In the End........

It's been a week since she's been home, and what a week it's been. 

This has been a life changing occurrence, one that neither of us will ever forget. 

We have done some pretty phenomenal things together, seeing various people, places and things.  I believe that everything we have experienced has prepared her for South Korea on her own.  But never have I seen her float the way she has since she's been home.  She describes the trip with enthusiasm I didn't know existed.  I can tell when she's reminiscing, a smile-a genuine wide smile spreads across her face and her eyes light up.  

There is a chance she can go again next summer.  Now I know, in entirety, how the program works:  In actuality KLACUSA takes about 80 kids a summer.  Half of those are selected and awarded a scholarship while the other half pay a larger part of the program fee (and there is no application/essay required).  This year the "other half" paid $1300.  One of the students on the trip has been three times.  Her first time was scholarship sponsored, the other two trips her parents paid for.  So...depending on interests, time, money and life happenings she may go again in summer 2013.

The first 2 days back she spent glued to Facebook.  Every few minutes a fellow student turned friend was either requesting her friendship, accepting her friendship, adding new pictures, tagging her or requesting a tag. Based on photos alone they all look like they had a ball!!! 

She is still jet lagged.  Over the last two days she has slept a little longer during the night.  Every morning when I wake up she is up.  Dressed, hair done, make up perfected-and smiling.  There have been several nights that she has woken me up at 2 or 3am to share a story about her trip or show me an item she'd forgotten to share.  And I live in the moment, not ever wanting this excitement to end. 

She came home with wonderful stories, a new level of maturity, a new nickname (The girl with the hat and red nails), and an appreciation of the hard work it took, as a family, to get her there. 

These last 3 months have been wild.  For us both it's been a mixture of nervousness, excitement, denial, confusion, happiness, satisfaction, relief, pride, sadness, fear, trust, anger, but most of all love. 

I am beyond proud of Tenaysia and her accomplishments.  

Until next time.......

City life by day

City life by night

Country Life

Visiting a high school

The Namsan Tower

The Converse Club

Samulnori classmates

Doing more than watching the throne

Having a great life!

Skin glistening at the farewell party

Interview with a Weary Traveler

 
I'm sitting at the table with Tenaysia Powell.  Tenaysia, 14 years old, has recently returned to Arizona from South Korea.  After sharing a lovely dinner of home made sesame chicken, I thought it was time to document answers to random questions.

As always Tenaysia's response is in bold print.

How was your flight there?
Boring.  All I did was watch the screen in front of me that showed where the airplane was on a map.  

Were you afraid on the flight?
NO, No, no.  I did communicate with the flight attendant in hangul (old school Korean language) on the way back.

How many different modes of transportation did you guys use?
2, airplane and bus.

How did the buses compare to Sun Tran?
(With great enthusiasm) The frickin' city buses were like our tour buses.  They were clean, no graffiti and had TVs! They were just....Nice!

Were the buses handicap accessible?
Ummm, I don't think so, I'm not sure.

What side of the street do they drive on?
Right.

What side of the bus was the steering wheel on?
Left.

Are there more cars or bikes?
Lots of cars.  Seems like because it's so heavily populated, and so many people drive cars, it would be dangerous to ride a bike.

Did you like your roommate?
Yes, Except for one thing (I've promised not to repeat it).

Who did you like the most and why?
Harrietta and Nayong.  They were fun to hang out with.  They were very nice.

Who did you like the least and why?
Kelsey.  She was a bossy hypocrite.

Did you ever get bored?
Only on the bus when we were on our way somewhere.

Did you have a hard time falling asleep?
Only the first 2 days.  By the 3rd day I was used to the time change and fell right to sleep.

What did you spend most of your money on?
Snacks.  Most of them were by one get one free.  Not, by one get one half off, FREE!  That made me want to go back for more.

What was your favorite snack?
Probably...The Mini Pringles.  It was funny because we drew on the Pringles guy.

What item did you spend the most money on that you actually brought home?
My black and gray panda shirt.

How would you describe the weather?
Humid.

What city that you've been to could you compare the humidity to?
Chicago. 

If you could go back for one day, what would you do there?
Noraebang (Karaoke)
Why?
Because it was fun.
You could do Karaoke here.
Mom, it's not the same.  There's a better countdown, flashing lights, comfortable seats.  So, it's like you're at a club but no alcohol and lots of fun.
Did you sing?
Yes, duh!
What did you sing?
Yellow Submarine, Lonely, Cry, Rolling in the deep, Fantastic Baby, It hurts, Oh Yeah, and Please don't Cry.
You sang all of these alone??
No, we sang them together.  There were 2 microphones and we shared them. 

Tell me about your overnight trip.
We stayed the night at Yeongju, a village that did not have wi-fi.  The most memorable thing there was a moth as big as a bird, and the buildings were amazing.  They are at least 600 years old.  You can relate to being that old mom! Hahahahaha!  My favorite thing about the village were the mountains, we were surrounded by them--mountain, after mountain and it was so green there.  Very peaceful. 

What was the name of the temples you went to?
I don't remember.  We mostly went to palaces, not temples.  Although we did go to a Buddhist temple.  Students go there and bow 109 times so they can pass their exams.

Speaking of students, tell me about the high school you visited.
Our group were the very first Americans to ever visit.  There was even a news crew there to report the story.  As soon as we got off the bus the students began to cheer and clap for us.  I was so proud to be an American.  Liz, a high school student, said they did a major clean up to prepare for our visit.  There was fake grass and a couple of fake rocks in the bathroom.  That was so weird.  We ate bulgogi with the students, it was delicious!  Liz was really cool.  I am happy I don't go to school there, they only get 2 weeks off for summer vacation.  We toured the school and got to spend time in the classrooms.  Me, Harrietta and Kelsey got to sing with the most famous Korean folk singer.  We freaked out when she hit the high notes!

Explain your Samulnori class.
It was fun!  It's basically a Korean drum class.  Each drum has different tones.  The double sided drum seemed to be the hardest to play.  The cymbals were challenging to play on beat.  The drum was difficult to hold and play at the same time, it was important to use your feet to balance the drum--we sat on the floor when we played.  We'd play a beat following the director, each beat would get louder and louder.  In between each section we'd have to say a tongue twister, I never got it right.  Before we started to play we'd have to rock back and forth to get in a zone and wait to be told when to begin playing.  After our last lesson the teacher joined in on a body pile!!  
If you were able to go again would you take the class again? 
Oh Yes!!!  I heard Taekwondo was insane!

You were so nervous about the Namsan tower, how did that go?
Well, turns out we needed to buy a ticket to go to the top and I was out of money!!  It was pretty to look at, glad I didn't go all the way up.  The view was beautiful from where I was, that was enough.

What was the most disgusting thing you ate?
Probably this muffin bread thing.  It tasted like the "s" word.
You've tasted the "s" word before?
Do you want to taste the "s" word? hahahahaha!  It had no flavor.  It was just bread.  It was, I don't even know how to describe it.  It was gross is all I can say.  

What was the best thing you ate?
Sesame Chicken.
Did it taste better than mine?
Yeah, you know Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings and please don't take this the wrong way, but no.  Yours kind of tastes like it but not much. 

Now that you've been to South Korea, what country do you want to go to next?
Ummm, oh wow, there are so many places I don't even know where I want to go next.

Do you still want to live there as an adult?
Yep.
In the city?
Yep, because it's nice.  It rains, the weather is cool.  Items are relatively inexpensive.  The people are kind.  The fashion is so 2012, not like Tucson and it's 1976 style.

And what do you want to do?
Teach. 

Do you still think it's your destiny?
Yes.

When you have children what will you tell them about this experience?
This was the most amazing thing I've ever done.  Hard work definitely pays off.
This experience was life changing.  It opened my eyes to what the world has to offer.  I feel more mature since I've been home and I am so glad I got to go. 

******!!!!!!SURPRISE!!!!!*******

The very end of my 8th grade year, I got a new waterbed and comforter set to go along with it.  It was a great way to start my high school years.  I remember the excitement and the feeling of maturity.  The water bed was a full size with drawers underneath and a shelf along the length.  Note, by the end of my junior year the mattress had way too many holes and was replaced with old couch cushions.  To be a teenager again.....

I wanted to do the same for her.  Before the trip came to be I was hoping to send her away for a weekend with one of her aunties or uncle so I could redecorate her room.  The blessing of South Korea was perfect!

The state of her bedroom pre-Korea was a bit unorganized.  No bed frame to speak of.  Her white baby dresser was in her closet.  Drawings (mostly by Aunt Imaunii) all over the walls.  A black bookshelf held her TV.  A black shelf mounted on the wall with knick knacks.  Pac-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Wave, and random video game posters were plastered on the walls.  Chinese fans and glow in the dark stars over her window...sensory overload!  Her bathroom was cute.  A simple zebra patterned shower curtain with black/white towels and rugs.  She had mentioned being tired of it, she was wanting something more colorful.

The hope was to organize and girl-ify her room some.  Before she left we went shopping for a new comforter set.  She chose the reversible kind with hues of yellow, white, gray, and black-stripes on one side, flowers on the other.  While it spruced up the room some it wasn't enough.

The day after I returned from Chicago I began the painful task of removing all of the drawings and washing the walls.  Everything in the room came out!  Where did all this crap come from?????????  Me I suppose.

The original plan was to purchase a new bedroom set.  After talking to Grandpa Larry, he was kind enough to surrender the bedroom set that was in the spare room on Rimrock Drive-that of which belonged to Naysia's Nanna.  My mom and I spent a Saturday morning making 2 trips to Grandpa Larry's to pick up the furniture: a full size bed/frame, dresser and table.

Van Gogh's Starry Night was presented to her by Angela and Todd during her 'Going Away Party'.  Hokusai's The Great Wave poster was framed.  Cherry blossom room divider from the 17th Street Farmer's Market.  Baseboards were scrubbed, new curtains hung, old posters carefully rolled up and put away.  Japanese Cherry Blossom air fresheners plugged in, bathroom a wild array of colors......a room carefully put together-where she'll feel the love as she is surrounded by items from so many important people.

The night she came home it took about 2 hours before she finally opened the door to her room.  She was so surprised!!!!  With my mom and I in attendance she stood in the center, mouth gaped open, slowly spinning around she looked at everything that surrounded her.  And then it dawned on her where the furniture was from and she became solemn, she wishes-we both wish- Nanna was here to enjoy these most recent events.  Momma Marie would be so pleased with Naysia.

In the middle of the night she woke me up just to thank me for all that had been done for her.  Since then she has added several boy band posters to the open wall space.  She spreads herself across the bed, crosses her arms, and smiles sweetly.  Mission accomplished!

Bibbity Bobbity Haboob

First things first, I need to know why she's crying.  It went on for so long I was starting to think there was a 'Yellow Shirt' I may need to choke.  Yuna came over to assess the situation.  As she came up behind me she says, "See Mom, she's alive...Oh no, what's wrong?"  Naysia let me go.  Stood erect, took off her glasses, wiped her face with the sweater sleeve, opened her eyes sweetly smiled and said,

"I had an awesome time"

"Mom, I'm hungry and I'm out of money"

That was music to my ears!!  My tense shoulders dropped and I smiled.  Yuna ran off as she had other students to tend to.  Miss Kim, who Naysia had been walking with, came over to introduce herself.  While she did not stay for the entire trip she had escorted the children there and back.  Part of her duties that day were to make sure Naysia made it to Terminal 2 for her Southwest flight to Phoenix. Dr. Moon obviously relieved her of that duty since I was there.  She shared her good wishes and I thanked her for taking care of my girl.  

I had so many questions to ask, but Naysia first had to say goodbye to her new friends.  There was a large group of students behind us.  She made her way over and I began to follow her, but stopped.  She needed that moment alone.  I stood in the corner and watched her interactions, mesmerized by her as she loved on her new friends.  She has become an incredible young lady.  She made her way back to me with tears in her eyes.  

We negotiated the carrying of bags and slowly made our way, by foot, to Terminal 2.  As we strolled we were arm in arm.  I wanted to know everything!  (I'll address specific topics in a later post).  She talked about the flight, food, weather, people, buildings, museums, bugs, money, cosmetics, roommate, clothes, the city and the countryside.  

We had a 3 hour wait ahead of us.  Once we got our tickets and checked luggage we got some lunch.  At the table not only did we eat, but go through her 1405 pictures and videos.  I've never seen her so fired up.  I did not want the moment to end.  We were able to find an empty row of seats near the tail of the plane.  I was certain she would sleep, but gratefully she did not.  We continued to talk, and soon after we started the gentleman next to her began to chime in as well.  

The flight was great until we neared Phoenix.  There was turbulence, and lots of it.  Everytime the plane shook she grabbed my arm tighter with her right hand.  On the left side she grabbed the arm rest.  The gentleman would kindly bring up a topic in an attempt to ease her fears.  As we looked at the window the turbulence creator was apparent....what I was most afraid would happen, a haboob on the horizon. 

Once luggage was claimed we went outside and were hit by a blast of hot wind and sand.  We walked against the wind with our eyes squinted to the blue diamond shuttle pick up and were sitting in good ole Lance within 10 minutes.  I was hoping that the haboob had already gone over I-10.  We jumped on the freeway.  The Wild Horse Pass exit was in my rear view; but in front of us cars began to disappear into the dreaded dust storm.  What are we gonna do now????  

I was scared.  Quickly I pulled over but could not remember.  Are the lights left on?  Off?  Blinkers?  I wish I had paid more attention to the 10 o'clock news.  I was on the verge of crying.  All I could envision was a car slamming into the back of us, or a side swipe.  Ugh!!!  

But my little Naysia, wide awake, with a grin on her face says, "Mom, it's going to be fine.  Let's just sit here and talk some more.  It's actually kind of fun, like an adventure"

For 30 minutes or so we sat, and talked.  And as I pulled onto the freeway and cruised home all I could think about is how very fortunate I am to have her.

Later we learned the haboob knocked out power for about 9000 in Phoenix, and the airport was shut down for nearly an hour.  We made it in just in time. 

The Rebirth

 March 11, 1998.  A seemingly unhealthy feeling of excitement and fear are in my heart.  I have never been that nervous.  That day could not come fast enough, yet I did not want to face it.  Sure, pain was going to occur, but what I was most afraid of was how I was going to raise this little beauty on my own.  Her father was uninterested-I was to be her everything.  After 4 hours of labor she was finally in my arms.  She cried and tears quietly fell from my eyes.  Although family and nurses were around, in that moment it was just the 2 of us, nothing and no one else mattered.  That night, after all the visitors left and it was just we, I was filled with hope, love and thankfulness. Suffocated by emotions, I could not cry or smile.  All I could do was bask in the blessing of motherhood.

Fast forward to July 21, 2012.  As I waited in the airport I was once again excited and fearful.  It's been a very long 3 weeks without her.  Fear began to set in.  What's taking so long for her to surface?  I had not been that nervous since the day she was born. 

Every time I saw someone in a yellow shirt, butterflies would appear...only to immediately disappear.  30 minutes passed, 45 minutes passed and still no Naysia.  One 'Yellow Shirt' from their group came out!  She must be right behind.  But she wasn't.  I rocked back and forth, checked the time repeatedly, read the screen over and over again.  Where is my girl?!!

And then she turned the corner.  She walked alongside one of the teachers, yellow shirt donned, hat on, and all luggage in tow.  We locked eyes and I waved furiously.  She calmly made her way around the metal bars.  I fished through the crowd. We hugged...and cried. In that moment it was just the 2 of us, nothing and no one else mattered, it was just me and my girl.  Once again I was filled with hope, love and thankfulness. It felt so good to have my baby in my arms!

The Happiest Place on Earth

I lit a candle Friday night and prayed for safe travel for Naysia and her group, among other things. There was very little sleep for me as all I could do was think about what lay ahead.

The alarm went off at 5am, but I did not get out of the bed until 515am.  I showered and dressed~most thrilled that for a change I did not have a bag to pack.  Checked, double checked and triple checked for ID and cash in my purse.

The car was gassed up the night before so no early morning stops needed to be made.  I was on I-10 West by 645am.  As I entered Phoenix my only thought was, please don't let there be a dust storm this evening on our way home.

The flight to LA was uneventful.  I luckily had a window seat.  On the way I read and dozed off.  We arrived right on schedule.  I printed my return ticket and headed to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Asiana Flight 020 was scheduled to arrive at 12pm, I got to the terminal about 1145.  The arrival floor is set up like so:  There is a circular area in the center of the room that makes for a dramatic arrival.  Surrounding the area are bars to keep those waiting from entering.  Along the wall is a huge screen announcing flight times, arrivals, delays, etc.  As I faced the area I noticed people straggling up a ramp on the right side.  I settled into a spot directly across the ramp and impatiently waited for her to walk up-Her flight arrived 10 minutes early, surely she'd be making her way around the corner soon.

As I waited I people watched.  Numerous nationalities, ages, professions, men, women, boys and girls all gathered in the same room, waiting.  Waiting for a friend, family member, undoubtedly a loved one to emerge.  I smiled listening to cheers, reading "welcome home" signs, and seeing people embrace often times with tears rolling down their cheeks.  This was one of the happiest places I've ever been.

I was about to burst waiting for my turn to hug my girl!

Just Do It

 I spent part of last night researching summer programs in Korea as I know she wants to return next year.  The program she's currently participating in is a one time only deal, the others are pretty costly. If she forfeits Christmas and her birthday we may be able to make an exchange student trip happen in 2013.

She's a day ahead.  The time in South Korea is Tuesday about 9:15am.  I have her activity itinerary saved on my desktop and I noticed her tonight is what she has been dreading.....the Namsan Tower.

I'm hoping that since she is with her new friends that she will be encouraged to face her fears and go as high in the tower as they possibly can. 

I wish I could get her on the phone and tell her, remind her, to do just do it!

5 more days til she comes home and I have structure :)  I can hardly wait to hear about this great adventure.