Bad Start

Yes, I'm off to a bad start with the school. The apartments the school moved me and the other English teacher (her name is Jessica. you'll probably be hearing about her a lot) are far from luxurious. In the state that it's in right now, it's not even liveable. The English teacher who lived there before broke his contract, so nobody has been living there since then. I'm not sure when he left, but from the looks of the apartment, it's been a while. There are layers of dust and dirt everywhere. The mis-matched furniture are piled up on top of each other. I have no bed and the remote to my AC is missing. One of my windows doesn't have a screen, so I shouldn't open that window, lest I want bugs to come in, says the Korean co-teacher who dropped us off. I got a bug bite the first night I slept there. Standing in the bathroom gives me the shivers. It's just gross. The Korean co-teacher is being really stubborn about the whole situation too. The school had a bad experience with a previous English teacher who didn't show up for work and cancelled his contract, so he is unwilling to put money out for us until he sees how we do our jobs. This attitude seems very improfessional to me.
Jessica's apartment is not as bad because the previous teacher managed to stick it through for the year and she left it in a liveable condition. I have been finding myself spending a lot of time in her apartment. Sharing this experience has brought us quite close. :--) We both contacted our recruiters and they will be coming down today to take a look at our places. I am hoping they come in and swoop us out of here like ladies-in-waiting in shining armor. (I wish I could use "knights," but they are ladies.) I'm counting down the hours until they get here. Meanwhile, we're going to go out and eat lunch! Well, I'm going to try to eat because I really haven't had much of an appetite since I moved in. I think it's from a combination of stress and discomfort. I think Jessica is worried about me, but she hasn't seen people fast like I have!

Moving In

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At times like these, it's hard to keep an eternal perspective, so I pray, "God, remind me of Your grace and love. It's so easy to forget. Remind me that it's for Your glory. Allow me courage. In Your Son's Name I pray, Amen."

Welcome to South Korea

hello Johnna. Welcome to South Korea. heheh
After 12 hours (actually 11 due to speeding skills of the pilots), I landed safely in South Korea. It was way too early to go over to Heejeong's house, so I hung out at the airport until Eunice had to board her plane for EA. I'm so so soo glad that Eunice and I had the same flight. It might have been a random coincidence for us, but I know God had a hand in this. By the time I boarded the plane, my anxiety was still growing, but knowing Eunice was with me put me at ease. I thought, "Man, if Eunice is staying abroad for the 2nd year in a row, I can do this too!!!" I was challenged and encouraged (feelings that lessened my nervousness).
Getting to know her was also a really good experience. We talked about her 1st year ST experience, her feelings about the upcoming one, boys (^^), how I felt about teaching, etc. etc. Hearing about her ST experience helped me to see how God is indeed working in and through her. It made me think, "God is so in love with His people." Seriously. What a feeling! So, I was challenged to make Korea my mission field during this year. I may not be here as a missionary, but we're created to live for His glory. Even though I may not be doing spiritually well right now, I have faith in You. Help me to take this small faith and serve You. And if it is Your will, I pray that You would ready me as Your vessel so that I may shine Your love. (Please keep me accountable!)

Two Days Left

Last Friday, I came home and I saw that my mom had picked my plane ticket up from the travel agency. As I noticed it sitting on my desk, it made me excited, but the feeling of "shoot. i'm really leaving" hit me at the same time. During the application process, I was super excited, but this is when I started getting nervous.. Now that it's just two days before I leave, I'm getting more nervous. God, please help me..
I hope the other English teacher is fun.
I hope we can become friends.
I hope my co-teacher is easy to work with.
I hope my students study hard.
I hope my students listen to me.
I hope my students aren't taller than me. ^^;
I hope I don't get homesick.
I hope the place they're getting for me is clean.
I hope I'm not a loner there. (another ^^;)
I hope lots of people visit Korea while I'm there.
I hope there will be a good church I can attend.
I hope I'll learn more about myself.
I hope I can travel to other parts of Asia!
I hope I can get my visas, reentry stuff, and tax stuff completed soon (this part is the toughest).
I hope I experience God more during this year.