The Asian Squat

I have a test for you Westerners.
1. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart.
2. Keep your feet flat with heels touching the ground
3. Bend your knees to lower your body so you are in a squatting position (without letting your heels pop up)
I would like to hear from those of you who are successful with this! I would especially like to hear of the success from those blog readers of Asian descent who have grown up in another country. Is this a genetic ability or a learned ability?
I am amazed to see Koreans chilling out all the time chatting, eating dinner or just hanging out while doing the squat for long periods of time. They make it seem like it's a comfortable position. I can't do it without my heels popping up! Here's a video to show you exactly how to do the "Asian Squat" as well as outlining the benefits.

I also wanted to introduce you to one of the things I dreaded most when anticipating the move to Korea. The dreaded "Asian Squat Pot." The majority of places we go have regular bathrooms, but there have been the occasional outings where this has been the only option. Despite not being able to do the normal 'Asian Squat,' it's not as bad as I had originally thought.

Blake's Photography

The following are some of Blake's amazing nature shots.

Happy Easter

Pondering once again the significance of the cross on Good Friday and the empty tomb on Resurrection Sunday, I stumbled upon a new blog. I have been touched afresh and I would encourage you to check out the newest entry from Beth Moore's blog.
I'm at a loss for words. How easily we get distracted from the incredible truth found in the cross and empty tomb. Praise God for those moments where He breaks through the dullness of our hearts to reveal Himself afresh.
Happy Easter

Yellow Dust

Blake and I have been hearing about a phenomenon called 'yellow dust' occurring in the spring months here in Korea. We had our first experience of this yellow dust a few days ago. The air was thick- almost looked like it was going to rain and there was a yellow haze in the air. The cars are apparently dusted with this yellow dust in the mornings and many Koreans walk around with face masks on. I've been told that it is hard on those who have allergies or asthma and I'm thinking my recent bout with laryngitis could possibly be linked to this. I looked up this 'yellow dust' phenomenon on Wikipedia to give a more educated explanation of what is occurring.

Asian Dust (also yellow dust, yellow sand, yellow wind, or China dust storms) is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon which affects much of East Asian sporadically during the springtime months. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China and Kazakhstan where high-speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds are then carried eastward by prevailing winds and pass over China, North and South Korea, and Japan, as well as parts of the Russian Far East.

Spring!

Here are some pictures that Blake took this morning while playing sports with some friends.

Birthday Party

For someone half a world away, I feel so blessed and loved by those back home. I can't imagine how different it would feel to be here in Korea without facebook, email and skype! Yesterday was my birthday and I just couldn't resist the opportunity to share a picture from a birthday card I received.

My nickname from Tim is punkin.' Thanks Timmy!

Blake was also really sweet in trying to make my birthday special. He got up early and brought back these to surprise me. What more could a girl ask for?!

Our friends here in Korea had a gathering to celebrate- actually we celebrate every Sunday for no reason at all, but this Sunday we celebrated 2 birthdays. Mine and our friend Daniel's. (who I've been meaning to do a post about....I'll get on that in the near future!) This Sunday we went out to a restaurant called Tres Lore (I don't think the spelling is right). Anyways...it's a fabulous restaurant where you get soup, salad, bread, your meal (spaghetti) and unlimited dessert all for the price of....drum roll...$8! Blake is in his glory! I think he ordered 4 smoothies. Yes, needless to say...this man of mine is going to have some tough adjusting to do when we come home. We took a few pictures of the gathering.


Finally a picture of Beth and me! Beth is the one who reminds me of my mom.


Would you believe they're having fun?!

Take 2- The boys above just wouldn't cooperate for a good photo! Blake is actually mimicking what some of the Korean girls do for photos.

Blake and Daniel trying to concentrate on getting a good shot. Not easy!

(Daniel is the unphotogenic birthday boy on the right- I think the second photo was take 27 or something).

This next photo was not Sunday, but a shot of some of the special friends we've made while being here. Someone said that our meat cooker should have some of the meat because he looks too skinny.


In other news...I have been sick for a week now and have been diagnosed with laryngitis. Not so great for someone who uses her voice for work! I've been trying to take it easy with my voice so I don't grow nodes on my vocal chords-whatever that means. The doctor's office was quite the experience- she checked my nose and throat out and then made me sit with this humidifier shooting water up my nose. Then she put a laser up my nostrils and made me sit there for a minute. Not really sure of the purpose- but I wasn't exactly in the position to be asking questions (language and throat issues).
My kids in class were so well behaved yesterday. I told them that I couldn't talk loud and so they were so so quiet- they even talked to me in whispers! Very cute!
Oh, check out the time counter! 55 days...whoops...getting a little ahead of myself...65 days!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Grandma! Thank you for being such a joy and blessing. We love you lots!

Canadian Winter

Countless times I have been told how lucky I have been to miss this year's Canadian winter. As a person who is terrified of winter driving, I would tend to agree with them. These are some pictures a friend recently posted on facebook of the blizzard-like Canadian winter I have missed. While I have been struggling with feeling a little homesick as of late, I have absolutely no desire to deal with all that snow.
I giggled when I looked at what Blake chose to wear this morning on our walk and decided to take a picture of my man to show the contrast.


(Note the shorts and flip flops)
Sorry if this makes some of you folks puke, but we're up to 15 degrees today!
While I miss so many of you back home, these pictures have cured my homesickness.
I love you guys and can't wait to see you when the sun's shining!