New Experience: Acupuncture and cupping

A few weekends ago, I was with two of my friends wondering if I would continue taking Korean lessons, if I was able to finish my huge American breakfast, and if acupuncture would help my sore neck and shoulders.  I ended up learning all of those answers within 2 hours when I found myself skipping Korean class in a doctor's waiting room with my friend Jason looking through cosmetic surgery books.

This is a mark left from the cupping about ten minutes after the procedure.

I hate needles.  Well, I thought I did.  Yeah, I'm pretty sure I still do.  But I've been hyping myself up on getting laser hair removal, I'm seriously considering getting a tattoo, and I'd been toying with the idea of acupuncture for a while.  Really, everything happened too fast for me to get freaked out.  Jason said he'd go with me if I wanted him to, there wasn't much of a line for the doctor, and then, before I knew it, I was ushered into the changing room then lying face first on a bench and explaining where my soreness was to the acupuncturist.

Go figure, but the needles just felt like little needles.  Actually, once they were in, I couldn't feel them at all as long as I didn't move.  I did move at one point, just to see if I could feel them, and I immediately regretted it.  I'm pretty sure my moving readjusted one of the needles to an angle it wasn't meant to rest at.  

It was pretty neat to be forced to lie there quietly.  There was a heat lamp above me (I felt like a lizard), and piano music around me.  Heck, I was paying to nap, I might as well take advantage of it!  My friend Holly has fallen asleep during acupuncture before, and I was really hoping that would happen to me, but it didn't happen.  I guess I've got a reason to try it again.

This was taken two days after the procedure.

I hadn't expected it to get any cupping, but it made sense once I saw it was coming.  After taking the needles out, the doctor placed four small glass cups on my back and used a pump to create a suction that lifted my skin and blood away from my body.  It's designed to suck out blood that's been contaminated by the released toxins.  It also seriously encourages blood flow to the treated area to bring about faster or better healing.  This part felt strange and it hurt a little, but I liked it in the way a really hard massage or a deep scratching on an itchy head feels good.

Once I was all finished, I moved my muscles around to see if I felt any difference.  I didn't detect any sudden benefit.  In fact, Jason and I both said that we felt like our muscles were warm and ready for a deep tissue massage.  To this day, we're both pretty sure that a massage would have sealed the affects of what we were going for.

I'm interested to see what regular visits or treatment in a different area would do for me.  I would probably go again.

Have you ever tried acupuncture?  Any other stories about what it was like?  And what about cupping?  It was completely foreign to me until two weeks ago!

A little bit of Insa-dong

I'm definitely going to revisit this place and this topic, but I wanted to show you a couple of cool things my friend Kara and I saw while wandering around the popular tourist section of Insa-dong a month ago.

And this little gem of a place had been hiding down a side street near a tea shop with a very suspicious tender.  She didn't seem to pleased when I stopped and started snapping at the bamboo with my camera.

The Transient Community

Today I said good bye to my good friend Sam.  He leaves Korea in 3 days to start a new life in San Fransisco.  Amanda, my "older sister" who encouraged me so much in my decision to come here, leaves in about 3 weeks.  Five of my co-workers including two of my best friends from work will be finishing up their contracts and heading back to The West next weekend.

I don't know when I'll see these people again, and I'm pretty sad about it.

While new people are coming in to fill the empty teaching positions left behind, the good byes I'm saying now are much more pungent than the hellos that are on their way (as my friend Drew said once).

When my family lived in Puerto Rico near the Naval base, my mom had to say good bye to many dear friends who were on the island for only three years before moving to a new area to serve.  She's told me that you make friends fast in those circumstances.  The hourglass sand doesn't wait.  But, even though it sucks having to part ways, you're both better for having taken the risk and making the most of the time you had.

The reunions I have when I return home will be great, but today I imagined myself  falling into my family's arms and weeping for the family I've left behind.

"Homecoming" - Kanye West

"Home" - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

"Coming Home" - Diddy - Dirty Money

Best Bible Study group Evarr!
Leaving these people?  Not okay.

Valuminumtimes Day

via Etsy

It's that time of year again, and, instead of looking through every romance-themed article on the internet, I'll share with you a few things I really like right now.

I really enjoy shopping at Forever 21 on Garosufil.  They always play top songs from home with some edgy K-Pop mixed in with Pheonix and Katy Perry.  Being around the styles, the colors, and the music makes me feel very much like I'm back in America, and I often feel a little bummed when I have to leave because I feel like I'm leaving home again.  But hey, I found something I really like when I was there this past weekend!

Behold my mad modeling skills, photography prowess, technological savviness, and the dress I bought.  (Sorry for overwhelming you with so much awesome so suddenly.)

One more recently formed relationship: Me + Royal Milk Tea
It's light, sweet, frothy, spiced, and delicious.  I'm already wondering when my next overpriced cup is going to be.  (This one was from Little Jakob's off Garosugil.  Sinsa is the place for awesome stuff.)

All the way from Korea, Happy Valentine's Day, friends!
I recommend you celebrate with the cinematic excellence of Teen Girl Squad or with reading up on the true and traditional story of Saint Valentine.  I myself will be watching Monsoon Wedding with a girl friend here.

By the way, Valentine's Day seemed rather silly to me before getting to date my awesome and studly boyfriend Caleb.  Unfortunately, all the commercialism hyping up this holiday isn't doing much for me now since I'm far away from him.  (Neither Google Maps nor Mapquest were able to calculate the distance when I tried to check just now. Must be pretty dang far.)  So, I'll look forward to whatever 2013 will bring, and I'll hang tight with the single ladies here in Korea till I see my man again.

All of that was an effort to explain why I wasn't gushing about roses and romance.  I love Caleb fiercely and dearly, and I am very much in love and glad to be, but I think Valentine's Day is best when celebrated with your significant other.  So this year?  Meh.

A small conversation with a girl in the bathroom

One of the aspects of my hagwon* that impressed me the most during the interview process was the close relationships the teachers are able and encouraged to have with their students.  Today I had the pleasure of making a new acquaintance when I went into the third floor girls' bathroom, coughed, then went about with what one usually does in the bathroom. From the stall beside me, I heard one of the student's voices.

"Jaime?"
"Oh, no.  This is Lindsay Teacher.  Who are you?"
"I am Daisy."
"Nice to meet you, Daisy."

"Nice to meet you ...Teacher."

...

"Ok, well, see you later, Daisy."
"Good bye, Teacher."

I walked out shaking my head and laughing to myself.

Fill in the Blank Friday : One more post about blogging

My recent post in which I answered some questions from Felicia had me warmed up for today's writing.  Once again here's a fun Fill in the Blank Friday questionnaire from Lauren at The Little Things We Do.  Feel free to join over at her blog and play along.

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1.  I started my blog because   I wanted to have an easier way to journal.  I always liked looking back on what I'd written in my journal books, but I prefer typing.  Why not move my daily inner musings to the internet for anyone to peruse over?

2.   One thing I love seeing on other blogs is vulnerability.  The stories from Good Woman Project have been such an inspiration to be open with my story so others can be open with theirs.  I also like simple DIY tutorials, pretty pictures, and humor (Hyperbole and a Half, anyone?).

3.  Something I love about blogging is having an outlet to express myself and to practice writing.  As a verbal processor, speaking or writing helps me think through what's in my mind, and sometimes writing here just helps me unwind.  And, if I were to go back to school and get a masters, I think I'd like to study creative nonfiction or journalism.  I know that I'm just an amateur writer, and maybe this will always be just a hobby, but I would love to get better at crafting stories.

4. A favorite blog post of mine is probably the crazy story of how I met Mr. Gene and was convinced to write out his Vietnam War book for him.  It's one of my favorite stories of my life, and I'm really glad I got to share it with you all.

1. How we met
2. One of his stories, "Bart"
3. Another of his stories, "The Purple Heart?"
4. One of our sweet conversations
5. The victory at the end!

Honorable mentions to go one of my collection of stories from my students, an interaction with a customer at Office Depot, a short-lived relationship with an HP representative, and the story of God's movement at a D-Now weekend I helped with.

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog is I'm about 5'6", I smile a lot, and I tend to walk quickly.  I know those are pretty boring pieces of information, but I was having a hard time thinking of things I haven't mentioned here before.

6.  My new favorite blogs to read are Korea: Matt-Chu Teacher - I met Matt in Korean class, and we hit it off and became buds.  I knew this guy was pretty cool in real life, but when I found his blog, I was introduced to a completely new side of him.  Just this morning I was lol-ing out loud at his most recent post.  You should check it out.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  Aaand, Moon to Moon is a recent photo blog find that gives me my hippie fix.

7.  Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are slander and hippos.  Ha!

An apology to my family, the Church

I have a confession to make.

I have despised the Church.  I have judged and condemned instead of judging for discernment.  I have let pride and self-righteousness build up in my heart toward church musicians, Christian bloggers, and well-known Christian leaders.  I preach grace, and I will till the day I die, but I have not been practicing it fully.  I'm so thankful that I never got around to blogging about the things that I was thinking, but it was all secretly active and scornful in my heart.

On the Holy Spirit's wheel, I'm going to change.

Here's to repentance.  Here's to an open heart and a shrewd mind that does not lend an ear nor a tweet to gossip.  Here's to building up the precious Bride of Christ and to not insulting her not-to-messed-with Bridegroom.  Here's to protecting Her vulnerability and to furthering a safe community within Her.  Here's to practicing what I know to be important.

Dear Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Rob Bell, and Bill Gothard, the Mills Chapel Baptist Church choir, the worship leaders at Bryan College's chapel, the countless others,

I'm sorry.  I'm sorry for condemning you in my mind for not living up to my standards, for hurting my feelings, or for not loving Jesus the way I thought you should.  I know that we won't always agree on things, but we all seek to serve the same God.  As long as we've got the Apostle's Creed in common, you are my brother or my sister, and I'm going to live like it from now on.

Blogging is fun!

I started blogging in 2006 when I got to college and wanted to have an outlet for my thoughts and ramblings.  My goals have changed many times since I began my 17-year-old filter-less ramblings  While I've axed a good bit (including a lot of vanity when I learned that followers is not to be equated with value), I've gained a lot that I wouldn't have ever gotten to experience otherwise.

Blog friends are a blast!

I love getting to check up on Millie's life through her lovely writing.  I think it's so cool that I've gotten to know more about Danae and Kelly only after we're not at school together anymore.  And, one of my favorites, I got to meet Felicia!  We met through one of Lauren Hartman's "Fill in the Blank Friday" posts.  I remember noticing pretty quickly that she was Christian, she loved reading, she was an awesome nerd, and we'd probably get along great in real life.  Now, we semi-regularly send snail mail letters and talk about all kinds of things.  And, it all started on the internet!  (How's that for online safety?  Don't worry, if we ever do meet in person, I'll be sure to take some pepper spray in my purse just in case she turns out to be a killer.)  (Ha!)

Felicia recently posted an award to her blog for a couple of her friends, and she's asked them to respond by answering some fun questions.  So, this one's for you, Fee!

1. If you could invite any 10 people in the world to a dinner party; fictional or real, dead or alive, famous or not, who would you invite?

Whoever else comes, I'd want Caleb, Millie, and Sweeny there with me.  They are my best friends and my favorite sounding boards, and I know that they'd have a good time asking questions of the other people at the table.  (In fact, if I were only allowed one dinner party in my life, it would have to include my conversation friends from college plus Caleb.  Those were the best lunch times ever.)

I'm hoping that time is unlimited, because I know I could spend days with just one of these people, but I'd really like to get to talk with Malcolm Gladwell, my grandmother (Nazi Germany survivor), my great-great grandfather on my father's side who came from Scotland, Clark Lee a reporter on the US forces in the Pacific during WW II (though I've already read his book) or Mr. Gene my Vietnam War veteran friend, Rosa Parks, Francis Chan, and King David.  Or Moses.  Or Mary the mother of Jesus.  Gah, there's so many!

2. What is something that you have always wanted to do but have never had the chance to?

At the risk of sounding girly and superficial, but also understanding that this is a completely valid desire, I have to say that I've always wanted to get married.

3.What skill do you wish you had and why?

I wish I could play piano like a beast.  I can already play well enough to satisfy myself, but I wish I could do more.  It's just so stinkin' fun, and I know there's more out there!

4. What's your most favorite dessert that you can never resist?

Is this a trick question?  Dessert = irresistible.

But really, ice cream, cheese cake, dump cake, pineapple upside down cake, and warm and chocolately mud pie.  Those are my favorites.

5. You're stranded on a deserted island - what 3 books do you take with you?

I would possibly take Shantaram.  I'm reading it now, and I absolutely love it.  It's about a convict who escapes to India and the life he lives there.  Absolutely riveting and very well-written.  I know that I would bring my Bible as well, but I don't know what would be my third book.  Maybe something light and engaging?  Is it cheating to say the Harry Potter series?

6. You're at Subway - what do you get on your sandwich? 

Chicken bacon ranch with cheese, all the veggies, and Sun Chips.  On the sandwich.

7. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? What do you do now?

I wanted to be an artist.  I remember dressing up as one for career day.  My mom is an artist, and she helped make my simple costume.  She painted a painter's pallet for me to carry around. Thanks, Mom.

Now, I teach Korean preschool, elementary, and middle school students.  My preschoolers get a lot of opportunity to test out their artistic creativity, but it makes me sad to see how much they feel the need to copy something or risk doing poorly.

8. What is your nervous habit?

I still pick at my cuticles sometimes, but I've come very far from the nail biter I used to be.

9. If a blog were having a giveaway, what would really entice you to enter?

I would enter if I saw that there was a good chance I'd win, if international shipping was available, or if it was something too sweet to miss out on.

10. If you were a colour, which colour would you be? (See that Canadian spelling there?  Felicia's my first real friend from Canada!  :D )

I think I'd either be a fresh orange or a vibrant green.

11. What is your favourite quote and/or verse?

Ah, tough one.  I'd have to go either with Zepheniah 3:17

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." (NASB)

or Hoseah 6:3

"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the rain.  Like the spring rain watering the earth." (NASB)

BONUS: What is your favorite thing about snail mail? :D

My favorite thing about snail mail is receiving it and remembering that people from home love me and care about me.  It's always super thoughtful and super appreciated.

A little about food

Korean food's pretty scrumptious, and there are many, many other cuisines to choose from for dinner options, but I often get the hankering for a real American burger.  They just don't make them here like they do back home.  Another food craving?  American breakfast.  The Koreans often eat kimchi and rice for breakfast (much like lunch), and while I'll go for scrambled eggs or yogurt instead, nothing beats that solid spread of toast, sausage, pancakes, and grits.  Thankfully, about 20 minutes from my house lies one of my favorite restaurants: Butterfinger Pancakes.  It's open almost all night, and it serves the best breakfast food I've had since being home.

Two of my friends headed over there last Saturday.  Here's what we got.  It tasted just like America, and I cannot wait to go and to eat this mouth watering food again.

The Hwacheon Ice Festival

During the two hour bus ride to Hwacheon, I realized that getting outside of Seoul to participate in some of the culture festivals of the smaller towns is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Korea.  My last time outside of the city was for the Andong Maskdance Festival with Holly and Kyla.  This time, 8 of my foreign friends and I headed out to freeze ourselves with the avid fish fans of Korea.

I didn't take my camera with me, I wanted to travel light this time, but I was snapping away with my iPod camera.  So, here's a mediocre quality photo tour of our own tour of Hwacheon the Ice Festival!

While I couldn't tell much of a difference, this was my first hint that there was something special about this place.

I loved these decorative fish from the first moment I saw one.  How beautiful and quirky are they?  I kept my eyes peeled for one I could take home with me, but they all seemed to be in use, and I never saw any for sale.

Writing what I need to read

Hey, I just wanted to remind myself and whoever else needs it that the God of the Bible, the God I follow, is trustworthy.  He knows what's happened, He knows what's going on, and He's knows what's coming.  And He cares.

My future is a big, bold, and beautiful splash of all my favorite colors against stark canvas.  I didn't think I'd be in this place again, but I pretty much have no idea what the next few years of my life will look like.  I don't know how long I'm going to stay in Korea, and I don't know what I'll do when I finally do go back home.  Add to this some very frustrating circumstances at work, a very busy schedule, and my own general fallenness, and you've got unstoppable tears at the Wednesday night worship service.

Uncertainty is scary to me (a planner, a controller, and a fixer), but I'm thankful that I can say I'm not freaked out by this uncertainty (don't be fooled by those unstoppable tears).  Watching things fall out of my control would have spun my mind and stopped the gears two years ago.  After having to learn this lesson again and again, I know that I can stand on these things of which I am sure.

My soul is secure.

No matter what else there is, I know that I am the Lord's, He is mine, and we're in this together.  I could write a whole other post about the joy that fills me with, but we'll stick to just that for now.

I'm going to be okay.

As if having God Almighty as my guide and friend wasn't enough, He's also given me resourcefulness, gumption, discernment, and an increasing level of something that echoes of fearlessness.  Also, I am not alone.  I have people who love me, and I have ways to take care of myself.  Even by the world's standards, I'm going to be okay.

I've got all I need in God.

Whatever is lost, whatever is sacrificed, I will always have Him, and that will always be enough.  May He continue to impress this beautiful truth on my heart, and may I freakin' live like it.

Photo by Azarah Eells {Source}

So go and be fearless.  You above all others have reason to be.  Have you not already been promised safety, love, and adventure?  Dear friend, if you're God's, then I'm telling you now: you've got an awesome life ahead of you.  Go and live it.  Go and live.