New Post for the New Lunar Year

So I am pretty terrible at updating this thing, but I figure I should insert something for the new lunar year. I guess this month is a time for change ...mostly because I will be turning a year older in less than a month.

Time passes so quickly! It really is like sand slipping through your fingers. Looking at the new, young, up-and-coming celebrities makes me want to savor my 20s and stretch it as much as possible. After all, I'll never be this age again.

I finished my Winter Intensive Program, which ran for two weeks, and then I moved on to working at my internship full time. I'll be doing that until the end of February, and then I'll be starting up school again. In Korea, they start their first semester in March because they have an extended winter break and a one month summer break. I heard that they did this to save oil for the winter. Haha ...

I've become fully immersed in Jubilee Church and am now involved with the Youth Ministry. I LOVE the students in that group .....God really put in me in a ministry where I am energized and excited by serving. It's been awesome getting to know the kids at the lock-in two weeks ago and just seeing them around. :)

As for the future ....I've applied to a few jobs here and there, but until something comes through, it looks like I'll be going home to LA to look for jobs in the States. Ideally, I'd like to stay here longer and it's funny that so many people in our program feel the same way! It would be awesome if that were the case since I'd know more people here.

Ahhh ...my alarm is going off. It's time to get ready to go to my uncles house for the lunar New Year. I practiced my bow b/c I'm pretty sure I'll have to do it for my grandpa and grandma. Teehee..... if you wanna see what a traditional Korean bow looks like, take a look:

http://keywui.chosun.com/movie/playMovie.keywui?media_id=V000155329

Happy New Year and welcome to the Year of the Rat! :)

Mi Casa

Hey guys, so you curious to know what my place looks like? :)

So I put in a number password to get in and once you open the
door, this is what you see - my hallway. See the doorway to the left? It's my bathroom....and to the right are my closet and fridge.




































Here are my kitchen, my bed and my desk area. Oh and that gray box above my desk was my lifesaver for this month - my AC! And finally, I have a little camera by my doorbell ...so if someone rings, their face shows up on this little screen in my place. You can see me taking a picture of it. Heehee...

I love the city.

Today was the first day in a very long time where the weather was nice and cool. It reminded me of a nice fall day in LA - light breeze with no humidity. It was nice to sit by my open window and gaze out at the night view of Seoul. It just reminded me of how much I love the city - with all the lights, sounds, smells (both good and bad), culture, FOOD!, high-fashion, and fast-paced trends. I wish there was an American version of London (European class and old-world feel) + Seoul (Korean feel & food).

So I haven't blogged in a little while, and quite honestly it's because there is really not much to write about. ^^ I've been on summer break, which would have been the perfect opportunity to travel more but Japan was the only possible trip considering my budget and travel restrictions.

I've been doing a lot of sleeping at home, resting and chillaxing. These times are few and far between and I know that once school starts I will constantly be on the go so I am really taking advantage of my down time. School starts next week, and there is a possibility I'll start my internship next week as well ....if I do well on my interview tomorrow, that is. :)

This is my schedule for the semester:

M,W,F 9~2 Korean Language class and one college class
T,R - 9-5 Internship

I've never done an internship with classes before, so this will prove to be interesting. Maybe if its slow at the office I can do homework instead?

As for church, I have been attending Jubilee Church in Kang-Nam for the past few weeks. So far, the pastor is legit (he preaches the gospel every chance he gets) but I wonder about the body. I want to be challenged by people who want to change and grow in the Lord instead of being just church attenders. There are many ministry opportunities ...I'm most interested in the Youth ministry right now. We'll see what direction this takes.


Foods I have been craving: spaghetti, Vince's Mac & Cheese, pizza, Baja Fresh, In-N-Out, and french fries. Otherwise, I love Korean food so I'm loving the cuisine here!

Let God Arise .....

Since I've been on break, I've been sitting at home much more than usual and I've had time to reflect on my time in Japan and in Korea thus far.

Despite my complaining about the weather and having a semi-cast during the duration of my trip in Japan, I did take away some very profound lessons from my journey there. Seeing a shrine or a temple very few blocks forced me to recognize just how deeply embedded idol worship is in the Japanese culture. In the midst of the surrounding beauty of Japanese art, culture, high-fashion, shrines and temples, it is too easy to mute out the very existence of our awesome and powerful God. I wanted to grab everyone there and tell them about a life and reality that is beyond anything they would ever have imagined. Every time I saw a shrine or a buddah, I just wanted God to come and show His glory and His inexpressible love that would make those false gods melt in nothingness.

But it is no different in Seoul. There may be a church on every block, but how many are truly worshiping the one true and only God? How many people here have the hope and joy that comes only from knowing Jesus, instead of living for the next party, the next fashion trend, or the next boy/girlfriend?

Though I have only been here for 1.5 months, the distractions of being in a busy city have started to blur the lines between God and life - being in the world but not of the world.

Last week, at Jubilee church, Pastor David stated that worship poetically expresses the feelings we have in our heart that we do not have the talent or words to express ourselves. Thank goodness for Chris Tomlin - I want this song to be the song in my heart to help me remember that God is distinct, He is REAL, He is ALL-powerful and He is here with me in Seoul and with the people in Japan.

Glory in the Highest - Chris Tomlin

You are the first
You go before
You are the last
Lord, You're the encore
Your name's in lights for all to see
The starry host declare Your glory

Glory in the highest (3x)

Apart from You there is no god
Light of the world
The Bright and Morning Star
Your name will shine for all to see
You are the one
You are my glory

And no one else could ever compare
To You, Lord
All the earth together declares ...
Glory in the highest ... to You, Lord

All the earth will sing Your praise
The moon and stars, the sun and rain
Every nation will proclaim
That You are God and You will reign

Glory, glory hallelujah
Glory, glory to You, Lord
Glory, glory hallelujah

Japan ..with pictures!

Hey so, I've finally rested enough and taken care of random stuff to upload pictures and get a little more organized.

Please go to this site for pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/angela.sur


:P Enjoy!

Nihon!

Yes, I am back. After days and days of being MIA, I am BACK!

So I am dead tired but I can't seem to fall asleep. I decided to blog quickly so as not to forget my 9 day adventure in Japan. This was my schedule:

Sunday Evening ~ Wednesday Evening: Tokyo
Thursday ~ Saturday Evening: Kyoto
Sunday: Osaka
Monday: Uji (green tea extravaganza)
Tuesday: Tokyo --> Seoul

It was a great time minus the weather. I highly recommend Spring or Fall for traveling in Asia. The weather in Japan covered the three H's: humid, hot, and horrible. Thank goodness Seoul is cooler because of the rain.

More to come.....with pictures!

E.R., Humidity, Cornell Reunion and Japan

I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I've honestly been so busy! :P

So first, the E.R. I know it's expected that life is pebbled with many "firsts," but I honestly expected that I would get through life without having to ever go to the E.R. for myself. But, as it often turns out, life doesn't play by my rules. I went to the E.R. for the first time ever here in Seoul. Here is a short rendition of my story:

Late at night I was adjusting the head of my fan so that it would blow the wind a little higher up when I heard a crunching sound, followed by many crunching sounds. I was a little freaked out by the sound, so I stepped back and then I turned off the fan once the noise subsided. I was a little upset at the thought that my fan might be broken, but then I realized I had a bigger problem. My RIGHT hand was dripping with blood!! It turns out one of the pieces gashed my hand as it flew out, resulting in a deep laceration. It was so deep that those little fat balls in the lowest level of your dermis came out ...it was so gross. I got five stitches and I'm still recovering. Luckily some friends live nearby and they took me to the ER. My teacher also came and stayed with me and my friends until I was done. I got home at around 2:30 a.m.

Crazy, huh?

Just a short passage on the humidity - um yeah it's pretty unbearable and I can't believe people live this way. I LOVE LA!!! It's SO hot here .....

Today was our last day of classes for the summer program, so our professors made us split into groups, go visit a museum and then do a presentation on what we learned/saw (in Korean, of course). Afterwards, they took us out to eat the bbq pork thing (sam gyub sal) and then they took us out to a Karaoke place. Nice of them huh? It's so weird "hanging out" with your teachers. haha ..~Now that my summer program is over, I am going to travel to Japan with a friend to see Tokyo, Kyoto and possibly Osaka. We'll be there for 9 days or so. :)

On the church front, I'm still going to try out a few more churches before I make a decision. Overall thought, the EM's here are not too promising. : /

Oh, and last Wednesday, Lynda, Taewoo, John Lee, Christina Sohn and I got to together for a yummy dinner and coffee/dessert as our mini Cornell reunion in Seoul. Good times~!!