Pics of My Korean and Thai Loves on Thanksgiving:)

This is probably a first time American meal for most of these people. We had a Thanksgiving feast and it was yummy...and my favorite was the mac n cheese.

Spontaneous Love

Lately, I've been thinking about God's love and what that really means to me. Of course, it's hard to ever fully conceive His amazing love for us, to really understand His true character. As I've thought about this topic, I realized that because we are so loved, because He wants us, it shouldn't be our mentality that simply because you are a Christian your duty is to love someone. I think a lot of the times as a Christian, we think we are supposed to act or love a certain way because we are supposed to...but really, is it supposed to be forced? How is that real? I think love is supposed to be spontaneous. You love because you do, because it just happens. It's not out of duty or obligation that because you are a Christian you are any better than anyone else. A lot of times, I think it's a huge weakness to have this judgmental eye. It's just like saying, because I'm a Christian, I'm going to love you, because I'm better or something, and that's what I'm supposed to do. But, that's not it at all. Christ loves us not because He needs us or has to, He loves because He wants to. Why is it so hard for us to understand that sometimes. I think a lot of the times we miss the mark. I want more of that spontaneous love. I want the real thing, not the doing it out of Duty or Obligation. And, I have to ask, why would anyone want that kind of love, especially God. That's just a slap in the face, it's like saying I pity you,so I'm going to love you. He wants you to want Him, not for you to do things because you think you have to, but because you want to, not because you are doing it to please other people, or make yourself look better, but because it's pure and true love. Because it's the real thing....

Spontaneous Love

Korea

It has been a little over two months now since I arrived in S. Korea. It has been quite a journey. One of the most marvelous wonders of Korea are the mountains. It is quite a phenomenon because everywhere you look you see mountains. I am living in Guri, which is a little province right outside of Seoul. Seoul has a little over 10 million people and they say where I live is in the country, but for all intensive purposes, it is a city. On every corner, there is a shop or a restaurant. The interesting thing is that there are high rise apartments everywhere, but if you look in the background beyond the buildings you see the mountains. Since I have been here, I have had the opportunity to hike some. In a couple of weeks, I am going to Soraksan, which is the biggest mountain in Korea. I work a lot, so I always look forward to the weekends.

The culture here is very polite. In the States, we tend to show our affection through hugging, kissing, or shaking someone's hand. We are a very touchy feely culture. But, here they aren't. Our hand shake in the States, is a nod of the head or a bow here. Even driving in a car, if you let someone cut in front of you, they nod their head, whereas back home we wave our hand. Whenever you receive anything, you always take it with two hands or put your other hand on your wrist and take it.

It is a very trendy culture and while it is a polite culture, they are very into appearances and titles. Everyone has a title here. So, when you say someone's name, it is proper to say what they are with their name. Girls wear high heels and dresses or skirts everywhere. They always dress up for any occasion, even if it is hiking a mountain. People are very into taking pictures, and especially of themselves. If you walk by a mirror, you have to stop and check out the hair, and make sure it looks ok. It is kind of strange. Cell phones are huge. People will stop in the middle of an important speech to answer their phone. The second weekend I was here, I went to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and we were all sitting down listening to this man give his DMZ talk, and in the middle of his speech his phone rang and he answered it and started having a conversation in front of a rather large group of people. From a foreigner's point of view, it seems to be a rather superficial culture. It is a mini America.

I go to a Korean language class once a week. On Sunday's I lead a small group Bible study made up of Koreans and Philipinos. The class will be useful, for the small group, and everywhere else because most people in Korea don't speak any English and the ones that do generally speak a limited amount of it. It has been a great group of people.

I live in an apartment, which is fairly spacious. Somehow, I got a two person apartment. I hang dry all of my clothes. The bathroom has a washer, shower and toilet. There are no curtains, so when you take a shower, everything gets wet. When I come back at the end of the day from work, everything is dry. Nonetheless, there are certain luxuries that I have missed in the States, and a drier is one of them.

At the end of December, we have our winter break. I'm going to Thailand with one of my coworkers and his wife. They just got married, and are having another wedding ceremony in Thailand. She is Thai and he is from Alabama. I am planning on flying there with them and visiting Bangkok for the first couple of days, and then leaving for the ladder part of the week to go to the beach. Their wedding is at the end of the week, and they asked me to be in it. So, I'm going to be wearing a traditional Thai dress, and be what's the equivalent of a bridesmade in the States. I can't wait for vacation!

Well I know that this is a lot, and I can't begin to sum up my entire experience so far, because there is so much to tell, but I hope you enjoy reading. Here are some pictures:)

Love,

Alexis

Election Time

The time has arrived. For the past few months, like most of you I'm sure, I have found myself constantly being confronted with political ideas and agendas, and really wrestling with the issues that are important to me. The question that I keep coming back to is , "how does my faith, values and world view fit into the bigger picture?"

During such an important time, I wish I could click my heels or blink my eyes and be back in the USA for a day just to watch the action. I will accredit this to a friend of mine, who sent me the link, but I think that it is a great message and couldn't of come at a better time.

http://theaterchurch.com/media/video/the-political-elephant/

Kenya

I just got back from Africa. I spent two weeks traveling all over Kenya, from the plains, to the mountains to the coast. It was an experience that I will remember for a lifetime. For those of you who do not know, I went to Kenya to visit my Aunt and Uncle who are missionaries for the Baptist Church. In addition to visiting them I also did some traveling all over the country. Renee and David (aunt and uncle) live in Limuru, which is just north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Their place is in the mountains, surrounded by acres upon acres of tea plantations. It felt like home to me, after spending 4 years in Boone, NC for undergrad, the weather was refreshing compared to the hot, sticky humid heat in Charlotte. To give you some geographical insight, the equator cuts right through the middle of Kenya, and Nairobi is 140 km south of the equator, which is approximately 75 miles. Nairobi is close to the equator, but the high altitude allows for a really nice climate.

The first couple of days were spent at the Masai Mara National Reserve. This is the best time of year to go to a game park, specifically because of the annual wildibeest migration, but you have to be in the right place to see the bulk of it.

Wildibeest Migration:

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/mammals-animals/deer-and-antelope/wildebeest_migration.html?fs=animals-panther.nationalgeographic.com

This is the largest migration in the world, where wildibeest and zebras cross over the Mara River to the Masai Mara in Kenya. But, outside of the wildibeest, were all kinds of other animals. One of the biggest highlights of the Mara was being able to see a pride of lions getting ready to attack a herd of zebras. All the safari vans were gathered around watching and taking pictures.

The animals did not pay any attention to the engines running or the cameras snapping. We stayed there for a while, but eventually the zebras realized they were getting ready to be lunch, and ran. Another feature of the trip was being able to see a cheetah sleeping and then walking to one remote tree and marking it. It was so funny to watch all of the safari vans taking pictures of the cheetah peeing and pooping.

While the animals were fun to watch and the main attraction for coming to the Masai Mara, the best part of the trip to the Rift Valley was visiting one of the Maasai Villages. In Kenya there are approximately 40 tribes. However, the Maasi tribe is one of the most prominent tribes in the country. I think the reason for this is due impart to the fact that most Maasai are very protective of their culture. Where a lot of the other tribes have become increasingly more westernized, the Maasai society have not. Many of them are very resistant to change. They are well known for their staple tribal color of red. Their tall and slender stature is very beneficial for jumping high, which is something that they like to do! When we got to the village we were greeted by all of the men in the tribe with a song and dance. They then proceeded to have a jumping competition. After the welcoming we walked into the village where all of the women greeted us with a song. In Maasailand, villages are always developed in a circular shape as a form of protection, mainly for the cattle. Wealth and status in Maasai society are based on cattle ownership. When women are married off, part of the marriage agreement is gaining cows. The settlement is made out of mud-and-dung covered dwellings that are low to the ground. We were invited to go inside one of the homes. The inside was very dark and small. I sat down where they slept, which was a little nook that was covered with tarp.

After leaving the Mara, we went back to my Aunt and Uncle's homestead. The next day we headed to Mt. Kenya. Mt. Kenya is north of Nairobi and lying next to the equator. It took five days to climb to the top at approximately 16,500 ft. When we first arrived at the base of the mountain, I went to use the restroom (a hole in the ground) and encountered a small, furry animal resembling something completely harmless, but you would of thought when I opened that door and started yelling and sprinting up the hill that I had seen a grizzly bear. I am certain that after it was all over with, it was more scared of me. I know that the guys were thinking that we were starting off on a bad foot, when the most challenging parts of the trip were still to come! The first two nights I slept in a tent outside, and then the next 2 nights I slept in an old, primitive like cabin. The nights would get to just below freezing. Our porters/guides were from the Kikuyu tribe, which is a tribe located in the mountains, where my aunt and uncle live. We had the best time with them.
At the end of the day when we settled down at our camp, we would hang out in the kitchen, while they cooked dinner for us, and then after dinner we would play cards. It became custom to play a card game called flower with the guys every night after dinner. They cooked the best meals in rather large portions. Whenever I was not eating, they would say, "Eat, Eat!!" Some of the traditional food staples that we had on a regular basis were ugali (a white sticky, heavy dough made out of corn meal, used to eat with meat and vegetables, it's taste is bland), also chapati which is a golden, brown flat bread (also used in Indian Cuisine) used to pick up food. Note: It is custom to eat with your hands, so every meal I ate with my hands. Nyoma Choma was another signature African dish we had, which is any roasted meat; beef, lamb, goat or pork. Every morning and every night, we also had hot tea. I became accustomed to drinking the tea, and now it is one of my new favorite things. Hiking Mt. Kenya was the best part of the entire trip. The scenery is breath taking. And there is nothing like getting up at 2:30 in the morning to climb to the very top of the mountain and see this gorgeous bright red sunrise. On the way home we stopped in Nanyuki, the town that 2 of our porters lived. We stopped by one of the shops, owned by one of our porters; James. I didn't have much money on me, so I ended up bartering with what I had in my backpack; bandannas, gloves, and a rain jacket. In exchange, I got a couple of nice Kenyan pieces. After shopping, we enjoyed one last meal with the guys at a barbecue place and headed back to Renee and David's.

After Mt. Kenya, we spent the day in Nairobi, going to the markets with my aunt. The next day we left for Mombasa, which is on the coast of Kenya and lying on the Indian Ocean. The beaches are gorgeous. The water is a beautiful turquoise green color, and the sand is white. Our first day in Mombassa we ventured north to a little town called Shanzu and had lunch at a local place. To get there, we took a matatu, which is a retro like minibus that local people use for transportation. We took the matatus a couple of times, while listening to reggae music that they played. The next day we went to Old Town Mombasa. We had two men that we met in Shanzu give us a tour of the place. We walked around on the narrow roads of Mombasa, getting a taste of the markets, Kenyan shops and history. Old Town Mombasa has a unique history. Unlike the rest of Kenya, Mombasa is occupied by people of mostly Arab origin. The dress of the Arab women is from head to toe. It is custom not to wear anything that reveals too much skin. The city is dominated by mosques, where Muslim men and women gather to pray and worship. "Old Town" is the part of Mombasa that is reminiscent of the days when the Arabs exerted a heavy influence on the town, culture, language and architecture. Many Arabs came to Mombasa for trade. Because of this exposure to trade, the coastal town became a thriving port, and continues to be one.


At the coast, we also did some snorkeling, which is one of the main tourist attractions because of the beautiful coral reefs, and the many schools of colorful fish. It was beautiful. Our last day in Mombasa we relaxed on the resort and then flew back to my aunt and uncle's.

The last day of the trip, on our way to the airport, we stopped at the National Nairobi Museum, and then flew back home.