Well, it's certainly been a long time since I last posted on this blog. It's already fast approaching the end of my first year here in Korea and I still feel like I arrived almost yesterday.
Where do I even begin on where I am these days? Life in Korea is still it's unusually fast paced culture filled with food, fun, indulgence, and teaching. Living in the city of Seoul has definitely been a crazy life for me compared to the slow, chill suburbs of Orange County. I think a lot of that can be attributed to the nature of city life. Everyone is on the move, people have got places to go and things to do. It's sort of that "If you can't keep up, get out of the way" mentality with most folks here. And if you don't, well you'll probably be pushed out of the way regardless by some ahjumma. Haha
I guess the biggest difference for me these days is the weekly routine that has developed when no major holiday or trip has been planned. The weekdays consist of waking up early, going to school, teaching my babies, and then going home, making dinner, doing some errands, and sleeping. It's a simple routine, but I've learned to be even more domestic than usual. These days, I'm so tired from working and from the lack of sleep that it's nice to just lay at home and sleep after a full day. When the weekend approaches, it's time to break out of the anti-social mode and experience life in the city. However, the consequences of that is the inability to fully recover from the tiredness of work and get proper sleep. "Take a rest" as the Koreans say ... Yet, I find myself taking rests at the strangest times or getting comments like "You look so tired these days". I think the funniest comment is when my Korean friends ask if I'm wearing make up. My response: "No, no I'm not. Those are just my dark circles. Thanks."
Korea has been quite the adventure for me though. I may complain at times, but the reality is ... I like it here a lot. As my year approaches it's final months, I'm left with decision of should I stay or should I go. Well, about a week ago, I made the decision to stay. It's been something that's been on my mind for a while - probably since the day I landed in Korea. Would I stay longer than a year? The possibility always leaned toward yes, but I just didn't want to tell people because what if things changed. However, I've taken official steps to renewing my contract. Now, it's not 100% guaranteed yet since I'm still in the process, but at least I have some idea or direction as to where next year will take me. I really feel like I've only made a small dent in what I wanted to do here in Korea. I'm still itching to explore more of Asia. So far, I've been blessed with the time to venture off to Japan and Thailand, but I seem to have planted a seed within me that wants to see more. I also want to explore more of Korea. It was so different when I first arrived here ... everything was new and everything was spectacular. It's not that it's not anymore. I think what happens when you "live" somewhere as opposed to "studying" or "traveling" there is that you get comfortable. You develop your own routine and sometimes the daily sight seeings, the appreciation for what's around you, it all kind of slips by because it all of sudden feels so normal. So, I definitely want to see more of Korea ... do more, learn more, and really take advantage of the limited time I'm here for, etc. I just think that it's taken one year for me to become acclimated ... in fact, I'm still acclimating because it hasn't fully been one year yet haha. But after that, in one more year, I think I can pull from this experience more and feel fully satisfied. Frankly speaking, I'm just not ready to leave yet.
Hmm ... I guess to briefly update on how things are in Korea - All I can say is that things are good. I really enjoy my school. My coteachers this semester are wonderful people and, dare I say it, even better than the ones that I had last semester. I feel like my role at school as expanded and communication and collaboration has exponentiated significantly for the better. My English skills may be degrading, but at least I enjoy what I'm doing. My rapport with the students is good ... I honestly really like my 6th graders so much this year. They are my cuties who have grown up so much that it's almost scary. While they may make me mad at times, I'm honestly glad to have them as my students than anyone else. It's to the point where I'm really trying to learn their names and be somewhat more of a significant person in their educational life ... which is almost an impossible task, but everyday I make what I think of as progress and that makes the connection with them a little bit stronger. Right now, it's spring here in Korea. It's amazing how much weather can affect how you feel about a place. Honestly, the cold harsh winter here made me want to die - but it's finally shifted and has been significantly warm. Sometimes, a little bit too warm which scares me for it's a prelude to the blazing summer to come. In terms of people here, I've definitely met a good amount of people. It's interesting to see who's come and who's gone in my time here and to see which relationships have stood the test of time. Being abroad, I've just realized that many people come from different places and that even the simplest of things may be the hardest thing to understand. But I'm proud of the friendships I've made and the friendships I've kept (whether new or those continuing from America) and those who I have kept up with truly mean a lot to me even if at this point in our life we are all busy.
Aw ... America. One thing that keeps popping up in my mind is do I miss home? And the answer is, a ton. I'm actually a bit surprised at myself since I didn't think I would miss it that much, but I do miss home a lot. I think being away from my close friends, the college lifestyle, and my family has taken it's toll on me at different points during my stay here in Korea. And choosing not to go home during times of vacation has definitely left a hole that is looking to filled soon. Now, in no way do I mean I want to leave Korea for good - but there always things you miss. If this whole renewal thing goes through, then I will be back in the states for a short visit. I can't wait. I've already set up a mental bucket list of things I want to do, places I want to visit, and people I want to see. It will be an amazingly refreshing break for me to spend time in places with people I love and have missed.
Anywhoo ... that's all for now :) I'll be taking a trip to Busan this weekend so maybe the next update will be about that. Who knows!
P.S. I had to update/proof this so many times and I know it's still not perfect ... my English skills are literally fading everyday!!!
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