Thursday, December 29, 2011

a few more steps


It's amazing what writing can do. For me, I usually always gain more freedom of mind and spirit by writing out my thoughts. Just wanted to share with you all that today feels a bit more normal here in Korea. I think it is partially due to finally starting to journal about my time here. Maybe it is also due to a few more steps I took yesterday. I finally found the motivation to go on base by myself and gets some things done. I needed to get our medical insurance switched over to overseas .... check! I needed to by some groceries for dinner .... check! AND I wanted to get some information about volunteering and employment opportunities..... check!

There was one volunteer possibility that sounded really fun. The director of the youth sports program needs an assistant. I don't know what it would all entail, but I'm definitely going to look into it. The volunteer coordinator said it could turn into a job as well (woohoo). NDE also encouraged me to look into ways we can volunteer in the community next time I go talk to them. We'll see what comes from that :)

Today I am thankful for my incredible THOUGHTFUL husband and my incredibly GOOD coffee. Some of you my know I am quite fond of coffee (what you would call a coffee snob). Well, we didn't have a coffee maker because all of our household goods have not arrived in Korea yet, so I decided I would just fast from coffee until it arrived. NDE decided to take matters into his own hands and bought a coffee maker for $10 from one of his buddies. He surprised me last night with it! And fortunately, my Costa Rican family (the wonderful Delgados) gave me a bag of ground supreme Costa Rican coffee that I could brew this morning. Words can not describe the experience of my first sip of liquid heaven (as my cousin Courtney would say)!! Dramatic, I know. haha!

Take a look at the set up just to make a few cups of coffee:

coffee pot plugged into US outlet into Korean outlet
love my new anthropologie mug!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

first week, the weird transition


A lot of my time this morning was spent trying to figure out how to explain my first week here. The best I could come up with was weird. Don't hear what I'm not saying because it was so amazing to be reunited with NDE and to have the opportunity to live in another country (espcially Korea!)....BUT all of it just felt kinda weird as it all unfolded (and continuing to). Weird to live with my husband after 9 months of separation. Weird to live in another country with which I only know how to say hello and thank you. Weird to live in an apartment 6 stories off the ground. It feels like I'm living in the sky haha. It's incredibly weird to live so close to human trafficking. Only a couple miles down the road some really disgusting stuff is going on. It's also really weird when trying to use any of the appliances in our apartment....all of the instructions are in Korean. (At least there are pictures!!)

I have figured out about myself that I can be a go-with-the-flow girl, but when it comes to big changes my mind goes into process mode. My demeanor is more intense and everything doesn't seem so light and fluffy. Outside encouragement has been a lifesaver for me this past week. I needed to hear "find thankfulness", "don't be afraid or discouraged", "you are being prayed for", "we love you".  Just even writing those out gives me a renewed mind :) Living in a new place is going to be good and exciting. NDE and I are going to make a lot of new friends and cherish a lot of new memories. And I know things may get hard sometimes as well. (So good to trust in a God is in control of all of that!) Family and friends, get ready to read about both the good and the bad for the next 2 years. Maybe in some way this will help you to understand where I am in life and also to get perspective on what moving to another country looks like. I'm looking forward to what will unfold during our time in Korea....good or bad. (give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18.... going to try my best!! Lord please help me!!)

To end each post, I will write something I am thankful for. Today, I am thankful for 3 O'clock snuggle time. NDE has deemed 3 our time to snuggle (which today he just ended up falling asleep haha but hey it's still sweet!)