Yesterday, my internet was not working too well, so I couldn't post anything. This is Thursday's stuff. I continue to not quite get enough sleep, but to still love my life and gratefully accept all that God offers.
From Thursday:
211. Sunny days after a deluge of rain.
212. Surprise ddeok from the new teachers, a
little variety box showing just how diverse a food rice cake can be.
213. Hyunseo, just everything about my Hyunseo.
So smart, so sweet, so clever. I'm lucky to teach him twice a week.
214. Orange flavored vitamin water. Are there
any vitamins in you? I know not. For my part, I care not, for thou art
delicious.
215. I-Love-Yous from Yeonghan, who first said
he loved me two years ago, and who has always meant it, and always been a
bright spot in every day.
216. SG, willing to go fetch the 3rd grade kids
for me when they were confused about where they should be for class. Her
willingness to help.
217. Getting to talk with a friend last night,
realizing that so many of her concerns echo my own. Being able to offer her
counsel and consolation because I've be been there.
218. Having strong arms, lean and steely and
ready for anything! I feel like I could scale a wall, honestly.
219. My keychain, a length of ribbon with my
USB, computer key, door key, and a silver cross pendant on it.
220. Anticipating my lunchtime walk with JY,
since we have ample sunshine and balmy, breezy weather to enjoy.
그대여 나와 함께 해주오 이 봄이 가기 전에
Be with me before the spring ends
Be with me before the spring ends
11 AM: Gyuseong walked me to school this
morning. He's a 3rd grader with surprisingly good English, who hangs out with
Jeongminnie often. we discussed whether I'll be playing board games with the k
the is at lunch time again this year. I think I should start.
Had Gyuseong in class today actually, a Giant
Class of 3rd-graders where there are the grips combined into one. They were my
first class that was not really fun. They weren't bad, just not enjoyable in
the way that the other kids tend to be.
We'll just give it time! I'm sure they'll get
more awesome with time--our first day was just a little confusing because they
came to class late and didn't have their levels sorted yet.
Came downstairs to find Hyunseop, Sanghyeop, and
Boulder Minsu talking animatedly with JY, and they were talking about me.
Turned out, they were requesting to be taught by me since they dropped to C
level, which is not where they want to be.
I've got one more class today--little 1st
grades, which should be grand. Then I've got tomorrow, which is very very super
full, and I've got stuff on the weekend, too.
Saturday class starts in two days, and I've got
a fun lesson prepped for that. Then Sunday is preschool (Yoochiboo!) stuff at 11, go home
then English worship at 4. Our new English pastor asked if I'd be part of the
leadership and I said I would, so there's fellowship after the service, then
leaders' stuff after that.
And I want to help, but the idea does occur to
me that I'm really losing my sleep-in mornings. But Saturday class is only once
a month, and it's not like I want to quit Yoochiboo teaching just because it
means waking up slightly later.
It also occurs to me that when I become a
parent, that may be the end of sleep-in days, period. Is it? Children=no more
late mornings ever? Do I represent the end of my mother's rest? The nap stops
here.
2:30 PM Last class over. They were SG's kids, some of them and I seriously very
very much like this crew. I'm having a little trouble with my co for this
class, though? She's Mr. B's substitute and I can't quite jive with her style
of class management (introductory speech to the kids about how their first
infraction of the rules meant a warning, second infraction meant getting hit
with the stick).
Which might have just been a speech with no
intent to actually follow through, but it felt bad. It also got the kids dead
quiet and stiff and worried when I wanted them to be opening their minds and
unlocking their mouths to try a difficult and daunting language.
Anywhee, things ended up fine. She sat in the
back and let me do my thing, and the kids left smiling. Right now my question
is, can I or should I ask JY to let me
teach these classes on my own?
I've had many classes to handle solo in the
past, so I'm fairly confident I can do it, plus these children know me enough
to have an idea of my character--I don't believe they'll be a problem.
At lunchtime, I got to see Hyo a bit because he
and I went upstairs to watch Gyuseong and Jeongminnie play chess. Hyo gates
teased for walking with me, and now he's big enough to at least hit people for
talking smack. I let him do it. I don't know how bad his situation might have been in
the past or how it's affecting the present.
Now that its truly spring, the problem of 3rd
graders and shirts, or the lack thereof, has again returned. On my way to my last class, Soonhyuk was
pulling on a shirt in the hallway instead of in his classroom. When he saw me
coming, he lifted the shirt back up and asked, "best body, right?" I told him that he was very
strong and special. Hopefully, that one compliment will hold him, and we won't
have to repeat this after every soccer practice.
Did I mention taking out a college friend of
mine for coffee the other night? I met her at church and even though she's just
here in Korea for one semester, she seemed well worth friending.
And it was fun for me, being the unnie
again--the big sister. She's 20 and I'm 28, which was almost exactly the age
spread between me and one of my best friends at home. we actually complemented
each others traits pretty well. Around college students, I'm suddenly this
seasoned veteran who knows stuff about Life and How Things Work. and I feel
refreshed by her new happy-wonderment view of the world.
My dad sent me an email, encouraging me to ask
God to show me things when I read the Bible. my first reaction was that that
seems unlikely. I don't know why I look for and fully expect God to reveal
things to me from things that friends say or things I read elsewhere, but I
notably don't expect the Bible to do the same?
huh. It's worth exploring. And I
miss my Daddy, I really do.
3:40 PM.
Okay, first thing I read in the bible was randomly assigned to me by a
bible app--Joshua chapter 1. It's all this stuff about "every place the
sole of your foot shall step, that have I given you" and "I will
never fail thee or forsake thee" and "be thou very courageous"
and "turn not aside (from the law) to the left hand or the right."
It was kind of splendid and scary. It was
written about the Israelites occupying a country, but I feel like it has some
application for me in my new place, too. Or is it silly to think that? I prayed
for God to show me something in his word, and then I flipped open a bible so
and THIS came out. Is it foolish to trust that process? I don't know. But I
think those verses are encouraging.
