Finishee

I don’t know how to sum up my six months in Korea into one blog post, worthy of all the adventures and memories, but here it goes. I didn’t have any grand epiphanies, but I can offer a few Final Thoughts, similar to the end of a Jerry Springer episode, but hopefully less revolting.

Exactly six months ago, I wasn’t even sure if going to Korea was a sure thing, and all I knew about the country was that Seoul is the capital, but now I understand what Mr. Jung means when he says I was Korean in another life. I think that in itself is pretty spectacular, and has shown me that, when you mix together a desire to travel, some spontaneity, and a few Google searches, the possibilities are endless.

I have never wanted to be a teacher, and I still don’t, but there are definitely worse things than hanging out with silly Korean children all day, being taught funny pranks like dongchim (where a student sticks his or her finger in the butt of an unsuspecting victim), learning that the word for wrist is “hand neck”, and being forced to question everything I knew about animal sounds being universal. In Korea, frogs don’t “ribbet” they “geggul geggul”, and dogs “mung mung”, and cats “yow yow”.

I will always be paranoid about writing someone’s name in red, because here that means death is imminent. The streets will seem quieter without the constant K-Pop blasting out of the stationary stores, and I might get lost at night without the neon signs lighting my way home.

And please be patient with me if, when I see you next, I       speak     very    slowly    and    enunciate    every    word    more    than    necessary      and if I’m miming things like “I am hungry”, or  cross my arms in a X shape when saying “no”.  Or when I add vowel sounds to the end of everything, like “cheese-uh”, “beach-ee”, or my personal favorite “finish-ee”. These habits have become second nature, and it will take some time to break them.

Also, excuse me if I am reaching across the table and eating off your plate, even at fancy restaurants, because here meals are communal, and I will most likely get bored with my one dish very quickly.

Moving here was the best decision I could’ve made, having just graduated university, and although the experience has been unforgettable in millions of ways, I am ready to move on to whatever may be next, whether it’s working in Portland or volunteering in Haiti.

If any of you readers have had the slightest inclination to do what Josey and I did, my only advice is DO IT. Don’t worry if you don’t like kimchi or are worried about being a good teacher. You will learn to make the most of (and maybe love) both of those things, while meeting great friends and, did I mention getting a generous salary?

Tomorrow I leave for Southeast Asia for one month… but I’ll leave you with the last batch of Korean photos.