My little women and me

Things are moving along as we're finding more opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture.

I found a weekly Korean class for me to take that is very specific to my level, so that is a serious win. And it is while the girls are in school.  I went in today to meet the teacher and I was impressed.  As she administered the placement test, she taught me grammar in a very clear way, teaching me things that nobody has explained before!  I am excited to learn with her.  Also, after the placement test she said that my grammar is really advanced (which is a stretch) but that my speaking needs work.  I wanted to hug her!  My class back home in the states did not give a lot of speaking opportunities as it mainly focused on writing.  She was appalled by this, which says a lot about her teaching style.  I can't wait to practice speaking more and then practicing even more with family!  

Tonight we went and watched the taekwondo class that Lilly and Elise are going to take.  The majority of the kids in the class are black belts, like good little Koreans, but there are a few beginners. (their friend, Yeju, is one of them)  It is three days a week of exercise, discipline and speaking Korean.  Woot woot.  Elise is less than thrilled about it but I love making my kids do things that are good for them. (Hey, we're in Korea, right?)

Korean school is going well.  Lilly asks me if she can stay home every day (which is kind of a repeat from last trip here) and Elise started crying in class when they had to read their essays in Korean BUT they always come home telling me that it went well.  I am very glad that this school is a very gentle environment for them to learn Korean vs the Korean public school system.  Their classes are small (5-8 people), their teachers are patient and, with them being the youngest students, they're treated very well.  It is also a little more reassuring this time around as I now know that they will probably be crying when they have to leave in December, just like last time.  

We also had the Sister Missionaries from our branch over yesterday.  It was fun visiting with them but it was also nice feeling the sweet spirit that follows them.  They shared a message that accompanied the well known marshmallow video, talking about how much this trip can benefit the girls for years to come.  They talked about the many blessings that can come out of our time here and how the girls may not see those blessings right away, but that they will come.  I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that sent this message to our family, just when we needed it.