Week 1

Hello chingu (friends!). I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to post a new entry, but things have been kind of crazy here.

Well, I was sorted into House Juong through an awesome sorting hat ceremony put on by our OC Team (I know, childhood dreams coming true!). Juong stands for hammer and nail, and Juongs have succeeded against all odds. I don't really know what that means, because I feel like life has given me so much, but I really love our house and the discussions we've had. We are even competing for house points and there will be a House Cup at the end. On Friday, we had a photo scavenger hunt in the nearby town of Goesan to earn points for our house. My team came in 9th place out of 20 teams, so we earned at least a few points. It also gave us some insight into what the town of Goesan is like, and I love it. People keep saying that it's a small town with nothing to do, but in reality it's pretty big, at least in comparison to Marlette. The people are also extremely nice.

Sorting Hat Ceremony

On Thursday night, I participated in a K-Pop dance class. For anyone who knows me, this was quite the experience for someone with absolutely no coordination. I was soo bad at it, but I had a lot of fun and it was a good way to exercise! Our instructor was awesome and you could tell that she had lots of practice. Here's the song we learned to dance to--and it's the actual dance they do in the music video!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-IJWqIHioA

On Friday night, the OCT threw a surprise dance party for us. Afterwards, I decided to go out to a bar called B&B with a bunch of the Fulbrighters to celebrate someone's birthday. I'm not really a big drinker, so I drank water all night--but it was still really fun! I managed to hang out with quite a few people, dance, and just get to know everyone better in a relaxed environment. It got a little crazy, but I think that made it more fun. 

This week has definitely been really intense. We are going from early in the morning until late at night between Korean language classes and teaching workshops. The Fulbright program in Korea is the Gold Standard for a reason--it prepares English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) and helps ETAs create relationships to keep each other strong throughout the grant year. Fulbright Korea was also the first Fulbright ETA program and other countries modeled their Fulbright ETA program around it! I have already created mock lesson plans and a real lesson plan for Camp Fulbright, an opportunity for ETAs to practice teaching and receive feedback, which is going to happen in a couple of weeks! I'm really nervous about it, but I think it will be really fun. :) I am also doing absolutely awful in my Korean language classes. It is an alphabet and language so different from ours, and although I am doing my best to keep up, most of the time I feel like I'm back in kindergarten learning how to read. Instead of reading words, though, I feel like I'm reading gibberish! Since it is challenging it is also kind of fun, however, and I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and remember that we are all beginners. When compared to all the people from big name schools, though, I just feel like I'm not catching on as quickly and am so embarrassed to participate in class because I am the slowest reader and often get confused. I wonder how I slipped through the cracks and they even allowed me into Fulbright; I definitely feel very unworthy. I'm trying to catch up this weekend--while others are out on fun excursions, I have done my lesson plan, cultural adjustment check questions, and studied for the quiz tomorrow. I'm planning to study the rest of today as well! I'm just going to do my best. This class gives me a lot of insight into what my Korean students are going to go through in my English class, and I am grateful that I can understand their struggles now.

Although I decided not to go to church today because the Orientation Coordinator Team said I would most likely not get a lot out of it, a group of girls on campus have organized a Bible Study and time for fellowship later this afternoon. I am excited to join this support system and for the support system I have through the Elementary ETAs. I miss everyone from home so much and it is difficult to go from two communities where you know and love practically everyone to a new community where everyone is new, but it is amazing how quickly the Fulbrighters are all becoming friends. It is so interesting to meet new people here because we all come from such different backgrounds! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me to have companionship during my time here! Friendship is something that is so vital to me, but it is also difficult for me to open myself up to others sometimes. This has helped me to remember and rely on God's promises more during my time here; I just need to trust Him. <3

I've also been doing really well on the being healthy front! I am so motivated to go out and run or walk every day because it is so beautiful. I am absolutely in awe of the mountains, farms, and people. It is the rainy season here so it is very humid, much more humid than in Michigan, and also misty most of the time, but it is so pretty when it rains! I so wish I could share it with you! As always, thank you for the facebook messages and comments. They  never fail to brighten my day! I love you. :)