Hi everyone,
Just thought we'd share the latest from the land right next to the land of the rising sun. Teaching is going very well over all. We really enjoy it and my supervisor game me an inital evanluation by sitting in on four of my classes last week. He gave me a full typed page for each one which said that I was doing great. Of course he said several times that I speak way to fast for kids learning a new language. No suprise. It's also hard to remember how hard the material is for the kids. They've taken it in school before sure, but since it's in a whole new languague I really need to go word by word through some of the stuff to be sure they understand.
Eileen still loves teaching but is finding it really challenging with her health. Working 5 days with lots of standing is quite hard on her and then she needs a day and a half to deal with her drugs. Then the last part of sunday is church so she's getting worn down physically and emotionally. Today she felt a bit of a cold coming on so she's getting anxious about things. If you can pray for her we need it.
New set of wheels
I got a new bike!!! I was actually praying for one and then last week I found one laying on a dumpster. Ye ha! The back tire was finished and it was in rough shape but 8 bucks at a bike shop on our street got that replaced with a full tune up and now I'm good to go. It's so nice since without a car we are a 15-20 minute walk from the bank and grocery stores. Today I did it in 5 minutes flat. Soooo great! Often I feel that praying for those things is so petty and self serving yet sometimes we get them anyway.
Adventures in teaching
It's no secret that it can get lonely here with most English speakers only staying her 12 months so often any friends you do make will leave 3 or 6 months into your term. Nav, one of our teachers decided he'd get a pet rabbit. He gave it all his love, letting it poop in the living room and sleep in his microwave and all. They really came to love each other. But one day Nav was out on the patio with his little buddy and he split the glass door open for some fresh air. Now although his bunny had come to love Nav it still had an instinct for the great outdoors. Sensing an opporunity for freedom Nav's beloved bunny made a dash between the rail for a new life. Unfortuantley at this point the young and naive bunny had to learn a very hard lesson about gravity from the 14th floor of an appartment building. To ad insult to the intense emotional injury Nav then had to go and clean up his new found friend. I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't heard it from Nav himself.
Exotic new friends
The best part of traveling around the world to work is meeting all the interesting people we work and live with. As far as church things have worked out famously. The first week a guy from my floor invited us to his church's (American) thanksgiving dinner. The next week Eileen found that Stephanie who sits behind her on her floor goes to another english church service a bit over an hour away. We went with Stephanie for church at 4:00 on sunday afternoon and she invited us to her small group after church. It's a fun group and they go for dinner after group each week so it's been really easy to get to know them.
Now we had found that Stephanie is from Oak Bluff and lives a 20 minute drive from our house in Winnipeg. On the way home from church Stephanie pipes up to say that I look familiar to her. It turns out that she went to the same church as us before we came to gateway. She was in Senior youth when I was a junior youth leader and she recognized me from the worship team I used to play on. Good thing we all moved to Korea so we could meet each other.
Getting plugged in
Getting to know people has gone well. We are so thankful for finding our school. With 8 foreign teachers on my floor and 5 on Eileens we have lots of people to connect with. We have gotten to be good friends with two of the girls and a guy from Eileens floor who all happen to be Canadians as well. We teach until 10 pm and then usually we end up somewhere for supper. The food is great but you don't know spicy till you've tired Korean! Five peppers on a canadian menu might be mild for a Korean. Eileen has done alright with her diet. The girl that she replaced on her floor was a vegetarian and before she left she gave her some good tips to get by! The food is awesome and cheep despite not being able to read a menu. (some resturants have a few pictures).
Tonight we went to our church for the third time and after church our small group went to one of the pastors homes for a wrap up before the Christmas/January break. (there's no public school through January). It was so great after only three weeks to feel that same immediate connectedness we felt our first sunday at Gateway Lakewood. Again despite the tough parts we are being so looked after. We are greatful for that.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
This was originally sent on December 2nd.
We are here in Korea and I thought I'd send an update in case you're curious. I've just posted some pics from our Ireland holiday on my facebook page if you'd like to see them.
Settled in
We just got the Internet at our house a day ago but this was pretty much the last big thing we needed to settle in. All we can say is WOW this has been a DREAM it was so much easier than we expected. The good Lord was obviously looking out for us. The first night we got to our apartment to find a bathtub and a stove! These amenities are sooo rare here. There are so many english teachers at the school that it's hard to feel like we are in a foreign country and our bosses helped us get everything from having drinking water delivered to setting up our phone and getting our paperwork done at the immigration office. There are so many english teachers in this neighborhood that many of the shop owners know one or two words of english to do business. The school is well organized and we feel that we have done as well as we possibly could have for a job.
Highs and Lows
Eileen Loves Teaching! I knew she would but now she knows it too. She is finding it quite hard on her body after the first week though. We are really praying that things get better so she can keep going at this all year. Finding good food for Eileen has been challenging. One small (small) head of broccoli is $2.00. Most other food is very cheep though. A big sushi roll is only $1. (I love sushi rolls). Most products have at least one line of english. It's hard to believe we are in Asia (Except that we are surrounded by Koreans) Also is seems most foreigners average 2-3 months of cold and flu because of all the new bugs they encounter. I've already had a wicked cough for 3 three weeks starting in Ireland. Please pray I get better and Eileen doesn't get sick.
Potty humor
Lots of funny custom adjustments though. For example one might find oneself standing at the lu doing one's business and the door swings open and closed as the kids go through. The door will probably stay open and when someone walks buy outside you could really stand an have a conversation with them at the same time. While I find this a little awkward most locals just don't worry about it and take care of business. Don't wave someone over either. It's like calling a dog over. Make sure your had is upside down when you wave or they may give you the wave right back.
Population Density
Our neighborhood is awesome. It's all 15 story apartment's that look a little older. This is the densest population in Seoul. Funny it doesn't feel crowded though. Our apartment is right next to a big mountain (Gorgeous). The road is lined with apartments but we are on the 13th floor and have a great view of the street. There are restaurants and shops on top of each other all along the main street. Everything you could need 3 minutes one way or 10 minutes the other by our school. I love this little restaurant that is smaller than my kitchen at home and seats 3 people. Once it gets nice (above 5 degrees) there are hiking trails up the hill. Don't worry it does get cold here. It was down to -5 the other evening and I had to put on an extra sweater so I totally understand how you all feel back home right now. Well that's all for now
cheers,
Randall and Eileen
We are here in Korea and I thought I'd send an update in case you're curious. I've just posted some pics from our Ireland holiday on my facebook page if you'd like to see them.
Settled in
We just got the Internet at our house a day ago but this was pretty much the last big thing we needed to settle in. All we can say is WOW this has been a DREAM it was so much easier than we expected. The good Lord was obviously looking out for us. The first night we got to our apartment to find a bathtub and a stove! These amenities are sooo rare here. There are so many english teachers at the school that it's hard to feel like we are in a foreign country and our bosses helped us get everything from having drinking water delivered to setting up our phone and getting our paperwork done at the immigration office. There are so many english teachers in this neighborhood that many of the shop owners know one or two words of english to do business. The school is well organized and we feel that we have done as well as we possibly could have for a job.
Highs and Lows
Eileen Loves Teaching! I knew she would but now she knows it too. She is finding it quite hard on her body after the first week though. We are really praying that things get better so she can keep going at this all year. Finding good food for Eileen has been challenging. One small (small) head of broccoli is $2.00. Most other food is very cheep though. A big sushi roll is only $1. (I love sushi rolls). Most products have at least one line of english. It's hard to believe we are in Asia (Except that we are surrounded by Koreans) Also is seems most foreigners average 2-3 months of cold and flu because of all the new bugs they encounter. I've already had a wicked cough for 3 three weeks starting in Ireland. Please pray I get better and Eileen doesn't get sick.
Potty humor
Lots of funny custom adjustments though. For example one might find oneself standing at the lu doing one's business and the door swings open and closed as the kids go through. The door will probably stay open and when someone walks buy outside you could really stand an have a conversation with them at the same time. While I find this a little awkward most locals just don't worry about it and take care of business. Don't wave someone over either. It's like calling a dog over. Make sure your had is upside down when you wave or they may give you the wave right back.
Population Density
Our neighborhood is awesome. It's all 15 story apartment's that look a little older. This is the densest population in Seoul. Funny it doesn't feel crowded though. Our apartment is right next to a big mountain (Gorgeous). The road is lined with apartments but we are on the 13th floor and have a great view of the street. There are restaurants and shops on top of each other all along the main street. Everything you could need 3 minutes one way or 10 minutes the other by our school. I love this little restaurant that is smaller than my kitchen at home and seats 3 people. Once it gets nice (above 5 degrees) there are hiking trails up the hill. Don't worry it does get cold here. It was down to -5 the other evening and I had to put on an extra sweater so I totally understand how you all feel back home right now. Well that's all for now
cheers,
Randall and Eileen
This was orginally sent on November 17th
Hey next week we're back to work and I thought I'd send and update.
We had a great week and a half down in county Clare, out in thecountry. The west coast beaches of Ireland are nothing short of exotic. It's as pretty as this old planet gets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDZkXcOeU50
Driving continues
I did find the worst road in Ireland so far. Not because theconditions were that much worse but rather because there are lost ofbig truck that don't respect the centre line (they don't fit if theydo) and the stone wall on the other side is very very close. (6inches) It's 20 minutes out to the farm to see Eileen's grandam andby the time I get there my stomach is a rock from tensing it in fear.But after a week I feel I'm qualified to drive in the grand prix.Just hope I don't have to do that in the dark with pouring rain again.
Sadness
This part of the trip was quite serious as well. We were staying withUncle Johnny who's son Peter died 5 months ago. I didn't really knowhim but Eileen and Peter were really good friends. Uncle Johnny isstill a mess and probably will be for the next couple years. Hedoesn't make any bones about the fact that he is miserable. He goesand works at his business every day but at night he's blue. Thefamily was just getting normal after losing Aunt Virgina 10 years ago. Eileen and Uncle Johnny sat up late several late evenings, talkingand sharing some tears. It was good for Eileen but I think it waseven better for Uncle Johnny and the two girls. Eileen has a gift forcompassionate listening and it seems that they all still have lots totalk about. It was also great because no one else in the family wasas close to Peter as Eileen was so they sort of felt like they hassomeone who could really understand them. It was an emotionallydraining time but it was clear to me that God was doing some smallsignificant things for Eileen and the family.
Uncle Johnny wears his heart on his sleeve and I felt like I learned alot about how very hard and complicated it is to deal with this kindof loss. It's the kind of education you wish you didn't need to get.
Tough questions
When a family loses two members way too early there are going to bequestions for God. . Interesting though is that uncle Johnny's stillat mass every Sunday morning. The girls aren't doing that good.Jenny's angry. Caroline's confused. The three of them sit around andask themselves if God really likes them and that's why two of them hadto leave so early. There's really no good answer to give them and thelast thing any of them want to hear is something from sunday school.It's tough.
What about Jesus
Scary though is that Peter told God that he wasn't going to churchever again if his mom died 10 years ago and he mostly stuck to thatfor the rest of his life. Eileen has really worried about that overthe years. Now Peter had no idea he was going to die. In fact threedays before the doctors said he would sail down the road to rapidrecovery from that point on. There was no time for a bed sideconversion because he suddenly went into a coma. This left us reallyunhappy at the time.
Then last week uncle johnny says that three weeks before Peter diedthe priest popped buy uninvited and peter and him had a chat. Peterdecided that he needed to make a little peace upstairs and decided totake communion. Well when I heard that even I almost started to cry.Thank you Jesus.
Leaving on a jet plane
Two days ago Eileen and I finally got our flight info for Korea.(Nothing like the last minute) We leave sat at 3:00 for London.After 3 hours we get on Air Asiana? for our 11 hour flight to Korea.We are way over our 20 KG max and hoping for a miracle. At theairport someone is going to have our names on a cardboard sign to pickus up and drive us to our home in Korea then we hold our breath as weplunge into a whole new world. (Starting to get a little nervous).This is really it. We are packing tonight and tomorrow it all begins. Pray for us!
We'll let you know if we come out alive in a little while.
God Bless,
Randall
Hey next week we're back to work and I thought I'd send and update.
We had a great week and a half down in county Clare, out in thecountry. The west coast beaches of Ireland are nothing short of exotic. It's as pretty as this old planet gets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDZkXcOeU50
Driving continues
I did find the worst road in Ireland so far. Not because theconditions were that much worse but rather because there are lost ofbig truck that don't respect the centre line (they don't fit if theydo) and the stone wall on the other side is very very close. (6inches) It's 20 minutes out to the farm to see Eileen's grandam andby the time I get there my stomach is a rock from tensing it in fear.But after a week I feel I'm qualified to drive in the grand prix.Just hope I don't have to do that in the dark with pouring rain again.
Sadness
This part of the trip was quite serious as well. We were staying withUncle Johnny who's son Peter died 5 months ago. I didn't really knowhim but Eileen and Peter were really good friends. Uncle Johnny isstill a mess and probably will be for the next couple years. Hedoesn't make any bones about the fact that he is miserable. He goesand works at his business every day but at night he's blue. Thefamily was just getting normal after losing Aunt Virgina 10 years ago. Eileen and Uncle Johnny sat up late several late evenings, talkingand sharing some tears. It was good for Eileen but I think it waseven better for Uncle Johnny and the two girls. Eileen has a gift forcompassionate listening and it seems that they all still have lots totalk about. It was also great because no one else in the family wasas close to Peter as Eileen was so they sort of felt like they hassomeone who could really understand them. It was an emotionallydraining time but it was clear to me that God was doing some smallsignificant things for Eileen and the family.
Uncle Johnny wears his heart on his sleeve and I felt like I learned alot about how very hard and complicated it is to deal with this kindof loss. It's the kind of education you wish you didn't need to get.
Tough questions
When a family loses two members way too early there are going to bequestions for God. . Interesting though is that uncle Johnny's stillat mass every Sunday morning. The girls aren't doing that good.Jenny's angry. Caroline's confused. The three of them sit around andask themselves if God really likes them and that's why two of them hadto leave so early. There's really no good answer to give them and thelast thing any of them want to hear is something from sunday school.It's tough.
What about Jesus
Scary though is that Peter told God that he wasn't going to churchever again if his mom died 10 years ago and he mostly stuck to thatfor the rest of his life. Eileen has really worried about that overthe years. Now Peter had no idea he was going to die. In fact threedays before the doctors said he would sail down the road to rapidrecovery from that point on. There was no time for a bed sideconversion because he suddenly went into a coma. This left us reallyunhappy at the time.
Then last week uncle johnny says that three weeks before Peter diedthe priest popped buy uninvited and peter and him had a chat. Peterdecided that he needed to make a little peace upstairs and decided totake communion. Well when I heard that even I almost started to cry.Thank you Jesus.
Leaving on a jet plane
Two days ago Eileen and I finally got our flight info for Korea.(Nothing like the last minute) We leave sat at 3:00 for London.After 3 hours we get on Air Asiana? for our 11 hour flight to Korea.We are way over our 20 KG max and hoping for a miracle. At theairport someone is going to have our names on a cardboard sign to pickus up and drive us to our home in Korea then we hold our breath as weplunge into a whole new world. (Starting to get a little nervous).This is really it. We are packing tonight and tomorrow it all begins. Pray for us!
We'll let you know if we come out alive in a little while.
God Bless,
Randall
This was originally sent November 5, 2007
Our going away party
Cassidy was "no one special anyway" so she ditched on our game of Moffia
Well we are into the first phase of our trip and I know you are all dying to hear the latest from the promised land....
1. Public nudity
Our 22 hour bus ride was fun. We had a bunch of our fantastic friends surprise us at the bus depot to see us off. We put the fear in all the other passengers with the antics from the photo booth while waiting to board the bus. We didn't see an encourage of well wishers like that for the rest of the trip which made us feel special. Half way to Chicago we picked up an older gentleman at a hotel who joined us on our trip. He made his way down the isle and picked a seat next to us. No big deal except that as I'm watching him throw his bag into the overhead bin his pants quite suddenly lost track of his hips and I found myself staring at his bare rear end. I looked over to Eileen who had also apparently enjoyed the fantastic view to confirm that I hadn't imagined this surprise. This event aside there were very few events and the passengers were quite agreeable.
2. Driving on the wrong side of the road
This happened several times since we arrived in Ireland. I'll let you know that because you steer from the other side is no help. My relationship is with the line that's across the road. The first day was actually fine but it's when you get into a situation on a steep hill, with no visibility trying to get the car into reverse that you make your mistakes. Eileen's cousin from the back seat calmly reminded me "wrong side" and I corrected. No collisions so far and i think I've adjusted now.
3. Standard troubles
The real trouble came from driving a standard. When pulling up to a toll on the motorway as they call them here you should be careful how much you do at once. Getting out your wallet from your back pocket while trying to find the brake only to discover that the clutch on it's own does nothing to stop a moving vehicle was a little disconcerting. There was however a good 18 inches between me and the car in front by the time I realized that the brake is beside the clutch and that was the peddle I should in fact be using. There sound effects of tire squealing on pavement just made the adventure that much more fun. And the only casualty was the top of one flower that was a gift for our dinner host. No harm done.
4. Keep your head down
Finally on driving I know I'm much more relaxed than Eileen but when she told me that she closes her eyes when passing a large truck coming the other way I was sure she was totally crazy. Now that I'm hear I've learned that driving in Ireland should be training for surgeons to keep a steady hand under surgery. When the solid stone wall is 6 inches off the road and large vehicles pay only casual attention to the center line you often need to check you seat for items best left in the bathroom. I'll just be strait with you and confess that once you've aimed for the gap as best you know how there comes over you this very powerful compulsion to seek comfort in blindness. I almost without physical control found my eyes blink hard closed at the last second. Foolish as this sounds I swear it was an involuntary reflex. But that too passed after a couple days and now all I do is slow down to 10 km/hr for on coming traffic and it's all Grand!
That's all for now but to those of you who were praying for Eileen's fear of my driving, the irony of this story is that she's been blown away at how good I'm doing. Honestly she was gushing over her shock at my success. A couple of the adventures above may have set her back a touch but none the less all is good in paradise.
Cheerio,
Randall
Our going away party
Cassidy was "no one special anyway" so she ditched on our game of Moffia
Well we are into the first phase of our trip and I know you are all dying to hear the latest from the promised land....
1. Public nudity
Our 22 hour bus ride was fun. We had a bunch of our fantastic friends surprise us at the bus depot to see us off. We put the fear in all the other passengers with the antics from the photo booth while waiting to board the bus. We didn't see an encourage of well wishers like that for the rest of the trip which made us feel special. Half way to Chicago we picked up an older gentleman at a hotel who joined us on our trip. He made his way down the isle and picked a seat next to us. No big deal except that as I'm watching him throw his bag into the overhead bin his pants quite suddenly lost track of his hips and I found myself staring at his bare rear end. I looked over to Eileen who had also apparently enjoyed the fantastic view to confirm that I hadn't imagined this surprise. This event aside there were very few events and the passengers were quite agreeable.
2. Driving on the wrong side of the road
This happened several times since we arrived in Ireland. I'll let you know that because you steer from the other side is no help. My relationship is with the line that's across the road. The first day was actually fine but it's when you get into a situation on a steep hill, with no visibility trying to get the car into reverse that you make your mistakes. Eileen's cousin from the back seat calmly reminded me "wrong side" and I corrected. No collisions so far and i think I've adjusted now.
3. Standard troubles
The real trouble came from driving a standard. When pulling up to a toll on the motorway as they call them here you should be careful how much you do at once. Getting out your wallet from your back pocket while trying to find the brake only to discover that the clutch on it's own does nothing to stop a moving vehicle was a little disconcerting. There was however a good 18 inches between me and the car in front by the time I realized that the brake is beside the clutch and that was the peddle I should in fact be using. There sound effects of tire squealing on pavement just made the adventure that much more fun. And the only casualty was the top of one flower that was a gift for our dinner host. No harm done.
4. Keep your head down
Finally on driving I know I'm much more relaxed than Eileen but when she told me that she closes her eyes when passing a large truck coming the other way I was sure she was totally crazy. Now that I'm hear I've learned that driving in Ireland should be training for surgeons to keep a steady hand under surgery. When the solid stone wall is 6 inches off the road and large vehicles pay only casual attention to the center line you often need to check you seat for items best left in the bathroom. I'll just be strait with you and confess that once you've aimed for the gap as best you know how there comes over you this very powerful compulsion to seek comfort in blindness. I almost without physical control found my eyes blink hard closed at the last second. Foolish as this sounds I swear it was an involuntary reflex. But that too passed after a couple days and now all I do is slow down to 10 km/hr for on coming traffic and it's all Grand!
That's all for now but to those of you who were praying for Eileen's fear of my driving, the irony of this story is that she's been blown away at how good I'm doing. Honestly she was gushing over her shock at my success. A couple of the adventures above may have set her back a touch but none the less all is good in paradise.
Cheerio,
Randall
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