don't cry over spilled milk...

today was crazy. we had a jam packed day in first grade. santa was visiting us in the morning, we had our book exchange party, cake and ice cream, and on top of that, it was pajama day. here's a brief little look into what my day was like:

8:00am. kids roll in, exciting about showing off their jammies to each other. rolling on the ground, high fiving, giggling and laughing. kids are running up to me to hand me homebaked cookies to bring to santa, milk, their books for the gift exchange, and excitedly tell me stories about how they chose their outfits.

pretty soon i have one boy ask if he can go to the bathroom. he wants to go with his bookbag (never a good sign), but all of the high-fiving, giggling and somersaults distracts me from saying no to his weird request. we have to leave to go meet santa. we leave and i try to tote about 8 bags of groceries to meet santa. (it takes a lot to feed 18 first graders) : )

the kids line up to sit on santa's lap while i snap pictures of them. hyperactivity ensues.

i forget to grab plates and napkins and send my intern and a student to go back to get them and also realize my bookbag bathroom friend never returned so i send my intern to look for him. he's escaped to the bathroom (a bathroom in the high school wing), locked himself inside and was crying because he thought someone was making fun of his jammie slippers. my intern tries to coax him out, but to no avail. i have to leave my 17 hyperactive first graders to go out to find my runaway student (the parable of leaving the 99 sheep behind is so much more meaningful to me now). after about 8-9 minutes of coaxing, i get my runaway to follow me back to meet santa. when i return my kids are hyper, jumping around, milk is spilled on the ground (cue for me to start screaming or just cry). my teaching style then closely resembles a traffic directors, waving my arms here and there, guiding kids to grab napkins, etc. i'm saying things like, "Don't eat food off the floor!" , "Quiet!", "Stop running! Stop jumping! No tackling!"

when we returned to class i looked at the clock and said, "we've only been in school for 45 minutes?" :/ one of my students overhears my mumbling and replies, "woah! it feels like we just got here!" me: "honey, you have no idea."

You would think being so near Santa, their conscience, or rather their desire to receive gifts from the man himself, would have created more self-control. nope.

they did calm down eventually post-santa, post-cookiesugarhigh. *sigh* it's a good thing they are so cute.

first grade love

an update on "simon" and "anna":

anna has proclaimed she has moved on to another six-year old man. simon is crushed and feels completely blindsided by her sudden "falling out of love with him". Here's a bit of the conversation they had with me this morning:

anna: i'm just not in love with simon anymore. i'm in love with tyler. i think i've been in love with tyler for a very long time!

simon: *insert deep sigh of despair* oh gosh. hannah felled in love with me, but now she says she loves tyler. i'm feeling so crazy now.

me: what do you mean? do you feel sad?

simon: well, not really.

me: what do you mean when you say you feel crazy?

simon: my mind is just spinning. first she says she loves me, then she says she does not. it's so confusing!

poor simon, this is just a taste of some of the puppy love heartache he may feel as he grows. perhaps he should write anna a letter disapproving of her love for tyler. apparently it worked for tyler!

thankful

so today in class we learned more about the thanksgiving holiday and i encouraged my kiddos to reflect on what they are thankful for. of course, their answers were very dear and charming. here is a little sampling of what six and seven-year olds deem worthy of thanksgiving:

I'm thankful for...

"living!"

"Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber....and donuts"

"peppero sticks and planet earth"

"chocolate!"

"my mom"

"my family and the whole earth"

"my baby sister" (note: this baby sister is actually a twin sister that is a whopping 2 minutes younger than her older twin brother)

"everything in the whole world and everything in it!" (imagine a little boy saying this while jumping up and down ecstatically--from "simon" my most enthusiastic lover of life)

"makeup, donuts and Hannah Montana"

"my mom, dad and teachers, life, and the earth"

so, i hope this little list helps pump a little gratitude into your heart as you reflect on the good things in life, from the big, beautiful planet to the smallest donut hole.

more funny first graders

a journal entry one of my little girls "anna" wrote:

"today my writing partner is Simon and I am so happy becoz I am in love with him!"

a note i found in my classroom from a jealous little boy to anna:

"dear anna,

i no that you are in love with simon but i think it is time for you to stop.

love,

tyler"

a couple funny quotes:

"mrs. watt, i know a lot about girls even though i'm a tomboy."

"mrs. watt, i think you are going to have lots of kids. maybe 2 hannah montanas and 2 justin biebers." (my reaction: "well, i kind of hope not...")

a little girl who notices some hair on a boy's face in the "unibrow" area of his forehead:

"hey, you have hair right there!"

unibrow boy: "yeah. that's where MEN have hair."

funny how you learn things from trees

so fall is here. man, is it here. the trees are just bursting with color and the falling leaves dance along the streets and sidewalks. it's like a dream. the gingko trees are what have really taken me this season. have you seen a gingko tree in autumn? if you haven't, well, then...you're really missing out. i can't explain to you how gorgeous they are. the beautiful fan shaped leaves turn from a bright crisp green to a bright, fearless, golden yellow. i was driving home today after work with gingkos lining the streets and i felt as if i were approaching Glory. their delicate leaves blow in circles and kiss the ground, like small dancing butterflies searching a place to rest their delicate wings.

I believe that the beauty of these trees is a gift from God. who else could create such a striking spectacle, as these heavenly trees?

now, to backtrack a little: yesterday was one of those rough days. i had a not-so-pleasant human encounter that left me feeling discouraged, angry and hurt. i got in my car determined to go home, vent and soak in a tub of suds to mend my damaged ego. my plan was derailed. i got in my car to drive home and there they were... those beautiful trees. glistening in the autumn daylight, embracing me with all of their glory. my healing began. it was as if i felt the mercy of God pull me out of my darkened state and place a crown upon my head. i knew this sight, this glimpse of God's love for me was a gift and I felt the heaviness of my heart lighten.

now, don't get me wrong. there was still my fair share of venting and frustration later that evening. i mean, i am human after all. : ) but when i got in my car again this afternoon to come home, i saw the trees again. again, a beautiful reminder of God's love for me and oh how completely delightful it will be to see Him in glory!

first grade shenanigans...

it is fire safety and prevention week at our school. the kiddos have had visits from the local fire department, were able to walk through their trucks and even go through a simulation smoke room to practice crawling. today i taught a lesson on how to safely escape a fire from your home. my kiddos talked about how they could escape from their home if a fire ever started. i asked them to draw fire escape plans to detail their escape. as i walked around the room, it quickly dawned on me this activity may have been a little much for their whimsical imaginations. here are some of the explanations i heard when i asked students to explain their emergency escape (mind you, in all seriousness):

kiddo: "here is where i plan to dig a hole in the ground. then i will crawl through the hole to dodge the fire." (his picture showed about a 5 ft deep hole in the ground that extended about 10 ft from the house). me: will you have time to dig this hole in order to escape? kiddo: "yeah. that's why i'm digging the hole. to get away from the fire!"

me: how are you planning to get out of your home? student pointing: "right here. i drew a magical door." (floating door in the middle of his living room)

another kid responding to my same question: "i have an imaginary pathway."

geez i love them.

and a funny story to close with: one of my students ate a packet of ketchup for snack. true story.

happy chuseok and start of school

happy chuseok! and school has started and i must say the beginning of the school year has been glorious. i'm already in total love with my kiddos. they keep me smiling and laughing. i'm sure there will be many funny stories to come!

we miss you all and hope to chat soon!

fall is in the air

i love fall. it's my favorite season and it has officially arrived in korea. we have finally found some relief from these sweltering summer days. i'm not sure why fall makes me so happy...maybe because i find it a homey and romantic season. pumpkin patches, apple pie, hoodies, cuddling up in a blanket at home, rosy cheeks from the brisk air, football games, thanksgiving, pot roast, ahhh...the list goes on and on.

the shift in seasons also reminds me of how things are always changing and evolving around us. it's a comfort to see the trees follow their natural cycles of being green, turning to orange, and becoming bare, only to start all over again. it's a time of refreshment to build us up, relieve us from the summer sun, but to encourage us as we enter the winter season. i'm very thankful for it.

the fall air is phenomenal. i drive with the windows down and soak in the glorious smells of leaves and mountain breezes. each breath revives me and lifts my spirit. i hope our fall season lasts a long time! : )

scratch

quick funny story: pete woke up with a scratch on his nose...had no idea how it got there and asked me if i remembered. i said, "no". then he replied, "i have a faint memory of going, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" in the middle of the night and then you saying, "oh. sorry."

we laughed for about 10 minutes after that.

tv

i was watching tv earlier this evening. a korean movie about a young adolescent girl was on. i watched for a little while and was soon sucked into the story line. this young girl was drifting away from her parents as she dealt with some typical teenage angst. her parents tried to reach out to her but seemed to keep bumping into walls. when picking her up, the mother notices her daughter's sullen face and says, "hey, why don't we go to a dukbokki shop for a snack?" in an effort to cheer her up (translation: hey, how about mcdonald's?) the girl shakes her mom off. when they are home the girl's mother encourages her husband to cheer her up. the dad goes into her room, knocks and asks if she'd like to go out for dinner. the daughter replies, "i have to study" and dad nods and leaves only to find mom in the hallway pushing him back into his daughter's room. then, he leans down and whispers something in her ear and she smiles and nods yes. the movie cuts to the next scene and father and daughter are standing looking at each other smiling. music is cued and they grab hands and begin ballroom dancing. they danced and danced, giggling as they looked at each other.

this whole scene really resonated within me because it made me think of my own dad and how i miss him. it made me think of how hard it must have been for him to try to relate to me as i was a growing girl becoming a young woman. not only did we have the gender barrier, but we had to cross this ocean of cultural difference. what if i had lived in korea my whole life? what if my parents never stepped foot on american soil? how would we be different? would i be loud and crazy, a soccer player with a thirst for learning chinese and japanese? instead of being an introverted, analytical person with a love of song, studying spanish and korean?

growing up i wished my mom baked chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes for dessert. i wished my dad didn't own a delivery truck, but a cool, sporty car. i wished my parents only spoke english because having this strange, foreign language around me all the time made me feel more alien than i wanted. now looking back on these wishes i feel sorry for my parents. they had a moody adolescent to deal with with hormones they didn't understand plus this feeling of distance from our lack of understanding of where we were both coming from.

well, while my friends' moms were baking cookies and cupcakes, my mom was making some rockin' bibimbop and chopchae noodles. my dad drove a van to deliver his dry cleaning...that dry cleaning helped pay for my car, wedding, and my college education, and gave me the opportunity to be what I am now. the korean language my parents taught me has not only become lovely to hear but essential to know and i wish i knew more!

i guess all this is to say, as i get older i recognize more and more how hard it must be to be a parent....to have been my parent. i had a lot of druthers growing up, but i can't be more proud and pleased with my heritage and my parents' sacrifices they made for me. our childhoods were vastly different, my parents grew up in a time of poverty and war. i grew up during the time of m.c. hammer, aqua net, and tight-rolled jeans. huge diff. but it's neat to see how God takes our very different stories and experiences and weaves them into one piece. He brought us all together to bring different colors, patterns, textures and design.

besides, i'd take chopchae over chocolate chip cookies any day now.

more hawaii and the food we ate : )

we went to a luau. it was pretty fun. the food made me sick later, but it was worth going!
steamed local fish at duke's. yum!

our anniversary dinner. love him.
opakapaka with risotto
our bike down the mountain!

chocolate mousse cake. more like a lava cake. decadent and so good.

hawaii photos

view outside our cabin at bellows air station. gorgeous, eh?
after our snorkel at shark's cove.
the view from the golf course!
cute kid at the mexican restaurant.
matsumoto's shave ice. seriously amazing stuff. i'm not often a fan of desserts that resemble the colors of clown costumes, but this was a revelation.
buddy, the sailing dog who's afraid of water, annoying the fellow sailors...mates(?) with his chasing of water splashes.
waiting for our amazing mexican grub at a small taco stand. it was delicious!
the beach where "from here to eternity" scene was filmed and "pirates" too. we swam here. this is where i took my spill and got 5 lbs of sand in my suit.
and we golfed! (forgot to mention that in my last post...sorry, pete!) it was beautiful. the views were among some of the best we saw during our trip.
right after snorkeling at hanuma bay. excuse the wet cover-up.... : )

hawaii continued

my apologies for the delay, but i thought i needed to record the events of our hawaiian vacation before i forgot. we ended up staying at the hale koa hotel (in waikiki) for 10 nights and loved every night of it. we were right by the beach and were within walking distance of a lot of cool restaurants and shopping. we spent a few nights just being lazy beach bums. we woke up, walked to the beach, swam, took naps in the sand, ate lunch at the local beach hut snack shop, walked back to the hotel, swam at a pool, showered and went to dinner. it was great.

other days we weren't so lazy we...

went hiking, biking, snorkeling, and sailing. on the hike we were able to see rainforest that is off-limits unless you have a permit. our guide, christian, was great and let us explore, pick fruits, and answered lots of our questions. our feet were covered in mud by the end of the hike!

we followed our hike by a bike down the mountain, which was awesome! we circled down the mountain for a few miles and enjoyed spectacular views of the island. lastly we took a sail out near waikiki to do a snorkel as well. the captain's dog was on board the boat and he, ironically, was afraid of the water. he would bark and bite at any splashes that landed on board to show his disapproval. it was pretty cute. once we got out pretty far, the captain let us jump out for a snorkel and swim. we saw many types of fish and several sea turtles....huge ones that swam right underneath us!

on other days we drove around the island to find good places to snorkel. we ended up purchasing our own snorkels and fins so we wouldn't have to rent them everywhere we went. we snorkeled at waikiki, shark's cove, the famous hanauma bay, and on the north shore. we saw so many kinds of fish...it's really remarkable to see so many colors and varieties of one animal. we maybe want to get scuba certified so we can have even better views for our next vacation! the snorkel at shark's cove was perhaps our favorite. the rock is lava-like and very sharp, so it's a bit dangerous, especially since the tides change and can be quite strong. peter, the daredevil he is like to go swimming inside the little caves to compete with the speed of the tides.

we also drove around and stopped at interesting places. one of our favorite towns we visited was hale'iwa, which was this quaint town with little art boutiques, great restaurants, and a nice quiet little beach. we stopped a couple times for a shave ice....the BEST shave ice i've ever tasted! it has three layers of vanilla ice cream, azuki beans, then shave ice on top with the different syrup flavors on top. it doesn't sound too tasty, but it was so delicious! we went back twice to have it again (and it was quite the drive to get there!). we also enjoyed coffee shops, a great burger joint, and they had several food trucks that served very yummy foods. one truck we visited was called "opal's thai food" which was owned by a guy named opal. he was extremely personable and would ask you what kind of food you like and if you have any allergies. then he would proceed to say.."ok. i got it. i'll take care of you." and he would start cooking and bring out some homey, tasty, love filled dishes. he made us a fresh green papaya peanut salad with chicken curry and sticky rice. yum! we felt like we were invited into someone's home it was so hospitable. if we ever go back, we definitely want to see opal. opal also has a little boy, probably around 6 years old, who was at the truck. i overheard him ask one of the patrons if he had ever had an out of body experience before..."where your body is sleeping but the inside of you wakes up and goes outside?" pretty deep stuff for a six-year old to ask you about.. : ) shortly after he hopped over to my table and leaned toward me a little bored and asked, "do you have any kids?" Sympathetically, I responded, "sorry, bud. nope. i don't have kids. do you have any kids?" i teased. he responded with a great amount of seriousness and confusion, "no. i'm too young." then he hopped and skipped away.

another place we stopped was on the northern part of the island. it's a famous spot where pirates of the carribbean is being shot as well as a famous scene from the movie "from here to eternity". we climbed down on these giant rocks to get to this beach and took a swim. the current was crazy strong. the water was foamy and turbulent, crashing against the rocks. the current was so strong that when i was standing on the beach, only knee deep in the water, a strong tide came in and totally wiped me off my feet, drew me in to the water and spit me back out, putting about 5 lbs of sand in my bikini! : ) ha. anyway, it was a very romantic spot and just gorgeous.

after our 10 nights at hale koa, we spent our last few nights at bellows air station in a cabin right on the beach. it was gorgeous. we could hear the crashing of the waves when we slept...heavenly. we swam in the water or just enjoyed the view. we had a great evening where we bbq'ed some steaks and cooked our dinner on the grill. it was fun and nice to cook since we had been eating out for almost 2 weeks at that point! we also were able to see some good friends we hadn't seen in years....mara and quinn tate. they are stationed on base in hawaii and we got to see their super cute babies, eat dinner, and just catch up on life in general. it was a perfect way to end our trip since we hadn't had a chance to see any of our beloved family/friends the whole trip.

so...leaving hawaii was the hardest part. not only because we didn't want to leave, but because we couldn't seem to get out! we tried to get on a flight going straight from hawaii to osan, korea, but were warned the plane had some maintenance issues. the flight was delayed and we spent the night at the air terminal. the next day we were told the plane was good to go. we got on a bus that took us to the plane and were told we couldn't board the plane because the maintenance issue wasn't yet resolved. so we waited until the next day. again, we checked in, loaded our luggage and even boarded the plane. once we were on the plane, the crew told us shortly after that we needed to deplane because the maintenance issue was still a problem. we got off the plane and checked into the hotel on base. the third time we learned the plane was ready so we checked in and boarded the plane. the plane even took off and we felt home free. except 45 minutes into the flight the pilot said, "sorry folks. wish i was joking, but we need to turn around. the maintenance issue is still a problem. we are returning to hawaii." so we returned to hawaii and tried to wait patiently until the the plane was fixed. we had about 2 days until they thought the plane would leave....so we got a rental (that was a whole trial in and of itself! they were sold out of cars and with a little pleading and begging, we were able to get a car for a day!). getting a rental was a lifesaver because we were so tired of being stuck in a terminal for hours upon hours and enjoy hawaii. we drove all around the island...ate an amazing meal in chinatown, drove to the ocean, and just enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. then we got on the plane for the last time and it finally took off and we landed in korea! we made some very good friends along the way since we all had grown to know each other quite well through the entire process of trying to get to korea. we're even planning to visit a family that we met next weekend.

so....i know this may be a bit crazy, but here are some of the details of the trip. i hope it didn't cause too much of a headache for you to read it! wish i had the time or energy to make it a bit more poetic, but i had to get something going before it all was forgotten! love you all!

5 years!!!!

we've grown from being middle school pals to best friends to husband and wife. i love you more today than i did the day we were married. i never really understood when people said marriage gets better with time, but i can say it certainly has over the past 5 years of our marriage. apart from my redemption in Christ, being your wife, peter, has been the greatest gift. you are a wonderful reflection of God's love and mercy. i love you dearly. cheers to another 50 years!

vacation of a lifetime

we had an aaammmaaaazing vacation to hawaii. it was filled with beauty, adventure, craziness, amazing food, and lots of laughter. i'm going to do my best by recapping all that we did...starting from the top.

we planned to fly space a, which is basically a free flight to various cities around the world where military planes are flying. it's a fickle system, so you have to be flexible and willing to abandon any travel plans you might have. the schedule for outgoing flights changes by the minute, flights are constantly delayed or even cancelled, and they may make unexpected layovers in random cities. we decided we wanted to be adventurous and give it a shot. it was a crazy ride, but it was all worth it.

we started out driving from busan to daegu, daegu to osan to catch a flight somewhere to the u.s. we were hoping to first fly to california, do some traveling in the mainland and then hop on a flight to hawaii from california. it took us a few days to even find an available flight out of korea, so we decided we would just take a chance and fly to tokyo and hope they would have something going to CA or HI. luckily, we made a flight to tokyo and on the way met a man named james. he was an older gentleman, been retired from the military for many years and he was also trying to fly back to the states. it was a miracle we met him because, being space-a newbies, he gave us a huge wealth of information on how the evasive system works. seriously, i think they keep things super complicated just to make people confused. i even leaned over to peter and asked, "is james an angel?" anyway, our casual conversation continued through our flight all the way until we landed in japan. he was a fascinating man. he spoke korean fluently (his wife is korean), he lived in korea for many years and was kind, interesting and funny. in fact, we even shared a hotel room with him our first night in tokyo. we phoned the terminal together to check on outgoing flights, ate some food, and even watched oprah together.

aside from becoming friends with james, we had other adventures in tokyo. we ate some amazing meals: sushi and soba. we roamed the streets just looking to taste some of the culture. it was great to have an outsider's view into the country and culture. my experience in korea has always been so intertwined with my personal experience and identity that it's been hard to separate myself from what i saw and learned while there. in japan, i felt like i could just be a good ole' foreigner, soaking in all the unfamiliar and enjoy. i could finally empathize with peter on what it must be like for him when he tries to navigate around korea. the writing on the menu and billboards looks no more legible than scribbles and doodles, the language sounds no more understandable than tolkien's elvish. it was neat to be in a state of ignorance for a little bit...to kind of zone out all the external and just breathe in everything new.

we stayed in tokyo for two nights and three days. we couldn't really see any flights that were going to the u.s., so we decided we take another hop on a flight to kadena, which is in okinawa, japan. had some issues with my passport and we actually had to run to the u.s. embassy to resolve the issue and then run back to the terminal just in time to catch our flight. the aircraft we flew was the same kind that peter had actually flown on when he went to airborne school (he jumped out of these planes!). it was neat to see what the plane looked like in the interior. we had seats made of nets and we could see the skeleton of the plane with all its wires and pipes sticking out. the roar of the engine is so loud they give everyone a set of ear plugs. we had a family of four sit across from us. we noticed their younger son, who was about 7, not look too well. he actually spent a good chunk of our 2 hour flight vomiting in a grocery sack. good thing we had ear plugs. : )

when we landed in kadena, we got off the plane (just like you see the president does!) and we boarded a school bus which took us to the terminal so we could go through immigration. our friend james also took this flight to kadena, and being the experienced space-a bulldog he was, he immediately started questioning the airman who drove us to the terminal if there were any outgoing flights to hawaii or california. to our dismay, the airman said there was a flight going out, but check in was already in session and it would probably take us another 30 minutes before we could get there. : / well, peter the ambitious thought we still might be able to catch the flight if we ran...so we did. we ran to the terminal, grabbed our bags and approached the check-in desk sweaty and out of breath, hoping we weren't too late and we weren't! they checked us in and we waited patiently for them to call our names telling us we made the flight to hawaii. we found out we had indeed made it and got two seats on the flight. it was a total miracle!

when we landed in hawaii it was a rush of total joy and exhilaration. we couldn't wait to jump into the water. we were hot and feeling kind of sweaty in our long pants and tennis shoes (you have to fly with closed toe shoes and warm clothes on a space a flight because it gets really cold), but until we could feel the cool ocean water, we needed to find a place to stay.

we had been calling hotels from korea for the past couple weeks, but found their hotels were always booked. it was difficult calling them too, because they seem to let the phone ring for about 10 minutes before they even pick up. we called again from the hawaii terminal and they again told us, "we're sold out." they told us we could come by in person in a few hours and maybe they would have a cancellation. so we jumped on two different shuttles that dropped us off at the hale koa hotel and we just prayed there would be a room. we spoke with a lady named dolly first. she told us they were totally sold out. we could stop by later to see if anything opened up, but she couldn't guarantee anything. so we dropped off our bags with the bell hop and we walked to the beach in our jeans and tennis shoes. the water was beautiful and we were itching to jump in the water. we checked in again and, miraculously, a room had opened up and we were able to stay for 2 nights. not only that, but we were able to extend our stay for 10 nights at the hale koa.

the hale koa hotel is open only to military and their dependents. it's on waikiki beach and it's on a beautiful property. there are huge gardens and banyon trees, two pools and a short walk to the beach. the water was really calm at waikiki--perfect for swimming or just laying by the water. we had an excellent view of the ocean from our room as well as the lush gardens around the hotel.

world's naughtiest puppy...

this picture was taken by my friend, jen, of her puppy who just happens to look almost identically to my childhood pup, goliath "goli" kim.

he was, perhaps, on the top 10 list of world's naughtiest dogs. any bad thing a dog could do, goli did. he chewed up shoes, chewed on the walls, pooped in the house, ate my school supplies (he chewed up my favorite green eraser which i thought i lost until i took goli out to go to the bathroom and saw what he had done with it), knocked over trash cans, attacked the vacuum cleaner, got up on the table to eat food at Thanksgiving, begged for food like no other dog i've seen. he would crawl under the table and rest his head on your lap and make cute whimpering noises, but if you ignored his gentle whimpers for a couple minutes, they became loud moans that sounded like "come on, man. come on! give something up, puhhlease?" he was like a harry houdini in dog form. he could get out of any cage, fence that you put him in. when he was a puppy, only a few months old he chewed through a thick plastic crate in a few hours. when he was only a couple months old, he got out of a fenced area and followed me on my school bus.goli also was notorious for running away. when the door opened he would try to squeeze out of that door like a criminal from prison. once he caught the scent of fresh air, he was gone, especially if there were small animals around. he loved to bark at squirrels and rabbits. if we were outside and squirrels were visible i would always do my best to distract him so he wouldn't try to chase them. heck, i would have thrown down a $50 steak in front of him to avoid an attempted runaway squirrel chase. he was super fast and, to add to the list of all of his "naughtiness", he had terrible obedience skills. when he'd escape we would chase and call him to come to us and he would turn and begin running toward us, giving us a sense of relief, but then at the last second he would dodge us and start running another direction just to "sike" us out. he was kind of a punk. it often took the whole family to catch him. i'm sure we were quite the spectacle running around our neighborhood with treats in hand trying to lure him back into his collar and leash. sometimes my mom or dad would drive the car around with the doors open to try to get him to jump in because he loved car rides.

he loved to snuggle and sleep with you. even though he was a pit bull he was really just a big cuddlebug. he would nose his way under the blankets and wanted every inch of his body covered. i sometimes slept with an electric blanket and he loved it. he would cuddle underneath and stay there for hours. he liked to be comfortable when he slept. he didn't like to walk in the grass after it rained because he didn't like to get his feet wet. he wasn't allowed to get on the couches at home, but he would always sleep on them while we were gone. as soon as we walked in the door i would hear the rattle of his collar and i'd see his ear pressed against his face where he had be laying against the throw pillow. he would have this look of "i didn't do anything wrong. i'm just hangin' out...", but then we'd walk over to the couch to see his body print embedded in the cushion, still warm.

he had other endearing qualities. he was super smart and knew dozens of tricks. he knew how to give kisses where he would press his lips against your face. he could jump in the air and twist (i called it the triple axle), he could play dead and pass out, he high fived, could give hugs and dozens more tricks, he enjoyed music and would lay at my feet when i played piano. he would try to sing along when my mom played guitar. he loved to be scratched. he would sulk when he got in trouble. his sulking hiding spot was under my parents' bed and if you tried to pull him out he would nip at your fingers.

goli eventually got sick and we had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. we had to put him down. we loved him so much and i still miss him and think of him all the time, especially every fourth of july. whenever he heard fireworks he would hide in the bushes because it scared him so much. it always made us laugh. in between the booms and pops he would muster up the courage to come out and bark at the sky to show his indignation, but eventually he would end up back in the bushes and there was no coaxing him out.

i don't know if dogs really do go to heaven, but i hope i'll be able to see him again. when he died, i was so sad and i prayed God would let me see him in my dreams and i do. every once in a while i have dreams of playing with goli, running around and laughing at his quirkiness. he was perhaps the world's naughtiest dog, but i sure do love and miss him.

busan sand festival and the army ball

happy father's day!

to go along with my earlier post, i have been wanting to make a point of thanking my parents for all they have done for us kids. they have overcome many difficult obstacles and have sacrificed a great deal for my siblings and me.

when i hear the national anthem of Korea or the U.S. I think a lot of my parents. as i listen to the melodies and words, i reflect on what it means to love a country or to feel patriotic.

my dad, is one of the most patriotic people i know. he still affectionately refers to korea as "my country" when he references it. he loves the land; he loves the people. i know he must miss his home country terribly. i can only imagine how difficult it must have been for my parents to leave all of their family and friends behind to move to the u.s. having moved to a "foreign" country, i can finally empathize with him. i understand the frustration he must have felt with the language barrier, the cultural differences and misunderstandings, missing what he could have "back home" or giving up a comfortable life so he could provide a better life for his family.

my dad is the hardest worker i know. he worked so hard to be sure all of us could have a beautiful home, an excellent education and the opportunity to go to college. we've all gone to college and even graduate school. we are all healthy and have never been in need. I owe both my dad and my mom a lot of gratitude for those gifts.

dad, happy father's day! you came to the u.s. as a 20-something newly wed, probably not sure what you were getting yourself into and you've been so bountifully blessed by God. thank you for being so brave and all you have sacrificed. you are a great example of the american dream.

tearing up at the movies

have you ever gone to a movie on a military base? well, if you have you know that they play the national anthem before any movie they show. the lights dim a little and a loud crackling recording booms through the speaker system and immediately everyone in the theater jumps up and stands at attention. i learned this this the hard way...i was already in my movie lounging position when the lights dimmed and i saw people standing and i scrambled to stand up from my folding seat without spilling popcorn all over my lap. i wasn't sure what was happening and my date didn't offer any explanation. afterward peter looked over at me and said, "sorry...i forgot to tell you they do that here." well, what i once thought was a strange formality has become something i really enjoy and even look forward to.

since we are in korea our movie theater plays the korean national anthem first then the u.s. anthem. the theater plays an old video featuring different landscapes of korea with an old recording of a large korean choir singing and orchestra playing this beautiful song. every time i hear the korean anthem i tear up. the melody is so rich and lovely. the anthem moves me. i think of the tragedy this nation has experienced, how families were broken apart, so many lives lost from war and how, even still, this nation remains in a state of division.

if you want to hear the anthem, here's a video.

and these are the lyrics in english:

Until the East Sea's waves are dry, (and) Mt. Baekdusan worn away, God watch o'er our land forever! Our country forever!

Rose of Sharon, thousand miles of range and river land! Guarded by her people, ever may Korea stand!

Like that Mt. Namsan armored pine, standing on duty still, wind or frost, unchanging ever, be our resolute will.

In autumn's, arching evening sky,crystal, and cloudless blue, Be the radiant moon our spirit, steadfast, single, and true.

With such a will, (and) such a spirit, loyalty, heart and hand, Let us love, come grief, come gladness, this, our beloved land!

things you see in korea (some of my fav!)

gardens and farmland are all throughout this beautiful country...whether it's in a big open field or in the nooks and crannies of the city, koreans know how to maximize their space.
mountains, mountains, mountains everywhere. this photo is from the winter, but now the mountains are bright green and smile at me every day on my way to work.
this is "chungdo" a city that is considered much more rural. people who live in the country are very hospitable. they are known to invite strangers in their home to allow them to stay with them or feed them meals even though they live quite humbly themselves. while we were there a few elderly people were giving us presents of free peaches and plums. the people are so very kind and the land is very beautiful.

kids run around the streets freely. they have no fear of strangers or crime because korea is so safe. i even see 7 and 8 year olds ride the bus or subway alone. these kiddos ran past peter and i on a walk and yelled out their english they've been learning at their hagwons: hello! how are you! thank you! (this happens all the time and pete loves it!)

we have an amazing market that comes right outside our apartment door selling all kinds of goodies from freshly made donuts to fish. i usually stop here to buy fruit, veggies and eggs. they even sell kitchenware, books, freshly made korean popcorn style snacks. it's rockin' good. nothing beats stepping outside your apartment door to be greeted by an amazing farmer's market!
here's a view of a seat on the KTX train--korea's speed train. i'm sitting in first class because a lady wanted to sit in my coach seat. pretty sweet. they have a rule that you can't talk in first class which makes it an excellent napping opportunity.

nope. it's not the lighting. that car is pink. pepto pink.
my favorite car in korea. i just want to scoop down and pick it up and put it in my pocket. a little grandma walked in front of it and practically blocked the entire view of the car. seriously, it's tiny.
the rose bushes in korea are amazing! either the koreans really know how to prune these bushes to get the most buds for their branches or they are just amazing roses because every bush i see is just bursting with these brilliant beauties.

election day

korea is having a rather large government election this coming wednesday. posters are plastered everywhere with headshots of all of the candidates. the hype of the election is extremely entertaining to me. campaigners line the roads with cards, pamphlets and posters indicating their candidate of choice. the candidates themselves wear sashes (think male beauty pageant) and stand on busy street corners and humbly bow to the lanes of cars hoping to score some votes from the drivers whizzing by.

printing in korea is rather cheap so there are dozens of HUGE color banners hanging from tall buildings advertising the promises of each of the candidates. i must admit i am completely ignorant about this election. i am trying to learn a little, but as of now i'm merely judging the candidates on "how good of a smiler" they are.

my favorite part of this election are the party trucks that buzz by with a bunch of people standing in the back waving to the fast-beat of a Korean tune. They all wear white gloves have permanent smiles and they sway back in forth of a bongo truck saying things like "vote for soandso!" the trucks zoom around on these big and small side streets parading the flag of each candidate. all the candidates have their "truck". I've seen at least 20 of them driving around and they all have their party team in the back waving or rather swaying with jazz fingers spread and big smiles. i'm not sure how a crowded truck with people jammed in the back giving me jazz fingers with white gloves on makes me want to vote for someone, but i guess the koreans dig it or i wouldn't see 20 trucks whiz by.

here are some pics of the festivities. i wanted to take a pic of one of the party trucks, but they were too fast for me!

goodness! a month gone by!

Hello all.

wow. how time goes so quickly, eh? well, we have some more changes in the air. peter has moved to busan to start his new job and i am staying in daegu to finish mine. after looong conversations peter and i have decided that i should keep my job for the next school year and we're praying and hoping that he will be restationed here in daegu this coming winter. the idea of living apart is quite daunting to me. it's hard to live with someone and then suddenly be alone, but i'm hoping it allows me the time to reflect more and feast on God's word. i got a brand new amazing bible (ESV study bible---i highly recommend it!) to keep me company.

i've also been to long beach and come back for my third task force meeting for work. i've made some great friends with people which has made these long trips so much more exciting. i have really enjoyed the work we've done together and I'm hoping we'll be able to offer some really helpful recommendations for the department of defense school system.

i'm missing all of you so very much. i'll post some more soon!

change is in the air

spring has finally come. it's so lovely. there's nothing like breathing in the first spring air. one of my favorite smells. it's appropriate for the weather to be changing right around now because we've been having many changes in our lives too. peter's job has changed and he will be working in busan. in fact, he's already moved into an apartment there and has officially "changed his duty station". we decided that i should remain in daegu until the end of the school year. i would love to join him, but considering i teach first grade, leaving 3/4 til the end of the year is not ideal. it's best for the kiddos if i stay, plus i get to enjoy them for another couple months and we can have the extra income for a little while longer. the school's headquarters has graciously granted me a housing allowance so i can keep our daegu apartment. so, for probably the only time in our life, peter and i will have two homes : ) i like to think of our busan apartment as my vacation or summer home. : )

so....this is the reason i've been away for so long from my blog. hopefully things will settle down a bit and i'll be blogging more regularly. here are a few more updates....(i'll just do them in bullets cause, well, i've had to make lots of lists lately with all of the craziness of our move, paperwork, etc, & my brain seems to be thinking bullet in bullet form : / )

• peter's been a rockstar lieutenant. he's doing a great job with his soldiers and work. i'm very proud. you probably already knew that though.
• i'm coming to the states for another task force meeting. our destination is long beach, california! sunny beaches, here i come! (apr 17-24)
• my spring break is next week.....hey, what's that? i think i hear the hallelujah chorus in the background...
• we miss everyone.
• please come visit us in busan!
• i realize these are no longer updates but i'm still writing in bullet form.
• : /
• spring break, please come soon!
• we loooove you!

another peek into my classroom

on "wacky hair day" one of my students came to school with bright red hair dyed with kool-aid. he approached me with a discouraged look on his face, shoulders down and slightly annoyed and said, "mrs. watt, people keep trying to taste my head." as i looked up i see several girls shrugging their shoulders, huge grins, giggling, their fingers wiggling in the air to show their dyed red tips.

a very common conversation i hear in room 125:

max: "bobby, you're tattling."

bobby: "no i am not. i'm just telling."

max: "that's tattling."

bobby: "NO, i am NOT. (some huffing and puffing, hand shoots up in the air) i'm telling on you for calling me a tattletaler."

little boy with a smirk on his face: "Mrs. Watt, i just almost threw up in my mouth."

another little boy to a teacher who gave a somewhat boring lesson in our room, interrupting the lesson and asking in all innocent earnestness: "is it time for you to go yet?"

another little boy interrupting journal share time by loudly whispering to me, "mrs. watt, i went poop in the bathroom and washed my bottom all by myself!"

an apple?

south korea is a country that has overcome huge obstacles to be the nation it is. it was devastated by war and was left poor and bare and out of these difficult times certain expressions have grown and remain common. one of them being, "have you eaten today?" the question is about as common as "how are you?" my family asks me all the time. my dad frequently asks me--even if we'll be talking for the first time in a few weeks. "have you eaten today?" then, there's always the follow-up question, "what did you eat?" (i learned the hard way that the answer "cereal" or "crackers" is not acceptable). my aunt in korea asks the same questions except i feel a little more nervous when those questions come up with her. it's almost like a pop quiz each time she asks...and my answers are usually wrong : )

but really, they ask in love. they care, so in a way, it's kinda nice.

even strangers express their concern or care for one another with food. it's not uncommon to see random strangers sharing food with each other. in fact, it is polite to offer food to someone who is near you. a few times i've been the recipient of this love---a slice of apple, a tangerine, cookie, a chunk of radish, or peach. i think it's a pretty neat way to love people.

today one of my first graders brought me some of his "homemade banana milk"--his choice beverage in a reused bottle in a ziplock bag. yes, very sketchy. he told me i had to taste it to let him know if it was good. i unscrewed the cap and took a swig--i couldn't say no... he stood beside me with a wide grin studying my face carefully as if he was waiting for me to swallow. it was a really dear thing for him to do. he was so happy to bring me a little "treat" from home. i told him thank you and he bragged to his classmates he gave me special homemade gift.

i hope this doesn't spark a trend of various milk-based treats being delivered to me each morning... there are only so many mysterious dairy mixes i can take!

florida

so a couple weeks ago I went to Florida for a DoDEA meeting. it was a lot of fun to catch up with friends i had made from the last meeting in massachusetts. a group of us went to busch gardens on sunday before all of our work began, fed some lorikeets, rode on some crazy roller coasters, got SOAKED on some water rides, and even heard a concert from huey lewis. aside from the fun, we did have our share of good work to do. we spent most of the day in discussions, collaborating, presenting, and then more discussing. it was a lot of fun, but tiring work. i'm just very grateful to have made friends with all those in the task force. it makes "work" seem a lot less like work.

it was nice to be in some warm sunlight and be around some familiar settings too. i've now fully recovered from the jetlag. my apologies to anyone who had conversations with me between the days of february 20-march 4th. i've been half zombie up until now.

it's pretty surreal to travel from one end of the world to another in just a few days. it does feel good to be back...i missed pete, my best bud. it's always nice to reunite after being apart, even if only for a few days.

random side note: koreans really like their romantic dramas. as i'm sitting here typing this blog, i'm watching a korean music video of a couple in love who not only get in a horrific car accident--their bodies lay twisted and bloody from the wreck, but they survive. their car is hanging off the edge of a bridge smashed to smithereens. then for the kicker, the two lovers lay staring at one another relieved neither has died, but the car teeters off the edge and WHAM, flattens the guy. the koreans like their depressing love stories!

some more snippets of my day...

One of my little boy's journal entries from ("What do you want to be when you grow up?" day)

Today is what you want to be when you gore up. I am gana be a calben (chaplain) and my mom is gana go to school wef me and I think it will be fun and why I want be a clan (chaplain) is because I love Good (God) and I want to see what he look like’s and I like he’s soges (songs). I am gna sogne (gonna sing) my Good is a osm (awesome) Good He Yas (reigns) Form Efn (forever) and Mide (mighty) and Asa Ma Ose My God is a Osom Good. At School I yar (wear) datar calos (doctor clothes) but what I want to be is a caleen ween I grow up and yesn (reason) why I dnit whr chaplain clothes wes because I dnit have it. I dinit have it.

Here's a quote from another little boy in class of what he said to one of the subs at my school (who is in her 40's). The same little guy who says, "Mrs. Watt, you so handsome!"

little boy to sub: "wow, your hands looks so old. But your face is ok!"

kids, kids, kids... : )

what is love? according to 7-year olds

Love is daken your grolfrind on a date and kissing. Her name is maggie I have a cash on her. I love you maggie! So so so so so so so much! I love you maggie. Happy vilintine’s day!

Love is playing with your little brother and oh he made a big mess. i help clean up the mess for him because cleaning is fun. believe me, it is.

love is peas. and love is respeckt. love is caring and love is hugs and kisses.

love is hugging and kissing your mom.

Happy Valentine's Day!

headed to florida

i am headed to tampa, florida for my next task force meeting (for DoDea).

tough work, but someone's got to do it. i'll be there from feb 20-27. :)

learning from children

i had a really sweet moment with one of my kiddos today. during journal time, one of my little girls approached me to read me her story. (side note: she has been a student who has really blossomed as a reader and writer. at the beginning of the year she really struggled and lacked confidence, but she's really caught up and she just glows with excitement about her journal entries. pretty cool)

her journal entry was like this:

I was feelg reely sad becus my frend tol me her dad died in the arme. i was so shokd to here that and i felt so sad for her. i cried and cried and cried. i told her, "i am so so so so sorry that happnd".

by the time she finished reading her journal aloud to me giant tears had welled up in my eyes. i was so very moved by her overwhelming amount of sincerity and compassion all within this little body. i looked at her and just said, "that's so beautiful." she, being her little girl self, smiled gently and skipped back to her seat completely unaware of how profound her story was to me.

often times, adults do not know how to console people in the midst of tragedy. we have all these cliche statements to band-aid people's pain without really considering the depth of their loss. we push people into being hopeful and deny them their right to hurt and grieve.

then, here is this little girl who has only lived for seven years and has very little experience with death, tragedy, or loss, but she seemed to have the wisdom to handle her friend's pain in such a delicate and Christ-like manner. she embraced it and wept with her.

Thank you, Father for giving us moments as these to remind us of how to love and how you love us. Give us hearts like children --that we would care about others in a deeply moving way.

classroom visitors

my classroom had a couple visitors this week. my kids are always anxious to meet any of my friends or family. first, peter came to observe and the kids became smitten with him almost immediately. one of my students wrote me a note a couple months ago as well as a note for peter. peter's note said:

dear misr watt,

i didt see you a lot. but tell mis watt to tayck you to school.

love from jane

and to jane's delight, i brought peter to school or as my first graders would say, i "taked" him to school with me. my kids were anxious to talk to him and show-off for him. i've never seen them act so hammy before. they're funny. i wasn't sure how they would react to him since they still make crinkled cringing "ew" faces when i tell them i'm married and love my husband. at the end of the day one of my kids lost a marker but had the cap in her hand. we searched all over the classroom for it, turning over rugs, looking under tables, but no luck. peter then pushed one of my bookshelves out with his impressive strength and found the runaway marker. he held the marker up in his hand and upon notice of his clutch find i exclaimed, "mr. watt, you're my hero!" my kids all turned to me and responded in unison, "eeeeeewww!!!"

a couple days later my dear friend, karin, also came to school to do an art activity with my kids. she brought in copies of paintings by matisse and demonstrated how to use pattern, collage, and shapes in art. my kids looved it. they could have done it for hours and a few were quite disappointed school ended at 2:30. i think some would have stayed til 5:00 to finish their project if i let them. : ) they also loved karin. several of my students came to me quietly to tell me very approvingly, "your friend is very nice."

it's so great how my little guys learn to cling and love someone---strangers so quickly. both peter and karin were strangers when they entered our classroom, but within only 20 minutes they were receiving hugs and cuddles from these little people. too bad we lose that as we get older.

one of my dear little boys in class speaks english as a second language. he's this adorably stout little boy with chubbiness in all the right places to give him a look of being a baby and a 75 year old man at the same time. he's quite notorious in the elementary wing for his chris farley-ish appearance (& behavior) and super cute outfits---sweater vests galore and dockers. he looks like a little korean yuppy. he just needs a country club membership. anyway, he's my most frequent little cuddler--always coming up to me for some hugs (sometimes he tries to slip in a kiss here and there). he wraps his little chubby arms around me and nuzzles his face into my stomach and then looks up at me with his cute little round, rosy face. his latest phrase he likes to proclaim is, "awww. i love mrs. watt! mrs. watt so handsome! mrs. watt so handsome!"

banchan

koreans eat well. man, do they eat well. a traditional korean meal is comprised of banchan, which are various side dishes that accompany the main meal. some restaurants may have as many as 20 different banchan dishes provided with your meal. the super amazing part of it all is all of the banchan dishes are refillable and free (unlimited amounts too!)! examples of banchan dishes are kimchi (there are hundreds of varieties of kimchi), sauteed vegetables, noodles, fish, roasted laver, steamed dishes, casseroles, squash, onions, tofu, sauces, salads, etc. they are yummy. it makes eating so much more exciting because you could easily eat an entire meal with no two bites alike. amazing.

another hugely amazing thing about korean food is that it is cheap! if you want to eat at a "western restaurant" for mediocre steak or spaghetti you'll pay a pretty big bill, but if you want a traditional korean meal with those glorious banchan dishes i mentioned, dinner is often around only 8,000 won, which translates to about US $6!

we still have 2 years left here and i'm already feeling the pain of korean food withdrawal for when we leave....

belated wishes...

A belated but very happy anniversary to Rodney & Suzanne for 15 years!! Sorry we missed it, we thought it was the 13th... : / (shame on us..)

anyway, a wonderful milestone to pass. big hugs to you both. we miss you so very much. please come see us in korea....if you do, we'll even bake you a cake.

love you guys : )