Our year-long contracts here are almost finished - we have one more month (20 weekdays) and 2 days left... And then we're going home to California. I'm excited for many things: seeing our families, leaving the rainy season, visiting friends in the U.S., using English in restaurants and stores without feeling guilty, eating Ethiopian food and Chipotle's burritos... The list goes on for quite a while, and unfortunately it doesn't get any more interesting so I'll spare you the details. Suffice to say, we're very excited to be going home. At the same time, however, there is a lot that we'll miss about Korea. The food (this is always one of the top factors in our happiness, and it's a wonder we're not morbidly obese), the people (for the most part), the nearby parks, the cost of living, Seoul, our students (again, the majority), Korean, Koreans, Korea... We've picked up some silly customs here, such as handing off money or items with two hands, and greeting people by bowing. In fact, I even caught myself bowing to Jay the other day! I think we're in for a reverse culture shock that's pretty, well, shocking.
It's surreal to think of leaving, or to realize that it's been a year (this varies from "omigod, it feels like forever!" to "really, it's been a whole year?"). The transition from student to teacher is a startling one and it's difficult to imagine that just over a year ago we too were concerned with (our own) papers and homework. This year has been a test in many ways, least of all a method of trying out teaching to see if it strikes a chord. For my part, I really can't imagine doing anything else. A year ago I was scared to death of standing in front of a class and not only attracting attention, but actually demanding it. Now, my only worry is losing my voice from over-enthusiasm (or crappy air). I love my classes and I love interacting with my students - even with the limited English of the younger students (combined with my rather embarrassing incompetency in Korean after having lived here for a year), their personalities shine through. They're over-worked, over-schooled, and over-stressed, but they make the best of it and are generally amazing.
Despite the general amazingness that is Korea, I'm looking forward to a much-needed vacation - a few months at home with our families and friends, and 4-6 months in Central and South America to make up for a year in Korea. I can't wait to go back to Latin America and get back to my linguistic/travel routes (Spanish, Chile) and introduce Jay to a bit of his background in Mexico. I'm working on remembering my Spanish, and learning some Portuguese and French (Brazil, French Guiana) and Jay is boldly learning to ask, "Are you Mrs. Peterson?" in Dutch for Suriname (our Pimsleur lessons in Dutch are rather limited). Clean air, amazing scenery, good food, relaxed time, meeting some amazing friends in Patagonia, a language I can actually communicate in... Yup, that'll do.
As for what comes next, despite the hectic lifestyle and quite a few annoyances, we're loving Korea and want to come back after our "slightly extended" vacation of about 10 months. I'm fantasizing about moving to Jeju, buying bikes and taking bike trips to the volcano on the weekends, living near the beach, and eating halla-bong (incredible oranges), samgyeupsal (Korean barbeque pork), and kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew) every day. Hm... Maybe only weekly samgyeupsal (or else we'll have to exercise a lot more). Ah, plans... But that'll be a year from now, so I will go against every natural inclination I have and simply try not to plan. Here I am, going to sleep, and not scheduling my life for years in advance.
...Nope, already done. But maybe I'll keep it in penciled notes on paper for now. We'll hit U.S. soil on July 30th, and until then, we're trying to make the most of our last bit of time in Ilsan. I'll leave you with a quote from the cartoon movie "Kung-fu Panda", which we just saw:
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it's called the present."
FYI, "das Gift" is the German word for poison. Take that as you will.
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