You know you're in Asia when desired abilities consist of hyper-memorization and multi-linguistic skills. Such was the case as I discovered last night while helping out at a local Korean Int'l Youth Group. I told them to introduce themselves by name and superpower, and those were the most popular answers I received.
Where to begin...I've been in Korea for two weeks now. Every new day speaks volumes. There is so much to learn here, academically, socially, personally. I've been blessed in so many ways.
Let me give just a few highlights:
- my roomates. They're great. I have two Korean roomates and one from Congo (be sure to check out our pictures on my flickr site). They have been so helpful to my adjustment with Korean and Int'l culture. Speaking of which, that has been one of the coolest things.
- I've got new friends from around the world. The other night I was in a van coming back from bowling and Korean BBQ and realized that in the back two rows alone, there were students from Afghanistan, Mexico, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Korea, US, Mongolia, Argentina and China. I'm in an Int'l dorm and am loving the diversity.
- I love my classes. I'm taking an Int'l NGO course, Int'l Business, Law and Contemporary Issues and Abnormal Psychology. I've found that being in a culture where everyone likes to study (as the above story suggests) also brings out the best student in me.
- God has brought some great opportunities my way. The first day I was here, one of my friends from Afghanistan asked me if I wanted a job teaching English at a Korean Acadamy. Then some local teenagers asked if I wanted to help them out by starting a youth group. Both have been amazing and stretching opportunities in a lot of ways.
- there are a bazillion new snacks here - my goal is to try them all (minus the prawn flavored section)
- my campus is surrounded by forests and hills (and the ocean one mile away) beckoning to be explored. This promises to be an adventure.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
A new start
"Do you like to play football?"
"Sure" I motioned with my feet and pointed enthusiastically at my soccer jersey.
"No, American football...I like to tackle people," he said with a grin.
This was my unexpected introduction to Mukulo, my new friend and roomate from the Congo...not quite what I was expecting to find at a Korean university.
But I've learned to throw away all of my expectations by now. Perhaps because I am not the typical student here either. In fact, I am the only caucasian student at this university (good thing I dont have blond hair). I have met new friends from Afghanistan, Haiti, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, and of course Korea. I am learning to enjoy Korean food like seaweed, pickled cabbage, and other squishy delicacies.
My school is in a beautiful location. I am a mile from the beach. Similar to Taylor it is a Christian school away from town and home to only a few thousand students. But that's probably where the similarities stop. Rooms are smaller and with four roomates. Last night I was at a chapel service with performance with acts ranging from traditional Korean drumming to hiphop.
It's good to be at a place where some people speak English. I spent my first two days at a relative of a friend's house who hardly spoke English. But they were very gracious, showed me around Seoul and got me on a bus to my school... all an adventure of me not knowing where I was going - which pretty much sums up this semester for me. I honestly have no idea what will happen next, which classes I will take, how I will spend my time...but I am not worried, because God has been so faithful to me and has shown me that I should clearly be here for this time. I am excited to see what will happen next. (Phil 4:5-6)
So in closing, I will share a joke from my pizza eating, card playing, Bush-loving Congolese roomate:
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? bilingual
What do you call someone who speaks three languages? trilingual
What do you call someone who speaks one language? american
Thanks for following me in my journey to Korea. More updates and pictures will be soon to follow.
"Sure" I motioned with my feet and pointed enthusiastically at my soccer jersey.
"No, American football...I like to tackle people," he said with a grin.
This was my unexpected introduction to Mukulo, my new friend and roomate from the Congo...not quite what I was expecting to find at a Korean university.
But I've learned to throw away all of my expectations by now. Perhaps because I am not the typical student here either. In fact, I am the only caucasian student at this university (good thing I dont have blond hair). I have met new friends from Afghanistan, Haiti, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, and of course Korea. I am learning to enjoy Korean food like seaweed, pickled cabbage, and other squishy delicacies.
My school is in a beautiful location. I am a mile from the beach. Similar to Taylor it is a Christian school away from town and home to only a few thousand students. But that's probably where the similarities stop. Rooms are smaller and with four roomates. Last night I was at a chapel service with performance with acts ranging from traditional Korean drumming to hiphop.
It's good to be at a place where some people speak English. I spent my first two days at a relative of a friend's house who hardly spoke English. But they were very gracious, showed me around Seoul and got me on a bus to my school... all an adventure of me not knowing where I was going - which pretty much sums up this semester for me. I honestly have no idea what will happen next, which classes I will take, how I will spend my time...but I am not worried, because God has been so faithful to me and has shown me that I should clearly be here for this time. I am excited to see what will happen next. (Phil 4:5-6)
So in closing, I will share a joke from my pizza eating, card playing, Bush-loving Congolese roomate:
What do you call someone who speaks two languages? bilingual
What do you call someone who speaks three languages? trilingual
What do you call someone who speaks one language? american
Thanks for following me in my journey to Korea. More updates and pictures will be soon to follow.
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