1 Corinthians 13

[victoriahahah]

June Recap

Well I'm officially done with my first month in Korea!! Praise God for getting me through this month by introducing me to great people and filling my days with content! Definitely not so home sick any more... In fact, I am starting to realize how much I will miss it here!! The cheap food and clothes, the people I've met, the things I've been able to experience, all the there is to do here............ 

I've met such great and interesting people!!! I never knew such fascinating people existed! At a volunteer meetup I met the most RANDOM bunch of people. It made for a very interesting lunch hahahaha. Here's a list to remind myself that there are much more diverse people in this world and "normal" is not intrinsically known... 

Really sociable + outgoing party guy. Almost drafted into the Pheonix Suns (bball team) before an accident. Used to work for YG making music videos (?). Has partied with GD and TOP Can drink to infinity. Dates only models and actresses. Is a consultant now and owns restaurant franchises in Korea. On the weekends he is a devout volunteer at an orphanage.

American who works for the American base in Korea. Brawny but brainy white guy. Used to be a nurse in emerge. A really nice guy!

Astrophysicist teaching at a women's university. Thought he can hold his liquor but he produced emesis (aka vomitted) 3 times 3PM.

Model from Vancouver. Has lived in Korea for a few years now.

Boy born 1997, just graduated high school and this summer will be his first semester at Seoul National University.

A pretty famous Youtube guy who is an army officer. Totally DOES NOT look like one!! He lost 30 pounds since being here, which is less than a month. Hosting a KPOP concert. Allergic to chicken. Nice guy!

A 17 year old girl who just graduated and is travelling Seoul, Japan, and Taiwan by herself this summer! She's very organized and gets things done hahaha. Very adventurous and strong willed!

Italian couple. Husband is a lawyer at his family law firm. Wife teaches some sort of tech thing at the airport. Both here on non-paid 3 month vacation to learn Korean. Wife can speak Japanese and is good at Korean!

White guy with yellow fever (but not what you think ahaha). He is the epitome of the "nice guy" label. Very down to earth and great conversationalist. He hangs out with mostly Asians... finds white people to be stupid. Was here on exchange for a semester. Lives in Oregon and frequently makes trips to Vancouver so I may see him again one day!

There is so much more out of the suburbs... hahahaha... Unfortunately, the catch is that most of the people I meet are here temporarily so it's pretty much a goodbye and hello. 

The church that I've been attending is awesome!! The pastor's services are great, the band plays songs so angelically, and the college ministry is a nice way to meet people. The electric guitarist used to be a Korean solo singer!!! I recognized him because I watched an old variety show starring a member of SNSD and he was also in it... So cool. Anyway, it's an English church so most people are gyopos (Koreans abroad) and foreigners. I'm liking it! 

Tinder update: I've matched with A LOT of guys but half of them I can't hold a good conversation with because they don't know much English and I don't know Korean very well so the communication stays on a superficial level... I've matched with some people who are fluent in English but most have turned out to want more than a relationship; which I'm not down for haha. Surprisingly, I matched with 2 guys from my city... I share MANY mutual friends with one guy... It's weird because we could've easily met each other back home but we meet on this app of all places haha. I've only had a date with one guy. It was alright but I don't think there will be a second. At this point I'm starting to get sick of Tinder lol... It was exciting at first but now it's tedious.

Last month I ate out a lot.... a little too much. I need to spend my money more wisely lol. This week I've been making ramen at home. I've joined the "cheese craze" here and tried adding cheese to my ramen... it's freaking delcious!!!! If you haven't tried, you should! Right now! Also, dumplings in ramen... ugh I'm hungry just thinking of it now lol. Being healthy is so hard here. Fruits and veggies are insanely expensive. It's practically food for the rich haha.... I'm eating food here I never eat back home like processed goods, ramen, lots of rice, lots of complex carbs.... ALSO I had my first ever alcoholic drink a few weeks ago. I've had teeny sips of things before, but here I had my first whole drink. So far I've tried peach soju, cherry soju, peach orange cocktail, mojito... They were all pretty good! Some even DELICIOUS... I don't know if I was buzzed or what but definitely haven't been drunk lol. Don't really plan to get drunk either so don't worry~

I have a midterm tomorrow and I haven't studied but I'm smart so it's ok ;) I'm not learning Korean for good grades anyway and I'm not going to take another semester so I don't need to do well. At the end of the month we have a week long break and my classmates and I are planning to go to Jeju!!! 

Until next time~~

[victoriahahah]

Hi~ I'm in Tomo Coffee again... The menu is pretty expensive here but it's a small cafe with a warm atmosphere and the wifi connection is good! Milk tea is not bad but it's 5,000 W... brownie is 3,900 W but it's so small! And honestly my brownies are better~

I've been hanging out with a lot of friends lately (well, since my last post)! It's helping with my homesickness... I haven't really thought about being homesick actually. I guess the best cure is keeping busy, meeting new people, hanging out with friends, and exploring! Especially keeping away from my room! I think the longer I stay in my room the deeper I get into my homesickness haha. 

I have seen Sandra a lot lately and it's just really lovely and comforting seeing a familiar face :') <3.... thanks for welcoming me even though you are so busy gomowa & saranghae~~~~

It's JINJJA funny hanging out with my classmates... We are so colourful~ The Italians can speak with the Chilean, the Japanese ppl can speak some Canto, the Canto ppl can speak some Japanese, the Italian person can speak some Japanese, the Thai ppl can speak a little Mandarin, and we all speak mostly English with each other and practice our Korean here and there... Our conversations are very fascinating haha. All sorts of different occupations as well! There are lawyers, tech trainers (?), people in communications, nurses, etc... And I am the maknae (youngest)! I totally thought that this one girl was younger than me... but nope I am in fact the youngest. Everyone looks so young though. Anyhoo, tmr we are going to the cat cafe!!! I will for sure take pictures~~ It will be interesting though because I am scared of cats HAHAHA the first time I ever touched a cat was last month at Nelly's house.... hahahaha.............

Ok so if you don't know already, KakaoTalk is a messaging app that EVERY Korean and person in Korea uses. It's basically like Line, WhatsApp, GroupMe... those kind of apps. When you meet new people, they don't ask you for your number-- they ask you for your KT id! Classes, church groups, and clubs even use it. Anyways, I posted on my school's site that I wanted to have a language exchange partner; someone I can learn/practice Korean with and possibly wants to learn/practice English with me. I posted my KT id and SOOOOOO many people have messaged me... females, males, foreigners, Koreans, people aged 20-35~... Before you think it's dangerous, it's actually quite common to meet up with people this way and, of course, you should meet in a populous place. 

Also... I just discovered Tinder... I never heard of such a thing before until a few days ago and a bunch of people here in Korea use it surprisingly; Koreans and foreigners alike. I decided to try it because (1) I am in a foreign country (2) I want to meet new people (3) I want to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. And I'll be honest, my love life has been dead since high school... So what better time to do it than now when I am young and look like this?? Hahaha... It's a REALLY fascinating app... Basically, the app detects other Tinder users in your vicinity (you can adjust how far in km) and then it shows you their profile. If you're not interested in the person, you swipe left. If their pictures and bio intrigue you, you can "like" their profile by swiping right. Other users are doing the same, and when someone you have "liked" has also "liked" your profile, then you guys are a "match" and you can start messaging each other. So far, I have only been messaging people. I am super paranoid and I always think that people are out to get me so I don't have the guts to meet anyone just yet. Don't worry~ I am careful :)

The other day I went to a language exchange meet-up near Hangang. There were lots of Koreans and a handful of foreigners. It was a sports day and there was baseball, soccer, dodgeball, and kickball. I played Korean-style dodgeball because I suck at sports but it was jinjja jaemiseoyo! I really love the warmness of the people I've met here. They are so eager to welcome me and make me feel comfortable! Oh and during the relay, a Filipino girl hit her head on the ground... I didn't know until later when people were sitting with her on the side. Seriously... no one had any sense of emergency!! No one called the ambulance and she was sitting up when she was complaining of her head hurting... Even when we told someone to call the ambulance, I don't even think they did! The nurse in me was so worried I had to demand her to lay down and get covered up because she was shaking! Her elbows were bleeding as well but no one was conscious of it so some people got blood on them.... omg.............. Jinjja dapdaphae!! I hope she is okay!

Alright~ it's about 9:20 PM right now. I used to be afraid of staying out because I'd have to walk home alone, but I'm slowly becoming more brave. It takes me like less than 5 min to walk home from the hustle and bustle, plus I trust that God has my back and will protect me haha~~  Ddo mannayo (cya again)!!!

[spiritualinspiration2]

[victoriahahah]

It's 5:40 PM right now and I'm currently in TOMO Cafe in Sinchon! I finally decided to whip out my laptop and update my Tumblr. May I mention that there is a PLETHORA of cafes here in Seoul. Sinchon has one at every angle! 

I have officially been in Korea for 1 week. I've moved into a hasookjib and classes have commenced...

My hasookjib is pretty good for 400,000 W. The room is a good size; there is a single bed with linen and pillows included, a clothes hanger, a shelf, a desk, and a window. There is an aircon machine (?) in the room but I didn't pay for it... it's 30,000 W extra and I am cheap so I did not buy it.... I'm slowly starting to regret it though because I go to bed with wavy hair and wake up with curly hair LOL. There are around 5 other people living on my floor and we all share the bathroom. I haven't really met any of them but I know there are guys and at least one girl. The bathroom is really... SMELLY. 그 냄새가 정말 나쁜... Omg... Well it's Korean sewage smell so it can't be helped ㅠ.ㅠ... I thought I wouldn't have to relive Sandra's old bathroom nightmare but I guess I have to lol. Ajummoni makes rice and some banchan only... 식사 없어요... I wanted to try traditional hansik but I guess I'll just have to buy it lol... Ok maybe this hasookjib doesn't sound very good but it is close to the station AND it's in Sinchon which is a safe place. It takes about 13 minutes to walk to campus. However, if I were closer to my school, it would be about a 10 minute walk to Sinchon and the neighbourhood wouldn't have a good atmosphere. Sinchon has a lot of students and it's alive almost all day, especially at night so I feel quite safe walking around at odd hours. And if I were to travel out of Sinchon and go back home late at night, it's only a few minutes to my hasookjib compared to 10 minutes if I lived closer to school. 

My class is very diverse. There are Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Italian, Chilean, and Thai people! Our conversations are mostly in English because our Korean isn't very good HAHAHA. That kinda sucks. I'm envious of the upper level students who can converse with each other in Korean. 우리는 할 수 있어요!! I'm in level 1 Korean class and right now it's 진짜 EASY. We are just learning how to pronounce 한글... I already know all of this T_T. But it's weird because some of us know all of this already while others don't know SQUAT. Oh well.. Today some of us went out for KBBQ and coffee. There were 6 of us and in the end we each paid 7,000 W! Wow and KBBQ in Canada is 너무 비싸요... It's so FREAKING GOOD HERE I want to each it everyday!!!

Also, when people hang out... they don't just go out and eat at one place. It's like a 3 course hangout. First is the meal like KBBQ or chicken, next is dessert like bingsu, and then next is more dessert... Very interesting. I think it's because there is a variety of good food here.

I have been walking A LOT. I think I take 7,000 steps a day, more or less. It's a good work out but MY THIGHS AND CALVES..... oH good Lord they hurt so bad! 

Honestly, I can't say it's been all rainbows and sunshine... Ever since my flight to Korea I've been really homesick......... Whenever i think about home and my family I want to see them and hug my mom and I feel like crying.... I keep wondering how I'm going to make it for 3 months without them... Being homesick never even crossed my mind before coming to Korea. It's really funny how I was so enthusiastic and excited in my previous posts and now I'm like this haha... I kakaotalk with my mom but it's not the same :( I feel like there's an empty void in my heart without them.... I mean I've met a lot of nice people and made quite a few friends but I still feel alone. I hope I can get through this soon... I know I will someday but right now I just really miss my family :(

Anyhoo... So far I feel like an alien in Seoul. I don't really know what people around me are saying or what the signs say. It's frustrating because I LOOK Korean, and I speak Korean to the restaurant workers and sales associates but then they ask me some other things that I don't understand and then I have to say I only know a little bit of Korean... It's very confusing!! 열심히 공부할거요......

What is REALLY frustrating is wifi connection... I STILL don't have a phone plan yet so I am living off free wifi here and there. I'm starting to frequent more cafes because there is always free wifi. I think I'm OK with this though because I don't always want to be on my phone. It's just when I want to meet up with someone, we have to set up a specific time and location to meet because if I get lost then there is a very low chance that I can contact them. Even if I were to get a phone plan, I have to unlock my phone. Does anyone know how to unlock a samsung galaxy s3 correctly and safely??? I found some methods online that I could do myself but I tend to have very bad luck with this kind of stuff lol... I'm also considering getting a wifi egg, which doesn't require an unlocked phone. I think both require a Korean bank account of something though :S

OK, I'm gonna find some meetups so I don't feel so lonely here lol. TTYL!

[victoriahahah]

Today was HASOOKJIB MADNESS. I walked around for 8 hours straight!!!! Surprisingly my legs arent too tired… yet. I finally met Kathleen and we walked around… EVERYWHERE! All throughout sinchon and hongdae! And half the time we were trying to find places and getting lost LOL… Plus, it was freaking 30 degree out!!! I feel so gross right now. We found a few hasookjibs and goshiwons but omg… the language barrier is so frustrating! Kathleen jinjja hankukmal motaeyo so i was asking and talking with hasook ajummas in my broken korean. Well around 8 we FINALLY found a tolerable hasookjib. I really hope I can move in tmr. I am still feeling so damn homesick so I wish for a place I can call home here. Its unsettling being a nomad right now. Btw very interesting roommates at the guesthouse right now: one girl who collects duct tape, another traveled here for eyelid surgery, and another who lived in Africa for a while. We are still awaiting another roommate who is a high school student from ulsan. One housemate is from Russia, hardly speaks English and I think he smokes and drinks by himself all day… and a Malaysian family here for a wedding. Wowow diversity~~ my guesthouse ajusshi is so wonderfully helpful. Ok I sleep now bye

[victoriahahah]

Highlights of my arrival in Seoul: - broken camera (lens error?!?! How do I fix it??) - meeting Sandra♥♥♥ - Yonsei's club festival! They know how to make clubs day into a street party lol - nice guesthouse but the toilet room is so small that my legs hit the door... - so many people!!! And such a homogeneous society... - so much city!!! A bit over-stimulating and overwhelming >< - bawling my eyes whenever I think of home and family :(((((

[victoriahahah]

I'm currently at Seattle-tacoma airport waiting to board my flight to Seoul. To be honest....... holy tony moly I am nervous! And I miss my family already! It just dawned on me... 3 months in Korea... what was I thinking... that is SOOOOOO long! I seriously need to review my nursing stuff while I'm there because I'm already starting to forget... the other day I forgot what CHF stood for and what a stethoscope was called... uhhhh Well there's no turning back now... God helped me get this far so he must have some crazy plans for me over there! Whatever it is~~ I leave for Seoul in 2 hours!!! Ahhh!!

[taytippett]

[spiritualinspiration2]

Seven Secrets of a Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer

Secret #1 A confident woman knows that she is loved

The first and most important secret to being a confident woman is to know that you are loved by God unconditionally. Romans 5:8 says, …God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. Even if your natural father did not really love you properly, you can still get the love and acceptance you missed in your childhood from God.

Secret #2—A Confident Woman Refuses To Live In Fear

I think you will agree that refusing to be led by our feelings can be a challenge, especially when it comes to fear. But we must remember that fear is not from God. It is the devil’s tool to keep us from enjoying our lives and moving forward with what God has for us. When we attempt to walk in faith, Satan immediately tries to hinder us through many things, including fear. Fear of failure, judgment or criticism will cause us to bury our talents. It will make us draw back and live in misery and torment. Unless we make a firm decision to “fear not,” we will never be free from its power.

Secret #3—A Confident Woman Is Positive

Being negative and being confident do not go together. Like oil and water, they just don’t mix. Being negative opens the door to a lot of problems and disappointments, which fuels the fire for more negativity. Fear is the “dark room” where all your negatives are developed. So why not look at the brighter side of life and believe something good is going to happen to you?

Secret #4—A Confident Woman Recovers From Setbacks

In this life you and I are inevitably going to experience setbacks. The important thing is that we not see them as failures. We are not a failure just because we try something that doesn’t work. It’s only when we stop trying that we fail. The truth is, many people get confused when they’re trying to figure out what they’re supposed to do with their lives. This was definitely true in my life. I discovered my destiny by trial and error.

Secret #5—A Confident Woman Avoids Comparison It is impossible to walk in confidence and compare ourselves with others at the same time. No matter how good we look or how talented, smart and successful we are, there is always someone who is better than us. I believe that confidence is found in doing the best we can with what we have. God wants us to find joy in being the best we can be, not in competing or comparing ourselves with others.

Secret #6—A Confident Woman Does Not Live In “If Only” And “What If”

One of the worst things you and I can do is to focus on what we don’t have or have lost and fail to take an inventory of what we do have. I call it living in a state of “if only.” Does this sound familiar: “If only I had more education…more money…more opportunity. If only I were taller, shorter, older, younger…” and the list goes on.

Secret #7—A Confident Woman Takes Action

I have heard it said that there are two types of people in the world: those who wait for something to happen and those who make something happen. It’s true that we need to be careful not to get ahead of God, but we also must be mindful not to be lagging behind. I believe we need to step out into things and find out what God has for us. As I said earlier, if we make a mistake it is not the end of the world.

As a believer, Christ lives inside you, and you’ve got what it takes! I believe that as you seek the Lord and apply these seven secrets to your life, you too will begin experiencing the boldness and confidence God desires you to walk in.

[victoriahahah]

사흘 (3 days)

I have 3 more days here before I leave for Korea! I can't believe it's happening so soon... It's hard to imagine that I will be calling Seoul "home" for the next 3 months! 

Firstly, I have to thank and praise God for getting me through all of the obstacles I've had to face recently regarding my trip. Here's a funny one: on my certificate of admission, my citizenship is written as Australian! Good thing I can read hangeul or I wouldn't have been able to catch that. These incidents gave me so much anxiety and frustration; but once I took a breather (sleeping or hanging out with friends), God did his magic and handled everything. Sometimes you really just gotta let go and let God. Getting deeper into your problems does not help the situation or settle your mind and sometimes it can make you do things you will regret later... Like writing multiple angry emails within the span of 5 hours *cough*...

I've been seeing a lot of my friends lately as well! Studying nursing pretty much means that you have to make a lot of sacrifices; and one of those is hanging out with your friends... I've missed them all A LOT so hanging out with them has been really enjoyable. Even slugging around at home doing nothing is wonderful. I need to savour my time at home with my family <3 and my furniture. 

Also, I've been eating a lot of Vietnamese food. I think I will miss it the most :( Especially bun thit nuong (grilled pork and vermicelli) ....... oh, glorious bun thit nuong <3 Hopefully I can find it somewhere in Korea... that will be my mission! 

Ok so for packing, I am halfway done... I am definitely bringing a full luggage though >< But to be fair, half of the stuff in there are gifts! As for shoes, I don't know if I should bring my heeled boots... I mean c'mon, they're beautiful! Not the comfiest, though... but what if it rains?!?! I can't wear my sneakers in the rain! The Korean rain last year ruined my favourite white $5 Converse shoes... So I need boots, right........ I plan to buy sandals in Korea because they're cheap and cute :D And maybe a pair of oxfords... and maybe a pair of heels..... I am getting excited just thinking of all the shopping~~ yet very anxious about spending all that money lol...

Ok bye

[spiritualinspiration2]

[victoriahahah]

I did exactly this, and God answered. Praise God!

[spiritualinspiration2]

[kissthewave-deactivated20211128]

Faith doesn’t mean an absence of fear. It means facing fear and trusting that God’s goodness is greater.

Matt Chandler 

[victoriahahah]

Jenn’s heart to heart on self-confidence is what every girl (and guy) needs to hear. I definitely need to be reminded of this on a daily basis. What a beautiful message and lovely human being! I appreciate her courage to be vulnerable and raw and I love how she isn't afraid to talk about her faith in front of YouTube. You go girl!

[ysa-lari-blog]

How incredibly boring life would be if we were automatically good at everything we wanted to try.

Make mistakes.  Embarrass yourself. Fail.  Live.  Succeed.

[worshipgifs]

[spiritualinspiration2]

In our culture today, people are used to getting things right away. Some people say that we live in a “microwave” society. In other words, we’ve been programmed for immediacy. People don’t like to wait. But the scripture says, “It’s through faith and patience that we inherit God’s promises.”

Sometimes, it’s easy for people to start out in faith. We declare, “God, I believe I’m going to accomplish my dreams. God, I believe I’m going to overcome this obstacle.” But, it gets harder when we have to walk in patience. When you pray, can you say, “God, I not only believe for big things but I trust Your timing? God, I’m not going to get discouraged if it doesn’t happen immediately. I’m not going to give up because it’s taken a week, a month or five years. I know the set time is already in my future, so I’m going to wait with faith and patience because I know that it’s on the way.”

Remember, through faith and patience we inherit His promises. Trust His Word, trust His timing, and trust that your answer is on its way!

A Prayer for Today

Father, today I declare that I trust You. I trust Your faithfulness. I trust Your goodness. I know that You are working things out in my favor and in Your timing. I declare that through faith and patience, I will inherit every promise You have for me in Jesus’ name! Amen.

[spiritualinspiration2]

[victoriahahah]

그냥 happy

Wow these past few days have been so amazing. I feel so blessed, happy, loved, renewed, beautiful, and free. I feel like I can take on the world and whatever God throws at me. In fact I can’t wait for what challenges and obstacles God has in store for me.

I have no doubts that God is real now after all the love I saw at the womens conference, the wisdom I’ve gained from the talks, the worship that felt so supernatural, and especially all the women I met who are so beautiful inside and out, wise, and crazy in love with God. God was definitely in everything; it was all just so out of this world and unreal. He proved that He loves me… so much that he overlooks the crazy in me and sees so much more, further, and greater.

I always feel this spiritual high after events like this but I’m determined and committed to staying this way. Its different this time because now I know how to, thanks to the speakers. It’s all on me, I have to keep choosing to love. One speaker talked about how our thoughts drive our actions and words so we must detox our brains and implant His word instead. And it takes 21 days. She laid down the relationship between science and God because they are always separated and made out to be rivals. But simply, science is a manifestation of God’s works. I’ll write part 2 and 3 of the conference another time after I’ve fully processed everything because my mind is still blown.

Today I had a lovely reunion with my nursing friends. Some of us went to the air park and it was so liberating! I jumped all my stress away and released those endorphins ;). Then we had a potluck and played Flip It and Mafia! What a great time with a great and colourful bunch of people. We’re all so different, I love it. So blessed to walk with them for 3 more years!

I’ve been volunteering at BP (not Boston Pizza) in a grade 2 class! The kids are all so cute… but so easily distracted!!! Man I applaud Mrs. P and all elementary school teachers for keeping their sanity! I still love the kids regardless. I am glad that they are being themselves and are so eager to express their thoughts. I really admire how most of them are not afraid to admit they need help and to ask for help. When I was their age, I hardly EVER asked for help because I was so shy and I perceived it as a sign of weakness. And I STILL struggle with that. So hey good for these kiddos! I am so happy to help them realize that they are capable and competent and so full of potential. This is such a vulnerable age so I want to raise them to be confident learners and explorers. Its weird but I am already starting to think about how I want to raise my own children to be confident and loving beings through these students. I look forward to the day… :)

I’m glad that I’ve started blogging again. I had loads of stress during school so I hardly had time to. But I think A LOT (#INFJ) and sometimes I just feel overloaded with my thoughts and revelations. So now I can lay it all out and really think things through. Even seeing them in a words helps me view it in a different way. I get REALLY shy when I make a post because I’m the type to fret a lot and sometimes I worry about what others will think but hey this blog is for ME. If it can resonate with at least one person that is so great; but I’m just doing me. This is when I can be the real, authentic me. I need this!

Anyway, life is really great. Im choosing life and choosing to love. You can too!