Time Will Tell

Well I have severely neglected this poor blog, but I am trying to get back into blogging and with a new blog dedicated to my kitchen adventures, Pepper Food. I will be updating in both blogs more frequently.

First Jjimjilbang (찜질방) Experience

I was fortunate enough to have four days off of teaching and decided to have an extended stay in Seoul. I got in on Wednesday night and stayed with my friend Dustin. On Thursday, I met up with two of my former students and had lunch at Buddha's Belly in Itaewon. They have a pretty good lunch menu and tasty Thai food. Minah and Jinsoo had never had Thai food before and they both enjoyed their selections. I had a massage appointment at Healing Hands and while I was being pampered (fully body, hot stone and paraffin foot treatment for only 70,000W!) they explored Itaewon. After my massage they took me to Samcheong-dong, it is near the largest palace in Seoul (Gyeongbokgung) and it is an artsy area with a lot of really neat art galleries and quaint coffee shops. Definitely a place I'd like to explore again.

Once we finished checking out a few of the galleries, we headed to my old neighborhood to go to Lotte Jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is a Korean public bathhouse. It is gender segregated in some parts and communal in others. When you get into the jjimjilbang you pay the attendant about 7,000W and they hand you a slip of paper with your locker number, a few towels and the jjimjilbang uniform. Once inside, you place your shoes in a small cabinet and then head to the locker room. It's best to shower before heading into the pools and/or the sauna areas. So, you strip down, head to the shower area which is also where the pools are. They are filled with all different temperatures of water and you can move from pool to pool or stay in one. If you decide to head to the resting area/saunas you put your uniform on (shorts and a t-shirt) and grab one of your towels and head out. The saunas vary in temperature too. We started in one that was 174 degrees Fahrenheit! Immediately after, we headed to the ice room at a cool 23 degrees. We didn't have a whole lot of time as I was meeting a friend for dinner, but it was a nice first experience and I can't wait to go back!

On Saturday night, Dustin and I saw Eclipse and it was pretty good. I can't wait to finish the Twilight books now though because I can't wait for the next movie to find out what happens!

Three Weeks In...

It seems my lack of blogging has put me near the end of my first three weeks of teaching. As I'm only teaching for six weeks this makes it a pivotal point in my return to Korea. This time around I am teaching college freshman who are finishing their English requirement. Thankfully I've been blessed by the higher level students, but I will admit, it has still been quite challenging as only half the class really understands the daily conversations and tasks. With that said, it will be interesting to see what the next three weeks will bring as I will also be balancing a 3 credit course, 3 hours, 4 days a week. It should prove interesting, but of course, I'm always up for a challenge.

Life in Daejeon is a bit more laid back than life in Seoul, but not without its unique eccentricities of course. I actually prefer the pace here to the pace in Seoul however, I do like that I know my way around Seoul, know how to get places and was privileged to live in a prime location. Woosong is hectic. I say that with some restraint as I've had some problems with things here, but at the same time, it is more me adjusting to Korean life again. Having previously been to Korea I know that things do not always happen the way they are supposed to or even in a fashion that I am accustom to. With that said, it has been, once again, a learning experience on my part. I am so blessed with this opportunity once again and I'm trying to make the most of it.

My days in Daejeon are filled with teaching, hiking and once again devouring delicious Korean food. I try to eat kimchi daily as I missed it more than I eve knew. I also try to eat something different everyday, not necessarily something new, but different at least. Below are a few pictures from the past few weeks.
















Daejeon as seen from my hike















Uma Park, about a mile from my apartment

Welcome to Daejeon + Thankful Thursday

On June 6th, I left for Korea. Again. This time a two month stint in Daejeon, which pales in comparison to my previous 13 months in Seoul. I spent the first two days in Seoul and on June 9th, made my way to Daejeon. Daejeon is about an hour southwest of Seoul by the high-speed KTX train or about 2 hours by normal train. I'm sharing an apartment with my friend Sarah and it is quite nice. Daejeon is smaller than Seoul, but not small by any means. 1.5 million people occupy this city and while it's subway system is a one liner at the moment, extensive bus and train systems are in effect. I spent my 25th birthday here with Sarah and Jenna and then headed to Seoul for the weekend. Not a whole lot to report yet. I will recap my first week teaching at a later date (probably tomorrow)

Thankful Thursday
This wonderful opportunity to be back in Korea

Turning 25 a week ago

Getting to visit BIS, my old school in Seoul

Amazing Korean food

Round Two

I leave for Korea on June 6th! I land in the land of the Morning Calm at 5pm on June 7th. Watch out Korea, I'm coming back!

P.S. I know I've neglected this blog the last month or so, but that's all about to change my friends. I have updates coming soon about Target Field, running and of course, more KOREA!!!

Thankful Thursday

Classes being finished

New running shoes to break in tonight at the SCSU on the Move 5K

One in class final + one take home final

A year of graduate school finished

Life Changes at 13.1 Miles

Eight months ago I embarked upon a journey that I thought would end at a single 5K race. A single race of 3.1 miles, and about nine weeks of training to get to that point. By the end of December I had completed eight 5K races and began to wonder if I could one day run a 10K or even, gasp, a half-marathon. While I was not necessarily determined to run a half-marathon anytime in the near future, I found an enticing one on April 24th. I began training in the end of January, early February and realized along the way that most of the battle was mental. Physically, I could do it, mentally, completely unsure. Last weekend, I decided to run a half-marathon relay with my friend Kate, just to get some distance in before an attempt at a half-marathon. I ended up running the 7.1 mile portion of the race and while it was slow going, I completed the race and Kate and I had a half-marathon time of 2 hours 32 minutes.

Enter this weekend. Rainy Saturday, ankle issues and a plethora of doubts. And the weekend of the half-marathon. 13.1 miles of running. Doubts plagued me up until mile 6, where I decided to take the half-marathon route as opposed to the 10K route. Doubts then again plagued me at mile 7 when my feet, soaked by the rain, began to blister and hurt. Doubts plagued me at mile 8, mile 9, mile 10, mile 11, mile 12 and mile 13. The doubt left as I crossed the finish line in 2 hours 58 minutes. A slow 13:34 mile pace, but I finished. I, Molly Refsland, finished a half-marathon. My dad was there to see me finish and I would not have wanted it any other way.

I am thinking of running another half in August and a 10 miler in October. I am now, what I consider to be, a runner. A slow, "caboose," but I am a runner. And running has changed my life. It has made me confident, stronger and healthier. It has made me realize that running can be fun, it can be challenging and it can altogether suck, but I cannot stop running. At this point, I will say a full marathon is probably not in my future, but we'll see. Someday :)

Thankful Thursday

My parents coming to visit tomorrow

Finishing my grammar paper

Having a great night with some of my favorite people

Knowing I'm where I'm supposed to be

Jamie Oliver

Nutrition and running go hand in hand. If I don't eat the right foods, I tend to not be able to run as far or as fast. So I have taken a real liking to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. In a brief, but meaningful blog, I encourage you all to sign his petition.

Please, check out Jamie Oliver's website and sign the petition.

Help stop the epidemic of obesity in this country. As a woman who is considered obese, I believe it is very important for children to learn about proper nutrition. I wish I had learned more in my youth, not that you can combat genetics, but it wouldn't have hurt to know how to eat right and to be influenced by my school lunches.

Thankful Thursday

Running two races this weekend (5K tomorrow and half-marathon relay on Saturday)

Seeing my parents next weekend

Making my mom's spaghetti sauce tonight for a pasta dinner tomorrow

Clean laundry

Faith

I'm not usually one to write about religion because I don't really know a whole lot about religion. I know that I was raised Christian and I'd say my morals are guided by Christian principles. I haven't been to church in roughly 5 years, but I am a firm believer that going to a building to worship doesn't make you any more of a religious person than someone who devotes time to God, or another higher power in their home. I think people struggle with religion and faith and spirituality because we have so many options, people telling us one thing is better than the other. However, over the past few years, I've come to realize that a set religion, such as Christianity, isn't important, but having faith or belief in something, anything, is what is important. Dustin, the man I used to date, is Pagan and while I don't know much about the religion, I know he believes in something, has faith in some higher being. To me, this extremely important because in all honesty, you can't do things on your own, nobody has enough friends or family to lean on all the time. I think somewhere in my youth I lost sight of my faith and I've tried to find it again. Over and over.

I struggle with the constructs of certain Christian ideals, including the Bible. I've often argued that it needs to be updated, contemporized. I have a difficult time understand "uber" Christians who to me, are not in touch with reality or the changing world around them. With that said, I envy, to a certain extent, people who are incredibly in touch with their religious beliefs. What I've realized in regards to that is that I envy people who can have faith in something that could be totally made up. A complete hoax. But faith is what grounds these people, faith in something whether real or imagined, faith that someone is watching over them.

And it's faith that has helped me though. Through a breakup that I thought I was over, thought was good and thought I had a grasp on. Through graduate school. Through my doubts, disbeliefs, and disasters. Through long runs and lazy afternoons. Faith in something. I'm not even sure what. I do believe that a higher being is watching over me, guiding me, helping me through the day. Someone I can talk to, knows all about me and has a master plan for me. A plan I don't know about and one I'll never know to its entirety. But I have faith. Faith gets me through my day.

Thankful Thursday

Getting Twins v. Rangers tickets for May 30th (at Target Field!)

Being able to hang out and relax with friends tomorrow night

Realizing my dreams and continuing to follow them

My incredibly amazing family

Founder's Day

While it was almost two weeks ago, I thought I'd give a little shout out to Founder's Day at Cottey College. For those of you who don't know, Cottey College is a two year liberal arts college for women. Cottey is full of memories for me and other alumnae and it truly was the best way for me to spend the first two years of college. Without Cottey, I would have never met some of the most amazing women on this planet and probably wouldn't have been encouraged to pursue anything I'd like. I love Cottey College and someday I hope to have daughters to carry on a Cottey tradition.

Speaking of tradition, Founder's Day Weekend is quite possibly the best tradition Cottey has. One weekend every year, the college invites its alumnae back to relive their experience, see people they haven't seen in years and to help carry on the vision of Virgina Alice Cottey. This year was my 5 year reunion and I had the pleasure of seeing many of my friends and even making some new ones. I can't even express how much I value my education and experience at Cottey, but I will say, it was amazing and one of a kind.


The best part of my trip? Seeing my best friend Kali and her beautiful baby boy, Judah.

Opening Day

In honor of Opening Day/Week for baseball, I thought I'd share with you a few things from my favorite team, the Minnesota Twins. First of all, thanks to my dad for being a Twins fan and I guess making me one. I like the Twins, but now with a brand new, outdoor field, I may even love them. While I have yet to step foot in Target Field, I anticipate it greatly.

The following is my favorite commercial...maybe of all time. I get so happy when I see it, smiley and giddy, it is a bit odd, but baseball season is finally here and we have a new stadium! Holla!



One of the reasons I love baseball so much is because I get to go to games with my dad. He's truly my hero and getting to spend time with him always brightens my day. He loves the Twins and he enjoys baseball so getting to do something we both enjoy is beyond amazing. My dad has taught me a lot about baseball throughout the years, but what I remember most is cheering on the Twins with him while he tells me pitcher's ERAs, batting averages, how many homeruns Mauer has hit and who we just acquired on a trade. Just the simple act of spending time with my dad. And of course having a beer or two :)



Here's to a great baseball season. GO TWINS!!!!!! I cannot wait to go to Target Field with my dad in May :)

Thankful Thursday

Warm weather...running in shorts and a t-shirt!

Two VERY good classes (observation one day, debate the next)

Getting to see my Cottey girls last weekend

Lazy afternoons

Korea...Again?

I have decided to spend my summer in Korea. I will be in Deajeon (대전) at Woosong University. I'll be there from about June 5 until August 10-ish. Not only will I be taking a class (supposed to be two, but I'm already in Vocabulary Acquisition so I'll take 3 credits of thesis), but I will also be teaching listening and speaking classes to Korean students studying for the TOEIC. I currently teach listening and speaking at St. Cloud State University so this should be a nice and relatively harmless transition. I won't be working with the little ones like I did in 2008-2009, but I'm still looking forward to spending yet another summer in the Land of the Morning Calm.

Thankful Sunday

Running 8 miles (only 5 more in my pursuit to the half-marathon...and I have 5 weeks!)

Spending a wonderful 5 days in New York City

Heading to Missouri on Thursday to see Kali (my best new mommy friend) and then Founder's Day weekend at Cottey College (it's been 5 years!!)

Spring has sprung!

Only 6 weeks of classes remaining.

Heading to Korea for the summer!!

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

Spring break starting

Running 7 miles and working on speed

Going to New York City tomorrow!!!

Being content with where life is leading me

Running Reflection

Well, today I ran the most I've ever run: 6 miles. I'd have to say I'm rather proud of this because 5 months ago I couldn't run 10 minutes straight. I'm a slow runner, more of a jogger, but I ran for an hour and 15 minutes today. It was icy, I slipped a few times and I wanted to quit about a million times, but I'm almost halfway to my half-marathon goal. I have 55 days until the Get in Gear Half-Marathon. It has been seemingly more of a mental battle than a physical one, but being someone not used to running more than maybe 3 miles at a time (in the last 5 months that is) it has been grueling on my body. I get sore every time I run, but I know I am accomplishing something so it doesn't bother me so much. I still haven't quite figured out how to eat right and that has been frustrating as I'd like to try and drop a few pounds (or inches) in this pursuit. Now that I'm focused on this half-marathon, I've been looking for a few more to run before I head back to Korea for the summer. Possibly the Green Bay half-marathon?

Picture: Brittany, Kate and me after the Snowflake Shuffle 5K in St. Joseph, MN. I ran right around a 36 minute 5K which is normal for me, but I'm looking to improve on that :)

And for those interested, this is the half-marathon plan I've been using.

Here's Hoping

I have decided to revamp my blog in hopes that I will be posting more often. I have realized that I really miss writing about everyday things, while trivial, it is cathartic. I am also in the beginning stages (4 weeks in) of training for a half-marathon and I thought it would be nice to have a place to document my successes and failures, my angst and happiness through the training process. I've also decided that while I'm not very good about doing things everyday, I want to work on updating as much as possible. Maybe just pictures, maybe short words, anything to keep the creativity flowing.

Today's picture: a beautiful sunset from Karon Beach on Phuket, Thailand. It's cold and snowy here, but in early August I was spending my evenings on the balcony of the Hilton Arcadia Resort. A beautiful ending to the most amazing vacation I've ever had.