Hello from South Korea!!
We arrived here about 6:30 a.m. Korea time which is about 3:30 or 4:00 texas time. WE MADE IT! The 13 hour plane ride is done! It actually went really well. It was a such a nice plane, it was huge and each seat had it's own tv. They served dinner but I was alseep so I missed it then they served breakfast an hour or so before we landed. We got 2 choices for breakfast. She asked us omelet or... octopus with rice. I laughed and said omelet cause I thought for sure I didn't understand her. So she then asked my dad omelet or octopus with rice... she was serious. LOL Never in my life would I have imagined I would be asked if I wanted octopus with rice for breakfast, so that was definitely a first and hopefully a last. :p lol We don't have any cell service in Korea but we found an internet cafe, it was a tad difficult to get to type this blog because all the instructions on the web are in korean but I figured it out!
Let's see we ate our first asian food meal a little bit ago, my dad ate something called a bibimbob in a stone pot i'll send the picture to facebook when i get cell service and I had an omurice in cream sauce, they were both delicious!! It's snowing in South Korea which surprised me but it's kind of cool that everything is covered in snow, even though all we can really see is the airport. Oh and today is actually Wednesday the 10th for me, we skipped tuesday the 9th becasue we crossed over the international date line so megan...i opened 2 letters in one day :) sorry!
..random but my dad just came back with a starbucks that costed 7,600 W (with a line through it), korean currency of course :)...
And quick note to em and meg and anyone else who helped put together the letters, since I can't text right now, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I'm so excited about reading them everyday! they made my night last night! I love you guys so much!!
Well we leave in a couple hours for our 2 and half ride to Taiwan! I'll try to update again soon! Please comment if you can I would love to hear from you!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
I leave tomorrow...
Hello Everyone!!
I LEAVE TOMORROW!!! I can't believe it, like really, it doesn't feel real. It' hard to imagine actually being gone for 3 months. It felt more real tonight than it has so far though. Sad night:( but still a very good one.
Well here are a few things contact-wise that i'm going to add.
If you have skype my username is ellenmarie14 add me :)
My e-mail, I think the e-mail I'm going to use is aerialdiva91@yahoo.com so if I gave you another one you can switch to this one if you want but you don't have to cause I'll check them both the same. I just don't want to post the other one online :)
DO NOT CALL ME...tell me some other way to call you :)
Also I'd like to have addresses to write people so if you want to leave me a comment with your address or just e-mail it to me maybe is a better idea :)
And if I don't have your e-mail address e-mail me and tell me it's you :)
Umm as far as times go, Taiwan is 14 hrs ahead, I think I told some people behind so sorry, I really don't know what times will be good times to talk and things like that but if you e-mail or write obviously timing doesn't matter but so that you know for example...
US time: 9:00a.m. Taiwan time: 11:00p.m.
US time: 5:00p.m. Taiwan time: 7:00a.m.
US time: 10:00p.m. Taiwan time: 12:00p.m.
Ok well again it's late night and my brain is shutting down so hopefully more to come tomorrow!
Goodnight :))
I LEAVE TOMORROW!!! I can't believe it, like really, it doesn't feel real. It' hard to imagine actually being gone for 3 months. It felt more real tonight than it has so far though. Sad night:( but still a very good one.
Well here are a few things contact-wise that i'm going to add.
If you have skype my username is ellenmarie14 add me :)
My e-mail, I think the e-mail I'm going to use is aerialdiva91@yahoo.com so if I gave you another one you can switch to this one if you want but you don't have to cause I'll check them both the same. I just don't want to post the other one online :)
DO NOT CALL ME...tell me some other way to call you :)
Also I'd like to have addresses to write people so if you want to leave me a comment with your address or just e-mail it to me maybe is a better idea :)
And if I don't have your e-mail address e-mail me and tell me it's you :)
Umm as far as times go, Taiwan is 14 hrs ahead, I think I told some people behind so sorry, I really don't know what times will be good times to talk and things like that but if you e-mail or write obviously timing doesn't matter but so that you know for example...
US time: 9:00a.m. Taiwan time: 11:00p.m.
US time: 5:00p.m. Taiwan time: 7:00a.m.
US time: 10:00p.m. Taiwan time: 12:00p.m.
Ok well again it's late night and my brain is shutting down so hopefully more to come tomorrow!
Goodnight :))
Thursday, February 18, 2010
I don't why at the end of long days, running on little sleep, with other important things to do i decide to blog but here it goes anyways. I had another thought that I mentioned tonight at bible study when I was talking to Mrs.Barker and the girls and they told me to write it out and so I guess i want to blog it. They asked if i was nervous or scared, I'm not scared about the traveling or even being away from home <--that makes me sad and a little nervous but it's not so much right now...i'm sure after i've been gone it will be but the biggest thing for me right now is i think i'm afraid i won't be able to do it. Like i won't be able to physically or emotionally handle the hard work with almost constant infant care and little sleep, i'm afraid i'll get to the point where i just can't do it and i'll have to go home. And i SO do NOT want that to happen, i wouldn't actually let it but i'd sure hate to feel that way. I've never had to do anything like that before, so i guess i don't if i can, i sure hope so and i think so most of the time but sometimes when the reality begins to sink in i guess I kinda doubt a little bit or wonder. I have to make it and I will, i really know that, but i guess it just scares me for some reason, explaining it, it doesn't really sound that scary... but... it is for me i guess.
In a strange way though that's kind of something else i'm looking forward to, just life being simpler meaning less # of things to do. I'll pretty much just take care of the babies, which i love doing, and in some ways i am looking forward to hard work i just hope it doesn't get to be too much for me to handle. Besides that i'm really actually excited about it. In a crazy way it will almost be relaxing, a steady, consistent schedule with a few different things to do, in the same place, yes hard and tiring work but also very rewarding and fun :) It just sounds really good right now, I can't wait to get there and do it, I just need to prepare myself for it being longer than i can realistically understand right now.
Another thing on a more happy note, i'm finding this very fun... i've gotten to explain it to a lot of people and talk about it and i really like doing that. Like Mrs.McDuffey wants pictures and info and she's gonna teach her kids about Taiwan for geography she said and I think that's fun. And i get to explain it to our Kaleidoscope kids and I'm so excited about that, plus i just love learning stuff about other cultures... so all of that's been and will be fun!
Well I think those were my couple thoughts for now, it's time for bed, my brain is fried! Anyhow...Goodnight!!
In a strange way though that's kind of something else i'm looking forward to, just life being simpler meaning less # of things to do. I'll pretty much just take care of the babies, which i love doing, and in some ways i am looking forward to hard work i just hope it doesn't get to be too much for me to handle. Besides that i'm really actually excited about it. In a crazy way it will almost be relaxing, a steady, consistent schedule with a few different things to do, in the same place, yes hard and tiring work but also very rewarding and fun :) It just sounds really good right now, I can't wait to get there and do it, I just need to prepare myself for it being longer than i can realistically understand right now.
Another thing on a more happy note, i'm finding this very fun... i've gotten to explain it to a lot of people and talk about it and i really like doing that. Like Mrs.McDuffey wants pictures and info and she's gonna teach her kids about Taiwan for geography she said and I think that's fun. And i get to explain it to our Kaleidoscope kids and I'm so excited about that, plus i just love learning stuff about other cultures... so all of that's been and will be fun!
Well I think those were my couple thoughts for now, it's time for bed, my brain is fried! Anyhow...Goodnight!!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
19 DAYS!
ok i was about to go to bed and then i counted the days till i leave, only 19 MORE DAYS!!! CRAZY!
OK i'm getting tired but i'm just in a blogging mood and I realized I don't think i've even told you about the orphange?! So it's called Home of God's Love and here is the picture from the home page:)
And if you want to visit the website here is the link, http://thehomeofgodslove.org/
The details of what i'll be doing is taking care of 20 babies :) Here is a picture of some of the babies that I took off my friend Allisyns facebook page, she is there right now.
So there will be lots of diapers and feedings and holding and everything baby related :) There are also children through the age of highschool there but obviously since I can't speak the language it would be hard to work with them, so i'll get to see them some but i will be working only with the babies, which I'm really looking forward to. Before this summer when I started "nannying" for a sweet family with a 5 or 6 month old I knew pretty much nothing about taking care of babies. Here is her picture...
But i learned a lot working for them, so i think it's kind of neat that I can actually feel slightly prepared now. Now 1 verses 20 will definitely make it a lot different and more challenging but i'm at least not clueless about changing diapers and feeding and what is appropriate baby activity and what to work on with them and what they enjoy and all that kind of stuff. Plus now I absolutely love just being with babies and holding babies and talking to and loving on babies, whereas before I didn't care as much as I do now. And i think this case in particular is going to be really exciting knowing that I will be taking care of a baby who may not have had anybody to take care of it, and now they will be adopted and given to a loving parent and i can say i helped care for your baby which sounds so rewarding and gets me excited just thinking about it. So anyways i think it's really neat how God worked that out, i learned how to take of a baby and then a couple months later I get this oppurtunity to go take care of lots of babies. My friend asked me the other day, is this something you really want to do, do you really have a passion for this in paticular(meaning place and people)? And i told her that while deciding whether it was what i wanted to do and what God wanted me to do, I realized no. This hasn't always been my passion and what I wanted to do. I used to never want to do mission work, then over the past couple years my heart has changed regaurding that when I had the oppurtunities to do some short term mission work and then the over the past few months before this oppurtunity came up i was tlkaing with another friend saying i want to do a long term mission trip but i don't know exactly what or where, so i strted looking. I couldn't find anything that really jumped out at me, things got busy and I quit looking and decided i would wait on that pursuit. So then in December this oppurtunity came up, it wasn't what I expected or what i would have chosen before but the more i thought about it and prayed about it the more excited i became about it, and things started to work out so it's like God kind of started placing a passion for it in my heart. So it wasn't originally but it has become something i really really want to do, it is becoming a strong passion and i do feel like it's what God wants me to do.
It has been really hard having to strat thinking about actually leaving everyone. I'm starting to realize all i'm gonna miss like, baseball season which sounds dumb but i love it, and my brother is really good and loves it so it's fun to be able to go with the fam and support him, allison told me nakiya's birthday is a week after i leave, deandre's birthday is 3 days after i leave... all these little things are starting to come up and that makes the leaving and missing part feel real. That doesn't even touch all the people i'm leaving and the things that will be happening while i'm gone so it really does make me sad, i hate to leave that i wish i could be apart of both like here and there at the same time. But since that's obviously not possible and I know this is what i should do and it's what I want to do, i'll just have to trst God to help me deal with the feelings...and you can help by staying in contact with meand updating me!! lol send me pictures even leave me voice messages or comments to listen to and read about what you've been up to. But enough about the sad stuff, I can't focus on that, focus on the good and positive and all i'm looking forward to!
So i should really be writing an essay rather than writing this blog. I'm in the process of college applications which i have to finish by the time i leave on March 8th, and i haven't begun any essays, bad me i know. Oh have i told you the exact dates yet? Ok well i'll leave with my dad March 8th and spend a week doing tourist stuff with him. Then i'll head to the orphanage on the 16th. Then I'll be leaving to come home on May 26th which means i'll be back in the states May 27th my time but May 26th...still your time. haha funny huh? But i'll be landing in LA so i'll actually be back in Midland on the 27th. Another thing that i'm excited about is the flight to Taiwain goes from Dallas to LA, then to South Korea and we have a couple hour layover so i want to try to leave the airport then come back in so we have to go through customs and I can get another stamp on my passport :) hehe so that'll be fun to also kind of get to "go to" south korea :) ...eww gross my dog smells bad, well i'm getting really tired now and my brain is shutting down so i'll update again later!
And if you want to visit the website here is the link, http://thehomeofgodslove.org/
The details of what i'll be doing is taking care of 20 babies :) Here is a picture of some of the babies that I took off my friend Allisyns facebook page, she is there right now.
So there will be lots of diapers and feedings and holding and everything baby related :) There are also children through the age of highschool there but obviously since I can't speak the language it would be hard to work with them, so i'll get to see them some but i will be working only with the babies, which I'm really looking forward to. Before this summer when I started "nannying" for a sweet family with a 5 or 6 month old I knew pretty much nothing about taking care of babies. Here is her picture...
But i learned a lot working for them, so i think it's kind of neat that I can actually feel slightly prepared now. Now 1 verses 20 will definitely make it a lot different and more challenging but i'm at least not clueless about changing diapers and feeding and what is appropriate baby activity and what to work on with them and what they enjoy and all that kind of stuff. Plus now I absolutely love just being with babies and holding babies and talking to and loving on babies, whereas before I didn't care as much as I do now. And i think this case in particular is going to be really exciting knowing that I will be taking care of a baby who may not have had anybody to take care of it, and now they will be adopted and given to a loving parent and i can say i helped care for your baby which sounds so rewarding and gets me excited just thinking about it. So anyways i think it's really neat how God worked that out, i learned how to take of a baby and then a couple months later I get this oppurtunity to go take care of lots of babies. My friend asked me the other day, is this something you really want to do, do you really have a passion for this in paticular(meaning place and people)? And i told her that while deciding whether it was what i wanted to do and what God wanted me to do, I realized no. This hasn't always been my passion and what I wanted to do. I used to never want to do mission work, then over the past couple years my heart has changed regaurding that when I had the oppurtunities to do some short term mission work and then the over the past few months before this oppurtunity came up i was tlkaing with another friend saying i want to do a long term mission trip but i don't know exactly what or where, so i strted looking. I couldn't find anything that really jumped out at me, things got busy and I quit looking and decided i would wait on that pursuit. So then in December this oppurtunity came up, it wasn't what I expected or what i would have chosen before but the more i thought about it and prayed about it the more excited i became about it, and things started to work out so it's like God kind of started placing a passion for it in my heart. So it wasn't originally but it has become something i really really want to do, it is becoming a strong passion and i do feel like it's what God wants me to do.
It has been really hard having to strat thinking about actually leaving everyone. I'm starting to realize all i'm gonna miss like, baseball season which sounds dumb but i love it, and my brother is really good and loves it so it's fun to be able to go with the fam and support him, allison told me nakiya's birthday is a week after i leave, deandre's birthday is 3 days after i leave... all these little things are starting to come up and that makes the leaving and missing part feel real. That doesn't even touch all the people i'm leaving and the things that will be happening while i'm gone so it really does make me sad, i hate to leave that i wish i could be apart of both like here and there at the same time. But since that's obviously not possible and I know this is what i should do and it's what I want to do, i'll just have to trst God to help me deal with the feelings...and you can help by staying in contact with meand updating me!! lol send me pictures even leave me voice messages or comments to listen to and read about what you've been up to. But enough about the sad stuff, I can't focus on that, focus on the good and positive and all i'm looking forward to!
So i should really be writing an essay rather than writing this blog. I'm in the process of college applications which i have to finish by the time i leave on March 8th, and i haven't begun any essays, bad me i know. Oh have i told you the exact dates yet? Ok well i'll leave with my dad March 8th and spend a week doing tourist stuff with him. Then i'll head to the orphanage on the 16th. Then I'll be leaving to come home on May 26th which means i'll be back in the states May 27th my time but May 26th...still your time. haha funny huh? But i'll be landing in LA so i'll actually be back in Midland on the 27th. Another thing that i'm excited about is the flight to Taiwain goes from Dallas to LA, then to South Korea and we have a couple hour layover so i want to try to leave the airport then come back in so we have to go through customs and I can get another stamp on my passport :) hehe so that'll be fun to also kind of get to "go to" south korea :) ...eww gross my dog smells bad, well i'm getting really tired now and my brain is shutting down so i'll update again later!
VISA!!
My visa came in!! and i'm so excited!! It makes everything feel so real!! Now that i'm starting to get everything ready its starting to sink in and hit me that it's actually coming and i just get more and more excited!! I was getting nervous about the visa not coming in, so that's a big relief and major check off my list!
So another thing, i gave you some information about how to contact me but also let me give you the hours cause taiwan is 14 hours ahead so think about that cause i love you all but a phone call at 2 in the morning my time i probably won't love so much(especially since i'll be needing all the sleep i can get). lol
So i'm not sure what are the best times and try to let you know for sure when i get there but i'd say these are safe times for now and anytime between then is fine, i just may not be able to answer all the time.
Taiwan US
7:00am 5:00pm to
11:00pm 9:00am
So i would love to hear from everyone!!! but again texts are 50cents and calling is $3.50/min if you call me, so tell me by text to call you and let me call you! Or skype call me and it's free for both!
So another thing, i gave you some information about how to contact me but also let me give you the hours cause taiwan is 14 hours ahead so think about that cause i love you all but a phone call at 2 in the morning my time i probably won't love so much(especially since i'll be needing all the sleep i can get). lol
So i'm not sure what are the best times and try to let you know for sure when i get there but i'd say these are safe times for now and anytime between then is fine, i just may not be able to answer all the time.
Taiwan US
7:00am 5:00pm to
11:00pm 9:00am
So i would love to hear from everyone!!! but again texts are 50cents and calling is $3.50/min if you call me, so tell me by text to call you and let me call you! Or skype call me and it's free for both!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Information
Ok here is the address to write me letters :) I believe this is correct, if not i'll fix it!
The Home of God’s Love
Ellen Mindrup
P.O. Box 9
Lo-Tung 265, Taiwan R.O.C.
And if you want to call or text my cell phone you can but it's 50 cents for a text i think and about 3 dollars per minute. I can call you though and it won't charge you so it'd prolly be better to just text me and tell me to call you. Or even better download skype and it's free! I'm gonna double check on all of this too but for now there are the basics. And there's always facebook and e-mail!
The Home of God’s Love
Ellen Mindrup
P.O. Box 9
Lo-Tung 265, Taiwan R.O.C.
And if you want to call or text my cell phone you can but it's 50 cents for a text i think and about 3 dollars per minute. I can call you though and it won't charge you so it'd prolly be better to just text me and tell me to call you. Or even better download skype and it's free! I'm gonna double check on all of this too but for now there are the basics. And there's always facebook and e-mail!
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