The Other Side of the Pacific

Oh man.  This moving across the ocean stuff is not for sissies.  Especially with three kids in tow. All the logistics that came into play... my head is still spinning.  Good thing is, not only did we survive the trip, we are now thriving in Korea.  A few notes on how it happened:

Saying good-bye to my parents, our wonderful hosts this summer

We 'd planned to go up the Space Needle, but didn't get there in time.

Kate was her usual stubborn self.

This fountain was fun, though.

This is ALLLLL the stuff that we took with us, straight off the rental car!

I still don't know how we got it all from the rental car place to airport storage, but we did.

The kids were troopers.  No complaining.

Five suitcases, five large duffel bags, five backpacks, and five carry-ons made the trip with us.

First across-the-ocean flight for most of us

We've been in Daejeon ten days now, and it has been a crazy ten days.  The school purposefully jam-packed our first six days, wanting us to adapt to the time change as quickly as possible.  It worked; we were exhausted, but our bodies pretty much adjusted to Korean time within 3-4 days.  I finally managed to snap a few pictures on our weekend.

Our neighborhood is mostly full of buildings like this, with tons of trees and walking paths.

The neighborhood shopping area

There are tons of little playgrounds tucked around the buildings.

It is hot and HUMID!!  The girls like using their umbrellas as a shield.

Outside Galleria Timeworld, a large department store

Waiting for rain

"Why They Fought"

Both Brian and I have dealt with plenty of misconceptions about our home states throughout the years. People think I am from somewhere in the Midwest, lumping Idaho in with Ohio or Iowa, or that I grew up on a potato farm. People think he is from another country (not hearing the "new" in New Mexico), and that we need passports to get there. 
We have realized that there are also misconceptions about the country we are moving to. Many people think it is a third world country. Yes, it has gone through a major war and some tough times. It was once "one of the world's most destitute nations." 
However, the past 63 years have been part of an upward path for South Korea. Today marks the anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which ended the Korean War. With help from the U.S. during and after this "overlooked war," South Korea has built itself up to become one of the most prosperous nations. 
Just a few months ago, Korea was definitely not a place I thought I'd want to even visit. Not on my radar at all! But God had plans for us, and here we are, about 72 hours away from beginning our adventure there. 
I encourage those of you who are interested in learning more about Korea to take a few minutes and read this article, "Why They Fought." I love the descriptions of the Korean War veterans visiting the country now who are "stunned by the modern cities and prosperous economy... They can't believe they are in Korea. The veterans are excited to see children so well cared for and so smart. They run up to the Americans and hug them. Their teachers and parents tell them to show respect. It is a genuine outpouring of affection." 
The friendship between the US and South Korea is great, and their "prosperity would not have been possible without the Americans who fought there." Read it all here if you have time!

Wanderlust

Our lives here in Las Cruces have gotten pretty comfortable.  Our three kids are growing up and thriving, we both have good jobs, we have a house in a comfortable neighborhood, a church and friends and family... we have, pretty much, achieved the American Dream.  But we're about to turn that all upside down.
Brian caught what I've described as a wanderlust these past couple years, itching to go somewhere and do something different.  We'd talked about teaching with DODS (Department of Defense) or joining the Peace Corps in our early years of marriage, way before kids, but never seriously considered it. Then kids happened, life went on, and we were busy building what we had here.
He'd applied for a few school administration jobs at miniscule towns around the state--and was offered one, but had to turn it down after I threw a crying fit.  Around last summer, Brian started researching international jobs again.  At that point, I asked him to give me one year to get used to the idea.  Well, it's been a year, and I am holding true to my promise.  Much more, after lotsa prayer, God has turned my heart, and I am now actually relishing the idea of living overseas.
Brian flew to Berlin in March for a four-day-long interview process.  He became one of the top two prospects for an assistant principal job at the John F. Kennedy School there, but ultimately wasn't their top choice.  He was disappointed, but through the process realized he had left the situation in God's hands, and left Germany at peace with their decision.
In the past few months, we have also looked at schools in Kuwait, Nigeria, and China.  Brian actually interviewed with schools from Kuwait and Nigeria, the latter of which was looking pretty promising for a bit.
But out of the blue, we heard from Taejon Christian International School (TCIS) in Daejeon, South Korea. There were jobs for both of us: Brian as a Student Affairs Coordinator, and me as a secondary English teacher.  We interviewed twice, via Skype, with the Head of School and Director of Student Affairs. At the beginning of the second interview, we were told that we were their top prospects for the positions.  Suddenly, moving overseas seemed like it was actually a plausible option.  I think we both started freaking out a little after that interview was over.
Reference checks happened, they skipped over our last interview with a school board member, and we were officially offered the jobs.  We'd prayed a bunch about this, asking God to close doors to anywhere He does't want us to go (which I think he did with Nigeria).  And to open up and provide a clear path to the opportunities he wants us to undertake.  Everything has seemed to point toward TCIS.  The path has been quite clear.  So, what else could we do?  We accepted the job offers.
Of course, this makes our already crazy lives an absolute whirlwind these next few months!  We'll keep a small storage unit here, but we will sell or give away almost everything we have, including our house for the past five years, both vehicles, and most of our furniture and household items. We'll need to figure out plane tickets, shipping a few things over, where to bank, how to still make our biennial trek to Idaho this summer before we leave.  We'll need to get everything else squared up: eye doctor and dentist appointments and a few others, I'm sure.  We'll have to learn a little Korean, I'll need to research International Baccalaureate (IB) programs (as that's what I'll be teaching, the complete opposite of the type of population I've had in my classroom my whole teaching career).  Brian will have a learning curve with his new position as well.
As for living in Daejeon, we will have a furnished apartment provided by the school in a community near other school faculty.  The kids will all go to the school.  There are plenty of after-school activities and sports to keep them occupied.  It will be a 10- or 15-minute walk from our apartment to the school.  There is a grocery store and a Costco nearby, as well as a walking/running path.  We will get by, at least initially, without a car, and instead use public transportation when needed.  The climate is definitely of the "four seasons" persuasion, which I've missed in New Mexico.  It is green and lush and humid.  EVERYTHING is going to change for us.
So, there you go.  Our wanderlust is finally coming to fruition.  I've not updated this blog since the first fall I went back to teaching. Life as a full-time mom and part-time teacher became too hectic.  With this new adventure, I will be resurrecting 'The Overflow."  And getting back to the meaning of the the title of my blog, which refers to living in the overflow of grace which has been offered to us.  It'll give us a chance to share our adventures with our family and friends.  We are so excited to see what adventures await us!
For now, some information about Daejeon and TCIS:

That's Daejeon, right smack in the middle of S. Korea.

There is a high-speed train that will get us to and from Seoul (100 miles distance) in about an hour.  

Daejeon is the fifth largest city in S. Korea, at about 1.5 million people.

The city is a major hub for research and development.  

We've been told that is a very safe and fairly quiet city.  There is an annual Cherry Blossom Festival. 

Not sure what this bridge is called, but it sure looks cool!

And guess what?  Just like the Land of Enchantment, Daejeon has an annual International Balloon Fiesta!

The history of the school goes back a century, but the current building was built four years ago and was recently ranked one of the top 10 international schools in S. Korea, as this article shows.

Our kids will be getting a fabulous education there.  Lunch will be provided for ALL of us, EVERY day. (Can you tell I'm super excited about not having to pack their lunches anymore?)  

We are excited to see the S. Koreans' high value for education and their work ethic.  

If you'd like to learn more about Daejeon, you can do that here.
And the school's website is here.