1. I am halfway finished with becoming TEFL certified!

2. I have the most outstanding mentor on the face of the earth. Absolutely amazing.

I just had to brag for a second. Thanks.

How can we be so different from one another
if we share the same sun,
moon and star,
we make the same fire,
bleed the same blood,
feel the same pain,
cry the same tears,
smile the same smile,
laughter is one.
Love is one.

Stolen from Fresh Minds Matter on Facebook.

Halfway done with week three in my class and still going strong with an A! I’m learning about lesson plans now and how to organize and set them up. With each teaching technique I’m filled with ideas of how I can make learning enjoyable for my class and I never thought I would enjoy it this much! I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the idea of being in front of a classroom instead of among the students. It’s so strange to think about!

I’ve also received two emails with a checklist of everything I’m going to have to get done before I can get hired in Korea. It’s going to take a lot of motivation to get everything done because the emails are quite overwhelming to read. I tried pasting the first email to give an idea but it took up five pages on Word. And that’s only the first email. Aaaahhh. But I can’t resist… I just think all the time and effort will be worth seeing this!: http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/visit/seven-dazzling-days-south-korea-805366

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?” 

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” 

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. 

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.” 

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?” 

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

It’s not that unusual
When everything is beautiful
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when it’s time to snow
Don’t need to teach a seed to grow
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn’t it remarkable
Like every time a raindrop falls
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
Will always make it home by spring
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don’t throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
‘Cause we’re all a part of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

It seems so exceptional
The things just work out after all
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

This weekend I will have completed the first two weeks of my TEFL class which means only 6 weeks left! Everything has been really good so far and the work is simple enough; the readings can just be time consuming. I’m learning a lot of things I wouldn’t normally think about when it comes to classroom set ups and different teaching/learning styles everything seems like it can be made so much fun! I get embarrassingly excited when Asians walk into my work… I wish I would stop that. I’m becoming more and more pumped to fly out, but I’m also trying to prepare myself for the homesickness I know I won’t be able to avoid. I’m trying to detach myself in some respects while fully enjoy the time I have here. Nothing is set in stone yet which makes me reluctant to say I’m definitely leaving (I’m always scare something is going to happen that will prevent me from going), but I’m definitely hoping to be out of here by the summer as soon as possible.

Junior Prom 2007

I’m also preparing to leave for Tampa this weekend. Our family hosted an exchange student from Germany when I was in high school for a year and she’s flying in for a visit for the first time since she stayed with us almost 5 years ago. I am so excited to see her! She’s the closest thing to a sister I’ve ever experienced. We got along great, but I really knew how to pick a fight with her sometimes too. Meeting and living with her taught me a lot about myself and gave me an opportunity to really learn about someone from a different culture and background in a way many people have not experienced. I’ve since missed her like crazy and the wait for her return has been much too long! I’ll certainly be posting pictures from her visit on here and Facebook!

This was almost a nightly routine… don’t ask.