The Road Not Taken

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost

          Note how this poem is called "The Road not Taken".  I always thought the main focus was on the road he took.  You know, the one that he took so long to decide on..the one less traveled..yadda yadda yadda.

         But, why "the road not taken"? Perhaps the things we say no too are just as important as the things we say yes to.  And lately I have struggled with both my yes' and my no's.  My big trouble, and my mom would agree, is that my heart is too big.  I care too much about others.  I put a lot of love into people.  I base my happiness on the happiness of others.

          And today I said no to a couple things.  That doesn't mean that they are any less important...but change is coming.  A new season of my life is starting...I need to note the caution that the "yellow wood" proclaims...and I need to move forward.  I have a choice...and who knows which path I will take...not I.  Perhaps I will do a little trail-blazing of my own.

Changes

So many changes are happening lately.

One of my best friends in Korea (Abi)  has just left to tour Thailand and Cambodia.  Then she is heading to the States for good.  I will miss having her here...but I am happy for her.

My sister Abi and I singing Karaoke for my birthday.

Also, I found a language club that helps me practice my Spanish.  There is a guy from Peru and a really sweet Korean girl who has been studying Spanish longer than me.  Her Spanish is better than her English...so it's the only common language between us. ANYWAY!  I love Spanish.  I am so glad that I get to practice it here.

Another change...I bought my airfare for my volunteer work in Australia.  I am praying that I made the right decision.  After all the craziness that happened with Laos and Thailand...I am a little cautious when it comes to planning travel.  Anyway.  I will be spending 16 days of my vacation in Australia working for National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Oh...and this may be my last week of biology tutoring.  I am sad to finish but her finals are next week...and after that, I think I will no longer be needed. I love to teach Biology...which I would have never thought would happen.

And lastly...I will be going to the World's Fair this weekend.  What are the odds that the World's Fair would be in Korea this year...and that the theme would be Marine Science and Ocean Preservation?  I think this is God's way of saying "Go there!"  :-)

Anyway, my students passed the first stage of the internship application process.  They are taking the written test tomorrow.  Pray for them.  I want them to do well.

Dancing In Asan

I went up to visit my friend in Asan.  We went to the Folk Village nearby.  This is not only a tourist destination...but also the home of many who still live in their family homes in the village and upkeep the ancient buildings.  Anyway.  I hope you enjoy the video of some traditional Korean Music and Dancing.

Just a Quick Update

Hello all!

I am sitting here in my apartment.  It's past my bed time but I feel the need to listen to music too loud and eat Mac and Cheese.  My students will see a sleepy teacher tomorrow.

My thoughts have been all over the place lately.  I got thinking first of all...that by the time I go home in five-ish months...it will have been over a full year since I have hugged my mom.  WOW!  I can't fathom that.  356+ days since I touched her.....

Other thought:  I stole this one from the internet, "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."  This is true in my life.  This is physically, mentally, and spiritually.  You see...I am growing so much.  It hurts.  I have had moments of weakness...and moments of victory.  And  God has been so good through it all...even when I have not.

Yet another thought:  I feel like I must be aging or something.  When I was younger...I don't recall being sore this often.  I swear though...lately...I am sore in places I didn't know would ever get sore.  I am sore where your thighs meet your bum, sore above the knee cap and below the knee cap, and sore in the upper arm.  Really?  I am not even working out that often anymore....

Ha ha...I told you that my thoughts are all over the place.  Ha ha ha.

*Continue to pray for my students who are applying to the internship.
*Pray for me...I don't want to be bitter or judgmental...and I catch myself doing both sometimes.
*And Pray for summer vacation.  I have done some praying and seeking...and found that I might go to Australia to volunteer in my field of Environmental Conservation.  It's costly though.  Pray that I listen to God and not my own desires..and pray for finances.

ANYWAY!  I went to visit a friend for the long weekend (Buddha's B-Day) and I rested a lot.  It was needed I think.  :-)  I might have another long weekend coming up because it seems like there might be a school field-trip this Friday. I will use this time to rest here in Busan.  Maybe get some cleaning and lesson planning done.

Photos to come!
AND Blessings to All!!!!

Besting the 10k

Before the Race!

On the Other Side of the Finish!

So.....I lived!

Who would have thought that the girl who "hates" running would finish a 10k race?  Not that girl...hahaha.  But I did finish and I ran the whole time.

Here's the deal.  As of late February, I hated running.  Thought it was pointless and no fun at all.  But people encouraged me to run to help with my anxiety and depression.  So, I gave it a shot.  At first, I was still not a fan...but with time I grew to like it.  Then crave it.

Suddenly my friend Lou (the British girl in the middle there) invited me to join in a 10k race at the beach.  And like a crazy girl, I said, "Why not?"  So, three weeks of training later, I found myself with a burst of renewed energy, the music from "Chariots of Fire" music in my head, and a smile on my face as I passed over the finish line.


My goal was 90 mins and I completed the race in 82.  :-)  This is definately one of the things I want to do again in my life.


Prayer Requests:  


Two of my students are interviewing for the Australia internship in the next couple weeks.  Pray that their essays are accepted and that they have peace and confidence as they go into the next phase of the application process.


Pray that God makes it obvious where I am supposed to go for Summer Vacation and what I am supposed to do (mission work, science internship, just for fun?).


Pray for patience for me in my continued job searching.  There are not many jobs available for me in the States (that is one reason why I am here in Korea)...  I might have to go back to school but there's the issue of funding.

Things I Should Have Learned From M*A*S*H

Well...you should have known that a blog referencing  M*A*S*H would appear eventually.  Does it surprise you that it took 6 months?  This is the blog of things that I should have learned...but somehow forgot until I got here.

1).  Korea will drive you to drink:  No, I have not set up a still in bathroom using various medical equipment stolen from the US government.  Though I have read about a few people here that do brew beer in their bathtubs and sell it online.  (which is gross if you ask me).  I would say a good 90% of the English teachers here drink...and maybe 30% can be defined as alcoholics.

2).  The weather is quite crappy quite often.  Those sweltering summers and those frozen winters are real!

3). Nothing really ever makes sense.  Though Hawkeye always blamed that on the US government for the way things run without making sense...I will blame it on life.

4).  Nothing is EVER under control.  See # 3.

5). Ohio wasn't so bad after all:  Like Jamie Farr, I find my thoughts drifting back to my sleepy little town in NW Ohio.  And just like him...cross dressing won't get me out of this mess...haha.

6). The food....  Well let's just say, I haven't had to call Adam's Ribs yet but Mommy has sent me quite a few care packages with food.

7).  The locals have a lot of National Pride.  This is good up to a certain point.  But sometimes it is taken to extremes.  Example: Korean teachers claim that I have lost weight.  According to them it's because I eat Korean food now.  Once, I packed American food for lunch...and they took it away from me and gave me Korean rice.  :-(

8).  Last thing.  These are some strong people (emotionally).  They have pulled out of oppression after oppression and turned out alright.  They have a strong sense of family and community.  They enjoy sharing once they get to know you.  (unfortunately the elderly sometimes find themselves not wanting to get to know you because you are foreign).

One closing remark.  As foreigners we are called Waygooks.  As Americans we are called Migooks.  Imagine the look on Frank Burn's face if he knew that they Korean's were calling us "gooks"...ha ha ha!

Photos from Shark Diving

Alex and I  (and the shark in the background)!

Everything's A-Okay!

Buddy!