My time is Korea is quickly dwindling. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by here. It has been one hell of a year here. I have had such an amazing experience here. My school has begged me to stay longer throwing tons of offers my way but I just had to say no, I need a change. However, I am in love with my kids and will miss them dearly. I have had a couple of them cry in my lap after telling them that I was leaving. It’s going to be hard to leave them and everyone I have met in Korea. I will miss so many things about Korea; I made a list of the top things I will miss most:
-Not having to pay tip on anything
-Koreans; they really are wonderful people
-Transportation
-Being able to go for a hike wherever I am
-My crazy students. I love them! (Especially 6 year-old Dylan)
-Health care in Korea. I opted not to pay for insurance, which was $30 a month. Even without it I pay not even ten bucks to go to the hospital.
-Makgolli (Korean rice wine)
-Being able to walk to a familymart or 7/11 on any given street corner in Korea
-People watching from the third floor of a coffee shop (people watching here is spectacular)
-How little money I pay for food/everything
-Side dishes during meals with free refills
-Feeling extremely safe everywhere I go in this country
-Meeting random awesome people from all over the world
-Awesome Korean contraptions such as their tape dispenser, umbrella bags, “bing bong” table service button…
-How easy life is here, I understand why people come here and never leave
-ServiceE (when Koreans give a small gift with something you buy like they’ll give a pair of socks with shoes or little lotions when you buy face wash. My personal favorite is the food serviceE’s, they’ll bring nuts or fresh fruit when you’re out enjoying a few beers at a bar/restaurant with friends.)
It’s really going to be hard to leave this country. I have really come to love and appreciate Korean culture. It truly has been a wonderful place to live in for a year. Coming to Korea was the craziest yet best decision I have ever made in my life so far. I’m so happy I came here to live and experience a completely different culture than what I am accustomed to. I’ve met some incredible people here whom I don’t want to leave. But like Sharon teacher once told me; when one person leaves your life, a new one enters. I like that. I am very grateful to have been surrounded by great people here. My soccer teammates, coworkers, best friends from home, and random new friends I’ve met along the way.
My last few weeks I have been pretty busy. I have been trying to meet up with friends for the last time before I leave and packing my life away here. The new teacher gets here on Thursday this week, which is exciting. That also means that I have to be out of my apartment next week. Yes, I will be homeless… Haha. I have had so many people wanting me to stay with them though. Sharon, Jessica, Sally, Adam, my soccer teammate Jonglan (who already made a list of all the foods I like to prepare meals for me…). My director, Amy, really wants me to stay at her apartment with her son Joseph who I teach. She told me this morning that she cleaned out “my room” in her apartment… haha. So, it looks like I’ll be doing some couch surfing for the last week of my stay in Korea. It will be interesting for sure. I fly home on March 5th in the morning and arrive in Minneapolis on March 5th in the evening!
Here are a couple pictures from the last couple weekends....
Here are a couple pictures from the last couple weekends....
Jinwoo and I at Butterfinger Pancakes!
Kalie and I with Hyundeok- Jessica's friend who's an actor. We went to watch his play, it was really good but we didn't understand anything because it was all in Korean! haha
Kalie and I went to a wine bar on the 8th floor in Seoul and people watched all night... it was pretty great!
This is what it looks like in any given intersection in Seoul... this is not even that busy of an intersection. So many people!
Jen and I (she a fellow Minnesotan and works in my town, Hongcheon, at the girls middle school) We're at WaBar, one of the local bars that all the foreigners meet up at...
Last weekend I met up with Clayton, Mike, Mike’s coworker Sally, and Sally’s Korean friend who loves Clayton and I. We walked around Hyehwa, an area in Seoul I hadn’t really spent any time before. We went to see the fortress wall and ate at a cute little restaurant. Later that evening we went to go see a dance musical. It was really cool; it was just a bunch of people hip-hop dancing. I enjoyed it a lot!
Seoul Fortress Wall.
Clayton and Mike
If this pole falls down everyone in town will be screwed!
The dance musical
Our Korean BBQ after the musical. I love the little turtle grill, he was so cute!
I’m looking forward to relaxing for a bit. It has been pretty crazy at school while we are trying to prepare things for next year. They have no days off in between the school years. Oh, and I have to give a speech next week for the 7 year olds, that should be fun… Not! I hate speeches, wish me luck!
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