One year later

My friend EJ and I hanging out in Busan!

Hello everyone! Can you believe that a year has passed since I left the States for S. Korea? I can and I can't at the same time! I am so glad that I have been updating my blog throughout the grant year so that you all and myself can reflect on the experiences - good, bad, happy, sad, highs, lows, and everything in between (although I wish I would have updated even more frequently than I did... a goal for the upcoming grant year!). This post will focus on what I've been up to during my last month before the summer vacation, and will likely be my last post in Korea for my first grant year. No worries, though, I am planning to keep my blog updated throughout the summer vacation while back in Illinois, and of course upon my return to Korea.

Hanging out by the beach in Busan

After the YDAC competition with my students, everything finally settled down. I had been fundraising for a 10K race in which donations go towards helping North Korean Refugees, but due to the MERS outbreak, the race has been postponed until this upcoming weekend (July 12th). Unfortunately, I cannot participate in the race anymore because I will be cleaning out my things at my homestay and packing up for my trip home. However, all the money that I fundraised will still contribute towards the NKHR fund. Thank you to everyone who supported me and this special cause!

During the last weekend in June, another foreigner friend from Gwangyang and I headed to Busan for the weekend. We met up with some of her friends who live in the city, and we all took a stroll on the beach and enjoyed the view. It was beautiful - especially since it is finally summer time! After hanging out on the beach, we had some drinks and went dancing. It was a night to remember!

Last week at school, the boys had final exams for three days. Luckily for me, I wasn't required to go to school during those days, so I took the opportunity to head to Seoul with some friends and have an extended trip. We arrived on Thursday, and we found this AMAZING Korean restaurant that served a delicious kimchi pancake and beef! My friend and I were originally concerned that we had ordered too much food, but we wiped it out in a jiffy. After dinner, we met up with one of my Korean friends who lives in Seoul, and he took us out for some quality craft beer (something I miss dearly about America). We ended up seeing other Fulbright friends, so we all talked and enjoyed our night together!

My delicious blueberry pancakes and apple juice

On Friday, a group of Fulbright friends and I slept in later and met up for brunch at a restaurant close by our hostel. I had absolutely DELICIOUS blueberry pancakes, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and apple juice. I probably ate way too much, but I regret nothing. It was one of the few restaurants that I felt was authentic American brunch (doesn't exist in my "small town" of Gwangyang). Then we went shopping around Hongdae, which is home to a university and is the party hub for college students. It also houses a ton of street shops and brand-name stores, so we walked around all afternoon buying personal items as well as gifts for friends and family back home. My friends and I laid low on Friday night because Saturday was Fulbright Korea's huge final gathering (all 120 of us get together for dinner with the Executive Director, have dinner, and get real emotional).

Saturday before the main event, my friends and I headed to Insadong, which is the traditional area of Seoul and also has souvenir shops. We wanted to head there because we needed to find various gifts for friends and family back home that were located at a central spot. Lucky for all of you, I splurged and bought a TON of souvenirs that I am excited to share with my friends and family upon arrival in the States!

Some of my Fulbright friends!

Saturday night was the main event: Fulbright Korea ETA Final Dinner, on our nation's Independence Day! Almost all 120 of us gathered together at the Hotel President in Seoul for a buffet-style dinner, tear-jerker speeches, and performances by fellow ETAs. These whole-group gatherings are always my favorite; I have become close with a fair amount of people throughout the grant year, and having them all in one place at the same time is not typically an easy task. During the event, the Executive Director of Fulbright Korea addressed us, and she talked about the dedications and efforts we made to have a successful grant year. There was also a presentation by the Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations Committee, which I was excited to introduce our brand-new website which will allow alumni and grantees to connect with one another forever!

Besides dinner, my personal favorite part of the night was watching the performances by my fellow ETAs (and myself doing a performance - HillaVanillaThrilla style!). One ETA played a piece on the piano, another sang a beautiful Korean song, there was an acoustic duet, and even a flash mob! All the variety was a good testament to our class' diverse skillsets and personalities. For my performance, I made a mashup parody of "Sexy and I Know It" (my title: Waygook and I Know It), "Anaconda" (my title: 회식), and "Happy" (my title: Happy ... so original, right?). The mashup is reflective of some of my thoughts/opinions/feelings during my grant year (aka making fun of myself a lot), and also pokes a bit of fun at typical Korean culture. At the end of the mashup, though, I get a little sappy and happy, of course, because it was a phenomenal grant year! As most of my blog followers not entirely familiar with Korean culture/lifestyle of foreign teachers in Korea, some of these jokes and references may be confusing to you. But, this gives you an idea of how we let loose and have fun as cultural ambassadors of the U.S.A.

Here is a clip of the video (most of the first song was cut off):

Along with the performances, our class nominated one ETA to give a final speech, and we chose our good friend and comrade, David. David is an all-around sweetheart, and he contributed many memorable moments to all of our grant years. David's speech rung true for me, as I could relate to many of the "inside jokes" our class had this year, the life of a foreign teacher in Korea, and making connections with my fellow ETAs, my students, and my home stay family. Most importantly, David spoke about the lasting impact that his students have - although they can be rambunctious, they are sensitive deep down and they made this year worthwhile. I am so happy to have shared this year with 120 friends - and I am lucky that I get to spend another year with 52 of them! That's right - 52 of us are renewing for a second/third year, and we will meet the incoming group of 70 ETAs this August. To those of you who are pursuing the next phase in life - whether back in the States or elsewhere in the world, I wish nothing but the best for you! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and outgoing personalities with me during the past year.

With the Alumni Relations Committee
at Final Dinner

Anyway, our event lasted for three hours, followed by a celebration at a bar that we reserved for the remainder of the night. We reminisced on our memories during orientation, throughout the grant year, and talked about the memories we will make together in the future. It was so nice having everyone together one last time before we all go separate ways.

As I am wrapping up my last week of teaching, I am also gearing up for the summer vacation back in IL! I am so excited to head home for a month, and catch up with friends and family whom I love and miss dearly. But until then, I have a fun-filled week of games with the boys, and next week I will head to the incoming group of ETAs' orientation to lead a few presentations. Although I am not overly excited to be back in the marble mansion (the nickname for Jungwon University, where orientation is held every year), I am looking forward to meeting the incoming group of ETAs. It's going to be a great week!

This post has already gotten far too long and far too sappy, so I will end here. See you back in IL!