my cute class.

I am a kindergarten teacher. But even more surprisingly, I am a kindergarten teacher and I enjoy it. The transition from giving lectures to some of China's top university students during the first half of the year to working with six-year-olds wasn't easy. I have always preferred teaching older students to those that are younger... no whining, no time-out corner, and no pleading with them to learn. However, I can now honestly say that I look forward to seeing my thirteen Korean kids each day. I love their curiosity, the sound of their voices as we sing in the morning, the excitement that fills the room during craft time, the impossible to answer questions they often ask, and watching them learn new things. It also helps that they are brilliant students who speak near perfect English. I must be proof that people change.

A few photos of the kids I have grown to love:


dressed up for halloween.


cute girls.


hannah and the grasshopper she found at sky garden.


playing in the snow!


drinking hot chocolate, listening to christmas music, and making homemade cards!


singing christmas carols.

"Teaching is as sacred as priesthood, as innate a desire, as inescapable as the genius which compels a great artist. If he has not the concern for humanity, the love of living creatures, the vision of the priest and the artist, he must not teach."
- Pearl Buck

a new year.

It seems so surreal that another year has already begun and now 2008 remains nothing more than a memory of the past. I haven’t given the change much thought, probably because my New Year's Eve was relatively uneventful and nothing out of the ordinary, but the other day I was sitting in the living room watching the news and thought about all the stories that will flash across the screen in the next year. It’s crazy how quickly life changes and current events become nothing more that a part of history. I don’t have any idea what's in store for the next 365 days, but I know I will do everything possible to find joy, contentment, love, and adventure. I will not settle for anything less.

A friend of mine sent me an email the other day recapping this last year of his life, and it caused me to reflect on the moments I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy. The last 12 months have been a whirlwind of experiences and sometimes I still can’t believe it was me in all of the moments that fill my head. I remember dancing the night away at a club in Seoul on December 31, 2007 and looking around in amazement at the dozens of nations represented in a single room. I remember my first snowboarding trip in the mountains of Korea and spending hours in a heated pool taking underwater pictures with friends outside of our condo. I remember the numerous mornings I woke up early and rode my bike to Olympic Park where I would then sit and write and read for a couple of hours before work. I remember long runs on the treadmill at the gym overlooking the busy streets below. I remember visiting Eva's hometown, meeting her family, and feeling so grateful to have found true friendship on the other side of the world. I remember boarding a plane to Malaysia all alone and wondering if I was capable of traveling to new countries on my own. I remember dinners with friends, teaching young Korean children, shopping in the city, and riding a taxi home at night while looking out over the illuminated Seoul skyline. I feel like I have learned so much about myself during this last year. I haven’t always made good decisions, and haven’t always followed my heart, but I have lived. I have experienced incredible moments of joy that outweigh everything negative. Life changes so quickly. In one year I went from dancing the night away in an Asian club on New Year’s Eve, to a quiet evening at home in the suburbs. In many ways the change has been hard but I know it’s the only way we grow. I am thankful for the journey that life has taken me on and am even more thankful that it brought me home to my family once again.

This last year has been one of the best, and I have nothing but hope for a memorable 2009.

first impressions.

A week and a half ago I said a tearful goodbye to wonderful friends who have greatly influenced this last year of my life and boarded a plane for America. Although I have been "home" for a few days I am still in a state of culture shock. Everything is so much different than I remember, or maybe this last year in Seoul has changed me in ways that I am only just now discovering. Anderson Cooper once wrote about his travels by saying, "The longer you are gone, the harder it is to return." America has been my home for the last 23 years but the longer I stay in Asia the more disconnected I feel upon returning. During these last few days I have felt like an alien walking in a foreign land... moving from point A to B but not knowing how I got there. Only lately are things beginning to make more sense as I try to take things one day at a time. Leaving South Korea was one of the hardest moves I have ever made because I miss the life and friends that I left behind so much more than can be expressed in words. I am so thankful for last 14 months that were spent in Seoul. I think it was one of the most formative and exciting experiences in my life thus far. But now that I am in America I want to do everything I can to take advantage of this time with my family and friends before returning to Asia. I don't want to spend my time here dwelling on past memories or disoriented by the American way of life that now feels foreign. I know that the future is full of opportunites to travel, explore, and learn and I am excited to see where life leads. Despite the frequent feelings of sadness and confusion, I will find reason to rejoice!

First impressions upon returning to America:

- The pace of life. After living in a big city like Seoul the American suburbs seem like such a lonely place with their big houses and fenced yards. Everyday I find myself longing to return to a place full of streetside cafes, crowded shopping districts, and busy subways. I miss the constant movement of the city.

- The people. For the last 2 1/2 years I have been surrounded by thin, well-dressed Asians with black hair and almond shaped eyes. Although people are all unique in thier own way, they have the same defining features. Now I find myself in a place where everyone looks drastically different. I can't help but stare at the strange looking, oddly shaped men and women of various colors and sizes that I encouter throughout the day. We are a strange looking race (myself included). Now I understand why so many guys are attracted to Asian women... I would be too!

- The sky. I love the saying that everything is bigger in Texas, and it's true! I love driving along the highway and watching the sunset stretch across the earth. I haven't seen a sky this big, or blue, in a long time.

- The culture. Upon returning to America I have been trying to find something that defines this country. I never realized how diverse our nation is until I began traveling. In America it's not uncommon to see people from many different countries in a single day, or to eat Chinese food for dinner one night and Mexican the next. But in some ways I think this "melting pot" society has erased all uniqueness and left us without our own culture. One of the things I love about Asia is the distinct differences between thier way of life and my own... using chopsicks, eating rice at every meal, bowing to say hello, taking your shoes off in someone's home, practicing tae kwon do, etc. I am on a quest to discover what defines America.

home on the other side.

Today I miss this house and the people who live inside.



It's hard to believe that I will return to America in 22 days. It doesn't seem real.

happiness is...

Trips to beautiful beaches (Wando and Busan) with great friends.

Dongjip wars that never end.

Train rides to new cities.

American Apparel v-necks and Uniqlo hoodies.

Pot luck dinners and charades.

Spending time with a certain Korean-American.

City-wide scavenger hunts in the rain.

Watching indie films at the Busan International Film Festival.

Cheesy love motels with flowered wallpaper and Thomas Kincade window shades.

Inspring/encouraging emails from my best friend in the solar system.

Jogging along the Han River at night.

Hookah bars and mexican food in Gangnam.

Sitting at a coffee shop and drinking a latte while writing in my journal.

Reading a book about India and knowing that I'll be there soon.

Thinking about Christmas in America for the first time in 3 years.

Fall weather.

Enjoying every moment in Seoul before time runs out.

happy korean thanksgiving!

A few weeks ago Korea celebrated one of its most important holidays, Chusok. In honor of the day, the students at school dressed in Hanboks and played traditional Korean games. It was so much fun to see all of my little kindergarten kids looking nice in their brightly colored clothes representative of their culture. Here are a few photos from the day:


playing a korean stick tossing game. i didn't quite understand the concept.


i sincerely hope that someday i have a little asian girl whose eyes completely close when she smiles.


claire and her red dress.


charlie. the ladies' man.


a few of the girls.

Check out my Flickr site to see more photos from Chusok!