Elephant Sanctuary Photos

So blogspot and I are not friends. I can not get it to load my photos in my previous post so here they are. :) Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed this wonderful experience.

"Dream your dreams with open eyes and make them come true."-T.E. Lawrence

One of my friends, who has an amazing blog, Wendy created a list of goals to be completed in one year’s time. A new take on the bucket list, check hers out @ hellowendycity.com. It has inspired me to do the same.

So here’s my list


1. Ride an elephant (I did this when I was at a carnival when I was ohhhh maybe 4-5 years old, thank god there wasn’t a CPS worker there that day)
2. Do a temple stay
3. Hike Wolchulsan ( Travis and I hiked this is 2010, and I almost died, maybe that’s a little of an exaggeration)
4. Go to Jeju and hike Sunrise Mountain ( I don’t think that’s the actual name, but I know the sunrise is breathtaking from the peak)
5. Match the amount of money that I spend on shoes to some form of charity. (anyone that knows my shoe obsession will realize this may be a substantial amount of bones (a new Canadian term that I’m testing out). I’m too embarrassed to already say how much has been donated and its only January ;)
6. Take a weekend trip to Seoul with the girls.
7. Go to the gym 5 times a week, so overall 260 times this year, which gives me 105 days to be lazy, doable I think!
8. Wear my Granny’s fur coat. This sounds silly, and yes a little gross, it is real fur. But it was one of her first purchases on her own living in the “big city.” So if it is special to Granny, it is special to me. So I’m going to dust it off, and give it one more night out on the town ;)
9. Blog more often. Let’s say 3 x a month. Yes, I have a need to quantify things.
10. Go on a picnic.
11. Save some money, which may be difficult # 5 ;)
12. Attend a yoga class in Korea.
13. Improve my Korean…yes I have been here for 7 months, and no my speaking hasn’t really improved much. Embarrassing, I know.
14. Be a better daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend, etc. etc. I think improving relationships is always a good idea.
15. Lay on the beaches of Key West with the boyfriend and my best friends. Trav and I were suppose to go like two summers ago, and we still have not made it.
16. Wear more sunscreen, so I don’t look like a leather purse by age 35. (refer to #15)
17. Learn how to knit and knit some stuff 
18. Sing in a Noreabang. (without being physically forced by school staff)
19. Go skiing.
20. Plan my trip to the orphanage in Kenya.
21. Get a teaching position for my 2nd year in Korea.
22. Have a sleepover with the Hardy girls. ( I miss those!)
23. Go camping.
24. Eat less sugar. 
25. Watch a sunrise from top of Yudalsan.
26. Watch a sunset from the top of Yudalsan.
27. Be a participant in the Free Hug. (which friend is going to join me in this)
28. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. (when I am home in the summer)
29. Take Charlie on more walks.
30. Read some of the classics. (I’m open to suggestions)
31. Go to Wando. (an island near Mokpo)
32. Be more silly. I get really embarrassed easily, and could benefit from being more of a goof 
33. Make a collection of my photos from my adventures in Korea. (and Travs photos as well, let’s face it his are way better!)
34. Get extensions. I love ridiculously long hair 
35. Not throw a fit if Travis wants to take my picture (since we will only be in the same country for about 4 months hopefully this will be easy, and by no fit, I mean a smaller one)
36. Stop being so critical of myself. ( I have been told this is true, can you believe it?)
37. Develop or improve 5 friendships. I by no means consider myself a friend collector. Let’s be honest, I do have the world’s greatest friends, but I don’t think there is ever any harm in having too many friends. Some are closer than others, but they all bring a new aspect to your life.
38. Focus more on peoples’ positives.
39. Be more assertive.
40. Run a half marathon.
41. Complete the “sprint” distance of a triathlon. (and not die!) My friend Erin Shaw has inspired me!
42. Stop planning my future (obsessively I might add) and just enjoy the life that I’m living right at that moment!

I think 42 is a good number. It gives me about three-four to do month. And obv, I’m already failing miserably at #42! By far the most difficult for me. :/

Some of these will be very concrete to check off, ie #1, 6, 10 19.
I’ll just do the activity, take the photos and report to you!
About 20 of my goals fit into this category, and I’m guessing these will be the easiest to check off.

Some of them will have to be made on a weekly-monthly effort basis ie # 5, 7, 9, 11, 24. So I’ll update you every so often on my successes or failures.
I also put goals that will take more than a one-time event to achieve ie # 20 and 41. Damn, regretting that one already! But I also don’t like failure, so this will be motivation, hopefully ;)
14 goals fit into this category.

Some of them are immeasurable and I will have to change my way of thinking to accomplish them. These by far will be the most difficult ie 14, 36, 38, 42.
There are 8 of these goals!

It’s already 19 days into 2011, so I need to get started. Wish me luck, something tells me that I’ll need it.

Everyone has goals, needs to feel like they are working toward their purpose, or somehow making a difference in this world. It doesn’t have to be quite the level of Mother Theresa, but we as human beings need that sense of achievement.
Hopefully this list will help me to achieve some of my goals and sense of purpose. Some of them are light hearted and some are very meaningful and #5 is both.
I don’t think that anyone needs to donate 100% of their lives to charity or service of others, but if we all donated only 5% of our lives than the world would be a much greater place with minimal effort. And yes, I plan on running for the next Miss USA pageant. Please refer to 7, 24, 28, and 34. ;)
Another motivation for getting started on my list for the year was my cousins’ grandmother passed away this week. She was 95 years old, so she lived a full life and she will be greatly missed by all her family and friends. Rest in peace, Naomi.
The issue with the “bucket list” is you never know how full your bucket is. So stop wasting time, make your list, and cross your goals off one at a time.

The faces of those who make me smile :)

"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."
Lady Bird Johnson

"The soul is healed by being with children."
Anonymous

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure."
Emma Goldman

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
Nelson Mandela

"While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about."
Angela Schwindt

I wanted a quote under each picture, but my skills aren't that advanced! Sorry :/

You can take the girl out of social work....

but you can't take the social work out of the girl.

Being a teacher in Korea doesn't fill my desire to help others. If I were a teacher back home, I would be more involved with the social and emotional needs of my students. However, because of the differences in both language, and maybe more so culture, I can not get as involved as I would like.
Fortunately, there are other outlets for my social work desires. In Mokpo, a program was started by a foreigner a few years ago. A group of waygook (foreign) teachers teach classes every Monday evening at an orphanage right up the street from my apartment.
The orphanage is run by Catholic ( I assume) nuns. A "sister" helps us with our class; however, I am 80 % sure one of our students is her son, and she also has an older daughter. So I am not sure how that really works. In a recent conversation, she said that she is married to Jesus Christ, so the only sensible explanation is that another Virgin Mary also exists in today's world in Mokpo, South Korea.
Travis and I taught this class together, and now my friend Kelli and me teach the class. We have 7 students ages 7-11 "korean" age, so 5-10 "everywhere else in the world" age.
Their names are Chul Jin, Song Hee, Min Ji, Ha Nul, Eun Joo, Hae Song, and I can NEVER remember the 7th student's name! Bad Lin Ji teacher :( I could type little personality profiles on each student, but I am aware that not all people are as intrigued by different personality characertistics as me. So if you are one of those people, just ask me, and I would be more than happy to give you copius details of each kiddo's personality.
We do not teach during winter vacation, so I have been missing my students A LOT! Yesterday on my way to the gym, I happened to pass Ha Nul, Song Hee, Chul Jin, and Auntia aka 2nd Virgin Mary . I was greeted with hugs and "Lin Ji teacher Lin Ji teacher." Long story shortened, I ended up attending a concert and eating dinner with all the sisters and the kiddos later that evening. It was a beautiful concert, and an overall moving experience.
The proceeds from the concert are going toward a mission trip to help the less fortunate in the Phillipines. Sister Thomas informed me that next month 32 of the students and several sisters will make the trip. Yes, these children are orphaned, but she wants them to realize that there are far less fortunate children in the world. She wants them to have a better appreciation for what they do have. The orphange is a very nice facility, and there is a strong sense of family between the sisters and the children. However, I am a firm believer that the bond of a biological family is one, for whatever reasons, is a difficult one to break. The longing that children have for their parents, especially their mothers, is incomprehensible.
Regardless of religious preference or cultural background, this is the most awe inspiring form of "pay it forward" that I have ever witnessed. It is easy to discuss support of various charities, it is pretty easy to write a check for some charitable cause, it is easy for many of us to volunteer for a few hours a week; because at the end of the day we go home to our comfortable lives and our loving families. Spending time with these children is by far the highlight of my week. I assure you that these children give me far more than I could ever give them.

Sorry this post was suppose to be a light hearted and brief overview of my after school adventures. But, I really miss social work, its the only thing that seems to give me a sense of purpose. Since this is the unedited version, I also feel like it shold also be an honest account of my life whether it be past or present. I left home for several reasons 1) I needed a change of pace. 2) I have always had a longing for adventures. 3) I felt that I was failing miserably at my job back home. As I said, social work gives me a sense of purpose, but unfortunately being assertive is not one of my personality characteristics. I always felt like there was more that I could have done or said. I'm also a sponge when it comes to other peoples' stress, and I couldn't handle it anymore. So to all of those in the "trenches" back home, I'm sending all of my love and upmost respect. You all stayed to endure so that others could have better lives.

Farewell for now Travis Tanner

Today in the early am, Charlie and I had to say our farewells to Travis Tanner. He is headed back to the states for school. After Travis walked out the door, Charlie whined for about 2 hours, and kept vigil either at the door or on the edge of the bed. Charlie missed his buddy, and he had to spend the day cooped up in the bathroom, until I got home from work and volunteering. Charlie and I decided to go on an hour and a half walk/run to take our minds of missing Travis. Above are pictures of our sad faces :( Good Luck at home Travis Tanner, can't wait to see you ! Sending all of my love and Charlie's, it won't be the same without you.

Chicken Little's Pictures

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling" Mokpo, South Korea edition

I begged Travis to do couples costumes this year, but I also wanted our costumes to relate to Korea. We decided to be a bottle of soju, its the Korean equivalent of vodka, and a chicken. Korean men love to eat chicken and throw back some soju or beer. I glued approximately 1,000 (Travis says he doesn't think its quite that many, but this is my blog!) feathers to a white tank, wore orange leggings, made a crest?, and glued a beak to some green glasses. What is a Korean anything without some fake glasses with no lenses for fashion purposes only. Travis painted two cardboard boxes and tied them together. He got way more compliments, and I wasn't jealous at all!
We went out with our friends Carla and Joe. The bar was too too crowded, so we hung out and had a few beers outside a convenience store. This is both legal and socially acceptable. I shared some beer with a few older Korean men, who let me borrow their bottle opener. You must return the favor! Also, some snacks with our taxi driver. Travis had made cookies for the bake sale, and the taxi driver did not like them. The cookies were quite delic, good job Betty Crocker :)

Even if your Halloween wasn't covered in feathers and random Korean encounters, I hope it was simply fantastic!