Coming to a Close

Last look at my school as I left to catch my bus.

     Much has happened since the last post... Well, obviously -- it has been about three months! My plan (however unrealistic it may be), is to write a bunch of posts about my time in Korea... once I have returned home and therefore have more time on my hands. In case you haven't yet guessed, my time here in Korea is ending. Today was my last day of teaching. I have just over two weeks until I return to the U.S. The remainder of my time here will be filled with planning, packing, socializing... preparing to transition out of this life into another. I guess I could say "transition back into my old life," as I will return to things much as they were before I left. But I know it won't be exactly the same. I'll be different, somehow changed by this time. I wonder how it will feel, to go back. I wonder how it will feel to live in the U.S. again, with this experience of living and working in Korea now inside me.

   I'm excited about what is ahead. I am looking forward to being home. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks here. Nonetheless, I know I'll miss Korea terribly. I'll miss my friends here. I'll miss my students. I'll miss my church. I feel a little strange now -- like I'm anticipating the heartache of missing all this, but the full realization wasn't struck yet. I can't forget my students. I felt like there was so much yet to teach them. I hardly taught them anything in this past year! I want to pour so much more into their lives. Saying my last goodbyes to them today was kinda surreal. So commonplace to them. I didn't get emotional about it, and neither did they (not visibly, anyway)... Yet I wanted so badly to give them all a big hug and look into their eyes and tell them how much I care about them. I want them to understand that I love them. I wish they could know how I'll miss them.

   This will take time to process.

   Through it all, I know God is sovereign. That's my stability and comfort.

A Quiet Place

         I have gotten really fed up with not having a quiet place of my own to, well, have my quiet time. Not that my sister is a noisy roommate... I just need a place where I can be *alone*. It was especially difficult when the full heat of summer rolled in. You see, the climate in this area of Korea is not too far different from what I'm familiar with, coming from Alabama -- very hot and muggy -- but the key difference is that Koreans don't use air conditioners as liberally as we do back home. That was quite a challenge to endure (and a subject for another post).

    Before the weather was so hot, I'd sometimes go out in the morning and find a place to sit in one of the little park areas around my apartment. Otherwise, I'd stay in my room. It would usually be peaceful and quiet enough, with only the occasional passerby. With the arrival of summer, however, I had a different schedule: working in the morning instead of in the afternoon. So going out in the morning wasn't really an option for me, and by the time I returned home, it was too hot both indoors and out.

    So I went searching for a quiet (air-conditioned!) place.

    I tried many different cafes around my neighborhood and in the area in Gwangju where I get off the bus from my school. Eventually I found one worth returning to again and again. What a blessing it was to find that little cafe! Finally I had a peaceful little place I could go to, to read and pray!

Roti Mum Cafe

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~

Visiting late in the evening

    Summer has finally retreated, and winter is fast approaching. While the weather has been pleasant, I have enjoyed often walking up to the hill behind my apartment, which is crisscrossed with hiking trails. I found this area to be an even better place to go. On several occasions when I had a free day, I stayed up there for hours at a time -- reading the Bible, praying, exploring the trails... and taking a few pictures, of course. There's a bench I can go to there, and I can generally stay a long time without being disturbed. However, Koreans are big fans of hiking, so people will periodically pass me by.

    Walking those trails has been so refreshing. The rustling trees and chirping birds, the dappled light and fresh air... It is a haven. I wish I had the time to go up there more often.



                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~

     I still desire a place to go that is quiet, private, and comfortable. Still, I am thankful for the places I have found, even if they aren't perfect.

Sunsets from the trails

       

Thoughts of Home

A street in my neighborhood in Gwangju

    This is a post I started back in April/May when the first wave of homesickness really set in. I have extended my contract and will therefore be here another 6 months. Several people I know are leaving or have already left the country after completing their contracts. Seeing these people leave has reminded me that if I hadn't extended... I'd be going home now, too. That's hard. I think of home a lot. So without further ado...

  I know this is where I'm supposed to be right now, but that doesn't stop me from thinking of home. Random things send flashes of homesickness. Like how, on the bus ride to school one day, I was looking over the landscape and suddenly I missed my hometown. I miss Huntsville -- just the common sights, the roads and buildings and, of course, the rocket!

  I miss the trees and the flowers. I look at the hills around here and they're beautiful, but they're not Huntsville's hills. I miss Green Mountain.

  On the way to my bus stop in the morning, sometimes I pass a little plant shop. Then I miss tending to the gardens around my house. Oh, those gardens are nothing fancy, for sure, and they are a lot of work to maintain. It gets so hot out in the summer that I can't stand to work outside for very long. Even so, there's something so satisfying in working outdoors, tending to plants.

  As it was just beginning to get real hot, I wanted something cold & wet to refresh me... I could've easily gone to any convenience store here and bought some kind of frozen treat... but you know what I wanted? Sonic. Not just any ol' slushie will do -- I had a hankerin' for a Sonic slushie!

  I miss eating dinner with my family. I miss the food, but even more so, I sorely miss the company.

  Don't get me wrong. I'm happy here. I have made some great friends, I have found a great church, and I have a strong sense of purpose in my work. It's an adventure. Still, the thoughts of home keep popping up. Frankly, it's distracting.

  I don't want to wish away my time here in thinking of home. I want to be FULLY here. I want to live wholeheartedly, and I want to be focused. I need to live in today. I keep reminding myself that if I am to long for the future, the future I long for ought to be eternity -- not the temporal, earthly future.

  When I am so far away from home, I have this sense of longing that doesn't go away. I realize that this longing should be a mere shadow of the longing for my heavenly home... My true home. It is just an echo of the longing built into my very being.

Jeju and Open Class

     The past few weeks have been busy and intense. On May 25th I had one open class where teachers from my school plus the principal and VP observed one of my classes. That was stressful enough, but it went okay, all things considered. Thankfully, I had a long weekend right after that because of Monday's holiday (Buddha's birthday). I had just two days of work that week, then on Thursday I set off with all of the other TaLK scholars in my province to go on our (free!) cultural trip to Jeju.
 

Jusangjeolli. Cool-lookin' natural hexagonal rock formations.

The little islet of Saeseom (Bird Island).

  How was the trip? Good, but exhausting. As is apparently typical of Korean group tours, we were ushered from one attraction to the next in a whirlwind tour of the island. Any one of the many places we went to could have taken a full day of their own. Okay, not EVERY place was worth spending a whole day... but I know many of us were unhappy to not be able to spend more time at one of the beaches, for instance.

  The week after the Jeju trip, I had another open class. This one was a much bigger deal. I was really nervous about it -- especially when I had to keep modifying my lesson plan. I could tell that it was very important to my school that my open class go well. That put a lot of pressure on me. The day of the class I felt okay about the plan, but I left just a few too many small things to prepare, and we ended up with less preparation time than expected. My nervousness grew rapidly until it was time to teach. The lesson went okay -- neither terrible nor great. Perhaps I could share more about what I learned from this whole process... later. I was so glad to have it over with. It is great to be back down to a normal level of stress.

  The weekend after the open class was, in contrast, wonderful. On Saturday I ate lunch with people from my church, then spent the rest of the day with two friends (Jo, who worked at Munpyeong before me; and Hyung Jun, who was one of Jo's co-teachers). What a refreshing day that was! We ate a good dinner, we walked, we played games and watched a movie... and we talked and laughed so much together. Jo stayed with me until Tuesday. We talked, and talked, and talked! She's such a kindred spirit. We were both sad that she had to leave, but we fully enjoyed the time we had together.

Long-Overdue Update

    It has been far too long since I've posted, and for that I apologize. I've been busy -- that's the short explanation. I want to fill in the gap and tell about what's gone on since I started teaching, but it is just too much, so I'll have to jump ahead and fill you in later.

  To sum up: teaching has been quite a challenge for me. I spend more time on classroom management than on actual teaching. 2nd grade and 3rd/4th grade (combined class) are the worst. The other classes are not too bad, though there is still a general lack of respect. Even so, I love the kids and they seem to like me. They are pleasant outside of class.

 I have met a lot of people and I am enjoying getting to know them better. After a tough day/week of teaching, meeting with a friend for dinner is so refreshing to me. When I think of these growing friendships, the time I have left here seems terribly short. I want to relish all the time I have with them. For now, many are only a short bus ride away. Others take more effort to see - a bus or train ride of an hour or two. Right now that seems far, but I know that it's nothing compared with the distance when I leave.

  Yesterday and today were so good -- a welcome respite after a rough few days (Wednesday and Thursday!) You see, the former TaLK scholar who was placed at the same school I am at now, is back in Korea. We've talked a little bit already via Skype and Facebook, but Friday was the first time we met in person. She came with me to the school to visit the students, and we talked a lot. It is amazing how much alike we are. Though our personalities and backgrounds are very different, we are now so much of one mind. We met again today to talk, and boy, we sure talked! For dinner we were joined by one of her former co-teachers. We all enjoyed talking together and the meal was great.

  After all the talking yesterday and today, I feel so encouraged. I see light. I see hope.

  I've struggled to stay hopeful when I see no improvement in my classes. I've worked often in frustration, seeing no fruit. I still trust God to work it all out for good, though I can't see how. Now... I see a new glimmer of hope. I feel like improvement is attainable. It is all in God's hands.

Sports Day [back post]

Getting ready to start

     My school's Sports Day (field day) was held in the beginning of May. I was looking forward to the day, partly because I wouldn't have to teach that day. My co-teacher, Jooyoung, and I arrived early in the morning as preparations were still underway -- kids were carrying chairs out to place them under newly-raised shelters as teachers directed, set out prizes, and arranged various other things. As I walked into the school building I was handed a bright red t-shirt that matched what all the other teachers and students were wearing. So I changed quickly, then went back out to the field.

   I felt a little useless then, deaf to the meaning of the chatter swirling around me. But before long, the parents, grandparents, and other sundry supporters had gathered, students lined up in rows by grade on the soccer field, and the festivities began.

   They started by singing the school's song and the Korean national anthem. It is a slightly odd experience to be a foreigner standing in a crowd of people as they are saluting their flag and singing their nation's anthem... hands over hearts... I am an observer. I am not a citizen here -- as if that fact were no clear enough already. It's an interesting experience.

   Next they did groups stretches, and some students received rewards. The rest of the day, they alternated between activities with the students, parents, teachers, and various different combinations thereof.

Kindergarten footrace

Even though my participating mostly consisted of taking pictures, I was nearly as exhausted as the others by lunchtime. I guess just the heat was enough to tire one out. Combine that with the early morning and physical exercise, and you have a good recipe for exhaustion. Lunch was pleasant -- I was so hungry! It was also nice to be able to go home early that day (right after lunch). Upon returning home, I just wanted to sleep.

Parents carrying K-2 on stretchers for a relay

   It was a fun day, but very tiring. The kids played hard, and the parents and teachers were great sports in participating and cheering on the kids.

Bamboo Festival [back post]

Panorama of the festival grounds

    My co-teacher A Jin and I were in the bus on our way to school. We often talk in the bus all the way there and all the way back -- unless sleepiness silences us. For the first few months, even though I usually disliked the commute from Gwangju to my school, I looked forward to Fridays because of those conversations.

On this day, we were chatting as usual when I mentioned that on Saturday there would be a festival that I was interested in going to. I asked if she was free that day, and she said yes. So before the ride was over, we had decided to go to the festival together.

 We met at the bus terminal the next morning. The bamboo festival is held in Damyang, which is not far out of Gwangju. It took around an hour to get there. We strolled around the grounds together, conversing easily, and I even bought a couple things to bring home as gifts. Around noon we stopped at a lovely shaded bench and shared a simple picnic lunch. Throughout the day, I kept running into people I knew, all fellow TaLK scholars. It was fun to see them there.

Bamboo forest (and A Jin)

We also hiked through the bamboo forest for which the area is famous. It was a pleasant hike, though the trails were crowded thanks to the festival. The forest is beautiful, and so peaceful.

It was a great day. I so enjoyed spending time with A Jin without having to think about classes at all.

On the bus on the way home, I saw three more TaLK scholars, all Kiwis. I talked with them nearly the whole way back. They asked if I knew any good restaurant nearby in Gwangju.  In another moment of spontaneity quite uncharacteristic for me, I decided to eat dinner with them in downtown Gwangju. They were excited when I mentioned First Nepal, Gwangju's one and only Indian/Nepali restaurant. So we went there, sans A Jin (who had other plans that evening). The Kiwi TaLK scholars didn't live in Gwangju, in fact, they weren't even from the same province, so I slipped into the role of host, leading them around my city.

We arrived downtown with no trouble... But to my embarrassment, we had to wander around for a while, because I couldn't find the restaurant! Just before giving up, and as I was calling a friend of mine to ask for directions, we found it. I was relieved, and we were all happy to finally order some food. I think that once they had sampled the food, I was forgiven for leading them all over downtown. I enjoyed the food, but I think I got even more enjoyment out of seeing how much my dinner companions savored their food. They were great company.

It was a well-spent Saturday indeed.

A Jin and I in the bamboo forest