Palaces, Culture Shock, New Flickr Account, and Back to School

As of today, we have been in Korea for 3 weeks. A lot of life has been squeezed into that time! As promised, our first order of business is to share a few pictures from our visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace with you...
The journey began here. At the entrance to the Palace grounds, we took a pictures with a palace guard before entering the first courtyard. Once inside, we learned a lot about both the history and culture of "Palace Living." Joy posed in front of a room in a building where the king would think before making big decisions. Bennett posed as the king walking through the courtyard. Did you know only the king could walk down the center of this path? The middle section is elevated a few inches and was reserved for the king's feet only!

We enjoyed seeing the gargoyles, some of which were real animals, others of which
were not. You can see the "protectors" of each building lining the roof. There were generally 2 larger stone gargoyles with open mouths, which appear to be chasing off the smaller gargoyles PacMan style. Bennett made friends with one of the mythical protectors of the throne room. We learned that after a fire burned down the royal pavilion, 2 new stone dragons were placed beside the new pavilion to protect from fire and water damage.

Our last picture is one of the prettiest areas of the palace grounds. We sat in the shade by the pond to get out of the heat, rest our feet, and enjoy the view.

Want to learn more about the palace? Check out this link! http://www.royalpalace.go.kr/html/eng/data/data_01.jsp

For more pictures, check out our NEW FLICKR ACCOUNT! http://www.flickr.com/photos/100089101@N07/

The second week we were in Korea, Joy had New Teacher Orientation and was at work everyday while Bennett enjoyed playing computer games, getting together with friends and students, and helping Joy set up her classroom (What a great husband!).


We decided to do our grocery shopping for the week last Sunday at eMart. It was quite the adventure and Joy's first moments of feeling real culture shock. "I can't read what any of these things are...there are so many people...everybody is yelling around me in Korean...I keep responding in Spanish...I can't find what I'm looking for..." In the meantime, we enjoyed eating "dinner" as we walked through the store. There were about 50 (or more!) free samples - everything from little fried dumplings to seaweed to whole crawfish! Joy also enjoyed seeing some of the things commonly sold in Korea that you just wouldn't find in a Publix or Jewel in the States (Octopus, anyone?).

We've spent our third week in Korea working hard. Lots of meetings. Lots of copies. Lots of planning. Why? School starts TOMORROW! Friday was our New Student Orientation, and it was fun to have families on campus (The mixture of kids and cookies in the lobby made for some high energy madness!). For both of us, the real excitement of teaching is the relationships we get to build with students and families. Please pray for us as we start the new school year. We both want to be intentional in building relationships with students. Pray for energy, efficiency in planning, and wisdom as Joy continues to "figure out" a new grade level. Pray that our new students will make good friends quickly, and also pray that our students grow in their knowledge of and love for the Lord this year.

Goodbye summer, hello school!

Hasta la proxima,
Bennett & Joy

Settling In

Our first supper in Korea - Pizza School.

Good morning and happy Friday from Korea! If you're in the U.S.A, it's still Thursday for you. But on our side of the globe, Friday morning has dawned and is looking a little grey. We're coming to the end of the rainy season these days, and since we arrived last Sunday, we've had a few days with drizzles, a few sunny days, and one day which left us drying our shoes out with fans.

We've had a great first week in Korea. We are unpacked and "moved in," and though we're still figuring out how our washing machine and stove work, it already feels like home.

The front door of our new apartment.
There are no keys to the building or to our apartment.
We just punch in the code, and "Voila!"
What would happen if the power went out, I wonder?

Our apartment is located in a little neighborhood in the district of Seoul known as Itaewon. There are a lot of restaurants nearby, and we can find just about any type of cuisine we're craving - Turkish Kebabs, Phat Thai, Vietnamese Pho, Burritos, Pizza, Fried Chicken, Hot Dogs. You name it, and you can probably find it here somewhere. We're close to the U.S. military base, and in our area of Seoul, many people speak at least a little English, which makes ordering food at restaurants and grocery shopping a little easier than it might be otherwise.

Since we moved in, we've been working on taking things out of suitcases, putting things into drawers and closets, and purchasing needs and wants for our new home. Shopping for larger items without a car proves to be an adventure. On Monday, we made quite a scene in the mall carrying a desk, 2 lamps, a blow dryer, 2 trashcans, a vacuum, several smaller cleaning supplies, towels, and a computer monitor between the two of us. We weren't sure it would all fit into the taxi. Today, Bennett mentioned purchasing a couch...maybe we'll bring it home on the subway.

Our washing machine.What do all these
buttons mean? It's all Korean to me.

We've also gone into school a few times this week to take care of business and to play volleyball with the high schoolers who are getting ready for tryouts in a few weeks. We're both feeling a little sore, but have had a fun time playing and catching up/getting to know the students. In addition to the exercise we've gotten playing volleyball, we've also gotten quite the workout walking to and from home. There's no way to our apartment without heading up and down some pretty steep hills, which can be daunting when carrying groceries or after being out and about for a few hours.

Learning the bus routes. 

Fans in Korea have automatic
shut-off timers to save your life.

Today, as a mandatory part of Joy's "orientation" to Korea, we're going out to be tourists. Gyeongbok Palace here we come!

More to come later! In the meantime, learn about "Fan Death" by clicking on the link below.

Fan Death - What is it?

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane

We had a fun time exploring Chicago with the family
while Joy's parents were visiting. Here we are at the Bean.

Just a quick update to let you know...we leave tomorrow! We'll be watching the sun rise (Bennett groans) on our way to the airport, and the next time you hear from us, we'll be getting settled into our new apartment in Seoul.

Please pray for a safe and smooth flight over the Pacific.

*Fun fact...as we fly east, we will be chasing the sun. It will be about 22 hours before we see another "night."

We're Married!

Bennett winning losing his last game as a bachelor.

If you're reading this, we're probably not telling you something you don't already know. But, in case you missed the memo...we're married! We're so thankful to our friends and family who joined us to celebrate on the BIG day and to dozens others who sent us cards, called us up, or "liked" our marriage on Facebook.

After tying the knot on June 22, we jetted off to the Bahamas for a week in the tropics. The Bahamas have always been my favorite place in the world, and they remain so to this day. After a week of flying kites, throwing frisbees, reading books, playing games, watching movies, eating fish, and snorkeling (we saw a sea turtle!), we headed back to the States to start our post-wedding transition/move.

 2 days in Florida packing up my suitcases for more vacation plus the big move, 4 days in Michigan with the Parkhurst-Lamb family for the 4th of July, 2 weeks in Illinois spending time with family, relaxing, celebrating, and getting ready to head to South Korea. And that's where we are now.

No peeking, Mr. Parkhurst!

We plan to keep this blog up and running while we're overseas so that you can know where we are and what we're doing until we see you again in person. We're excited about the new adventure God has in store for us, and we look forward to sharing life with you.

We're 9 days away from our long plane ride across the Pacific to the land of Kimchi, K-Pop, and skin-whitening lotions. I guess you could say we're "Seoul mates."

Until the next time we write...a few things you might be interested in...

• Wedding Photos: 
• Go to http://www.pictage.com/1398076
• Our "Event Key" is georgestreet.
• Info about Korea: 
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-korea
• What is Kimchi?   Maybe the World's Healthiest Food?
• What is K-Pop?