Life is good

I have had a whirlwind month since being back in the States. I have been in 6 states, gone camping twice, been in a wedding, driven probably 4000 miles, and am finally at MY home in Colorado. I have loved being in familiar places with familiar people whom I love. Being away for a year definitely gave me a fresh perspective. I miss my friends and students in Korea, but in a funny way it really feels like the whole year was just a dream - or was just a few weeks away. As much as things have changed here, they have really stayed the same in so many more ways. I am excited to start my life again at home, and can't wait for new adventures. I am not sure what to do with the blog - I love writing, but not sure what to write about anymore. lol. We'll see. I do have some reflections on Korea I would like to add, then maybe it will be retired. One more chapter in life closed. :-)

Home again...sort of...

It is so strange to be back in the States.  I have been here for a week, and it has been a whirlwind.  In most ways, I feel like I was only gone for a long vacation - minus the fact that I did actually work.  :)  My flight back was perfect - I was even able to take the light rail to downtown Portland on my layover there.  I was in Boise, Id for my cousin,s wedding (and essentially a family reunion) from Wed. until Sunday, then drove to Missoula, Mt. with my sister and brother, and will be here until Thursday.  I am going to my parents in Columbus, Mt. for about a week, and then I will be meeting up with a good friend in Seattle for hiking and exploring.  Back to Missoula.  Back to Columbus.  Finally to Colorado in Augsut - assuming I don't find a job in Montana and decide to stay here. It is so beautiful here.  Every time I come to Montana I am reminded just how amazing it is.  Living near family would be nice too.  We will see what happens...life changes quickly!  Hope everyone is doing well!

The end of one path...

(Natalia, Mariko, and I left our mark on Korea...)

I am just wrapping up my last weekend in South Korea.  Lots of friends, lots of food, and lots of fun.  I am sitting in an almost empty, and very clean, apartment, looking at my plants that have been my companions over the last year.  A year!  Amazing.  Truly a sign of age - time flies by faster and faster.  My year here has been fantastic, and I am happy for the people I have me, the places I have been, and the lessons I have learned.  My path in life has definitely been different than I ever thought it would be, but I am so glad that it has been.  Even though this experience is almost over, I really feel that in a very tangible way it will continue.  I have made friends here that really made my time in Korea great, and with the ease of communication today, even though I will be half the world away, it won't really feel that way.  Korea will always hold a special place in my heart.  There are so many place I want to see in the world, that I don't know if I will ever make it back here, but I will miss many things here from the food, to the ease of life, to the beauty of the peninsula.  Two more days...a mix of emotions.  

(Christa, Jin, and I)

(Some of the girls...and T.J.)

Bummin at the beach...

This weekend I went to one of the many beaches in Korea.  It was perfect.  Amazing people, amazing weather, amazing views.   The place that we went to is on the East Sea, about 4 hours from Seoul.  You have to drive over the mountains, which are beautiful, with VERY windy roads.  We actually stayed at a resort that is fairly uncommon compared to most of the places I have seen in Korea.  Most hotels, and buildings in general, in Korea are not very creative as far as architecture goes.  This resort was called Sol Hotel, and was Spanish themed.  As you can see in the pictures, it really did look like we were in a Spanish, or at least European, hotel.

 The beach was beautiful, with clear, green water hitting up against pretty beaches and rocks.  Ideal really.   Being on a peninsula, Korea has an abundance of beaches and islands, but I think this place was somewhat unique as the beach was not crowded with a million people, and it had white sand.  It was very Korean though, as you will see, with most of the people at the beach fully dressed!  Koreans try to stay out of the sun at all costs. For example women walk around with parasols in the summer to avoid the sun.  And at the beach, they usually are fully clothed and sitting under tents or umbrellas.  Probably smart as far as caring for their skin, but being in the sun is half the fun!!!

The view from our condo

The hotel was bordered by a military base - it is really far north, getting very close to North Korea.

Reporters in North Korea

I am sure most of you have seen the news about the two reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who have been found guilty by N. Korea of illegally crossing the border into N. Korea, and who were subsequently sentenced to 12 years in labor prisons. Regardless of your opinion about what the US government should, or should not, do to help free them, I just wanted to make the point that these women are not going to a prison that we are accustomed to in the west, they are going to prisons that more closely resemble those that were used in Germany during the holocaust. You can read the 2008 Human Rights Report produced by the State Department to get a better idea of what the conditions are in North Korea. The women are bargaining chips right now, and N. Korea has made a statement. The US is in a tough position, and I hope that something can be done to allow these women to return to their families.


Living in South Korea, I know little more than anyone else what is really going on across the border, but the proximity has given me a reason to learn more than many people. With the little I have learned, I have come to despise the things that are known to happen in N. Korea, and it is a constant reminder how fortunate I am, and have been, in my life. What these 2 women may be going through has been suffered by thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children in N. Korea. I can't understand why it is allowed to continue. I don't want a war, but N. Korea needs to be stopped. We express outrage about the Holocaust in retrospect, yet we stand by as it happens today in places around the world. People read about and express anger or regret. I write a blog. Some people ignore it entirely. But who is really helping those people that were unlucky enough in their lives to be born in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or, as in the case of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were in the wrong place at the wrong time trying to shed light on some of these monstrous things going on in the world. It is sad. It shouldn't matter what a person's political views are, wether they like President Obama or Sarah Palin or Ross Perot...everyone should feel sad and frightened for these women and their families right now. My heart goes out to everyone involved.

Esperanto

Esperanto. Have you heard of it? Odds are that you haven't. Until very recently I would have said it was a form of the spanish verb esperanzar - to hope. And I would have been somewhat right...but I also would have been totally wrong.


Esperanto is a constructed international auxiliary language (in the words of Wikipedia) or, in other words, an entirely created language. The creator was a Polish man named L.L. Zamenhof, who, in the late 1800's, decided that in order to better communicate with others throughout the world, there should be a common language developed that would be less complicated that any of the powerful languages of his time (English, French, Spanish, German). You can read more about it on Wikipedia. He spent several years developing the language, and published a book in 1887 called Unua Libro. The word Esperanto in the language means 'one who hopes' - not far from the spanish esperanzar.


As a language teacher, and therefore learner, of both Spanish and English, I have witnessed first hand the difficulty in mastering these languages. For most, the difficulty lies in the irregularities. Most of us have learned some form of a second language, so I am sure you all remember the first time you were taught that there are irregular verbs, or when your English teacher told you that "the rule in English is that every rule has an exception." As a teacher I hate seeing my students go from really grasping the rules of spanish verb conjugation one day, to totally feeling inadequate the next because I have introduced "the irregular verbs". Now, I don't think everything should be easy - and as a Spanish speaker, I have, and still do receive, great satisfaction from conquering the difficult aspects of the language. English is much more complicated to learn though, and as a world language, quite honestly, it stinks.


My experience here in Korea has opened my eyes to just how hard people around the world are willing to work in order to gain something that I take for granted - the ability to communicate with others throughout the world. Those who do not speak English in today's world are, in many ways, rendered powerless despite their great potential or capacity within their own culture. Teaching English sheds light on all of the aspects of the language that I don't know that well myself, and I have had the opportunity to gain greater accuracy in my my own language. I have also gained an awareness of the sacrifices that people of other countries make to learn English, most of them unable to hold a confident conversation even after many years of study.

The idea behind Esperanto is that it has no irregularities. When you learn a rule, the rule doesn't change. Patterns stay the same. ALL nouns end in O, and to make a noun plural you add a J. Always. In reading about the language, it has been described as a great way to introduce foreign languages to children, which I would like to do at home with my Spanish students in the exploratory year. It has been implemented in some British primary schools, and has been recommended by UNESCO as a possible way for countries to overcome desperate language barriers.

Interesting. Sign me up. I have been meaning to learn another language, and unfortunately for me, Korean proved easier to get by without. I am going to try to teach myself a little bit, or maybe a lot, of Esperanto. Lernu is a website that has a free introduction and lessons. Esperanto anyone??

Capital T-True

One thing that has been amazing about being here in Korea this year, is that I have been able to spend many, many hours educating myself on things that interest me.  I have spent a lot of time learning about nutrition and health, traveling, issues in the world that I am concerned with, etc.  This is due in part to the extra time I have here, and to my wonderful Macbook that I nearly consider a friend.  :)  Lately,  I have been watching a lot of documentaries like The Planet Earth series, Flow: For Love of Water; and I have been watching talks on TED.com - an amazing website.  That is where I found the following speech.  I just think it has some good thoughts to ponder, especially with North Korea pointing missiles in the air and threatening the world with its angry antics.  Sometimes, you just have to focus on the true things in life, and be grateful that you have the power to decide what has meaning and what doesn't.  Enjoy...

From David Foster Wallace's 2005 Kenyon College commencement address:

The only thing that's capital-T True is that you get to decide how you're gonna try to see it.

This, I submit, is the freedom of a real education, of learning how to be well-adjusted. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship.

Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship--be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles--is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.

Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they're unconscious. They are default settings.

They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing.

And the so-called real world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the so-called real world of men and money and power hums merrily along in a pool of fear and anger and frustration and craving and worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the centre of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving.... The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day.

That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.

Visitors...

Having friends visit always makes time fly by, so the last week or so did just that.  Last Saturday my friend Anna and her friend Sibel came to visit for the weekend.  They both work for the airlines, so visiting Asia for the weekend is doable for them.  I already had plans to visit the DMZ, so they spent the first day here just get oriented with Seoul.  They stayed at an awesome hotel right downtown named Hotel PJ.  It was really nice, great location, and priced really reasonably, in case anyone reading this decided to check out Seoul.  Saturday and Sunday were both rainy, so I was a bit worried that Anna and Sibel would not enjoy Seoul as much as they could on a nice weekend...but I didn't have to worry.  Anna has traveled all over Europe, and Sibel is from Turkey, so their ability to adjust to the weather was amazing.  All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed, but they were troopers, especially considering the jet lag.


On Sunday I met up with them and we went to a Korean Village, and then to Insa-dong.  The Korean village was really interesting - and I am so glad we went.  It basically is a village that was created from original Korean houses.  We took an English tour, which was free, and I gained a greater appreciation for what I previously thought was just aesthetic design.


After the folk village, we headed to Insa-dong, which is pretty much a must for anyone visiting Korea.  It is such a cute area, and has tons of great tourist shopping, restaurants, and tea houses.  I have been to Insa-dong several times now, but each time I love it just as much as the time before.


On Tuesday, my friend Elena arrived to stay with me for 2 nights.  I met Elena and her boyfriend Jason in China, and we became great friends.  They also taught in Korea, but had been traveling through Southeast Asia for 3 months.  Elena had a 3 day layover in Seoul on her way back to the States.  You can check out her blog here http://elenaworldtravels.blogspot.com/.  It was so nice to see her again, to hear her stories from her travels, and just to hang out with someone for a few days.  I miss having people over to my place and just hanging out - that doesn't happen much here.


Having visitors here is wonderful, but it is hard because I can't take any time off, and my work schedule during the week makes it difficult to do a whole lot.  So, if you didn't visit me in Korea, come visit in CO - much easier to entertain there!  :)

Busy, Busy...

Just a short post.  The last week or so has been super busy here.  A group of us all went to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between South and North Korea on Saturday, my friend Anna visited for the weekend from the States, and another friend, Elena, stayed with me for two days on her stopover from traveling in Southeast Asia back home to  Colorado.  Visiting the DMZ was really interesting, and I will post more about that later.  As of Friday I will have exactly 1 month left in Korea.  I will be flying back to the States on the 24th of June.  Crazy that a whole year has gone by.  Time really does fly...

Filling my time...Lost and Battlestar Galactica

I have fully enjoyed my time in South Korea, and I am looking  forward to having a great 6 weeks before I return home.  I have, however, found myself with way too much time by myself.  I am not one to always need to be around people, and I do a good job of filling my time when I am alone, but I have to say after a year living by myself in another country, I am slightly sick of myself at times... The problem is not that I am in another country exactly, but that I work from 1-9, and am on an opposite schedule from most of my friends.  When I first got here, it was amazing to have so much free time.  I read books, I wrote, I exercised, I scoured the internet.  It was great.   As time went on, though, I found myself becoming bored and restless.  Then I discovered Lost.  Laaaaaa...and I have discovered that I have a slightly addictive personality when it comes  to reading a good book (Twilight series come to mind...:) ) or watching a series that I really get into. 


 I have to back track a bit.  I don't watch TV.  Occasionally I will get sucked into Law & Order or House, and I do love Grey's Anatomy and Friends, but overall, I just can't stay interested long enough to actually watch a series regularly, let alone the entire season.  I typically feel that life is more interesting when you actually get out and live it, and so I watch TV sporadically.  In fact, I have not even turned my TV on in more than 6 months here in Korea.  

But...I have been glued to my computer.  It started with Lost.  I always thought it was stupid.  It didn't make sense - they were on an island, weren't getting saved, end of story.  Then throw in a bunch of monsters and ... time travel?!?  What?!?  Oh, how little I knew back then.  I decided I would try to watch the series because I had time and everyone else was talking about it.  The first season was really good - by the end I was hooked.  There was so much more to the story than I had ever known. Fast forward a little over 2 months... and I was caught up - all 5 seasons.  It is an amazing show.  I thought it was the best show I had ever watched.  I was wrong.

About the time that I caught up with the current Lost episodes, several of my friends posted about Battlestar Galactica on FB.  They all said that it was amazing...the best.  I have never been into Sci-Fi.  I like Star Wars, but everybody likes Star Wars.  I like space...I wonder if there is life out there.  But I am not into Sci-Fi.  Or so I thought.  I can unequivocally say that Battlestar Galactica is the best show I have ever watched.  I loved it.  It makes me tear up writing about it.  I watched all 4 seasons in 3 weeks.  I stayed up until 3..4..5 am watching it.  I finished watching the finale last night at 4 am.  I loved the characters, the plot, the questions about humanity and our fate as a planet.  I really loved this show.  I want it to keep going, but the ending was so final, so profound, it can't go on.  This show made me think about space, what is really out there.  It made me think about Earth in a different way - realize that out of this huge universe of which we know almost nothing, there exists this amazing planet that has all of the perfect conditions to support not only life, but life as complicated as humans.  I really loved the relationships, the symbolism, the way that the characters changed roles and themselves repeatedly.  There were some slight disappointments at the end, but overall, amazing.  


I am done with the TV shows for now, though.  I only have a few weeks left to enjoy Asia.   I have friends visiting over the next week, and I have plans to make for when I get home.  I will still think about BSG though.  I will miss it.  

Trevor is going to Nationals!!!

(Trevor is the second runner in this photo)

Trevor will be competing in the 2009 NAIA Track & Field Championship beginning on May 21st!  I am so proud of him - he has worked so hard to get there!  This is an article that was published after he qualified at the end of April.  He is currently 13th in the nation in the Decathlon!  Good luck little brother!

Willis wins DAC decathlon

The Dickinson Press

Published Monday, April 27, 2009

JAMESTOWN — After fighting off injuries his first two seasons at Dickinson State, the potential coaches saw in Trevor Willis may have finally surfaced.

The sophomore won and set personal bests in five of 10 events en route to the decathlon title at the Dakota Athletic Conference Multi Championships, which began Sunday and ended Monday at Al Cassell Track at Rollie Greeno Field.

Willis compiled 6,080 points, defeating Jamestown College’s Nathan Horgeshimer by 100 points.

“He’s been snake bit the past couple years with injuries in both football and track,” DSU coach Pete Stanton said. “We knew he was certainly capable of doing it.”

Willis won two of his final three events — pole vault (12 feet, 10 inches) and javelin (171-3) — to give himself breathing room in the final event, the 1,500-meter run.

Horgeshimer won the race with a time of 4 minutes, 30.32 seconds but Willis had a fourth-place run of 5:00.75 to maintain a big enough lead.

Willis also won the high jump (6-4¾), the shot put (36-2¼) and the 100 (11.33 seconds).

DSU freshman Tanner Leak finished third with 5,195 points and junior Matt Quintus was fourth with 4,770. The trio compiled 21 points which go toward the conference meet on May 8 in Madison, S.D.

In the women’s heptathlon, DSU senior Ashley Emmons won her final three events but fell short of beating Jamestown’s Sarah Skipper.

Skipper won three events to total 4,291 points. Emmons had 4,187.

The former basketball standout won the 800 with a 2:30.54, the javelin with a toss of 107-8 and the long jump with a 16-8. She also finished second to Skipper in the 200 (27.49) and the 100 (15.54).

Because Emmons is only a month into her heptathlon training, Stanton walked away amazed by her performance.

“She’s just a winner and there’s really no other way to put it,” Stanton said.

DSU’s Vanessa Escobar finished fifth with 3,587 points but finished second in both the shot put (27-6½) and the javelin (104-7).

Emmons and Escobar put 12 points toward the team’s total at the conference championships.

The Blue Hawks are back in action Saturday at the Ron Masanz Invitational at Minnesota State Moorhead.

Results Monday

Dakota Athletic Conference Multi Championships

At Jamestown College

Decathlon

Total points: 1, Trevor Willis, Dickinson State, 6,080. 3, Tanner Leak, Dickinson State, 5,195. 4, Matt Quintus, Dickinson State, 4,770.

Events (winners and DSU finishers are listed)

100: 1, Trevor Willis, Dickinson State, 11.33 (789 points). 3, Tanner Leak, Dickinson State, 11.7 (711). 4, Matt Quintus, Dickinson State, 11.77 (697).

Long jump: 1, Nathan Horgeshimer, Jamestown, 6.4m (675). 2, Willis, Dickinson State, 6.28m (648). 4, Leak, Dickinson State, 5.8m (544). 5, Quintus, Dickinson State, 5.72m (527).

Shot put: 1, Willis, Dickinson State, 11.03m (548). 2, Quintus, Dickinson State, 10.7m (528). 4, Leak, Dickinson State, 9.21m (438).

High jump: 1, Willis, Dickinson State, 1.95m (758). 3, Leak, 1.77m (602). 4, Quintus, Dickinson State, 1.65m (504).

400: 1, Horgeshimer, Jamestown, 52.3 (706). 2, Leak, Dickinson State, 55.3 (581). 3, Willis, Dickinson State, 56.1 (550). 5, Quintus, 58.8 (450).

110 hurdles: 1, Horgeshimer, Jamestown, 15.68 (769). 2, Quintus, 17.12 (612). 3, Willis, Dickinson State, 17.22 (602). 5, Leak, Dickinson State, 19.74 (370).

Discus: 1, Alan Muhs, Jamestown, 31.22m (488). 2, Willis, Dickinson State, 27.57m (417). 3, Quintus, Dickinson State, 27.4m (414). 6, Leak, Dickinson State, 22.12m (312).

Pole vault: 1, Willis, Dickinson State, 3.91m (592). 2, Leak, Dickinson State, 3.71m (538). 4, Quintus, Dickinson State, 3.01m (359).

Javelin: 1, Willis, Dickinson State, 52.21m (621). 2, Leak, Dickinson State, 43.89m (499). 3, Quintus, Dickinson State, 38.5m (420).

1,500: 1, Horgeshimer, Jamestown, 4:30.32 (743). 2, Leak, Dickinson State, 4:53.18 (600). 4, Willis, Dickinson State, 5:00.75. 6, Quintus, Dickinson State, 6:01.21 (259).

Heptathlon

Total points: 1, Sarah Skipper, Jamestown, 4,291. 2, Ashley Emmons, Dickinson State, 4,187. 3, Lisa Koch, Black Hills, 3,772. 4, Kallie Merrill, Jamestown, 3,618. 5, Vanessa Escobar, Dickinson State, 3,587. 6, Ashleigh Anderson, Jamestown, 2,368.

Events (winners and DSU finishers are listed)

100: 1, Skipper, Jamestown, 15.14 (823). 2, Emmons, Dickinson State, 15.54 (772). 5, Escobar, Dickinson State, 18.01 (487).

High jump: 1, Skipper, Jamestown, 1.59m (724). 4, Emmons, Dickinson State, 1.41m (523). 5, Escobar, Dickinson State, 1.38m (491).

Shot put: 1, Lisa Koch, Black Hills, 9.16m (475). 2, Escobar, Dickinson State, 8.39m (425). 3, Emmons, Dickinson State, 8.36m (423).

200: 1, Skipper, Jamestown, 27.03 (709). 2, Emmons, Dickinson State, 27.49 (672). 5, Escobar, Dickinson State, 29.5 (518).

Long jump: 1, Emmons, Dickinson State, 5.08m (581). 3, Escobar, Dickinson State, 4.81m (508).

Javelin: 1, Emmons, Dickinson State, 32.82m (530). 2, Escobar, Dickinson State, 31.88m (512).

800: 1, Emmons, Dickinson State, 2:30.54 (686). 4, Escobar, Dickinson State, 2:33.78 (646).

Children's Day...what a nice idea...

Yesterday was Children's Day here in South Korea. It is a day that children are given a reprieve from the responsibilities of their stressful little lives. Some kids get presents...money, toys, Wii's...the usual. Some kids take family vacations. A few kids don't do anything special. I went for a walk at a nearby park, trying to get some sunshine and exercise, though I soon found the exercise bit was going to be harder than I had at first imagined. When Koreans have a holiday, they go outside. I am sure a lot of them also go to the mall, and to the movies, but for the most part - they are at parks, in the mountains, on the beach, on islands, you name it. My walk at the park became instead an obstacle course (getting around bikes, strollers, kites, rollerblades)and an observation of people - both of which were quite enjoyable.

As a westerner in South Korea, it is easy to pick apart various parts of the culture, mostly because in many ways it is vastly different from my own. I don't agree with sending children to hagwon after hagwon in pursuit of the highest test score, or with allowing children to sacrifice sleep, friendships, play, a childhood, in the name of getting ahead. But, again, I am not Korean, and I was not raised with the value system that exists in South Korea. So, rather than focusing only on what I don't agree with, I have spent a significant amount of time looking at the things I, and my western ideals, could learn a thing or two about. Korea is a healthier country, by far, than America. Koreans value eating healthy, exercising, family structure, elders in the community, hard work. They really teach their children, they take the responsibility of being a parent seriously, they value the environment, they are proud of who they are, they still subscribe to many of their traditions, and they don't steal. And on Children's Day, you really get to see family life.

This was not my first walk through parks here, and I have always been amazed by the same things every time I observe the way people interact. It is different than at home. I really feel that when people are at the park here, relaxing with the family, that is where they really are. They aren't worrying about what they have to do at the office, or if their children are going to be first on the monthly test, or what they are going to make for dinner, or how they are possibly going to get through a whole afternoon without updates from SportsCenter. Now, I am sure some people are thinking those very thoughts, but for the most part, people are just happy, enjoying their families, something that often seems to be in short supply in the States. I see whole families together, dad's playing with babies, nonchalantly pushing strollers to nowhere in particular. Pregnant women with their husbands carrying their shoes and bag. Couples sleeping together under a tree. A little girl teaching her younger brother how to hold the flowers she picked for him. Grandparents walking with their grandchildren, entire families biking together, playing badminton together. Everywhere. Hundreds of people. Just out to have a good day. We could use a little more of that back home.

It is interesting to look at the place you come from through the eyes of a person far removed. Looking at America through the eyes of Korea, I see that we are unhealthy, we are stressed, we are often violent. Some of us are uber-productive ALL of the time, and some of us are leeching off of a system that doesn't work. We are divided, confused, defensive, tired, disenchanted. Yet we are still pushing forward, putting one foot in front of the other, and hoping against all hope that there is a brighter future. We are at a cross-road, struggling to find an identity that encompasses cultures that are as diverse as the entire world, and not at all sure that the American Dream exists anymore. We are grappling with the question that if the American Dream no longer exists, what is to become of the "New World"? I love many things about Korea, but with all its flaws, I still love America. Maybe Children's Day would help us realize that sometimes...it really is just all about the family.

Next year's plans...

I enjoy being spontaneous and adventurous, but when push comes to shove, I want to know what is going to happen next in life.  Granted, some things in life are uncontrollable, and there are some things for which I  will never receive an answer.  But for those things such as jobs, living arrangements, etc., not knowing what comes next is a reckless, powerless feeling for me.  Some have said that it is a liberating feeling.  Maybe.  For me though, I need to have one foot on the ground, and when I don't - life is stressful.  Therefore, the last few months for me have been filled with varying degrees of stress related to how my plans in life would unfold.  A part of me would love to live in another country, explore more, see the world.  The stronger part of me knows that I need a base , a place to truly call home, and that I need to go back there now.  A year away from everything I love in my life is just to long for me. 


The decision to head back home was made quite awhile ago, but then came the question of where to go.  When I left Colorado to come to Korea, I was burnt out on teaching, on being surrounded by a negative atmosphere at work, and the unending politics that accompany teaching in public schools.  I had looked at changing career paths, going back for my masters, just changing schools, and obviously, teaching overseas.   I went with teaching in Korea because the pay was decent, it was something I knew as far as the teaching, and I felt that I needed a new perspective.  I think that immersing yourself in another culture always brings a greater perspective, and so, 10 months later, here I am.  I have had a great year, have met amazing people, enjoyed my students, and have seen a part of the world I knew relatively little about prior to coming here.  And I have gained a new perspective.  


Working in hagwons in Korea is a precarious thing.  Some people end up victims of an imperfect system that does not always align with western standards. Some people are incredibly lucky and end up with amazing jobs.  I am somewhere in the middle.  The hours in many schools are quite long, and vacation time is limited.  For me, the most difficult part was a result of the fact that I actually have a teaching background.  In my classrooms at home,  I had a great deal of independence, I made decisions for my classroom and students, I was free to express my opinion, and I was part of a team of professionals.  Here, I am just another person who can speak English and teach a preset curriculum that allows for no creativity, and no professional requirements.    Now, my job is not the same as everyone's in Korea, and it is a good job in many ways.  It is just not right for me.  It has, however, given me the perspective that I sought.


I have realized that despite all the flaws of my previous school,  it was a place where I was able to be a professional, I was treated as such, and there was a common sense of respect.  I have realized that the hours I worked were amazing, and that having vacations and  summers off are privileges I never quite appreciated properly.  I have realized that I need to be able to work with my administration, not just for them.  There were some very difficult aspects of my previous school, but with a new perspective, I see that many of those difficulties were a result of my attitude, and things that I can control.  


So, with that said, back to the plans for next year.  As the economy crumbled this year, I began thinking of what would be the best choice for my job security.  I came to Korea on a year long leave of absence, with no real intention of returning to my school district.  I wanted a fresh start if and when I returned, and barely gave returning to the same district, much less the same school, a passing thought.  As I read headline after headline of jobs being slashed, teachers being cut, companies folding, I realized that the fact that I have a guaranteed job, with tenure, was something I couldn't take for granted.  I decided that I would in fact return to my school district - but to a different school this time.  Someplace where I could put my newfound perspective to good use.  That was not to be, though.  After weeks of waiting to find out where I would be placed in the district, I found out recently that I will be returning to the same school I have taught at the last 3 years.  Ahhh...life certainly holds surprises sometimes.  Had someone asked me a few months ago if I would consider returning to my school, I would have responded flatly, unequivocally - NO.  Now that I am going back, and I have had some time to adjust, I think this is the best choice for me at this time.  Funny how things turn out sometimes.  I struggled for a bit with the feeling that I have been gone for a year, have experienced so much, and now I will be returning to the same place, as if nothing had changed at all.  The truth is, it is not the situation that determines happiness, but what is inside a person; and I know that I return to Colorado a different person in many ways.


I have loved so much about my time in Korea, but it has not been the easiest year of my life.  I have learned, again, that sometimes the things that seem to be the very worst, are the very things you need to grow and become a better person.  Working here in Korea has been a constant battle for me in some ways, and I wish that I had looked more seriously at teaching in a true International School.  But, if I had done that, I would not have learned many of the things I have this year.  My job might have been more satisfying  to me, but I believe I needed to gain some appreciation for the job I left back home.  Maybe an International School would be a good choice for the next time I get the itch to travel...

Lotus Lantern Festival

Lanterns lit up at night

Amazing ceiling...

Some of the monks taking part in the parade

Natalia and I with the lanterns that they were giving out for the parade - I think that technically we were supposed to walk in the parade with them.

This woman is wearing a traditional Korean Hanbok

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This little guy was so adorable - it was a great festival to take kids to - lots of crafts and interesting things to look at

Me with some girls getting ready for the parade

So many Lotus Lanterns everywhere!

The Lotus Lanterns and the candles inside signify enlightenment and the blossoming of wisdom.

The temple during the day - still beautiful. It was a really amazing sight to see. You walk into the temple courtyard, and suddenly all the lanterns are everywhere.

Broadening my Perspective...

Today I went into Seoul to attend the Buddhist Lantern Festival. It is a festival kicking off the celebration of Buddha's birthday, which is on May 2nd this year in Korea, and it was really amazing. In Bundang, where I live, there is not an obvious Buddhist presence, but throughout Korea it is quite obviously a huge part of the culture. One aspect of living in Asia that I have really enjoyed is witnessing authentic Buddhist practices in everyday life.
The first time I really observed Buddhist worshippers was over Chuseok - which is the fall Full Moon Harvest Festival, a day which Koreans spend with family and celebrate much in the same way that we celebrate Thanksgiving in America. This year it fell on September 14th. My friends Mariko and Brandon and I went hiking up in the mountains near Seoul and we stopped into one of the buddhist monasteries that are scattered through the mountains throughout Korea, and watched people worship. I truly don't know much of Buddhism, and I am completely ignorant to what the rituals signify, but they are beautiful to watch. Buddhists have a calming sense to them, and as they perform the rituals of their religion, you feel that they do have a very special belief. In China I visited a Tibetan temple, Lama Temple, and it was one of my favorite sites in Beijing. It had a special aura to it which was enhanced by the fact that it was a practicing Temple.
Today's visit to the Lantern Festival a similar feel to it, despite the crowds of foreigners. There were fifty or so booths set up where you could do everything from making your own lantern, to receiving acupuncture treatments. My friend Natalia and I both made fans, and I got a hand acupuncture treatment in which I had burning little discs placed on my palm and fingers. They really did feel like a needle, though it was only the heat from burning soot. Interestingly I could not handle the ones in the middle of my palm. The doctor told me that it was my stomach...hmmm. After finishing our fans, Natalia and I headed to the actual temple - Jogyesa Temple. It was soooo amazing - really beautiful. The entire courtyard was covered by rows and rows of lanterns. We walked around before they were lit, and then again after dark when they were all lit up - they were amazing both ways.
Natalia and I went to a cute little Indian restaurant in Insadong, and then we returned to see the lanterns lit up. We were so lucky to get back right in time for the night parade. It was so beautiful, and so much fun. So far, this has really been one of my favorite events that I have been to in Korea. Pictures to come soon! :)

Why do I like to travel?

Why?  Because this video makes my heart beat faster, and brings tears to my eyes.  Someday, this is what I hope to be able to do...it would be great if someone would pay for it.  Ideas, anyone?!?  ;)

Staying healthy in Korea

As a teacher, I have always been exposed to more than the average number of bugs - and have fallen prey to more of them than I like.  Over the last few years, I have really worked to lower my chances of getting every cold that my students bring into class with them, and I have been fairly successful.  In my classroom in Colorado I use clorox wipes all year long, my students wipe their desks down after almost every class - and most of my students enjoy letting me know that they think I am crazy - though they are just as happy to try to prevent any sickness they might get from someone else sitting in their desk.   
Then comes Korea. Now, in all honesty, I have been relatively healthy here too, despite the fact that my students are ALWAYS sick!!  At home, students do come to school sick, but it is nothing like here.  At least once a week I wish I could send a kid home they are just that sick.  That is highly unacceptable here though, and so we all put up with hacking and sneezing and germiness.   I don't have clorox wipes to disinfect everything, and eventually all of those germs catch up with me.  Currently I am trying really hard to not get a full-blown cold that has been nagging at me in the form of a scratchy, sore throat all week.  I have been trying to get extra rest, taking my vitamins, eating well...but the problem with teaching is that you are talking all day, and by the end of the day (for me - 9:00) I feel terrible again.  
What I have noticed about Korea, is that when I get sick, I get sick for a LONG time.  Plus, it seems like someone around me is always sick, so it is a cycle in which I am constantly trying to stay ahead.  Wether it is because we are just not used to the viruses here, or because our immune systems are constantly barraged with new viruses, all I know is that it is exhausting trying to stay healthy.  I need a sick day...oh yeah, I don't really get any this year.  Oh, well - maybe I will kick this without the full-blown cold developing.  Positive thoughts!  :)

Good time to be in Korea...

Ahhh.  That pretty much sums up the last couple of weeks.  The weather has truly turned spring-like, and with it has come the cherry blossoms, magnolia trees, and lighter spirits.  This weekend I really just enjoyed the warm weather.  It is so nice to be able to spend time outside again, and the transformation here is amazing.  All winter long coffee shops were packed and the malls were bustling with people attempting to avoid the cold, but today they were quiet.  Everyone was outside.  The parks here are great for people watching - mostly because they are packed.  There are so many little kids, young couples, families, grandparents.  People bring a mat and sit on the grass, they play games, they stroll.  It is nice.  Yesterday a group of friends and I went and did all of those things.  We even brought some wine and beer, and ordered chicken - which - yes - was delivered TO the park.  Today I kind of just wandered about, went shopping a bit, hung out with friends again, ate some Indian food.  Perfect weekend.  I didn't get anything done, my apartment is messy...but it is ok.  Life is good.  Next weekend my friends from Montana will be here - Erica and Brian, and I am sooooo excited to see them!
Time is flying by, and before I know it, I will be at the airport writing my last blog from Korea.  I am excited to come home, but I wish I had time to actually see more of Korea.  I am trying to fit in as many places in as I can these last couple of months, but traveling on the weekend and returning to work on Monday just isn't that much fun - I prefer the traveling without a job to return to, and no real plan on where I am going.  That requires money though, which, for me, means I have to have a job...endless cycle.

Cherry blossoms up close - so pretty - and so fleeting - they fall off after just a few days - like snow - it is really pretty.

Just one of MANY pretty pictures I have of the trees in bloom

Relaxing at the park - TJ, Matt, Christa, Sugi, Jin

palaces, cherry blossoms, ancient burial ground

Girls from work - Jin, Christa, Natalia, me, Sugi

I LOVE this red flower - so beautiful!

Cherry Blossoms and pretty days...

On Sunday my friend Mariko and I took a walk and just enjoyed seeing spring emerge.  I have never lived someplace where spring is so evident - all of the blossoms just make me happy!  

Living across the border from Kim Jong Il

With North Korea's imminent launch upon us, I figured I should say something. But, honestly, I'm not really sure what to say. It is intimidating that North Korea has been as volatile as they have been over the last several months. I have grown up with a healthy fear of North Korea, but quickly learned when I began researching my move here, that North Korea is a world away from the country I live in. Yet, it is still less than 50 miles away. North and South Korea are technically still in a state of war, as they have been since the demilitarized zone was established after the Korean War in 1953. There are about 28,000 US troops in South Korea. You can tour the DMZ (which I have not yet done), and you can even do a tour inside of North Korea (closely monitored, of course). I have 2 friends who went on a trip to North Korea last year - they said it was terrifying and incredibly sad, and they were only able to go to a camp right across the border. Imagine actually entering the heart of North Korea, or witnessing the death camps that are purported to be larger than those of Auschwitz.

Living so close to North Korea, I feel somewhat fascinated by, and at the same time callous to, what we see and hear on the news. Most South Koreans don't ever seem bothered in the least by the "antics" of Kim Jong Il's regime. I get most of my information about North Korea from foreign new sources, not from within Korea - though my language barrier would obviously require that. I do know the US evacuation plan in the case of an emergency, but it just doesn't seem to be a major concern here - or I should say that the general population does not seem concerned. South Korea is a country that, despite the recent economic downturn, has grown in leaps and bounds. While it is, of course, completely different in many ways from America, daily life here is not all that different. Everyone has cell phones with the latest technological advances, many of them superior to what is available in the States. Public transportation is easy and convenient, pretty much anything you might need is available here. Life in South Korea is pretty much status quo - things are good for the most part, and people are prosperous (if you don't count the fact that they also have one of the highest rates of personal debt in the world).

My students love to discuss whether or not North and South Korea should unite again - a prospect that is becoming more and more remote as I write this. It must be hard growing up in a country that is split like Korea. There are people in South Korea who have not seen their relatives in North Korea for over 50 years. The fact that North Korea has a despicable and loathsome leader, does not change the fact that there are millions of people in North Korea who are just that...people. Who are being starved and shut off from the rest of the world. Estimates say that between 2 and 3 million people have died of starvation in North Korea since 1995. It is impossible for my students, or me for that matter, to fathom the lives that the North Korean people lead. The only difference between the North Korean people who are living lives of poverty, and the South Koreans who are living lives of prosperity, is where they were during and, more importantly, after, the Korean War.

And sometime this weekend North Korea is expected to launch a "satellite" into space. Really? Where is the justice in this world? How much money does North Korea spend on its nuclear warfare program? How much exactly will this "satellite" cost? Why wasn't that money being spent to feed the people of North Korea? Because Kim Jong Il is a dictator, and he doesn't care at all about human rights.

So, sometime today, or in the next couple of days, we will see what the fallout of this launch will be. Will Japan shoot down debris as it has said it will? Will South Korea or the US have to take any sort of military action? Will China and Russia condemn North Korea for its actions? Will there be consequences for this launch? And, ultimately, will it be a satellite? or a missile? If it is a missile, as most people believe, what are the far-reaching repercussions?

I am going to go for a walk today and enjoy the cherry blossoms and the appearance of spring. Life goes on, despite the terrible things that happen in places all over the world.