Housewife?

An old friends suddenly wanted to chat on Facebook, and asked some questions...

Q: Where are you now?
A: I'am in Busan.
Q: O...Busan. South Korea?
A: Yes
Q: For what? Study or working?
A: Accompany husband. He is studying here.
Q: So what are you doing?
A: I'm a housewife.
Q: What? So pity...You're so smart and now you're just an housewife? Eman-emane rek...(In Indonesian)

So what's wrong with being a housewife? If I am smart, can't I be a housewife?

I knew many mommies and wives out there who are smarter than me yet still choose to be a mother and wife. Taking care of their husband and children, making their house clean and homy, cook healthy and delicious food for family, etc. It's not an easy job to do though.

When I shared to hubby about the conversation on that day, he said to me that people judge the value of a man as a commodity. If a man can't produce a lot of money or have a high position/career, he is useless. He told me about Kim Yu-na, a talented ice skater from South Korea who won the Winter Olympic Figure Skating 2010. South Korean people expected her to always be number 1. Unfortunately, Yu-na is a human, too who someday can fail to be the best in competition. In one of The Korea Times' article, the newspaper even called Yu-na as 'item'. What a pity!

The most important thing in your life is not whether you can get a lot of money, or good position in a company, or being what your parents or other want you to be, BUT being what God wants you to be and faithfully follow His guidance.

Not just one person thought that I was stupid for leaving my job in one of the biggest companies in Singapore. Many people thought that I was crazy to go back to Indonesia for getting married and had no certainty about my future. A lot of people regretted my decision to follow my husband to South Korea where I would find language and culture barrier, and struggle to find a suitable job, when I could just accept a good position in a company in Indonesia.

But I have chosen the right decision. Being together with my husband is the best thing ever in life. This is the place where I suppose to be. I can support him, love him, take care of him and having many good times with him. Moreover, God gives us the precious gift which is still in my womb. Nothing can be compared to our happiness.

Being a housewife is a privilege.

Kosin University - Do you want to know more?

Recently, San and I looked at the Life Traffic Feed we put in our blog sponsored by Feedjit. We noticed that many people around the world searched for Kosin University, Busan, South Korea and many of them clicked on our post "Welcome to Kosin University" here.

You may find difficulties to read Hangeul (Korean letters) on their Korean website, and not so many information about Kosin University are available in English. We experienced that, too before we arrived at Kosin.

If you have any interest about Kosin University and want to know more, please feel free to drop us an email to santo77@gmail.com

San will be pleased to share any information especially about the student's life and study at Kosin University.

The Lost Voice

Last Sunday (2010-03-21), one of my Professors preached at church. Most of the audiences were mental disable people (read: special need people). My Professor shared to us when he watched a choir who sang a song. He was amazed when he saw a man who cannot speak well also came in front to join with choir team. Even this man only can say: ah…ah… nothing else. After worship time, my Professor asked him why he still wanted to be a choir member. He said through his translator that one day when he will meet Jesus in Heaven, he will also sing for His glory. He realized that he may not sing well today, but someday he will.

One week later, I experienced almost the same case with that man. Today I could not sing at all at my church. I get a cold and sore throat. I cannot sing at all even speak well because this illness. I remember the man. I can feel how great our Lord not only because of my voice or because I can sing but also by sitting at church and surrounded by many people who praised Him I can feel His presence.

I said to myself: Thank you Lord for this experience. Yes, I asked God to heal me as soon as possible. But the most important thing: He is always beside us whenever and wherever we are, right? God always be with us in every situations or conditions. He loves me. He loves you too.

-San-

Facebook Status ^^

Some of my facebook status in March that I would like to keep as treasure:

March 18, 2010
It's a God's grace to be able to stay with your hubby everyday, eventhough hubby can't be with you the whole 24 hours. There are a lot of wives who stay far away from their hubby and only meet each other once a month or year. Hey wifey, if you keep grumbling, there are many who want to be in your position right now. Give thanks!

March 17, 2010
Jangan menunda-nunda dan milikilah ketekunan, seekor semut tidak pernah akan mencapai puncak gunung jika dia tidak pernah mulai melangkah. Semangat!

Berkat Tuhan benar-benar tak berkesudahan dan kita tidak pernah akan bisa menghitungnya satu persatu. Terima kasih Tuhan, Engkau sungguh luar biasa!

March 16, 2010
A friend said to me this morning: Hey Mommy, you have to be happy...baby will be happy, too!

March 10, 2010
What a busy morning! Snow in spring! Packed subways, no buses, and many people are cleaning the streets now! (Hubby is on the way home, too...haha)

March 03, 2010
when I wasn't pregnant, eating is a hobby...when I am pregnant, eating is something that I MUST do...I lose my appetite. what to do?

To share or not to share?

When you find that you're pregnant, what will you do?

Will you keep that good news just for you and husband? Or will you share it with everyone you know, included family and friends?

For me, I chose the last.

There was a discussion I read on the internet whether to tell other people or keep it secret until the pregnancy enter the 2nd trimester (4-6 months). There are pro and cons about the two options.

The first said that it's better to keep it private because the 1st trimester is the vital period where miscarriage can happen anytime. Of course we would not expect it happens but we never know. So, be patient and wait till you have passed the important- first-three-months which means that the probability of miscarriage will drop to 0%.

The second opinion is to share it because it is a great joy and happiness for not only both of you but also for family and friends. They can support you in your not-so-good-first-trimester if you experience nausea, vomitting and other morning sickness. They can give you advice if this is your first time pregnancy. And the most important thing according to me is that you will not feel alone if you experience miscarriage. Hubby , family and friends can be your strength to get through the sadness and tears.

I thanks God that I can pass the 1st trimester without vomitting at all. Yes, I felt exhausted and easily tired or sleepy. Entering the 2nd trimester, I feel better and somehow get back to my normal life.

One of my bestfriend had miscarriage two weeks ago. I guess she chose the first option above, but still told some friends offline. Her pregnancy was one month younger than mine. I wish I can be beside you to comfort and hug you. I only can pray that Jesus hugs you there, always. Be strong, sis!
Miss you!

When Hubby Falls in Love with You AGAIN!

When your hubby said he falls in love with you as if the first time you go for dating?

My hubby said that when he heard that I was pregnant. He was so etremely happy, couldn't say anything except that he fell in love with me again.

Marriage is about love and commitment.

Long before we got married, San shared to me that love is like a garden full of flowers. Firstly, the two gardeners would fill the garden with many beautiful and colorful flowers, water them everyday so that the fragrance could fill the two-loving-hearts.

As time goes by, the two gardeners are busy with other businesses, so they don't concentrate on that garden anymore. The number of flowers decreases, but the garden is still there. Ocassionaly, on special events, the two gardeners will be back working on the garden, but they will soon do other business as well.

Heard about he will be a father is a Great News for San, so that he hurries back to the garden to plant and water flowers. He saw that the roses, jasmine, orchids, etc on our garden bloom beautifully and he felt IN LOVE again!

Anyway, it's not just about the two gardeners. We miss out the Chief Gardener! He is the one who takes care of our garden since 2005 and protect our commitment in front of Him 1,5 years ago.

Snow Experience

I am living in Busan, South Korea now. Busan is in southern part of this country. Yesterday when I checked the weather forecasting on the internet shows that today will be snow in Busan. But as I know before, the snow will not come to our house, because our location is not too high enough to get the snow. When I woke up this morning, I was trying to open our room’s window to see if there is snow or not. Holaaaa…. I can see the thin ice in our neighbor’s roof. I can see also the snow was coming down. Wow, I amazed and surprised. Then I woke up my wife to see the snow together. (We never saw the falling snow together…^..^)

After that I have prepared quickly to go to school. Before go to school, I want to see upstairs how’s the view of Busan from the roof of our house. First, I found our friend’s dog (named Lucky) seemed frozen up there. I think it is not as lucky as its name. I took some pictures up there.

When I am on the way to subway station, I saw much ice on the road and still snowing at that time. I saw so many people going to subway station. I was thinking that it’s unusual at those times still many people everywhere, because it’s almost working time. Usually, when I went to school, there are few people using subway together with me. My wonder was true. It’s very hard to enter the subway, because it’s already full inside the subway. We had to wait for next subway, because it’s too crowded. The same situation came for the next subway. I jumped to subway with many people around. We pushed and being pushed each other to get the space. Fiuhhh, my memory was flashing back to my home country, Indonesia. There we can find a lot of incidents like this when a lot of people snatch up space for themselves. In Indonesia, I hope it happens because little transportation we have rather than our furious characters.

Inside the subway, I can only stand up in the middle crowded situation. While I was standing in front of the old man, suddenly he grasped my bag. At that time I knew that he will not do something bad to me, because my Korean friends told me already that it’s usual here the people who were sitting to carry standing people’s load. Once again, my mind was comparing this incident to my home country. In Indonesia, it will not happen like that. If someone grasped our belonging without permission, he or she might be a theft. Here, I saw the kindness of people helps another while in difficult situation.

Since my school is in another island-Yeongdo Island, I have to stop in one station called Nampo-dong then change by bus. When I leaved the station, I saw the road was full of ice everywhere. I saw it still snowing there. I don’t think that I can go to school because my school is in another island and the bus has to climb the mountainous road. Right again, there’s no busses will operate to go up there. Then I saw many people tried to stop any cars or taxis to ask their destination to Yeongdo Island. I saw many cars willing to stop to hear from some people there if they have match destination or not. What a wonderful heart of sharing and attention to others.

Meanwhile I was waiting there; there were some text messages and calls from my friend and Professor. We communicated about what we should do next? Is there any class or not? Because my Professor is also live far away from campus. It means that he can’t reach the campus as well. Then I received text message from my Professor to inform me that school decided already not to operate class hours for this day due to snow. Then I walked back to subway station went home.

In the subway station, I experienced the same situation like this morning time. So many people there were waiting for the train. I don’t know why, but this is a story of my second experience to see falling snow and first time in the crowded situation everywhere.

-San-