"Firsts"

My life these days are filled with many different firsts:

First time to live overseas for long-period of time by myself

First apartment

First year of teaching

First bus ride to school by myself

First paper cut of the school year

First cold (sickness) of the school year

First new student (Yes, you read correctly. I now have 8 students. Praise the Lord!!! Keep them coming! J )

First case of lice in the classroom

First time living in a city

First Saturday spent at school working

First visit to Seoul

First time cooking with eggplant

And I am sure that I am forgetting some other “firsts.” 

BUT

 

What I have realized through these “firsts” is that life is all about experiencing new things and I love that. I love that life is a beautiful adventure and that it is never a dull moment. I can tell you one thing my classroom is never a dull moment- we are always either laughing, singing, and of course learning at the same time or at least that’s my goal! J

 At the same time though experiencing so many “firsts” makes you feel at times like you are starting all over again (like your baby learning new things for the first time) because the things that use to be familiar are no longer around so you have to make new familiars but that takes time and I am learning that right now. I kept forgetting that things take time. I need patience more than anything these days: I just want to be settled, I want my classroom to be completely organized, I want to be on top of things and a week ahead in lesson plans, I want deep friendships with people here, I want time to read and relax, I want to understand the Korean culture and language, but I have to remind myself constantly that I need to be patience. I need to trust in God that His timing is perfect and that I need to be patience in waiting for it. He knows exactly how I feel and what I need in the right timing. So this year I am going to practice patience again. When I was three years old I remember one of my family’s good friends telling me that I had so much patience while it looks like I need to go back to the beginning and practice it again.

 Theme of my life these days:  feeling like a baby by experiencing new things and practicing patience.  

At least I know that life is a beautiful adventure through the learning, the memories, the experiences, the growth, the challenges and new beginnings because it all leads to experiencing more of God. God is completely faithfully through each step of our journey and I am clinging to His promises daily these days as experience the many “firsts!”

Love, Daniella 
 

A few prayer requests this week:

-For my class as we welcome a new girl to our classroom

-For me as a teacher that I would feel equip to teach my students and give them my best each day

-For my school that we would be able to find a director for the rest of the year and more students would involve

-And that I would learn to be patience again! J