I am very ready for a change in my life. I came back from college after six years away from my hometown and nothing has changed. I am back working at the jobs I left when I went to college, I live with my parents again in my old room, I never seem to have enough money, I have the same three friends here and we all go o the same school again, and my little brother still hasn't gotten his life in order. When I look back at the last six years of my life it is as if they never even happened.
I think that this is why I am so excited to go to South Korea to teach. I feel like I will finally be doing something new and different and when I get back, something will really have changed. I am not sure why I feel like this but I hope it works out.
I am worried about some things regarding South Korea. For one thing, I can not speak Korean, at all. And I am not the greatest at learning new languages. Also, I have never taught in my life and I have no experience, whatsoever with making lesson plans, or assignments or anything. Another problem is the food there. I don't know how to read the menu so I will never really know what I am eating. Good thing I am adventurous when it comes to food.And I will be heading off to a foreign country where I know absolutely no one, the closest family I will have will be my cousin and her husband and their new baby in Australia. I am really excited for the challenges all these thing will create for me, but I am also terrified of all of them.
I think that right now my biggest fear is the people I will meet there. I am not always the greatest at making friends and meeting new people. I tend to be kind of quiet and when I am in a country where I can't speak the language I think it will only make me quieter and less likely to talk to people. I am trying to teach myself so basic Korean before I go, but I know there is no way I will be ready to walk down the street there and have a clue what is going on. I am really hoping that I can make a friend or two right when I get there so that they can help me with the language and the customs. That is the other thing I am scared of. I don't want to insult or be rude to anyone because I don't know their customs. I wish I could find someone here that had lived there or that was from there so they could help me learn how to be polite and respectful there.
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| Seoul Skyline |
Another fear I have is living in a city as large as Seoul. I have never lived in a city that large, and I am hoping that I can not get lost my first month there. If I could read the signs and such it may not be as bad, so hopefully there will be some in English as well as Korean. At the same time I think that there is a better chance of people knowing some English in a big city like Seoul. Out in the smaller villages I think most people wont know very much English at all, but maybe they will. I just don't know yet. I do think that it is a beautiful city and a beautiful country overall.
I started looking at Kindles today so I can get my electronic library set before I go there. I have a feeling that I will be doing a lot of reading when I first get there. Maybe I can look for some Korean children's books to help teach myself the language. I would really like to find some Books in Korean while I am there to bring back with me. I think it would be really amazing to own some Classic Korean literature that is important to the people there. Because I am a Literature major I love to learn about the important stories in all cultures and this will be a great opportunity to learn about Korean Literature.
Right now I am just hoping that all of my paperwork goes through and is accepted and that North Korea can Hold off Bombing any more South Korean Ships long enough for me to go and spend what will probably be the most amazing time of my life there. I think I am going to try and find some good books about South Korea so I can read up and get some of my questions answered. Do you think they have a South Korea for Dummies?
~Wonsungido namueso torochinda~
Or
~Even monkeys fall from trees~
