24-older and wiser
Suwon Garden
Some of my favorite signage and Konglishy
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Sitting at gate 6, an hour and fifteen minutes away from boarding time, I'm finding myself overcome with sadness. This comes as somewhat of a surprise. I'm not ready to put the intense emotions I'm experiencing into words.
The last three months have been a surreal, dreamlike escapade. I never had any free time to internalize what I was doing or reflect on my experience; now that I have two hours of downtime and nothing to do, I'm feeling somewhat lost.
Overall, I had a fantastic time in Korea. I experienced the most rapid personal growth I've ever experienced in such a short period. Learning how to teach, "performing" 9.5 hours each day, sleeping 4 hours each night, learning to love history, developing an entire biology course, discovering my profound interest in North Korea, feigning effervescence each day, and learning how to manage 195 different kids has left me marked forever.
I celebrated my birthday the other night with a group of teachers- Laine, Sharon, Yerin, Kay, and I went to Suwon Garden which is a well known Korean restaurant (a picture of Bill Clinton graces the hallway to the restrooms). I've never been surrounded by so much food- I'll post a picture once Laine emails them to me (my camera died). My birthday overall was great as I was completely spoiled- I came in to work to find my desk decorated with sparkles and ribbons, and received wonderful gifts including a chocolate cake, candy bars, ice cream, coffee, and endearing letters from my students and colleagues.
Last night I finished the development of my biology course and then ate traditional Korean Barbeque with Eugene. Afterward, I went to a lovely Korean Spa and had a 100 minute deep tissue massage until 12:30am. My hedonistic self never appreciated human touch as much as I did this night.
I suppose it's worth mentioning that I received the Teacher of the Month award on the last day of class. It's wonderful to be recognized by the academic staff, and the hefty bonus didn't hurt either.
I'm looking forward to starting school on Monday with a whole new respect for teachers and a new perspective on education.
1 comment:
Hi Baby,
I hope that you are enjoying the flight home and also getting some rest on the plane.
Look forward to hearing the details and seeing the pictures that did not make it to your blog.
First and foremost, however, I can hardly wait for a big, warm hug!
Love,
Mama
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