Those final days...and coming home.

For the past year and a half, I had put myself beyond my comfort zone, into not just a new employment opportunity, but the chance to go beyond the borders of the continent I am so used to living in. Having went all the way to South Korea to work in a field unfamiliar to my current experience was both breathtaking and and frightful. Despite the fears and worries, I ventured fourth, through hardship and joy to eventually succeed in this new environment. I had also made an effort to try and convey information to people to both understand be aware of what sort of things to expect and how to deal with issues that may arise for other fellow Expats who decide to take the plunge into this new world.

As I write this, I am sitting back home in Canada, but I do plan to leave a few tidbit of information on the departure notion. A month or so before I was to leave, I had taken a lot of time to figure out just what I need to do; things such as my phone plan had to be cancelled, what sort of luggage I could deal with and transportation, not to mention what I might need to do with my ARC. Though some of those I was able to answer, a lot left me forgetful, and quite in a tricky story.

First and foremost, you MUST try to leave 3 HOURS early. Normally, back home in Canada, it would be a good two hours, but that's because I'm familiar with the system. Korea I wasn't too sure, plus it's better to have the extra buffer anyway. If possible, get to the Airport early, but you'll have to wait awhile. The ticket booths only open 2 hours before a flight. Dreadful really that you can't check in and just relax. Still, that was the least of my worries; thought finding food and a nice meeting with someone was always a nice experience.

Anyway, moving on, I had to deal with my ACR and Luggae once I got to the airport. I didn't know where to return my ACR, I wasn't sure where to go, but I kind of found out last minute it was something I should have done when I first got to Incheon. First and foremost you got to return the ACR. This is done at the immigration office; it's at the far end of the terminal, just a little office. Go in, sign some papers, return the ACR and you're good. This is also helpful to work on any edits to your flight plan or if something with documents is amiss. I had the problem of my LAST name being my MIDDLE, so it was my First name and my middle name as my last name; which was hell of confusing when you look at the Passport. Despite having it all sorted, I regretted not booking the flight myself and finding a better deal to be reimbursed. Remember seeing 800 or so Direct for Toronto when I sought them out in March and May. Still, I shouldn't complain, they school paid for it.

Anyway, with ACR done, I had to handle the second issue, my luggage was overweight. I had to go to the opposite end of the terminal where a packaging service was. I had to box one of my smaller suitcase and throw a bunch of stuff into it and it was just a mess. It was suggested to me by the teller, and this is what I really like about Korean's, their so helpful, they want to give you a hand; this guy was telling me the best way to get through this weight thing. After I got that sorted, I was a bit overweight, but the manager was willing enough to waver most of it for me. I had to pay still for the overweight, but they had made it a bit easier for me. There was however one final dilemma I had.

My Airsoft pinged security, so as you could guess I had to go in and see what the fuss was about. I had heard and was told many times over that getting Airsoft into Korea is harder than getting it out; both native and expats had told me about it. Yet for me, go and figure that I have to be called by Security. It was expecting, but also suprising, when I went into the security room at the end of the belt I saw two chicks checking luggage. One already had mine to the side and asked me to take the stuff out. I do, and throw my two small pistol cases on the table while I laid my big one on the floor. \I showed them all the gear I had, I could tell they were surprised and it started this while cufuffle of people as the supervisor, manager and a few other employee's all came to the office, could tell this wasn't a common thing. A guy translated for me, asked me questions of where I got them, what I did and I explained how I got it all in Korea and I plaid on weekends. The guy told me everything would be okay, the only issue they seemed to have was my two pistols which didn't have colour parts. Now, I know those are important and without colour the things look way too realistic, but after some explaining, and the EOD guy saying he knows, I was let go; with 30 minutes to get to my flight.

I know that takes time, but tbh it wasn't so bad. I missed going to the bank before leaving, left money back there. Not cool, but their are ways to get it back; call the bank is always helpful especially if they have a expat service line. After getting that sorted I'll be given a card to take out my money at my local branch, which is wacked b/c the same bank I used, KEB, is here in Canada too. Sadly the Korean and Canadian don't really interlink unless you have internet or global banking plans on your accounts.

Afterwards it was a quick trip through security and I was on my way.
Coming into Canada it was, as I read, a lot easier to pass my Airsoft through. I did as many people advised, be honest, say what it is, and don't forget to claim it on the immigration card in black or blue ink. I had to go through Security, but it was fairly painless as they checked me out and then just let me go. Food was a bigger issue, that's stuff you shouldn't really bring (snacks perhaps, but they'd be smushed.)

Coming back was great, despite the haphazardly in the airport of Korea, I didn't have a bad time, and it was definitely an experience that I'll carry on though life with me.

Some Final notes...playing Taxes?

Well, not exactly PAYING taxes, that's automatically done by your school/Hogwan each month with the deductibles from your paycheck. What I had original though was taxes was actually my 2014 With-held tax credit; the stuff they hold onto from your taxes each year. I was given this form by my school out of the blue and when I first saw it, I was rather surprised that I had to actually deal with Taxes, as that's something the school normally does, but after a little checking up, I found my answer on the subject. Now, I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think after each year in Korea, if you spend longer than a single year, you have to get your with-held tax account sorted; basically a sum of money they give back to you like Taxes back in North America. I first thought this was a very difficult thing to accomplish, the prior teacher, after asking if he knew of this, told me he never had to do such a thing, so I was left in a bit of a pickle. However, I found out soon after, the Tax agency "National Tax Service" does indeed have a foreigner friendly setup, and after quick talk with my Korean friend, found the helpline for foreigners and got everything sorted.

It seemed that the nearest Tax offices was quite a distance away, at least half an hour to 45 minutes by bike; not a heavy challenge, especially I had my trusty mini-bike with me. After finding the location, planning a route wasn't a difficult task, so with a desire to accomplish my mission of sorting this tax thing out, I went about doing my business. Now, long story short, I had originally went out to handle this tax thing a week after I got it, but when I had went that time, I found, since I was still working, that I didn't need to handle it till June 10-30th. Some of the pictures here are from the first and second trip, just to make measure of how to do this should anyone have the same problem in the future.

After a decent bike ride out and around Cheonan, I eventually made it over to the Tax office; a massive building in a neighbouring district of the city that was still expanding. The NTS Building stuck out like a sore thumb, so it was fairly easy to spot once I got closer. After asking the front desk. I was able to get my ticket for my number and made my way into the taxing office; which was little more than an open space with computers lining the walls.

 For a tax office, it was quite packed, the second time I went not so much, which was good fortune, but you can see that it gets quite busy, but the people around the room on their terminals definitely know what to do and they do rather quickly. I was lucky someone could speak English both times, first informing me of the change of date to come as well as finalizing all the information and paperwork I brought to help. Everything is done by the staff, and after inputing the details on the paperwork given to me by the school, I was shown how much tax money I was to receive and be given in the span of two months; one segment paid in July, the second in August before I leave.

 Though this experience wasn't as major as paying Taxes, it was still something I had to handle; it's easy and fairly hassle free to deal with With-held tax issues in Korea, though, if you EVER have to actually PAY taxes out of the blue, talk to your director as soon as possible, because the only thing any foreigner should have to pay is Utilities for their apartment.

 ALSO

I know a lot of people are talking about MERS's, I am letting you know that I am not affected by the MERS case, being in Cheonan, I'm far enough away to have some breathing room, but this sort of thing is just another bad example of how SK dropped the ball on a major issue. I do hope that when I go home I won't have to deal with any sort of quarantine stuff.

Life and Experience.

Coming to the home stretch of my contract in South Korea has taught me many things, both about myself and the very world around me. Each day we see so much, do so much and put ourselves out into this vast expanse of a world, meeting people and impacting our lives on the very essence of our being. We create so much, we learn and we live and we can do many things; not just by talent, but also commitment and the WANT to do things.

This week alone has been quite an interesting turn of events for me. Realizing that I'm finishing my work at the start of August rather than the end (August 6th is last day) I started thinking about everything I need to do before I leave. I need to visit Busan to the South, I need to do more things with my friends, and above all, I need to figure out what I ship home and what I take on the plane with me. There is SO much to do, and so little time; with only three months remaining, I have to make sure I live this experience to the fullest.

However, there has been some depressing news. As of April 27th, my grandmother, Lila, has passed away. She has left this world to the next, and it was a saddening experience to hear. She was a wonderful woman, kind and caring, talented in her own right and a lover of music. I remember when she got into Ebay and how good she was with it, how she enjoyed pictures and being with family. Lila was wonderful, and it seems a little...quieter... with her departed. My director gave me some good advice "Death makes of think of life." Those words are reminicent of other's I've been told, to take the straight of those who pass and move with our lives forward; yes, we must mourn, but we must also persevere and move on, our lives are still ours and we must keep going in their name and memory.

There is much I've thought about with this in mind, the passing of life and understanding how precious life can be only makes me glad that I had taken a chance to come half-way across the world to be in a new place and experience new culture. Being here in Korea, as I've said many times before, is a wonderful experience, it makes me realize so much about myself and my abilities and the job is WONDERFUL, the kids are great, the teachers are helpful and I've gained so much confidence and know how in my work that I am sad that it will be ending soon. I hope that with this in mind I can use the skills and knowledge to help in my future job down the road, one I wish hope goes through, and will continue to always carry the memories of those I met and the experiences I've had.

1st Year Anniversary and the coming of spring!

My first photo here in Bundang

Winter in Cheonan

A little late, but its now officially my first year Anniversary of living in Korea. It's been a year since my folks dropped me off in South Korea to begin my work as a teacher, and now, a year later, many things have come and go, plenty of ups, downs, and a few interesting experiences since I started and this adventure ha certainly proven to me how interesting teaching is, how independent I can be and what skills I've taken away from my time here. I know that many posts I've made before tell much about my adventures and escapades here, so I felt like keeping this a short and sweet one year anniversary.

New Years Cigar!

Birthday present from home!

Spring and Blossoms

Much has been done, and with only four months left, I think its time to start looking for things to do back home. Until the, I'll keep doing what I've been doing. I certainly enjoy what I've been working with and where, from Seoul to Cheonan and with plans to explore Busan on my next vacation.

South Korea has taught me many things, about myself, about the world around me and most of all, about what people can do and what I can do for people. It has been the first place I ever found myself alone from my family and on my own, but it hasn't left me adrift. It taught me people skills, and how to make good friends and lasting relationships. It put me through the hardship of teaching little kids, losing a job and pounding the pavement in a foreign country to find another and then successfully running with the job, getting the Director's good grace for my effort. All in all, a great and very rewarding experience, one I am glad to have taken.

Doodling here and there

With my first year coming to a close, I still have five more months before my contract ends, and those five months I tend to do the best I can to see as much of South Korea before I return to Canada. I want to keep in touch with my friends here and hopefully in the years to come, maybe plan a trip back to see them (or maybe for them to come see me.) I've loved being in Korea, and despite the ups and downs, it's been a wonderful trip and much has been learned and done in my time here.

Lotte World Adventure - Folk Museum

I had mentioned in my last post that I went to the Lotte World Adventured with Terry after the Airsoft Convention at the end of January. Lotte World Adventure is the smaller "local" version of the larger Lotte World (one of Korea's major theme parks) and was located near the heart of Seoul in a mall with both an indoor and outdoor attraction setup. It certainly wasn't something I hadn't expected to see, but given the chance, I was glad to walk around and explore such a fascinating place.. Upon first arriving, parking was a nightmare. Terry and I had to park alongside another parking lane beside a row of parked cars (as stated before, parking is a moot thing here) before we came into the mall itself.


Lotte world is kind of like Disney world, it has their cute little characters and themes of different locations situated around a MASSIVE indoor ice-rink. We didn't really look at much, wasn't really banking on inspecting an amusement park (kinda get bored of them when you get older) and the fact there were a million kids and people around didn't help.

That did change when we went to the folk museum. It was tucked away. a bit of a walk upwards from the main ice ring. For the first moment, there were no people there; it was devoid of life and activity unlike the amusement park (shows what people are more interested in.)

The folk museum was almost like the National History museum of Seoul I had checked out last year with my Korean Language school group I went with. The same sort of information I found then was also present here. Starting with the three nations period, going to the two nations period but not going beyond the Occupation era when Japan took over. It had more emphasis on the older era, going from Prehistoric to early modern, which was a nice touch.

Interior of the castle

My favorite of course was the figure setups. After exploring most of the ancient era displays, showing off the artier, tools and cutlery and of course the living conditions of the time, we stepped into a massive main hall that was completely filled with massive figure scaled dioramas of the ancient times in South Korea, showing off a full view of the palace while a session with the Emperor was taking place. The detail level on this was amazing! Not only did it have the castle, but the surrounding buildings that made up the royal complex as well as a village nearby showing varying types of events taking place; from market day, to even a funeral. However, the castle itself was by far the most impressive; it was both the largest and most detailed, exterior and interior. I was amazed; of course there was plenty more, but for some reason, none of the other photos I took seem to be around anymore, so I'll make due with the castle; it was the centerpiece after all and quite a spectacle to behold.

Like I said, the folk museum was indeed a well worth experience, similar to the National History museum, this one however emphasised more on the figure representation of the past era's, bringing up to a Early-modern era (Japan occupation) before ending on a note of liberation after the Second World War. I didn't go much further than that, but the idea behind this one was to show the classical development of Korea from prehistoric to close to modern, and give a breathtaking idea of how beautiful the culture had been in the Folk Era's.

Platoon Convention Jan 31-Feb 1

A month or two after I first came to Korea, I wanted to find a way of being active and work out my body occasionally with other people. I had plaid Paintball back home, but found such a sport here is illegal due to the restriction on CO2 (something about China, not sure what). However, there was a very interesting and popular alternative; Airsoft.

Airsoft is quite an interesting sport; unlike Paintball, the use of 6mm BB's is a lot less painful and cleaner than large balls of paint. The only real downside is the honor system is in effect heavily when you get his, as being shot by 6mm plastic pellets isn't often that painful and the rush of adrenaline can make you immune to the impact.

Besides that, the sport itself draws a HUGE crowd  all over the world. From the United States, to France and German, and even to Japan, China and South Korea. People can both dress up and operate in ways you couldn't often do with real weapons, play with friends and make new ones;

Quite a line-up

battles can be heated and tempers can flare but everyone has a great time. Since my start, I've been playing with a wide range of teams, and recently, one such team let me know of a Airsoft convention that was happening at the end of January. I had been told that due to the recent crack downs by the Police on Airsoft, the convention wouldn't be as big as last year's with a lot fewer vendors and teams showing up, but that didn't stop me from wanting to go anyway. "For the experience." I had said as I headed over to Seoul on a brisk Saturday Morning. Terry, like the awesome friend he is, was more than happy to drive me up there and dropped me right outside the building the convention was. Being a bit unsure of where to go, I noticed a group of kids totting some Molle gear, so I followed, showing them the e-mail of the map to the Platoon Convention, they too were going to participate and led me there; how nice! When I got there however, I was blown away by what someone would consider 'small.'

It may not compare to things back home in Canada, but an airsoft convention of THIS size deserves some merit!It only took up one event hall, but with the amount of stuff and booths crammed into it really made it worth the labor to get out and see it. They were selling everything, from new to second hand gear, from tactical attire to internal parts to even scopes, stocks, goggles and BLASTERS. It was quite a collection and a few teams even set up their own booths to display there theme; US, British, Russian, and even Australian Military-esq teams set up shop to present their interests in the sport; not to mention all the cos-players decked out in old-style Korean soldier wear.

I really enjoyed my time at this convention. One thing about it in regards to size is that you can meet people a lot easier than in a massive con. Its also much more fun to see everything and take more time to absorb everything as there isn't as much space or as many variations on booths. Gear and costumes aside, finding gems among the mass of gear and second-hand stuff is always pleasant, but sometimes you wonder if the prices are right? I had been looking at a replica ACOG red-dot, but the woman said it was 800,000 WON which comes to almost 800 bucks. 800 bucks for a toy scope? I was sure she might have meant 80, which seemed more reasonable, but 800?

Despite the unusual cost,  there were plenty of amazing deals and surprises of items,  new and second hand throughout the convention Hall.  I was curious as to what I might find as I had a mind for a fee items I needed to or my current load out and what I would need to improve  it.  The first purchase I made was a utility belt,  though I have a chest rig,  I lacked a  let to carry the holsters and drop bags I own; having a good one the that can carry such loads is a definite need and I was fortunate to find a matching one that fit quite snugly around my waist.  With that, I sought out the second item on my list; an MP5. I knew many booths were selling guns or 'Blasters'  for ridiculous discounted price (most are used)  so I hope to find a decent secondary to my primary Battle Rifle.  After searching around,  I came across a table showing off a wide assortment of sidearms. Most of them were plastic ones,  nothing really fancy,  but one of them caught my eye.  Among the carefully boxed plastic toys,  I found a single blaster just sitting in the open,  a Desert Eagle of all things.  Picking it up,  it felt a lot heavier than a plastic knock-off  and after studying it,  I found it to be quite a find: a Tokyo Marui Desert Eagle a gem among  a bunch of plastic toy-guns. It surprised me,  to find something like that among plastic prices. After talking to the owner and giving a bit of a haggle,  I got the DE and a mag for a cheap price. Successful,  the owner was kind enough to give me his e-mail for any questions or to request a tune up for it. Though, being a Mauri, and seeing the inner workings, this blaster should be fine for quite awhile. After that,  it was just a wander around,  even picking up a copy of the sponsor company,  Platoon,  Magazine (all in Korean mind you).  

Was a great day if I do say so myself.

 I really enjoyed my time at the convention, and even cooler still was to follow with Terry taking me to the old Folk Museum, but that is for another blog post to follow.

Kyobo Book Store and the sacred Toy Street

When I first arrived in Korea, I wanted to know two things; where is a good place to buy some cool toys and what big book-stores do they have here. I had done some research since my arrival back in February and found two such places; the Kyobo book store in Seoul, and the sacred Changsin-dong Toy Wholesale Market, also known as "Toy Street" with the famous Seungjin Toy.

Coming close to my younger brother's birthday, I wanted to get him something super awesome in return for the cool swag he and my family got for me over my birthday, but where to find it? Knowing him, and with a little help from mum and dad, I found he would like some sci-fi books and a few cool toys to have for his birthday, something "uniquely Korean" as my mom put it. After asking my good friend Terry about it, he suggested the Kyobo book store in Seoul, located at Gwanghwamun station, just north of Seoul Station. I was going to meet Terry at the store and we were going to search around for books that my brother might like.

I was utterly surprised after meeting Terry and walking into this bookstore. It was MASSIVE! Books all over the place, everything from fiction and non-fiction to biographies and magazines and everything else in between. This certainly gave me the World Biggest Bookstore kind of feel from back home, and certainly an impressive selection was set before me. Thanks to Terry, I was able to find the English/Foreign  book section and pick out a few books and things for my brother.

We didn't just stop there though, we decided to look around the store as we had some time to kill (what with Terry's 1 hour free parking going on.) We decided to meander around the lower level of the store, seeing everything from Japanese to Korean Manga, magazines depicting everything from muscles to military, technology bits and pieces and books on things like C++ and Auto-cad. It was mind blowing to see really and I totally enjoyed being able to experience such a place; definitely have to return in the future.


 Our adventures weren't over yet though. I had found that the Changsin-dong Toy Wholesale Market was only a few subway stops away, or a quick drive, thanks to Terry having a car. We drove off and parked nearby and walked a good 10 minutes from Dongdaemun History and Culture park (a place I had been to prior) and made our way to the whole-sale alleyways of Dongdaemun market.

 At first, it was a weird assortment of goods and things we were met by when we first arrived. Shoes, clothing, the usual thing. I've noticed that clothing is probably one of the largest material goods sold in these markets, not just here but everywhere. I was quite intrigued with the shoes actually, decently priced leather shoes for men and women but that wasn't what I was here for.

I was here...for TOYS!
Though, when I say toys, I actually mean kids toys, toys that kids will enjoy and are a bit...below...my age interest. Still, seeing side-walk to sidewalk of toys was an interesting experience, and each store more or less sold the same kind of things; so much for unique shopping. There was however a lot of interesting nick nacks and odds and ends around and I did find a few cool things that I would be sending back home. That said, there was one interesting place I was glad to have gone to; Seungjin Toy.

Seungjin Toy, pictured to the left here, was one of the most notable stores to investigate along the Toy Street. They held a wide selection of RC toys, some low-grade airsoft toys (for little kids) and of course, LEGO, lots of it. Lego is a huge thing in South Korea, and a lot of children love to play and build it. There was also a whole upper section of baby toys, but that wasn't exactly what we were searching for. After receiving the goods I needed, my friend and I began our walk back, where we stopped for a very interesting snack; donuts. Hand made on-site by two old Korean gentlemen; and those doughnuts they made were amazing!

All in all, a good day to experience two unique and interesting places of South Korea, I wonder what other silly little things I will be seeing for the next coming months?

I'm not sure having a second passenger is safe..

2014-2015 - Year in Review.

With 2014 coming to a close, and the new year of 2015 opening up, I decided to take a moment and reflect on my year come to pass and see if I can figure out what my new years resolutions will be. Being in South Korea perhaps is the biggest thing I can image posting, but the time it took to get here and the work I've done and people I've met have provided both an amazing experience chalk full of new challenges to face and learn from.

January

The first month unemployed back in Toronto. I had finished my current job in Security, working for Securita's Ontario. I had a nice position for the two years I worked, but after awhile, it just wasn't what I wanted. Don't get me wrong, the job was good, but the hours were awful; weekend shift during the night. I had little time to do stuff on the weekend, let alone hang with friends, so after awhile I decided to check other ventures. Finding work in Korea was something I had been suggested by many friends and family, so after having spent the prior year searching, I had already landed a job (was told in late December) and was prepping for my trip for South Korea.

I had spent most of January just being with my friends, I had the freedom of not needing much to worry about as I had enough dosh saved up for pleasure and enough put aside for expenses of the trip-soon-to-be. I guess I was also very excited, and felt energized to be going to a new place to work,

February

The time of travel is upon thy! I spent this month getting everything ready, packing, organizing, communicating with the other foreign teachers abroad I would be working with. I also spent this month going to the doctor and dentist, getting my check-ups and final things sorted for my trip. I had spent a lot of time with my family and friends during this month, many wanting to spend more time with me and I felt pretty good about it. Still, I'm more than excited to go to South Korea and begin my new adventures there.

I traveled with my mother and father mid-February, it was probably one of the longest flights I've been on as we first flew to Japan to spend a week. Japan was awesome, I loved every moment of being there. The culture was interesting and spending time in Tokyo was a dream come true. We spent the week checking our parks, sight-seeing temples, walking around Downtown Tokyo and even going to some pretty cool districts. My personal favorite was Akihabara district, a place filled with nerd or 'otaku' culture from manga, figures, to airsoft and cosplay. It was a nice place to be, and I do hope to get a chance to go again before I return once my contract is up.

After spending time in Japan, we spent another week venturing around Seoul. We toured the city, saw the sights, even checked out the old Castle in the heart of Seoul. However, once I was settled with my school and moved into my temporary housing, it was hugs and kisses and goodbye to my mom and dad as I staid behind to begin my work. I spent the next week getting to know the school, the kids I would teach, the teachers and co-teachers I would be working with and so forth. It wasn't a bad gig and I immensely enjoyed the opportunity presented to me. I felt like I would trun myself into a new person, learn new things about myself as well as others and gain valued experience with teaching.

March - June

Between these two months was work that I had come all the way to Korea for. It was a pretty interesting position located in Yatap, Bundang (souther part of Seoul) it was a nice little suburban community with its own charm of shopping, dining, movies and transit. The school was also good; I was teaching Kindy to Elementary classes from 9:30 till 6:30. At first
I was uncertain with Kimdy, but during the months I taught them, I found Kindy, despite being little kids, show the utmost affection for people they like. The clingers, who like to grab hold of you, the gigglers, the ones who laugh at everything, the screamers, who as you may guess, scream and the quiet ones. Each one reminded me of children I met and even the child myself I used to be.

Children Korea are also incredibly smart, they can pick up things quickly (even thought they may not always like to show it) and can easily read one another, helping each other during class. It was quite an amazing experience to say the least, but as I found out, I wasn't all that suited for it. Don't get me wrong, if given the chance I might try again, but after what had occurred, I felt Kindy wasn't my calling.

Elementary students were more my speed, especially between the grades of 1-4. The children in those grade still have the childish attidue and laughable fun as a Kindy, but the maturity and sense of an older student. They are willing to work hard to impress their teacher and always excelled when enthusiastic response and praise is given to them. I really did enjoy it, and the classes I taught, despite a few holding some troublesome kids, often had no issue of ill or problems as I taught them; the kids would listen, work, and do their assignments as order.

Through the period of four months, I had done many different activites, went to many different places and plaid many different games with my kids. I taught them English and they taught me about the wonders of being a child. They may not have given me some incite into Korean as much as I hoped, but the fact I could put smiles on their faces and make them enjoy their classes always brought a nice spur of delight to my heart. After the mess-up with the Open House however, I spent the last month trying my best to finish my work with my kids. Many of my classes were going to miss me. I was a good teacher, I was relaxed, I was fun, I made the class bearable for children who spend all day in school. I wanted to create a place for kids to relax, to be able to learn in a calm environment away from the bother of school. I worked my hardest in that last month, and when my time to go finally came around. I took it with my head up, knowing I did my best and that the company letting me go was losing someone valuable.


July - August
With the endless search for work going on in the background, i took some time to explore what I could of Seoul. I couldn't do much or go very far due to cost constraints, but thanks to a very special friend, Terry, I was able to see things I never expected to see and experience things I never thought I'd get to. Airsoft was one of the biggest things IU kept doing, it occupoed my time and gave me good exercise, but I also spent time seeing Musesum, the National Museum, the War Memorial Museum, and even the DMZ.

I have to thank all my friends for helping me push on looking for work. At times I did feel a sense of defeat for having been, in the first time of my life, fired from a position, but knowing how common it was and the situation around it being as silly as it was, the truth of the matter didn't seem all that bad. I pounded the payment, explored all the resources I could, and within a month, I found a new job that would be paying me the same, but for fewer hours and in a nice place just outside of Seoul.

After sorting thing's out on my end, Terry helped me move my mobile life all the way South to Cheonan where I unpacked my life once more and began my new job at a Howgan teaching Elementary kids, something I knew I had good experience with.

September-December

Now we get to the final run of the year. These last four months were of me getting reacquainted with teaching. The prior teacher before me was wonderful in helping me figure out the in's and out's of the job. it wasn't a difficult set up, everything for teaching had been provided and the kids were pretty good, well behaved and knew English very well. It wasn't so hard to pick up after David, the previous teacher, and having everything made out for you was pretty simple in keeping with the criteria for the courses. I still kept active, airsoft on the weekends, seeing my friends in Seoul, hanging out with new friends and checking new places around Cheonan. It wasn't as big as Seoul, and there isn't as much as Seoul has, but its quaint, quiet and the weather seems to be a lot nicer.

Since I started back in September, things have been pretty, well, ordinary. I've made some new friends, seen new things, tasted new food and just enjoyed myself as anyone else going to a new place would do. I've had a wonderful time and learned a little bit more about myself. I still hope to find the special someone soon, perhaps here, or not, back home even. I've learned more about who I am, how to deal with people and how to be a nice person all around, and I have the many trials, friends, and experiences to thank.

Lets hope there's more in store for 2015!