Poem

Yes, I'm a nerd.  I love to be in school.  I love to learn.  I don't mind tests but they stress me out.  I'm not a huge fan of papers though.  I love getting my work back with teacher feedback unless of course I did poorly.  And years later, I like looking back over my work and what I learned and accomplished years previously.  I'm alright if this classifies me as a nerd because its who I am.

Since I've spent most of the summer going through all of my stuff and getting rid of stuff and reorganizing stuff, I have gone through a LOT of old school papers.  I didn't remember that I made three 4 inch notebook portfolios while in college plus another 1 inch notebook portfolio for my preschool class.  But I am thankful in particular for my ESL notebook.  I've looked back through it a lot this summer and found some links in the materials that I think will be helpful as I move to Korea to teach English.  (on a side note: I'm so thankful that Berry included ESL instruction in all of our classes as well as additional classes geared toward teaching students who do not speak English as their first language.)  While going through this notebook, I cam across an assignment that I completed with my roommate Meredith and my practicum partner Jennifer.  I loved being able to work with them and I'm pretty sure we did this particular assignment together because we sat together in class.  It is handwritten on a yellow piece of paper.  I'm pretty sure it was an in-class assignment.  It's a poem that we wrote.  I have read through this poem several times this summer.  Each time I get stuck at the beginning.  It really reflects my thoughts on where I am currently as I am 10 days from moving to South Korea.  So here's the poem:


Packing
Leaving home
Going into the unknown
Only my hopes sustain me

Packed
Crammed together
No food; no water
Only my hopes sustain me

Ellis Island
Gateway to a new life
Will they force me to return?
Only my hopes sustain me

Barriers
Cannot communicate
This world is very different
Only my hopes sustain me

Unappreciated 
underpaid, overworked
No hardship will discourage me
Only my hopes sustain me

My child
A life in a free world
She will succeed in this world
My hope has sustained me


Obviously, I'm not immigrating to the US and I'm not going through immigration at Ellis Island.  My moving is definitely not similar to that period in time.  But I am moving.  I am packing up and going into the unknown.  I don't know where I'm living, what grade level I'm teaching, or how many co-teachers I will have.    The fourth stanza also grabs me.  Barriers - not knowing the culture fully and not being able to communicate.  It will be a struggle.  I do hope that I am able to learn Korean quickly once I am surrounded by it.  It's been hard to focus on it and maintain what I am learning this summer.  I would change it slightly.  If I were to rewrite this poem to reflect my currently thinking, I think it would be more like this.



Packing
Leaving home
Going into the unknown
Only my faith sustains me

Barriers
Cannot communicate
This world is very different
Only my faith sustains me

Korea
Eye-opening
Outside my comfort zone
Only my faith sustains me

Only my faith sustains me


I know that this moving will have its challenging days, but I know there will also be very rewarding days.  I know it will take some time before I have built a circle of friends.  But beyond a shadow of doubt, I know that God has called me to Korea and that He will always be with me.  Therefore, I can say whole-heartedly that my faith will sustain me.