Korea ...

Any time I've travelled between Cambodia and America, I've always had a layover in Korea. (Most people call South Korea,"Korea." The "south" is known.) In February two of my Cambodian friends moved to Korea to get their masters degrees. I found this to be a great opportunity to visit them!

Overview


Limited space for parking                       1000 won = $1 ish


McDonalds delivers!                                               Hmmm, I wonder if it's the same as Chick-Fil-A

Water fountain at Seoul Tower                               Writing on the street in Korean

Upon Arrival
 
I took a subway from the airport to Seoul Station where I met up with my two friends. From there we took the subway (changing lines a few times) to my friend's room, where we left my luggage.
I think she said the room costs about $350/month and it is TINY! She has a twin size bed, a small dresser, and a desk. All of that with a tiny pathway next to the bed. Her bathroom is maybe 3'x4' with the sink, toilet and shower head all in one. Then she shares the kitchen and washer and dryer with maybe 5 other girls.
- I forget how awesome Cambodians are ... when I met up with them, Pisey gave me a card that he'd already put money on for the subway! Then he wouldn't let me pay for anything the whole time I was there. (He has a scholarship while he's there, but I still don't think he's "well off" by any means.)

Lunch

We walked to lunch ... the place they wanted to                                                                                        go was a little over an hour away, and it started to rain, so we stopped and got drinks!

We also took a lot of pictures along the way!

Finally we made it!
- Koreans eat and drink their stuff really hot

Seoul Tower
After lunch we walked, rode the subway, walked, then rode the bus to Seoul Tower.


We ate ice cream                                                      took a lot of pictures

and watched this!

- While we were hanging out my friend kept apologizing because he didn't think I was having a good time and I was tired. I told him, yes I'm tired, but I really am having fun.
- Our faces and attitudes generally show when we're tired, which comes off negatively. Some people know you're just tired, but others just think you're a grouch. Sometimes we're tired because of circumstances beyond our control (time change, illness, having a newborn baby...) & other times it's our own faults (we stay up too late hanging out, watching TV / a movie, we procrastinate ...). In this situation, I'm not really sure that there was anything I could've done differently, but it was a good reminder that we are responsible for our behavior, tired or not!

Cambodia in Korea
After all of that we took a subway to the other side of town where they go to Cambodian church. We ate dinner at the church, then they all studied Korean, then we walked around the market, then stayed the night at the church.
On this side of town is where the factories are so there are few Koreans and a lot of Cambodians, Vietnamese, Singaporians ...

This looks more like Cambodia than the parts of Korea that I saw.

Cambodian church                                                   Lunch at the church

These are all new brothers who went to the sea right                Group picture of everyone!                      after that pic to be baptized!
-As you can see most of the members are guys. That is because most of them came to Korea to work in the factories to earn more money to send to their families in Cambodia. It's great that Cambodians are coming to know Christ in Korea! It was a great reminder that we don't have to travel to reach the nations, because they're coming to us too!
- The people here were so nice and welcoming!

Subway System
You don't have to have a car to live in Korea, you just need to know how to read a map! The subway system in Seoul is CRAZY because there are so many different lines (subway routes). You have to know when to get off, which line to transfer to, and which direction to go!
    

- Koreans appear to be very rude ... not very many people smile & on the subway, they don't acknowledge other people (whether you bump into them or they bump into you, it's as if it never happened) In reality, I'm from Oklahoma where it's not very crowded, but I think everywhere it's super crowded people get used to the bumping instead of saying, "I'm sorry" a million times on one subway ride.

Street Food
  
Cocoons (I didn't try this)          ??? covered in spicy sauce and fish cakes (both are very common)
- I get full a lot faster when I don't want to eat something

Coffee
There were coffee shops EVERYWHERE, so half way through the day I decided to take a picture of each company ... there were multiple Starbucks, Holly Coffee, Angel-in-me, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf ...
- Koreans must love coffee

Left: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf     Mid: Both <-->               Right: Starbucks
Across the street: Angel-in-us Coffee

Others:

     

Korean Airport
I left America Thursday night (Fri morning, Korean time) travelled until Saturday morning, walked all day Saturday, slept at the church Saturday night (so we didn't take a shower, but wiped down with baby wipes), dragged my suitcase (with a broken wheel) to the subway (this means I sweated A LOT), then rode the subway to the airport. I checked in and headed to the showers! Did I mention it was Sunday night? 3 whole days without a shower. That was one of the best showers I'd ever taken! I even showered two times in one! :-)
 
WOW! Gotta love the Incheon International Airport! This shower is bigger than my whole bathroom!
 After the wonderful shower(s), I finally got a Chai Tea Latte!

Back in Cambodia

View of Phnom Penh from the plane.

The first two days back were a little difficult, just because I was getting used to the time change. Now all is good and normal ... well, except my feet which will take a couple months to get used to the heat and not swell at night!

We have testing Monday and Tuesday, then classes will begin on Wednesday the 7th!

America ...

As you probably already know, my grandma went home to be with the Lord on July 16, 2013.  I was fortunate to be able to go home for the funeral!  

Phyllis Joan Lister

It was great to get to see my family and friends again! You can't imagine how encouraged I was during those two weeks. So many people gave me hugs, told me how they've been praying for me, asked questions about what God is doing in Cambodia ... It was a true blessing!

I was especially encouraged by those of you who I talked to and I could tell that you've been reading these blogs! That alone was a tremendous encouragement, so thank you to all of you who are reading this and not only keeping up with my personal life, but more importantly, getting updated in how God's at work on the other side of the world, AND YOU HAVE A PART IN IT! I pray that through this, you feel more a part of it and that it encourages you to pray for Cambodia!

I also really enjoyed answering questions and telling stories about what's going on here. Some of those times were over a meal with friends, in front of my church, and with my aunt's church! That being said, if you ever have questions, or just want to know more you can message me, and / or we could Skype. If I'm busy I'll let you know, but don't assume that I am busy, because I can generally make time for that, and it's a great encouragement to me! :-D

Some things I was "reminded" of while in America:
- I am truly loved by more people than I know
- So many people are taking part in this ministry though prayer and financial support
- People care and want to help (but generally aren't sure how)
- It's a hundred times easier to talk about Jesus with complete strangers, whether in the States or over seas, than it is with family
- Do what you need to do. Don't wait around for the perfect moment. (Before I left in Jan. I'd wanted to tell a friend of mine about something and also ask for prayer, but it didn't "come up." Again I got to see here while I was in America. It's not a secret and it was something she already knew about, but again it "didn't come up." Before I left she told me if there's anything she could pray for to let her know ... "well, actually ..." :-D  which leads me to my next "lesson"
- Ask people how you can pray for them
- Take time and pray WITH them (I was visiting with another friend and she was going through a rough time, so I prayed with her. Afterwards she shared how she was so encouraged and thankful for that, which in turn encouraged me.)
- The same friend above said, " I could throw a fit, slam doors, and give the silent treatment, or I can just go with it and trust that everything will work out." (The second half of that was paraphrased)
- It is crucial to spend quality time with God each day! A wise woman told a group of us, "you don't wake up in the morning and wonder if you should brush your teeth that day." Why do we not have the same surety of spending time with God through prayer and His Word as we do that we'll brush our teeth?
- No place on this planet is perfect
- Only God can fill voids ... not a country, not a place, and not a person

Therefore, seek God with all of your heart.