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~
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| Eating dinner in Gangnam |
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| Keith, Helen, and Sarah |
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| Jennifer and my replacement teacher, Yvette |
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| Sarah and Mali |
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| Mercedes and Matt at the bar Woodstock |
