An Honest Reflection

Post #100

Days left in Korea: 2

My year in Korea is over.  It's hard to believe.  A year seems like so long ago.  At the same time, these past 6 months seemed to have slipped away from me more quickly than I had anticipated.  

Honestly, my life here has not always been easy.  Sure I have managed to fill my blog with fun and exciting adventures: trips snowboarding, white water rafting, hiking and shopping.  But in between all that excitement was the reality of living in a foreign country.   And let's be real here, it's not always an easy task.  Life in Korea can be wonderful because the people are so warm and friendly; they go out of their way to help you in any way possible.  But the language barrier was a constant stress in my life.  Although people around me say that my Korean is fine, I know that I didn't learn as much as I would have liked.  There were countless times that I broke down crying in public.  Sometimes it was because I couldn't express myself and get what I needed (problems with my cell phone come to mind on this one), sometimes it was because I was lost (it took me a long time to find the right bus one night in Gangnam), and other times life was just all too overwhelming.  

Through it all though, I found strength in myself that I didn't know I had.  I'm proud of myself.  I am thankful for the friends, teachers, and students who have made my experience here in Korea a life-changing and wonderful experience.  I wholeheartedly appreciate my time here.  If it wasn't for those bad times, the good would never seem so sweet.  A special thanks to Jennifer and Matt, my best friends, and to Helen, my co-teacher/friend.  

I think I will always look back on my time here in Korea with fondness.  I'm nostalgic and I haven't even left yet.  

~Some pictures from my goodbye party~

Eating dinner in Gangnam

Keith, Helen, and Sarah

Jennifer and my replacement teacher, Yvette

Sarah and Mali 

Mercedes and Matt at the bar Woodstock

My favorite...

My favorite galbi place: 

This restaurant is right around the corner from my apartment.  It's the cheapest around (w12,000 or $10 for two people) and its delicious!  Plus, the batting cages are right next door.  

My favorite coffee shop: 

This is a new coffee shop and it's a bit more expensive than some of the others but the quality is superb. 

I love the interior design and feel to the place.  It's like being in a fancy kitchen at someone's home. 

Jeju Island

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Jeju Island for a few days.  I left on Friday after work from Gimpo airport.  I took a bus to Gangnam and then took the express train (line 9, brown) straight to the airport.  It was so easy I almost felt guilty.  

When I arrived at the airport in Jeju, Helen, my co-teacher, and her family picked me up.  They graciously allowed me to stay with them for the duration of my trip.  They had recently moved into a larger space next door but paid a little extra so that Helen and I could have a comfortable place to stay while we were on vacation.  

The family's apartment on left and where Helen and I stayed on the right. 

On Saturday we all went to Udu Island.  To go to Udo we drove from the apartment for about an hour, then we drove onto the ferry in our car.  The ferry ride was really short.  They could have made a bridge that distance if they really wanted to.  Then we went all around the small island of Udo. 

First we took a small hike to see a spectacular view of the island. 

<--- Udo Island

 After lunch (which was delicious!) we spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach.  And by beach I actually mean a shaded little hangout area.  I went into the water for a little bit but it was cloudy, muddy, and filled with seaweed. It was pretty gross.  Instead, I just stared out at the sea.  Ok, ok, I admit: I just slept a lot.  

By sunset we were back on Jeju and went on another small walk to an area that a famous drama was filmed.  (By now I am convinced that every square inch of Korea has been used for a drama location).  It was really pretty in general but the most amazing part was seeing the ocean sparkle with light from the moon.  Sadly, it doesn't quite capture on film. 

 

On Sunday we went to Helen's sister's workplace because it's on the foot of Halla Mountain, a volcano almost 2,000 meters high, making it the tallest mountain in South Korea.  I geeked out over the eco roof they had.  

 <--- green rooftop! 

Hello volcano. 

Deer living on the business compound. 

We went to a park/beach with some crystal blue turquoise water.

Sarah and Helen

Following that we went to the Manjanggul caves which are some of the longest lava tubes in the world and the Kimnyoung Maze Park which was entertaining.  It's like those corn mazes only made of bushes instead of corn.  There was once a famous LG commercial filmed here. 

Monday was another beach day.  But first we stopped at got some famous Jeju bread. 

Red bean buns

The two ladies who make them

Staring out at the beautiful blue

Sunset in Jeju-do

It was a good vacation and Jeju surpassed my expectations.  Everyone says it's great and like the Hawaii of Korea and I honestly didn't believe them.  Asah!  It was!  The only downside to the trip was that I was sick with a nasty cough the entire time (and I still am sick today as I write this).  

Only 10 days left here in Korea!  Pretty hard to believe, huh!?