7 months and counting.

Written by Bessie about Korea, Republic of. Feelin' normal

We crossed the 7 month mark, and it's a good feeling. The mental hurdle of reaching and crossing over 6 months was a big deal, and now at 7, I feel like we're sledding well down a snowy hill. It's a little bit scary because you don't quite know what might be in store for you, but in general it's a smooth, fun ride.

I'm glad to be past those first few months.
The first few months were rough. Rougher than I'd anticiapted, in fact. The best way I can summarize it is the highs were really high and the lows were really low. There were days I couldn't think about lasting an entire month and mentally checked off each day and week until I felt stronger. I suppose I thought I was tougher than feeling homesick, since we'd been traveling a while & I've spent chunks of time living in other countries, but nothing was quite like adjusting to life in Korea.

My insides went haywire adjusting to the food. I had kids staring at me yelling Bessie Teacher all the time wanting loads of things in return. I couldn't figure out how to wash my clothes. I could barely read anything let alone understand what people were saying. And although I'm pretty accustomed to being the foreigner, I hadn't quite gotten used to how alike everyone looked and how seemingly interesting I am to stare at.

At times I felt on top of the world, pretty darn excited to be here, and other days where'd I'd gladly have been about anywhere but here. I went through phases of spending a lot of time on Facebook, Skype, and emailing people back home, until the day it really hit me that I was too focused on a life that wasn't quite my own, instead of the present life I was really living.

And my darn expectations steered me wrong.
I thought things might be a bit different here. That we'd have more interaction with diverse culture, but in actuality, Korean culture, as I see it, is a lot about assimilation, and with a day to day work schedule there weren't a lot of opportunities for me to immerse myself in all things Korean.

I thought I'd have learned a lot more Korean by now, but overall there's a lack of motivation on my end. I work in an immersion environment where I have to yell at the kids for speaking Korean. After work, I'm exhausted, and it's hard to muster the energy. I've sort of fit into the groove of many foreigners that don't speak English here. I'll be embarassed if before I leave I still can't get a few more sentences together.

I also had this impression that the foreigners here might be more into what I'm into, traveling, getting into Korean culture, many things besides partying a lot. But what it comes down to, is all sorts of people come to Korea to teach English. And the hang out playing board games or have good conversation over dinner "old married people" like us haven't been terribly easy to meet, and aren't generally the people we're meeting in bars & around town.

Ack, I don't mean to complain, life is pretty good.
As we've gotten more time under our belts here, things have definitely gotten easier. Dare I risk being jinxed, things have been pretty darn good lately. I've got solutions for all sorts of life's daily necessities that used to stump me, and I've struck a pretty sweet balance of work, yoga, personal business stuff, travel and fun with friends.

And the kids at school, well I still hear Bessie Teacher 1,000 times a day, but it's gotten easier. A number of kids have taken to calling me "banana teacher" because I have "yellow" hair and eat a banana almost everyday. And now that I've nearly mastered the mean teacher looks and that tone that can whip most any nonesense back in line. But in case you're wondering I still have kindergartners that even though I've taught them the last 7 months will come up to me, stare me in the eyes, and ask me why they're blue. They still just don't know quite what to make of me.

Any Return Flight?
We still don't exactly when we're leaving Korea, maybe when the school year ends in February or a few months later for a friend's wedding. Whenever it is, I'll feel proud to have found my little bit of home in Korea.

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November 05, 2009 Alex: I'm glad it's not just me who felt the post-work lack of inspiration/energy to study.

November 08, 2009 Bessie: me too, now! Glad to hear you say that! I'm so embarrassed about it, too.

November 05, 2009 Den & Sue C: I'm exhausted just reading all this. What's next up for B & K?

November 08, 2009 Bessie: haaaa - says the lawyer. :) We haven't cooked up a plan entirely, but we want to travel in southeast Asia a bit (Indonesia & Thailand) & make it back to Chicago for some family time. Not quite sure in what order yet, though. I hope you both are doing well!

November 09, 2009 Kyle: Don't listen to her, we're going for world domination, next. She's just modest.

November 06, 2009 DADDIO: Hey Banana Teacher, thanks for sharing all of this. I'm the guy who knows why your eyes are blue! Some of them probably go home at night and dream of what it would be like to grow up to be like you, to look like you and to know the things you know by traveling to the places you and Kyle have seen together. They may dream of coming to the USA one day to visit, work or live. You help to open the doors of their imaginations by sharing your beauty and amazing life with them. Each day that you share your insights, language, wisdom and emotions, they expand the depths of their own beings. I'm sure they love you very much and will miss you profoundly once you leave this wonderful school! I'm very proud of you...

November 08, 2009 Bessie: :) I know their parents dream of them traveling or working in the US. If I've taught them anything I hope it's that learning another language is a beautiful thing. (and that every sentence must end in a period!)

Thanks for the kind words. :)

November 07, 2009 Linda: Teaching, in itself, is a very rewarding but unquestionably tiring profession. After thirty years of interacting daily with 25 to 35 creative little minds, I look back on how I could barely hold my eyes open until I could get home and collapse, re-energize, and then put in 2-3 hours of "homework" to prepare for the next day. If I had to mix that with adjusting to a foreign land, foreign food, a language so foreign that it lacks visual clues or similarities to English, and try to immerse myself in a culture so different from my "norm", that would have only added to the stress. You have done very well coping with everything....and....you are past the half-way mark!

November 08, 2009 Bessie: It's been a rich experience to say the least! I don't know if I'll ever quite want to undertake something quite like this for a while. It's especially rough not speaking the language & understanding a fraction of the cultural norms and things. When we settle in the States as some point, life might feel real easy!

November 08, 2009 Jami: This is one of the main reason's why I enjoy your blog so much; it's nice to read a blog where the main focus isn't about partying. My boyfriend and I arrive in Seoul this week, and one of our concerns is not finding friends who don't party. We love how informative and fun your blog is, keep your spirits high!

November 09, 2009 Kyle: Ya, we like to let loose every now and then, but we have a certain tolerance for it. But, basically this is a place that is tolerant of drinking and when you throw in young people with expendable cash, you get a lot of partying. I spent 5.5 years in college getting the partying phase out of me, so I know I can do without it :)