See you later Korea!

One year, well almost, three hundred and sixty days have passed of this Korean life. It has been a rough journey yet it has taught me many lessons about life, self, and others. Though I will be returning in July to teach summer school for two months, it is time to say goodbye to Korea and hello to the crazy month to come at home.
This week has been one of goodbyes. Saying goodbye to the beautiful people I have met over this past year seems surreal. Friendships made overseas help you to carry on semi-normal life, despite the surrounding foreign culture. Most of the time they are people completely different then your friends back home. It is a wonderful chance to gain new insights and stretch your perspective of life. I am so thankful for all of those fantastic people I met here in Korea, specifically for G Buckman, the Stewarts, and Karin B. They all have shared the highs and lows of this experience with me and I am so blessed to have known them.

Farewells also have been extended to my students. Something I think many foreign teachers forget to do/say. Rather then leave my classes wondering: "Where did she go?" "Why did she leave?" "Did she hate Korea?" I am filling them in on the reality of the situation. My contract has ended, my sister is getting married, and it's simply time to go home. Though this has helped my students to gain understanding and a bit of closure to the matter, it has also evoked tears and begging for a reconsideration of my decision. To be honest it has been nice to see how they did care and that they will miss me. I will always treasure the notes and the gifts they gave me, yet the smiles, corney English jokes, and "Goodmorning Nikki teacher"s will be missed the most.

Thank you Mabuk and the best to every teacher and student! As for all of you friends and family back home, I will see you in two days! ^.^

Field day

Just like America, Korea too has a field day. The kids from different classes purchase matching colored t-shirts and compete against eachother. It's a day they all look foreword to because it means a whole day of no studying! Quite a welcome break for the fried minds of the stressed out students. But not today... and in fact they even get one whole day off on this coming Thursday (to celebrate the Asian holiday of Children's Day).

So to all my little students, all you work weary ones, soak in today!

An Accidental Museum Trip

Living abroad always has it's surprises, yet for the past few months life in Korea has been quite predictible. Go to work, teach class, go home or to a yoga class have dinner and repeat. Sure there are those occasional days where class has been cancelled or a student gets all of us teachers sick but beyond that life has been easy. So last week when I heard we had to go hiking, I was not so happy to have my simple routine shaken up. "But that's going to mess up my schedule," I whined to myself. The other coteachers said that I should participate since it would be the last group thing we would do together since I will soon be leaving. I acknowledged the truth in their statements and agreed, but only this one more time. (Last time I had a school dinner, I got stuck next to the crotchety old principal that poked my face and rambled on in Korean about me. Would I like to repeat anything like that? No thank you!)

So the day comes, I even came to school prepared. Tennis shoes, NorthFace fleece, and a snack for after school. But I was informed that the hike had been cancelled, on account of the slight drizzle of rain we received that morning. I was extatic... then I was told we could go home early...EVEN BETTER!

Yet, I should have remembered, things are never as simple as they may sound [here in Korea]. So just as we were packing up to go home, my coworkers told me we had to say goodbye to the vice principal. "Why," I asked. "So we can show that we are doing what we said," they replied. "But wasn't the hike cancelled?" "Yes but everyone is going to a museum," said Ms. Lee. "But we want to look at cars this afternoon, are you free," said Ms Kim. At this point I was getting upset, I thought that it was unfair that I had to be dragged into this in the first place. A hike, ok I had agreed to that, but a museum that was another story and looking at cars well where did that even come from? Certainly I was above attending!

At this point, my pride needed to be realligned and I am thankful that God is gracious in teaching us lessons of humility. Ultimatly what it comes down to is that I must respect the authority of my school. In Korea, I must also respect the idea of saving face and making appearances to appease the principal and vice principal. Once my pride was back in check, I was able to laugh the 15 minute pit stop to check out new Hyundai cars and smile and wave at the kids that said "Hello" to me at the museum. In fact, I enjoyed the exhibits of hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), the cavemen models, and the pottery that was exhibited. Oh my pride... This is just one of the two lessons the I continually learn while in Korea, pride must fall. (The other lesson is with work, patience can too be my virtue.)

The following are pictures of the random museum trip. Picture one is of the kids at the museum who shouted hello to me. Two is a bride in traditional hanbok (korean clothing). Three is of a cave man exibit. Four is of Korean pottery. And the fifth is of ancient buddha statues in seated pose.