Corean Comforts

(I AM a bad speller, but I was told that back in the day when kimchee was still buried in the ground, it was spelled Corea.)

There are a lot of things that make living abroad bearable during the times when you miss home so much you want to fall on the floor and throw a fit. Rosa makes me feel at home with just a glance and a purr. The pretty ajuma at the mandu restaurant certainly gives me a feeling of being home. Here is an excerpt from a note I jotted down after a recent stop at her tiny 14 seat eatery:

I just ordered 'chol bok ee' but only have a vague idea of what I'm getting. The only thing I know for sure is that it is without meat, because she remembers me and remembers I'm not a fan of meat. I'm probably her only patron who doesn't eat it! She is patient with my broken Korean, usually throws in extra pickled yellow radish for Emily, and is always kind. Coupled with her bright pink lipstick, her patience and kindness easily make her the prettiest ajuma in Corea. That is more than enough to make me confident in ordering this mystery meal. She just came over to my table, glanced at this paper and smiled; she doesn't know what it says and I am glad because we already understand each other enough.

The last few weeks have been really comforting in a strange way; being involved in the lives of high schoolers is a very special and delicate privilege. I forget how sensitive we are and how much love and encouragement we need throughout all of the different seasons of life. There is something very comforting in knowing you're needed. I feel needed by some of my kids here and that doesn't just make it feel like home, it is home.

Chacha and Jennifer were in my small group for Spiritual Emphasis Week

Jiwon trying to keep warm before cross country practice

Jean was my super senior group leader


Varsity girl with Coach Barrigar before a race

Zuba Pants for Life

Many people wondered when it would happen. When? Who? What will it take?! When will she make up her mind and just settle down? Is all of this world traveling necessary?

Here's the answer folks; just have a look at him. This is my fiance, Matt. Apparently, dressing in 80's clothes and posing as Ferris Bueller is what really makes my heart go all a flutter. He went from being my ex-boyfriend to my future husband in a matter of hours in this getup.

(Ferris Bueller, Flashdance Farewell party for me, 2008)

Its no wonder we are supposed to be together, because apparently the night he decided that I was The One, I looked like this:

(American Gladiators and Red Riding Hood, Halloween 2006)

In all seriousness, we are engaged and are really excited about it. We will have to wait a long time to be together (literally together in the same room, state, and or continent) since I'll be teaching in Korea until June. I very much dislike waiting for anything, but this is one of the things in which I've recently had a change of heart.

It has taken me a long time to want to give up things that I love for someone else. I'm pretty selfish most of the time. I love this job and these kids (and the convenience of East Asia travel!) and it will be tough to leave. A wise friend of mine here once told me, "You know Mer, when the time is right, God will change your heart and you will be ready to compromise those things." He was totally right.

I've gotten pretty comfortable in my single life and think about how weird it will be to have someone else in my house ALL THE TIME. Or how strange it must feel to discuss with someone before making a purchase like a plane ticket or another cat! It's pretty funny when I think of how settled I've become in my own way. I'm not worried though; God has always provided for me when He puts me in new places or new situations. I've been given patience and grace when I didn't expect to have it. I've been given friends who have inspired me at the right moments to take risks and some who have encouraged me when I most needed it. And now I've been given a willingness to compromise my swanky single status and lifestyle. What a pleasant surprise. :)

(Matt and Mer, post kickball game 2008)

Assa!!

A friend of mine sent me a facebook message that said, "Meredith, you're famous!!" After years of whining about never making into a Luther brochure, I made it into a Korean tourist video! I feel like a rock star! This was actually one of my top 5 favorite days in Korea. Apparently, my friend Adam and I looked like we would be up for dressing up in weird traditional costume and pitching a line for Korea. Heck yes! Assa!

Red Cedar River Reflection

You said to write when I think of you.

I still think of you
and look at your picture
and picture us with
all of our wishes and
wish to believe that
your non-believing wasn't
the only straw because
I was your one and only
and you were my favorite
and surely we were
meant to be until
we said what we really meant.

Oh the Places You (might not) Go

I was recently reading "Oh the Places You'll Go" to my niece, Emily, and remembered what a genius Dr. Seuss really was. His words of encouragement are catchy, fun, humbling, and true. I'm sure Jesus had some pretty sweet rhymes too, they just didn't get recorded. I have been inspired and encouraged by both of these men and it would probably do me some good to learn more about who they were and how they were able to produce such encouraging words.

Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I think it's important to be built up by others and to have great expectations for our lives, but the reality is that we won't always be happy and we certainly won't always be on top of the mountain. No one ever promised us that, and if they did, they were lying. What we are promised is hope and a fulfilling future.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."

I forget this a lot. When everything hits the fan (usually because I threw it up there myself) it's easy for me to forget that even though I mess up, even though I might take a longer route than most, these promises are still for me. My friend Emily reminded me of God's love today - it doesn't stop, ever, no matter how much we throw at the fan. It's hard for me to imagine this love, since I love my nuggets more than anything else in this world but start to think of ways to drug them when they wake me up at 6am every day. "Aunt Merry, can I color? Can I watch cartoons?" asks Emily. "Aunt Merry, EVERYONE is awake except for you," says Zachary. "A slight dose of NyQuil...." thinks Aunt Merry. Then I get a kiss like this, and the "unconditional" love quickly returns.


A good friend of mine is losing her Grandpa to cancer. This is her first encounter with losing someone she loves. Both Dr. Seuss and God have something to say about this.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
.
.
.
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

Romans 8:38
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
.
.
.
will be able to separate us from the love of God.

I'm not the best at balancing things in my life. Life is not a rollercoaster, it's more like a pendulum, or the swinging pirate ship at the fair. The ups last longer than the downs and you get a big stomach ache somewhere in-between, but the laws of gravity (and God) promise that we will keep swinging.

So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.

Leavin' on a midnight train to Georgia

My friend Emily likes "airport world" where everyone is in transition, no one is really a local, and all cultures are mixed up in one big pot of high perfume prices and strong gas smells. On a recent trip from Seoul, I realized my reflective refuge is the train station.

While boarding or departing and walking along the platform I always catch a glimpse of myself in the long dark windows of the train. My reflection triggers a realization of who I am, who I am wanting to be, and how I'm always moving, always changing. I look, see myself, see myself moving along each window, either getting closer to my car or closer to the exit. Maybe I'm on my way to an adventure or to see friends. Sometimes it's not clear where I'm going, but I'm always moving. Wherever I'm going, I always grin at my reflection.

I don't mind traveling alone. It gives me just the right amount of time to prepare for what is to come, or reflect on what just happened. Most of my time alone is silent, with the exception of the Korean man who sits next to me and speaks all of the English he can remember. Without that involuntary quiet time, which could easily seem lonely, I wouldn't fully appreciate my journey or my destination.

Train stations give me quick results; I don't have to wait around for hours to get where I want. This is maybe a reflection on my personality, but I'm ok with that. I can wait for the next train if this one is full. I can be patient. I can even take the bus if I need to. I won't buy any dried squid on the food cart racing down the aisle. I can wait. But I prefer to be moving, on my way to somewhere.

Pretty soon I'll be home in the states, but only for a few months. I wonder why I was made with such a strong desire to be in constant transition. Maybe He knew that only when I am moving places, changing scenery, am I forced to be quiet. In that stillness, He is there, moving me, changing me and I am grateful.

Grace, Patience, and Coffee (and a picture of a cute Korean Kid)

Min Jong, the barista, is my newest favorite person in Korea. I might even call her my newest friend. She is my favorite because every time I walk up to the open window of her coffee shop, she smiles and exclaims, “Macchiato!” I nod. Then she says, “Mocha?” I nod again. She knows what I want and what I’m ordering for Emily. She gets really confused when I only order one thing. She often gives me extra stamps on my coffee point card.

There is no greater feeling than to walk up to the counter, crowded with Korean college students waiting for their coffee and have Min Jong look over them and recognize me. It’s like we’re friends that haven’t seen one another for a long time. I don’t know much about her except that she is 25 in Korean age (23 in the rest of the world’s age system) and that she has never been rude, short, or unfriendly with me. In fact, she seems to be genuinely nice to everyone. In all of the places I’ve been to, people like her are not a majority.

The first time I encountered Min Jong, it was clearly her first week at the shop, possibly even her first day. I ordered 4 different coffees for my friends who were teaching and in desperate need of a caffeine spike. It took Min Jong around 15 minutes (and this is a generously short estimate) to prepare these. It wasn’t because she didn’t understand what I wanted; the language barrier is pretty small with things like “Moh-Ka. Lah-tay.” She was just slow. SUPER slow. The previous barista was super fast and the drinks were always delicious. This was not off to a good start. When I finally got my coffee, it was lukewarm (again, generous estimate) and I’m pretty sure I was overcharged. Usually in this situation, I’d start to feel a little ripped off and mad that this lady had wasted 20 minutes of my time and stole my money. Surprisingly though, I smiled and walked away with my 4 semi-warm, overpriced coffees. I’m not sure why I decided to go back, but the next time, Min Jong had sped things up a bit and the coffee was a bit warmer. Within a week, she was a pro.

What if I had given up on Min Jong the first time? What if I wouldn’t have been able to see past my own small inconvenience? And where did this grace and patience come from? I’m so impatient I burn marshmallows on purpose just so I can get to the s’more quicker. I rarely have grace for students who want extensions and even less grace for people who have hurt me.

My whole life has been filled with people who have shown grace and patience to me. It might finally be rubbing off. When I was learning how to drive a stick shift, my mom let me mess up over and over again until I got it right. She never once yelled or became impatient – she actually laughed until she cried. PATIENCE. Even when I stalled in the middle of a busy intersection and dropped the f-bomb, she calmly told me what to do and helped me start it up again. GRACE. I know these qualities are not from us. We are commanded to be patient and have grace, but we can only know what that looks like when it is given to us.

If I would’ve given up on Min Jong, I probably would have found another coffee shop and bought some great coffee at a reasonable price. But now, I have all of that AND a friend who lights up my day with a smile, broken English, and extra stamps.