During the week I wrote down a list of things I wanted to blog about, but as is so often the case now I have actually started there are other things my fingers want to type. You might have noticed my Quote Wall to the right of this post, until I can be half as eloquent I will borrow the words of others. So to quote a Korean proverb: 손바닥으로 하늘을 가리려한다 (Don't try to cover the whole sky with the palm of your hand.)
You can only “cover” the sky by closing your eyes, but that doesn’t stop the sky existing-you are going to have to face the issue eventually.
There is so much to see in this world, and I have been fortunate enough to see a small fraction of what this planet has to offer. But like with any addiction, once you have sampled a little there is no stopping your thirst for more, and it becomes an ache that won’t go away until it’s been satisfied. (Though like with any addiction how can you satisfy something that can’t be satisfied?) Two of my biggest reasons for choosing TEFL over backpacking were to see if I liked teaching and to experience a totally different culture first hand. Both of these boxes are being checked by my stay in South Korea. But the backpacker in me has been itching to get out, stay in crappy hostels and be able to do something new everyday.
Perhaps it’s just been a frustrating week. I have been having a few issues trying to sort out a 4 day holiday-apparently Koreans consider 2 weekdays and a weekend a 4 day holiday, as I don’t work on or get paid for the weekends I am sure you can understand why I disagree. As Hagwons stay open all year round there will be no long school holidays for me while I am out here, so I need to utilise the time off that I do get. Plus, just as I start to get into a routine and get settled, I discover my schedule might change again. One thing that I will take away from Korea is the art of being incredibly flexible-and I don’t mean in a Geri Halliwell look at me shaped like a pretzel kind of way! If something new is going to happen, it will happen at the last minute- longer lessons, no lessons, new students you name it…..for someone who likes to be organised this whole adventure has given me a crash course in expecting the unexpected.
What I have needed to remind myself is that I can still do the backpacking, I can still stay in the crap hostels, and this crazy 12 months in Korea will prepare me all the more for it. At the risk of sounding like a line from a coming of age Hollywood movie, we are shaped by every choice that we make. If I was backpacking right now I would never experience some of the amazing things I have discovered about the Korean way of life and mentality. This morning I went to my local shop to get a carton of milk for my cereal (don’t think I can stomach 3 rice based meals a day) and despite the fact I can barely communicate in Korean the owner told me from now on I will get a discount when I buy my regular 2 litre 6 pack of water. On my first train journey to Seoul I met a Korean English teacher called Tony, who told me how he wants to go to Canada and brought me some banana milk when he had to give his seat up. Trains in Korea deserve a whole separate post-from assigned seating to high speed bullet trains-countered by pesky gropers and soju-soaked old men-to the old ajummas receiving calls on their mobiles, and thinking they have to shout for the caller to hear them…there is so much about Korea that I have fallen in love with (no not the groper!), and so much I have yet to discover, and the next 10 months gives me that opportunity soak up as much as I can.
I think I just need to slow down, take stock of what I have already achieved and accept there will be days when I will be frustrated. It’s all part of the adventure. Oh, and I should remember to keep an eye out for scooters on the pavement-last weekend in Daegu I managed to get hit on the arse by one.
You can only “cover” the sky by closing your eyes, but that doesn’t stop the sky existing-you are going to have to face the issue eventually.
There is so much to see in this world, and I have been fortunate enough to see a small fraction of what this planet has to offer. But like with any addiction, once you have sampled a little there is no stopping your thirst for more, and it becomes an ache that won’t go away until it’s been satisfied. (Though like with any addiction how can you satisfy something that can’t be satisfied?) Two of my biggest reasons for choosing TEFL over backpacking were to see if I liked teaching and to experience a totally different culture first hand. Both of these boxes are being checked by my stay in South Korea. But the backpacker in me has been itching to get out, stay in crappy hostels and be able to do something new everyday.
Perhaps it’s just been a frustrating week. I have been having a few issues trying to sort out a 4 day holiday-apparently Koreans consider 2 weekdays and a weekend a 4 day holiday, as I don’t work on or get paid for the weekends I am sure you can understand why I disagree. As Hagwons stay open all year round there will be no long school holidays for me while I am out here, so I need to utilise the time off that I do get. Plus, just as I start to get into a routine and get settled, I discover my schedule might change again. One thing that I will take away from Korea is the art of being incredibly flexible-and I don’t mean in a Geri Halliwell look at me shaped like a pretzel kind of way! If something new is going to happen, it will happen at the last minute- longer lessons, no lessons, new students you name it…..for someone who likes to be organised this whole adventure has given me a crash course in expecting the unexpected.
What I have needed to remind myself is that I can still do the backpacking, I can still stay in the crap hostels, and this crazy 12 months in Korea will prepare me all the more for it. At the risk of sounding like a line from a coming of age Hollywood movie, we are shaped by every choice that we make. If I was backpacking right now I would never experience some of the amazing things I have discovered about the Korean way of life and mentality. This morning I went to my local shop to get a carton of milk for my cereal (don’t think I can stomach 3 rice based meals a day) and despite the fact I can barely communicate in Korean the owner told me from now on I will get a discount when I buy my regular 2 litre 6 pack of water. On my first train journey to Seoul I met a Korean English teacher called Tony, who told me how he wants to go to Canada and brought me some banana milk when he had to give his seat up. Trains in Korea deserve a whole separate post-from assigned seating to high speed bullet trains-countered by pesky gropers and soju-soaked old men-to the old ajummas receiving calls on their mobiles, and thinking they have to shout for the caller to hear them…there is so much about Korea that I have fallen in love with (no not the groper!), and so much I have yet to discover, and the next 10 months gives me that opportunity soak up as much as I can.
I think I just need to slow down, take stock of what I have already achieved and accept there will be days when I will be frustrated. It’s all part of the adventure. Oh, and I should remember to keep an eye out for scooters on the pavement-last weekend in Daegu I managed to get hit on the arse by one.
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