Cross country. Yes, it takes lots of time. Yes, it is COMPLETELY worth it. I love coaching. The team is doing great and feeling great. I truly believe that cross country is such a great sport simply because of the camaraderie that you build with your team. It was the same exact way in high school when I ran it too. I loved it because we had fun. We don't chase after a ball, we run, and talk with each other and share in the joy and in the pain. We don't say "open" or "pass" to each other we say "nice job" or "keep running hard, you've got this!" This is one of the reasons I love cross country. But back to the point, it has kept my BUSY! After school and the last month of Saturdays. On top of that, I am leaving tomorrow to accompany the trip to Guam for 5 day. I'm not really sure that can be counted as work but if THEY say so... For those who don't know, my family and I did live there for awhile. Somewhere between living in Japan and Washington. Growing up when I went through my "list" of places I've lived, I would sometimes get a puzzled face when I mentioned Guam. What is this place? Where is it? It's a US territory? Shenanigans.
School. Okay, so I only work 80%. I tried to stay away from school during my 20% off. That worked for a few weeks. Then, somewhere after Chuseok break, I realized it's nicer to go in early and just get things done. I don't worry about it after school and I can take my time. If something else comes up during that time, then I can deal with that. I kind of enjoy my unpaid time at work now. So, I'm spending more time at school. But, I am feeling a lot better about teaching here. I'm feeling like I can handle it now...aside from telling my students that a 6B pencil is the lightest...no dummy...it's the darkest. I bet my teaching partner thinks I am an idiot sometimes. I just haven't had to deal with these things in a few years with teaching in country schools and elementary so I need to be reminded about simple things like this :)
Friends. Yes, contrary to what my brothers mean ex-girlfriend once said, I do have friends. I love the fact that I get to spend so much time with people I love. It's great knowing I always have someone to hang out with, go out with or talk with. This school is amazing for that. Not to mention, I do try to keep up friendships at home as well, so I do spends lots of time trying to do that.
Last but not least, Dongdaewon. Dongdae who??? Let me susplain things here... Dongdaewon is a tuberculosis clinic in North Korea. Dongdaewon is also a MAJOR fundraiser that Seoul Foreign School does every spring. All schools participate and thousands upon thousands of dollars are raised for medicine for the patients at this particular clinic. The clinic is run by the Eugene Bell Foundation, which supplies Multiple Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) meds to people in need in North Korea. They are the only NGO (non-governmental organization) that does this specifically for MDR-TB patients in North Korea. The UN provides regular TB meds to NK's (north-koreans) but about 1-2% of patients in those clinics have MDR-TB. Naturally, some strands of infections are resistant to drugs, hence MDR. So they stay and take the UN's meds again and again. Each time, hoping for a different outcome, hoping to be better. Soon, these MDR-TB patients start to build up in clinics, and they start to pass their germs around. Lots die, some live for years with the infection, some give up hope, return to their families and spread the TB even more. So, fast forward and now MDR-TB is a problem in North Korea. I can't be too political about it, but most of us know that low immune systems from hunger, etc. doesn't help. So, Eugene Bell comes in and sets-up clinics for MDR-TB patients. Patients are tested every 6 months to see what their infection is resistant to and every 6 months they get a different box of meds. People donate the money for this. It's about 3-5,000 USD to save a life and help them. Without Eugene Bell, these people literally die. The meds are saving lives Before, Eugene Bell did all TB but MDR-TB has become a thing they needed to persue, so they are currently refocusing towards just MDR-TB. It has been a problem because it's much more expensive to treat. Thousands of dollars more...
So, in comes my story... At the beginning of the year, it was announced to faculty that a new coordinator was needed for this fundraiser. I initially really wanted to do it. What an experience that would be! Saving lives. I didn't want to get in over my head, so it fell out of my mind. Flash forward a month and my principal sends out an email of extra-curriculars. I see that the high school still needs a dongdaewon divisional rep. I talk to the other teacher doing it and she said the spot was filled already, but I should think about doing the coordinator spot because it still wasn't filled. Huh, I was pretty sure I had seen that in the prayers for the week too. So, I thought about, and set up a meeting with the head of school to talk about it. He told me about it, I thought it would be great. He also mentioned that I could go to North Korea with the foundation. Only problem, I had to pay....
So I prayed about it over the weekend. Sure I could do the coordinator job, but I really wanted to go to NK to see what we are raising money for so I could be more passionate about it. I didn't think I had the money. Soon enough, I felt God telling me to go and trust Him about not having the money. It would come. Has it come? Half of it. I'm still praying about it :)
Here I am one week away from going to North Korea. I will be gone one week. During my time there we will be traveling around to the clinics and taking spetum samples for the patients next rounds of meds, weighing people, giving them their new meds, etc. Medical humanitarian work. Great work. Life-changing work. Amazing work. My dongdaewon team got together and decided to raise socks for my trip too. Sock to give to the patients that is! So all the schools here on campus help a sock drive last week. It has been AWESOME to see what can be done in a week! Wow! We will have enough socks for all the TB clinics Eugene Bell supports.
For my trip north, I would love to have your prayers, thoughts and wishes for a safe, meaningful, GREAT trip to North Korea. I pray that God will use the delegation in great ways. I am so excited to see how our money can directly save a life. WOW. I'm sure I will have plenty of stories!
So, that's been my life lately. Cross country, school, friends, Dongdaewon. What a great combination :)
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