Thanks for reading this blog the past 4 months.  I really enjoyed writing it and keeping you all updated on my adventures in Korea.  While I’ve started up a new blog, this one will always remind me of all the great times and people that I experienced in my time there.  Thanks again and look for my weekly updates in “Mark’s Continuing Adventures.”

  Hey, I made it back to Seattle!  It’s so weird being back home after 4 months, especially so many people speaking English and not looking Korean.  First impressions, some things change and others don’t.  Most things around here look the same in my city, neighborhood, and even home.  While things make look the same, I know that I am very changed by my rich experiences in Korea.  Words cannot even begin the describe the changes that have happened.  I know that w/ experiences like these, some lessons/changes are apparent right away, others take a little more  time to see or realize w/ the passage of time.  I will let you know about them as they hit me. 

   I made it to the airport all right.  The plane ride to San Francisco was uneventful and not too long for a 10-hour flight.  There was a delay from San Fran to Seattle, but I got into Seattle around 1:00 pm on Tuesday.  I thank the Lord that I made it back safely and w/ out any surprises, all my luggage made it, and I didn’t have any problems w/ customs, etc.  My parents dropped me off at home and then went back to work.  Last night, my sister Alicia and brother-in-law Matt visited me; it was great to see them and my parents!  We had ice cream and I talked a little about my Korean experiences. 

   I finally made it to bed around 10:30 pm, I went 30 hours w/out any sleep (other than short naps).  I was really tired.  I woke up about 3:30 am and was having trouble sleeping.  I went back to sleep later for about 5 hours, then woke up at 2:30 and slept again for almost 2 hours.  Right, I’m still tired!  We’ll see how long it takes to get over that. 

   So I’m back and so forth.  I will write a couple of more posts into this blog, but opened up a new blog w/ wordpress called “Mark’s Continuing Adventures.”  This blog will be about my continual processing of my trip to Korea and about what I’m doing here; it’ll be mostly for my friends overseas in Korea/China and whoever else wants to read it.  I look forward to continuing to see where the Lord takes me and getting to share that w/ you.  God Bless!   

  Hope you had a great Father’s Day back in the great NW.  I got to Seoul via the express bus on Saturday around 2:40 pm.  I met a really interesting taxi driver, but we had to drive halfway across Seoul, so the fare was rather expensive.  I dropped my stuff off at KoRoot (guesthouse for adoptees) and hopped on the subway to go to my friend Jacky’s home.  Also, the weather is really hot in Seoul, b/c it does not get the nice ocean breeze that Busan/Kimhae gets.

   Jacky’s family was  doing great, but busy as usual.  It was nice to see them again.  Right after I got to the apartment, we had dinner.  Afterwards, I caught up w/ what was going on in their lives.  After talking a little more and then watching tv, I went to bed, I was really tired.  On Sunday, I went to church at Myungsung Pres. Church again.  It was nice to go to an English service again.  I posted a few more pictures from the church.  I had a nice time after the service talking w/ a few people that I knew from before. 

   After church, I came back and IM a few friends.  If you haven’t tried Skype, you should.  You can call another computer from yours for free.  I was chatting w/ my friend from Inje U. and mentioned that I needed to get a PC camera.  I went to E-Mart to pick one up after our “conversation.”  It will be nice to be able to see my friends from Europe, Korea, and anywhere else in the world.  The camera will get a lot of use.

   KoRoot is run by Pastor Kim and his wife; he is a pastor at Myungsung just on Sunday.  He actually gave me a ride again from Jacky’s place to KoRoot, which is around 35 minutes apart.  Pastor Kim said he expects KoRoot to be very busy this summer season, especially w/ the IKAA Gathering at the end of July.  Edo, Frida, and Malina are also staying here at KoRoot for awhile. 

   Today, I went to the GOAL office to return my phone; GOAL is an organization that helps Korean adoptees in matters of work, classes, phones, family search assistance, etc.  I went w/ Rasmuss Petersen, who is an adoptee from Denmark; he’s here to study Korean for one month at a local university.  Rasmuss was looking for a phone from GOAL and it turned out mine was the only one available. 

   I had called GOAL last week about going to my orphanage, Green Meadowns Children’s Home.  It turns out that the orphanage is now a day care center and GOAL had a volunteer go w/ me to visit.  Mi-Kang and I had an interesting conversation on the way to the day care center.  When we got there, I found out that the day care owners had torn down the original orphanage in 1990 and built the present-day building.  They didn’t have any records about me or anything else.  They did have a photo album of the orphanage circa 1985+. 

   It was amazing to be at the area where I was for the first couple years of my life.  I had believed I was only there for awhile, by Holt Korea told me that in fact I was at the Green Meadows orphanage for my entire time before I was adopted.  This at least brings this to a close and fills in the gaps.  I was found by the Seobuk police and probably taken to the local hospital, where I was later put in the care of the Green Meadows orphanage.  The area is Daejodang.  I can’t say that being there brought back any memories.  I had lunch w/ Mi-Kang and then I returned to KoRoot.

   So, tomorrow I will return to Seattle.  It’s funny, I’ll leave here at 2:30 pm Tuesday and arrive in Seattle at 12:30 pm the same day, I gain a day back!  Here’s a shout out to all of you who prayed for me and sent me messages; I appreciated it all and thank you very much.  Check in w/ you all later this week.  Seattle 에서 또봐요.  난 의 한국  친구들: 잘있어요  그리고 고마워요!

    The weather the last couple of days has been rather cold and rainy.  Students are in the middle of finals right now.  Yesterday, I spent some time w/ a few of the Chinese students; a few of them graduated from their language study here at Inje University.  It was a nice ceremony and in the same place as the IIIHR ceremony.  The students were very happy and my Chinese friends were too.  Last night, 10 of us went out drinking at Juncos.  The food was the same as before, but the fellowship was great.  We played a couple of drinking games I hadn’t played before; it was good, we used shots of beer instead of soju.  It was  a nice finish to the day.  Today, 6 of the Chinese students will head home to China.  I also spent time w/ my friend So Yeon Yeon.  We walked around BC park and took pictures and talked.

   I wanted to share how I feel right now, but in a different way. 

  “The forest is dark and my muscles are cramped.  I haven’t eaten in a couple of hours and I don’t have much water left.  And I broke my compass about an hour ago when I slipped on the rocks.  My stomach feels like a tough, tight knot.  I’m lost.  Suddenly, I hear a shrill cry high overhead.  Is it an eagle?  I hear it again.  It sounds like it’s coming from a northerly direction.  I trudge through the muddy forest floor and start up the hill.  About an hour later, I emerge from the rough clearing.  The treeless ridge provides a great view of the horizon.  What’s the noise?  It’s the eagle!  I start to follow it, my pace quickening.  Soon, I am running after the eagle, hoping to keep a lock on it.  About a half mile ahead, it swoops into a tall, weathered evergreen.  I momentarily catch my breath, sweat pouring down my cheeks.  I stare down the eagle and then it launches into the bright, blue sky.  As it flies off into the distance, I realize I’m at my destination.  I made it.  I did it.  The eagle is only a speck now in the vast, blue horizon.  What’s next?  Anything seems possible now.  I hum a song and head down the mountain.” 

  Take care and I’ll see you from Seoul!

   I hope you are doing well.  Yesterday, was the IIIHR closing ceremony.  We started around 5:15 pm and there were some introductions and the sponsors gave us some very nice gifts.  Then we (the adoptees) started around speeches.  Ben, Jonathon, me, Frida, and Malina.  My speech went very well, all the practice paid off, though I was a bit nervous.  Several of the sponsors and professors shared their thoughts too.  Finally, the president of Inje University gave a few brief remarks and then we took a bunch of photos.   My friends Hyo-Hyun and Hoon were there too.  Thanks for coming.

   Afterwards, we went to a Korean restaurant for dinner.  In all I think there was 20 people or so.   The meal was great and so was the conversation.  It was a nice way to end our program.  It was nice to talk to the president of Inje University, he’s been to Seattle a few times for conferences.  After dinner, we went to a sponsor’s nearby tea house.  We went there about 1.5 months ago when it was just being finished.  We had tea, watermelon, and cookies.  Really tasty and a relaxing finish to the night. 

   Today, I will start to pack up some stuff and wash some clothes.  I will also spend some time w/ Mette b/c she is leaving tomorrow early in the morning.  I will also spend some time w/ a few other friends.  Take care and I’ll checkin later this week.                           

    Yesterday, I went w/ Mette & Ben to Haeundae Beach and to a Lotte Giants baseball game in Busan.   We left close to 10:00 am and hopped onto a bus towards Busan and then boarded a subway there.  We had to transfer to a different line and then at 11:30 we arrived at Haeundae Station.  It took us about 10 minutes to walk down to the boardwalk near the beach. 

  The view was amazing!  Really beautiful and the weather was perfect, warm w/ a slight breeze.  We walked around for around 45 minutes and admired the great view.  There were a lot of little kids and their parents running to and fro across the beach and in the water.  There was also a sand-building contest; we saw a turtle, a seahorse, a crab, and a few other sandy creations as well.  It was funny, I was taking a picture of Mette and Ben when my shoes suddenly became very wet!  I think there was still sand in my shoes when I got back to ET! 

   We walked around looking for a place to eat lunch.  We passed several Korean restaurants and settled on McDonald’s.  It’s interesting, right by the boardwalk, is a buiding that houses Starbuck’s, Bennigan’s, Outback Steakhouse, and TGIF Fridays.  I settled on a Bulgogi Burger combo; it tasted like teriyaki, expect on a hamburger.  We saw a lot of non-Korean foreigners near the beach and at McDonald’s.  It was weird to see so many after just being around just Koreans for 3.5 months. 

   After lunch, we decided to walk around and visited the Haeundae public market.  We saw a lot of fish, fruits and vegetables, Korean food, spices, shoes, jewelry, and other things you’d expect to see at such a market.  As we walked around, we noticed that that on certain streets, the signs were all in English; we figured that these are the areas that are popular amongst foreigners. 

    We hopped onto the Subway, switched lines again, and headed for the baseball stadium.  We needed to arrive 2 hours early as the seats for the Lotte Giants games are opening seating, or first come, first serve.  The stadium reminded me of a minor league game atmosphere.  The stadium filled up to capacity in about an hour or so.  They had the usual pregame rituals.  They had the Korean national anthem and then someone dressed up as Shrek throw out the first pitch.  Then the fun began!

    Vendors sell newspapers that you rip into strips and then fold to make a pom-pom.  Imagine literally thousands of the newspaper pom-poms flashing in the setting sun.  They also have cheerleaders and a guy in a Giants uniform that leads the cheering/entertainment.  When a Lotte player comes up to bat, their song plays over the speakers and the crowd starts to chant their name.  For example, “Park So-Young” is what the crowd will chant out loud several times.  The crowd was very electric and into the game, much more fun than a Mariners game.

   Later on, the Giants were down 8-3, but the crowd was still having fun and doing the “Wave” and other fun games.  We were at the stadium for 5 hours, but we weren’t that tired.  It was a lot of fun and we also met a few new friends too.  After the game, we hopped back onto the subway and then took the bus back to Kimhae; we got back to the university around 10:00 pm.  It was a great day.  I’m glad that Ben and Mette spent it w/ me.

   This is my last week in Kimhae, I need to start packing and figure out last-minute logistics to making my way to Seoul on Saturday.  You know, I’m a little sad, I knew that I would be too.  But, I am also glad to be coming back home too.  They say that “Life Goes On”, but I think that I shouldn’t forget my time here.  If I could stay in Korea, I would.  But, the timing is not right and I feel in the future I will return soon.  I think that connecting w/ my Korean friends, learning the language, and living here has been a great joy for me; much more than I could ever write down on this blog.  Korea now has a very special place in my heart that I will never forget and it is a new chapter/adventure that is just beginning. =)  Til next time, probably later this week.

Prayer Square:  Basically, for my closure here in Kimhae and at Inje University.  It won’t take very long, but I just need to figure out the last details.  Also for the closing ceremony and the last things I do w/ the IIIHR program.  Saying my last good-byes to my friends, adoptees and Korean friends, and for safe travel to Seoul. 

    Hello again from the other side of the Pacific.  Hope you are all fine and living life to its fullest.  The weather here continues to be nice and warm, though a little humid.  I think that summer has arrived in South Korea.  Soon it will be the monsoon season, when it rains for three weeks straight, with a few breaks in-between.  Today though, it rained a couple of times, complete w/ thunder and lightning.   

    The school was fumigating ET today and I got a chance to take a few pictures of some beutiful flowers that I had spotted earlier in the week.  They have long stems that seem to reach for the sun’s light.  It reminded me of the passage from Matthew 5, where Jesus reminded the crowd of the importance of being salt and light.  He specifically said that we are the light of the world; we shouldn’t hide our light, but let it shine before men.  The light that gives us life is Jesus in our lives; He is the reason why we can shine brightly and not be ashamed.  We should all hunger as much for the Son’s light as flowers strive for the sun’s light; when we do, we come into full bloom.

    This past week went by extremely fast, it was the last week of classes.  Yesterday, to be exact, was the last day of classes.  I spent some time w/ friends and went out drinking on Thursday night, that was a lot of fun.  Wednesday, I helped a friend w/ a project and we ate lunch.  It also got a chance to watch a few movies, which I recommend: Babel, Click, and the Holiday.  I also got a chance to watch a couple of Chinese movies in the lounge.  So a long ways to say I had a fun week. 

   Tomorrow, I will head to Busan to visit Haeundae Beach and to go to a Lotte Giants baseball game.  It should be a lot of fun.  It will be fun to spend some more time w/ a few of the adoptees and to also see Busan one last time.  One note though, I had mentioned in my prayer square about connecting w/ the adoptees a bit more.  I’m happy to say that in the last month, I’ve been able to talk and spend more time w/ them and to get to know them a bit more.  It’s been really nice and I’m glad that we are all here at the same time doing this program.  It’s funny to think that this will be my last weekend in Kimhae; next Saturday, I’ll head up to Seoul for a few days.     

   Hey, everyone!  Have a great weekend, I know mine will be.   Blessings!   

    I hope you are having a great weekend.  I’m still at Hoon’s house in 울산 (Ulsan) as I write this.  It’s been a nice relaxing weekend, eating great Korean food, 수박 (watermelon), and watching lots of movies.  I finally got a chance to see “Happy Feet,” that was a good movie and funny too.  The only downer this weekend is that Hoon’s dad is out of town taking care of the family orchard in Pohang.  Hoon’s dad speaks really good English and is interesting to talk to as well. 

  As I’ve spent time here this weekend, I thought about all the experiences and people that I have met in Korea.  On top of that, I feel lucky to have some great friends too.  They have helped me w/ a lot of things during my time at Inje U.  So-Ra has helped w/ my Korean language study, Kyu has worked out w/ me at the Biotech, Jung-in has been a good roommate, and Hoon has been a friend to me in more ways that I could ever mention.  It’s really been nice of his family to host me twice this semester.  The people in my ET study group have also been great: Sung-Jin, Sung-Jin, Hoon, Jung-in, Sang-Ho, Min-Kyu, Young-Gyu, Na-Ran, Young-Hae, Hae-Jung, Hyun-Jung, Da-Young, Pan Mei, Yoon-Kyung, and Sun-ee.  Plus, I can’t forget to mention Jacky’s family too.

   This upcoming week will be my last for classes and probably for spending time w/ the students at ET; next week they will busy studying for final exams.  I plan to spend some time w/ a few friends on Wednesday, which is Memorial Day in Korea.  It’s a national holiday and there won’t be any classes.  It will be a last hurrah w/ them.  Then next week, I will spend a night w/ the adoptees saying good-bye.  Next Friday, I plan on heading back to Seoul and then fly out on Tuesday, June 19th.  I am confident that my Korean adventure is not ending, but that this is just the beginning many more sojurns here.

Prayer Square:  I need to still tie up a few loose ends and to finish strong in this last week.  Please pray that I would just relax, have fun, and enjoy the moment in my last two weeks.  Also, that I would gain greater confidence in using my Korean in conversations, etc.  That my good-byes wouldn’t be too sad, but also joyful.  잘가 그리고 고마워요.    

   Hope you are all well.  Well, I heard back from Jung-won and didn’t get an interview b/c I didn’t have enough “experience teaching kids in Asian countries.”  I think that lack of experience played a role, but I believe there were also a few other factors I won’t mention here.  My friend said that sometimes universities like to have credentials for their teachers.  It’s okay, I am sure another door will open, just as this one closed.  The Lord knows exactly where I need to be, sometimes it just takes me a little longer to realize it.  

   This week I did a lot of things w/ my ET study group; this week was the last week we had for our groups.  After this week, students will begin to prepare hard for final exams.  On Monday, we went out w/ Professor Kim and had a great dinner.  I think I saw like 12 Soju bottles on the tables!  Afterwards, we went to No Rae Bang for a while.  It was fun to see the students sing their renditions of their favorite Korean songs. 

   Tuesday was the “Golden Bell,” which is a quiz game for all ET students.  The adoptees described different words in English and the each group got a chance to answer as many questions as they could in 3 minutes.  It was a lot of fun and prizes were also given out.  Afterwards, the adoptees went out drinking at JSA b/c it was Jihi’s last night in Kimhae; she was leaving the program and heading back to Seoul.  It was a nice bar and it was nice to say good-bye to Jihi.

    Wednesday, my ET group went to Juncos go out drinking again.  It was our very last class and I think all the ET groups went out drinking.  It was nice to spend one last time w/ my group and to talk and eat lots of cheap food.  I’m sure going to miss this group, they were a fun bunch and really smart too.  I was fortunate also to meet several great friends too.  I went out drinking 3 nights in a row!  A record for sure.  

    Tomorrow is Inje University’s 28th anniversary of its founding in 1979; today, I went to a ceremony where the founder of Inje University spoke a few words, an interesting ceremony.  Even better, there aren’t any classes Friday.  I will also be going w/ Hoon to Ulsan one more time.  It will be nice to get away for the weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing his family again.  

  I also wanted to say a word of thanks to all who have been reading my blog and enjoying my pictures I’ve posted.  Thanks a lot for your prayers and for sending me thoughful emails too.  While I’ve had difficult and challening moments, my time in Korea has sure been fun, thought-provoking, and definitely life-changing.  I will take away many new and rich experiences that I shant easily forget.  Thanks to you for all your support!!! 

   Back before I left in February, I wrote an entry “Coming Into Focus.”  I talked about what I hoped this trip would be about and what I hoped to come away with.  I can say now that I have a clearer idea of what I would like to do, at least for now.  Coming to Korea has helped me to experience the culture, learn the language, deal w/ my past, and to begin a new chapter here.  It has been great too b/c it has narrowed my focus onto what I’d like to be doing in the next 6-9 months; we’ll see how the Lord works it out. 

     Hope you have a great weekend and a sunny one too.  Sounds like Seattle is getting just that kind of weather too.  Until next time.   

   Hope you are all doing fine back home.  It’s really hot here and starting to get humid.  It’s got to be at least 80 F today.  On Friday, I went w/ Ben and Mette to visit our Taekwondo instructor’s Moon Mu Academy in Busan.  We were there to spend time w/ the kids in his different classes.  Friday was really hot too; you can imagine how hot it might have been inside.  I think we spent time w/ 2 different classes.  His kids are great and really talented.  They at least deserve their orange belts and so forth.

   Friday was also Kelly’s last day; she flew back home to Philadelphia on Saturday morning.  We (the adoptees & ET students) went to a local drinking hole called Junco.  We were all starved, so we ate a lot of food, fruit, and drank lots of soju and beer.  Her ET study group bought a green tea cake from Paris Baguette; it was really good!  It was sort of a sad night, but I think that Kelly had a great time in Korea and was ready to go home. 

   Which brings me back to what I talked about last week in my Prayer Square.  This past week I investigated a English summer camp for Korean youth at Kyungwon University in Seongnam, which is outside of Seoul.  My friend had recommended me as a teacher to her friend, who is the supervisor of this English outreach.  It would be a month-long program from July 23-August 18th.  The hours would be long, but the pay would be good.  Even better, it would be a great experience for me in terms of working in Korea and learning about teaching. 

   I called Jung-won, the supervisor, on Friday and we talked for about 10 minutes.  The only negative thing for me is that I don’t have any formal education training or teaching elementary-age kids.  But I told her I would work hard.  The past 2 days, I’ve been working on my resume and coverletter.  She said to go ahead and send them to her and she’ll talk to her boss, since I don’t have any formal teaching experience.  If they like what they see, they’ll arrange an interview for me and then we’ll go from there.  No matter what, I’m going to trust the Lord w/ this.  Even if I left in 3 weeks w/out teaching, I would be content and happy w/ my time in Korea.

   I found out that the closing ceremony will be on June 12 at 5 pm in the student union building.  This should be a great time to finish up the program and then for us to all head home or wherever is next for each of us.  I’m still trying to read-over my translation of my spiel so that I’m comfortable reading it in Korean and don’t have to pause or anything.  Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Prayer Square:  Firstly, for my potential teaching position at Kyungwon University.  I’d sure like to do it, especially since I felt it was a great door of opportunity opening for me.  But no matter what happens, I know the Lord is in control.  If this door closes, I know that another will be sure to open.  Also, pray as I finish the program’s classes this week and to finish strong.  I also want to be able to continue to learn Korean while I’m still here.  Please pray that I would be able to leave Inje University, if I do so on June 19, having tied up all loose ends.  God Bless!