Anyway, the day has finally come, and while many of you will be celebrating America's independence (and rightly so!), I will be en route to South Korea. My first flight leaves from O'Hare at 5:20 p.m., and I will fly to LAX. My second flight is from LAX to Seoul, which will last about 12 hours - holy moly! Luckily, many of the other people in my program are on this long flight with me, so we will have plenty of time to get to know each other before orientation begins. Once we arrive (at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday), we will be staying at Jungwon University in Goesan for six weeks. During our orientation, we will become accustomed to the Korean language, culture, and lifestyle, along with learning more about Korean teaching methodologies and doing some sightseeing. During the last week of orientation, our coordinators will place us at the elementary, middle, or secondary school levels for teaching, and we will meet our principals, co-teacher, and our host families for the remainder of the year. So, I won't actually know what part of South Korea I will be living in until late August - I will be sure to keep you all updated!
I cannot believe how quickly this shortened summer break has gone by - it feels like just yesterday that I was student teaching and graduating from ISU. It has been so wonderful catching up with so many friends and family members and receiving such positive reactions from all of you. I really cannot describe how blessed and grateful I am to have such amazing and supportive individuals in my life who consistently remind me to always work my hardest and push my limits to achieve my dreams - and here I am now! So many people have asked me what sort of emotions I am feeling now that the day has finally come, and to be honest - I am totally wiped out. I am emotionally exhausted. I have experienced every emotion there is leading up to this journey, but that has only increased my desire and motivation to fulfill this opportunity. I am so excited more than anything - I love challenging myself and experiencing new things, learning more about myself and my surroundings each and every day. It is such a thrill living life "on the edge" - and why not - I am young and don't have *too* many responsibilities... yet! Haha. Although I am adjusting to dealing with more emotions than I am typically used to, I am confident that once I arrive in Korea my passion for teaching, learning, and living in the moment will take control and all will work out as it should.
It has been somewhat depressing packing up the house on campus - the past three years living there have been a blast, and many wonderful memories were made with friends and family. However, I was ready for this time to come, and ready to transition onto even bigger and better times ahead. Packing in general has been rather tedious, as you can imagine. Packing for a year's worth of clothes and toiletries, along with bringing multiple gifts for my host family and co-workers in two suitcases was a pretty challenging experience. I spent most of this past week figuring out what I needed, how many outfits I should actually bring, along with necessities that go along with electronics and miscellaneous items. I am really glad to be done with that. Unpacking it all should be SUPER fun too (sarcasm). Anyway, I hate to cut this post short, but I should probably go make sure for the 489573497th time that I have everything I need - packing does that to you.
My next post will be from my dormitory in Goesan - woohoo!
Here are a few pictures of some highlights from summer break!
Alejandra's graduation party
Ashley and I in downtown Chicago
My going away cake
Annie and I at my going away party
Friends and I at my going away party
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