Thankful Thursday

Today we couldn't be more thankful for...

• BIS laptops
• next Thursday we'll be in the USA!
• Birthdays
• movie days
• kimchi

Drop the Hate

Unfortunately hate exists. Undeniable, it is probably right around the corner from you. Untimely acts will result from its cause. Undermining you is its goal. Under your skin, it will crawl.

Unbridled hate was uncovered late last night while on the underground train. It can be described as uncomfortable, almost unbearable.

We boarded a train headed home from a work meeting at 10:00pm with a few friends, some foreign some not. We sat on the subway chatting about the meeting as we traveled along. We came to a stop when the door opened and a man began to exit. Before leaving, he turned, screamed something at Lauren and I, gathered his phlegm and then performed a very unsightly act. He spit on us. I wish it were untrue.

He then sprinted off the the subway as the everyone on the train sat and stared with open mouths at the unbelievable act.

Fortunately his aim was not great and he missed for the most part.

The rest of the train ride was ridden with unanswered questions riddling us.

I do want to say, I am surprised. Our entire time in Korea we've experienced only unbounded love and acceptance. I was thankful for it before, and even more thankful for it now. This man was not a representation of anybody but himself.

This event wasn't earth shattering or ground shaking and was, in-fact, an extremely mild act if compared to anything similar. I don't want to claim injustice, beg for sympathy, or even say I know what it feels like to feel hated for no reason.

To the man on the subway: I sincerely hope the unrest you feel towards unsuspecting individuals will unravel. While the act can't be undone, it is not unforgivable.

"For if you forgive other their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive other their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Matthew 6:14-15

Thankful Thursday

This week we are thankful for...

• Frequent flyer miles!
• Opening windows in spring
• A plethora of restaurant options in our neighborhood
• Daily readings
• 2 week countdown

What a Happy Day!!

This is one of our new kindergarten students. She doesn't normally have a smile on her face but we caught her actually enjoying herself and having fun. It's amazing what being outside can do to you. Too cute :)

Thankful Thursday

This week we are thankful for...

• the "have to give you something for free every time you come in" 7-11 lady
• live streaming of NBA playoffs
• Spring cleaning
• Elementary School Middle tests --> it means kids are absent to study so we get smaller classes :)
• an impromptu trip to Incheon

Thankful Thursday

A little late on this but we're thankful for...

• The park renovation near our school
• Jigsaw puzzles
• A weekend out of town
• Our eager-to-practice-English security guard
• The newly discovered English speaking hair stylist

찜질방, Jimjilbang!

This past Saturday Lauren and I made our first visit to a 찜질방 (Jimjilbang) which is a traditional Korean sauna. After visiting we are now disappointed we hadn't gone earlier.


We went to a Sauna at 용산 (Yongsan) Station called Dragon Hill Spa. Our friend 종한(Jonghan), aka Peter, said he had been to this Spa before and he really liked it.

The first thing you do when you arrive is head to the front desk to pay the entrance fee. Since it was the weekend, the cost was 12,000 KRW (10 dollars ish) per person. After paying, the employee hands you some loose fitting cotton lounge clothes, and an elastic bracelet with a key and an electronic tracker attached.

After entering the turnstiles you must remove your shoes and deposit them into the appropriate shoe locker (your key #). The floors throughout the giant facility are the ondol (heated) equipped style. After dropping off your shoes you head into the main common area. At this point you need to take the women's elevator (to the 2nd floor) or the men's elevator (to the 5th floor) to get changed into your 찜질방 attire.

These areas are basically like a VERY glorified locker room. They are (obviously) segregated by sex and people are extremely open about nudity. The men's area had all the lockers to place your day clothes in, showers, steam rooms, a variety of sauna's ranging in temperature and water type, bathrooms, a barber shop, and I'm sure other goodies I didn't even find. After changing though, Peter and I headed back down to level 1 to meet back up with Lauren.

From there we entered into the large common co-ed area.


There was one large spacious room with televisions, a couple snack/juice bars, a manicure/pedicure station, and many doors leading to various rooms. There were ice rooms, steam rooms, saunas, charcoal rooms, "green air" rooms, salt rooms, and more. They all had their own unique benefits. We experienced the majority of the rooms.


The facility in all covered 6 floors. About 50% was sex-sparated and 50% co-ed. There were a couple restaurants, numerous heated pools, some outdoor patios, and treatment spa, as well as arcade games, a movie room, a PC room, and singing rooms! Any food, beverages, extra treatments, or other were simply charged to your bracelet to be paid upon check out.

We brought some card games along to play in the common area.

We also were treated to a magic show which was pretty awesome.


Lauren was a little distraught after the magician brought out some birds and memories from The Prestige came flooding back. It was a good show though and fun to watch the kids all around get so excited.

All in all this was an incredible experience. It is amazing that even after being here for more than a year there are still so many things to check out and experience. Many thanks to our native friends here who are always up for bringing a little more culture into our world :)

Animation Museum

Working with Maristory on the weekends has provided us with free admission to many museums throughout Seoul. The most recent museum we went to was the animation museum. It was incredibly entertaining and a really fun museum overall. There was one thing that stood out as incredible though...


This is a photo of the urinals inside the mens bathroom. As you can see, they are screens...but not just any screen, they are touch screens activated by your "aiming". I scored a 110 on my first try when I arrived to the museum. After chugging copious amounts of water I bested my score at the end of the day with a 150.

They need to install these in every single bathroom EVERYWHERE.

Worst.Morning.EVER!

Ok, far from the worst morning ever, but nothing ruins your morning quite like this...

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday of Holy week we are overwhelmed with gratitude for Jesus Christ's gift to the world: Himself, for us.

Thank you!!!