Freedom

A good friend told me before I left for Korea that waking up every morning knowing that you will not run into anyone who knows about your past, your family, or your old friends is one of the most freeing experiences someone could ever have.
I fully agree with that statement. I didn't come to Korea to escape. I'm content with my past, and of course, I miss my family and friends. However, being able to wake up without any long-standing commitments, meeting people who hold no preconceptions about me, ultimately rediscovering who I am apart from any supportive group of my family, friends, or previous interests--it is the most free I've ever felt, and it's a wonderful feeling.

I've been so fortunate with my experience here.
My school is very well-run, and the kids have been pretty great. Before coming to Korea, I'd never really dealt with young kids, as I'm a youngest sibling. I wasn't sure how I would handle them, but so far, it's been going really well. All in all, kids are just goofy. Even the most defiant boys from my year six classes just want to goof around with their friends, and as long as I keep them busy and engaged in the lesson, then they're happy. As for the younger kids... well, yesterday some year threes came into class singing, "It's raining day! Hallelujah!" I corrected them, and played a bit of the song with lyrics for them to see and hear the actual words of the song. So, I had three eight-year-old Korean boys (usually some of my biggest troublemakers) singing, "It's raining men!" as class began. One of the most bizarre things I've seen, but amusing nonetheless.
Pungam-dong, the neighborhood where I live and work, is a really nice part of Gwangju. I live less than five minutes from a beautiful reservoir with a big track around it that's surrounded by hills and trees. The track also includes a couple detours, some exercise parks, and an incredible rose garden. Roses are my favorite flower, so one of the Korean teachers helped give me the Korean name Jang Mi (장미), Rose. Also less than five minutes from my apartment is a small mountain, although I'd never call it small as it took me almost two hours to hike.

Standing at the summit of Pungam mountain.

My apartment building is on the left (circular windows).

The street that my school is located on.

I've had some great opportunities in Korea that I never expected. As I've written about before, I've had a fun time camping, going to Noraebangs, watching baseball and meeting a pro-baseball player. In the past few weeks, I've had more experiences to add to that list.

I got a free ticket to the F1 race at the 2011 Korean Grand Prix.
This was an amazing day!

At the International Kimchi Festival, I discovered why old Kimchi is better than fresh Kimchi.

I attended the last home soccer game of the season in the Gwangju World Cup Stadium.

The Halloween Bash at Speakeasy was fantastic.
I celebrated as Sarah Palin, with a dramatic end of the night. :)

The best part of my journey, though, are the people I've met. All these events were only fun because of the people who invited me to come along. Even when I'm just watching The Inbetweeners, a British comedy show, with my new friends, I'm guaranteed to have a good night.
I want to cycle back to the freedom I discussed at the beginning of this post, because I realize that without my new friends and how accepting and inclusive they have been, such freedom would be a nightmare. You take a risk when you go this far away from home. You give up the security of having your family, friends, and familiar places to depend on. That's why so many people thought I was crazy when I told them I was planning to teach in Korea for a year; everyone, including myself, fears the unknown. But I'm happy to say that sometimes it brings you the chance to grow as a person in a way you could never do while attached to a comfortable environment. That's been my Korean experience, at least.