"My old nemesis, STAIRS."

"My old nemesis, STAIRS." - Po in Kungfu Panda II

That's my phrase these days.

For some reason I felt compelled to join our staff's Biggest Loser Challenge (a 9-week weight loss challenge).  I was ready to get back in the work out and walking mode after taking a year off (and putting on a few pounds, I might add).  So, two weeks ago I committed myself to two things: the motto "elevators do not exist" and walking every morning.

What does this mean exactly?

First of all, it means that rather than waking at 6 AM, I wake at 5:20 AM put on my walking gear and i-pod and head out for a 30 minute walk on a lit trail near my house.  Actually, this is not new to me.  Over the years I've walked Bucky and Roscoe in Bellevue, then did Walk-and-Talk with my sister on cell phones while walking Boomer in the woods near our home in Green Bay, then walking Boomer in Brillion, etc.  I've always had a dog to motivate me to walk!  At any rate, when we moved to Korea I wasn't sure I wanted to walk in the mornings without my Boomer and especially before sunrise.  But now that we've lived here a year, I feel perfectly safe and I was ready to get back at it.  So, walking it is.

Secondly, it means stairs.  Fifteen flights of stairs, to be exact.  Since we live on the 15th floor, and since "elevators don't exist" stairs have become my "nemesis" to be sure.  Well, at least they WERE.  I'm proud to say that over the past two weeks I have averaged walking up to our apartment two times a day.  Sometimes it turns out to be three times a day.  At first I could only make it to the 7th floor before I needed my rest.  Then 8, then 10, then 11.  Now I've begun regularly making it all the way without stopping in under 4 minutes.  Sometimes I even walk up from the basement parking lot which turns out to be 17 flights.

What is this doing to my weight?

I'd like to say it's done miracles, but I can't.  So, this has sparked me to try adding a third phase to my "get-fit" life - do MORE.  "More" might mean biking, swimming for 30 minutes in the morning as well, doing some weight training, aerobics, or circuit training.  But we'll see what results occur once that becomes routine.

At any rate, I'm proud to say that I don't get a pounding heart and winded on the 7th floor any more and that Alec seems to enjoy walking up with me, too.  That's a bonus, right?  Show the kids how it's done!

So, to all the Biggest Loser Wanna Be's out there. . .  Take a step today.  Take the stairs!

School Days

There seems to be so much going on lately.  So much that I haven't found a minute to write a blog.  I've actually been contemplating for a few weeks what to write.  Sure, we've hit a couple new places in the Seoul area - a ceramics festival that was amazing where three of us made pots on the wheel, and a Arts Village near the DMZ where Anna and I were fascinated by the hundreds of minerals on display at a museum, among other things.  But, I needed something else. 

What has REALLY been taking the majority of my energy lately is school.  Why? Well, here's the part where being an English teacher comes in.  Even with 65 students, I'm finding it difficult to get it all done.  As the end of the quarter neared I had 65 individual conferences to attend to, 32 papers in-class essays, then 32 analysis papers and finally 33 Multi-genre projects to grade (or as the Australians say, "mark"). 

I'd gotten through most of the essays by the time the Multi-genre projects came in.  But you know how it is - finish one thing just in time to get started on the next.  I'm ALMOST complaining.  Perhaps I even WOULD be complaining, if it weren't for the Multi-genre projects.  I have to thank my colleague Anthony for this idea.  I'd not heard of it before.  But it resonated with me because it sounded a lot like a portfolio (and you know how I love portfolios.)  

Students had been studying Romanticism in American Literature.  How to assess their understanding of Romanticism?  Well, allow them to BE a Romantic by exploring several genres all centered around a Romantic ideal (individuality, inner experience, inspiration from nature, imagination, innocence. . . )  Ask the students to find a way to make the project flow and tie it all together with a reflective and informative preface.  

I'd never done this before, so, you know. . . I was a bit. . . nervous.  Would they take it seriously?  Would they find their inner Romanticist?  Would they get anything out of it?  Would I have a bunch of thrown together crud or would I find brilliance?

Here's the part where I LOVE being an English teacher.

That's right.  I found brilliance.  The students have been imaginative, creative, innovative, honest, and soul searching.  They have discovered new things about themselves, looked inside in ways they hadn't before, began to notice innocence and nature all around them again.  They've reflected on family and relationships, society and the environment.  They've become poets and photographers, graphic artists and song writers, clever storytellers and contrite letter writers.  I'm so proud of my juniors!  Their job this year is to find their VOICES as writers and speakers.  And I just saw them take a big leap in that direction.  

I couldn't be prouder.

Now. . . back to work!

Poem: Trying to Be Romantic

The students were carefully prepped

“Listen to nature.  Find out what it says to you.

“Romantics see a tree differently than Rationalists.”

We entered the woods via the school trail

sat on the benches and studied Thoreau.

Ah . . . Nature!

Finally I set them off alone to “commune with nature”

Think about life.

See what nature had to offer them as a Romantic.

“The symphony of cicadas and crickets will speak to you,” I said.

The sunlight, trees and insects concurred.

Ah, Nature.

Just then They came.  The 12 year old scientists.

Their teacher hiked them up the very same steps by which we had entered the 

Romantic woods.

But they brought their yellow ribbons labeled with numbers

Tied them on the trees.  Asked questions like,

“What species is that?”  “What do its leaves look like? Its bark?”

The rationalists had arrived.

Ah, nature.

Next came the helicopters thu-thu-thu-ing overhead.

Then the computers accompanied by urgent questions 

on the particulars of “the assignment”

Finally, announcements rang out across the mountainside.

A bell sounded.

Civilization had arrived.

Aw. . .  nature.

Hawaii 2011

We spent this year's Chuseok Break in Hawaii - the trip of a lifetime!  We were on Oahu and loved every minute of it!  Enjoy the photos.

Customize your own picture slideshow

The Pacific: Above and Below

It's very likely that a day like today can never happen again.  To me, to you, to anyone.  Okay, to few people.  That is because today I was both above the sea and below it all in the same day.

We're on Oahu Island, Hawaii, for the Korean Holiday of Chuseok.  Today was one of the "big days" that we had planned.  We would head out to the western and northern coastal areas on an Ocean Joy Snorkeling Excursion (with Captain Jerry).  There we would get an hour of snorkeling and maybe see some dolphins on the way out.  This is our second time snorkeling.  Kids, too.  We were prepared for a good time.

On the way out the 30 of us had a light breakfast, listened to crew directions, and kept our eyes open for dolphins.  Our captain made a few calls to other boats on the water and discovered a small pod of spinner dolphins en route.  Sure enough, he found them!  They were gorgeous!  Perhaps 6 of them including two babies!  They were resting so they weren't going anywhere.  We enjoyed their company for about 10 minutes. 

A bit later we were all in the water with our snorkeling gear on.  Unbelievably there were not only several varieties of fish on the reef, there were also sea turtles!  At one point one of them floated up right below me; I got to within inches of it!  Anna, too, got very close to a sea turtle.  It amazes me how there is an entire universe under the deep blue sea.  All of this was plenty to enjoy and appreciate, but there's more.  We boarded the boat.  Alec was the first to spot flying fish as our boat skimmed along.  "Mom, it's the flying fish, just like in LIFE."  They were a brilliant blue, maybe 10 inches long, emerged from the water only to glide for maybe 30 feet before re-entering the water.  Crazy! 

As if this were not enough, on the way back to the harbor, our Captain learned of a pod of bottle nosed dolphins close by.  So we cruised on over, and sure enough, there they were!  Maybe a dozen of them.  One of the large ones seemed to love rubbing against the boat.  He hung out at the surface for a long time, even turning belly up and then on his side flicking a fin at us.  So amazing!  Our captain told us that when the whales are here, they play with the dolphins!  Sadly, after a lovely lunch on the boat we returned to the dock.

But this wasn't the end of our experience with the sea today.  Later, we decided to hike the .8 miles up the Diamondhead Crater trail.  It was a bit of a hike, but no worse than hiking in Korea.  In the end, we were standing on the top of the high point at Diamondhead.  Here the view of the ocean was amazing!  We had a full 360 degrees panorama view of the mountains, the city of Waikiki, the coastline and the Pacific Ocean.  Here the white clouds and sky blue complemented the deep navy blue of the deep water and the aqua blue of the shoreline.

And this was the day. There will be no other like it.
Give God the Glory!

Burger King - Finally.

There's something about Burger King that
sucks you in.
Is it the fries?
The Whoppers?
The "have-it-your-way" slogan?
Perhaps it's the grease
the hard chairs
the charcoal scent wafting through the restaurant.
Today it called to us.
Just 1 further subway stop;
We had time enough to sneak off and get
take out.

We waited patiently to arrive at home before
savoring the bun-meat-mayo-lettuce-pickle-ketchup combo

Sohyeon to Miguem by subway
Migeum to Goodmorning Hill by bus 17

Finally!

But, wait!
Where is the Take-out bag?
The take-out bag with 2 burgers, 2 fries, 1 orange and 1 Coke Zero?
NO!!!!!
     The bus.

And so we waited some more
impatiently
for 8018 to make it's rounds and return on the opposite queue.
Just 10 minutes more
Okay, 12 minutes more.

Finally!
I hop on, flash "lost item" to the bus driver on my cellphone and
pick up the familiar brown bag on a back seat
just where we left it.
That's Korea.  Nothing stolen.
Just flavorful goodness awaiting my return
and a little warmup from the microwave.

Ah! Burger King.

Finally.

Something fulfilling. . .

More than 2900 North Korean refugees came to South Korea in 2009.

When we began attending our church in Korea last year, I was so impressed to learn that they had mission work teaching English at a refugee center for North Korean women.   All year long I toyed with joining the group that teaches, but I never did go.

This year, as soon as I returned to Korea, I decided to give it a go.  I figured if I really loved it, I could make a regular commitment to it for the year, but I didn't know if I would.

The Center is an hour and a half drive to a community south of us.  As the six of us headed out from the church, I wondered what the night would be like.  I only knew that the number of people to attend is always a mystery, that we would teach a few simple action verbs, sing a few songs, and speak a simple Greetings dialog for about an hour.

It's hard to bring to life the experience.  At the appointed hour about 25 women and 3 young boys entered the lecture hall.  Most of the women were smaller in stature, smiling, bowing, and excited to be there.  The energy in the room was palpable.  The ladies sat in the closest rows.  For some women this was their first lesson as they had arrived within the 2 weeks since the last session.  For others their three months in the refugee center were almost over, and this would be their last lesson before venturing out on their own to a society so different from their homeland.

The ladies were EAGER to learn - so eager to repeat everything we said.  We practiced introductions, first going through a brief dialog.  Then the 5 of us fanned out and spoke personally to as many women as we could in a few minutes' time.  A few were outgoing and others were shy and uncertain of their pronunciation.  We spent extra time trying to help them hear and say the difference between "work" and "walk".  At one point I became the demonstrator of verbs, pantomiming eat, run, walk, jump,  and dance, among others.  This brought me right back to my early days of teaching beginning French.  I have no qualms looking silly in order to make learning a language fun.  It was amazing hearing the ladies and the children laugh at my antics as they repeated the words and tried the actions themselves.

As the time neared the end, Patricia taught the ladies a song refrain about finding empowerment.  The ladies were happy to stand and sing.  They listened quietly as Jacob prayed for their safely, transition, and friends and family left behind.  Our teenage translator did a great job translating the prayer.

At the end of the hour, people filed out slowly, being sure to say thank you while shaking our hands or bowing.  I amazes me to think what their lives must have been like and what drove them to leave their homeland.  It seemed paradoxical: how could women who have experienced such pain show such obvious joy?

Needless to say - I'm hooked.  I've been inspired to work out some upcoming lessons to use.  Perhaps I'll let you all know how it works out.  Now I'm counting down the days until I can return.  As Patricia says, "It's more about showing them love and compassion than it is about teaching English," though I hope we managed to do both.

May God Bless each woman and her loved ones.