Teaching my Students to sing "Come Now is the time to Worship"

This was during my 1 week training at a Ikani Ngombe village in Iringa, Tanzania. I taught some students "Come Now is the Time to Worship." We sang the song at their church that Sunday.

Reflections Tanzania Africa: February 2009

Dear Friends and Family,
I don't know if I'm wasting my time introducing new vocabulary words at the beginning of each Form 2 English period. But the word for today is what I hope for all of them to become. INDUSTRIOUS...its an adjective which means someone who works very hard. While I hear about students still waiting to get school fees from their parents, I discover a student like Jovin who has found other means of paying for his.
Jovin is the boy wearing shorts on the left side of the photo.

Here is a sixteen year old boy who I remember vividly last year.
On my way to fetch water I see Jovin surrounded by thousands of small plants contained in little plastic pouches. At that moment I quickly snapped some pictures without understanding what he was planning to do with the plants. I did ask him what kind of plants they were. They were tiny bamboo shoots. I have never seen them that small before.
It's now February and Jovin is in my FORM 2 class. I can see how serious it is for him to be in FORM 2. And I especially know that he goes home after school, eats food, returns back to school to help carry bricks, sand, and afterward, continues to his father's vegetable garden to help til dark.
Jovin's mother and sister Froida. They were planting beans on my way to fetch water

Jovin forces to open his eyes during my class sometimes. I know how hard he works knowing that the government Exam in November is just around the corner.
On Monday, I have assigned a writing activity in English class. I haven't given any creative writing lessons yet, however I used this is as a chance for them to show their prior knowledge as well as apply their knowledge about the Working Words on the Parts of Speech. Although Jovin didn't quite follow my instructions for the writing exercise, I did discover something admirable about this boy. I want you to read what he wrote:

My name is Jovin Choga. I am a student of FORM II. Last year I was make many trees to our garden. I did make one thousand and five hundred those belongs to me. But also to this month of this year, |I sell there trees of ninety thousand shillings. 90,000shillings.
Also, my parents they are very happy and me I'm very happy because I have ablility to pay school fees of this year. But today, I want to say that every person should make your work which can help yourself

Yes, he didn't quite understand or follow the prompt, but here is a great example of an INDUSTRIOUS boy who has found a way to pay for his own school fees this year. Although I plan to share his composition in class as an example of what not to do, deep down inside, I am proud of Jovin. And I will cherish his industrious drive as another affirmation of why I came to Africa.

.....Even teachers can learn a thing or two from their students...

Day 7 Jeju Island Summer Adventure 2011

Olle#10 was the course where I walked with Yuna. She's a 21 year old college student from Seoul who's spending a few days in Jeju by herself. She seem to be a free spirit who could converse in English well. She walked with me all the way. I did enjoy her company. I asked most of the questions about her family, education, hobbies and random things. Funny thing is I don't think she was going to ask for my name.

One of Olle #10's feature is Mt. Songaksan where we climbed to the top. It was a beautiful view. I remember saying to myself "Too much beauty-it's beauty overload." Yuna and I finished the course in 5 hours. After a few minutes of trying to find the end point of Olle #10, we managed to ask questions about a guest house. Olle Staff recommended the Sunflower Guest House, which is owned by a U.K. and Korean couple. It's a fairly new guesthouse. We had SamGyupSal for 10,000 WON. Hostel guests ate together which was quite a unique experience. After an hour of chatting, I was off to bed.

It's Sunday morning. My mom's birthday is today. I head to Marado, the southern most part of South Korea.

Reflections: Accomplishing Two Full-Marathons

Donga-Il bo Marathon 2011

I don't really know what to say...But I thank God for giving me the health and the motivation to accomplish such a feat. I could not have done it without HIS grace and love towards me. Soli Deo Gloria!


Chuncheon Marathon 2010

Day 6- Olle # 9 / Sabangsan Mt./ Hwasun Beach

After a cup of coffee and a conversation with God at the Hyatt overlook, I was once again ready for my next course Olle # 9-Jungmun to Hwasun Beach. This course took 4 hours with a few short cuts. My favorite part of the course were the cliffs.

First, I was taking pictures of the majestic feature, then the next thing I know, I was on top of the same cliffs I was earlier taking pictures of. I reached Hwasun Beach by 3pm; set up tent on the beach and waited for darkness to come. I could have stayed at a fairly new guesthouse/coffee shop next to the beach, but by the time I had set up tent, I was feeling satisfied to stay in the tent.

The view here is stunning and yet ironic at the same time. Gaze towards the right and you'll be in awe of Mt. Sabangsan. However, turn to the left and you'll find a great man-made structure for the Association of Shipbuilders. Here is a great example of the rich history of Sabangsan and the shipbuilders of today.
Joyful Guesthouse is perfectly set in between. Mr. Kim Sang-Sik, the owner of this guesthouse built the place with his own hands. They moved from Seoul with his family and started what I feel will be a great business in the coming future. I would recommend the place to anyone planning to visit Jeju. The lodging cost is 18,000\ per night. Contact info is: Mobile 010-8998-5551/064-792-5551. They even have free transportation service to and from the bus station.
Well off I go to my next course- Olle #10

Day 5 JeJu Island-Olle #7 and #8

A coastal course heading towards Jungmun-a more touristy location. This route, starting in Seogwipo Soccer Stadium to Jungmun beach took 4 and a half hours. A beautiful course. However, I walked on the main road for a while trying to find an entrance into the trail. when I finally found one, I came across what seemed like a Catholic mass right along the sea shore. It was rather interesting because it was held on the rocky part of the shore. Along the side road I noticed what seemed like signs declaring against a U.S. naval base being built. It was rather thought provoking since Jeju island is a place for basking in nature. Would erecting a U.S. naval base be worth all the changes in the landscape? I wonder what the people of Jeju thought. (Apparantly, the locals are against the structuring of the US naval base but because of the decisions made on the top of the leadership, the building of the naval base is imminent.)

I did make it to Jungmun. This place had tons of people. The beach itself was dangerous for swimming. However, tourists lined the shore and played with the incoming tide. It was fun just watching them. I did find a place to set up my tent.

Feeling a little touristy myself, I went on a dinner splurge. A seafood buffet at the Shangrila. Let's just say it's something worth experiencing once. I paid more than my budget, but I needed a little sustenance so I took advantage of the moment. It was good. Also a music festival has started for the summer. So after dinner, I listened to music on the beach. By 11pm I was in my tent.

Geoje Island/Oedo Island-Like Paradise

After a year and half of teaching in South Korea, I have been blessed once more with a sponsored trip through EPIK. This would be extra special since this would be the last one I’ll probably be able to experience. I think there comes a point in the school year when all teachers are tired and weary. I can honestly say that I was one of them. As much as I love my students, I was tired.

This cultural trip gave me a chance to revitalize and to regain my sense of wonder in this ever beautiful land of South Korea. Every time I think that I’ve seen all of Korea’s wonders, I’m always put back in place and forced to eat my words. It’s not an overstatement to say this over and over again: Korea has so many endless and timeless beauties! It’s a beautiful place!

We began our trip in the city of Daegu where a sea of foreigners was waiting to board gigantic buses. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many waygooks in one place but it gave me a sense of community. Yes I didn’t know all of them but a sense of comradery was in the air. We all needed this trip. We were tired. But a few hours into the trip changed all of that.

We reached the island of Goeje. It boasts one of the world’s deepest undersea tunnels. Its architecture is top of the line. And it cuts time travel to almost half for many locals going to Busan. The Goeja Bridge is a stunner. And just under it also boasts it newest port accessible to many international vessels. No wonder why South Korea just recently became a member of the G20. It truly is an economic powerhouse. It is also gaining more and more recognition for its old and new cultural contributions. One of those is in the area of film and music. So many Asian countries are clamoring for its newest dramas and KPOP music. Tourists throng Korean sites where a drama production shot a few scenes. One that we saw is Windy Hill in Goeje Island. It was such breathtaking scenery with its brown windmill and the cliffs plunging to the blue sea and the hilly coast as the backdrop. I just kept thinking of a perfect movie setting. I started taking pictures- silly pictures with silly poses; I was probably thinking I was the movie star. All my stress and worries went away at that moment. I was at ease.

But the highlight of the trip for me would have to be Oedo or Lonely Island. Who would have expected to find a tropical paradise situated in the southern region of Gyeongsangnam-do. Reaching the island was a treat in itself. We boarded one cruise ship and all I kept thinking was how they put so many foreigners in one boat; and the possibility of the boat sinking; and that most foreigners do know how to swim. I studied my pamphlet for Oedo intently. Admiring the pictures and hoping to take the same shots upon arriving. It’s like a scavenger game. Trying to find the same views became a fun activity for me. But words can’t describe how I felt when I saw this beautiful place. Even my friends on Facebook couldn’t believe that it was an actual place. Some of them thought it was a folk art painting. All of them wished they could see it too. This made me even more appreciative of being in South Korea. I felt so undeserving but glad I could share it with my friends even if it’s only through pictures. It’s a perfect place to bring a special someone. It’s a very romantic place and away from the hustle and bustle of a city hub.

And so what have I learned from this experience? It gave me another chance to be thankful once again. I’m thankful that I’m here. I’m thankful for a job. I’m thankful for a chance to see this beautiful country. When my contract ends, I hope I could get another chance to visit this place. And when I do, I’ll bring all my friends and family with me.

Thank you EPIK for your generosity and support.