So it's been a bit over a couple weeks since I have left Canada - perhaps it's a good time to attempt to gather my thoughts into a blog post. I hope that this blog will serve as a way for me to digest what is happening as well as let people know how I am doing and how to pray for me! My apologies for not yet having a camera (this post will likely be pictureless as I'm waiting until I get a cell phone, which hopefully will be soon).
After leaving Canada, I spent nearly two weeks in Japan visiting friends and family. The first day back was really nostalgic and I got to meet my family and hang out with my cousin! I then had the change to travel around Japan to visit friends in Kyoto, Gunma, and Nagano. The people who I met with were either students who had studied in the Vancouver area in the past or other connections through these people. Many of them had had a great experiences of spiritual growth while in Canada - the process however of returning to Japan has been difficult for many of them as Christianity is very much a minority faith in Japan.
Today I went to orientation for new students at Korea University and also went to part of an IVF (IVCF in Canada) retreat - I feel like I am experiencing a bit of culture shock (not just with the different style of prayer and language barrier at campus ministry, but also at places like the english speaking church I attended on Sunday). It's at times a bit overwhelming, yet I am so grateful for this unique opportunity to be a part of the communities that I am. I have since moved into a new community house in Seoul with some IVF people and they are all really great and loving housemates. They are also all korean and so have varying levels of English communication (lets just say the years of speaking clear, slow, and simple english with international students at UBC have developed a skill which I use everyday here). We roll out matt like things onto the floor for the three of us in my room to sleep on and space is a bit limited. It's a good thing everyone takes really fast showers (as we only have one) and that people don't have a lot of stuff as most of our free space is taken up with drying racks to dry clothes. Despite minor issues like the lacking of basic cleanliness in areas of our house or inability of myself to speak korean, I am getting to know the housemates well and I am really grateful to have them as part of my life in Korea.
Prayer requests would be for me to find an english speaking small group and also to keep engaging, asking questions, and having a positive attitude when I run across all these differences.
Anyways this has been my first introductory post! I suppose future posts will dive into more detail of various aspects of my life in Korea.
