"You will always be surrounded by true friends."

There were many random things left in my apartment by the previous occupier, for example, a hula hoop, an exercise ball, two plants, paper lanterns from China, a life-size-penis-shaped bottle opener, a jump rope, a world map labeled in Korean...to name a few . But possibly my favorite was a tiny piece of paper that had been removed from a fortune cookie that simply said, "You will always be surrounded by true friends."

It has recently dawned on me that I have an amazing community in Korea. In just three or four short months a beautiful array of personalities surrounds me. And it would be safe to say no two are alike. I've always thought I possibly had some sort of magnetism for good souls, but it is certainly official.

The beauty of moving to a foreign land is that you befriend almost anyone that crosses your path, opening up your social life to supreme diversity. You want to leave all options open and build up a friend base, and ultimately a support group for what you know you will inevitably feel, homesick. When homesick moments arise, you know you can turn to these people to feel home again. They make you feel comfortable, like you maybe want to stay awhile and then you are reminded that home will always be there.

The one thing that is hard about my social situation in Korea is that people are always coming and going. Friendships have an easy option of being determined by contract length, vacations, or weekend getaways. But the good ones, I clench on to.

Today I had to say good-bye to a friend I had met just two months ago, his girlfriend I only met two weeks ago, and her sister who I had only met today. While these people hadn't been in my life a substantial amount of time, they made a substantial impact on my life. Although we live thousands of miles apart and it could even be years until the next time I see them, we shared something many people consider rare, a candid friendship made up of genuine people. And although, I've been told these sorts of situations are rare in one's life, I know I will always be surrounded by true friends...no matter which speck of Earth I have paused on.

The Honeymoon is sooooo Over.

Stage three here I am. My honeymoon lasted longer than most, I think, but after three and a half months it is surely over. My days as a laid-back carefree teacher are now over with the dismissal of my Indianian c0-teacher, the leaving of the Massachusetts-hailing head-teacher, and the arrival of a new Wisconsinite teacher. This makes me the most experienced English teacher after only arriving less than four months ago. My responsibilities have surely increased. Not only am I training, but I am now creating the listening CD's for our students, creating material for our textbooks and helping form the bridge between the boss, the Korean teachers, and the two English teachers. I guess, to be honest, my job has become a real job and not just a walk in the park.

Other than my job, I now feel the need to get out of Gyesan (the area of Incheon where I live) and venture out as much as possible. This means I try to get to Seoul as much as possible. If I can't get to Seoul I go to Yeonsu. If I can't get to Yeonsu I go to Bupyeong. And the list goes on. I'm trying really hard to get even farther now and see even more of Korea. Have I mentioned that South Korea is about the size of Minnesota...
This little travel trick is what is going to keep me going. As long as I am experiencing new things, I am enjoying life. Daejeon, Cheonan, Cheongju...here I come!

Check out a map of South Korea! Zoom In and Zoom Out

When did my name become teacher?

After three months of hearing Korean children scream, "TEACHER!!!" I finally feel like one. Or at least I finally realize that I am one. I have to say it is one of the best feelings I have felt. A few specific anecdotes have made me consider being a teacher forever...never subscribing to another desire in my employee career. Many of them come in the form of fantastic creative writing. My students constantly surprise me with their ability to express themselves creatively through their foreign language...and then I realize I may have something to do with it.

"Korea doesn't have any resources, so Korea made their people their resources."

"I can keep a promise, but I’m bad at keeping track of time. So I no longer make promises that are about time."

"My winter vacation was forty-two days short."

Their ability to write scholarly, sarcastically, or creatively isn't such as a surprise as their speaking. Our school largely focuses on writing, so while I am impressed with their writing, when developed and thoughtful sentences escape through their mouths, I tend to stop dead in my tracks...especially when they build one about me.

"Vanessa, you know a lot of Korean words, how did you do that?"

Me: "You know a lot of English words, don't you."

"Yes, but I have a good teacher."

After busting out my wallet to show kids what American driver's licenses look like...

"Vanessa, I respect you."

"I was just curious, who taught you English." ...good question. ha.

These few instances have been storms of thought and diction in a drought of English expression. Most of my students speak very slowly with very broken English. But, it is these breakthroughs that make me feel like maybe my job has merit and that to them I'm not just an alien-looking blonde speaking in a indecipherable language, but rather their teacher.

we've got no chance of recovery

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I don't know how much more enjoyable my life could get at the current moment and it is all thanks to the people I have met in South Korea!

“Man can not discover new oceans
unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."

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