liferitenow

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I thought after leaving Daegu the drama would stop. But I guess wherever you go there will be drama and wherever you work there will be political bullshit.

Let me start with work. After some stuff that went down at work, I decided to turn down the position of head instructor. There were several reasons, but aside from the politics I had an epiphany and started to think about why I came to Korea. Three reasons: take a break/relax, learn Korean/culture/about family, and make money. I have done nothing since coming here. A few days after my last blog, I got an email from one of my old staff and she told me that one of my residents passed away. It made me think about what happened a year ago and remember why I left for Korea. So with all that going through my mind, I decided to take the next six months as an opportunity to visit family, explore Korea and get things figured out with grad school.

Amanda came to visit a few weeks ago and it was amazing to have her here. I got a call from her about a week before and after talking to her for a bit she decided that she needed a break and jumped on a plane and flew across the world to visit. It didn’t surprise me one bit that she actually came and that quickly. It was a crazy few days, going out until 7 in the morning and seeing the sun come up as we left the club. Korea brings the crazy out in people. (Get ready Kalpesh and friends…) It was nice to have someone push me to go out and see something in Seoul. We went to an old palace, which turned out to be pretty sweet.

I started to hang out with some of my new coworkers and it’s been great getting to know them. About two weeks ago we were out and I randomly ran into Dan. I knew he was leaving soon but wasn’t quite sure when he was going. It was nice seeing him again and after being with him one last time it gave me once again a sense of closure. I know now there won’t be any what ifs. I will think of him often and he will always have a place in my heart. And just like every relationship, he also taught me things. But the one thing that I will always remember is what he taught me about truth and trust. Always be honest, because the truth is never as bad as it seems. And trust is something that is earned.

Lately I’ve been feeling a little down. I’m not sure if it was this newfound realization that I wasn’t doing anything here, the loss of a friend or what, but I just needed to get away from everything: the stress and discomfort of work and people. Last weekend I went to Ilsan to visit my friend Ellen, and it was so much fun. Random. But fun. What a cute city she lives in.

Things I’m looking forward to:
-fall
-Saturday excursion to sightsee some cool places in Seoul
-visiting Daegu next month
-Kalpesh visiting Korea

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Photos

me.and.amanda
amanda's visit.
at ho bar.
i miss you!

me.and.dan
in hongdae with dan.
miss you babe.

making.springrolls
jen took us to this place where you make your own spring rolls. yummmy.

pineapple.soju
sweet.

apple.soju
drinking out of carved apples.

fusion
a bar in Ilsan with a live DJ that dances and plays games.

me.and.my.new.friend
at la festa in ilsan

flags.in.ilsan
just thought this was cool.

Comments

[Kalpesh]

Hmm!
Ugh! political bs in the workplace sucks, but it sounds like you're making good progress internally. You know what you're in Korea to do, and you're going to make the most of your time - that's awesome. Have some fun adventures along the way and remember to stop and smell the kimchi every once in a while! I am so ready for the korea vacation! I'm excited! adventure time! Anyways get moving cause time is precious and you don't want to look back on your time in Korea and say, "I wish I had done this..." cheers! -kj