Home Away from Home

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So... I'm back in Korea! Surprise! Well, not a surprise for all of you. I took a position for the summer working for Fulbright to train new ETAs (English Teaching Assistants--what I was). I'll basically be leading the same summer training program that I went through in 2006. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, coming back to Korea has kind of been like a dream come true. It's all so familiar, it's practically like I never left. And yet, it's so hard to believe I'm back in a place I called for a year, that I came to know and love so well--though, of course, I had my ups and downs.

(By the way, I have a couple blogs to catch up on--including a mission trip to Peru with MSN and some New Orleans relief work I did over the course of the last year... but let's talk about Korea first, and I'll get back to that other stuff someday ;-))

So, I arrived in Korea on Tuesday, spent the night with a friend who still works for Fulbright in Seoul, and then went down to Yeosu on Wednesday. My homestay Mom and her sister met me at the bus terminal, and we had a joyous reunion! I was exhausted, though, and my homestay Mom needed to go to church, so she dropped me off at home, cut up some watermelon for me and gave me some tomato juice (oh, exactly the same habits as when she used to bring me home from school--or even when I started taking the bus on my own) and then headed off. I tried to stay awake for awhile, but couldn't do it any longer. I took a hard and fast nap around 8 p.m. and was awakened by Boyeon, my host sister, at 10:30 p.m. when she got home from school. We picked up right where we left off--teasing each other and just having a good time. We stayed up for a couple hours talking (and I had a late dinner), and then she went off to her room to study and I headed to bed.

It was pretty weird, how normal it all seemed. I mean, I'm in Korea again--that should feel strange and exciting, right? But really, it just feels pretty cool and just like old times.

I'll probably spend the rest of the week hanging out, prepping for Orientation, and meeting up with folks--just my kind of vacation. Then off to Seoul again on Wednesday to begin the REAL preparations for Orientation (which begins July 7). I can't wait to see what's in store for me!

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Comments

[Mom and Dad]

Glad you arrived safely!
So glad all went well with your travels to korea..we love you! hugs, Mom and Dad