The Long Lost Sicklings

You all must give Jonathon and I credit for updating our blog frequently up until this last week and a half or so. We both feel like our lives have slowed down a little bit and things maybe aren't quite as exciting as they were in the first month. But, this is only half of the reason we haven't written anything new; so I apologize to those who are rioting outside The Enger Cafe.
At the beginning of last week, Jonathon started having cold-like symptoms and by mid-week the cold had rapidly developed into what we think was strep throat. I tried to stuff him with vitamin-C, garlic, Airborne, and other cold drugs while not getting too close to the diseased boy. I was not sick and I wanted to keep it that way, but unfortunately, I think I became a little arrogant of this fact and therefore, soon became ill myself. This last week felt like torture and we thought it might not end. Jonathon finally went to the doctor with a Korean woman who works at the school. There, the doctor gave him some pouches of medicine and told him to take it three times a day (in Korean), but he never really said what he had. Jonathon also received this bottle of gargling solution that was as green as Kryptonite. So Jonathon was taking unknown drugs for an unknown illness for an unknown period of time. But the bright side of things was that the doctors visit cost 4,000 won and the medicine was 20,000 won (altogether about $15-wow!). Also, he was beginning to feel better. Me, on the other hand,
I thought my head would explode and even after getting 44 hours of sleep in four days, I was still exhausted. There were many times at work where I just did not want to be there but I seem to have this problem where when I'm in a bad mood, kids can easily make me feel better. Any teacher that is reading this probably knows what I'm talking about. For example, I am struggling to get through my lowest level class and the only boy (8 years old) in the class starts singing a Kunglish (Korean/English) love song to me and then sits there giggling. Or, one of my students plops a pug puppy on my desk, (my absolute favorite dog) specifically for me to see because he knows I like them. These types of things are what help me get through the rough days and help me laugh. With Sunday beginning, Jonathon and I are feeling much better and are thankful for all of your prayers!
We hope to have a fun game-like post coming soon, so please, keep visiting us!
Anika and Jonathon

A Night Out: Take Two

Another Sunday night, and another adventure for Anika and I. Tonight our destination was Namdaemun Market, which is near the downtown area and City Hall. Namdaemun is a lot like the street markets that you see on TV. I bought a hat for 5,000 Won, and am very glad that I did since it is starting to get colder. The leaves are really starting to fall off the trees now, and the evening breeze is very chilly. The leaves seemed to reach the peak of their color changing last weekend, and it seems like winter is just around the corner. The two of us got some good exercise this evening, and were able to practice using the subway system again. As you can see in the pictures, Namdaemun Market is a busy place with plenty of foods to taste and things to buy. I was very excited to see the photography shops, and I successfully communicated with the shop employees which was also exciting. Eolmayeyo (pronounced something like "ol-mah-yeh-yo") is the way to ask "how much is it?" Here are some pictures.

Looking toward the mountains near Namdaemun

Namdaemun Market

Anika at Namdaemun

Seafood Fast Food at Namdaemun

More Street Shopping

More Shopping

Fast Food Tent

Christmas Decor Shop

Camera Shops Near Seoul Station

A Photographer's Heaven?

A Night Out

This evening Anika and I decided to go to Itaewon. We basically just walked around for a while and stopped at a few shops. We were happy to have dinner at Quizno's, and then desert at Cold Stone! It was Anika's first time outside of the areas where we live and work. We had a good time and saw some interesting sites. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what we saw.

Someone's excited for ice cream!
The Hyundai Department Store
Kids in the park

A welcomed surprise!

"Street Meat"

Here comes the train!

At Quizno's

Shopping at Itaewon
Yea... thats a Ferarri

"All I Need"

When Jonathon and I arrived in Seoul, we dragged our four suitcases and backpacks to our new and empty home. Realizing this "empty" home made me connect with a song from my favorite artists. "All I Need" by Sara Groves reminded me of Jon's and my situation here. Below are part of the lyrics to the song. I encourage you to look at the rest of them online. http://www.saragroves.com/store/theothersideofsomething/lyrics/allineed/
All I Need-
Newly married, new apartment
All our furniture was saved from the dump
Yes dear maybe we can afford a trashcan next month

All I need is my love for you and a seat for two

New baby new life
We will teach him to speak French
We’ve got no money so we’ll make it all ourselves
I’ll make the curtains and you make the shelves

All I need is a power saw and a new sewing machine

Honey, this house needs a little something
That bare mantle doesn’t look so good
Someone told me of a man
Who makes animals from driftwood

All I need is your monthly bonus for a wooden walrus...

--As Jonathon and I settled into our new place, we realized we needed things such as a trash can so we wouldn't have a pile on our counter and floor as well as bath towels to replace our t-shirts for drying. I think that these things are both very valid needs and I sure am glad that we were finally able to get them a week after arriving. But, after listening to Sara's song a little more carefully, I realized just how fast we can start seeing wants and putting them into our needs category more frequently. It's interesting that in the beginning of the song, their life is so simple and focused on one another and of course God and later, their focus has completely changed. I also realized the accumulation effect when we moved out of our apartment in St. Paul, how did we have so many things and how did they get there? I'm sure that the people who helped us move out also thought that! Now I might just be thinking out loud here and not being totally coherent, but thanks for bearing with me. I just felt like I should write this as a reminder because it was so important to me and my outlook, especially when I walk through HomePlus: land of everything imaginable. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the subject as well.

Food Cravings

If you have been in a foreign country, you might be aware of times when you all of a sudden get horrible food cravings for things back home. Since I arrived in Korea, my craving has been for chocolate cookies; more specifically, Judy Zesiger's amazing farm-type buttery, heavenly goodness, melt in your mouth, can't stop going back to the cooling rack, chocolate cookies. Now, one might say that I have a serious addiction to these cookies, and naturally....I would totally agree. Unaware of my problem, my wonderful husband came home before dinner with a box of double chocolate coconut chip cookies. But before I was allowed to have one, I had to eat dinner. Dinner, made by Jonathon (again), consisted of shrimp, chicken, egg noodles, mushrooms, lots and lots of garlic :), onions, and an excellent sweet and soy sauce to top it off. So really, it was hard to wait for both dinner and dessert! One way to win me over instantly is to saute garlic and onions, I'll come running from miles away. In fact, there is a restaurant a couple of floors below us that cooks heavily with garlic and the wonderful scents float up to our window and we whiff a lovely Korean garlic and meat smell in our apartment-yum! So, although I didn't have Judy Zesiger's cookies fresh out of the oven waiting for me, I am very thankful for my boxed cookies, which eased my craving.
Besides the usual cravings for me of grilled cheese, tomato soup and rice, the only other food craving I have had is yellow cake. When we first came to Korea, I was thinking of ingredients I could later get to make cookies, cake, cinnamon rolls and what not. But, it has taken me the whole two and a half weeks to remember that I do not have an oven. How does an Italian baker live without an oven? I'm not quite sure, but Jonathon and I do have the chance of getting a free toaster oven from a friend so maybe I can make mini bakery items?!
Before I began this note, I asked Jonathon what food he craved and he couldn't come up with anything-and I believe him. The only American thing that he has craved is a Big Mac and we have one across the street from us and by work so it really isn't difficult to find. His only complaint of the burger is that the Big Mac is "Korean" size and therefore not quite as fulfilling as an "American" Big Mac. haha. Jon seems to crave special types of Korean food everyday, though, so I guess he is becoming accustomed at least to the food.
Have a wonderful week and when you eat your cake and cookies, make sure to think of us!

Sunday

Hello faithful Enger Café subscribers. It is Sunday evening here in Seoul. Anika and I had a nice relaxing day. We watched a few episodes of House, attended an English church service, and enjoyed a satisfying meal of ramen noodles, pot stickers, and good ole' Folgers coffee.

Today was the second time we worshiped at the Global Missions Church nearby the building we work in. The English worship service starts at 2pm and seems to have around thirty or so regular members (the English service is not as popular as the Korean ones). Pastor Ahn seems very gracious and he has been extremely kind and helpful to us along with many other members of the congregation. Pastor Ahn invited us and Natasha (another American girl thats been going to the church) to have dinner at his house Thursday evening. He is married with four children and Anika and I are looking forward to having dinner with him and his family. He was excited to hear that we had been going to Bethlehem Baptist Church in St. Paul, and told us that Pastor John Piper is "his hero". Pastor Ahn had also heard of Bethel University.

Anyway, I was just taking some pictures of the sunset and of the view from our apartment window and thought I would share a bit about our day and post a picture for all of you. I hope that everyone is doing well! Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Kid Comments and "What Not's"

Four of our GT4 classes. I am apparently a Dr. Seuss cat with the crazy socks and orange shirt-yeah...
Jon's GT2 class.
My favorite class, GT1. They are so expressive, fun and eager to learn-I love them!
Seriously the best outfit I have ever seen-the muscles just really make it all. He kept flexing and it was hilarious.
Our GTi's and GT1's packed into our little library. Congrats to Jon in the back for getting 50 little kids to sit quietly on Halloween.


After two weeks of school, Jonathon and I have enough fun comments from students to make another long blog. But hopefully, not as long as the last!
Before starting in with the funny comments, I would like to take some time to talk about food. As I write this, I am drinking chestnut milk. I just returned from a HomePlus Express to get cereal and had seen this bottle before and decided I'd be brave and splurge on the 25cent drink.
Whether or not it's really made with chestnut's, I'm really not sure-it tastes more like the milk in your cereal bowl after you have consumed the actual cereal part... So, maybe I won't be buying that one again, oh well.
Over the last two weeks, Jon and I have obviously been having a lot of rice mixed with every kind of Korean food. I love rice, but sometimes it's good to change things up a bit. So today, I had a really big craving for some good spaghetti. Luckily, we had bought noodles and pasta sauce at HomePlus last week. I whipped some up and sat down to snarf it down and after my first bite, realized it tasted like someone had also put kimchi and red pepper paste in my pasta sauce! Being the Italian girl that I am, this was very devastating. You aren't supposed to put red pepper paste in your pasta! You put celery, onion, garlic, meat, tomatoes and lots of good Italian spices, but no kimchi and no red pepper sauce! Moral of the story, do not buy Korean spaghetti sauce, it's not the same. I feel a strong duty to my Italian roots to try and make a decent sauce (even though the tomatoes here are pretty poor) or at least buy a good American kind and therefore, spending a little extra won.
Kiddies!
From the first time we walked into the school, Jon has been constantly surrounded by little Korean students trying to jump and touch the top of his head, climbing up his legs or running to give him hugs; they all love him. During the first day of teaching, I allowed each of my classes to ask me some questions to get to know me and connect with me. But every time, there was always a student who would immediately ask about Jonathon, not about me, but why Jonathon was so tall! I would respond by saying he drank a lot of milk but they must have heard him say that he ate all of his vegetables and would correct me immediately in their insistent Korean way. It is also funny to see the expression of both adults and children when we are walking about and they will point and hang their mouths open as they watch this giant Jonathon walk by-haha. I feel like most of the young Korean men are not much shorter than average Americans, but I guess it's a big enough difference when compared to my Jon.
Every weekend, my students write in diaries and during the week I read and comment on them. Most of the students talked about Jonathon and I coming and how they were excited to have such nice teachers. The girls are also very excited that we are married but the boys usually just laugh and think that it is funny that teachers can be married. In some of my journals, the girls talked about how my hair is "almost white". When I read this, I immediately thought of Kari, Jon's sister because her hair is beautiful and bright blonde. So, when she comes to visit, I know they will be amazed at her height as well as her brightly colored hair even more than mine! One last story from my classroom is about one of my favorite girls, Yu-ri. Yu-ri gives me a hug each day, but recently, she's been very interested in my pasty white skin. --In Korea, light skin is a very wanted and 'honored' thing to have. Korean women even have special every day make-up to make their face white.--So my pastiness is really something special, I guess. Yu-ri will come up and just gently rub my cheeks and say how soft they are and just stare at them. It really is funny, but maybe you have to be there, see her face and hear her accent, haha. It is definitely not something I am used to in the States!
Halloween
Although I do not celebrate Halloween and I would rather go to a Harvest Festival, because our school follows American traditions and holidays, Polaris had a Halloween day. The day consisted of having a rotation of students playing a game in each teacher's room. I decided upon Halloween Pictionary and tried not to have too many creepy pictures/words. At the end of the day, Jon and I got to teach a couple of games together with our fourth grade students. One of the games that they loved was "Honey if you love me, will you please, please smile". We had an even amount of boys and girls and even though the point was to get the person to laugh by saying this line, the boys of course would only ask the boys. I did think it was funny that the girls were willing to ask Jon because he seemed to be an easy target and would laugh and then be in the middle.
So okay, maybe I didn't succeed in writing a shorter message this time, but oh well. haha.
This week went by very quickly and it is nice to have a weekend break and go to church on Sunday. Thank you so much for your comments, I love to see them and hear from you!

This is our entryway from the hallway. The bathroom is to the left and Jon is again preparing dinner-so proud of him!

Here is our bathroom at least the best view I could get without taking four pictures. Our spacey glass shower is on the right. We are very thankful for the wonderful water pressure!


One more view of my classroom.

This is taken from where our bed is, we both have a nice sized closet for clothes. There is our little kitchen and our washing machine under the stove.

This is the main room of our apartment. Right now, it seems more full than when we got it because you can see on the right a table and chairs and a tv. It is a little messy, but it is becoming more like home for us!

This is a picture of my classroom and my GT2 class. They are second graders in Korea and and English. I have a small desk to my right and a white board. Also, the desks are not usually situated this way, they are turned for testing!

The view from outside of our apartment. All you see are apartment buildings after apartment buildings. We are only on the 12th floor. We think it is funny that the tallest building in South Korea is not a business building, but an apartment building! In this picture, you can see a bit of the mountains but the pollution that day got in the way a little bit.

Jonathon cooking dinner (with squid!)

The Genesis of Korean Life

I am so sorry that I have not written anything since we have arrived to Korea. Before we left the US, I began to write a post of what we were doing leading up to the point of departure and it was never completed. But briefly, we had a wonderful last three weeks visiting family and friends in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. We were able to go apple picking, fishing and enjoy the great outdoors before moving to one of the largest cities in the world. Thank you so much for housing us nomads feeding us great American food before we left!
Jon and I have had a great week and a half in Seoul. Throughout this time, I kept thinking of things I would write here that we were accomplishing or comical things we came across. But now, I probably only remember a few! But, I will try to make the other information interesting as well.
We arrived in Seoul Monday around 4Pm their time. It had already many hours of traveling and then we had to wait several more before we got home. First, we waited an hour for another teacher to arrive at the airport and then we drove to our school campus (Polaris) where we met our director. Four hours after, we arrived at our apartment. We were happy to see that it wasn't as small as we thought it might be. It still is basically one room, but it has enough space for the two of us. I was most excited to see that we do not have a traditional Korean toilet (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/102993539_82c7af4a02.jpg?v=0). Although, it's not heated and won't clean your bum bum for you (like others in East Asia), it does the job. Our home is also equipped with a washer/spin dryer, stove (no oven) and a kitchen sink. On Friday, we received a fridge, tv and stand, table and three chairs from the Poly School. I have never been more thankful to have a fridge. Every night, Jon and I would walk home and bet on if we had a fridge or not and that was the highlight of our night!
On Tuesday, we had half a day of training and then eight hours of observation of the classes. Wednesday, we started teaching; talk about being thrown right into it! Jon was such a good sport and I was/am very proud of him. He said that he had the attitude of he had no idea what he was doing, but he was going to just go in and hope for the best. He made it through and the head teacher, Janis was impressed that we didn't flee the building like some new teachers seem to do.
Because we do not go to school until around noon, we have the morning open to explore and what not. By riding the bus to work, we discovered where the nearest superstore was-HomePlus. It is four stories(underground) of everything imaginable, yes it is even better than Target. On the bottom floor, we discovered the amazing supermarket. The meat area is our favorite because you can get fresh anything out of the ocean such as squid, salmon, shark, etc. Although we have not figured out how to use a full squid, Jon has cooked with shredded squid several times. ---The discover of HomePlus was very exciting, it was a fifteen minute walk from our home and we were eager to get necessities such as towels and food. After five days of drying off with a t-shirt, we were very thankful to have towels. BUT-I was a wise Italian girl and did bring Nona towels so we at least had towels to wipe our hands. I mean, who would be dumb enough NOT to bring a Nona towel or two, wherever you travel. After all, they are truly a necessity! Thanks a bunch Nona, you were a lifesaver and our only reminder of back home!
The second thing we were also very excited about was coffee. There are shops all over the blocks here, even in apartment buildings. Two shops that happen to be right next door are unfortunately Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts-what a bad temptation! We were going to wait to buy a coffee maker on Payday, but due to a mistake made at the ATM, Jon got many more Won than he originally wanted. So, we decided to splurge for the 19,000Won maker, which is like $16-great deal! The only problem is, where to get real coffee. Most coffee here is made by a mix-in...no thanks. We are both quite picky with our coffee and knew that this would be difficult. But, I thought I could handle deciphering Korean and choosing the bag of ground coffee as opposed to the mix-in. The next morning, I was excited to use our new appliance for the first time and dumped the coffee and water in and pressed on and stood by eagerly. What I saw coming out was the consistency of watery mud and I became suspicious, but was still semi-hopeful. I poured the "coffee" into my tumbler, sniffed and took a sip and gagged. Yep, I had definitely bought the mix-in and used about 15x the amount you actually should for a cup. This "coffee" tasted more like molasas. ugh. Later Jon traveled to I'taewon, a town near an army base and found some good ol' Foldgers for me! What a guy-my hero!
Anyways, this is just the beginning of our fun adventures, I am sure. This is just a little (or a lot) for you to imagine about our life so far in Korea. Soon, I hope to have pictures up as well.
Thank you so much for your prayers and emails, I love hearing from all of you!