Good Impressions

Today was the first day at my new job. I'm starting on my THIRD year-long contract here in Seoul, and - to follow the cliche - third time is definitely the charm.

In my first year in Korea at Moondeok Elementary, I just barely got my feet wet - I struggled with language barriers, culture and work culture differences, and finding my social niche. At the beginning of my teaching I thought I had to be perfect; since I'm a native speaker, I should be an authority on the language, right? Nope, totally wrong... I learned a bit too late when it's right to admit that you're wrong. Though I made mistakes, I don't regret the past - I learn from it. Looking back, I think I'm a lot wiser from those mistakes. Within a year, I had learned to read and speak some Korean, explored the countryside, and formed life-changing, significant relationships ( namely my boyfriend Donghee :)

In my second year on the job at Eunhye Elementary, I learned the value of a co-teacher - simply because I didn't have one~! I taught 28 hours a week, without anyone else in the class. I wanted full autonomy in the classroom? Well, I got it, and let me tell you, it tastes bitter.

And now... round 3, batter up! This time up to the plate is.... Sacred Heart Middle School! Comparing to my previous schools, this school and teaching situation seems much better, even from the surface-level observations of first-day. The location is within 2 km of my house. I can take one bus that runs from the front of my house to close to the school. My office is my new renovated classroom, and there is a nice lounge for the English teachers adjacent to my classroom. I have four co-teachers who all speak English well. Students in the 2nd and 3rd years are divided into ability levels. The top class is "Justice" followed by "Patience", "Love", and "Peace" at the bottom. Students seemed active and attentive (except for maybe the 3 year low level Peace class). Overall, a very positive first impression.

I'm also determined to make a good impression at this school. I know the meaning of work and the value of a paycheck (specially now when I've been unemployed for 6 weeks). I came to Korea to work, so that's what I should do - will the full strength of my mind, heart, and Seoul - er, soul

;)

Catching Up

Even though this year of 2011 is just a little more than half-way over, a lot has happened the last few months...

The early months of January to March were spent shivering bitterly in the unforgiving Korean winter cold. I also restarted Korean classes after a 6 month hiatus, this time at Sookmyeong Women's University. The classes were Mon/Wed/Fri from 7-9 and I was commuting from far northern Seoul so the schedule was very tight. I remember I didn't really have any time to complete the homework and I was often tired/ lazy on Friday nights, so I occasionally skipped class. I decided to put more effort into studying Korean than attending Taekwondo class, so I kinda stopped going regularly... A lot of good friends also left, and other good friends came back. I agree with the Buddhist idea of life as a wheel.

Just like the Korean weather, when things heat up, it does so with a furious intensity. April, May, and June seemed to have rushed by, I can barely recall what transpired... also, my hard drive crashed in June, so I lost A LOT of photos, haha.... I guess when you take many pictures, you tend not to remember the actual event... maybe it's a disease of our modern era...?

Anyways, in March I bought a bike and a sewing machine, determined to make tons of cosplays and circumvent Seoul via cycle. (Both goals have yet to be throughly accomplished, due cosplay funds being diverted to traveling money and the crappy Korean weather preventing much biking). I also was introduced to a few new friends in about April, so it has added more depth to my life in Seoul. However, they don't live in the same neighborhood, so we can only hang out on weekends.

Hmm, what else? Oh I'm still cosplaying. I recently completed Julia from Tekken cosplay to compliment my boyfriend's Mokujin cosplay. I'm still active in cosplay and I'm dying to get started on a new project... any excuse to romp around Dongdaemun :)

Also, my mother came to visit me in Korea. I think this was the turning point of my life in Korea. I have grown used to many aspects of everyday life in Korea. For example, how to use the subway or how to read Korean letters. When my Mom came, I realized Seoul can be confusing to a new arrival. I had to take care of my Mom almost as if I was the mother and she was the daughter! Maybe this was a foreshadowing of the future when she becomes really old and invalid...? I don't know.... but I do know I'm really glad she came to visit. So few people really understand the scope of my life, and I'm glad to know my mom can relate to some of the important people who now populate my life. It's comforting to have someone understand you and your life situations. I appreciate my family and my mother, but I would prefer to have a few more close friends who understood me and cared about me in the same way....

As for late June and July.... insane craziness. My job piled up the workload and shortening the deadlines. I was determined to finish my contract with a good recommendation, so I chose to work overtime to meet their deadlines. Did I get any thanks? F*ck no. As a slap in the face, they decided to get rid of me early so they wouldn't have to pay my severance. That school was even threatening not to pay my regular salary if I didn't finish all this documents (30 worksheets for their summer camp) by a ridiculous deadline of 3 days. That job was really stressful so in the end I'm glad I didn't have work their silly summer camp.

So what do you do when you in a crazy stressful job situation? ESCAPE TO PARADISE~~! I made the most of my 2 week vacation in July and travel to Sri Lanka and Malaysia. I didn't really get a good chance to research my trip ahead of time, so I landed in the country without any idea of what to do or where to go... luckily, I was traveling to Sri Lanka to see my college friend Charlene, so I could depend on her heavily to plan my one week visit. I had many unforgettable experiences in Sri Lanka, like visiting ancient ruins, following the footsteps of Indiana Jones in the highland tea fields, and exploring the Temple of Buddha's Tooth. More than that, I got to spend quality time and reconnect with a dear friend.

I went to Malaysia with much the same idea in mind - to visit friends and hopefully travel with them. In the back of my mind, my image of Malaysia was a tropical paradise. Visions of relaxing on white sand beaches and jungle trekking floated in the back of my mind. However, this time around, those vision apparently were not to become reality. I didn't know that Kuala Lumpar is quite far from quality beach hang outs and jungle trekking requires 3 to 5 days. Not only did I not allow enough time, but I arrived in the wrong part of Malaysia. *sigh*... I did have a time seeing other college friends in Kuala Lumpar, so that part I don't regret. I will make sure the next time I take a trip, I will research it throughly and try to go along with someone - travelling alone just isn't my cup of tea.

So after nearly 6 weeks of being off work (yay, finally a summer vacation~!!!) , tomorrow will be the first day of a new job. I don't know the details, but I'm very lucky that it's close to my house. Also, I have an interview for ANOTHER job, this time in Kobe Japan that starts April 2011. I feel like the winds of change are just about to blow.... A new school, a new co-teacher, a fresh start... and slowly approaching a closing to my current life in Korea. Even more than that, to be moving back to Japan, this time with my boyfriend Donghee....

I want to maintain my perspective so I can make sure my life will flow in the direction of my choosing.