I made it almost six months without major homesickness spells. I realized that I truly wasn't missing convienences from home, appliances, food, or other amenities until recently. Sure, it sucks having to hang dry all my clothes. Yes, I wish I could shower in an actual shower instead of in the middle of the bathroom. And do I miss a furnace...Yes! However, I have been adjusting quite well and I take all the new experiences (even the unpleasant ones) as a learning opprotunity and a growth in a new culture. But, I got my first desperate craving for home and the beautiful land of America, land of the plenty. I wanted a Wendy's hamburger so bad that my mouth was watering. I figured "Hey they have Quiznos, Subway, TacoBell, and KFC here. They have to have a Wendy's." Apparently not. Way to go Wendy's. You didn't sell out like everyone else and join the international market.
But this got me thinking about all the other non-sentimental things I miss. First, I miss carpet! I have not walked on carpet in 6 months! Not in a store, at school, or anyone's home. Do they even sell carpet in Korea?! Also, I miss real potato chips. I'm talking about the really greasy ridged ones that go great with some french onion dip. The potato chips in Korea are paper thin and they don't leave grease on your fingers. That's not delicious! I want the grease! Speaking about food, I was in HomePlus the other day, and I found GoldFish crackers! I almost started crying out of joy! I bought a bag (which cost 5,000 won or $5) and ate them as slowly as possible, enjoying every bite!
I could go on and on about my homesickness. Of course, it goes without saying that I miss my family and friends, but I'm dealing with the seperation better than expected. Yes, I will get very sad from time to time, but I always remind myself that I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful family and great friends to actually miss!
Update on life...School is the same. Busy, busy, busy. Graduation is in two weeks and we are spending hours a day preparing for it. This weekend I will be going to a Korean wedding which is very exciting! Well, the marriage is between a Korean female and a Canadian male, but it's still a Korean wedding. The woman is a teacher at our school and she is finally marrying her boyfriend of six years. I'm excited to attend just to see what the similiarities and differences are between American and Korean weddings. Next week we have another vacation day. I'm not even sure what this holiday is, but all I know is I get to sleep-in and possibly go for a little adventure. Not sure where though haha :) Maybe up the mountain? Maybe to Seoul? Or maybe to Uijeongbu to check out the Spring collection of clothes I must buy? We'll see next week!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Lu Lu Lu Lunar New Year
Dang, only the beginning of February and I'm on my second vacation this year! This week is the Lunar New Year holiday and apparently, one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea. We have 5 days off from "Ee She She" (ECC). This vacation creeped up on me because I didn't make any plans to go anywhere and now I'm stuck in Uijeongbu alone and bored. It's only the first day of break and I am already complaining! So far, I have gone to the dollar store and purchased 20,000 won in unnecessary things, organized boxes of junk, cleaned out my food cupboard, cleaned my bedroom, and did laundry. What am I possibly going to do for the next four days! I suppose I can venture out for a hike up the mountain or better yet, have an amazing adventure to Home Plus! Whooooaaa, Livin wild!
This month at ECC is going to be the busiest and most hectic month since I started working here. For many reasons and the most important being that the end of this month marks the end of the school year. Our 7 year old students will be graduating from Kindergarten and going off to Elementary school. And of course, graduation is an all out event that requires rehersal of scripts and memorizing songs and dances. This doesn't effect me so much, since I teach the 6 year old class, but the intensity and nervousness of graduation can be felt all over the school. Then next month starts the new school year which means some new students, new classes, major schedule changes and working late nights!
I've recently been bombarded with people writing about the snowstorm in Michigan. In a way, I'm kind of sad that I'm missing it. I have waited and waited for an actual STORM that cripples the city! No matter how much the news channels hype up the storms, Mother Nature never delievers. And NOW there is an actual winter crisis and I'm sitting in Korea in 45 degree weather, enjoying the sun and the start of spring. Oh wait, haha, not complaining anymore! Love you all! Stay safe 친구!
This month at ECC is going to be the busiest and most hectic month since I started working here. For many reasons and the most important being that the end of this month marks the end of the school year. Our 7 year old students will be graduating from Kindergarten and going off to Elementary school. And of course, graduation is an all out event that requires rehersal of scripts and memorizing songs and dances. This doesn't effect me so much, since I teach the 6 year old class, but the intensity and nervousness of graduation can be felt all over the school. Then next month starts the new school year which means some new students, new classes, major schedule changes and working late nights!
I've recently been bombarded with people writing about the snowstorm in Michigan. In a way, I'm kind of sad that I'm missing it. I have waited and waited for an actual STORM that cripples the city! No matter how much the news channels hype up the storms, Mother Nature never delievers. And NOW there is an actual winter crisis and I'm sitting in Korea in 45 degree weather, enjoying the sun and the start of spring. Oh wait, haha, not complaining anymore! Love you all! Stay safe 친구!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)