Puppy Therapy

January 1, 2013 marked a monumental day. Not only was this the start of another year, it was also the day that 6 little puppies came into this world. Over the past few weeks, these pups have proven to be pretty therapeutic.

 Kourtney, one of the other AmeriCorps members and my site partner at The Lord's Place, sent me multiple videos and pictures back on New Year's Day while I was lounging on an inflatable at the Orange Bowl Pre-Game Kickoff Party. I was so excited to meet the little guys when they were big enough and able to be around other people.

That time finally came about a month ago. Kourtney has been staying up in Stuart with her parents since Christmas break, so her roommates, Justin and Kayla, and I decided to pay a visit to her and meet the little guys. Needless to say, Roscoe, Chunk, Pebbles, Sadie, Noelle, and Molly stole our hearts. The level of cuteness was off the charts!

Since that first encounter, I've been back up to visit the pups a couple of times. Every time that I see them - no matter what is happening in my life, no matter what struggles I'm dealing with - I feel refreshed and re-centered. It's amazing how six little bundles of fluff and spunk can rejuvenate a person.

By now, the six are now two as Kourtney has found loving homes for all of the pups. The last two will be delivered to their new owners this weekend, so tomorrow night (Wednesday) I'm heading up to Stuart one last time to spend some quality time with my new favorite form of therapy.

Chief Osceloa (Brown/White) and Zoey (White) - proud parents of the six little pups

Sidewalk Chalkin' Up a Storm

This past weekend, the town of Lake Worth hosted a street art festival, in which dozens of local artists converged on the main city streets and turned the boring, old paved roads into a canvas to showcase their talents. These artists took photographs and other pictures and drew them out in chalk for the public and other spectators to take in and enjoy. Sadly, some of the pieces were washed out by a rain storm Saturday night, but there were still tons of drawings to enjoy when my friend Phetsada and I went to go check them out on Sunday.

Outside of the drawings, there was other entertainment, tons of food, and other activities for participants to take part in. Watching these people create their works of art was a really awesome sight to see and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon here in sunny Florida!

Traveling art project from New Orleans that challenges people to consider what they would like to do before they die - very interesting concept and answers

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books of all time!

The many faces of the actor Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka)

View of one of the streets in Lake Worth where the artists gathered to draw and socialize

Even the Beatles made an appearance!

One of my favorites!

February Gloom...

How is it that the shortest month of the year always seems to drag by like a slug making its way across the road?

Maybe it's the fact that the weather has cooled down a bit (highs in the 60's are killing us down here - sorry to all of my friends and family in the Midwest and other snow stricken regions of the United States). Maybe it's the fact that there haven't really been any service projects to attend to so the weekends seem to last forever (not that that's always a bad thing mind you). Maybe it's the fact that we're about halfway done with our service here, comfortable with our surroundings, and have gotten into a rut.

Whatever the reason may be, this isn't the first time that February has crawled by. I remember feeling the exact same feeling last year when I was in Seoul. It was about this time that I got involved with Mannam and started doing more volunteer work, which definitely provided new and interesting opportunities. Maybe it's time to switch things up a bit and get involved with something new...

Anyone have any suggestions for things I should try out???

AmeriBudgeting

The life of an AmeriCorps participant has it's ups and downs. Dedicating a year of one's life to helping others around you is one of the most awarding and fulfilling things that anyone can do. Despite all of these emotional rewards and personal victories, there are some other things that many members struggle with. The main, glaring difficulty comes in the form of finances.

Coming into AmeriCorps, it is well known that making money is not one of the things that will come as an end result of participating in the program. Over the course of our year of service, we are given about $12,000 in a living stipend to help offset costs, such as rent, utilities, and other bills that life brings with it. This translates to $437 every two weeks, with the check coming at the end of the month earmarked for rent automatically. This reality definitely leaves a lot to be desired. But, luckily with the prevalence of the internet and deals around, living on this budget is do-able.

Tuesday nights are some of the best nights down here in Palm Beach County. There are multiple deals around the county that are not only delicious but kind on the budget. Bar Louie has $1 burgers (with the purchase of a drink) that are delectable! Extra toppings are $.50, so it's very reasonable to have a burger and a drink for $5.00! Deal! There's also an amazing Mexican restaurant in Boca Raton called Uncle Julio's that offers $1 tacos. These tacos, which can be either of the chicken or beef variety, are served hot, succulent, and ready to devour! These deals definitely make Tuesday one of the best days of the week!


Another big thing down here in Southern Florida is frozen yogurt. Now while this craze hasn't quite made it's way to the Midwest yet, it's on its way! There are various froyo (frozen yogurt) shops in the area and they all offer a different variety of flavors and toppings. For those that are unfamiliar with how froyo works, you head into a store, grab your cup and create your own creation from scratch. Then your cup is weighed on a scale and the weight determines how much you pay. It's a great treat to top off a meal or just to socialize with other members. One of the shops, Yogurtland, used to do a BOGO FROYO (Buy One, Get One Frozen Yogurt) night on Tuesdays (another reason why Tuesday's are amazing). Sadly, they discontinued this service about a month ago. However, this definitely has not deterred us from frequenting this establishment at least once a week (more if it's been a stressful week!)

The Internet is also a great source of deals. There are so many websites that curate deals, it's sometime overwhelming to sift through them all and figure out which ones are the best to use and look at. The two most reliable websites that the majority of us use are Groupon and Livingsocial. These sites are easy to navigate and offer lots of deals to please everyone, no matter what their likes and preferences are. We have utilized these sites multiple times for some great deals. Coming up in March, my roommate Kevin and I are participating in a Mud Challenge race (very similar to a Tough Mudder, but not as long or intense). We found this race deal on Groupon and it helped shave about $50 off the original price. Definitely a great deal considering our budget! The beer festival that I went to down in Miami back in October was also a Groupon/Livingsocial deal. What's nice about these two sites is that they normally have the same deals, but tend to run them at different times. So if you happen to miss the deal on Groupon, you can normally count on Livingsocial offering it a week later.

These little tips, plus trying to take advantage of the other things in the area (free Friday night concerts/movie showings, numerous beaches, $5 Thursday movie nights @ the Boynton Beach Mall, and more) help with the budget constraints. At the very least, by the end of this year of service, I will be a much better budgeter and manager of my monetary funds. Thank you AmeriCorps!

Turtles and Tranquility

Every Friday, instead of going to our sites for the day, we have a member training meeting. The topics that we cover at these meetings vary depending on the month and what's going on. This past Friday, we were originally supposed to go on an Everglades trip, but this was changed at the last minute. Instead, we headed up to Juno Beach and went to the Loggerhead Marina. This marina is known as a hub for rehabbing injured sea turtles. The staff here help rehabilitate the turtles with the intent of setting them free back into the ocean when they are ready to do so. We spent some time looking at the turtles that they are currently working with and then enjoyed a cookout provided by our supervisors, Brad and Audrey. Following eating, we headed down to the beach and took in some rays and enjoyed each other's company. Definitely a great Friday meeting!

Saturday, instead of heading up the Universal in Orlando, my friend Cathy and I decided to head over to the other side of the peninsula to take in Western Florida and see what it had to offer. We rolled out of Boynton in the morning and ended up in Fort Myers. While there we headed to the J.N. Ding's Darling National Wildlife Reserve on Sanibel Island. It was nice to be away from the city and out in the middle of nature. We walked about 4 miles enjoying the trails and sights that the reserve had to offer. Following our time outside, we headed to a little hamburger shop that definitely had the feel of a 60's drive through stop. It was very vintage and made amazing milkshakes! After "fueling" up, we headed to the beach and spent the rest of our time strolling up and down the Gulf of Mexico. The time away from Boynton was definitely needed and helped recharge me for the upcoming week!

Gulf of Mexico and the Fort Myers Pier

Cathy and I taking in the wildlife preserve

Loving the sign Schnapper's!

         

Halfway Done!

The Wanderings of a Musing Soul has returned. After a 7 month hiatus, I've decided to resurrect this blog to detail the rest of my time here in South Florida with AmeriCorps. For those just joining, AmeriCorps is a service based organization that is found all throughout the United States (very similar to the Peace Corps). I have been down here in Florida since August and have reached the halfway point of my service period! How time flies! For a recap of what I've been doing up to this point, http://livingunderthepalms.wordpress.com/ will catch you up to speed!

Now that February is upon us, things are really starting to click here in West Palm. I'm loving the site that I'm serving at. My supervisor is one of the most relaxed, chilled-out people that I've ever met. The other instructor that I work with closely has been offering my career advice and is looking to start a charter school in the area in a couple of years. If this dream becomes a reality, I would have a job lined up down the road which would be nice. The administrative assistant is like a second mom to me down here, while the CEO takes great strides to make sure that Kourtney (the other AmeriCorps members here at The Lord's Place) and I are comfortable and enjoying our time here at the organization.

February also marks the time that members start thinking about what they will be doing next year when August comes and our time of service here in Palm Beach County has come to an end. For me, I've decided to pursue a position with the Peace Corps. I have complete the application process, passed my interview, and have been nominated for an education position with a tentative departure date of August. At the moment, I'm working on getting fingerprinted (for the 18,000th time in the last 5 years) and submitting my background check. Once all of those are in and it's verified that I'm not a criminal, I will be placed with a Placement Specialist who will match my skills and experience with a site that has an upcoming opening. The Peace Corps is something that I've wanted to do for a long time and close to finally fulfilling that dream is amazing! Who know, if Jim (the other instructor here at TLP) is able to get that charter school up and running, I might have a job all lined up following my 2 years of service!

Outside of work and plans for the future, life is great. I've made some amazing friendships here and continue to bond and grow with the 40 members in the group. On Friday, for our team meeting is going to be held at a marine park and hopefully we'll get to see some sea turtles! So pumped for that! Then after the meeting, a group of us are heading down to Delray Beach to attend Garlic Fest. Apparently everything there centers around Garlic, including garlic ice cream. Should be interesting and fun! A full report to follow afterwards! There's also the possibility of heading up to Universal Studios Saturday for a large Mardi Gras festival that they are having there. Hopefully that all pans out and I can get to Universal for the first time! A friend of mine's brother-in-law has a hookup and can get us a discount on the tickets, which is definitely a plus due to living on the AmeriBudget!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates and insights to life in South Florida!

A Korean Review: Day 1 – Educating the Test Takers of Tomorrow

The words “South Korea” and “education” are synonymous with the picture of children sitting nicely in rows, hanging on every word that the teacher says, participating and interacting to the maximum. If only reality matched this perception.

The perception...

...and the reality

The biggest thing that I have learned from this year in Seoul is in regards to this seemingly “magnificent” educational system that the Koreans have in place. The high and amazing test scores that Korean students produce on standardized tests only tell part of the tale – a very small, over-blown portion. There are so many other aspects to education that are either missing or overlooked by the current system in place here in Korea.

4 hours = success, while 5 hours = failure

This saying refers to the amount of sleep that many Korean students, especially those in high school, receive each night. Their days are hectic and tiring, but not with activities like sports and drama. Instead, their days are jam packed with studying, studying, and even more studying.

A typical day for many of my students looked like the following:

0800-1600: Attend Seoul High School

1600-1700: Small break for dinner

1700-2300 (or so): Academy (aka Hagwon) for extra schooling/tutoring/help

2300-0300: Home for some more studying

0300-0700: Sleep

Repeat 5 days a week. Sound miserable?? It’s no wonder that many Korean classrooms look like this and not like the quintessential image that the rest of the world has. 

The study regime is so strenuous because their future depends on it. By the time that students reach high school, their lives become centered around one gigantic test at the end of their senior year. This test, known as the KSAT (think SAT/ACT) determines if and where each student will go to college at. So it’s no big pressure what so ever.

With all of this pressure to perform well on this one test, it’s no wonder that students spend every waking moment cramming and trying to remember important facts and numbers. However, this is a really sad and depressive way to live every day of your life for three years or so. I can’t imagine going through high school without being involved in drama, band, choir, and speech. There’s no way that high school would’ve been as enjoyable or fun. 

This is a rare scene amongst the high school students in Seoul

This is also creating a disparity between the upper and lower class within Korea. Academies are expensive. The only students that go to these extra sessions are ones that have money and are able to afford it. Since I taught in one of the richest districts of Seoul, pretty much all of my students attended these academies. This meant that they had little to no energy every day when they came to my class. Sleeping was common. Lack of response was normal. All in all, teaching was frustrating.

Lack of respect for school and teachers

The days of students holding their teachers in high reverence have passed like the setting sun. One of the things that is contributing to this lack of respect is the spread of Western culture across Korea. Students are being influenced by popular TV shows, music, and other things from outside of its borders that are contributing to this demise. Another factor is the popularity of academies and the rigors that accompany them.

One of the things that happens at these academies is the students learn material that they are supposed to be learning at the public high schools BEFORE the material is presented at the public schools. So students are coming to class already knowing what the teachers are going to be teaching. This leads to talking back, lack of participation, and overall laziness/sleeping on the part of the students.

With this current system in place, public high schools are become obsolete and pointless. Students are coming to school with the notion that they know everything and more than the teacher, which makes it hard for teachers to control their students and teach them. This frustrating problem is not going to be getting any better any time soon as more and more students are heading to hagwon following school to continue the learning process.

45 in a class – SAY WHAT?!?!?!

Imagine walking into a room for the first time. As you walk through the door, you notice that there are 90 pairs of eyes staring at you, waiting to see what you’re made of. Nerve wrecking? Just a tad. Now imagine having to do this 3-4 times a day for 12-15 weeks. Welcome to teaching in Korea!

Every week, I taught 15 classes. Compared to my subbing gig in the states (in which I had 30 classes a week), this was a piece of cake and quite nice actually. However, within each class, there were 45 Korean boys awaiting me. Most of the time they were sweaty, chatty, and not interested in anything that I had to say. Enter frustration.

Now my class was labeled as a “conversational English class.” Getting 45 boys to speak in English is a nearly impossible task. I tried everything that I could think of to make this happen. I gave them dialogues to read. I created games and put them in groups. I even went so far as to TELL them what to say. Anything to try and make this happen. None of it seemed to matter. The majority were not interested in even attempting to humor me. Enter popping veins.

It was a struggle most days to even get out of bed. I knew that this experience was going to be different. I wasn’t expecting it to be the exact same as teaching in the states. I knew that it wasn’t going to be. But going into each class feeling like there was no pint was not what I had in mind. There were some days where I just felt like a glorified babysitter. Had it not been for the amazingly awesome and supportive teachers that I worked with, it would’ve been an extremely long and tiring year.

End of one adventure leads to the beginning of another…

So my time in Korea has come and gone. I’ve been back in the states now for about a week. It’s been quite the week to say the least, but I’ll save those details for another time. Korea was an experience that I’ll never forget. The things that I learned, the people that I met, and the experiences that I had will never be forgotten. I don’t regret it at all. I’ve changed for the better and feel even better equipped for my new start in Florida!

Speaking of Florida…I am currently residing in Boynton Beach and will be participating in AmeriCorps (think Peace Corps, but within the United States) for the next year. As always, I’ll be keeping a blog of my experiences and journey as I meet new people, explore a new area, and continue on this exploration called life. The address for this new blog, entitled Living Under the Palms, is http://livingunderthepalms.wordpress.com/. Notice that this is a different address from this current blog.

Until next time…

A Korean Review: Day 2 – Giving Back to the Community

Coming into this experience in Korea, I knew that I wanted to get involved with the community in some way, whether that was through volunteering, language classes, or sports opportunities at my school. I was blessed to have the opportunity to join the amazing volunteer organization, Mannam International. Through this group, I have established friendships that will last a lifetime.

I first heard about Mannam from my friend Rachel. She participated in AmeriCorps last year (and was super helpful/instrumental in helping me land that gig for this upcoming year) and has a true heart of gold when it comes to volunteering and helping others. She sent me an event invite on Facebook back in December stating that help was needed at a place called the House of Hope, an establishment for Koreans, aged 7-30, who have mental disabilities. They needed help setting up for an end of the year banquet. My friend Emma and I decided to give it a go! (Emma also is a big volunteer enthusiast and just an all-around amazing person!)

I was instantly hooked. We helped set up tables, blow up balloons, hang streamers, and artistically display items that the residents had made to sell. We were treated to part of the program and even were allowed to eat some of their food! Not only did I find something that fulfilled my want and desire to give back to Seoul, but I also met some really amazing people!

For the next two months, I helped out at various, little events, but I knew that I wanted to get more involved that I was at the time. My first opportunity came in February. My friend Fred, who is from Vancouver, had invited me to come and check out the new running club that was being started. As I have stated multiple times before, running was not in my blood at this time, but I decided to give it a go. After being the last one to finish the warm-up 5K run, I took it upon myself to get into shape and became serious about running. Through this experience, I have run 3 official 10K races, my first half marathon, and lost about 10 pounds! Without Mannam, this never would’ve happened.

Around March, I approached Nadine, one of the coordinators for Mannam, about getting more involved on the planning side of things. She told me to attend one of the volunteer event planning meetings that was coming up to see how I could do that. That was all the encouragement that I needed. During my time on the committee, I helped to plan to run various events, including an Earth Day based project on Bukhansan (ended up being a two week thing), Mini-Olympics at the House of Hope, trash clean-up at both Pyeoncheong and Guryong Village, an open-mic fundraising event, and two school painting excursions. Joining this committee led to the formation of some friendships that will last a lifetime.

Finally, my last contribution and activity with Mannam International was to join with three other members (Nate, Colleen, and Sarah) and help start up a Spanish conversation club called MannAmigos. The idea for this club was first brought to my attention when I was taking Judo classes. Colleen was also in my class and noticed that I was wearing a Spain sweatshirt. Small talk turned to serious discussions regarding the formation of a Spanish club. We recruited the help of Nate and Sarah, made a proposal to Lisa (the head of Mannam International) and badda boom! – we had our club! 

We have met at coffee shops weekly to discuss and improve our Spanish skills. The club has been expanded to include anywhere from 5-10 people, sitting around, sipping coffee and speaking in Español. It has been a great experience and has helped me prepare for my time in Miami, as I am looking at working at instructing adult immigrants, mainly from Cuba, in English. This has given me a great brush up as I gear up for this new experience!

In short, Mannam International has been an extremely important and amazing part of my time in Korea. Through this organization, I have worked hard with people from Saudi Arabia, Korea, England, Pakistan, Japan, Canada, the United States, India, South Africa, Brazil, Guatemala, Ukraine, and others. It has been such an honor and a privilege to know and work with all of them. I will sorely miss your company, smiles, and companionship. May the light that you all bring to this organization continue to unite others around the world! You will forever be in my heart and on my mind!

When light meets light, there is VICTORY!!

A Korean Review: Day 3 – Red Paste Everywhere!

I’ll be the first person to admit that I’m not a fan of Korean food. It’s definitely not the first type of food that I will gravitate towards when given the choice of places to eat at. Those spots are still reserved for Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, and Carlos O’Kelly’s. Heck, before I came to Korea, I couldn’t have listed even five Korean foods!

One of the biggest drawbacks to Korean food for me is the flavor of  a lot of the food. I’ve taken on the following mantra during my time here: If there’s red ANYWHERE in the vicinity, pass it by. I’m not a big spice fan. Never have been and probably never will be. However, sometime it feels like EVERYTHING in Korea is doused, marinated, and covered with red paste, a spicy sauce that just screams Korea!

This is applied to everything from kimchi (fermented cabbage) to salad to beef. The Koreans claim that it’s good for health (as is everything that you do/eat in Korea), but I just claim that it’s too much and repulses me from eating Korean food. If they would just leave this as an option to add onto the food, then I might have a different opinion. 

Kimchi - How I will NOT miss thee...

Don’t get me wrong; there are some Korean foods that I enjoy. The BBQ joints (restaurants that have a grill in the middle of the table and then deliver raw meat that the customer cooks themselves) are some of my favorite places in all of Korea. Dakgalbi (chicken ribs and vegetables) and samgyupsal (pork belly) are two Korean staples that I’m quite fond of actually. Both of these meat based cuisines are very popular amongst both foreigners and Koreans alike. 

Samgyupsal - my absolute favorite!

Dakgalbi

Another staple of every Korean meal is rice. Rice to Koreans is like bread to Westerners. They have it at every single meal. Some days, this was the only thing that I would eat at lunch (normally on days when everything else had a red tinge to it). Another interesting aspect of Korean meals is that they have soup at almost every meal. Doesn’t matter how hot it is outside, the soup serves as their liquid for the meal. Me, I brought my water bottle to lunch every day. After receiving odd, sideways glances for the first couple of months, a few of the other teachers followed my example. I’m quite the trend setter. 

Another differing aspect of eating in Korea is the fact that everything is communal. When you order food, it comes on one plate and everyone shares. There are always numerous side dishes, ranging from salad to kimchi to corn (my favorite, though it’s definitely of the Green Giant variety) to silkworms (absolutely disgusting and revolting!). Sharing these dishes with everyone at the table took a bit of time to get used to. Sometimes a small, boiling bowl of soup is included as well. There will be one bowl for 8 people. Happy sharing everyone!

Traditional Korean Meal - complete with copious amounts of free side dishes!

Foreign foods can definitely make or break an experience in a foreign country. I’ve had my fair share of weird cuisines over the years. Escargot in Paris. Live squid/octopus/eel/fish eggs in Japan. Stinky tofu and chicken butt in Taiwan. Silkworms in Korea. Each experience provided its own challenges and hurdles. Upon my return to the United State, you’ll find me anxiously waiting for a nice, big juicy hamburger and avoiding anything with a hint of red.

A Korean Review: Day 4 – Weekend Playtime

Everyone looks forward to the weekend. It’s an opportunity to relax, do something fun, and forget the troubles that the work week brings. When living in a foreign country, it’s also a chance to travel and take in new sights and sounds.

South Korea is a treasure trove of travel opportunities. Mountains adorn the eastern side of the country, along with plenty of climbable peaks around Seoul. Beaches dot the southern coasts, drawing thousands of sun seekers each weekend. Islands lie only a ferry ride away from the entire coast line. My year here has allowed me the opportunities to visit many of these wonders. Even though there are still a few left to be desired (and will remain unexplored), here are the top ten trips that I took within Korea during the past year.

10. Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival – located in southern Seoul, the cherry blossoms were a beautiful sight to behold

9. Suraksan Hike in Seoul – the one and only hike that I did with the hiking group SHITY (Sunday Hikers Interested in Trekking Yet-again) proved to be a challenging mountain with some gorgeous views overlooking Seoul

8. Sokcho City and Seoraksan – First long weekend was spent on the east coast, accompanied by a fun hike in the largest and most famous national park in all of South Korea.

7. Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tour with Adventure Korea – One of the first trips that I took while here was to the famous area that serves as the division between the North and the South and is still an active war zone today

6. Incheon Island Hopping – Ferried out to some islands off the coast of Incheon and almost got stranded overnight

5. Yeongdeok – Headed to this city on the southeastern coast of South Korea with the running club for my final 10K race in Korea and had an unforgettable time with my fellow runners

4. MudFest – The one activity that I wanted to do before coming to Korea was accomplished with my brother and other friends

3. White Buddha Adventures – What started out as a spontaneous search turned into a multi-day mission that was finally accomplished, along with many cuts, bruises, and everlasting memories and friendships

2. Samcheok – Explored this city on the eastern coast with Alex and had an absolutely amazing weekend walking the beach, riding the rails, and enjoying phallic looking sculptures (Oh Korea!)

 

1. Jeju Island with my parents – the definite highlight of my time here was my parent’s visit and subsequent trip to the Hawaii of Korea, complete with waterfalls, lava tubes, and quality family time

The one place that I really wanted to go to was Busan, the second largest city in Korea and home of some of the most popular beaches on the peninsula. Time did not allow for this trip to happen, but that does not mean that I didn’t see the country. This year has been full of surprises and these trips and weekend excursions definitely provided their fair share of unexpected events!