College Bound!

Well, the time I've been nervously and excitedly waiting for is finally here: I'm going to college!

I'm more nervous than I thought I would be, for sure. But my excitement faaaaaar outweighs my fear. Today, my family will be leaving my grandparents' house in South Carolina and start driving toward Lynchburg, Virginia. We'll be able to stop and see a few people along the way, including my best friend Young-Hyun who is currently studying at Duke University. I'm excited about that.

Tonight we'll be staying with some friends in the Lynchburg area, and then tomorrow -- after having lunch with another great, old friend -- I will be moving into my dorm on Liberty's campus! :O It's kind of weird to think that tomorrow night will be my first night of many that I'll be spending at Liberty.

Though I'm pretty nervous about everything -- okay I'll admit, I'm terrified! -- I know that even though my parents will be leaving me in a week's time, my heavenly Father will never leave me. And so in Him, I will place my trust. I'm not about to claim that will be easy... but if I can do that, I have nothing at all to fear. :)

I don't know when I'll be able to type up another blog post, as I'm pretty certain the next few weeks are going to be reaaaaally really busy for me. Can't wait to see what God has in store!

Adjusting . . . Sorta

My family has been in the States for about a month now. We spent a couple weeks with my dad's family in South Carolina and Tennessee (we had a WONDERFUL family vacation in TN with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents). Then we drove down to Mississippi, which is where we currently are staying, to be with my mom's family for a few weeks.

We've had a wonderful time with all of my family. I've loved getting to spend time with everyone and getting to know them better. I have also been able to practice a lot of driving since I've been back in country, though have only ventured out by myself twice (about a 3-minute drive each time). My dad has been threatening to send me out driving on my own more often though, so I should be getting lots of experience pretty soon.

Since arriving back in the States, I've also been busy getting ready for college. Classes start on August 19, and I move onto campus on the 15th, which gives me a month left to have everything ready. When I was in South Carolina, I began working on the final stages of my quilt for my bed in the dorm, with the help of Mimi. I still have a few things left to do with it, but it's turning out very well! Below are some pictures of my quilt from when I was working on it in China... I have yet to take pictures of it's current stage, so you'll have to excuse me. :)

Also, there were certain required immunizations I had to get before going to college. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me... I'm not a fan of vaccines anyway, but the fact that I have to get them or I can't go to Liberty (unless I have religious reasons for not getting them... which I don't) is a little sad. Anyway.

So yesterday, my family took me to the Health Center so that I could get my required shots. We got there at 1:00 PM and sat for about two hours while they tried to make sense of my immunization records. Turns out the only required immunization I'd had previously was the first dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). Which meant I still had to get the second dose of MMR, as well as shots for Tetanus, Meningitis, Polio, and get blood drawn for TB. And they decided that it was a good idea to pump all of those vaccines into my system within 10 minutes of each other, which left me very very sore.

The blood-drawing probably took a good 20 minutes for the entire process. Apparently I do not have easy veins. The first nurse couldn't even find the veins on the inside of my elbow, so she had another nurse come in to try and draw my blood. She first tried drawing it from my left hand, and while a little bit of blood came out, it stopped very very quickly. So she tried a little bit further up my arm, in which case I didn't bleed at all. Both nurses then decided to go ahead and give me my shots, having me down two bottles of water while they did that. Apparently drinking water helps the blood flow and I didn't drink enough that morning. So once I began to resemble a water balloon, they decided they would go ahead and try a third location to draw blood -- my left hand. It worked!...kinda. It worked as long as they were working at it and moving the needle around the inside of my vein (ouch!). Finally, they got the blood they needed and I was done!

You know, my dad always said that I didn't have blood in my veins, but rather the thick red Korean pepper paste -- which would explain my love of spicy Korean food. After yesterday, I'm starting to believe that might be true, because my blood came out sooooo slowly, as if it was really thick. Well, at least I won't have to worry about any more immunization shots. :D

I'm really looking forward to starting college, moving into my dorm, and meeting my two awesome roomies. There are moments when I just wish time would hurry up and fast-forward to that day I move onto campus, as I can be quite restless whenever I don't have a good routine. But I'm also enjoying spending time with my family and making memories. I haven't fully adjusted to being in America, because I haven't been able to just settle down in one place as of yet. But that's okay... that'll come. Right now, I'm just gonna enjoy where God has me. :)

The Next Chapter

Goodbyes. They're not something I look forward to... In fact, I really dislike having to tell people I love goodbye. But they are something that each person has to go through.

Last week, some of my closest friends (the Chang family, Moon family, Stirling family, Yoon family, Phillips family) all came and helped take us and all of our bags to the airport in Yanji. Saying goodbye... wasn't easy. I'm not one of those people that does well with goodbyes in general, and saying goodbye to these people in specific was even more difficult.

Thankfully I was able to keep my tears from escaping while I hugged each of them and promised to keep in touch. Then we went through Security and that was the last time I saw their faces for what could be a very, very, very long time.

Sitting on the plane, watching my little hometown of Yanji grow smaller and smaller, I felt an ache in my heart. I was very thankful for the overly talkative lady across the aisle from me who kept me distracted for at least half of the flight to Beijing.

But, with every goodbye... comes a new hello. Around 7:00-7:30 PM on Tuesday evening, my family landed in North Carolina and were greeted by my grandparents. It's been sooooo good to reconnect with them. We've gone to the zoo, had water fights, played tennis, and just hung out. This weekend, we leave for a big family vacation in Tennessee with all of my dad's siblings, their spouses and kids, and my grandparents. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

On August 15th, I will move onto Liberty University's campus, and classes will begin on the 19th. I'm a little nervous, but... my excitement far outweighs what fear I have inside of me. I cannot WAIT to meet my roommate (who is AWESOME, by the way) and get to meet new people and make friends. I'm also looking forward to my classes, though maybe not quite so much as the actual social aspect of college life.

Though I am nervous and insecure and have absolutely NO idea of what is in store for me, I can have peace in knowing that God is with me. As my friend Young-Aeh reminded me and as Psalm 139 says, "You hem me in-- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. [...] If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Please be praying for me as I start this next chapter of my life. My parents and sisters will be living in Colorado while I'm at Liberty for my first year, which is a lot closer than China. So, I'm very thankful for that. But it will also be a big transition for my family as I won't be there and as they adjust to living in America, so please keep them in your prayers as well.

Time to turn the page and see what happens... :)

Hanissa Language

So, Hanissa is a very fast learner. She repeats EVERYTHING she hears. Of course... she doesn't always repeat things correctly.

For example:

1. Correct way: Thumb
    Hanissa way: Tum, dumb, gum


2. Correct way: Bellybutton
    Hanissa way: Bellybutt


3. Correct way: Cat
    Hanissa way: Mee-ow mee-ow

4. Correct way: Big
    Hanissa way: Big, pig


5. Correct way: Pig
    Hanissa way: Big, pig


And then there are those words and phrases she says which... need a translation.


1. "Water play." Translation: Swim.

2.  "Shame on you!" Translation: Rachel is wrong/did something wrong/thought something wrong/....you get the picture. Most often used on moi.

3. "Funny!" Translation: Shame on you! <--- see definition above.



My reaction to most of the things she says: ...You keep saying that word/phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means. :D

You must never misunderstand the child. If you do, you risk the wrath of the Hanissa. Good luck if you endeavor to enter a conversation with her. Yours will be the death that comes from laughing way to hard. May the Force be with you. . . .

Land of Aloha

Aloha! Yes, yes, I'm back from the nice warm beaches of Hawaii!

We were gone from Yanji for two weeks, and had short stops in Beijing and South Korea on the way to and from Hawaii. So, the time actually spent in Hawaii was really only about a week long. We felt so abused... We were really suffering for Jesus. ;)

One of my favorite things we did in Hawaii was visit Pearl Harbor. My family is really into history, especially the history of our own country, so we were really excited about going. I have to say... I did not expect it to be such an emotional experience...

We first sat through a video with real footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I may or may not have shed a few tears, hehe... Then we took a boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The ship is now a coral reef, and in the water we could see bright fish swimming around. It felt slightly strange walking above an underwater cemetery...

Another fun thing we did at Pearl Harbor was explore a submarine. Pure awesomeness, right there. ;) I'm still trying to figure out how people moved around quickly on those things...

We also visited beaches. In fact, our guest house was right on the beach, so I was able to wake up every morning to the view of the waves crashing. Our beach adventures included snorkeling, swimming with sea turtles, playing pirate, and Hanissa squealing and shouting, "NAKED NAKED!" every time she saw a woman in a bikini.

...Oh yes... we had to teach her very quickly to keep quiet when she saw something like that... So, in the end, she simple got wide-eyed and pointed. What can I say, though? The child comes from a country where they dress very conservatively. The poor thing had never even seen my family members in tank-tops and shorts (because in Yanji, it's cold during the winter), much less seen people in swimsuits. Needless to say, it was amusing.

Between beaches, Pearl Harbor, shopping, "The Hobbit," and spending time with family, our time in Hawaii was wonderful. It was relaxing and warm and beautiful. I wouldn't have minded staying there an extra week, though I'm happy to be back home in China.

Off to Hawaii Tomorrow!!!

I can hardly believe it's already 2013!! This year is going to bring soooo many changes to my family members' lives. And lots of adventures, as well!

One such adventure will be starting tomorrow. We leave in the morning for Beijing, spend about 7 hours there, then fly to South Korea, where we'll spend 36 hours before leaving on Thursday for Hawaii. HAWAII, people! :D We're gonna be staying on the island of Oahu and have lots of fun things planned. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share with you all. And I'll enjoy the warm weather for all of you who are stuck in the cold this winter. ;)

On the 18th, we'll fly back to Korea for about two days before returning to Yanji.

I'm so excited! Pray that this will be a time for us to connect with each other and grow closer together as a family. Also pray that everything for Hanissa's US passport (which we will be trying to get while we are there) goes smoothly.

I'll see you all when I come back from the beaches of Hawaii! :D

Holiday Festivities

Well, the holidays are here! Thanksgiving has come and gone and our house is full of Christmas decorations!

Thanksgiving Day was extremely busy for my family, as we spent the entire day at Gina's Place. We served a special meal during lunch and dinner, and while only about 30 people came at noon, around 160 customers were there to eat dinner.

It was packed. We had people standing outside the restaurant by the elevator waiting for seats. A couple of people actually ATE out by the elevator. It was quite amusing to see, actually.

Every table was full

This relatively small play area was overflowing with little munchkins... literally.

People eating and waiting out in the hallway by the elevator

Regardless of how busy our Thanksgiving was, it was a very good day. There was much to be thankful for! Our friends were surrounding us, in the evening there was a great concert, we had a ton of business...

It's a family tradition to put up our Christmas tree and take out our other Christmas decorations on the day after Thanksgiving. This year my family was even more exited than usual, because it was Hanissa's very first time to help us decorate. And help she did.

Hanissa helping me unpack

Charis and Dad setting up the tree

Hanissa was (and still is) enthralled with the lights!

Putting on the ornaments

Admiring our hard work :)

One of Santa's elves

Another interesting tradition my family has is that every year we add to our Nativity Scene. That's right. Our entire Nativity Scene was made from scratch. One year we made the stable, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Another year we made the shepherds, sheep, and angels. Then we got around to making some wise men. And last year, we made Anna, Simeon, the temple, and a couple more shepherds. I think this year we are planning on making more angles and wise men. Two angels, after all, are not what most people picture when they think of "a heavenly host." And as for the wise men... Right now we have two of them. Mom does not want there to be three. So, we'll probably end up having four or five.

The temple, Simeon, Anna, and the wise men

My sisters playing with the Nativity Scene :)

Decorating our house for Christmas and enjoying the holiday season together as a family is something we do every year. I love it and so many memories have been made from these precious moments.