. She introduced me to Bishop and translated for me when he sat down to get to know me and get my church info. Bishop is so funny (he reminds me a lot of Bishop Gardner from 29 Palms), he's definitely the father of the ward. My ward also has a YSA Sunday school class (again, rare!) and I've met a few other girls in that class who I really enjoy, 혜원 (Hye-won) and 하림 (Ha-rim), who both generously translate for me in Sunday school and Relief Society. I've since learned that the majority of the guys (and a few of the other gals) in the class also speak English because of serving missions or studying abroad. It's funny because when I learned that a lot of them speak English, I was like, "Whhaaaaaa?! This whole time...?" and they just shrug their shoulders like, "Yeah. And" 🤦 but don't end up talking to me in English!

I'm learning that there are actually a lot of people who do speak English, both at church and at work, but you'll never know it unless you end up all alone with that person and the situation calls for it and you try to speak to them. People here are crazy shy and self-conscious about their English-speaking. I had heard this, both from friends who taught abroad and in TESOL classes, but it was still a surprise and different than what I was expecting. This also has brought to my own attention my own insecurities. Where to begin...? Okay, so if you know me, you know that I can be pretty chatty (is that an understatement?). In recent years I have thought less of myself as a crazy-talkative person, unless I'm with family or close friends and the situation calls for it, but living here one of the things I find myself missing the most is the simple ability to strike up conversation with a stranger at the store or on the subway. That's definitely not something I thought of as a thing I did, I mean, that's something my mom and grandma do, not me, right? 😅 Wrong. Oh, how I miss randomly talking to people and connecting with people! Definitely not something I expected.

Okay, so what does that have to do with me being insecure? Well, I've realized that I hesitate to speak English (outside of work) like ever because I feel like (hello?!) you're in a different country with a different language, you need to speak their language ...but... I can't, yet ...so... I just stay quiet. I feel super self-conscious about being a foreigner and speaking my language. Even though, in reality, existing power-structures are totally in my favor and I am a super privileged foreigner (because I am white, American, have an education, and have a well-respected job). Aka: out of the foreigner population, I recognize that when it comes down to it, I'm pretty well-liked given our prejudiced world. Anyway, I think this insecurity about my language comes from my American culturalization. In America, even though we don't have an "official" national language, I grew up hearing that "if immigrants are going to come to our country, they better learn our language." That's a thing, right? Not just me? So, since I'm the immigrant in another country and I don't know the language nearly enough, and I don't want to offend someone using my language, I'll just keep quiet. This is totally unrealistic thinking, no one has ever told me this (in fact, I've been told the opposite - to just speak English because most people know it), I know this, but that's just how I feel about it and I'm trying to break that mindset. Realistically, outside of work, I try to prepare myself to use Korean for different situations I go into (like shopping, ordering food, at the post office, using the taxi, etc.) and Korean people end up using English with me! So why do I hesitate to use English? (A) because I'm trying to learn Korean, and (B) because I'm a guest in another country and want to be polite, I don't want to just assume people will accommodate me and speak my language. The burden of communication is carried by all participants in a conversation, not just the non-English speakers (which, sadly, I feel the opposite has become the thinking in American culture, and a lot of the world as English expands as an international language).

Well, that took an unexpected turn. Sorry-not-sorry for the rant. I mean, that's what you signed up for when you decided to read my blog, right? 😄 To wrap things up: I have found that when I have confidence and approach people, even in English, it pays off and nobody judges me for using English so I just need to get over it and be more confident.

Anyway, church is good. Now let me tell you about my amazing Kim Unnies (if you are a girl, unnie, 언니, means big sister in Korean). So I met 세현 first and sat with her my first Sunday at church. She is super outgoing and so kind and just fun! She seems to always be on the go, which makes sense because she has a toddler, 도이. 세현 then introduced me to her sister, 세원, who is also a lot of fun and also has a baby, 유정. On that very first Sunday, 세원 and her husband offered to give me a ride to church each week (they live about an 8 minute drive from me). Since then, 세현언니 and 세원언니 have basically adopted me and I just freakin love them! Not only have they helped me so much (like moving my "TV" from work to my apartment or helping me set up my cell phone plan) but they've really become my family away from family here. I wander around stores with them just for fun, we go out to eat, I hang out at 세원's apartment on Sundays, they feed me, we talk a about all the things. They feel like home and I am so grateful for them 💗 Oh! Actually, Rachel, I've decided that 세원 is a lot like you. Her and her husband actually remind me so much of you and Matthew 😆 I just love it!


So far, I've decided that 삼겹살 is my favorite Korean food, and it was 세현언니 and 세원언니 that introduced me to it. Oh  my goodness, it's so delicious! (I've also since been to this restaurant like 5 or 6 other times, no shame hahaha but I can cook it all by myself like a pro!):

I also went to my first 노래방 ("singing room") in Korea with them. So much fun!

Oh my goodness, and one time when we went to a buffet for dinner, 도이 found herself a boyfriend 😂 so cute!

Needless to say, I have a lot of fun with these two beautiful sisters I've gained here in Korea 😄💗


Back to church: a week-or-so ago, Bishop, along with Wyatt and the executive secretary, came over to bless my apartment and brought so much delicious food - ALL FOR ME! It lasted me like 2 whole weeks (actually, i didn't even finish the whole loaf of bread before it went bad - shhhh, don't tell on me, Koreans take their food very seriously! which makes sense because it's delicious). Anyway, he is the sweetest.

I am so blessed by my ward. The Lord knew where I needed to be and I am grateful for His hand in my life. I do have to admit that this last Sunday I did struggle a bit (the first time since being here so that's awesome, right?). Last Sunday was the first time I felt overwhelmed by the language barrier at church. Which is crazy ironic since I have so many people there able to translate for me, something that many foreigners don't have available to them. Last week, some of the people who usually translate for me during Sunday school were gone and I could tell the teacher felt worried that I wouldn't understand - something I am learning is just how kind and out of their way a lot of people here go for you to be sure that you understand what it going on (just another reason I shouldn't be so insecure about using English/not knowing Korean fast enough) - but I reassured her that it was all good and I'd "learn through the Spirit" 😅 And honestly, I was fine because I like just listening and practicing picking up on words that I recognize. So class was all good but I ended up feeling overwhelmed after class when I ran into someone who needed to talk to me. She didn't speak English, my church-specific Korean sucks, and there was no one around to translate. *sigh* Usually I can make do with Papago (a translation app) but when it comes to church words (like ministering, relief society, church titles, etc.), translations are never correct so we were just both confused. Then, she asked her elementary school son to try to help (since they learn English in school, and most kids are actually pretty good) but again, with church words it's a different story. Anyway, we exchanged information, I gathered that she was assigned to minister to me. But after that I just felt so overwhelmed and just the weight of how much I really have to rely on other people, something difficult and new to accept because I really value my independence and self-reliance. It was humbling to say the least. It also made me realize the small sphere of contexts in which I have acquired vocabulary in Korean. At work, the store, and public transportation, I feel like I've got the basics down for simple things that I need to communicate (with less and less Papago use) but at church and not on those topics I am completely out of my depth in Korean 😔😓

That being said, the day turned around and I had dinner with 세원 and her family. Dinner was delicious (if you've never had ramyun with peanut butter mixed in, you're missing out - try it!) and conversation was really good, as always. And then this week I had so many language successes and learned a lot of new words so, taking the bad with the good, feeling ever grateful for the Lord being aware of my needs, and constantly feeling blessed by tender mercies. Like having adorable little kids around that call me "베카이모"("Bekah i-mo," "i-mo" means "aunt"), who don't seem to mind too much that I'm a foreigner, and fall asleep holding me finger on the way home from church:

안녕!

Bekah

My Korea Apartment

안녕! 

Yes, I'm still alive and I know I have so much to update you on. I'm trying to learn how to better post videos and be more efficient, because here's the thing, I take way too many pictures and videos and then they just sit in my phone waiting to be shared with you all. I need to be more efficient. I'm now trying to upload through YouTube and then post here (it seems to be a much faster process, hopefully it works on your end).
Anyway... my apartment! I have made a couple of these videos. Each time I change or fix something in my apartment, I'm like," Now it's more how I want it to be. Now I can show everyone." But it's a perpetual process of making it my own so I'm just going to share it. This first video ("Take 2") is from the first week in my apartment when nothing was really mine. The second video ("Take 3") is from this past week, when I've since been shopping and things are starting to feel like mine. Sorry for the repetition, but here you go:

Take 2

Take 3

Washing Machine Troubles
Like I said in the above video, my washing machine was really moldy when I first moved in. I've been cleaning it like crazy and just doing my laundry at a laundromat around the corner (fortunately). I finally got rid of all the mold and moldy smell after emptying the drain hose thingy at the bottom of the washing machine. To empty that, I had to unscrew this black plug-thing. Along with all the dirty water that came flooding out was a little metal coin. I thought the coin was some piece of the machinery or something that needed to put back in its place. I had no idea so I just left the coin and black plug out on my kitchen floor for about a week, thinking I'd figure out how to put it back in eventually. After about a week of seeing it still on my floor, I messaged my 친구 with the following picture to see if any of them had any ideas:

My friends are so great. No one said, "Bekah, you're dumb. It's obviously a 100 won coin." Instead they gave ideas like, "Hmmm, maybe it's just a coin? Like it got trapped in there? Could be the cause of the dirty washer since it hasn't been cleaned in a while..." I came to my own conclusion that I was dumb 😂😂😂 I mean, the YouTube videos I referred to for cleaning my washing machine even called the black plug thingy a pump filter that may be clogged with particles from time to time (like COINS). It's times like these that I understand why Mom and Nancy were concerned for me and Taylor travelling the world - every now and then I just lack a little common sense...

And here are a few other shining moments of mine:

PSA: I will not be buying anymore bananas:

Random DIY YouTube Success

YAY! for getting stuff done 😊 Be prepared for a photo dump this week of posts. I have two drafts just waiting to be posted. I'm feeling grateful for the little things, like my little apartment, my little short-comings that I can laugh at, and great family and friends around the world 💗 The Lord has indeed blessed me!

안녕!

Bekah

Arrival, 1st Impressions, 친구!!!

(***I really hope the vids work - took me forever and a half to get 'em to upload 😬)

First post IN Korea!!! YAY!

I actually arrived in Busan about 5 days early (orientation starts Aug. 20th). I am SO glad I did. Not only was I able to get over jet lag (ugh! 16 hour difference is no joke!) but I also had an amazing time with friends. Addri and I flew the whole way together and shared an Airbnb. It's definitely been a blessing getting to do this new adventure with a friend.

We few from LA to San Diego to Narita (Japan) to Busan (South Korea). I would highly recommend flying Japan Airlines (JAL), they were awesome and super classy. Also, Japan is beautiful!!! Check out the pics as we were flying in:

 

 

Also, Addri and I made friends on the flight from Japan to Korea, which actually turned out to be the highlight of this week 😄 It all kind of snow-balled... So Addri recognized Michael from ASU, Alex overheard that we were EPIK teachers, I asked Jun for a pen, and then we all agreed to meet up later in Busan the next day. Then Alex met Sophia and Sophia met Alexa. And thus, our beautifully clandestine 친구 (friend; "chingu") gang was born 😂 I had a lot of fun with these people this week! (More on our adventures down below)

Addri and I rented a 2-person room at a guest house in 북구 (Buk-gu; "buk" means "north" & "gu" means "district") on Airbnb. It was close to the airport although a little off the path of the main city hot spots. We both think it's super cute, but our friends (including our Busan-raised friend) were a little worried about the area being "ghetto" - whatevs! We were safe, the place was nice, and the people who owned it were super kind. Let me know, I'd be happy to recommend it to you! Here are a few videos (I promise to try to be better at video quality in the future):

First impressions of Korea:

• it's HUMID (I will never complain about Arizona dry heat again!!)
• it's so beautiful, green, rainy & sunny all in the same day
• people stare 👀 especially older people and in areas where there are less foreigners (like where we stayed; once you get in university or tourist areas, it kind of stops)
• I am SO grateful for anybody who knows English and I just want to shower them with praise (because I definitely don't know enough Korean and it's a lot of work learning another language!)
• People don't smile back (and I'm someone who always smiles, especially if we make eye contact!) However an 아저씨 ("ahjusshi"; older man) did return my bow and smile when I bowed - win! Also, lesson learned: I'm gonna keep being myself and smiling but might be a little more cautious with my smiles and strange guys in the subway... home-boy was trying to recharge his T-Money card and I was waiting behind him, he turned around and I smiled, and he proceeded to look me up and down, leer, and cock his head suggestively as if I could give him something *shivers* not today, son, not. to. day. 😤

Anyway... ADVENTURES!!!

Day 1 (Wednesday) - Addri and I explored our area (북구, Buk-gu) and, although we got lost 2x, we were able to correct ourselves and make our way back 😅 here's a glimpse of what the closest, busy cross-streets looked like (about a 20-25min walk... so. many. hills. - PS, sorry I suck at recording with my screen on lock):

Later (after a nap), we met up with Bianca (and the missionaries; she was having a lesson with them) for Korean BBQ in 광안동 (Gwangan-dong; "dong" means neighborhood, I think). It was so nice knowing Bianca was there for me to meet up with and ask questions (she moved to Korea through the same teaching program back in February 2018). And, of course, the missionaries were awesome:

Day 2 (Thursday) - Addri and I met up with our airplane friends to explore 서면 (Seomyeon), an underground shopping mall with great above-ground food streets. We wandered for about an hour and half trying to find our 4th friend, Sophia, and finally found her only to realize there are 2 lines that get off at 서면 so there are 2 sets of numbered exits 😅 Along the way, we were also stopped by some students trying to interview foreigners for a class English project! That was fun to get to talk with them and hear some of their thoughts.

(I tried 순대 ["soon-dae"], Korean Blood Sausage - actually pretty good!!)

After 서면 (Seomyeong), we briefly went to 남포동 (Nampo-dong) to hit up a fish market, but it closed at 5 (Alex wanted to try a live octupus and, Michael, I said I would try it, too, just for you! Sadly, that adventure will be for another day). We ventured around the docks and found a Lotte Mall (I learned that it's 롯대, so it's pronounced "lowt-dae" not "lottie"). This place has 13 floors folks!! 3 of which are the cinema! The coolest part was the roof-top garden and city view (and the Line Friends store with BT21 merch, of course). Apparently there's an even bigger Lotte Mall here in Busan in another area!

(the wind just doesn't agree with me taking selfies)

(😍DUCKS!!!😍)

(What did I tell you about the wind??)

Day 3 (Friday) - Addri and I met up with our airplane friends near 경성대학교 (Kyungsung University), actually, a cross-point between three universities so there was a lot to see and do. This pic doesn't do it justice, there was so much going on and streets and streets of restaurants, bars, shops, etc.: 

(빙수! ["bing-soo"] YUM!!)

Then we headed to 광안리 (Gwangalli) beach. I think I heard it's called the Diamond Bridge Beach or something because the bridge has a light show:

Then we headed to 해운대 (Haeundae) beach. This side of town is swanky, yo. I would even dare to say "glittery." If you're looking for high class nightlife, I believe this is the place.

Day 4 (Saturday) - Addri came with me to pick up a SIM card & get a local number for my cell phone down at Busan Harbor (Korea Telecom has great deals for foreigners visiting - much more affordable than most provider's int'l plans!). Then we wandered around 서면 (Seomyeon) again, for window shopping and food. We got home early to do laundry. I know, we're total party animals. Oh, but we did have to walk through a long, dark bridge... that totally doesn't look that dark in this vid (sometimes I question the directions my Naver map gives me here in Korea just because you have to wander through so many random places to get to where you're going):

Day 5 (Sunday) - I went to church!! I attended the Gupo Branch, about a 20min ride from where the Airbnb.  It was so nice to do something even slightly resembling my normal routine. Also, everyone was crazy nice and tried their hardest to communicate with me 💗 I'm kicking myself for not knowing more Korean!! 

Afterwards, I met up with my airplane friends at Centum City (btw: Centum City is the world's largest shopping mall, like with a Guinness record and all) for lunch at the Shinsegae Food Court. Then we stopped by 해운대 (Haeundae) before visiting 해동 용궁사 ("Haedong Yonggungsa", a Buddhist temple): 

We wandered around the coast and found an area where people built cairns to make wishes or offer prayers. So of course we made a friendship cairn. Of course. 친구들!!!

Next, we had some amazing Korean BBQ (thank goodness for Jun growing up in Busan!) before chilling on the beach in 해운대 (Haeundae):

Lots of fun so far 😊 So, so grateful for meeting these people. It's crazy that we all just happened to arrive in Busan at the same time before orientation, on the same flight, etc. and that we actually ran around the city with each other like we've known one another for more than 24 hours 😆 

Some thoughts... I'm kind of worried about being in a rural place after all this fun in a never-sleeping city (seriously, there were parents with their kids on the beach around midnight and NOTHING closes! It's insane! But I also love it!). Also, I'm a little nervous for orientation. This all still feels like a vacation and orientation means the real work starts and that I'll be heading off completely on my own. Ironically, at the same time I am so looking forward to work starting so I can get into a routine and actually feel like I'm living here, not just on a trip. 

Also, I've been thinking about my purpose for this blog...

1. to share my adventures and experiences with family/friends 
2. to keep a "personal" record to look back on (to help me get back into journaling)
3. for professional reflection/learning/growth. That might sound strange but after keeping a log during my ESL teaching internship of what went well, what didn't, and thoughts for improvement, I discovered that formal self-reflection really helped me develop as a teacher and I think that's a continual process, similar to progressing in any aspect - self-reflection is necessary to learn and grow. (So, I welcome your feedback as I reflect - I can't grow in a vacuum!)

Lastly, even though I've only been here for less than a week, I'm already discovering how important maintaining self-confidence is. I'm already finding myself trying to strike a balance between being myself and fitting in (but never really fitting in) and being respectful to the culture or worrying that maybe I'm too American or thinking about how I represent Americans abroad or foreigners or my program or all the things... Just lots to think about. Ultimately, confidence and courage, gotta have confidence and courage. Oh! Btw, I was shushed on the plane by some ahjummas so I my awareness of all of this was solidified before landing in Korea 😅 thank you for random new airplane friends who took the scolding in Korean for me! (Mom, you know it's because when I get excited or get talking about something I'm a total geek for that I just lose all awareness of my volume! I was having flashbacks of getting kicked out of Mr. Ricards', Mr. Atkins', Mr. Ingram's, etc. for my loud mouth!!!)

If you read this far,  축하해요! 👏👏👏 I'm going to try and post at least 1x/week but until I get my placement, I might not have much to update you all on... just classes all day, e'er day during this week of orientation 😅 Thanks for your patience!

안녕!

Bekah