I have a lot to write about so I'll just break things up.
School
This past semester was a challenging one with the students. They were rude, disrespectful to me and just didn't want to listen. It's frustrating. But I made it through and in the end, the kids still managed to win me over. I really love these kids, the brats that they are, make my job so fun.
My friend from home is an English teacher at Muncy. Her students are 9th graders, but we decided to attempt having my kids and her kids be pen pals. Her students wrote letters first, since its easier for them. I had to finish other lessons first and then presented the letters to my students. I read them to the kids and let them ask questions about what kids said in the letter and showed them pictures from Pennsylvania. I was really surprised by how excited my students at Geumcheon were, ie, my first graders that had been a terror all semester. About 14-20 students in each class wrote letters. My 2nd graders (8th graders) at Bannam wrote the most interesting letters. They didn't need my help and wrote full pages. At Geumcheon the letters were set up the same way, I basically had to write them and let the kids fill in their own information.
I'm excited for the kids to receive the letters at Muncy and to get letters back!
The end of the semester came quickly. The last few weeks of classes ended up being canceled for one reason or another. So, my official last classes with my 3rd graders turned out to be very anti-climatic. At Bannam, I don't even think they realized it was our last class together. They were great kids. I think I will be most sad to say goodbye to the 2nd graders at Bannam. I don't even want to think about it.
I'm excited for the kids to receive the letters at Muncy and to get letters back!
The end of the semester came quickly. The last few weeks of classes ended up being canceled for one reason or another. So, my official last classes with my 3rd graders turned out to be very anti-climatic. At Bannam, I don't even think they realized it was our last class together. They were great kids. I think I will be most sad to say goodbye to the 2nd graders at Bannam. I don't even want to think about it.
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| Bannam 2nd (8th) graders and my co-teacher Miae |
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| my favorite girls... They also run up to me give me hugs and tell me they love me. |
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| My energetic 3rd (9th) graders |
Life, ie.. home and friends
It's amazing how much things in Gwangju have changed. You know that point in University when you go to the bars, look around and realize you've been there so long all your old friends have left and now it's all new people.. That's Gwangju these days. Most of my friends have packed their bags and moved on home to other things, going back to school, job searching, etc. I know we can't stay here forever, well we can, but most won't. Change is a good thing, but boy do I miss those friends and the fun times we used to have together. I rarely go out anymore and when I do, I'm home and in bed by 1 am. It's usually just an okay time. Nothing I would be overly excited to stay out until 6 am for, that's for sure.
My new apartment is really nice. I'm kind of figuring the bus times out.. though sometimes I'm being charged extra which is annoying. But anyway, the new home is good. A pink "brothel" if you will (my friend said this, my mom agreed)
Christmas was pretty low key. Not much of a big deal here. Spent the weekend celebrating with the Naju crew and had the most amazing Christmas dinner at the foreign restaurant. TURKEY, TURKEY people, they gave us turkey! It's been 3 years since I've eaten it. My belly was happy..
Christmas Eve I worked and that evening Blair made dinner for him and I. We skyped with his girlfriend and her family and then I skyped with my family. I slept at Blairs and on Christmas morning we gave each other presents. Then I made pancakes and bacon. Danielle showed up and we spent the day watching Christmas movies and eating fried chicken. Nothing special, but a good time anyway.
New Years, Danielle and I headed to another town, Jeonju to hang out with 2 of our guy friends. We had way too much soju and it was a completely anti-climatic night ending about 1 am... The next day was super rough for Danielle and I... Sadly, we could not fully enjoy the country style ham, grits and eggs our friend made us.
Travel
So the most exciting part of this post.. my next adventure. I'm beyond excited. 16 days and I'm headed to South East Asia. Finally!!! I officially booked everything today. Hostels, all flights, I'm ready to go. I will fly to Ho Chi Minh to spend a week with 2 other girls from Naju. After exploring and having a new wardrobe made (YEAH!) one of the girls and I will move on over Cambodia, first Phnom Penh for 3 days. Then up to Siem Reap. We will check out Angkor Wat (no duh) and find other things in the city to do. Then I will fly to Bangkok. I'm most excited about Thailand. I arrive in Bangkok a day and a half before my two friends, Katie and Mara.
I will be spending that time with Pat and Kan. Pat and Kan are Thai, my senior year of high school they were exchange students. I spent a good amount of that year with both of them. After they went back home we stayed in contact for the first few years. Kan would call at holidays and it was always so great to get news from them. Finally, after 9 years I will see them again in their hometown. I told them I don't want to go to the tourist sites. I'd rather be shown what they enjoy doing. Really, I just want to sit in a park, with lots of Thai food, spending the day catching up on our lives. I'm so excited, if you can't tell. Maybe the reunion won't be that great, maybe it'll be awkward. But after all this time, we still kept in contact, it will be so nice to be shown their motherland.
After 2 days with them, Katie, Mara and I will head to some island. I really don't know the name, to be honest. But I do know this is where we stay the first few nights. A nice quiet little bungalow over-looking the ocean. Yes please! Then we will move to a chill little bungalow right on the beach and live like hippies for a few days. Katie and I are on the same flight back to Seoul. I get home 2 days before I have to go back to desk warming. But, I'll just be thinking of this paradise. About 9 days lazing on the beaches of Thailand, sipping cocktails, getting tan, enjoying company with 2 fantastic friends... I'm not really sure life gets better than this.
I'm really a very fortunate person. I know anyone can do what I'm doing. All it takes is an adventurous spirit to pack your bags and move to a new country to work, of course an open mind is important, too. But so many people have reasons of why they can't go abroad. Personally, I say WHY NOT. There's so many options, so many places to be explored, so many people to meet, stories waiting to be told. I love the adventures I am able to go on. I'm spending 3 weeks in 3 different countries for my winter vacation. I'm so excited and it always makes me wonder why more people don't travel. I can't stop, I don't want to stop.
I'm lucky to have a family that supports my choice of living abroad. Lucky that they aren't angry that it's been 2 years since we've seen each other in person. Lucky that they aren't angry that I've missed every important holiday for the past 3 years. So to my amazing family, thank you for supporting me living so far from you. I love you and miss you tremendously. <3 div="div" nbsp="nbsp">
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| Christmas dinner at the foreign restaurant. |
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| Couple set Christmas sweater tradition.. Also, we ate too much. |
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| family Christmas <3 and="and" blair="blair" danielle="danielle" i="i" td="td"> |
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| my new home.. it looks super pink, but in person its not this bad. |
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