most exciting bus ride EVER!

So, as per my last post, Korean has been HARD! In fact, I just gave my first presentation in Korean where I introduced and talked about different Latin American cuisine. ^.~ Talked about cooking with you, Evelyn and Clara!

With all of these things happening and with trying to get in the whole process of obtaining my FBI Criminal Record Check again (while still in Korea this time!>.<), it's been a little wild these last few days and will still be in the upcoming weeks. I've had interviews with different schools, sent out resumes, and have been trying to sketch out a "long-term" plan for reaching my dream.

And sooooo.....

When THIS happened on the bus after work yesterday, it COMPLETELY lifted my mood and reminded me why I love it here so much!

I HAVE TO SAY, THIS COULD WIN AS THE MOST EXCITING BUS RIDE EVER! 

As I started my looooong bus ride from work to home (~45min-1hr...yesterday was over an hour because of all the traffic), this young guy hopped on the bus with his tripod and video camera. As I skimmed through Facebook and turned on 8tracks, I couldn't help but notice that he was actually RECORDING himself and talking to the camera. Then he got off his seat and squatted in the aisle (note: the bus was NOT crowded at this point)....and then he made his way over and sat RIGHT NEXT TO ME! 

I tried not to notice and just keep doing my own thing, but then he started talking to me in English and wanted to do an interview with me.

It turns out he is some 21-year-old kid who is a K-Pop artist: musician, dancer, singer, composer, etc. He was doing a live web broadcast (where I could read the comments of viewers which were running on the screen) and wanted me to answer some questions. I hesitantly complied.

After talking for awhile, I asked if he could sing. He said yes. Hahaha and soooo.....I told him it was ONLY fair that he let me record HIM since he was recording me. ^.~ Cutest thing EVER! Here we are--at this point, on a crowded bus--and he busts out in song and doesn't care what ANY other people think. I miss this bravery and excitement and passion in people. I think I've become a little disillusioned with things due to many events and encounters (which I will discuss at a later time), and so this was exactly what I needed.

And so......here's a little video of him singing for me! Check him out online, and "like" him on Facebook . He has no fear of doing what he wants and loves. Let's support that, my friends!

tough day in language study

Every now and then, you just have a really bad day in language learning. You feel like you know nothing, you'll never be able to keep up, you'll never get it, it's too hard...you realize even MORE how FAR you have to go....and it's NOT going to get any easier.

....Yeah, I had one of those days yesterday.

Seogang 1-3 was ok, but now that I am in level 4, it is KICKING MY BUTT. The teaching style and book style/format/layout is completely new and different. The level is obviously harder.  It is a bit more interesting now, but the skill level is much higher, and I feel so lacking compared to so many people.

In addition, I started a Level 3-4 TOPIK Prep course. It was the complete OPPOSITE of what I was expecting. I sat for 2 hours doing practice tests of the vocab section with 90 percent of the vocab being words I had never even heard of. Talk about an UN-motivator. I know the Level 1-2 TOPIK is too easy, but this is still above me....even after taking Seogang Level 3 and starting Level 4, it's still above me.

Needless to say, I felt a little overwhelmed and wondered how I would ever do it all this semester.

...and then I bought flashcards. Haha, yes, ME--FLASHCARDS. ...And I'm going to try to stay motivated to make them and study them and work even harder.

And I know I can't do this in my own strength but with the help and strength of God. Praise God that He is always on my side and can do ALL things~~even help me learn Korean! 

holiday tradition

A quick, fun post. As the Christmas season is upon us, it makes us think of warm memories with friends and family. One tradition that our family has always shared is opening an advent calendar each year. Soooo.....no matter where we are in the world, we continue the tradition.

And here I am in South Korea, and my sister is in Canada.....and we are sharing in the special moment together each day of searching out the day's chocolate and enjoying a momentary, sweet escape.

Merry Christmas to my family, wherever you are across the world!

Your 2012 Global Seoul-Mate!

Yes, that's right, my friends, a month or so ago, I was elected as a "Global Seoul-Mate" by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. I have never actually posted a blog on this, so for my friends and followers here, I wanted to share this with you.

A Global Seoul-Mate serves the purpose of "coveying a vivid image of a contemporary Seoul, producing text, photographic and video content which uncovers the charm of Seoul's every nook and cranny, and blogs and SNS, just to name a few."

I hope to provide some great information on cute cafes, good eats, and great adventures. I have so many blog posts ready to be written, so stay tuned, and follow along on the journey!

Here is my certificate (even if it's not grammatically correct ^.~): 

• Certification number : S120132
• Name : Purcell Laura
• Nationality : USA
• Language : english

The Seoul Metropolitan Government hereby certifies that the person
whose name is shown above is a Global Seoul-Mate.

the journey continues...reflections on life overseas

Wow...so I've been reflecting a lot on life lately, and I intend to do it a lot more over the next month. I look at how far I have come and how much I have changed and grown over this past year and five months living in Korea. I honestly cannot remember a time WITHOUT the memories and experiences I have had here. What was life like before Korea? What was life like before living overseas? It's a lot like the same questions I asked after taking the Perspectives course. What was life like before my eyes were opened to the actual story of God's glory and His plan and desire for the nations?

In addition, I think about relationships. I think about and miss my friends back in the USA so much. I miss the "simplicity" and "routine" of life in Springfield. I miss drinking wine, eating delicious home-cooked food, and watching movies with my aunties Evelyn and Clara. I miss having my friends all live within a 20 minute radius. I miss having friends over, sharing in fellowship and Bible study, Thursday night dinners with Destiny and Jenn, Refresh and the amazing youth, weekend Latin dancing with all my ladies (you all know who you are!), and spontaneous road trips. I miss all of my international friends from around the world, and I miss that I am missing meeting so many new ones. I miss the smell of Fall, and the warmth of family and friends and cuddling up in the cold winters.

.....and that is just to name a few.

But I don't want to get you down by this post either. Although I DO miss all of these things, I would not wish my life to be anything other than what it is. I would not trade coming to Korea for anything in the world. I have met SO many wonderful teachers, students, friends, and people I now consider family. I have had the opportunity to teach English and music half-way across the world and gain amazing experience with students of all levels. I have gone on numerous adventures in and around Korea, and I have been able to go with an amazing group of friends to the Philippines to work with a terrific organization/family at an orphanage. In addition to all of that, I am learning Korean, and I am now at the intermediate level and able to carry out most daily conversations. It has not been an easy task living overseas for the first time (and I am sure it will still be hard no matter how long I live abroad), and it has definitely had its challenges, but it has brought me to a completely different place in my faith, in my character, and in my spirit. 

As I have to say "see you later" (I refuse to say it is "farewell") to some of my new friends from Seoul, it makes me think again about relationships. Friendships formed while traveling seem so temporary: people are here for a few months, a year, a few years...or you yourself are only in one place that long. It's living life in a constant state of transition, and it's wearing on one's heart to have to see so many people come and go and not having that "constant" friend nearby like with live back home. I've talked about it with some of my friends here, and we all seem to come to the same consensus: relationships formed overseas and while traveling are unlike any sort of relationship one will ever have. 

When we are children and our friends move away or we move away from our friends, we always promise to "write each other every day" and call each other "all the time" (although in this day and age, I guess this would change to "Facebook" and "text") and "never forget each other" because "we will always be best friends, and no one can replace that." Although I don't think the memories of our close childhood friendships will ever leave, the letters do...and the calls become far and few in between. Slowly we drift apart and form new friendships and make "new" best friends. But...unlike the childhood relationships or even adult relationships at home, the relationships formed overseas are something unique and unlike anything else.

I will admit that Facebook plays a HUGE role in things. I am able to still "feel" like I know what is going on in someone's life (even when we are thousands of miles apart) by reading Facebook statuses and seeing pictures pop up on my Newsfeed of recent adventures. BUT....even in spite of Facebook, the friendships are different. I could write a whole post about the crazy encounters with strangers that turned into lifelong friendships. Whether it is running into another English teacher from Korea on the Japanese subway in Fukuoka who just HAPPENS to also be a Christian flute major (ahaha, I know, right?!) trying to renew her visa....or sitting outside of the ski resort in Korea after winning some free ramyeon and chatting it up with a couple visiting from Malaysia ...and then proceeding to make plans to visit them in the future and exchanging contact info.....to any number of encounters like these.

One thing that life NEVER is overseas is BORING. Although we have to trade that life of "simplicity" or "routine" or "comfortable" for something crazy and unpredictable and often uncomfortable or unfamiliar (don't get me wrong....I know that life in the USA can DEFINITELY be far from simple or routine or comfortable!), the incomparable adventure offered far surpasses it all.

And...even though I long to be reunited with my family and friends, my heart cries for more adventure. I have found what awakens my heart to desire. I desire to see the world: to learn about it, to experience it, to take in the beauty of nature, of culture, of peoples, of music and dance, and ultimately--the beauty of a world created by God for His glory. 

John Eldredge, in his book Journey of Desire, offers great insight into this idea of desire, and I will end by sharing a few passages here with you:

“Worship is the act of the abandoned heart adoring its God.”
 ~~~
"We abandon the most important journey of our lives when we abandon desire. We leave our hearts by the side of the road and head off in the direction of fitting in, getting by, being productive, what have you. Whatever it might gain--money, position, the approval of others, or just absence of the discontent itself--it's not worth it."
~~~
"We are desire. It is the essence of the human soul, the secret of our existence. Absolutely nothing of human greatness is ever accomplished without it. Not a symphony has been written, a mountain climbed, an injustice fought, or a love sustained apart from desire. Desire fuels our search for the life we prize. Our desire, if we will listen to it, will save us from committing soul-suicide, the sacrifice of our hearts on the altar of 'getting by.' The same old thing is not enough. It never will be."

~~~
"Desire, both the whispers and the shouts, is the map we have been given to find the only life worth living." 

first big snow day in Seoul

Although we have seen some snow already this week, today is the first BIG all-out snow day in Seoul. It started snowing this morning during my Korean class, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! * * *

Here are some pics to share from my walk home after lunch.

Hehe~~Policeman making a policeman snow-family. I love Korea. ^.~

sunday filipino market in hyehwa

A couple weekends ago, I was finally able to go to the Filipino Market situated nearby Hyehwa Station (Line 4).  Ever since I came to Korea, I have been wanting to try it out but never had the opportunity. Having been to the Philippines last Christmas, I was really hoping to find the sweet, fried bananas on a stick...and so, as we made our way there, my mouth was watering with the prospect of such a savory treat!

 
ONLY OPEN ON SUNDAYS, the Hyehwa Filipino Market is located outside exit 1 of Hyehwa Station Line 4. Go out the exit and walk straight. The market will be set up along the street by the Hyehwa Catholic Church a few minutes' walk down the road. Starting in 1992, when a Filipino priest began holding Mass at the church, Filipinos have gathered to hear Mass in their native tongue. From there, they began holding the market which is open every Sunday.

The market is open from 9am-5pm and gets busier around 3pm when the church service ends.

You can find all kinds of things at the market: from electronics to speciality spices to meats and fruits and everything in between. In addition, the street food is an absolute MUST for your visit. Come hungry because so much amazing and delicious food lines the streets that you'll want to try a little of everything!