Monday, June 8

It's Official~~

I signed the contract.  I'm extending my stay here until January 31, 2010!! Ahh~!! It's a little scary to think that I will now be here for 8 more months (although the first 4 went by pretty quickly...wow, 1/3 of the way done already haha).  I'll miss everyone!!  Including many of the close friends I have made here, who won't be extending along with me : (.

There are a few reasons I decided to stay.  I'm having a lot of fun and have made friends with awesome people here (I couldn't stay here without their love and support!), I love the food and new experiences, I want more time with my many kids~~, and the biggest reason I want to stay here is because I believe that God is working in me a TON.  And I don't think He's finished (I mean in Korea, not forever hehe).  I am learning so much about myself and about Him.

Now, something I haven't done in a while...

May Travels 5월 여행들

May 1: Busan and Gyeongju
In Busan, we watched a baseball game (Busan Giants against the Dusan Bears!! I felt sad cheerings against the Bears...hehe).  They handed these bags out near the end of the game, and people blew them up and.. well.. you can see the picture.  hehe~ this is my friend Stephanie posing with an unsuspecting fan.
Gyeongju was so beautiful!  We rented some bikes for the evening, and just looked around.  We saw this HUGE tomb.  In Korea, people are buried in graves which are raised above the ground, but one this big is made for king, because all of his possessions are buried with him.
Gyeongju again.  People fly kites in the field.  So pretty!  Isn't this place beautiful?  I really want to go back to Gyeongju again, because we barely even touched upon all of the culture and history in this one city!
Gyeongju: I honestly can't remember what this is>.< class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">James: from New Zealand (the one who was a shift at starbucks, Lois!!), Jeongmin, my teaching volunteer and the person I hang out with the most in Korea~~ I LOVE her!, Moon, my silly little brother (we've convinced people he's my brother for realz, even with our diff accents haha..), and Garron, who is one of the funniest people I know are also both from New Zealand. And Stephanie is a fellow American hehe.  She's awesome, and fun to be around.

May 16: Andong for Kitty's Birthday
찜닭, some reeeeally spicy chicken and noodle dish, which is the famous Andong dish!  It was really good, but man, really spicy food like that gets to my stomach >.<>but we hate this stuff twice!
We visited this beautiful bridge.  We were going to do a ton more, but it was pouring ALL day long.  In Chicago, when it rains, it's usually doesn't last all day (am I right??), but I've experienced this a couple times in Korea so far.  Anyway, beautiful, right??
We stayed under this gazebo (or whatever it's called) in the middle of the bridge, and took a ton of pictures and hung out.  I love these guys : ) Kitty's in the middle~ the one whose birthday we were celebrating this weekend! She's an awesome sister, and we live far apart, but whenever we meet, I thank God for it! David is on the left, from USA, he's really funny even though he tells silly jokes, but he's also one of the most encouraging people to me here in Korea. Abe is from Australia, and is also really funny~ he always seems to make me laugh. and then there's my brother Moon again. : )

May 30: Daegu

Daegu is supposedly the most fashionable city in Korea.  So we did a ton of shopping!  I bought that black and white bag, and Ellen in the middle bought the cowboy hat (lol), and Tina bought shoes, but you can't see them in the picture.  Tina is one of my closest friends here, but she will be leaving at the end of July~~ I try not to think about it too much >.<> We share our joys and pains together... she's my newbeat!! hehe.

Whew~! Long post, huh?  I'm tired from all the traveling, but it has been so fun!  And people are what really make it worth it to go such a distance every weekend!  I love and miss you in the US!!  Ahh~ can't believe I won't see you for so long!!  But our God is good!  I trust Him to take care of you and provide for each of you the way He has been providing for me : ).  And ya know, things aren't perfect.  I have longed to come home several times, with tears!  But, like I said, He has provided comfort for me in so many ways!  Thank you, Jesus for saving my life, when you didn't even have to create it in the first place!  You care for me in ways that I can't understand, but please keep teaching me. Amen.