Hi! I'm writing an update just because I can. I'm at school and have things wrapped up for the week and still have 20 minutes left in the day, so I thought I'd do a little blogging.
First of all, thanks for your concern, but we were completely uneffected by the earth quake. Wait, I take that back, South Korea did move 2 cm. We're praying along with the rest of you all for Japan. What a horrific tragedy. I'm so glad this world is not our home. Jesus, did say, "in this world you will have troubles." Real life will begin for us when we shed these "earth suits" and enter into life as God intended. I'm so thankful that Jesus died to reconcile us to God so that we can know what life was meant to be.
Everyday life here? Well, things here in Korea are going well. I'm settled in at school, which is nice. I feel a little like Mr. Rogers with the routine I have. I kind of like it. Every morning I wake up and check email, drink coffee, eat breakfast and then hop on the bus to go play badminton with Chan Hye and Jung Hyun. I ride the bus home, take a shower, have devotions with the family, have some time alone to talk to the Lord, then I put on work clothes, and hop on the subway. I arrive at work 40 minutes later and take off my street shoes, put them on the shelf and I grab and put on my indoor "slippers." I go to the English Teachers' office and put my coat in my drawer, turn on my computer, put water in my water bottle, do a tiny bit of planning for the day, eat lunch and then go teach 3 back to back classes. After that I regroup, tutor a highschooler, give a guitar lesson and then organize and plan for the remaining 30 minutes or so and then Chan Hye comes by to pick me up and give me a ride home. She drops me off on the curb at Jewelry City and I whip out my security card and run to the door. I scan my card and the door opens, I hit the elevator button, check the mail and go up to the 10th floor to see the family. They're usually done with school and I find them chilling playing Wii or legos.
I haven't had this much routine in my life since I was a kid! It's probably good for me. I get side-tracked so easily.
Barry and the kiddos are doing good. Barry is an excellent Korean stay at home dad. He teaches homeschool, does laundry and dishes and vacuums on occasion. I'm SOOO thankful for all he does! He and I both work weekends at the church, but he teaches multiple classes on Sunday whereas I only help with the English Service. He's really enjoying teaching and discipling students. He's a very good teacher and I'm glad that he gets to use that in homeschool and on the weekends with kids, highschoolers and young adults at the church. It's a great fit for him and it's good to see him doing what he's made to do. He also teaches English "fitness" to kids on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at a local Tae Kwon Do facility.
The kids want to come home, as in Georgia, for a month in the summer. Barry and I can't go, though, because of work. So, we'll see how that all pans out. There's a lot of planning and logistical stuff to hash out before that plan can materialize. Anyway, we'll keep you posted!
My desk at school:
First of all, thanks for your concern, but we were completely uneffected by the earth quake. Wait, I take that back, South Korea did move 2 cm. We're praying along with the rest of you all for Japan. What a horrific tragedy. I'm so glad this world is not our home. Jesus, did say, "in this world you will have troubles." Real life will begin for us when we shed these "earth suits" and enter into life as God intended. I'm so thankful that Jesus died to reconcile us to God so that we can know what life was meant to be.
Everyday life here? Well, things here in Korea are going well. I'm settled in at school, which is nice. I feel a little like Mr. Rogers with the routine I have. I kind of like it. Every morning I wake up and check email, drink coffee, eat breakfast and then hop on the bus to go play badminton with Chan Hye and Jung Hyun. I ride the bus home, take a shower, have devotions with the family, have some time alone to talk to the Lord, then I put on work clothes, and hop on the subway. I arrive at work 40 minutes later and take off my street shoes, put them on the shelf and I grab and put on my indoor "slippers." I go to the English Teachers' office and put my coat in my drawer, turn on my computer, put water in my water bottle, do a tiny bit of planning for the day, eat lunch and then go teach 3 back to back classes. After that I regroup, tutor a highschooler, give a guitar lesson and then organize and plan for the remaining 30 minutes or so and then Chan Hye comes by to pick me up and give me a ride home. She drops me off on the curb at Jewelry City and I whip out my security card and run to the door. I scan my card and the door opens, I hit the elevator button, check the mail and go up to the 10th floor to see the family. They're usually done with school and I find them chilling playing Wii or legos.
I haven't had this much routine in my life since I was a kid! It's probably good for me. I get side-tracked so easily.
Barry and the kiddos are doing good. Barry is an excellent Korean stay at home dad. He teaches homeschool, does laundry and dishes and vacuums on occasion. I'm SOOO thankful for all he does! He and I both work weekends at the church, but he teaches multiple classes on Sunday whereas I only help with the English Service. He's really enjoying teaching and discipling students. He's a very good teacher and I'm glad that he gets to use that in homeschool and on the weekends with kids, highschoolers and young adults at the church. It's a great fit for him and it's good to see him doing what he's made to do. He also teaches English "fitness" to kids on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at a local Tae Kwon Do facility.
The kids want to come home, as in Georgia, for a month in the summer. Barry and I can't go, though, because of work. So, we'll see how that all pans out. There's a lot of planning and logistical stuff to hash out before that plan can materialize. Anyway, we'll keep you posted!
My desk at school:
Love love love these updates. So happy you're finding your routine and your "center." Praying for you and thinking of you often.
ReplyDeleteHey Blackmons!! So good to hear your update. I know that Clarksville, TN is not home to your kids, but we'd love to have them for however long they could stand us!! Let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteLove you guys,
Heather Turner
So good to hear from you! We are praying for you and love to hear how things are going in Korea!
ReplyDeleteYay! Thanks for keeping in touch. Yesterday was the end of a long and stressful week, so it was cathartic to just mindlessly write about the mundane.
ReplyDeleteHeather, thanks! Sam and Will would love to see Ellie, Sam and Maribeth. We'll keep in touch as the potential plan unfolds.
Love and miss my friends.
Debbie, Will is working on a letter to Andy as I type this. It made him so happy to hear from Andy, thanks so much!
Love you Brandy. I'm excited to hear more about life in TN and the people who are live near you. Wow! That was some eye opening info you shared.
Love y'all!
These are great updates. Even though I can't envision the exact places you are, you make me feel like my imaginings are pretty close. Thank you for all the details. Love you.
ReplyDeleteHello Blackmon family, It's Mili from the bank :) I'm so relief that you are doing well. Love the blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Mili! It's so good to hear from you!!! My mom sent me an email and told me she recieved the note from you. (Our mail is forwarded to my parents.) Thank you so much for your concern and prayers! We are doing well. Now we can keep in touch online! Love, Kathryn and the family.
ReplyDelete