Refreshing Spring

Ah! Spring is finally here! The weather is so beautiful. There are many festivals all around Korea to celebrate the new flowers. There are cherry blossoms, forsythias, tulips, magnolias, daisy, and green buds on the trees. The spring really brightens the mood! Michelle and I have been traveling every weekend. WE have spent the weekend at flower festivals near temples and visited friends in Seoul. We are also planning to go to Pusan, a pottery festival, buttery festival, and more! I have also been hiking a lot lately because the weather is nicer. My friend April and I often visit a nearby mountain for a day hike and to look at the temples. The time is flying by, which I am bittersweet about.

Teaching this semester is going wonderful. I have all new students and we have had a lot of fun doing various lessons. These days the lesson is on inventions and advertisements. The main project is to create an invention and then make an advertisement of their invention using colored paper, crayons, and other decor. Prizes will be given to the ones with the best English, the most interesting, and my personal favorites. So to win the "Ms.L's Favorite" prize, a lot of them are naming their inventions after me. So far they have created a nose picker, flying shoes, a machine that you step into to give you a new hairstyle, nose shape, face shape, and eyes, an eraser that will erase anything (including people!), and so far the most peculiar, is a desk for students that will chop your head off if you lay down to go to sleep during class. Yikes!

We have about 4 more months left before returning home. I am getting anxious! I have already started a list in my mind of all the foods I want to eat and all the dishes and treats I wan to bake in an oven! Ohhhhhh, to be reunited with an oven once again! What a joy! Some of the places and foods I am looking forward to eating are...Oregano's, Cheesecake Factory, Subway, Papa John's Pizza, Sweet Tomatoes, whole wheat bread, salads, good cereal, spaghetti sauce, and Circle K Thirst Busters.

As I think about all the things I am looking forward to when I return home, or if my mind dwells too much on actually going home, I am reminded of this verse I read recently. James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." This helps me to live in the moment.

We have started up our ladies bible study again. We are reading through 1 Peter and are being challenged and comforted by it. It is always encouraging to get together with other women, especially when you are out of your "comfort zone". I look forward to meeting each week to be refreshed from a busy weekend!

Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for reading!

Blessings,
Kayleigh

In my opinion, language is so funny!

This past week, I've been doing a lesson with my girls at school about giving opinions and also using the expression "Do you mind...?" Both lessons have led to some really funny dialogues. Here are a few of my favorites.

A: What do you think about Miss Hixson?
B: In my opinion, she is a good teacher.
A: What do you mean by that?
B: She is beautiful, funny and kind.
A: That makes sense.

Awww, how sweet!

A: Do you mind if I hit you?
B: Sure, no problem

A: Do you mind if I wear your underwear?
B: No, I don't mind.

A: Do you mind if I put my 2 fingers in your nose holes?
B: Sure, no problem.

A: Do you mind if I fart here?
B: Yes, I do mind.

haha

A: Do you mind if I steal your home?
B: Sure, no problem.

A: Do you mind if I open your shirt?
B: Sure, no problem

next...

A: Do you mind if I touch your skin?
B: Sure, no problem.

had to stop them at that...not sure where they were headed.

A: What do you think about your sister?
B: In my opinion, my sister is an annoying person.
A: What do you mean by that?
B: I mean that my sister makes a lot of noise. (clamor) **dictionaries make everything fun
A: That makes sense.

A: What do you think of your home?
B: I think that my home is very happy.
A: What do you mean by that?
B: I mean that my house has a lot of food.
A: That makes sense.

A: What do you think about toilets in our school?
B: In my opinion, they are very dirty.
A: What do you mean by that?
B: It seems to me that is smells bad and there is dung around the toilet.
A: That makes sense.

A: What do you think about chicken?
B: I think that it is very delicious but it can make you fat.
A: What do you mean by that?
B: It is too oily.
A: That makes sense.

I really love my students. They keep me laughing~ Hope you enjoyed!!

Update (Thank God for Spring!)

So there hasn't been too much to report over the last month. We both started back to school the first week of March and are really enjoying our second semester. Each of us have new students, mine are some old, some new, but it has been fun getting to start fresh with a new batch. I'm teaching 22 classes a week same as before and it keeps me really busy. I have a new coteacher this semester and she is fantastic. I was really fond of Mr. Kim and he really went to bat for me but my co teacher is a good friend and her communication skills are awesome. It's so nice being understood! Kayleigh is doing a little bit different classes this semester. She is the main teacher once a week and then the assistant to a Korean teacher for the same classes the second time in the week. She enjoys getting to know her students more because of seeing them twice a week now.

The weather for all of March was still very cold and rainy. We have so badly wanted to see spring and I think it has finally arrived! We had a wonderful Easter weekend in the 60s and bright sunny days. The trees are just beginning to bloom and it was gorgeous! I've heard that April is a beautiful month and I can't wait to see it in action. We've got several upcoming festivals and weekend trips planned and it should make the spring go by very quickly. We've been making more friends here in Gongju with other foreigners and it's fun to travel together. Some new teachers have just arrived for the new spring term and it's nice to see some new faces as we've sadly had to say goodbyes to several as well. It's hard to believe that we have less than 5 months left here and it's going to fly by I'm sure! I will really miss my school, students, coworkers when I leave and please pray that I'll figure out what to do when I get back to AZ. The Lord has always been faithful to provide for me and I have no doubt he will again. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Easter and were able to rejoice in the fact that Jesus created a way for us to have unlimited access to knowing God in a deep and personal way. I am so thankful for the cross! Please keep in touch with us! We'd love to hear what's new in your lives. Happy Spring!!!! = very happy Michelle!