My Return

I am back! I'll be moving back to Korea at the end of May 2011! This time I'll be returning with a new husband and family so it should be very interesting. As I will have school aged children there will be a lot more to consider and write about as far as the moving and settling in process. Definitely check back in the next few days for my first MASSIVE post about everything...

Back in action....sort of...

So I am back to posting on this here blog I started when I was living in Korea. No I am not back in Korea yet....sadness. I am still in graduate school in the US trying not to shoot myslf in the foot from boredom. I have roughly a year until I finish school but I have already started prepping myself for my return abroad in a few ways:

1) Saving $$$

Being that I am not someone with endless amounts of the good ol' green stuff at my disposal (not mary-jane I'm not 420 unfriendly but I don't smoke it myself), I decided to do what I should have done the first time around and start my saving up process early. Previously when I left for Korea I had roughly $500 to survive an entire month. Needless to say I was very poor and without the friends I had would never have left my apartment (or had a bed to sleep on) that first month.

2) Researching jobs

I enjoyed my hagwon teaching experience. I know many friends who had shit-tastic experiences with theirs but CDI always paid me on time, my managers were awesome, the kids were great and my apartment was pretty friggin sweet. I got paid more than average for what I did and though I had little vacation time, I had plenty of time to have a life. I got lucky. I barely did any research before leaving which could have been disastrous. I was naive and lucky enough to have friends teaching with the same company and just got an amazing placement. This time around though I will be checking up on the companies and branches to make sure (as much as possible anyway) that my next placement is bearable.

3) Making a decision...ugh

So the biggest problem I find myself with is choosing whether to go back to Korea right away or to go to Japan to work. I have studied Japanese and Japanese culture since I was in highschool. Japan was always my first love. However, I do love Korea and I have many friends there I want to go back and be with. So now I have to make a decision. Do I go back to where I know how things function (che, even with the K-logic that is illogical in many ways) or do I go to my first love. I told myself that wherever I go next, I will stay for minimum 2 years. I'll need the time to really get settled and start paying back graduate loans that will kick in around November 2011.

So those are just a few things I've started dealing with. I think giving myself a year to really research and make a sound decision is a great idea as I can't hope to luck into an amazing position again.

But for now I am posting again and I will be sure to keep posting about my upcoming job hunt overseas...

Heehee....

So I am back again after another long break. Well in reality I didn't feel like blogging. But now I do.

My time here in Korea is quickly winding down. I purchased my plane ticket and am scheduled to leave good ol' kimchi-land September 12. I'm equal parts sad and excited. Sad because I have many good friends here whom I will miss dearly, but excited because I feel itchy and ready to return to school. I've found that I really do enjoy teaching. I don't know if I enjoy teaching just English or teaching in general. So that will be a chore of mine to figure out. I've begun applying to grad schools back home and will hopefully be back in school October 1 of this year...as in a few weeks AFTER I get back into the U.S. Things will be very busy for me in the next two months. I'm not ruling out coming back to Korea though, so we will see. If certain things(job, school, personal, etc.) all work out then I will be staying in the U.S. But I am planning to save enough money to visit Korea and Japan in the Spring od 2010.

So what has been going on with me lately? Well my title as Head Instructor has been winding down. It really does make me sad which no one really seems to get, but hey. It's first and foremost a business.

I'm planning a weekend beach trip with some friends to a coworker's hometown on the east coast which should be awesome. I haven't been to the beach in years and I am really excited to get out of Seoul/Gyeonggi finally. It only took me....13months, lol. I'm planning on doing more sightseeing in general expecially now that I finally got my camera battery. So I can begin taking pictures....and posting regularly.

I have a few backlogged posts to publish so those will be coming up soon. I promise!!!

Epiphany of sorts...

So I am definitely enjoying my time in Japan. I've been eating loads of food and walking more than my feet can bear. It's funny. I have felt more comfortable these past 2 days in Japan than I felt in Korea after living there for almost a year. I almost feel normal here. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Korea. But it is as if I lose myself there. Like I'm not quite sure who I am in certain ways. Though living there has helped me appreciate certain things loads more.

I am ready in a way to start my life. Korea hasn't felt like an extension of life. It has kind of felt like my life was put on pause for a year and will resume in a few months. I do enjoy my job. I enjoy the people I have met. I have made some amazing friends that I wish I could bring home in my suitcase. I know there are those friends who I will continue to keep in touch with even after I return to the states. But I also feel as if I am on a vacation from life and I don't like it. I've said it before, but it almost feels like I am playing a teacher instead of being one. I do work hard, and it has paid off. But I can only do this here. I can't go home and teach. I also feel lacking as I search for jobs back home because I have so little experience. It is daunting to look at job postings because I keep asking myself "Am I qualified?" And I'm afraid the answer is a resounding "No."

I have enjoyed my experience abroad so far but I can definitely say I will not do this again. Not under the circumstances I am in. Being in a committed relationship is hard enough. Add being 7000+mi apart and things at times become unbearable. Especially when you are used to being with that person almost every day. Lately I have become so emotional that the smallest things can set me off into a crying mess. Seeing couples walk hand-in-hand down the street makes my eyes water. Wacthing what has been some of my favorite shows "Bridezillas" and "Platinum Weddings" causes the tears to flow.

All in all there are just so many reasons I am ready to return home. Friends, family, school, jobs...sometimes it all seems overwhelming to think about. So my goal is to enjoy what time I have left here, save as much money as possible and keep the waterworks to a minimum...I hope...

That much closer to a sad good-bye...

Hmmm...just now realizing how much I truly will miss this place...good-bye to the place that has been my home for these past 4 years. Hello to a future I have yet to meet. I'm apprehensive as hell but I'm excited too. Hopefully more good than bad is headed my way.
REST WHEN YOU DIE!!!