Catch up

So, since I'm 10 days into September and haven't blogged once, I'm going to play catch up. I am just going to give some pieces from my journal so that you know what's been going on in my life! Enjoy!

September 4-

So I'm sitting in my office right now...and it's Friday. Somehow I've let an entire week slip by without journaling. Go team go! :P School was pretty normal this week-lots of people talking about stuff that I didn't understand, classes....you know, the usual. So Moon taught me a phrase last week, ma ja, which means "correct" or "I agree." So at lunch this week, the opportunity came up for me to use this when speaking to Olivia (one of the Korean English teachers). So, around a bunch of Koreans, I said "Ma ja." Turns out, that's the way you say it to a friend, not a teacher who's older than me. So after an awkward pause, a guy that was sitting there said "Ma ja yo." Red with embarrassment, I buried my head in my jjajamyeong (Chinese black bean and noodle dish). Oh well...you've gotta learn some way right? If not through error, then how? :)
I had dinner with Kyungran this week which was a blast. She's someone from the International church, and she's Hals' head teacher. She's hilarious, and she loves when I speak in a Brittish accent! Anyway, I think I'm going to start teaching her daughter piano...that should be interesting, especially depending on how well her daughter speaks and understands English!

September 5-
Well, today was exhausting, but really fun! Jordan and I got up, got Rotiboy and headed out to Yawoori to meet Ben. From there, we hopped on bus 24 and headed out to Taejo San (a mountain in the Cheonan area). We made our way up to the huge Buddha statue which is the marking of the bottom of the mountain trek. Then we headed up a path that I haven't been on before. We saw a bunch of rock pile/shrine looking things which were kind of cool...I wish I knew their significance though! Then we came to this resting place where there was an ajusshi (old man) just chillin. We communicated with him a little, but mostly just sat around with him. He and Ben became best buds...he even rolled up his pants like Ben had his! Haha. We also climbed into some cave that had candles and bricks in the end of it, which we saw by taking pictures and watching when the camera flashed! So, the next couple of hours consisted of choosing a random way and somehow ending up on a completely different side of the mountain...possibly even a different mountain all together. We walked down a huge street, taking a break in the stream which was super cold and amazing, and walked around a lake to a part of Cheonan that we've never seen before. It was very countryside-esque, with a random factory, guard tower, and taxi thrown in every once in a while. We just kept walking though, until we found a street that had a bus stop on it. I thought that the numbers 200 and 201 sounded like ones that went to Yawoori (I found out later they all go to Yawoori, lol), so we waited for the bus. We stopped into a local shop and got some 매실 which is like a plum tea. The lady working at the store gave us from free pears also. Now, pears here are unlike any pears I've had before. First, they're HUGE....second, they're so delicious...just the right amount of sweet...anyway, we hopped on bus 200 which came first, and headed off to Yawoori. There was a lady on the bus that held our bag for us and then started getting an English lesson! Haha. She was trying really hard to use any English that she knew in order to communicate with us!
As if this fun filled mountain day wasn't enough, our bus ride home on our beloved 12 bus was the most interesting bus ride I've been on before. First the bus driver started talking...a lot. We had no idea what he was saying, so we were just quiet. Then he turned the radio back on...then he talked, then the radio...then he talked, then the radio. It was like he was dj-ing the radio! Then the bus driver started shouting something in Korean about Americans and goes "Michael J!!!" Then he asked in Korean if we spoke Korean, wondering if we were understanding what he was saying. Then he just kept saying "Ok? Ok? Ok? Michael J, ok?" Once we finally said ok, he continued by playing the song Billy Jean. Good work bus driver man. He is the stereotype of most Koreans in that they believe that we all LOVE Michael Jackson...and that we were probably friends with him.

September 6-
Today was a good day! It started with worship practice at 8:30 this morning. I am going to be observing practice for 3 weeks and then start playing the keyboard. Su jin is certainly an interesting leader to follow! She has her own style of doing things, and it's always an adjustment getting used to someone else's leading techniques again. Also, Su hee/Emily came to church today...she's the new Korean English teacher at my school that replaced Ashley. She's super sweet, and I think she really liked church, so she'll probably be back! I went to McDonald's today with Moon and some of the teenagers. I actually haven't been to McDonald's for a while, so it was alright. The thing I like at McD's here is called the Shanghai Chicken Burger...it tastes like spicy chicken from back at campus center! Tonight we had a "barbeque"...more properly titled as a grill-out? Haha. It wasn't barbeque, it was hamburgers and hotdogs...maybe I've lived in KC for too long and I'm just sticking my nose up to that, I don't know. Anyway, I sat with Jolie and her husband Yeong-ju. I've never really talked to him before, so it was nice to get to know him better since I adore his wife so much! They're great people. :) To end my night perfectly, Jordan, Julie, Su in and I went to a practice room and sang a bunch of worship songs together. It's so good for my soul to do that sometimes, especially with other singers...the harmonies and stuff just add so much. I love it. Anyway, I have no idea what I'm teaching tomorrow, but I'm so happy I took the time to go and sing with my girls. :)