Halfway Home

As of today I've been in Korea for six months.  When you consider a milestone like that it puts things in perspective and you can't help but reflect.  I think about that first night walking through the door of my Topdong apartment and wondering, "What the hell are you doing here?" I think about things I didn't realize I had till they were gone.  I think about the ways I've grown and changed in the past 183 days.  But most of all, I think about the reasons I wanted to come here in the first place.  In my first blog entry I wanted to come to Korea for self-satisfaction, adventure, and to save money.  Let's reflect on those sentiments and see where they stand today.

Have I found satisfaction as an English teacher?  There are rewarding moments when you see one of the kids grasp a concept and it's ridiculously easy for a full time job, but if there is anything I have learned in this field it is that I don't want to do it for the rest of my life.  I suppose it's fine for now but I need something a little more technical to keep me interested and I'm not sure an English degree is going to help me in that direction.  It is a realization I would not have come to without the time spent here but with that in mind I think I'll be returning to school when my contract is over to pursue a more scientific degree.

Well how about adventure then?  With that one we undoubtedly hit the nail on the head.  There is always something exciting going on in Korea and the foreigners who live here have a daring zeal about them unlike many other people I've ever met.  It's hard to walk down the street without being intrigued by something and if you can't find a far-out way to spend the weekend then you're either fresh in the country or you just don't go out much.  But adventure doesn't always have to be whitewater rafting or bungee jumping.  At least four times a week I run to the top of Chilbo San and simply gaze out at the ever expanding city, lost in thought and amazement.  It's both epic and humbling at the summit.  A place of sanctuary and clarity to work through uneasy thoughts.  I love that mountain and will carry its memory with me throughout life.

So have I saved any money?  I've thrown a couple bucks at the student loans but with the opportunities for travel and experience here I am unfortunately not as wealthy as I originally anticipated.  Oh well, still have six more months to straighten that out. 

There is quite a bit I am excited to accomplish in the short time I have left here (exploring Thailand is situated at the top of the list) and though the prospect of finishing it all seems unlikely the thought of wasting even a moment on trivialities concerns me.  On the other hand there is a lot to miss about home and I think only the most intrepid of globetrotters would be telling the truth if they said they weren't even a little homesick.  I miss family and friends, American food, and driving a convertible late into the night through the West Chester countryside amongst other things.  But as the past six months have evaporated behind me like wisps of temporal mist so I expect shall the remainder of this term persist in a fleeting march and thus I am dedicated to seizing this beast of a nation by the throat and throttling every bit of experience, culture, friendship, and fun out of her.  I have given up small comforts to be here.  Sacrificed things I held dear that I know I will never get back.  But I am a better, smarter, and more mature man because of my time in Korea and I regret none of it.  May the next six months be as enlightening, rewarding, and action-packed as the last.

Cool Thing About Korea #32: Lotte