Anna in Asia: Transitioning

I had a wonderful time back at church on Sunday! I love my church so much and it gives a lot of meaning to my life in Korea. My new cell group is outgoing and a lot of fun. We celebrated August birthdays, me and one guy, with a cake. Cutting the cake together reminded me of weddings, but obviously that's just a cultural difference. :)

I've been back in Korea a week now and it's feeling more real and normal again. It gives me such joy to see my friends. My close friend, Hyeyeon, was on her honeymoon about the same length of time as my trip to the US (now that's a nice long honeymoon!), and it's great to hear about her adventures, like the one where toilet waste came up from the shower drain overnight in Thailand.... She lives in my new neighborhood, where I'll be moving on Saturday. I met up with her last night after being at work.

I'm not officially working yet, but yesterday I met most of the people at work, got my health check done at the hospital, observed 3 classes, and went to immigration to change my visa. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me about my anxiety and uncertainty about the this job. After observing classes and being there for a few hours yesterday, I feel really good about having chosen this school to work at. It has a lot of similarities to Connexus, where I taught before, so it's not like I'll be doing something I've never done before. I love the location- a small city outside of Seoul called Guri- because it's close to Seoul, close to the mountains, and close to my friends in Deokso. I know the work will be challenging, fun, and tiring. I'm excited to do something I have experience in and be a working woman again.

I have 2 full days of class observation tomorrow and Friday. This weekend I move into my studio apartment, which is provided by the school. I've never had my own place in Korea, and I'm feeling excited about it now, though at other times I feel reluctant. Who will clean and cook? What if toilet waste comes out of the shower drain? I lived alone before in Japan, so I know what it entails. I am really excited about being able to invite people over to my place anytime. Saturday is my birthday, and though it might be super messy because of the move, I might invite friends over to my place after going out to karaoke.

I ask for your continued prayers with my transition and adjustment to my job and new neighborhood. My cousin, Audrey Engle, arrives in Seoul on the 27th, during my first week of work. I will be showing her around on the weekends and I really hope she can have a good time and we can have lots of good bonding. It's been years since we've seen each other!