Life's Intermission

"Life passes most people by while they're making grand plans for it."

So far, one thing I know I love about being in Korea is the freedom it allows to break away from routine and from doing everything in part to maintain life's grand plan. Every day so far, I've woken up with absolutely no idea what the future holds or what the day will bring. I walk to the subway and see new shops and people, and every day I learn something that I didn't know the day before.

It's an eye opening experience to understand what it's like to be stared at because you're different or misunderstood because no one knows what you're saying. I can understand why some people would be scared or intimidated to put themselves into a situation like this. There's a comfort in being around similar people and being able to easily walk up and order food or read a bus map. For me, the experience is surreal, and I am forever grateful for allowing myself to leave everyone I care about and everything I know to immerse myself in Korean culture.

Why Korea?

I get this question a lot, and I have yet to give a really great answer. Honestly, my decision to come here was based on the amount of money I'd be able to save due to the amazing benefits the schools here provide. It was the only place I did research on and the only place where I was really told to look into. Mom didn't have a heart attack when I told her what I wanted to do, and everyone else seemed really supportive, so my decision was made.

Now that I'm here, I'm really glad this is where I ended up. The people are very kind and friendly (even with the language barrier), and even though it's dark when I come home at night, I have no problems walking home alone. The culture here is built around respect, especially for elders, but there are many times it can be seen in everyday situations. A recent example was at lunch when Rosalind was receiving change back it was handed back with two hands. I'm honestly not sure I would have noticed this small gesture if it wasn't pointed out to me, but this type of thing is very common here.

Of course, I still have a plan.

I, as many know, am a planner. I planned what I wanted to do after graduation, and I made goals for how I wanted to live my life. None of them included a trip to South Korea for a year.

I eventually still want a house in Florida near the beach where I can live with my animals and

have a small garden and a cozy spot near a large window to read and write... and a nice big bath tub and modern kitchen. I still want to write for a magazine and be able to come home to someone special and cook and watch movies together... and eventually have kids who I can teach to be open minded and unselfish. I have now put these goals of mine on hold for a year (obviously, some of those goals were on hold anyway for a while, like the kids thing).

For now, I believe this experience can help me accomplish those goals in a different way. I'm hoping my time here will allow me to become a better writer, see things differently and gain an appreciation for things I may take for granted back home, increase my knowledge of the world and other cultures, try new food and activities and see things I may never have been able to before, and develop a strong sense of independence until I can convince everyone to come visit or share in my experience.

I've set goals for my year in Korea. Of course, these may change, but for the most part these are the things I'd really like to do while I'm here:

1. Learn some of the language. At first, I convinced myself I'd just go the entire year without really trying to learn any, but I've found that I really want to be able to talk to the people here. I believe I could learn so much more if I could communicate more easily, so I'm planning on devoting some of my time to learning the language. I may not become fluent or spend too much time on small things, but I'd like to at least be able to do more than a small bow to get my point across.

2. Be healthy. It's amazing how many gyms there are here and parks and trails, etc. I want to start exercising regularly, and although it'll be tough to eat healthy (as I'd like to try all the different foods) once I learn what everything is, I'll probably start trying to order better things for myself.

3. Help my students learn as much as they can. I really want to be a positive role model for my students and get them to learn as much as they can. So far, I really love all the students at my school, and it'd make me really happy to be able to say I was one of the people who helped make them so darn smart. Being a good teacher is actually really important to me while I'm here. Just as it's important for me to be here, it's also important to the kids that they have a good English teacher.

4. Save money. This is one of my biggest goals while I'm here. My house in Florida won't be handed to me and neither will any of the other things I'll need when I get back home, so I'd like to see my bank account grow while I'm here. However, I plan on earning my money by doing the best possible job I can at my work.

5. Learn as much as I can. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to learn and experience something new. I want to do, see and try anything and everything I possibly can. I want to make the best of my year here.

Now that I've written it, I should probably start doing it. I'd like to mention that as I'm sitting here writing, I'm eating Praline Pecans I brought from home and drinking a Coke Zero. Haha, I guess some habits never change no matter where in the world you are.

Well, this blog was probably one of my less exciting ones, but once I get started I can't be stopped. Next time, maybe I'll share some of my questions I'm dying to be able to ask or observations I've made recently. For now, it's bed time.