Here's to a New Year

Well, it’s been a while.

What a fantastic summer Aaron and I have had so far.  Since June, we’ve had the opportunity to be Korean tour guides for Aaron’s best friend Reid, swim in the ocean, climb the beautiful mountains around Busan, and take a trip to visit our family and friends in the USA.  It has been full but only of the best things in life.

Reid’s Visit  (best explained through pictures)

Aaron and Reid in front of the Gwangali Bridge.

Of course we had to take him to a Lotte Giants baseball game.  And you can see him sporting his new Korean glasses.  He was Koreatized. :)

Reid was also here for our final book club meeting (he even read the short story!) as well as our farewell dinner to many friends who were leaving.  Such a good lookin' crew.   

Home

Our time home was nothing short of fantastic. Before I came home, my dad asked me what I wanted him to have ready for me when I walked in the door.  My requests were sharp cheddar cheese, a sampler pack of New Belgium beer, and dill pickles.  In true dad style, all was ready for me in the fridge as well as my favorite cereal in the cupboard.  And, although I came home to a NEW house, I have to say I didn’t miss the old one at all.  Everything from the big oaks, the din of frogs and cicadas, Jake’s piano playing, and the smell of pancakes frying in the morning uttered home.  

Like mother, like daughter.

But I did experience a bit of culture shock as expected.  Perhaps the thing I enjoyed the MOST as well as the most shocking was being able to eavesdrop on conversations.  In Korea I’ve gotten used to being surrounded by “white noise” as I usually do not understand what is said around me.  But, when I finally got on the plane from Detroit to Chicago it was English overload!  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Which conversation should I choose—a high school boy who just got back from Germany who’s telling a girl about how he drank beer for the first time or a family of four with a little girl asking her mommy how to draw a horse.  I know they weren’t incredibly enlightening conversations, but at that point, anything seemed entertaining. 

And then there were times during my stay at home when I wondered why I was leaving again.  Whether it was hiking through the woods with Toby, eating ridiculous amounts of cheese, catching up with old friends over coffee and swedish pancakes, outdoor concerts, family game nights, and having a big kitchen to cook in!  Saying goodbye to my family and friends was surprisingly more difficult than it was when Aaron and I first left for Korea.  But, that being said, I'm learning more and more everyday that my heart likes to multitask and it's getting really good at being in 100 places at once.  In other words, thank goodness for the internet.

A New Year

A new contract year is upon us and for Aaron this means a new school.  He is now the Native English teacher in one of the highest scoring and wealthiest middle schools in our area AND has only a 5-minute walk to work everyday.  This is in stark contrast to his last school, which was the lowest scoring high school in Busan and took an hour bus ride to get there.  He will greatly miss his beloved male teacher friends at his old school and their Monday soccer games, but he’s excited to be teaching students he can actually converse with and are eager to learn.  I’m absolutely thrilled he’s so jolly about this coming year.  His teachers have already pointed out how happy he seems everyday.

Although it was hard to leave home, we’re now back in the swing of things and trying to figure out what we need/want to do during our last year in Korea.  The few things on our list thus far are: save money, buy more food from the outdoor market/eat locally and seasonally (I’ve become kind of a stickler about this since Koreans are SO good about it and after reading “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver---I recommend it!), find more volunteer opportunities, learn how to really make Korean food, and explore more of this beautiful country. 

We are looking forward to my parents’ visit coming up in a little over 2 weeks as well as fall weather.  Here’s to another year!