WAnDErlUsT: July 2013

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer both, back home and in different parts of the world! Summer is such a fun time of the year no matter how old you are! This is the first summer of my life that I have worked straight through the days all summer long. Every other year, even if I worked full time, I had time for vacation or had daylight to burn. My kids here go to school all day long in the summer and even on their month of break from public school, they go to their academies. So, I have a new-found appreciation for my American summers that I spent both in the States and abroad. The time I had to be a kid, a teenager, and a college student is something I won't ever take for granted.

July 4th was last week!!! Also known as "AMERICA DAY"! Obviously, this holiday is only celebrated in the States so we were working on Thursday but I took the opportunity to teach all of my classes about America's Independence Day and it was interesting. It's always fun to see what people think and know about America. The USA has played a huge part in helping Korea become an economically stable democracy and our presence here is undeniable so it's actually pretty important to the foundation of the Republic of Korea that America became free 237 years ago. The new Korea is about 67-ish years old and so they think America is a very old nation which is counter what we are taught because we compare ourselves to countries like England, France and Russia. Depending on the level of my classes, my speech went something like this: "On July 4th, 1776 (which i wrote on the board) brave men in America signed a paper that said there would be no more fighting between America and England. After that, America was free and there was no more fighting. Today is our birthday!!"

These are our friends: Daniel wore the Eagle Costume for July 4th and Emma is experiencing her first 4th!

After class, we invited our friends over and the night was filled with pizza, RANCH, soda, fireworks, and good conversation. We even had a couple South Africans with us who experienced their first 4th of July celebration! Of course, when we started to light off fireworks, it started to rain, but whatareyagonnado in the middle of Korean monsoon season. Overall it was a great holiday.

There are a couple of people here who have become our good friends over the past few months and they are heading home at the end of August. So, their "lasts" are beginning as they prepare to move on from this life-changing year (or two) they've had in this country. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll miss them and I'm behind them 100% in the next adventures the Lord is taking them on. After moving around so much in the last year, I can definitely relate to this process and it feels weird to not be the one preparing to move on to a different place. I feel like that as much as it sucks to move on and say goodbye, I have it down to a science. However, this time it is not me who is having to move on or start over. Instead, I'm here for awhile. I'm about 85% sure I'll be staying a second year in Korea and so I have 19 more months to put down roots, meet new people, talk with my students, and see what Korea has to offer. One year is the longest I've stayed anywhere since my senior year of high school. So, my internal clock is telling me that it's time to start packing. As much as I'm ready to tackle a new country, I'm also thankful that I get to feel settled for awhile to catch my bearings before I take my suitcase and jump on a plane to create a new home.

All of that being said, I'm leaving for America in less than three weeks. haha I guess they can't keep me anywhere for too long no matter how hard they try! :) I'll only be there for about 6 days which is a very fast trip considering I'll be traveling over 24 hours each way. My sister's gettin' married!! Obviously, that warrants a trip back home. I'm really thankful I get to be there for this big day and stand next to her as she makes the most important decision of her life next to her salvation. It's weird to think about going home. I'm sooo excited to see people and my dog...and to eat food..and chipotle....and to drive my car...and to be around people I haven't seen in awhile. However, to be honest, if feels too soon to be going home because this is just starting to feel like the place that I live. Going home is like a tease because I know that I'll have to leave again in 6 days. There is no doubt in my mind that reverse culture shock will be written all over my face the minute I land and the words "Everything is so big" will keep uttering from my mouth (in perfect pronunciation of course). I want to eat so many different kinds of food but at the same time, my stomach cannot handle those foods anymore. I'll get to drive my car for the last time before it's sold and the last bit of my stuff will come back with me to Korea....and of course, i'll get to join in the wedding festivities and wreak havoc all over the place with nothing to lose seeing as I'll be getting on a plane at 6am the next day. :) Going home is going to be really, really great, but for real this time, when I get on the airplane to come back to Korea, I won't know the next time i'll step foot in the states and for some reason, that's a final cap to "starting my life", "Moving out of the country", "being obedient to the lord", "leaving things I love behind to live my calling" and if that isn't beautiful and daunting at the same time, i don't know what is.

A few weeks ago, I started feeling like Korea was my only option for awhile. When you move out of college life, resources start to dwindle...or so it feels. I started thinking that working in Korea was going to be the next three years of my life and there were no other options. That may sound really stupid, but nothing had come up recently to suggest otherwise. One of my best friends and roommate always says, "The world is your oyster" and there was a day recently when so many countries became options for teaching that my desire to travel, dream, be spontaneous, and figure out where all of those things lead to became real again. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER! Spain, England, Thailand, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Germany..so many places that I could go and I get to choose. There's life back into planning what's next again.

I get to dream...wow. what a freeing feeling that is. the world is my oyster. The world is YOUR oyster too. dream. for real.

I've mentioned that I like quotes a lot and so here are some that have stood out to me lately:

"Some people never go crazy. What terrible lives they must lead"-Charles Bukowski

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."-Leonardo da vinci

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone" -Pablo Picasso