Tag Archives: people

A Week Left…

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This past week has been, well, a true test for me. Our schedule is as follows:

Wake up around 6:00-6:30, get ready, be at the church by 8:00.

Start Class at 9:00, teach until 11:35. Eat lunch, then climb 3 flights of stairs and spend an hour and a half trying to keep 200 kids in one room when they may, in fact, be ridiculously bored.

Start teaching a different class at 2:00. Continue doing so until 5:00, then have dinner and head home.

Repeat.

Needless to say, this schedule has been a little draining. However, the best part is that my first class is 10 kids, 3 of whom are trouble-makers in any degree, and three who pretty much get in trouble every 5 minutes or so. It’s like they put all of the trouble kids in one class, and I just happened to get it. :( God is really teaching me perseverance through this! I have never wanted to stop doing something that I had to do more times in one week than this past week! But, although it is difficult, I’m learning a lot and getting stronger. I have definitely started getting practice on “the look” this week, as well!

There have definitely been plusses this week, too. The team is really close…we have a lot of fun times! I know that we all bring something unique and necessary to the team, and it definitely shows. When we are together, we come up with all sorts of ways to support each other. I have sent troublemakers to visit more than one teammate’s class! :)

We have had a lot of adventures this week, like going to a DVD room with some Korean friends (you rent a room with a big screen and pick a movie (we watched Seven Pounds)), and traveling to Seoul to go shopping and to visit a palace. Shopping was a lot of fun, even though it threatened to rain the entire time. I got some really neat things. The palace was pretty spiffy, but it was so hot/humid out that some of us just chilled after seeing the main attractions. Normally, I would be exploring the whole place taking pictures, but my camera definitely died. After that, we went to Pizza Hut, where we had some goofy pizza. The really weird thing was that we had to share drinks…they just brought them out with lots of straws in them. Juan and I definitely found sharing a Pepsi to be interesting. If Phillippa was unlucky, she would have had to split her drink with 2 other people. Fortunately for her, she got it all to herself. Also, you only get one salad bar plate per 3 people. A very strange custom, but whatever.

It is so crazy that we’ve been here for 18 days, and even crazier that we only have one week left! Sometimes, I am so ready to be home, and other times I am so sad to be leaving. I guess that’s the way it goes, though!  I definitely have a place for Korea in my heart, but Texas is definitely home!

Robot Wanderer and Left Toys

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I just read about tweenbots, a New York art student’s thesis project to determine whether busy New Yorkers will help a defenseless robot just trying to make its way across Washington Square Park. Kacie Kinzer designed these adorable little robots and set them free in the park so that strangers can help them get where they’re going.You should definitely check out her site to get the whole story. It is laid out there beautifully, with pictures and a video to boot!

I thought this idea was a great way to test people’s willingness to stop what they are doing and help something out with no reward for themselves. Think it would work here in Dallas? How about where you are?

Wow, only a few hours later from finding out about the above project, and I’ve come across another intereting endeavor. The Toy Society is a project that began in Australia, and has now spread all over the world. People make handcrafted toys and then leave them places so that others can find them and take them home. I love the thought of coming across a special gift randomly, and of leaving one, too! What a way to brighten someone’s day! :)

The neat thing about both of these projects is that they encourage people to think of others, whether they be cute little robots or a person who finds a cool toy you’ve left behind. In tough economic times like these ( I feel like a news announcer when I say that), it is so important not to get caught up in an isolationist attitude. Remember to share a smile with someone. When you do, you will feel better, too!