Lovin my new home!

Welcome back the the adventures of Nikki in Thailand. I arrived about a week ago in Koh Pha Ngan, Southern Thailand for my yoga teacher training. After a short visit in Cambodia I hopped on a plane to Bangkok. Much to my shagrin I couldn't sleep suring my 8 hour layover there. Don't judge but the only quiet place (save for the flushing toilets) is often the bathroom. I was almost asleep when the cleaning ladies decided this should not be my place to slumber. ::Knock, Knock:: "Madam madam, you sleep here no!" Was my 1:45 am wakeup call.

After surviving this sleepless night, I popped onto a short flight to Koh Samui, the main island before my final destination. Once the flight landed I made my way to the ferry dock and held my stomach as the boat lurched to and fro on the way to the island. 8:30am I landed on Koh Pha Ngan and was shuttled by one of the yoga teachers (Ashton) to my new abode at Serenity.

This place is beautiful! I can't say enough about it, nor have I ever seen somthing like it in Thailand. To be quite fair it looks more like Tuscany on the outside. The little cottages are made of cement painted a cheerful yellow with red clay roof tiles and vines meandering their way up the side. Serenity is set on a hillside that slopes steeply to the ocean. (This is not a gentle slope by any means, and my thighs feel the burn everytime I hike to my room.) 131 stairs from the ocean to the top of the hill.

เกาะพะงัน Thailand!

During my time in Korea, yoga was a tool for stress relief and physical well being. I regularly attended classes on weekdays and found myself enjoying the many benefits that consistant stretching and physical activity can bring. I began to see how the positive outlook on life and the physical strength could be an aid in the rehabilitation of victims of trafficking (we all know most things in my life often relate to this work).

Seeing how these things could go together, I applied for a Yoga Alliance Certification program. This means I will be certified to instruct yoga anywhere in the world. Not only did I get accepted, I was offered a scholarship! The picture is of my Korea friends and I celebrating after hearing the news. A special thanks goes to Autum for helping me edit my application! The program is called Love.Spiral.Yoga http://www.lovespiralyoga.com/ is there site if you would like to check it out. We will be practing the physical movements of yoga, learning the anatomy, and studying it's origins. During the course I will also be taking my own time to develop a yoga therapy curriculum to use with those who have encountered trauma. The program itself is two months and immediatly following I am going to dive right in and volunteer at an aftercare facility either in Cambodia or North Thailand. (The details of which will come later.)

I leave for Thailand January 3rd, make a quick stop in Cambodia (to meet with the founder of an aftercare facility) and will begin my program on the 9th. Please pray for opportunities to challenge those around me, as I presume many will not have the origins that I do. Also that I would have an open heart for my peers and for the things that are to be revealed.

Thank you all for your emails, prayers, love and coffee dates while I have been home. You all have refilled my life and refuled my passion for those who are oppressed. I cannot wait to share more with you all from the land that has my heart and the people who will not let it go. ^_^

See you later Korea!

One year, well almost, three hundred and sixty days have passed of this Korean life. It has been a rough journey yet it has taught me many lessons about life, self, and others. Though I will be returning in July to teach summer school for two months, it is time to say goodbye to Korea and hello to the crazy month to come at home.
This week has been one of goodbyes. Saying goodbye to the beautiful people I have met over this past year seems surreal. Friendships made overseas help you to carry on semi-normal life, despite the surrounding foreign culture. Most of the time they are people completely different then your friends back home. It is a wonderful chance to gain new insights and stretch your perspective of life. I am so thankful for all of those fantastic people I met here in Korea, specifically for G Buckman, the Stewarts, and Karin B. They all have shared the highs and lows of this experience with me and I am so blessed to have known them.

Farewells also have been extended to my students. Something I think many foreign teachers forget to do/say. Rather then leave my classes wondering: "Where did she go?" "Why did she leave?" "Did she hate Korea?" I am filling them in on the reality of the situation. My contract has ended, my sister is getting married, and it's simply time to go home. Though this has helped my students to gain understanding and a bit of closure to the matter, it has also evoked tears and begging for a reconsideration of my decision. To be honest it has been nice to see how they did care and that they will miss me. I will always treasure the notes and the gifts they gave me, yet the smiles, corney English jokes, and "Goodmorning Nikki teacher"s will be missed the most.

Thank you Mabuk and the best to every teacher and student! As for all of you friends and family back home, I will see you in two days! ^.^

Field day

Just like America, Korea too has a field day. The kids from different classes purchase matching colored t-shirts and compete against eachother. It's a day they all look foreword to because it means a whole day of no studying! Quite a welcome break for the fried minds of the stressed out students. But not today... and in fact they even get one whole day off on this coming Thursday (to celebrate the Asian holiday of Children's Day).

So to all my little students, all you work weary ones, soak in today!

An Accidental Museum Trip

Living abroad always has it's surprises, yet for the past few months life in Korea has been quite predictible. Go to work, teach class, go home or to a yoga class have dinner and repeat. Sure there are those occasional days where class has been cancelled or a student gets all of us teachers sick but beyond that life has been easy. So last week when I heard we had to go hiking, I was not so happy to have my simple routine shaken up. "But that's going to mess up my schedule," I whined to myself. The other coteachers said that I should participate since it would be the last group thing we would do together since I will soon be leaving. I acknowledged the truth in their statements and agreed, but only this one more time. (Last time I had a school dinner, I got stuck next to the crotchety old principal that poked my face and rambled on in Korean about me. Would I like to repeat anything like that? No thank you!)

So the day comes, I even came to school prepared. Tennis shoes, NorthFace fleece, and a snack for after school. But I was informed that the hike had been cancelled, on account of the slight drizzle of rain we received that morning. I was extatic... then I was told we could go home early...EVEN BETTER!

Yet, I should have remembered, things are never as simple as they may sound [here in Korea]. So just as we were packing up to go home, my coworkers told me we had to say goodbye to the vice principal. "Why," I asked. "So we can show that we are doing what we said," they replied. "But wasn't the hike cancelled?" "Yes but everyone is going to a museum," said Ms. Lee. "But we want to look at cars this afternoon, are you free," said Ms Kim. At this point I was getting upset, I thought that it was unfair that I had to be dragged into this in the first place. A hike, ok I had agreed to that, but a museum that was another story and looking at cars well where did that even come from? Certainly I was above attending!

At this point, my pride needed to be realligned and I am thankful that God is gracious in teaching us lessons of humility. Ultimatly what it comes down to is that I must respect the authority of my school. In Korea, I must also respect the idea of saving face and making appearances to appease the principal and vice principal. Once my pride was back in check, I was able to laugh the 15 minute pit stop to check out new Hyundai cars and smile and wave at the kids that said "Hello" to me at the museum. In fact, I enjoyed the exhibits of hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), the cavemen models, and the pottery that was exhibited. Oh my pride... This is just one of the two lessons the I continually learn while in Korea, pride must fall. (The other lesson is with work, patience can too be my virtue.)

The following are pictures of the random museum trip. Picture one is of the kids at the museum who shouted hello to me. Two is a bride in traditional hanbok (korean clothing). Three is of a cave man exibit. Four is of Korean pottery. And the fifth is of ancient buddha statues in seated pose.

South Korea Video!

Hey all! Back in December, Dutton films released an absoluteally amazing video on all the best that South Korea has to offer. It shows the fall leaves, hiking, city lights, fish markets and tons of other great images. If you really want to see some highlites of the country that I am currently living in please go to http://www.duttonfilms.com/2010/12/do-you-know-south-korea/ Hope you enjoy it!

Spring and all it entails.

Finally, after many rainshowers, windy gusts and fridgid mornings Spring has graced us in Korea with her delicate presence. The flowers are bright and bold against the normally bland khacki color of the cellblock housing. The sky is a deeper shade of clean and fresh blue. The wind carries with it the scent of the blooming cherry flowers. The birds (yes, there are birds) have picked up a refreshingly cheerful melody. Children dash around in the golden rays exhaling screams of delight, thankful for the release from a long winter indoors. Even the rounded lanterns to celebrate the day of Buddha's birth add a dash of color. For all of this, I am thankful to the wonderful Creator. May you all soon welcome in warm sun, fresh air and smiling faces too!