Maedeup Monday!

Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching two maedeup classes at the Korean Heritage House in St. Paul, MN. The first session was from 11-1 and the second from 1:30-3:30. I taught the easiest maedeup knot which is the hapjong maedeup. The students learned how to make the knot and then they made a bracelet or necklace.

Both classes ended up with additional walk-in students but I was prepared by having extra kits. I loved to watch the look on each student's face as they went through the steps to create the maedeup and then the joy in their faces when they completed the knot.

I like to keep my class sizes to no more than 15 but I prefer 10-12. I always like to go around and help the students individually just like Su-Mi, my Korean maedeup teacher would do with my Korean maedeup classes.

I was really nervous the day of the class. I'm always that way when I'm teaching. I want the students to enjoy the class and really leave feeling good about what they accomplished. Yesterday's classes were very special to me because the students were adoptive parents of Korean born children. Learning Korean culture to teach their children was very important to them and it touched my heart.

My sponsor even went out and got me mandu guk (Korean dumpling soup) from a local Korean restaurant and it was just like being back in Korea. It made me homesick but now I know a good Korean restaurant that Rocketman and I can go to for Korean food.

After class, I met a Korean couple with their two adorable children. She was interested in maedeup classes. Her husband was working on his post-doctorate at the University of Minnesota. They had just arrived in Minnesota the day before from Pennsylvania. We talked a long time about Korea and her husband kept looking at me and saying, "You really are Korean!" It was quite a compliment. I gave her my business card and told her if she needed any help in getting situated or just wanted to talk, to call me. She looked at me and said that her church in Pennsylvania was going to pray for her to meet someone in Minnesota that would help her. She told me that she did not think she would meet me so soon. I had goosebumps after that conversation.

Isn't life amazing?!