I know I'm not that great about blogging, but here are some great blogs that I love. I'm obsessed with baking, especially since it's a little hard to do here, so I get my fix from these two blogs. Enjoy the yummy recipes!
All things delicious including pies, cakes, and cupcakes:
http://www.cakespy.com/
Cooking, baking, and real life from an NYC mom:
smhttp://smittenkitchen.com/
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Six Month Anniversary
Last Thursday marked my 6 month mark in Korea. When I think about the last six months, part of me can't believe how fast it's gone. It seems like yesterday that I was moving in, meeting people, exploring the town, and figuring out the public transportation system. But the other part of me feels like I've been here for much longer. I know what's expected of me at work, I see the same people everyday, I know who my students are, I eat the same foods...as much as I love routine, sometimes this gets a little monotonous.
Do all grown-ups in the working world feel like this? I can't believe that after college we go right into a job....and work....for the rest of our lives. Thinking about working until I'm 65, well frankly it makes me want to vomit. Don't you get bored? I guess that's why people change jobs so often.
Back to Korea. Since my last post, I've decided that there's no way I could live here for another year. I could stay for a few extra months, just to save the extra money, but a full year is out of the question. Teaching has some really great things about it. I love being around kids because you never know what they're going to say or do. It's a fairly flexible job in that I can tweak my lesson plans depending on how I'm feeling or what's going on with my students. Being a teacher can be really rewarding when you see your students succeed. Teaching, at least teaching English in a foreign country, can be a total drag. The communication barrier with my students, co-workers, and bosses can be really disheartening. Things get lost in translation and I feel like I'm always the last to know about everything. I feel like they expect more from me than anyone else and sometimes I feel like I can't live up to the unspoken standards they have.
I've learned to let things roll off my shoulders and my patience has increased ten-fold. I don't get stressed as easily and have learned to roll with the punches. Spontaneity is not a strong character trait of mine, but I'm slowly letting go of my "I can't go there or do that because I hadn't planned for it" neuroses.
When I get back to the U.S., here are some of the top things on my to-do list:
1. Eat as much granola as I want
2. Plan a Vegas weekend with my 21+ cousins and brother (Linds, Whit, Chad, Nathan, Breann, and Jonathan)
3. Go to NYC during Christmas time
4. Go back to Austin to visit the Paulsons
5. Fly to LA to see all my LMU friends
6. Go to D.C. and then make my way up to Boston
7. Go to Nashville to see the sights and embrace the country girl in me
8. Happy hour!!!
9. Eat real dessert (not the nasty fake cake they have here)
10. MEXICAN FOOD!!
*This all, of course, comes second to seeing all my friends and family in CO
6 months down, 6 to go....
Do all grown-ups in the working world feel like this? I can't believe that after college we go right into a job....and work....for the rest of our lives. Thinking about working until I'm 65, well frankly it makes me want to vomit. Don't you get bored? I guess that's why people change jobs so often.
Back to Korea. Since my last post, I've decided that there's no way I could live here for another year. I could stay for a few extra months, just to save the extra money, but a full year is out of the question. Teaching has some really great things about it. I love being around kids because you never know what they're going to say or do. It's a fairly flexible job in that I can tweak my lesson plans depending on how I'm feeling or what's going on with my students. Being a teacher can be really rewarding when you see your students succeed. Teaching, at least teaching English in a foreign country, can be a total drag. The communication barrier with my students, co-workers, and bosses can be really disheartening. Things get lost in translation and I feel like I'm always the last to know about everything. I feel like they expect more from me than anyone else and sometimes I feel like I can't live up to the unspoken standards they have.
I've learned to let things roll off my shoulders and my patience has increased ten-fold. I don't get stressed as easily and have learned to roll with the punches. Spontaneity is not a strong character trait of mine, but I'm slowly letting go of my "I can't go there or do that because I hadn't planned for it" neuroses.
When I get back to the U.S., here are some of the top things on my to-do list:
1. Eat as much granola as I want
2. Plan a Vegas weekend with my 21+ cousins and brother (Linds, Whit, Chad, Nathan, Breann, and Jonathan)
3. Go to NYC during Christmas time
4. Go back to Austin to visit the Paulsons
5. Fly to LA to see all my LMU friends
6. Go to D.C. and then make my way up to Boston
7. Go to Nashville to see the sights and embrace the country girl in me
8. Happy hour!!!
9. Eat real dessert (not the nasty fake cake they have here)
10. MEXICAN FOOD!!
*This all, of course, comes second to seeing all my friends and family in CO
6 months down, 6 to go....
Sunday, March 13, 2011
A Whole Bunch of Question Marks
One of the most frustrating things about the future is that I have no idea what's going to happen. Yes, the endless possibilities are exciting and it's fun to hope and dream. But for me, the neurotic planner, queen of schedules and timetables, the overwhelming number of possibilities and the infinite amount of choices causes me to cringe inside. I like knowing what's coming next; I don't like waiting for "next" to happen and hoping that I end up standing on my own two feet instead of face down in mud in the pouring rain.
March 24 will mark my 6 month mark here in Korea. I've grown a lot, seen a lot, experienced a lot, and learned a lot. But as I think about what's next to come in my life, I wish I could go back to being 5 years old where someone made all my decisions for me. Granted, life wouldn't be as fun, but it would be a heck of a lot simpler.
Some foreigners come here and make the easy decision to stay for another year, 2 years, or choose to call this their permanent home. Others know immediately that living in Korea for one day longer than a year would be sheer torture. They're on a plane back to North America so fast they barely have time to say goodbye. As for me, I feel like I'm walking through mud - trying to find a solid ground but have no idea which way to turn.
If I stay in Korea, I don't know if I could stay for a full year. I miss my friends and family. I miss driving. I miss "normal" food. I miss happy hours. I miss the beach and real mountains. I miss blending in. If I were to stay, should I stay at my hagwon where I have the opportunity to work in the mornings to make extra money? Downfalls of my job: I hate working at night, I hate that I have no time off, my closet sized apartment, living an inconvenient distance from my friends, and the fact that because I work at night I feel like my social life is severely hindered. Or should I stay at the same school where everyone knows me, my boss is kind, and I have one of the easiest jobs in Korea? If I stay, how long should I stay: 2 months, 6 months, a year? Plus sides of staying: saving money and the opportunity to do some more traveling.
If I were to go back to the U.S., what would I do? I've researched some different companies that I would like to send my resume to. But the thought of having to go through the whole interview process again makes me want to shut myself in my room and never come out. Plus, I still don't really know what I want to do. In addition to finding a job, add the stress of worrying about money, buying a car, paying for insurance, finding a place to live, deciding if I should live alone or with a roommate. But it would be great to get back home where I can actually call people on the phone, everyone I know and love is within a 4 hour time difference, and I can actually communicate with people without playing charades. I miss spending time with my brothers, Fuller family get-togethers, and I hate missing out on all the fun things my college friends are doing.
Well, if you have any suggestions or advice, I'm all ears. Clearly I have no clue what to do or where to go. I'm praying about it and trying to trust God, but I would love to have some sort of plan as soon as possible, just to give me some piece of mind. Besides that, I'm happy, healthy, and ready for spring. I've definitely learned that winter and I do not get along. I'm sick of layers and ready for dresses and bikinis. Happy St. Patty's Day!
March 24 will mark my 6 month mark here in Korea. I've grown a lot, seen a lot, experienced a lot, and learned a lot. But as I think about what's next to come in my life, I wish I could go back to being 5 years old where someone made all my decisions for me. Granted, life wouldn't be as fun, but it would be a heck of a lot simpler.
Some foreigners come here and make the easy decision to stay for another year, 2 years, or choose to call this their permanent home. Others know immediately that living in Korea for one day longer than a year would be sheer torture. They're on a plane back to North America so fast they barely have time to say goodbye. As for me, I feel like I'm walking through mud - trying to find a solid ground but have no idea which way to turn.
If I stay in Korea, I don't know if I could stay for a full year. I miss my friends and family. I miss driving. I miss "normal" food. I miss happy hours. I miss the beach and real mountains. I miss blending in. If I were to stay, should I stay at my hagwon where I have the opportunity to work in the mornings to make extra money? Downfalls of my job: I hate working at night, I hate that I have no time off, my closet sized apartment, living an inconvenient distance from my friends, and the fact that because I work at night I feel like my social life is severely hindered. Or should I stay at the same school where everyone knows me, my boss is kind, and I have one of the easiest jobs in Korea? If I stay, how long should I stay: 2 months, 6 months, a year? Plus sides of staying: saving money and the opportunity to do some more traveling.
If I were to go back to the U.S., what would I do? I've researched some different companies that I would like to send my resume to. But the thought of having to go through the whole interview process again makes me want to shut myself in my room and never come out. Plus, I still don't really know what I want to do. In addition to finding a job, add the stress of worrying about money, buying a car, paying for insurance, finding a place to live, deciding if I should live alone or with a roommate. But it would be great to get back home where I can actually call people on the phone, everyone I know and love is within a 4 hour time difference, and I can actually communicate with people without playing charades. I miss spending time with my brothers, Fuller family get-togethers, and I hate missing out on all the fun things my college friends are doing.
Well, if you have any suggestions or advice, I'm all ears. Clearly I have no clue what to do or where to go. I'm praying about it and trying to trust God, but I would love to have some sort of plan as soon as possible, just to give me some piece of mind. Besides that, I'm happy, healthy, and ready for spring. I've definitely learned that winter and I do not get along. I'm sick of layers and ready for dresses and bikinis. Happy St. Patty's Day!
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