Folks, I am proud to announce that today is the 6 month anniversary of my love affair with Korea. We have had our ups and downs, and at times I wasn't sure we were going to make it, but we stuck together. I feel as if these 6 months have gone by so quickly and yet so slowly. When I think back to my arrival in this country, I can't believe my feet carried me out of the airport when every ounce of my body and mind was telling me to turn around and buy a return flight home. When my cab driver dropped me off outside of my school, I felt that I had made a mistake for sure. Everything was literally foreign. Being told by my boss that I had an apartment but no furniture only reaffirmed my belief that this was not meant to be. I was wholly unprepared and inept for teaching most of my classes. Yet somehow, I managed. I made it out of the haze that was my first 2 months here. I fully believe that the only reason I made it was due to my zombie-like state caused by shock, jet lag and time difference. The following is a list of things that I have learned about myself during my time here:
1. I love fried foods...in any country.
2. I will not get along with or enjoy everyone that comes into my life, something that was hard to accept.
3. I can find friends in another country with similar likes and beliefs.
4. While some Koreans love foreigners, others highly dislike us, and I finally know what it's like to be the minority and treated poorly for the way I look.
5. It is only possible to live in a country without knowing the language, with several Korean friends who go above and beyond the call of friendship to help me. I will be eternally grateful to them.
6. I will never get my haircut here again.
7. I can commute successfully by bus, subway, or taxi. Getting lost or making mistakes is the fun part of it.
8. Mexican food is my crack cocaine...I am going through withdrawals.
9. Coffee makes me a better teacher.
10. I still have to import some of my American Toilettries. Korean toothpaste, deodorant and gum just won't cut it.
11. This country is a college student's/poor man's dream. Let me explain. The "trash" piles in my town are full of "gold." People throw away the nicest furniture and accessories. I get a rush everytime I see a new heap of gleaming treasures. Just last night we found a barely used leather couch for my friend Tiffany! I look forward to watching movies on that couch...after a good scrub down of course.
12. "Amanda going clothes shopping in South Korea and being successful" is an oxymoron.
13. Pedestrians in this country do NOT have the right of way, and failure to recognize this will result in severe injury or death.
14. The crispiness of an air dried towel is incomparable to a warm towel, fresh from the dryer.
15. I miss my friends and family dearly!
I have another 6 months on my contract, and after that the world is my oyster! (That one's for you Kelly)
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