Halfway through my first contract

Tomorrow morning I will begin a new term teaching English in South Korea.  It will be the 4th of the 6 that I am contracted to teach in a year with my current language institute.  It's hard to believe I've been here for half a year already.  It's even harder to believe I haven't seen my family or friends in over 6 months.  For some of my friends in Colorado it's been over 10 months.

I still remember waking up at 3:30am on February 13 to head to the airport in Dallas. Truthfully I think I slept about 20 minutes that night.  My mind was racing with excitement, doubt, nervousness, expectations, fear and questions.  As Big Chiz drove me to DFW, my twitter feed was filled with reports that N. Korea had successfully tested a nuclear weapon. That did nothing to help settle my concerns.

With that said, I can't believe how fortunate I've been living here in the second biggest metropolitan area in the world.  I have learned a tremendous amount about life outside of the American bubble.  I have learned an immense amount about myself.  I have met and befriended some amazing people, both native Koreans and other foreigners teaching here.  I feel like my experience has far exceeded anything I could have expected before I came.

Here is a picture dump that highlights my time here so far....

Korean Palace Guards

Korean Palace - Gyeongbokgung

Picture taken in February

Same location, taken in May 

Namsan Tower at sunset

View of Seoul from Namsan

My first basketball game in Korea

My first class in Korea, still one of my favorites

My apartment building

My school's building

My first KBO game

Typical scene in my junior classes

Reenactment of a royal ceremony at a Palace

First visit to the Korean countryside

My first Korean wedding

One of many nights out with friends

A common scene

Hanging in Itaewon with the besties

And their men, in their usual buffoonery

I'm really excited about what the next six months will bring into my life.  I know the time will fly by, just like the first six months did.  In two weeks, I'll have my first visitor from the States, Mr. Jordon Holmes himself.  I'll also be taking a few international trips in the next six months.  More than likely, I'll be signing another contract to teach another year here in Korea.  If I'm having this much fun, how could I leave?

The time I went to prison in Korea

Last weekend we had a little bit of a long weekend so I met some friends in Seoul for the night.  My friends from Cheongju and Wonju came into town, as well as a new friend from Busan.  We decided to rent a private room in Itaewon so that we could have a great night out and not have to worry about traveling home in the middle of the night.

Micah had the great idea to visit Seodaemun Prison and play tourists for the afternoon before the recklessness commenced.  By far one of the most enjoyable aspects of being in Korea has been learning about the country's long and painful history.  It gives you an understanding of how hard the people of this country have worked to make it to the point where they are today.  USA's history is at best about 500 years.  Korea is close to 5,000 years.  Quite a bit of that time has been spent trying to get the invading Japanese the hell out of here.  In 1908, while occupied by Japan, the Japanese built Seodaemun (at that time called Gyeongseong Gamok) to house Korean independence fighters.  And when I say house, I really mean brainwash, torture and kill.

Modern-day Seoul built up outside the prison walls

Korean Independence Fighters

During the tour of the prison, there were examples of how the Korean prisoners were tortured.  Some of it was crazy to think about.  Water torture, mental torture, sticks under your fingernails, unspeakable things done to the female prisoners, and a crazy box filled with inward-pointing spikes that Japanese guards would shake while prisoners were kept inside.  

I was already aware of the purpose of the prison, and understood some of the things that took place there, but as soon as we walked in the doors I was overcome with a somber feeling.  It was eye-opening and considering this prison was used less than 70 years ago, it's simply amazing to see where this country is today.  

We were really lucky to meet our new friend, Lana, who was volunteering at the prison as a guide.  Her English was terrific and she really helped us understand the magnitude of what we were experiencing.  I had a great time learning even more about my new home away from home, and I look forward to being able to continue to learn more.

Our gang and our awesome guide, Lana

Awesome tribute to former prisoners

Has 1/3 of a year already passed?

The last few weeks have been up and down for me.  As you may have gathered from my last post, there was a bit of homesickness and feeling really out of place.  But luckily I've met a lot of amazing people here who keep me busy and having fun.  The month of June went by really quickly it seems.  I've experienced a lot in that time, including attending my first Korean wedding, seeing my first movie in Korea, going to a noreabang for the first time, my first church service in Korea, a few baseball games, my first trip close to the border of N Korea, a trip to the Korea War Memorial, learning first-hand about Korean dating culture, and another term of teaching is in the books.

My first ever taste of duck

The countryside of Korea, one of my favorite places

One of the most popular things to do in Korea is to go to a noraebang.  It's basically karaoke in a private room.  You rent the room for a while, then you and your friends get to act a fool singing and dancing.  I had a conversation last night with a Korean friend who told me that for a period of a few years, he went to a noraebang every...single...day.  Sometimes more than once.  A lot of people see it as a great stress-reliever. For people like me who are vocally challenged, it can create unnecessary stress!

At the noraebang!

I've really grown to love going to the baseball games in Korea.  While the baseball is maybe a step below what we're used to back in the U.S., the crowds at the games here bring their A-game and they bring it from start to finish.  MLB crowds have nothing on these people.

If you need me on a Friday night, this is where I am

No idea who these people are, get out of my picture!

I got invited to a wedding a few weeks ago which was also a great experience.  A lot of what they do is very similar to an American wedding, but with more traditions and culture interjected.  My favorite part was when the couple took time during the ceremony to walk down to each of their parents and pay their respects and give thanks.  I am now used to seeing people bow as a way to show respect, but until this day I'd never seen a full, get on your knees and go down to the floor bow.  It was really amazing to see. 

The couple paying their respects to his parents

The mother of the bride in traditional clothing

The Korea War Memorial was a great experience.  Throughout Korea's nearly 5000 year history, they've endured a lot of war.  It was quite an eye opener to see how much this country has gone through to get where they are today.   

And, of course, there has been plenty of random shenanigans with my friends.  This weekend I got to spend a lot of time with my good friends from Ireland and Oregon.  It was Debra's birthday so we got to celebrate her and make a lot of random friends on the streets of Itaewon.  

And this pretty much sums up the night

The emotions of being a foreigner in a foreign country

I've previously experienced something similar to this before.  See, in early 2008 I decided to quit my job in Texas, put all of my belongings in storage, pack up my car and dog, and head west for....well, I'm not quite sure where I was going or what I was looking for.  But that experience taught me one of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned.  Follow your heart.

In late 2007, I'd been working at my company in Texas for close to 5 years, and was feeling quite restless.    I didn't understand the feeling at the time, but looking back there was a battle happening between my head and my heart.  I now understand all the lies that our heads can tell us; shaping our thoughts, creating our insecurities, and ultimately suffocating our lives with fear.  But alas, I somehow mustered the courage to leave behind my comfort zone.  Some little known facts about my road trip...1) It took me three days longer to leave than most people thought.  I said I was leaving, and then got scared, so I camped out at Frank's apartment for 3 extra days before I finally got on the road.  2) I needed to get gas less than 45 minutes from home.  It took me about 30 minutes to leave the gas station after filling up the tank.  It took me that long to decide whether to continue west or turn back and just go home.  3 months later I was renting an apartment in Colorado for what would turn out to be one of the best decisions of my life.  If you're interested, you can see a little bit about my journey here.

About this time last year the same feelings of restlessness were starting to resurface.  Only this time I could identify it and understand that some difficult decisions were coming.  But don't you think that some of the hardest decisions we have to make lead to some of the best results we can experience?  Once again, I had to ignore the fear and anxiety of being in a completely new place, only this time half-way across the world in a country where I don't know the language or culture.  It's been a steep learning curve, but thanks to my previous experience I think I've handled it like a champ.

That doesn't mean I haven't had my moments of self-doubt and second guessing.  It's pretty well known that expats can experience a kind of euphoria when they first arrive in their new country.  I'd been told and read that the early months were like a 'honeymoon' phase.  Then sometime after that you can experience a low period.  Things that were exciting and new become frustrating and confusing.  I can attest to the fact that this is an inevitable part of moving abroad.  I now officially feel like the vacation is over, and this is now my home.  I'm frustrated that I can't speak the language.  I'm annoyed that I can't find simple things like ibuprofen, taco seasoning, and deli meats like I could back home.  I'm irritated that I can't understand the culture fully.

Although the last few weeks have been a struggle for me emotionally, I can take great comfort in the fact that I know I am here for a reason.  I know that I will learn an incredible amount about myself and a new country and culture.  I fully understand that this will be a passing phase and that I will look back on it and smile in the near future.  I can find solace in knowing that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.  Because I followed my heart...