"You Will B Fine"

Chuseok in Gwangyang

Two of my students in after-school class

"You Will B Fine" and "Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life" have quickly become the mantras of my third year in S. Korea, thanks to a $15 sweater I bought one chilly, rainy, October evening (the few we've had so far) while out wandering Seoul with friends. September was yet another month of transitioning and settling into a daily routine. The joys of the month were plentiful, and I'll briefly highlight some of them.

Happy Chuseok!

One of Korea's most important holidays, Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), took place in the middle of September. Although this is typically a time to relax with friends and family, a part of me felt apprehensive due to the fact that at this time last year was when I acquired my near-fatal blister-turned-MRSA... so I decided that I would NOT be doing any hiking this time around. I followed the traditional Korean way of heading back to one's hometown, so I headed to Gwangyang of course. While there, I visited my home stay family, plenty of friends, and ran into a few co-workers. It was really exciting to be back, seemingly picking up right where I left off with familiar venues, streets, and faces.

Soccer Game with Fulbrighters

I have been keeping busy in Seoul, of course. My typical work day is from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. I wake up around 4:00 a.m. and hit the gym, shower, get ready, eat some breakfast, and am on the subway towards school by 6:50 a.m. I have about a 30-minute commute from my apartment to school, which isn't horrible for Seoul. It's about 15 minutes on the subway and then a 10-15 minute walk from there. After school, I am busy taking Korean lessons and I also teach an after school class two days a week. I teach 4 course hours every day (out of 7), totaling 20 course hours plus 2 additional hours for the after school class. My work load is a bit more hefty in Seoul than it was in Gwangyang, but I am enjoying it, and the students and co-workers make it worthwhile. By the end of the day, I'm usually wiped out, so I spend my time cooking a light dinner, throwing on my pajamas, and reading in bed until I pass out (anywhere between 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.).

Co-workers from Gwangyang!

In the free time that I DO have, I am spending it with friends! We have gotten to explore various areas of Seoul, such as walking along the River Han, going to some museums and book stores, cheering for Seoul's soccer club, and of course pleasing our taste buds with all kinds of delicious food.

Joe arrived!

This past week I had the pleasure of hosting TWO American friends and showing them around Seoul and doing all kinds of fun things together! Hana, whom I met at Jane's wedding just this past summer, was traveling to Korea for the first time, so I wanted to meet up with her and have some fun together. She and I decided to go hiking one morning at Bukhansan mountain, planning to do a fairly easy/intermediate course. Some way or another, we ended up following two ajussis (older Korean men) and trekked an advanced/expert course to the peak of the mountain. It was one of the most difficult courses I've hiked, second to the course I hiked in Jirisan during my first year here. Although it was strenuous, the views are always worth it, and we celebrated with snacks, beer, and plum wine. It was delicious! We headed back down, showered and rested, before meeting up for a friend's birthday party and then picking up my other American friend at the airport.

Field trip with the club class

Joseph arrived later that night!!! It was super late by the time we got home, so we crashed and slept in late the next morning. The next day was Sunday, so we joined Hana and her friends for church and then enjoyed a delicious lunch. After lunch, we were ready to get our SPA on and hit up the public bath house to soak in the water, get some body scrubs, and sweat it out in the saunas. It was so relaxing and it was a perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon. The next day I didn't have to go to school because of a different Korean holiday, so we decided to grab dinner and hit up karaoke! We stayed out pretty late enjoying ourselves, and then everyone crashed in my (tiny) apartment. It was a snug fit, but we made it work, as seen by the picture:

Sleeping Beauties

The view from outside my classroom

At school, the students are busy preparing for midterm exams, so the energy levels have been falling. I'm continuing to implement games and fun activities to keep their spirits high and help them to relieve at least a little bit of stress. I will be heading to the Fulbright Fall Conference in Gyeongju for the third year in just over a week. There have been earthquakes over that way (eastern part of Korea), so some teachers are concerned for the safety of everyone, but I think all will be okay.

That's about it for now... stay tuned!

The view from on top of Bukhan Mountain