Finally, an update!

Hello friends and family!

I am in Korea safe and sound and have been here for the last ten days. I apologize for waiting so long to update my blog, but everything has gone by so quickly and I’ve had so much to do; I knew I wouldn’t have time to write everything I wanted to. So I saved it all for when I finally made it to Daejeon.

To start, the total travel time from New York to my orientation site at Jeonju University, in Jeonju City (including wait time) was about 27 hours!! Jeonju University is a really nice university. I don’t know how old it actually is, but they were in the process of building new dormitories, and we got to stay in one! The facilities were really nice, and we were fed a lot during that week of orientation. The one downside was that it was EXTREMELY HOT the entire time (except for a few days).

Honestly, orientation feels like a blur. We were busy from the moment we got up in the morning, up until dinnertime – with lectures, meetings, Korean lessons, etc. I attended about 14 lectures total, ranging from things like the Elementary School curriculum, to classroom motivation, and to adjusting to life in Korea.

I also met a lot of wonderful people! My roommate, Chriselle, is awesome and I’m so sad that we are no longer together (she is in Gyeongbuk, a nearby province). The first night we arrived, we went out to a nearby bar and had soju and beer. I have gone out almost every night, to explore downtown, hang at the local bar, or go to norebong.

On Sunday we had a bit of a respite, for a field trip to a Hanok Village (traditional village) and Keumsan Temple. I was one of the class representatives for the group going to Daejeon, so I got to mix a HUGE pot of bibimbap for lunch! (Jeonju is famous all around Korea for their special bibimbap. To see a picture of me doing this in an article for the Korean news, click here)


Above is a photo of some of my new friends, with the dormitory building in the background. We were all spending so much time together that it was hard to believe we only met days ago. Honestly, it felt like freshman year all over again: living in dorms, going to the dining hall together, going to class. And yesterday when we finally had to leave each other and go to our respective cities, we were saying goodbye like it was the end of freshman year! The last ten days was truly an amazing experience, and I hope to see many of those people again.

After the end of orientation, we all boarded our buses, and the Daejeon group (almost 70 of us) went to meet our co-teachers. Our co-teacher is like our lifeline in Daejeon: they help us settle in, they introduce us to our school and our city, and they also help us with things like getting an Alien Registration Card, a cell phone, and utilities. I have two co-teachers because I will be working in two different middle schools: Louise and Ms. Shin (or Hyun). They are so sweet and nice. One of the first things they told me was that my apartment isn't ready yet (the old teacher moves out on the 31st), so I was going to stay with Louise for a few days. I didn't mind because I actually expected much worse.

Louise is in her 30s and is married and has a four year old son. Their apartment is SO NICE, and they have been so welcoming and hospitable!! So far she's paid for all my meals, and tries to make sure I'm comfortable constantly, and tomorrow she's taking me and another teacher to visit a nearby temple. Also, another co-teacher is taking me to see a soccer game!!

Tonight a bunch of the EPIK teachers got together for dinner. It was really nice to see some familiar faces, even though it's been only a day since we split up... being in a foreign city and especially for me, not really having my own place yet, really throws you off... so seeing everyone and sharing stories really made me feel at home.

So while I'm not completely settled in yet, I am definitely being well taken care of... so no worries!! I will update my next post with more info/pictures of Daejeon and (hopefully!) my new apartment. Until then, be safe, and love you! =)

the air is thicker now

it's starting to get harder to breathe.

anyway, im listening to some melancholy music so my mood is the same.

39 days

T-minus 39 days until I board a plane headed for the other side of the world.

It's weird that when I'm about to leave on a lengthy journey, leaving behind all my friends and family, and when I should be soaking up every possible moment with them...that it's the time when I feel the most alone.



"Be happy about your growth, in which of course you can't take anyone with you, and be gentle with those who stay behind...Seek out some simple and true feeling of what you have in common with them, which doesn't necessarily have to alter when you yourself change again and again.

...Don't expect any understanding; but believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it." - Rainer Maria Rilke

waiting!

TO DO LIST:
1. finish up personal projects like scrapbooks and photo albums
2. wait for contract and province placement from korea
3. see family/friends as much as possible
4. wait for contract and province placement from korea
5. create program manager binder and possibly plan event for work
6. wait for contract and province placement from korea
7. put together graduate school application for next year
8. wait.... OH, you get the point! =(

another one

Another quote I really like. Definitely more relevant to my current situation...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain

I am thinking about myself twenty years from now. And I know what she would say.

Saw this quote on a student's binder today and I really liked it:

Seduce my mind
and you can have my body.
Find my soul
and I'm yours forever.

gradu-ma-cating.

First off, having officially finished school five months ago, commencement this past week was a little anti-climatic. But, I guess spending five years working toward this moment meant I could manage to wait a few more months. With my diploma already in my possession, a semi-temporary job, and working plans for the next year, actually graduating seemed sort of... redundant. But celebrating Senior Week with my friends, remembering freshman year, and having my parents come up to celebrate in all my glory; well, that was pretty nice.

Graduation was really for my parents, not for me. I had forgotten that I was their firstborn and that I was graduating from college. Technically the first in my family to do so (do cousins count?). They were so excited for this moment, that my dad wore a suit, my mom dressed up, and they even did a little fashion show for me at the hotel the night before the ceremony. Too cute.

And thinking back now, on that weekend, I'm sure the general theme around the school and with parents were "I'm so proud of you." Yes, the parents were proud of their kids for completing school, for working hard and getting a diploma. But now that I think about it, I am proud of you, Mom and Dad.

I'm proud that I have you as parents, that you love me the way you do, and that you have supported me through so much. I am proud of you for realizing that you can take a step back and still let me shine, that you don't need to hold my hand through everything, and that we can laugh and have fun together. I am grateful that you let me decide where to go to college, and what subject to major in, even if you never really understood it. I am grateful to you Dad, for all the college visits we made senior year of high school, and for liking Northeastern as much as I did when we first came here. I am grateful that you two always forgave me when I forgot to call, and that you called to check up on me as much as you did (even if I didn't appreciate it at the time). So, while you may be proud of me for graduating college, I am even more proud to have you as parents. Thank you.