Three Months-Frustrations and Reflections

I have been in the Republic of Korea for three months now, and as with any new experience there have been both good and bad times. This will no doubt continue for the rest of my time here and for the rest of my life. Aside from living in a happy little bubble with no access to news of the outside world and with no attachments to other people, there’s not sure fire way to stop the bad things from happening. There has also been a lot of monsoon rain lately, but I can’t control that either. I guess it’s just how you deal with bad experiences and trying not to let them overshadow the good times. Oh, and investing in a sturdy umbrella.

This week has seen a lot of frustration, from my schedule changes and new status as a glorified tape recording to my apartment falling apart around me, with my boiler breaking down for the third time since I have been here and construction work requiring a 7.30am wake up. I have been reminding myself that this is such a great opportunity and I will probably never get the chance to experience something like this again. Yet it’s hard not to get disheartened when so many things are seemingly going wrong. One of my former students, Jack, was knocked off his bike this week and hospitalised, thankfully he’s going to be ok. I guess it’s just been a shocking and difficult week.

Apparently my schedule will stay the same for the next month, so I will continue reading out of a book and finishing early, the latter is, of course, a bonus. It’s strange though that I have been hired as a foreign language teacher and I am not being used as one. Plus, because I have next to nothing to do at work, having to go back to a crappy apartment just compounds my frustrations.

Yet, there have been good things this week; I have made some great new friends, I teach Grade One on my own again, and I have learnt some new Korean phrases. I know I just need to remind myself that the good outweighs the bad, and I am incredibly lucky to be experiencing Korean culture. I have only seen a fraction of Korea-Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daecheon, Asan Folk Village and of course Hongseong. There is so much more to do and see, and hopefully I will continue to explore this beautiful, fascinating, and at times confusing (especially the street signs) nation and even though I might not have a hot shower to come back to, at least I have an umbrella.