One Year Ago...

(yesterday). July 27, 2014- I returned to the United States of America from a very wonderful journey abroad. Seoul, Korea is a place that kept a little piece of my heart.

One year later and I sit here reminiscing on:

1. Friends 

It's wonderful to say that you have friends all over the world. Some still remain in Korea and others have returned to their homes in different areas of the globe. I was blessed to meet such wonderful people and I miss seeing all of your faces on a regular basis. I have wonderful memories of going out to get bingsu, going out to see the city, or simply spending the afternoons studying in cafes.

Taking a Stroll with Moeko and Sayuri

Trying to cram the night before

Vacationing in Busan

I miss all of you dearly and believe me when I say that sometimes I see you walking down the streets here at home. I'll be driving around here and all of a sudden think that looks like so and so but then I remind myself it can't be.
I miss talking to my roommate and singing late at night before going to bed.
I miss our dinner dates and study dates.
I miss riding the subway together.
I miss our group chats on kakao and the fun emojis we had to choose from.
I miss seeing you.

2. Food

You know it's bad when you're even dreaming about food. I've had several dreams where I have taken a plane just to have lunch in Seoul. I've dreamt about all sorts of foods and snacks. I even googled a Korean marketplace near me but I was disappointed by the realization that I don't know how to cook any Korean meals.

bibimbap

I really liked this place because not only did you get some delicious bibimbap but I also got some delicious meat with it. This was one of the places that I would most commonly come to. :D

Speaking of meat... I fell in love with Korean BBQ. I loved wrapping it up in lettuce and the mushrooms that came as a side were delicious. I realized that kimchi on the grill was pretty tasty too and that's the only way I could eat it. It was during these visits to eat BBQ that I realized onions are edible. I don't know what dip they used but they had me loving those raw onions. (shocking I know!)

bingsu!

Down in the left corner there is a small bowl of bingsu! I don't know how many hours I spent in front of a bowl of bingsu! But boy oh boy do I miss it!! We need a place just like it here. This is the reason I gained so much weight while I was gone. I ate too many bowls of bingsu (shaved ice) and it was definitely worth it. They had many wonderful flavors like cheesecake and strawberry. yum! yum! yum!

There are many other snacks I miss like banana milk and the chocolate mushrooms, the fish shaped pastries/bread they would sell outside on the corners during the winter, Red Cup where they sold chicken with tater tots and rice cakes (surprisingly good). I also miss jja jjang myong and chapchae and other countless foods I discovered and came to love. I'm not close enough to Korean restaurants but even when I find one it can't compare to the goodness I tasted in Korea. 

3.  Hiking

I realized once I came home that I enjoy hiking. There are many places to hike in Korea and I regret not having visited more of those places. Here I'm surrounded with a lot of beach and sunny weather but I miss the adventure of climbing and the breathtaking views from the top. Don't get me wrong, I've done hiking here and I'm looking for new places to hike but I wish I would've hiked more in Korea. 

Bukhansan

Achasan

4. Themed Cafes

Just last week I went to a cafe that was just like cafes in Korea. The menu and the vibe inside the cafe was exactly what you would find over there. It was definitely refreshing and it got me missing it even more. Back in Korea there were countless cafes to visit, each with a unique style or theme. It was definitely a fun experience each time. 

Hello Kitty Cafe

Monster Cupcakes 

Sheep Cafe

So many things to reminisce about. So many memories. So many good times. One year later and I look forward anxiously to the day I can return. I arrived in Korea not knowing what to expect and I got more than what I could've hoped for. 

Take Me Back!

cheers to new beginnings

These past couple months have been challenging to say the least. The age old question came to mind many times why do bad things happen to good people? why? why? why?
I worked for this company for 10 months giving it my all. I followed the rules and tried my best always. When our manager was moved to a different house I thought I might be offered the position, even though I planned on rejecting it, I thought it would be offered at least. I tried keeping an order and kept things organized to the best of my ability. I did my best to stay on my administrator's good side and being flexible with my schedule, doing favors whenever I could. I secretly hoped I would get Employee of the Month and anxiously waited when the name was announced. Of course, that never happened. On the contrary, in the course of one month I got written up multiple times and I even got a two day suspension for the dumbest of reasons. I was astonished that I was getting all sorts of disciplinary action. In this month I was also in a minor accident which of course was used against me. All of these events had me stressed with work and I was upset. I wondered why is this happening to me? I felt like my boss was out to get me. I was stressed, I wasn't looking forward to coming in, I was not motivated to work any further. I kept thinking that those who don't do what they're supposed to, those that lie, those that get others in trouble, those people are the ones favored and going ahead in this company. I wondered to myself how could this be. What's the point of working so hard? What's the point of being honest? Why do I even try?

But then Psalm 37 came to mind:

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust Him, and He will act. 
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, 
and your justice as the noon day. 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace. 

The wicked plan against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming...

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, 
but the Lord upholds the righteous. 

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish- like smoke they vanish away...

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him. 

So I decided to quit my job. I decided I had had enough and it was time to move on to something better. I was offered a part-time position so I didn't have to quit and it was quite tempting but I knew I had to quit. There were coworkers who I had gotten really close with and I knew I was going to miss seeing them but I couldn't let that stop me. I gave my two weeks notice and I counted my days. When the day came I felt such a peace leaving and I knew it was the right thing to do. One of the reasons I hesitated when it came to quitting was because I had become dependent on my income. Not having any income coming in was a scary thought but at the same time I felt this was a test of faith. So I quit my job with my faith on God. The day I gave my two weeks I applied to another job and I got a call from a job that I had applied to earlier. During my last week at work I was recommended for another job in the same line of work. I applied and I had an interview my first day being unemployed.

Praise God for his goodness and mercy. His blessings are new every morning. One week later as I sit here and write I am currently employed once again waiting to be given my schedule. God is good all the time. I may be a bit nervous about starting a new job and starting over but I know that my God is with me and that better things lay ahead. I have also enrolled in school for the fall, something I had delayed for over a year. I have an application for nursing school and I'm finally moving forward. Thank you Jesus, I know that your plans for my life are to give me a hope and a future. Amen!

Cheers to a new beginning!

A couple days ago I had the privilege to give someone a Bible. This was my first time giving somebody a Bible and as I set out to buy it I didn't know where to begin. So many thoughts ran through my mind as I roamed through the shelves of Holy Bibles.

Should I buy a small one? A big one? Thin? New International Version? English Standard Version? New Living Translation? What color? Brown? Blue? Black? Imitation leather? Paperback? Double column or single column? I didn't even know that was an option I could choose from. So many Bibles to choose from and I wondered which is the perfect first Bible. I stared at the same Bibles for about an hour unable to make my mind. I consulted with the bookstore manager and I finally chose one.

 I found it such an honor to be able to gift someone something so Holy, something so precious. I got thinking and I realized we take this Holy book for granted. It truly is a blessing to be able to hold this book, where the words are alive and active; sharper than any double edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) Wow! Such power in these pages. I couldn't believe this gentleman didn't own his own copy. I'm continually surrounded by people who have at least one, we have them in overflow!

This pile is simply the Bibles I could gather in my room just now; it is not my complete collection. There you see bibles in English, Spanish and even Korean! I've grown up having Bibles given to me time and time again and I've bought some of my own; it is common in my household to have a lot of Bibles.

This second pile is the Bibles I could find around the house just now. My dad has a lot more put away but these were just the ones with easy access. One was on our kitchen table, another in the night table in his room, another on his desk, another in the living room, etc. I've grown up surrounded by Bibles and with easy access to them. So you can only imagine my reaction when someone said they didn't have one. It got me thinking how I've taken such a precious book for granted. People in some countries are forbidden to hold such a book or even talk about it. We are still blessed to live in a place where we can freely buy it and read it. It is such a precious book to hold and to have. I really felt honored to be able to buy someone for someone.

I didn't feel comfortable handing a Bible to a beginner without anything else. I decided to add post-its to famous verses and verses of comfort just to begin with. I was humbled by the question how does it work? But I was also overjoyed at the thought of someone reading the Bible for the first time and the opportunity they have at salvation!

Now for us who call ourselves believers, Christians, followers of Jesus, let us not take this book for granted. Let us read it and be the body of Christ we are called out to be. Let us be a blessing to those who need Jesus and be bold to speak the Gospel.

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew then to the Gentile. Romans 1:16