Since I have been seriously slacking on the updating of this blog I figured I should attempt at making a come back.
I went home in February for 2 weeks. It was amazing to be home and to see everyone again. I sure was busy for those two weeks making sure I saw as many people as I could but still make sure I spent a ton of time with my mom, my brother, my aunts and Uncles, and of course the little cousins. I did had a dinner with each of my aunts separately to make sure we had time just one on one. Seeing all my cousins was great too. They are all so cute and I just love spending time with them. It's hard for them because they know that I am gone but don't understand really how far I am from home. It was amazing to see all my friends and my family of course, but I also loved seeing my cat and dog. I sometimes see B when i skype with my mom and he does know my voice, but I was amazed to see that how much he remembered me. As soon as I walked into my mom's house the first night he went crazy. He started crying once he saw me and wouldn't leave my side. The first 15 minutes I was home he sat in my lap just crying but clearly very excited. That in itself was worth the 12 hour flight home :)
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| El Sombrero right off the plane |
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| Lunch at Avada with my mom and the rest of the office |
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| Keegan refusing to take a good picture with me but thinking he is hilarious |
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| Amber and her brother in Columbus |
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| Eddie George's <3 |
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| Michael <3 |
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| Family dinner at Gordon Beirsch in Columbus |
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| Eddie boy :) |
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| Kels |
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| Ice Skating with the cousins |
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| My v-day dinner thanks to Ann and Keith! |
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| Thai 9 with Molly and Bob |
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| My 2 favorite boys playing with some yarn together :) |
I am now a month and a half into my 2nd contract here in Korea, and it is going pretty great so far. I have moved to a new city (just outside of Gumi) which means a new school. I am in love with my new school at the moment....things can always change once the students get used to me but hopefully not. My co-teachers have all been amazing, so kind, so welcoming, and beyond helpful! It's different this year, last year I was in 2 schools, a high school and a middle school, both of them being all girls :/. This year I am in one school, a middle school, and it is mixed. I love having boys and girls in my classes. All girls is a lot of drama, screaming, and emotions, and they are super shy. The boys are lively, energetic, and love talking (which yes can cause some problems but nothing a little talking to won't fix). The boys typically listen to me when I ask them to do something and are always the first to volunteer for role plays, which I love because then there no awkward silence, standing around, or convincing someone to speak!
This year is a new year and I'm trying to change things up a little bit. Last year I obviously had an amazing time, experienced a lot, made great friends, and just had a really good time. This year my goal is to hopefully save more money, see more of Korea besides the inside of a bar or club, and to try to be healthier. So far my goal of doing things beside drinking has been working. I went to Busan about a month ago to eat at the fish market there, went to the shooting range in Daegu, we went to Jinhae last weekend for the cherry blossoms, I have a trip to Jeju planned for the beginning of May, and maybe going to a bull fight next weekend.
I've managed to cut back on my drinking, gone hiking at Geumosan a few times now, I have been riding my bike to the town that is near me instead of a taxi or bus, and hopefully will be getting back into soccer starting this weekend :).
I still want to travel this year, but hopefully be more of a tourist than a drunken idiot. I will be going to Japan in September, and then somewhere else (Maybe Bali) in August. I know it seems like a lot of time but I only have 10 months left here and there are so many things I want to do and see before I leave. I'm already trying to plan what I will do when I leave Korea next year in February and which countries to go to. Heather, Angela and I have been seriously talking about taking the Trans Mongolian Express back to Europe where I will then travel around Europe for a little while before returning home. That is my ideal goal at this point before returning home and continuing my education (which I just found out I have been accepted into a Masters of Social Work program!!!)
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| Busan Fish Market |
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| Hiking at Geumosan |
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| Gone shooting in Daegu |
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| Color Festival in Busan |
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| 1st grade boy at English Camp |
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| 1st Graders at English Camp |
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1st grade girls making food at English Camp
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Now, I know everyone at home is stressing out a little about North Korea and all of their threats. As much as I appreciate everyone's concern I don't want everyone to worry about me and my safety here in Korea. I have made sure to register with the US embassy and I check in frequently just to make sure there are no changes on there. I just wish everyone could see what it is really like here in Korea and see that the South Koreans are really just going on with their everyday lives. I have talked to my co-teachers and to Owen about it to see if I should be worried and neither of them seem to be too worried about the threats North Korea is making. I've always told my mom try not to worry until the Koreans are worrying and I will let her know when that is. Here are a few of the pictures going around, sometimes you just need to laugh and joke about something that could be so serious, if we don't we would all be stressing ourselves out and go crazy!
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