Maybe, here:
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 125:1-2
Kelsey invited Will and I, along with Tova and Daniel, to dinner on Wednesday night. We ate like royalty.
The spread. I realized while we were eating the pumpkin soup that this meal would have been a wonderful Thanksgiving alternative.
3
number of months The Barkley’s have been English teachers in Korea.
8
number of first graders who are absolutely unable to stay in their seats on a Tuesday afternoon.
2
number of moms I teach during my parents class on Tuesday afternoons.
3
minimum number of side dishes (banchan) at every Korean meal.
7
preferred number of side dishes at every Korean meal.
15,000
cost (in won, for two) for Theresa’s favorite “tang” (soup/stew), Kamjitang!
4
weeks vacation starting the end of January.
13
number of days my sister will spend with us in Gangwon-do, South Korea.
2.4
miles from my school to home.
0
cups of instant coffee for me today. And everyday. “Instant” should have been a red flag.
700
cost (in won) for our favorite homemade cookies at Paris Baguette (T always gets double chocolate and it’s white chocolate macadamia nut for Will).
20
largest class that Theresa teaches. I really, REALLY love this about my school.
40
time it takes me (in minutes) to walk from home to school.
15-20
time it takes me (in minutes) to bike from home to school.
2
average number of people and cars I pass while walking home. It’s a quiet road.
0
hope of getting a Christmas tree this year.
165
number of days we’ve been out of the U.S.
3
total number of “western” meals I can remember eating since we’ve been in Korea. I always regret them, too.
90
percentage of time in the fifth grade class that they are loud. Really, quite loud.
21
days until Christmas!
20
the age a lot of kids say they are, really meaning twelve. To which I proclaim, “Wow, twenty!” Then they giggle once they’ve realized their mistake.
2
number of years we suspect some tortilla chips we bought had been on the shelf. Another attempt to find western food…fails.
2006
the year we started talking about teaching English in Korea.
2000
amount of money we throw at our debt every month (in US dollars). Lord willing, we will be free in April or May of 2010.
only 1
kind of good debt. Owe no one anything, except to love each other…Romans 13:8
He really just had a bad moment.
At 10:05 a.m. thirteen fourth graders came screaming (literally) into my classroom. Note: my “classroom” has no desks, and instead is filled with just about everything that could make a kid go nuts, i.e. cushioned seats, a six paneled TV, fake fruit, a play kitchen well stocked, a stage with letters all over it, etc. I’d rather call it a playground. But, I digress.
From the first minute of class I knew they were going to be a handful today. Not everyday are they like this, but today, oh yes, and quite more.
During one of the activities he started to tap me on the arm with his pencil. Over and over and over again. He was clearly trying to get my attention but he also knew he was interrupting me, and so I chose to ignore his constant prodding. After a couple minutes I took the pencil from his hand without any explanation. He knows not to treat a teacher like that. His frustration mounted and with the little English he knows, he let me know how unhappy he was that I took his pencil and wouldn’t give it back to him. Seeing that I wasn’t going to give in, he gave my arm a little whack and walked away.
Oh, boy. Touching the teacher is one thing, but slapping her arm? Nope. Not this teacher.
After the class was over I asked my Korean co-teacher to bring down some fire. She did. He cried. He knew what he did was wrong but was still angry. She forced him to say sorry, and he walked out a red-faced, wet-eyed little boy. Did I mention he’s the cutest kid and usually the sweetest, too? Of course, this just added to the agony of seeing him break down.
I felt uneasy about the situation all day and carried it with me for a while. I didn’t think I’d see him until tomorrow. I still had his pencil.
At 2:30 p.m. he came into the English center for a special English class. Afterwards he stood alone by the table putting on his coat, gloves and hat for his walk home. It was time.
I walked over to him and asked him to close his eyes, of course exemplifying what I wanted him to do. Then I took his hand, opened up his fingers, and placed his pencil on his palm. He instantly looked at his hand, then up at me, first with surprise, then with gratitude. “Thank you,” he said. His eyes were beaming.
“You’re welcome,” I replied, as joy flooded my soul.
Reconciliation. Sweet, sweet reconciliation.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
These boys just wouldn’t smile! Someone should tell them girls like smiles.
4th graders. Colin (see recent post) is on the right with the brown shirt near Andy (striped shirt).
