goodbye asia.

It’s strange to think that one small variable in life has the power to change the whole course of events. I wonder who I would be today if I hadn’t decided to move to Changsha, China 3 ½ years ago. Would I still be living and working in Arkansas? Would I regret not having been brave enough to follow my dream of seeing the world? Who would I be now if I hadn’t met Grant and started traveling throughout the country every weekend? Would I still have fallen in love with Asia, or would I have returned after just 1 year? What career would I have chosen if I hadn’t explored teaching and discovered so much satisfaction in helping others learn? Would I have pursued an advanced degree or would I still be working in youth ministry? So many events have shaped who I am today and I am thankful for the journey. My time in China and South Korea has been the source of invaluable lessons and has forever shaped perspective of the world. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Right now I am flying high over the Pacific Ocean and am about to begin a new adventure. Transition is never easy. My mind is filled with memories of days spent traveling and living in Asia while trying to remain positive and hopeful about the future that awaits me in America. I know that I am ready for a change, but it doesn’t make the move any easier. So much of my identity is now wrapped up in being a foreigner among a sea of people with a language and customs so different from my own. I have grown accustomed to the stares and unfamiliarity. I have found contentment and happiness in the ability to make friends easily and travel to exotic countries on a whim. I have never felt as free as I have during these last few years. In many ways Asia now feels like home. It’s hard to say goodbye to a place that has provided so much joy, so many friendships, and countless new experiences. However, I know that this part of my life must come to an end if I want to move forward and reach new goals.

As I prepare to close this chapter I couldn’t be more thankful for the memories that will always remain. I will never forget the initial excitement of boarding that first flight to the Far East and not knowing what to expect upon arrival. The friends that I laughed and partied with on the backpackers trail in Southeast Asia. The joy I felt hopping on the back of a motorcycle taxi at 4 o’clock in the morning to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The uncontrollable laughter shared at a belly-dancing show on the beaches of Thailand. The moped rides through the streets of Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Eating a breakfast of fresh fruit, banana pancakes, and hot coffee on a porch overlooking wing-tipped Balinese rooftops. Riding buses and trains to new cities throughout China. Exploring the markets of Malaysia and feeling so content to travel alone. Photographing beautiful Indian, Khmer, Chinese, and Korean children. Walking around the sparkling streets of Singapore with my best friend and favorite German. Dodging cows and tuk-tuks throughout Rajasthan. Hiking the Great Wall of China for the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth time. Feeling empowered and confident while teaching university students. Turning the corner and seeing the picturesque Taj Mahal. Strolling through the night market in Luang Prabang followed by a heavenly massage before bedtime. Spring mornings spent reading and writing on the patio of the Coffee Bean in Olympic Park. Dancing until the sun came up on the beaches of Thailand, the Philippines, and clubs of Seoul. The hours spent in front of the Forbidden City after midnight laughing and trying to get the perfect Facebook picture. Shopping in Myeong-dong and Sinsa with my best friend. And these memories are just a few of the hundreds that I am lucky enough to call my own. One person doesn’t deserve so much happiness. I am immensely blessed.

I am now returning to America with the hope of obtaining a master's degree in education and social change so that I might one day help to educate refugees, immigrants, and children in developing nations throughout the world. Perhaps the greatest thing that I have learned in Asia is that as a person who has been given every opportunity to succeed in life it is my responsibility to give back. And so a new journey begins.

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” -Unknown

the lunar new year.

Celebrating holidays overseas always provides a great opportunity for learning more about a country's history and traditions. This past weekend was the Lunar New Year in Asia, known as Sol-Nal in Korea. On Thursday all of the kindergartners came to school dressed in hanboks and we had a fun afternoon spent playing games, eating dumplings and chapjae, and making kites.

Here are a few photos from the day:


my class (and wonderful korean co-teacher) wearing hanboks to celebrate the new year. getting everyone to smile for this picture wasn't the easiest thing i've ever tried. and i obviously didn't succeed.


my aspiring artist, olivia, showing off her cute smile and dress.


playing a traditional korean game.


jiwoo... my little genius. today we spent almost thirty minutes devising a plan to publish and market his latest mystery novel. i am the editor and was promised $20 upon the book's release. he is six and amazes me everyday. is it wrong for a teacher to have favorites? if not, he is mine.


the kids learning to properly bow for their grandparents.

새해 복 많이 받으세요!

happy valentine's day!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." -1 Corinthians 13:1-8

favorite foods.

I love Korean food. I love the spicy flavors, fresh vegetables, and perfectly marinated meats. I love the taste of kimchi and the texture of squid. And I've even developed a love for the different varieties of rice. Food is perhaps the one thing I will miss most when I leave this Asian peninsula next week. I could be wrong, but I don't remember having so many healthy choices in America.

A few photos of my favorite meals:


dolsot bibimbap. vegetables and rice mixed together with a spicy sauce and served in a steaming hot bowl. my #1 favorite!


donkasu. fried pork cutlet topped with sauce and served with rice.


kimchi jigae. spicy soup made with vegetables, kimchi, and tofu. eaten with rice.


fried "pancake" made with vegetables and squid. yummm.


sam bap. BBQ pork wrapped in lettuce leaves.


kimchi and side dishes! served with every meal.

Bon Appétit!

snowflakes on my lashes.

This week was gray skies, jackets and scarves, Ugg boots, slippery sidewalks, walking through a snow-covered park, old friends reunited, darts and cocktails, running at the gym, New York City sweatshirts, coffee and music, best friend talks, thoughts of home, and hope for a new year.

home on the other side.

A new job and another new apartment. This is where I now eat, sleep, read, watch TV, send emails, etc. My own little 9' x 10' home on the other side of the world.

Views from every angle:







"I long, as every human being does, to be at home wherever I find myself."
-Maya Angelou

island paradise.

It was so nice to get away this past weekend and to leave the chaos of the city. As much as I love living in places like Beijing or Seoul where there is constant movement and people, it's good to experience the quieter side of life every once in awhile. So this weekend Eva and I went to her beautiful hometown, Wando. We read and talked and laid in the sun and listened to music and ate tons of delicious food (so much in fact that I've declared a fruit fast for myself during the remainder of the week) and drove all over the islands. I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing or fun two days. I am thankful for these beautiful escapes into paradise with a wonderful friend.


enjoying a sunny afternoon by the ocean.


playing in the sand.


the perfect place to read and write.


another view of the islands.


sunset over the city.


driving with the windows rolled down and sufjan on the ipod. perfection.

NBA in seoul.

Today I watched former NBA players, coached by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, lose miserably to a Korean team. While it hurts my heart to know that any other country has the ability to beat America basketball players (no matter how old and out of shape they may be), it was a good afternoon. I love my friends, free tickets to sporting events, rowdy fans, and unexpected fun days in the city. And now I am even more excited about returning to Texas and watching my Dallas Mavericks in action.


there were actually more people at the game than appear to be in the picture. i guess most of the crowd was sitting on the other side of the court.

the weekend.

Chicken and beer in the moonlight. Marc Jacobs fashion show on repeat. Much needed haircut. Forever 21. Jazz club and friendship. Reliving high school days on the Hongdae playground. Apple cinnamon hookah. Learning about obedience. Noodles in Sinsa. Good conversation. Playing with friends in the park. New movie night. So much laughter. I am blessed.



Happiness. Only real when shared.

sunset in the park.

Last night I took a long walk through Olympic Park at sunset and just enjoyed the hot summer air as I thought about my return to the city. This has always been my favorite place in Seoul, and it still doesn't disappoint. I love coming to this park after a long day of work, running through the tree-lined paths, or just soaking up the vibrant surroundings on the patio at my favorite Coffee Bean cafe. I am happy to be in Korea again, but so much has changed... or maybe it's me. It's a strange feeling to to leave one job in Asia only to return to another country that still isn't your own. I am learning that life is full of unexpected journeys and I am anxious to see where it will take me next!

live octopus.

This video was taken a few months ago when I still lived in Seoul, but I thought it was worthy of a blog post. One night a few of my friends went out for live octopus at a small restaurant in our neighborhood. It was hard to pick up the octopus legs with chopsticks because they kept moving, and when you finally got one into your mouth you had to chew quickly so that they wouldn't suction to your tongue. It was definitely an interetesting meal that I wouldn't mind having again. When I first moved to Asia 2 years ago I hardly ever ate meat...and now this. People change!

final thoughts.

It's a beautiful fall day in Korea and I've been wandering the streets of Seoul for the last few hours. Work is finished, I have moved out of my apartment, and the return to America is only days away. It's a strange feeling to walk around the city that has been home for the last 14 months and to know you are possibly looking at everything for the final time. Today I feel like the most blessed person on earth as I reflect on the wonderful memories made throughout this last year. One person doesn't deserve so much. I am so thankful to have worked at a school that was organized and efficient and genuinely cared for its teachers. I am thankful to have been given a nice apartment in a beautiful neighborhood that felt like home. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to so many places in Korea and throughout Asia during the last year. And above all, I am thankful for the friendships that were developed here. When I moved to Seoul last August I never imagined I'd find such wonderful people to share the experience with. None of this would have been nearly as fun, or as memorable, if it weren't for my friends that now feel more like family. My mind is flooded with thoughts of nights spent dancing until 4 am in Hongdae, mornings spent talking over a cup of coffee in Olympic Park, bike riding through the neighborhood, playing charades on a love motel bed, shopping with the girls in our favorite areas of the city, learning to snowboard during the cold winter, taking weekend trips to the beach, teaching beautiful Korean children English, developing deep friendships with people from all parts of the world, etc. The incredible moments I've been lucky enough to experience are too numerous to list. I am immensely grateful for this last year of life.

I am trying hard to remain joyful as I reflect on my time in Korea, although a part of me feels sad to leave it all behind. I already anticipate the ache in the pit of my stomach when the plane departs Seoul on Sunday morning. I know this will be the hardest move yet, but I feel confident that life will work out exactly as it is supposed to. As I sit next to the window now in this quiet coffee shop over-looking the streets of Insadong I can see red and yellow and orange leaves float to the ground outside. The changing seasons remind me of God's consistent love. Every year spring fades to summer, and summer to fall, because He directs the movement of the entire world. In the same way, I know God is in control of my life and I have faith that He will never lead me towards something new without having a greater purpose. I constantly wonder if leaving the home I've created in Korea is the right desicion, but I can't deny the pull I feel towards China. Although sad about ending this season in my life, I am excited to return to the country where my love affair with Asia first began. There is so much in store for the future and I eagerly aniticpate the start of something new. Goodbye Korea...

"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become." -unknown

free falling.

Yesterday afternoon a few friends and I took the subway to the outskirts of Seoul to a park for bungee jumping. Last October when we were in the area everyone was brave enough to jump, except for me. Yesterday I was determined not to chicken out. I still can’t believe I let myself free fall from a 140 ft. platform trusting that a rope would catch me! Although it was one of the scariest moments of my life, I’d definitely do it again.

Here’s a short video clip from my jump:

across the border and into north korea.

This weekend I visited a nation that remains shut off to most of the world. A place where rigid communist ideology pervades and the everyday movements of ordinary citizens are closely monitored. North Korea was unlike any place I have ever traveled, and I saw but only a glimpse of the country that is home to more than 30 million people.

I visited North Korea with a South Korean tour group, and from the moment we crossed the border along the demilitarized zone the differences between the divided peninsula were drastically apparent. In a matter of one hour I went from a country full of parks, shopping malls, well-dressed business people, and coffee shops to a city with few cars, stores, and restaurants. All day it felt like my eyes were playing tricks on me. Staring out of the bus window onto the desolate streets felt like watching a movie filmed 60 years prior. I kept blinking to make sure the scene on the other side of the glass was real. The few people walking or riding their bikes along the road were dressed in clothing reminiscent of 1940’s America…knee length pencil skirts, white blouses, dark-colored ill-fitting suits, flat brown loafers, and the occasional fancy hat. Every building looked the same…. made of concrete, square, no flowers or curtains in the window. Drab to say the least. North Korean military guards littered the streets as they monitored our every move. I have never been watched so closely. All day I couldn’t help but wonder what it must feel like to wake up every morning in a place where propaganda posters praising the suppressive communist dictator, Kim Jung Il, are plastered on billboards and windows. How does it feel to long for independence but to know that your chance for it might never arrive? This weekend I gained a new appreciation for my freedom.

I wish that I had more interesting photos from North Korea to post as I think the few below are a fairly inaccurate representation of the country. I was allowed to bring my camera on the trip, but the use of it was heavily monitored. All visitors were only allowed to photograph the “tourists traps” (as I prefer to call them) that we visited throughout the day. Therefore, my North Korea photo album consists mainly of beautifully restored temples and monuments, perfectly manicured parks and waterfall, and women wearing traditional Korean han-boks. While much of the North Korean countryside is beautiful and green and mountainous, I was not permitted to take photos of those places. Any chance of capturing a shot would have been shut down immediately by the North Koreans that accompanied us on the bus, or by the military guards that lined the streets. Regardless, images of the country will be ingrained in my memory forever.

A few photos from the north...


north korean military officials driving in front of an old office building. i was allowed to photograph this side of the street, but the opposite side was off-limits as it was under construction and might give the impression that the country is poor and undeveloped. crazy.


an old department store in the city of kaesong.


the infamous kim jung il.


holding a north korean postcard/piece of propoganda that I smuggled out of the country. shhh…don’t tell.

the demilitarized zone.

This past weekend a few of my friends and I visited the most heavily fortified border in the world- the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. I didn’t have many preconceptions about this area before visiting, and went into the trip thinking it would be nothing more than a good photo opportunity and a neat thing to write home about. However, I quickly felt the tension between the divided peninsula, and realized that I was standing in a place where intense conflict still exists. From the moment we arrived our group was given specific instructions from the American military guides to not take photographs of certain things, to be mindful of our actions, and to think about our conversation topics as we were most likely being spied on by the North Korean military. It was surreal to stand on a hill over-looking Kim Jung-Il’s oppressed nation, tour an old war tunnel, visit a United Nations boardroom that was literally divided down the middle between the North and South, see North Korean guards stare at our tour group with binoculars from across the border, and to learn more about the Korean War. It was such an interesting day...


taken during a slide presentation shown to help our group understand the situation between the two countries and the role the united nations plays in trying to promote reconciliation.


guarding the DMZ on a rainy saturday afternoon.


photo of a north korean guard looking at me, looking at him.
(taken with a telephoto lens).


commonly called "the bridge of no return." during the war korean people chose to take this path either north or south, thus determining where they would spend the remainder of their lives.

Next month I’ll actually be going INSIDE of North Korea to a small city named Kaesong. I realize it might not be the smartest trip I’ve ever signed up for, especially in light of the current situation (a South Korean tourist was shot and killed there last weekend), but I am so eager to see a place that remains shut off to much of the world. Should be interesting…

three hundred and sixty degrees: myeong-dong

I was in Myeong-dong the other night for a friend's birthday and took a short video clip of the area. This is my favorite place to hang out in Seoul, and you can find me here at least once every weekend (although I usually visit during the day). I love the lights, the shopping, the people, the cheesy Korean music, the noise, the constant movement, the location of my favorite coffee shop high above the busy street, etc. It's enough to make a person crazy, but after living in over-populated China for a year I feel right at home. I love city life!



(sorry for the poor quality...it's hard to hold a camera above your head and turn around in a circle w/out shaking a bit!)

the beach. the mud. the friends.

Every year the city of Boryeong brings in thousands of gallons of mud and dumps it at Daecheon Beach for their annual mud festival. The mud is dug up from nearby fields and is thought to be rich in minerals that are good for your skin. Thousands of people from across Korea attend this event each year and it proved to be one of the most dirty, fun weekends I've ever had.

About 20 of my friends boarded a bus early Saturday morning for the 2-hour trip from Seoul to Boryeong. We spent the entire weekend laying on the beach, covering ourselves in mud, playing dozens of mud events, and hanging out. The festival was also the largest gathering of foreigners I've seen since moving to Asia. The beach was literally covered with muddy Americans, Canadians, South Africans, etc. Who knew there were so many of us living in Korea? Everywhere you looked there were people painting themselves with thick, gray mud, wrestling in mud pits, getting dirty in the "mud jail," playing in mud baths, sliding down mud covered slides, and dancing to the music at a nearby stage. It was an incredible sight and so much fun!

Photos from the festival:


the central area near the beach.


mud-wrestling.


stuck in jail.


the stage. the beach. the dancing. so fun!


taken through a plastic bag so the camera wouldn't get dirty.


sarah. me. and eva looking statue-esque.


clean at last!

To read more about the event check out this site: http://mudfestival.or.kr/lang/en/index.jsp

R&R korean style.

Those of you who know me well know that I am good at being productive throughout the day, and not so good at resting. That being said, I have run myself to the point of exhaustion lately and have been in desperate need of a chance to do nothing. This weekend I was determined to relax. Last night after work I took a taxi over to my favorite jimjilbang (찜질방) and spent the whole night laying in various saunas, getting a full-body massage, reading a travel book, and soaking in the bathhouse. Wonderful!

Jimjilbangs are a popular part of Korean culture and are a place that very few foreigners visit. Nearly every neighborhood in Seoul has one and they vary in the size and amenities offered. My favorite, located in Bangi Dong, is six stories high and has everthing from a bathhouse to workout facilities to massage tables to an abundance of sauna rooms. It's an excellent place to pamper yourself for a few hours.

As soon as you enter the jimjilbang and pay your 6,000 won ($6) entrance fee, you are given a key for storing your things in a locker, two small towels, and a pair of clothes reminiscent of a middle school gym uniform. Then, the men and women part ways to their locker rooms to shower and change. The women's locker room is very nice and has a concession table for buying drinks, snacks, shampoo, shower gel, mud masks, etc. There are also TVs hanging on the wall playing the evening news, massage tables, and rooms where you can get a full-body scrub. As soon as you find your assigned locker, you strip down and join the other hundred or so other naked women in the bathhouse. (Side note: After living in Korea for almost 10 months I am no longer afraid of nakedness. It's just a regular part of culture here to bathe in a public bath). All around the shower room there are dozens of friends and family members bathing each other's backs, carrying on with converstaion as if they were fully dressed, and little kids throwing cold water on one another. It's quite a scene. After showering, you are ready to soak in one of the pools. They have tubs that are scalding hot, temperate, frigid, full of salt-water, etc. Some baths have little fountains, some have powerful jets, some bubble. And in between your different baths, you can visit the steam room and sauna.

The fun doesn't stop there, though! Once you are clean, you put on the ill-fitting pink shirt and shorts provided by the jimjilbang and proceed to the common area to hang out with friends, sweat in one of the dozens of sauna rooms (salt saunas, mineral saunas, oxygenated rooms, ice rooms, and jade saunas...to name a few), eat dinner, watch a movie, check your email at the internet cafe, play games, or sleep. This is a very social place for many Koreans. Last night I opted to get an hour-long massage by a woman who found every muscle in my back, and then layed on the floor in the common area while sipping on a slushy rice drink and reading my new travel book. At about 10:30 pm I went into one of the sleeping rooms, crawled into one of the hundreds of little cave-like holes, and fell asleep. Jimjilbangs are typically open 24 hours so I took advantage of this and spent the night. I was too tired to go home and figured I was already so relaxed...why leave? I woke up at 9 am this morning feeling completely rested and ready to start my day. It was a wonderful night!

I think America has a thing or two to learn from the Koreans.

weekend in wando.

This past weekend I traveled to Wando (a series of island at the southern tip of Korea) with one of my closest friends, Eva. She grew up in this beautiful city and invited me to come home with her for a couple of days. It was so much fun meeting her family, eating home-cooked Korean food, driving around the island listening to loud music with the windows rolled down, and seeing the place where she has lived for the last 24 years. It was also wonderful to get away from the busy city for awhile and to see a much more laid-back part of the penninsula. I am so lucky to have found such great friends on this side of the world!

The weekend in photos:


the 5 1/2 hour bus ride from seoul to wando. our ipods entertained us.


playing on the beach.


eva. her mom. george (her brother). eva's mom own a restaurant in wando so we ate GOOD all weekend long. here we are having kimchi, fried pork and dipping sauce, seaweed, and samgyeobsal.


a view of the ocean from the road. we spent most of our time on saturday driving around since it was rainy and dark outside. regardless of the weather, it was still beautiful!


the ocean at low tide. i wanted to tell this woman that she would never be able to empty her boat as long as it continued to rain.


church on sunday morning. they sang many songs that sounded familiar, however, i couldn't sing along because everything was in korean.

Wando is such a beautiful place to visit. I can't wait to return when the weather is sunny and warm!

my youngest students.

Not only do I travel, explore Seoul, hang out with friends, and enjoy city life... I work, too. I realized the other day that I haven't said very much about my job, and wanted to write a quick blog post about my life during the week. I'll attempt to write a few entries telling about the different classes I teach each day, beginning now with my youngest kids in ESL 1.

I've been working at GKI School in Seoul for the last 8 months and really enjoy teaching english to Korean children. There are 17 other foreign teachers at the school from America and Canada and I have loved getting to know them. GKI offers everything from a full-day english speaking kindergarten program, to intermediate english classes for elementary school students, to intensive classes for those kids with parents who have Ivy League dreams. I work with the latter group in the ESL department, which means that most of my students have been learning english since they were old enough to walk and they all have a fairly good understanding of the language. All of the students are required to speak only english at school (they are punished when caught speaking korean), complete listening and reading comprehension homework each night, study for weekly dictation tests, and prepare for a monthly exam that test their knowledge of the material learned during the previous few weeks. The school is very well organized with daily lesson plans given to each teacher. Basically, I just walk into class, open to my pre-made lesson, and begin talking. There are still challengs at work...but at least coming up with material to teach isn't one of them.

The youngest students that I teach each day are those in my ESL 1 class. I've never been particularly excited about working with anyone under the age of 13, but I've really come to love these little ones. There are 9 students in the class and many of them attended english-only kindergarten programs last year. Because of this, they have a good understanding of sentence structure and have developed a fairly large vocabulary. It's always impressive to me that these 1st graders can read and write english so well. Last week I gave them a spelling test and one of the words was "gymnastics." I can't imagine that too many 7-year-olds in America could spell this word, which makes it all the more amazing that they are doing it in a second language. In addition to vocabulary we study math, science, history, and reading every week. Each student is also required to write a weekly summary over the book they are reading for homework, and then present it to the class. This has come to be one of their favorite actitives because they love standing at the front of the room and having everyone clap when they finish their presentation. They are a really goofy, smart, eager group of students and I always look foward to teaching them.


a view of my classroom.


hannah (named after hannah montana...yes, they watch that in korea, too). everytime i see this girl it makes me ready to adopt a little asian baby.


esther and lucy.


the whole crazy class.


each day i give the students a topic to write about during the first 15 minutes of class while i am checking their homework. last week they wrote about their favorite things to do during the summer. here is a short video clip of jenny presenting her paper. i love that little kid voice that they all still have.

Coming soon: ESL 2, ESL 4, ESL 5, ESL 6. Since they are all on the verge of being teenagers I'm sure they aren't going to be nearly as willing to have their picture taken!