Thank you, Korea.

It’s crazy to me how fast these first two months home have gone compared to my first two months in Korea.  I remember this time last year so clearly.  I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the year. There were a few dates I would look forward to each month to help me actually get through the month:  the 19th being the date I arrived in Korea to mark another month complete, the 25th being pay day, and of course the 1st to show that time was passing.   I went from that the first couple of months to sitting here now missing Korea more than I knew I would.  This past year was emotional, hard, lonely, joyful, fun, encouraging, and one of the best years I’ve had.  I still feel the need (because I was going to do this before I left) to make a list of the things I’m going to miss most (and already do!).  The top eleven (because I couldn't pick one to take away) in no particular order:

1.  Friends

This is hands down one of the best reasons to travel and also one of the hardest when it comes time to leave.  I met some amazing friends in Korea.  Not only was it so cool to meet people from all over the world and get to learn from them, but it was awesome to be able to share such a unique experience with them.  One of the toughest parts in coming home was saying all the “see ya laters” before getting back on the plane.  These are the people that understand exactly what I’m saying when I mention Seomyeon, the pizza lady, shabu-shabu, Gwangalli, Angel-in-us Coffee, RICC, etc.  We’ll always be connected and we’ll always be sharing this experience and I love that.

2.  Shabu-Shabu

Delicious three course meal.  How could I have not liked this the first time I went?  I blame that on the work dinner and not knowing what was happening.  I’m ready to go back; I’m sure the lady at the restaurant is Seomyeon is wondering where I’ve been.  I’m only sort of kidding.

3.  Subway

I don’t miss being stared at on my ride to wherever it may have been, but I do miss the convenience of having the subway right there.  I love being able to drive again, but the subway was great too.

4.  Coffee Shops

There are coffee shops literally everywhere.  I'm not exaggerating when I say I could walk to about 20 different ones within five minutes of my apartment.  Going to a coffee shop was a usual thing my friends and I did after we'd meet for dinner or something.  I've always loved meeting for coffee here at home, so of course I loved this about Korea.  It was nice to take the time to sit and talk, especially with friends who were also away from home, doing the same thing, and understanding all that this experience entailed.  Coffee chats are a part of my favorite memories of Korea.  And I brought of a bit of Angel-in-us home with me.

5.  Hiking

I miss having mountains around!  It was awesome to be able to hike around Busan.  So peaceful.

6.  Socks

You can find socks everywhere in Korea.  Laid out on the sidewalks, in trucks on the street, the little shops in the subway, etc.  And they’re all so cute and so cheap.  I stocked up on socks that’s for sure.

7.  Hwamyeong

This was my home in Busan and I think it was perfect for me.  I liked that it wasn’t the busiest area and it had a lot within walking distance of my apartment—bank, post office, restaurants, coffee shops, Lotte Mart, movie theater, Jen…pretty much anything I needed!

8.  Noraebang

When I first got to Korea, I never wanted to go to the noraebang because I would never do karaoke in real life.  And by real life, I mean in front of a bunch of random people.  With the noraebang, though, you get your own little room with just your group of friends.  It’s the best idea ever.  And they are everywhere!

9.  Korean BBQ

Yet another delicious meal.  I would take the pork or beef and roll that in a lettuce leaf with white rice, onions, whatever else.  I better stop talking about it because I’m really going to want some.  It’s so good.

One of my favorite memories of Korean BBQ is from my last night in Korea.  A group of us were there for dinner and I brought two bags full of random things to give away to my friends who weren’t leaving (or leaving quite yet).  I was standing at the head of the table and would hold up an item and they would say whether or not they wanted it.  There were a couple things they played rock, paper, scissors for (which is a typical Korean way of figuring out who gets something or who has to be the one to do something no one wants to do).  But it was perfect to help me get rid of my things.  I happened to have one little pack of five Oreo cookies and the lady working at the restaurant wanted them.  Of course I gave them to her and she was so happy!  Then a couple minutes later, we saw her walking around and giving all the employees around her an Oreo.  It was super cool because that’s how they are; they love to share.  I just love that story and love that it was one of the last things I saw in Korea.  She was walking around with this giant smile on her face because she got a cookie and got to share the rest with her co-workers.  Not selfish at all but wanting to share them.  Something I think is important to think about.

10.  My Park

I think this is a given since I dedicated an entire post to the park near my apartment.  Aside from my friends, I have to say I miss the park the most.  This was the perfect little escape for me to go run and think and be encouraged.

11.  Adventure

Going to Korea was an adventure in itself, but there are so many places I got to go and things I got to do while I was in Korea that I am so thankful for.   And outside of Korea, too.   I’ll always remember the beauty of Indonesia and the kind people in Japan.

More times than I can count, I was pushed to do things I wasn’t comfortable doing and pushed to grow in so many ways this past year. None of that would have happened if I didn’t go after this dream of mine to teach abroad somewhere.  Despite the rough time I had at the beginning, I wouldn’t change anything.  Not even the hard days. It’s so important to go after the things we want to accomplish, the things that are on our hearts.  We only live once and I think that's how we should be spending our time—encouraging ourselves and encouraging others.  It's amazing what can be accomplished by truly believing you can do something.  I am so thankful to have spent a year of my life in Korea and to now realize there is nothing I cannot do.

California

I had a variety of options of how I wanted to wrap up my year away from home:  1.  Join Jen on her trip to Cambodia and Vietnam 2.  Meet my sister and friend for a 10-day trip throughout California or 3.  Go straight home.  A lot of people take advantage of traveling around Asia at the end of their contracts and even though that is a great idea (and even though I considered it for a minute), I just knew that I would get too anxious and stressed out having to completely ship all my things home and leave Korea before heading out on another adventure abroad.  Might sound silly but it’s completely true.  But that also meant I missed out on another trip with my travel buddy.  I didn’t go for heading straight home either, even though as I was getting things ready for California, I kind of wished I was going straight home simply because of the fact that I already was tired of dealing with all of my luggage.  I pretty much had my whole life with me!  I had never been to California and neither had my sister or friend Ellie, so stopping there on the way home was such a great idea.

We all flew to LAX and spent the first five days around the LA area.  Then we drove along Highway 1 to San Francisco for another five days.  We never stopped and I'm not quite sure how I did it with the jet lag I had.  By 7-8 almost every night, I was so exhausted, while Morgan and Ellie were still wide awake for the most part.  We had an amazing time though. I can't believe everything we did!  Here are the highlights:

Our first full day, we met with my friend Cambria and spent the day with her.  Cambria and I met in the airport on our way to our semester in England and she was one of my closest friends there.  Not only was it wonderful getting to see her again, but she spent a year in Korea just before I did.  Missed each other by just a few months!  She was such a great support before I left, while I was in Korea, and still is now that I'm home.  I am so glad we were able to get together.

Then we were off to Laguna Beach and spent the day with our cousin Kyle, his wife Traci, and their daughter Sydney.  I missed their wedding while I was in Korea, so it was great to get to see them there!

We spent a day exploring Hollywood.  The sign, The Grove, Walk of Fame, etc.

Amazing time at The Ellen Show!  Before going in the studio, I was sent to another room with a group of 10ish people and they talked to us about what to do if our names were called on the show (one of the other girls won the gift bag from the Oscars!), Morgan danced right by Ellen, and Ellie danced in the aisle in the dancing contest during a break.  Sarah Jessica Parker and Theresa Caputo were there and we were on TV quite a lot according to all the pictures our friends sent us of their TVs!

Road trip to San Francisco along Highway 1.

We got to stay with my dad's cousin, MaryK.  It was so nice to spend time with her.  There was a little surprise when we got there too…our great aunt and uncle were visiting from Ohio the same time as us!

Redwoods!  Loved walking through there.

Explored San Francisco for the day.  Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown, the 'Full House' house!

Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge!

Lovely day in Napa Valley with MaryK.

And if we hadn't done enough already, we ended our trip with a whale watching tour.  We saw so many gray whales.  Pretty awesome!

I never knew how much I was going to love California, but I definitely want to go back sooner rather than later.  We had an amazing time and it was the perfect end to my year away.  I'm glad I got to spend it with my sister and one of my best friends, along with getting to see so many friends and family along the way. This year has been life-changing and now that I'm home and writing this from Ohio, one last post is coming soon about the things I'll miss the most in Korea.

Nakdong River and Running (or Not Running) Half Marathons

I've mentioned before how much I love running or walking along this river.  This park is about a five minute walk from my apartment and exactly what I needed to have so close by.  I often find myself distracted and stopping to take pictures when I go out for a run, but it's just so pretty.  And how can I not be motivated when I'm out there?  I'm really going to miss this place but am so thankful to have had it right here this year.  Here are some of my favorite pictures I took over the course of the year.

 

 

Before I came to Korea, I said that I wanted to run a half marathon here and I finally had the opportunity (except it didn't go as planned).  I signed up for a half for the beginning of November.  I was running but admitted I just wasn't going to be ready.  I hate backing out of things and tried telling myself I'd be fine.  I probably could have run it, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it.  I switched to the 10K and am so glad that's what I decided to run.  Not only was it a better distance for the amount of time I had been running prior to the race, but I would have been so sad to be running a half marathon with the lack of excitement, cheering, and support that there was at the Busan Half Marathon.  It was so interesting to me to see people (including the volunteers) just standing around and not cheering anyone on!  Usually it's so exciting to cross the finish line, but it was almost sad because no one cared.  That's usually where most of the cheering happens!  That took away so much of the fun, but I'm glad I did run a race here to at least experience it.  I can't say that's how all of the races are, though, and I sure hope it isn't!

Remembering the Boston Marathon.

Made a friend at the finish line!

The weather has been pretty nice here lately.  Sometimes a bit too chilly to run outside (at least with the clothes I have here), but I've been able to go back and run along the river the last couple weeks.  I started training for my next half marathon (I think after this last attempt, I really just want to bust one out and run it.)  I'm running it the end of April in Nashville with my friends Kayla and Ellie.  Kayla was one of the girls who was in Korea in April and became a fast friend.  She was here for such a short time, but I'm so excited to see her again and run this race with her.  Ellie is one of my best friends from home and I'm so glad she'll be there too because I ran my first two half marathons with her.  This also means I'll have a training buddy once I'm home again.  I am a bit crazy to take this on I think because I keep wondering who decides to train for this when they are busy moving back around the world and going on a 10 day vacation before actually heading home.  It's definitely doable, and I may be crazy, but I think having to keep running when I get home will be good for me because although I miss home, I know it is going to be an adjustment moving back to the States.  Until then, I'll be enjoying the beautiful mountains, river, and bridge that have provided such a peaceful place at my home away from home.

Tea, Tears, and Transitions

Today was the last day of school.  I can’t even believe I’m saying that.  We had a staff meeting this morning so the twelve out of about sixty teachers who are leaving could say goodbye to everyone.  In Korea, teachers move around to different schools every few years or so.  Several of them started crying as they were giving their mini speeches.  Everyone laughed when I went up to the microphone knowing they wouldn’t understand what I was going to say, but I think from their reactions they appreciated the "감사합니다" I tacked on at the end.

We had a closing ceremony for the first and second graders today and the twelve of us went on stage to say goodbye to the students.  The vice-principal went down the line and said our names and where we are going next.  I was the last one and as I took my step forward and bowed, the vice-principal said I will be returning to the USA.  The collective “Awwwww!” from the sea of faces in front of me brought tears to my eyes.  There were about 500 students standing there in the auditorium and I have had the chance to be their teacher between the two semesters (not to mention a couple hundred more third graders who had graduation yesterday).  It seems crazy to have had so many students, but when you teach each class once a week, it adds up quickly.  I remember going to my first few classes last March and telling them I was excited to be here with them.  They really were just a sea of faces to me then, but as I was standing on the stage today, I saw the two peas in a pod who are always giggling and loved to visit me but would be so quiet in class (reminds me of me actually), the boy wiping his eyes because of the teachers who are leaving and me remembering how impressed I have been with his English as a first grader, the girl with the thick, round glasses who loved mocking me in class but was quite funny, and two others who said, “Ahhh Kelsy Teacher?!” when they realized I was joining the other teachers on stage.  I have admitted that teaching in Korea is not my favorite, but that is okay.  The language barrier really got to me sometimes and I wondered what I was doing on the days when my class would just stare at me blankly and my co-teacher would be checking her hair in the mirror in the back of the room instead of helping me out.  I think it’s impossible to avoid those situations completely with two languages in one classroom, and even though times were frustrating, today reminded me of the connections I have made with my students (and my co-teachers) and how great of an experience this has been.

Following the closing ceremony, the twelve of us had tea with the principal and vice-principal.  I don’t know what everyone was saying of course, but the principal got up and she gave everyone a hug.  I could tell some of the teachers were uncomfortable, but I was okay with a hug!  There aren’t enough of those in Korea.  The vice-principal asked me to share what I’ll be doing next, even though only a few people would understand.  Then for some reason he shared with them in Korean about my dog and how I was upset.  Because he definitely walked in on me a mess that morning at work after I had talked to my dad about Logan.  Of course that sparked more tears and had me joining the majority of the circle in crying at some point today.  Just reminded me of what I had to give up to come here.  A reminder that even though I somehow mustered up the courage to move to Korea and leave everyone and everything I know, it was so worth it.

Today was the last day of school, but my last day of work isn’t until February 25.  I’ll be desk warming until then, which may drive me crazy because I don’t have any work left to do, but I’ll have plenty of time to start looking into things at home.  Until then, I’ll be enjoying my last 15 days in Korea.  Because today it finally hit me a little bit that I’m leaving so soon.  What an awesome journey this has been.

"Try everything and regret nothing."

It’s already the middle of January, but I figure now is as good of a time as ever to reflect on the past year.  I would say 2013 was life-changing and I wouldn’t have experienced it if I didn’t follow my heart, pack my bags, leave my dog who was battling cancer, board a plane (even though at that point I was scared beyond measure), and move around the world (to a country I’ve never been to) all alone.  Except, I haven’t been alone.

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

When I graduated from college, I tried for two summers to land that full-time teaching job but came up just a bit short a few times, and although that was upsetting, I now realize it wasn’t meant to be.  I needed to come to Korea.

I learned how important it is (as cheesy as it may sound) to actually go ahead and follow your dreams.  I’ve wanted to go abroad again and even though Asia was never on my mind, the opportunity was there and I went for it.  Throughout this past year, sometimes I’d be walking down the street and think, “I can’t believe I’m actually here.”  Sometimes I’d stop at that and move on.  Other times I’d think about it for a while and realize everything I would have missed out on if I had stayed home and maybe done what was expected—sub for the year and try again next summer.  Although that is one option and one that is certainly okay, I chose to listen to that nudge in my heart and actually go.  And why not?  I have my whole life to be home and working. I’m still so young, still 24 once I’m home again.

Although this is an experience I’ve always wanted to have, I had my fair share of ups and downs.  I had a hard time the first four months.  I completely skipped over the “honeymoon” stage, the first stage of culture shock, and immediately began wondering what in the world I was doing.  It was lonely at work because everyone spoke Korean, obviously.  It was lonely in the grocery store simply because I couldn’t find things I needed and failed at attempting to ask for help.  It was lonely at home because when it was a perfect time for me to talk to someone back in the states, everyone was sound asleep because it was often the middle of the night there.  I learned a very important lesson in those months and that's how important it is to rely on Jesus and go to Him first and foremost.  He is the only one who can truly give us what we need; we just have to ask.  Just as the devotional says in the picture above, my journey in Korea truly has been one of profound reliance on Him. 

I remember the last day of orientation when we got our packets stating which school we would be working in.  This would determine where we would be living, if we would be near the friends we made the past week, if I would have somewhere to go running, and the list went on and on.  I was so nervous to actually open my envelope, but I remember thinking, “It’s okay.  God’s already taken care of it.  He knows exactly where I need to go.”  And that was so true.  Overall, I’m pretty happy with the school I was placed in, but more importantly, God provided me with what I needed outside of the work day.  I made a friend who lives in the building next to mine who I now refer to as my big sister in Korea.  I also live just a five minute walk from an awesome park along a river for me to go running.  If I didn’t have that, I know I wouldn’t have gone running along the streets.  Going for a run is great for me, aside from actually getting some exercise in.  Of course I’m thankful for the awesome church and many friends I have throughout the city, but it’s been a blessing having these things right here in Hwamyeong, where I spend the majority of my time.  It’s what I needed.

Once I got over that four-month-long rough patch, things were great.  I went to Indonesia, Japan, Jeju Island, Seoul, out and about around Busan, didn’t sleep much, learned to read hangul (or at least I try), and made awesome memories with the friends that I am not at all looking forward to leaving.  It’s like I blinked and all of a sudden it’s January and I leave Korea in just over six weeks.  I was given so much to be thankful for this past year, so the good does help to outweigh the not-so-good.

The morning of New Year’s Eve brought along some news that completely broke my heart.  I knew it would come while I was away, but I was also holding on to a bit of hope that my sweet dog would be there when I got home.  My family found out Logan had cancer just weeks before I left for Korea.  I instantly wondered how I was going to leave knowing that the vet gave him 4-6 months and I would be gone for 12.  He’s been a part of my life since I was in 5^th grade and truly the best dog I could have ever asked for.  I like to think he tried to make it for me to come home because he made it 11 months, not 4 or 6.  My dog was such a fighter, and although sometimes I kick myself for missing out on more time with him and wonder why this had to happen the one year I was away, I have to trust that it was best for me this way.  I’m certainly not looking forward to that aspect of going home, but I’m glad that through FaceTime Logan knows I didn’t forget about him.

I normally wouldn’t go into this much detail, but I would miss out on half (or more) of this experience if I didn’t reflect on it and think about what I have learned.  Like I said before, if I didn’t answer that itching travel bug I had, I would have missed out on seeing more of this beautiful world, meeting friends that will continue to be my friends once I leave, learning more about myself and changing in ways that I think are positive, and most importantly, realizing that I’m never alone because if God has set something on my heart for me to do, He will come along with me. One of the notes that stuck with me the most out of the many cards I got before I left came from my cousin, Josh.  He said, “Try everything and regret nothing.”  And I’d say that’s some pretty good advice.

Not Home For the Holidays

Not being home for the holidays this year made me realize how much I will appreciate these times with family and friends once I'm home again.  Although I missed being home and it was odd not being there for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner when Grampy comes over, dinner out on Christmas Eve before church, big family Christmas party at Grandma's, lounging around on Christmas Day, or ringing in the New Year with my friends, I certainly enjoyed the holidays with my friends who have become family here in Korea.

Halloween

They don't celebrate Halloween in Korea, but several of my students remembered and came up to me giggling and saying, "Teacher, trick-or-treat!"  Of course I gave them candy and bought more for the kids I had to give a "raincheck" to.  My fault for not being prepared!  That weekend, Laura and I dressed up as cats.  With Laura being involved, there was no question that's what we would be.  We're used to being stared at pretty much on a daily basis, so we found the number of people who stopped and blatantly stared at us quite funny.  We rocked it.

Thanksgiving

Western style meal.  So good.  And they gave me a giant piece of apple pie.

After church on December 1, everyone stayed for our Thanksgiving dinner. Not only was the food really good, but I was also glad to have the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving.  After the meal, a group of us went ice skating for a while and grabbed coffee at Starbucks.  (This is when I learned they don't have the peppermint mocha, my favorite holiday drink.)  It really was a great day--one of those that I won't forget.

Christmas

My Daiso (only the best dollar store ever) Christmas tree!  I never quite finished decorating, but I decided this would do.

Being sick and away from home, it didn't exactly feel like Christmas.  I got sick and missed work on Monday.  Tuesday, I went in for an hour and a half and left after I realized I couldn't even talk.  With Tuesday being Christmas Eve, I didn't even make it to church that night. Christmas Day I woke up feeling better and joined these guys in the picture and headed to the Harrison's, a couple from our church.  They invited us over for brunch (blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, mmmmm!).  We also had a stocking exchange where we each brought something to put in everyone's stocking.  I didn't stay very long because I wasn't feeling as great as I thought, but I was thankful to be with everyone for at least a little while.  Once I made it back home, I stopped by Jen's for just a bit and opened the few presents my family sent me (and my mom sent her one as well).  We're celebrating Christmas when I get home in March so that I didn't have to mail everything to them, but my mom still wanted me to have something to open here!

New Year's Eve

After what was one of my toughest days in Korea, I wasn't necessarily in the mood for New Year's Eve, but I knew I should be with friends.  We all went to Dave's apartment for dinner. Afterwards, we started checking things off our "bucket list."  Basically we had a list of silly things to do on our way to Thursday Party where we counted down to the new year.  One of those being a freeze flashmob (or whatever we called it) and another being singing Christmas carols in the subway.  The second picture was seconds before 2014, while everyone at home was just getting started with the day.  I know that I'll be looking forward to the holidays at home again, but I also know I'll think back to this year and be thankful for the memories I made.