"Baby, It's Cold Outside!"

Yeppers, it was a cold one this past week.  The weekend was even colder.  Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday hit a low of -18 degrees Celsius (around 0 degrees Fahrenheit)!  And the wind made it feel even colder!  Throughout the week at YISS, students were only able to go outside for recess on Monday.  As you can imagine, teachers were ready for the weekend!  According to the weather forecast, it might reach freezing by Friday.

Here is a beautiful picture of Seoul.  Someone shared it (not sure who), but I really like it.  I wish my photography skills were so good!  Just thought I would share a photo of the city I have been calling home for a few years!

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With the bitter cold came a very busy week at YISS.  The new technology grading program continued to have a few bugs especially with the high school and middle school grade reports for Quarter 2.  Grades were to be emailed to parents on Monday, but the program was still not functioning properly.  Finally, on Friday, the elementary school was able to email grade reports to parents.  Please pray that they will be able to find the problems with high school and middle school grading programs so that Quarter Two grades can be emailed to parents.

After School Activities began with the swimming activities and one of the Elementary Basketball activities for boys in grades 4 and 5.  All of the remaining 26 activities will begin this next week. Please pray that all will go smoothly for the next several weeks.  I will be heading to the USA to the NICS Home Office on February 13 for the New Directors' Training as well as the Annual Leadership Conference for school Directors and some of the principals.  I am looking forward to this time as I meet the other Directors from other NICS' International Schools throughout the world.  I will be having New Directors' Training with one other gentleman who will be the new director for the NICS school in Uijeongbu, South Korea.  I know that I should be able to leave YISS and not worry about the ASA program and other responsibilities, but I still get nervous and worry.  I have a great group of people at YISS who have been so encouraging to me as I prepare for this next position at ICS-P (International Christian School of Pyeongtaek).

This week's post will be rather short for me, but there is much to do and I this past week was mainly working on getting things ready for the Quarter Three ASA program and preparing grades, interviewing prospective teachers for YISS, as well as giving input on some possible teachers at ICS-P, and working through lots of questions I have for the current director at ICS-P.  Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

On Saturday, my wonderful friends, Tony and Sue Kuhn, came up from ICS-P to have brunch with me at the Original Pancake House in Itaewon.  What a great time we had!  They were very helpful in answering many of my questions and giving me a flavor of the community of staff and families at ICS-P.  We spent about four hours sharing and discussing as well as enjoying a most delicious breakfast at this wonderful new restaurant in Itaewon!

Here I am with Tony and Sue at the Original Pancake House in Itaewon preparing to enjoy our very tasty brunches!

I enjoyed Eggs and Sausage Links with three pancakes

 and some delicious strawberries and bananas - which 

                                    we shared!

Sue enjoyed one of the Hash and Eggs dishes along with three pancakes!

Tony loved the Salami Hash with Potato Pancakes and 

sausage links.                               

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Some busy times are ahead of me as I continue to work at YISS in order to finish well and, at the same time, begin to prepare for the new position at ICS-P.  I already have been communicating with Mr. Bob Newman,  the current Director at ICS-P, concerning a number of issues and am working on a lot of reading material, including handbooks for parents, students, and staff at ICS-P.  Bob has already arranged a date for me to come down to Pyeongtaek to introduce me to the parents.  That meeting is scheduled for March 11.  Thanks for praying about that.  Then I will be taking two more personal days to go down for the accreditation visit on April 13 and 14.  Bob thought it would be good for me to hear the final comments of the Accreditation Team so that I would be ready to go when I arrived.  Lots happening and I would value your prayers.

Thanks so much for your love, care, encouragement, notes, emails, packages, prayers, and support. Many of you back in the States are experiencing some heavy snow this weekend.  We have the bitter cold weather, but no snow.  Please be careful.  Please also pray that we will be able to have some warmer temperatures so our cherubs will be able to get outside for some physical activity this coming week.

Love,  Gregg