Just in the Nick of Time

I am feeling really good about my decision to leave Poly today. Our summer break is coming up, the last week of July, and I had contemplated staying through the break so I could do some traveling in Asia, but it turns out I made the right decision. We were notified today that anyone who leaves the country over the break will be quarantined for 7 days upon returning, without pay, AND will have to pay for a week's sub out of their own pocket. Almost everyone has plans to travel out of Korea, so this was some pretty upsetting news. Oh and if you get swine flu, you are fired. This is a crazy place. 

I'm Coming Home!

Today was the big day. I told my director that I was resigning and that my last day would be July 24. I was pretty nervous before I went in and told him, but as I was doing it, I was confident that I was making the right decision. He was shocked and sad to lose me, so he said, but lucky for me he's kind of a wussy man, so he was not very forceful in trying to change my mind. He really wants me to stay til the end of August, but for my sanity and job situation back home, I think it would be better for me to be home for the month of August and try to get things figured out for the fall before school starts. Also, I have already set my mind on being here five more weeks, and I don't really want to extend that. I was nervous to tell my coworkers for some reason, but they were all very supportive and not quite as shocked as I thought they would be. The overall feeling was, "Good for you, get out if you can." One of my coworkers told me that I am the most positive person at work, which isn't saying that much, but it still made me feel good to know that I haven't been sucked into the negativity that surrounds me each day. Hopefully the next month will be a happy one, knowing there's an end in sight. I have little trips planned for the next three weekends, so I hope to make the most of my time left here. I know it will go fast. I can't believe this adventure will soon come to an end, but I have done a lot of Seoul-searching (I just can't help it) in the last few weeks and I know South Korea is not the place for me right now. So, let's make some plans for August!

A Pick-Me-Up

Today I was going about my business of correcting my kindergarten students' writing workbooks, in which one of the journal entries was "Write about something that is ugly. Why do you think it is ugly? What does it look like?" Dumb journal entry if you ask me, but I didn't make it up. The kids said things like a mean face, or a trash can, and then I came across this gem: "I think that Miss Walding is ugly because she is fat. She needs to get more exercise and eat less." Ouch. The thing that really gets me is that the student who wrote it has a tutor on the weekends, and from the level of English used in his writing, I could tell he had help writing this. Sure enough, when I asked the kid about it and told him it wasn't very nice (I couldn't help it), he started crying and said his tutor made him write it. I didn't press the issue further because I could see he was upset about it, but how weird is that? His tutor suggested that he write that his teacher, who is going to read this, is ugly and fat? I don't get it, but it doesn't help my anti-Korea feelings at the moment. 

1/4 of a Year

It's hard to believe, but I have been here for three months now, and I am sad to report that the three month marker is not finding me particularly happy to be here. Not to be dramatic (me? dramatic? never!), but this is kind of the worst case scenario that I let myself imagine before I left. Lonely, working horrible hours, not liking the city, watching a lot of tv on my computer. I feel like I've given it a go, and now I'm ready to come home. I think what's really getting me down lately is that it's summer and that should mean grilling out and bike rides and outdoor music and patios, but it's just the same old nasty city around here. As I type these words, I hate how negative I sound but that's just the way I'm feeling. As I think about 9 months ahead of me, I think, I can get through anything. But is that any way of going through life? I just don't know. I have to stay for 6 months before they pay for my plane ticket, so I'll at least stay that long, but you might be seeing me earlier than expected. A year is a long time. 

 In other news, I went to my first movie here last weekend. I couldn't believe it, but I went to Star Trek and really liked it! The whole experience was very enjoyable. You reserve your seat ahead of time and it's printed on your ticket, so you can walk in at the last minute and you know right where to sit. They have overpriced popcorn just like at home, but here you can get it in three flavors. I had caramel and it was delicious. It was such a comforting feeling to walk into the theater. It felt like home. That is, until the Korean movie previews started. It was interesting to watch with a crowd reading in subtitles. Whenever the Russian kid spoke in his thick accent, everyone burst out laughing. I don't get how you translate an accent. I guess they know English enough to recognize an accent. Interesting.

I also had another first last weekend: climbing my first Korean mountain! I met up with a hiking group and set out to climb Bulamsan, right on the edge of the city. I realized how very out of shape I am. It was so hard. Not like Montana, with nice trails and switchbacks. This was sandy, gravelly trail straight up the mountain. And the way down was even worse, thinking that I would slip on the gravel and slide all the way down the mountain. At one point, we had to back down two big boulders using a rope that was attached at the top. I am not good with things like this, but I made it without hurting myself too bad. Oh and my other favorite part was crawling on my hands and feet up the unfinished stairs that led the way to the peak. And then I thought I was there, but oh no, there was another few boulders to scamper up, or rather, drag my tired body up. But in the end, it was all worth it for the cool view of the city and a day in the sunshine. I might be going out again tomorrow, this time to the highest mountain in Seoul. I hope there's no ropes involved!

One more thing: I hear people back home are worried about all the North Korea business. It's strange but I really feel like people here are not concerned. I asked my Korean teacher about it, and she was so nonchalant and almost laughed at my concern. They all just say that Kim Jong-il just wants to show his power before he dies, and they're used to these threats. I also learned last night that my apartment is not far from one of the two evacuation points for foreigners if anything were to happen. So no worries, I am and will be safe and sound. 

May Photos

Here's some photos from the last month. I will provide some stories to accompany them soon, when I'm not feeling so tired. It's been a long week.