A Change in Season, A Change in Me

It's fall time. ..the leaves turn and change their hues. My mind, my confidence, my perspectives, I find are changing too. Each day an increasing rat race, the weekends provide my solace, my peace. I look back at teaching and what is involved and it is surely possible to just come into the classroom, and look at the books and teach. The magic comes when you discover how to bring the words in the book to life and make the concepts real for the children. I think of where I was a this point last year. I was in a different apartment, I didn't have close to the class that I have now. My teaching methods were certainly not as solid, and my stress level with my living conditions has gone down immensely. The biggest factor is the friendships I have created. Here, my friends are more like my family. We look after eachother, check in one another, have the heart to heart talks, laugh, and grow together. It's what I need. It fills me with joy. Overall, I am discovering how to relieve my stress and make it subside. I now understand how sick stress can make the body, and I can imagine that I am one of the lucky ones. I'm sipping on Hallabang tea now, typing away mindlessly. It's a beautiful fall day and my roommate and friend will wake up soon and we will go explore the endless colors of Korea together, with that , I give thanks.

Here it is already summer, July 4th to be exact. On July 15th I will have been in Korea for a year. I can't believe this even as I'm typing. To say I love it in Korea would be an understatement. I wish that I was able to capture most of the highs and admittedly some of the lows of my experience here. The word that comes to mind for me is amazement. I am amazed by the close relationships I have formed with others, amazed at how easy those friendships have come, amazed at my progress and understanding, yet still having much to learn about the teaching profession, amazed by the beauty of Korea. Yesterday I was riding back with Sera and her family from Sokcho, where I had the privilege of spending the night with my dear Korean friend and her family in a first class resort and then experience the wonders of a Korean waterpark (waterpia), and experiencing the wonders of the many various smelling and types of spas while feeling the rain cool off my face, amazement at staring at their young boy and seeing the wonder and confusion in his eye of this woman who speaks a foreign language to him and yet still shares in the same wonders and excitements as himself, amazement at him rocking his korean dance moves in the car, amazement at my ability to adapt to new situations, including food, amazed that a food that was once so foreign to me, now I crave their palate. I am amazed with myself and how my heart has grown to love this country and its people. amazed that my homesickness isn't as strong as i had once imagined, and amazed that I still have yet to know what my future holds...each day is a new mystery that fills me with a refreshing awe.

Sharing the wonder...

It's gotten to the point where I have lost track of my time in Korea. My work days are busy with deciding how best to convey new knowledge to ESL learners, often times a struggle. It's so easy as a teacher to keep on talking and forget that there is a disconnect between languages. Even though it appears to you that you are speaking clearly and making sense, when those eyes look back at you, you are reminded that you are teaching students in a language that is foreign to themselves. I am reminded that even with teaching math, some students may not recognize the word "add," even though they are aware of the process and can complete the process with ease. Our trip to the aquarium was a nice break for the students and myself. We could connect with the ahhh's and ooohhh's and "look at that!" and share in the magnificence of these beautiful creatures floating above, below, and all around us.