I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I promise my other posts will be shorter!!
MONDAY/TUESDAY: After about 29 hours of traveling including 3 flights and a bus ride I finally arrived to the site of my orientation, Jeonju University. Needless to say I was practically sleep walking at that point.
at the airport
The big flight had delicious food! We got 2 meals and snacks! I was most excited to watch tv and movies because on my previous 2 international flights there were no mini tvs, so this made passing the time much more enjoyable!
at the rest stop on the bus ride
So we arrived at the university about midnight on Tuesday night. We checked in, got our room numbers and went upstairs to crash.
Cute little dorm room (fancy key pad to get in, and on the top right is where you come in and take off your shoes)
WEDNESDAY: Morning came far too quickly since my time for my medical check-up was 7:30. That lasted about an hour leaving some time to chill and eat lunch until the opening ceremony that afternoon. Lunch was delicious. I got the opportunity to meet several new people as well as taste my first Korean food! Also, no forks or knives, only chopsticks and a spoon!
This program accepts teachers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, the U.K., and the U.S. It's always so great to meet people from all over! The opening ceremony was wicked awesome! It was nice to get more information and listen to an interesting lecture, but the highlight was the performances!
Following the ceremony, we met with our group that we would be having lectures with for the duration of orientation. There's about 400 people in total in our orientation so we're split up into 8 classes and each class into 2 groups. So in my class there are 48 people.
mint hot chocolate!
Dinner, Yum!
That night we had the delicious welcoming dinner where we sat with our class, a great opportunity to introduce each other. Later a group of us walked to a huge store about a mile away where we picked up a few necessities, concluding with a stop for a delicious drink on the walk back.
THURSDAY: Lectures begin at 9 am and the day continues until 8:30 pm. This can be quite the challenge when jet lag wants to be your best friend, but we pushed through it! Today we had lectures on elementary school, English comprehension, then a lunch break, then ones on class management, and content-based lessons. After that we get a dinner break. After dinner and before survival Korean class a friend and I did a little exploring and came across a lovely place for some dessert!
FRIDAY: So today began with a Taekwondo class! So awesome and intense!! I had really been looking forward to this one! I want to learn it and take classes while I'm here possibly. After that we had lectures on school culture, co-teaching, and lesson planning followed by more Korean lessons. That night I went out with a few people to a place where basically everyone from orientation goes. I tried the famous soju for the first time. Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea, similar to vodka, but a bit sweeter. I sampled the regular plain one, and 2 flavored ones, kiwi and pineapple!
SATURDAY: Field trip day!!! Yay!! We all boarded buses and went to Jeonju Hanok (means traditional Korean houses) Village. Our first stop was at the Traditional Wine Museum. Next, we went over to the Traditional Paper Center. The paper is called Hanji and we got to view different phases of the manufacturing process which was quite interesting to see!
Then we had some free time to wander around the village so we checked out the Gyeonggijeon Shrine (built 1410) where the portrait of the first King of the Joseon dynasty is enshrined. Also, had the opportunity to experience my first Korean street food, and explore the little roads a bit.
During lunch we had the chance to experience Bibimpab which literally means "mixed meal." It was delicious! That afternoon,we went to the traditional culture center where we got to make pencil boxes using the Hanji, play and learn rhythms on the Korean drums, and learn steps of the traditional mask dance.
SUNDAY: Today was lectures on after school and camps, lesson planning part 2, lesson preparation, and cooperative learning. We are in a group of 3 and we have to create a lesson to present in front of our group and leaders. Followed by more Korean lessons and a night out!
MONDAY: First we learned about EPIK English Program in Korea) life and etiquette, powerpoint use, secondary schools, and wonders of Korea. During the last session we got to try on the traditional clothes called Hanbok. Tonight we had time for lesson preparations instead of Korean class.
TUESDAY: All morning and part of the afternoon we watched lesson demonstrations from our fellow team members and presented ours as well. In the afternoon we met our supervisors from our areas and signed our final contracts, had the closing ceremony, and then our farewell dinner.
got to get lots of different things to try!
WEDNESDAY: We all depart early in the morning and go our separate ways....
So I guess it's that time of year again! The third year now I am leaving to go live abroad!
The wanderlust is inescapable!
It's been over a year in the making, with endless paperwork, tons of emails, and interviews! Now it's finally time! (sigh of relief). A year of teaching
English in South Korea! That's right, 365 days of full-fledged Korean life! I'm told I will be in the Jeonbuk province.
"It is well know for having a great natural environment, with many
attractive lakes, rivers & mountains. Jeonbuk is also well know for
it’s local cuisine."
BEFORE
How does one pack for a year? You may be thinking. A question many have asked, and a question I myself have pondered for months.
Well here is a little idea of what it looks like. Yes it might appear to be chaos...but au contraire it's actually an organized mess....this is my routine every year: for the few weeks leading up to departure I lay everything out and look at it daily adding or removing items as necessary. Yes I have packing down to a science!
AFTER (everything fits YES!! just got to fix some weight issues)
As I spend my remaining days in the States, it's an unfamiliar feeling than previous years. This time as I pack and prepare to leave, it's for a year (or longer). And by prepare, I mean eating as much Mexican food as possible, haha but seriously... I'm not going to be away for just a few months, or half a year, as I've done previously just to return at a set date for my normal summer job. Also, this time around, I don't completely have an idea when I am returning, or where I will I will be coming back to. It feels so cliche' to be boxing up all my belongings and room of 10 years, selling furniture and clothes, donating items, and packing up everything to travel the world. Taking on the challenge of deciding on the life I want to keep here, and my life I want to bring with me.
My mom has plans of moving and living abroad as well, so I won't be coming back to my house (and possibly my car) this time, which is an adjustment all in it's own. It's wild that so many changes are happening at once, but maybe that will make it easier in the end. Even though I won't be living here when I come back, I know I will always have a home in North Carolina.
At times I can't stop thinking about all the unknown, excitement, and unforgettable experiences to come! I sometimes spend hours daydreaming about my Asian and world adventures to come! With the countless countries I am just itching to explore, my list of where I want to go is literally never ending!
Well that's it for now....I'm off to make the most of my last couple days at home, spend as much time as possible with my dogs, and continue eating all my favorite foods haha : )
So, I pretty much spent the whole month of December traveling! oh yeah!
My 1-week planned trip to California to visit a friend out there pretty much spontaneously turned into a cross-country road trip!! My trip began with a drive up to New Jersey and catching a flight from N.Y. out to L.A.
My time around the L.A. area was spent eating scrumptious food such as this deliciousness and of course Mexican food along with having the opportunity to explore Griffith Observatory for quite a few hours. This was such an interesting place where we checked out tons of exhibits and watched a totally sweet planetarium show!
The following morning was spent in the beach town of San Clemente after the official road trip began! Driving a couple hours east, our first stop was at Joshua Tree National Park. After a couple days of hiking in this unique desert beauty and gazing at the most breathtaking stars one could
possibly see it was onward to Arizona!
We spent 3 nights at Catalina State Park!
On this trip, being me, I was stoked to be living outdoors basically 24/7. I can never spend too much time outside... rising with sunrises and chasing sunsets day after day. Each night in the desert the stars could never seize to amaze me, and the s'mores were always just way too good.
New Mexico came next with a quick stop at the White Sands Missile Range where we checked out the museum for a brief history lesson of the goings on of bombs, missiles, rockets etc. throughout the years...random but fascinating...
After a night camping next to about 2 mile wide former lava flow in the Valley of Fires, indulging in one of the best breakfasts possible, and driving down the former "most dangerous street in America" , it was time to say so long to New Mexico and a great big howdy to Texas!
Our first stop in western TX was at the Monahans Sands State Park. Known for its sand dunes of up to 70 feet it was quite a site to see!
And you can totally rent sleds to slide down the dunes!!
Following our night in this strange land, we continued east to Fort Worth, TX, where I was super excited to have an absolutely amazing reunion with my one of my roomies from Spain!! It was oh so wonderful to see each other again and catch up, as well as eat the most delicious Mexican food by far! After an all too short visit, we cruised on through Louisiana and into Mississippi where we camped the night.
Continuing through the rest of Mississippi and thenAlabama, our next stop was Chattanooga, Tennessee!!
After rolling out of Chat town we were northward bound, returning to my starting point of New Jersey. I spent a few days there and continued my journey solo further north to Massachusetts where I was going to spend Christmas.
I couldn't have been happier that for my short time in Mass. it managed to snow a few times!! And to think last year they had no snow at all and it was beautiful and sunny. My annual dream of a White Christmas came true!! I had the opportunity and visit with lots of my family who most of them I hadn't seen in countless years, eat some primo Polish food, and spend time with my love, snow! :)
"I realized that logically, the snow was not
there for me personally. But, still, when it snows, something inside me
says, ‘hey that’s your present.’ I don’t think it’ll ever change."
Well quite a summer it has been! I got to enjoy the past 3 months at home and nearby places as well! I haven't spent this much time at/around home for years!
It was really nice being back in the States enjoying time with friends, family, eating good food, and having lots of fun times; while also doing plenty of working at camp for my 3rd summer!
I got to spend a few weekends up in the mountains! Did a little working up there, swimming in the river, chillin, eating and baking delicious stuff, and really just enjoying my time outside and going on beautiful hikes! I just love being in the mountains so much!
Sangria!
I also had the pleasure of taking some trips to the ocean! Soaking up the sun, fun times with friends, good food, and several relaxing days on the beach!!
In Acadia National Park, Maine
hiked the highest peak in Mass
Bar Harbor, Maine
I also was lucky enough to get to spend some time up North! I rarely ever get to see my family so this was perfect timing to get a chance to see them before I'm gone again! I enjoyed time in the beautiful area of western Massachusetts where my family is along with getting to see Boston and the coast of Mass, and Maine which I haven't been to since I was younger while visiting some friends near there. Hiked in Acadia National Park which was incredibly beautiful, saw lots of cute harbors and adorable sea side towns, eat delicious blueberry foods, some sea food, and the best ice cream outside of Europe.
Overall, a pretty great summer! Seeing all my friends at home and everywhere else around NC, chillin with my dogs, working, and soaking up the possible quite limited time left at home.
Well I know it has been quite a while and I am super duper delayed, but as I promised earlier some pics of my students and some final things from my time in Georgia
Here are the photos from my classes the last week of school : )...(for those of you not on facebook)
Here's a few videos as well from a show by one of my 3rd grade classes:
As the last month of my time in Georgia was coming to a close I began keeping a list of things in my journal "Things to love/hate/miss/not miss about Georgia." I knew I would forget things once I returned home, and would feel differently the last week there, as I had a month before then. So I kept my journal on hand and would jot things down when I thought of them. As the weeks turned into final days I had acquired quite a list. Here's a sample of it:
In the things to miss/love category:
-the smiles from my students that would just light up my whole day and world
-lots of kisses and the massive running down the hallway into me hugs
-after months of teaching still kids being really happy when I walk in the class, still jumping up with huge smiles and clapping/excited
-some good food (khachapuri, khinkali, kebabs, ahh I miss shwarma)
-them going absolutely crazy and being shocked when I said things in Georgian
-feeling like a kid again
-being grateful for simple things
-learning so much about others, myself, the world
-etc, etc, etc...
In the not really gonna miss/interesting things category:
-very loud- at home, and at school
-kids at home/school no discipline at all
-feeling gross 24/7
-hearing my name 1000 times a day
-feeling scared for my life whenever in a moving vehicle
-I've never heard the word "hello" in those 4 months than my whole life combined
So many things you just gotta love, things that were just so ridiculous and crazy, it's just all about your attitude. I also learned the power of having something to look forward to pretty much at all times or everyday having something that you're excited about.
So my last few nights in Georgia consisted of hanging out with people and saying goodbye to friends, and my last night was spent with the family. We had kebabs and went swimming in a river! It was just a fun and wonderful last night with them! They were really sad to see me go.
Overall, I'm so grateful for the opportunity and time I had to experience this place, culture, and completely different life, and get to know so many new people. It was an experience that I could have never imagined and am forever changed by it.
mmm fries and kielbasa
Old Town Square
On my way back to the States I had the incredible opportunity to have a layover in Poland!! I could not have been happier! I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was there. I have wanted to go to Poland my whole life because my great grandparents came over from there and I have always wanted to experience the Polish part of my heritage actually in Poland. It was such a special feeling to be in the country where my family came from. Even though it was for a short time, I fell in love, and now want to go back even more to explore where exactly my family lived and just enjoy the culture and most definitely the food more! As we wondered the streets at 8 in the morning nothing was open! Thank goodness for the nicest waiter ever who was outside and started talking to us. We ended up being the only people in this really nice restaurant but we got our pierogies!! So life was good :)
MONDAY/TUESDAY: After about 29 hours of traveling including 3 flights and a bus ride I finally arrived to the site of my orientation, Jeonju University. Needless to say I was practically sleep walking at that point.
The big flight had delicious food! We got 2 meals and snacks! I was most excited to watch tv and movies because on my previous 2 international flights there were no mini tvs, so this made passing the time much more enjoyable!
THURSDAY: Lectures begin at 9 am and the day continues until 8:30 pm. This can be quite the challenge when jet lag wants to be your best friend, but we pushed through it! Today we had lectures on elementary school, English comprehension, then a lunch break, then ones on class management, and content-based lessons. After that we get a dinner break. After dinner and before survival Korean class a friend and I did a little exploring and came across a lovely place for some dessert!
FRIDAY: So today began with a Taekwondo class! So awesome and intense!! I had really been looking forward to this one! I want to learn it and take classes while I'm here possibly. After that we had lectures on school culture, co-teaching, and lesson planning followed by more Korean lessons. That night I went out with a few people to a place where basically everyone from orientation goes. I tried the famous soju for the first time. Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea, similar to vodka, but a bit sweeter. I sampled the regular plain one, and 2 flavored ones, kiwi and pineapple!
SATURDAY: Field trip day!!! Yay!! We all boarded buses and went to Jeonju Hanok (means traditional Korean houses) Village. Our first stop was at the Traditional Wine Museum. Next, we went over to the Traditional Paper Center. The paper is called Hanji and we got to view different phases of the manufacturing process which was quite interesting to see!
Then we had some free time to wander around the village so we checked out the Gyeonggijeon Shrine (built 1410) where the portrait of the first King of the Joseon dynasty is enshrined. Also, had the opportunity to experience my first Korean street food, and explore the little roads a bit.
During lunch we had the chance to experience Bibimpab which literally means "mixed meal." It was delicious! That afternoon,we went to the traditional culture center where we got to make pencil boxes using the Hanji, play and learn rhythms on the Korean drums, and learn steps of the traditional mask dance.
SUNDAY: Today was lectures on after school and camps, lesson planning part 2, lesson preparation, and cooperative learning. We are in a group of 3 and we have to create a lesson to present in front of our group and leaders. Followed by more Korean lessons and a night out!
MONDAY/TUESDAY: After about 29 hours of traveling including 3 flights and a bus ride I finally arrived to the site of my orientation, Jeonju University. Needless to say I was practically sleep walking at that point.
The big flight had delicious food! We got 2 meals and snacks! I was most excited to watch tv and movies because on my previous 2 international flights there were no mini tvs, so this made passing the time much more enjoyable!
FRIDAY: So today began with a Taekwondo class! So awesome and intense!! I had really been looking forward to this one! I want to learn it and take classes while I'm here possibly. After that we had lectures on school culture, co-teaching, and lesson planning followed by more Korean lessons. That night I went out with a few people to a place where basically everyone from orientation goes. I tried the famous soju for the first time. Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea, similar to vodka, but a bit sweeter. I sampled the regular plain one, and 2 flavored ones, kiwi and pineapple!
SATURDAY: Field trip day!!! Yay!! We all boarded buses and went to Jeonju Hanok (means traditional Korean houses) Village. Our first stop was at the Traditional Wine Museum. Next, we went over to the Traditional Paper Center. The paper is called Hanji and we got to view different phases of the manufacturing process which was quite interesting to see!
Then we had some free time to wander around the village so we checked out the Gyeonggijeon Shrine (built 1410) where the portrait of the first King of the Joseon dynasty is enshrined. Also, had the opportunity to experience my first Korean street food, and explore the little roads a bit.
During lunch we had the chance to experience Bibimpab which literally means "mixed meal." It was delicious! That afternoon,we went to the traditional culture center where we got to make pencil boxes using the Hanji, play and learn rhythms on the Korean drums, and learn steps of the traditional mask dance.
SUNDAY: Today was lectures on after school and camps, lesson planning part 2, lesson preparation, and cooperative learning. We are in a group of 3 and we have to create a lesson to present in front of our group and leaders. Followed by more Korean lessons and a night out!
