First Week Experiences

Hi Everybody!

     I'm having a good time here.  I'd like to catch you up on a little bit more of my first week.

Last Wednesday, Holly and I were able to meet up at a subway stop, thanks to instant messaging and internet at our schools.  (Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to contact each other.)  I was able to get a cell phone when I saw her!  Holly has a friend that is from her college, Bethel College, that has been here for a year teaching English.  Her name is Hillary.  Hillary had a couple friends that just left Korea, and so Hillary saved their cell phones for us!  I was so excited, because on my own it would have taken me at least 3 weeks to get a cell phone, because of random paperwork I would have had to complete first. A cell phone is completely necessary here.  Seoul is one of the largest cities in the world, so meeting up with people is much more difficult without cell phones.

On Friday night, Holly and I ate dinner with our new friend Hillary.  I am so thankful for her! As I said, she has been here for a year, doing what we'll be doing.  She has given us so much good advice, and has taught us some important phrases in getting around Seoul.  She also knows good places to eat, how to order, where some good churches are, etc...all of the things that I must learn.  

Saturday Holly and I met up with a wonderful Korean woman named Bok-jah. She and her family just moved back here from Arizona.  We were connected with her through a family friend of Holly's.  She took us out to lunch.  We ate bebeembop.  So far, this is my favorite Korean dish.  It is a bowl of white rice with mixed vegetables and a fried egg on top, and there are other sauces and things that go with it.  Then Bok-jah showed us her church that afternoon too.  We met some Korean women that were there practicing for a song and dance they were going to perform the next day.  I have to say that so many of the Korean people that I have met have been so friendly and welcoming!  They have been very accommodating to us.  It's hard for me to realize that I am at their grace and mercy...I mean, I don't speak their language, so any communication that I have with them will be in English, until I learn some more Korean.  I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be here and learn about their culture, while teaching them about mine and my language.  The best is when we have a sort of cultural exchange, learning and sharing openly about each other's cultures and languages.

Sunday I met up with Holly and Hillary, and we visited Hillary's church.  It is called International Worship in English.  The pastor is from the US.  There are Koreans and foreigners that attend the church.  About 150 people were there for the contemporary service in the afternoon.  I enjoyed being there, and hope to visit again.

Perhaps you can tell, that so far Holly and I have been able to see each other often.  The subways system is fantastic...I'm thankful that the announcements are in Korean and English.