check out this designer.

Hey! Ok, so you all should definitely check out this designer. She is the next, up-and-coming thing. She has great inspiration and an eye for creativity, uniqueness, and something new. With her extensive travels across the globe, she always adds her own personalized, uniquely inspired twist to her apparel. Please support her and check her out! 


Check her out at http://www.aprilwhitlow.com/April_Whitlow.html and also on facebook. Here's the current dress that I just LOVE. please, oh, please, I hope to get one! Shout out to my home girl, April Whitlow!

i'll be right at home.

밀튼과 그리젤의 살사댄스 @ 2003년 뉴욕 살사콩그레스

Thinking of this after Evelyn and I were teaching Jiwon how to Latin dance last night. Searching on youtube for some places to go latin dancing in SoKo, and it looks like I am going to feel RIGHT AT HOME and won't miss a beat (haha, pun intended!)  C: <3 <3 <3


Check out the link~~ 


P.S. I also now know how to write "Salsa" in Korean. Haha, only word I can probably write at this point, but at least I know the important one! lol jk! >.<

tuesdays with jiwon

Oh how I look forward to my Tuesday nights. It sure helps a girl get through the work day knowing that such enriching and spirit-lifting times are ahead. Tuesday nights, Jiwon and I always enjoy making something new and yummy for dinner (with me sharing Latin food creations and jiwon providing the korean food recipes), sharing in great fellowship, and following with our current study of the book of Proverbs. Yummy--on tonight's menu, we had samgyup sal! I wish I had a picture of it (we always take pictures of our creations), but I guess we were all too busy chowing down on such DELICIOUS food to even stop for a photo op. lol The sauce she made to go with it was great! I forget the name for it...jiwon, if you see this, can you tell me? ...but it had minced onions & garlic, miso soup base, and gochujang. So easy to make, yet tastes like something so fancy. And you know, most Korean food is that way. Believe it or not, a lot of it is really simple to make. It can take a lot of prep work, but once the prepping is done, it's easy sailing. ~~ It's a lot like our walk with God: not everything is easy. It is a continual process that takes a lot of "prep work" which eventually leads to the final "masterpiece" of life. Sometimes we have to be diced and sliced before we can become whole. 


~~**"⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."**~~ 
                                 ~~1 Peter 1: 6-7~~

and now we wait

So I had my interview last night. I got the call around 945pm my time (around 1145am the next day in Kr). All that I built up, and the interview was more like a friendly conversation getting to know new people and ask some questions about teaching in Korea. The Korean co-teacher asked me a couple questions about my strengths, about adjusting to the culture, and about managing relationships with the other teachers. After that, she passed the phone over to her American co-teacher (the one I would be replacing), and I was able to ask some questions about her experience teaching, what materials were available, how the lessons were set up, ages of students, biggest challenges in the classroom, best parts of living in Korea, etc. I felt like I was getting to know a new friend rather than being interviewed for a job! She was so sweet, and it was great to get some firsthand thoughts from a new teacher in Korea. I can't even explain how exciting it was to be talking to the teachers there! It would be such an honor to get this position. The job market is very competitive, so even if I do not get this job, I will be put into the pool for EPIK jobs (meaning outside of the province I was hoping for, but I am still so excited and open to anything, trusting God has his hand in this and will place me exactly where I am the most useful and can help the students grow the most. I am so thankful I have a God who cares that much!)


I am told I will hear back within the next day or so, so I will let you know what I hear! At that time, I will have to go through my entire EPIK app, line by line, with Scott and make sure everything is perfect. Well, I'm back off to work--lunch break's over!


<3 laura

interview day!

This is my first blog ever! I want to document my travels and life in Korea, along with the process of getting there. I thank you and welcome you to share the journey with me! If you want to be updated each time I add a post, simply enter your email address in the box at the top, and, as far as I know, that should set you up! 


~~THE INTERVIEW~~


...The day has come even quicker than I expected. Isn't it funny how that works. I have been anxiously awaiting the day I will be sent a list of available positions for my start date, and then when the day finally comes, I am shocked it is actually happening. I think this is like a lot of people in life. We have the dream to do something--a far-off, in the future dream that sounds so romantic in its sense, but then when reality catches up with our dreams, we wonder what we are really doing. I had this experience with ballet. I had always wanted to learn ballet and had always dreamt of dancing. Then, one day in high school, all those years later, I was given the opportunity to do it. Once I started, it seemed like the dream was more exciting than actually doing the dancing, itself. 


~~I think this is an innate thing that God has created within all of us. He created in us a desire to dream. He created within us a desire for adventure. He created within us a yearning to know Him more.~~


And with that being said, I believe this opportunity to teach in Korea is exactly that: a desire to dream, to explore & seek adventure, and to know Him more. I ask to know His heart deeper and to have the chance to love and experience a people chosen by God as His own. Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity and this desire.


I got the email THIS MORNING marked urgent, informing me that I will be having my interview for an elementary school teaching position in Hanam-si TONIGHT! ( Monday morning/afternoon, Kr time). I am anxious and excited and jumping out of my shoes at the same time! Everything has happened so quickly! I was emailed the job last Wednesday, given the huge amounts of application materials to fill out on Thursday night and talked with my contact in SoKo via skype, stayed up all night Thursday to do it all (not an easy task, let me tell you!), emailed the EPIK app & essay Friday, and now have the email today telling me I have an interview. This interview is actually for a GEPIK position (my first preference). GEPIK stands for Gyeonggi English Program in Korea (Gyeonggi is the province surrounding Seoul). Here's a website to read a little more about the program, if you are interested.


I may add more later about the process I have already gone through and my thoughts/reasons for choosing to teach in Korea, but for now, I am going to get some coffee and prepare myself for the interview (It could come as late at midnight Central US time, and for those of you who have known me lately, staying up that late doesn't happen as much these days lol! But long lost will be the days of going to bed early! I will have enough time to sleep when I die! I have so much of life that I want to live and experience--I don't want to miss a single opportunity!)


I love you all and will let you know how the interview goes. They say you get a quick response and expect you to respond within 24-48 hours! Woohoo!


<3 laura