Run Waegook Run!

Last year on a whim, my community group and I decided to run the Color Run. I say run but you can hardly call what we did running. All 229 pounds of me showed up thinking I was actually going to be able to run some of it. I hadn't run in forever and I knew I wouldn't be able to run all of it but I was certain I would be able to run some of it. Ha! We ran a few steps but mostly we walked, splashed ourselves with color and made paint angles on the ground and it was a blast! 

Although I had a lot of fun, I definitely don't consider it an actual race. When I heard a girl at work talking about running a half marathon in Korea and how cool it was when she got her first medal in another country, my ears perked up and I thought to myself "I want a medal from another country." I didn't actually have a medal from my own country, but I was determined to get one while in Korea. So, with the help of another foreigner who reads Hangul much better than I do, I registered for my first 5k. 

For the last few weeks I've been training in an attempt to be able to run the entire 5k without walking. Unfortunately, my old ankle injury decided it didn't like all the running and started to cause me a lot of pain. I wasn't able to train like I was hoping so I definitely wasn't prepared to run the entire race.  

Despite not being fully prepared, I woke up Saturday morning ready to take my 2 hour bus ride to Boryeong for my race. After 4 cab rides to all the wrong bus terminals in Daejeon, I finally arrived at the correct bus terminal at 6:28am to board the bus departing at 6:32am. I watched as the runners for the half marathon and 10k left to run their courses and eagerly waited to start my 5k. 

Running my first race in Korea was interesting to say the least. In addition to the race medal a runner receives, typical gifts for completion include rice and seaweed. Before the start of each race, runners stretch together, and massage each other to prepare for the race. I was given the following warning from the girl who registered me, "Don't be alarmed if people start touching you." I'm glad her statement came with an explanation of the race massaging because I definitely would have been caught off guard. And lastly, Korean's take theme running to a whole new level. I saw a man with pantyhose on his head carring a huge toy gun the entire length of the race and three men wearing cheetah print dresses. Anywhere other than Korea I'm pretty sure the man carrying the gun would have been arrested and held for questioning. 

After we completed the race we walked to the nearby beach and jumped into the ocean with our race clothes on. In Korea, bathing suits are not allowed before summer and even during summer time, many girls wear a big baggy t-shirt to swim in due to the very modest dress code they follow in Korea. 

The water was just what we needed after a race in the very humid and hot Korean weather. We came out of the water to be greeted by a group of Ajusshi's (older Korean men) who wanted us to play a beach game with them. The game is called Jokju and can best be described as soccer volleyball. There is a low net in the middle, above the ground and you get points my serving the ball (with a kick) and kicking the ball from one side of the net to the other until someone scores. The Ajusshi's predictably underestimated us and were very surprised by our athletic abilities. Several head butts and face plants into the sand later, we took a group picture with the men and parted ways. 

It was a super great day and one I will definitely never forget. 

Medal from Korea, 34 minute finish time for my first race, a dive in the ocean and beach games with random Korean men... I'd consider that a definite success for my first official race! 

My heart is shaped like Texas

8 days ago I got word that one of the people I have grown to love so dearly while in Korea is leaving sooner than I expected. I knew the end of her contract was quickly approaching but she teased me by dangling the words "I might stay one more year," in front of me and I got super excited about the thought of getting to spend more time with her. She has spoken wisdom and truth into my life only a mother can share, she has welcomed me with open arms when I didn't even utter a word and simply laid my head on her shoulder. She is a beautiful person and I am more than sad that soon I will have to say goodbye. 

Another dear friend I have made while I've been here will also be leaving in a few months. She has tried to speak to me about her excitement of going to Tanzania and selfishly, I have told her I'm not ready to talk about it. Just 6 months ago, I said so many goodbye's. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and frankly I'm not ready to start doing it again. 

I came to Korea knowing it was a heavily transient community and there would be many goodbyes and honestly, it made me very guarded. I haven't opened up to very many people, I've created superficial relationships with most people I've met because I didn't want to let them in knowing one of us would soon be leaving. Facing the quickly approaching goodbye's, it's brought me back to a place of guarding my heart. In a skype date Tuesday, I told a friend back home with only 5 months left I have no desire to make new friendships. Fortunately, Mandy knows me well enough to know when to speak truth into my life and she quickly responded with the words "I love you, I support you, but I can't relate to you." She reminded me that my friendships with Corine, Megan and the other wonderful people I have met so far in Korea are so unique because only the people in Korea with me can understand just how hard it is to live here. 

They can relate to words that would be so cryptic to my friends back home without a lengthy back story explaining why it's so frustrating when a child writes the words "I do ballet because I am ugly," on a speech contest. They understand why I run and start looking at prices of plane tickets when my Korean head teacher utters the words "Don't worry." They know what it feels like to be pushed out of the elevator by an Ajusshi so hard you feel you are going to fall over just to politely nod your head and walk back on.  

The thought of investing in new friendships can be really scary sometimes but risking your heart is so rewarding when it results in beautiful life long friendships. If I hadn't risked my heart and opened up to Megan and Corine, I wouldn't have been blessed with such a wonderful experience so far. 

To anyone reading this who is struggling with the same feelings of not wanting to open up and make friendships, I would highly encourage you to take the lock of your heart and throw it away. Soak up every minute of time you have with the people you are in community with right now. Because although it may be temporary, you are creating bonds that go so deep and nothing can ever compare to that. 

Megan and Corine, I can't express in words how much you mean to me. This blog is for you. You will never be able to get rid of me and I want you to always remember just how special you are to me! 

On top of the world (Mountain)

Me at the top of the mountain. The marker that shows the
height of the peak, 423 meters. 

A few years ago, I went on a hiking trip with some random people I met online to Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was the first time I had been hiking since I hiked Diamond Head in Hawaii with my sister, and I was excited. It was an easy hike and I was having a great time with my friends, UNTIL...

Until, someone had the bright idea to get off the marked trail to take a picture. We climbed down, off the trail (all 20 something of us) to get a picture of all of us with the lake in the background. As we were climbing back up, I followed the rest of the group only for the ground to give out as I stepped up resulting in me falling, rolling down the hill a few times and ultimately hitting my head on a rock. The fall only produces a few marks and bruises but I would later learn that the mental scars were far worse than the physical ones. 

In March, I decided to try hiking again. Korea is surrounded by beautiful mountains and I was anxious to get back out there and hike some of them. With my backpack and camel pack ready to go, I braved the mountain on a beautiful Saturday morning. I was doing well until we got to a point where we reached a steep uphill climb and all I could see were rocks. Anxiety and fear crippled me and I lost it. I couldn't do it. I had come so far but I just couldn't bring myself to go any further. 

I was so disappointed, I desperately wanted to get to the top of the mountain but despite my attempts to calm myself and push forward. The spirit of fear won and I went back down the direction I had just come. I attempted a second hike when I was in Jeonju and yet again found myself giving control to the spirit of fear. 

Frustration and disappointment mounted as I so desperately wanted to be able to hike again without having flashbacks of the accident and fear that I would fall again. 

Well friends. Today was that day!! I set out to hike yet again, determined to succeed and reach the top of the mountain. With Romans 8:38-39 and 2 Timothy 1:7 tucked away in my brain this time, I stepped foot after foot, sweat pouring down and quoted the scripture every time I felt fearful. I hiked all the way up to the top of Mount Gyejoksan, all 423 meters (1388 feet) of it. It was a wonderful adventure and a great reminder that my God is far bigger than any evil trick Satan has up his sleeve.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Red Clay Soil trail. In Korea people come and walk
this trail barefoot allowing the clay to wrap around their
feet and provide some sort of healing treatment.  

Burial tomb. It's very common in Korea to see burial tombs
in many of the mountains. 

Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day but here is my view
of the city from the peak of the mountain.

On the way back down I found this gem. If you look closely,
you can see the mountain I hiked in the far left corner.