April Happenings

It's hard to believe that April is almost over. Time is quickly racing by and I don't quite know how to feel about that! I just really can't believe it's already about to by May in a couple of days!! Wow!! 

On that note, here is the last month for me in pictures...

Riley and I out for one of our many walk on the seaside.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom against the night sky.

Liz, Riley, and I at the Tongyeong Cherry Blossom Festival

 I couldn't get enough of these amazing trees!

Sunset at the pier...a great reminder of why I love Tongyeong so much!

A small bout of food poisoning is a way to damper anyone's free holiday off (April 11...Election day in Korea)

My wonderful friend, Eujin's, wedding

Jinju for the day to see Sara and Ruby

Riley and I experienced a new (to us) park in Tongyeong...WonMun Park.

 Beautiful spring flowers everywhere!!

 Riley got a haircut for the warmer temps outside...oh my little man!

Busan to see Eujin and Gon in their new apartment as a married couple!

Lotte Giants game with lots of Tongyeong friends.

Random Saturday Around Tongyeong!

Sometimes, my Saturdays are pretty random. A couple of weekends ago, I had another random Saturday. I was supposed to be attending a day-long meeting with some other foreigner teachers, but the rainy season had just started and the weather was forecasted to be rainy....but, it wasn't! So, I had the whole day to do lots of random things! Here's my day in pictures:

The first stop of the day was a volleyball game that some of the 6th grade teachers were playing in. This is 이영미...she's the teacher that takes me to school every day and she is quite a volleyball player!

The team after the game. This league is 9-player volleyball...so the court is a bit bigger than normal and there are 9 people on each side. It's really interesting!

The next stop was a soccer game with Liz. Some of my 6th grade students play in a league and I enjoy watching them play.

This is 진민욱...he's one of my students and the captain of the team!

The team huddle as they returned to play in the second half.

After all of that, Danielle and I went on a little stroll with a new friend, Raju. There is a big Buddha statue that I see all of the time on my way to school, so we took a little walk to see it and the temple. This picture shows the current state of the rice fields...full of water!

The path leading us through the fields and to the big golden Buddha.

The temple...we finally made it!

Danielle and I with the golden Buddha! I can see this statue all the way from my apartment roof at night!

Garlic drying and getting ready for my belly!

It's always good to have nice, relaxing, random days! I'm sure there will many more to come!

What Legacy Do You Want to Leave Behind?

Last week, as I was flipping through the lastest edition of the Wayland Baptist alumni magazine, Footprints, I couldn't help but reminisce about my old days at WBU.

I can remember it clearly...sophomore year...an interview to become a member of the Student Union Board...Dr. Lusk asked me, "Sara, what legacy do you want to leave behind after you're finished at Wayland?" Being the 19-year old that I was and having never given thought to any kind of legacy before, I said the first thing that came to my mind, "I want people to remember me as a fan...a lover of all sports at Wayland and the biggest supporter on campus!" Well, I suppose that wasn't the answer he was looking for since I wasn't selected to be in the organization, but as I look back on my time at Wayland, I think that's exactly the legacy I left.

Almost always, when I see an old friend from my days at Wayland and they're introducing me to someone else, it comes up that I was a sports fan at WBU. I guess I didn't realize it at the time, but sports did take up a lot of my time during my four years in Plainview. Most of my memories when I look back have something to do with working at an athletic event, hanging out with someone involved in the sports world, or traveling to a game.

I guess it all started my freshman year at Wayland. I became really good friends with a fellow freshman, Nicole, and we spent a good portion of our first year at the baseball field. We even drove all the way to Arizona during Spring Break so we could cheer on the Pioneers. I would find any means possible to go to a game, especially when the team played their conference games in Oklahoma...catching rides with friends, riding with players' mothers, getting up at 5am to make it for first pitch. I guess the baseball team noticed my obsession support, because at the end of the season, they presented me with the 'Most Dedicated Fan' award at the Athletic Banquet. I was shocked and very grateful! And from there, my love of sports just grew and grew!

The following year, I started working at basketball games doing stats with Rhane and Jennifer. Little did I know how much I would love being courtside at the table. I have never been much of an athlete, but my new job allowed me to be about as close to the action as I could have been. I was learning about other sports that my high school didn't have, like volleyball and soccer, and taking an interest in sports I hadn't before, like golf. Also, by then, I was starting to become friends with some of the athletes, which made being a fan even more fun!

The next two years were full of countless sporting events...and lots of miles on my car! Whether it was going to Oklahoma for conference match-ups every other weekend, Abilene for midweek games, or Amarillo for golf tournaments, I did everything in my power to support my friends and watch them in action. Between games, Rhane let me start working in her office during the day so I could get a feel of the life of a Sports Information Director, and I started writing sports articles for the university newspaper. Soon enough, my life revolved around the world of athletics.

Fast forward to August 2006, I started a graduate assistantship at Mercer University working in the Sports Information office. It was my chance to get experience in a field of work that I loved and earn a Master's degree while doing so. I spent two years there, working primarily with the volleyball and softball teams, and of course, doing stats at basketball games. I feel certain that I would have never pursued that chance if I hadn't developed a love for athletics during my time at Wayland.

And here I am today, halfway around the world and thinking of the 'old' days. I could have chosen one of many different paths when I became a student at Wayland, and because of the one I did choose, I can surely say that I'm happy I did so. I made wonderful memories, and more importantly, I made amazing friends.

So when people ask me what kind of legacy I left at Wayland, I'll proudly say I was a sports fan...and a darn good one!


(PS...Thanks to my little sister for scanning these photos for me since I'm far from home right now!)

Japan - Lake Stars Basketball

Another exciting thing that I got to experience while I was in Japan was seeing Mikey play. I never got to see him play while he was at Texas Tech, but I always heard about him from one of my college classmates (What up Will!!)...so I couldn't wait to see the man in action! Mikey plays for the Shiga Lake Stars and I believe they're currently tied for first in their division. I got to see two wins while I was there, so that was even more exciting!! Here are a few pictures from the games!

Jill with Camdon & Mecailin heading to the game

Look who's on his own shirt!

Me, Mecailin & Camdon with Magnee...the Lake Stars' mascot

Tip off!!

The opposing team's sponsor made me laugh!

Mecailin having fun at the game!

Jill & I with her man!

Lovin' being at the game!

Camdon is such a little cutie!

I love this picture of Jill, Camdon, and me!

Sarah with one of her twins...Sol

Mecailin had fun drawing during the game

And of course a win for the Lake Stars!

On the second day, there was a neat drum show during halftime

Camdon being the little stud that he is!

It was lots of fun and I really enjoying being back inside of a basketball gym! I love watching basketball so it was great for me!! Maybe I'll have to check out basketball in Korea and see how it compares!!

MUVB at NC State

I was so excited when I realized a couple of months ago that Mercer Volleyball would be taking part in the NC State tournament. I was even more ecstatic when I learned they would be staying at the hotel where I work!!

Since it's been a couple of years since I worked with MUVB, my 'little freshmen' are now seniors!! I can't believe it!! So that means I only know three girls on the team, but it was still fun to see them! Of course, I still know the coach [Noelle] and we enjoyed seeing each other and chatting it up like the old days! Here are a few pictures from the two-day tourney:

I was also excited to learn that the NC State volleyball team plays at Reynolds Coliseum, home of Kay Yow Court.

"When life kicks you, let it kick you forward"

It was a great weekend, and I really enjoyed cheering on the Bears!!