What If?

When I was thinking about how to begin this post, I was thinking about how another life altering decision has been made and how to properly tell it.  Tell it to remember how i'm feeling after finally figuring out the opening scene for the next act of my life.  Tell it to explain to those I care about just what i'm doing next.  Just what shenanegans I was going to pull this time.  It was when finally sitting down to write that I realized just how "life-altering" our choices, actions and decisions can be.

You realize that you could play the "what if" game for the rest of your life.  What if I wouldn't have gone to Ball State?  What if I would have lived in a different dormitory?  Taken different classes?  Had a different major?  What if I wouldn't have come to Korea?  Those "what ifs" make you step back and realize that even though the phrase "everything happens for a reason" is a bit cliche, it's true.  The steps you take and the moments you make are what makes life as unique as you are.

After reading a blog that one of my good friends suggested, a specific quote in a recent post resonated with me.  She says,"We all get attached to goals, to performance, to success and we end up over-committing, trying to please everyone and sometimes forgetting to just please ourselves.  Yes, life is short, but it is what it is.  We all need to slow down, to just be happy where we are for a minute, to breathe, to take in our surroundings, to be grateful for the gifts we have been given.  Life isn't about crossing your goals off your list, it is about loving every minute you are alive."     

She's right.  My life isn't about crossing yet another item off a list.  Figuring out the next step in my life.  Rushing to continue the process of growing up.  Thank you whoever you are for reminding me to enjoy the process of finding myself.  Whether it be in Korea, at grad school or another continent entirely.  Somehow in this process of living I forgot that i'm on a journey that at the end of the day only I have to be happy with. It's mine.  It's my journey and it will be what I make of it.  What I choose it to be.

While the next chapter of my life is yet to be planned, the next few pages finally are.  I have decided to go back to school when I come stateside this fall.  After two years away from the education that inspired me to be a teacher, I am finally ready to go back to school and inspire myself again.  I have hope that I will find the right school for me and prepare myself for the future that I know is somewhere ahead of me.

I still have yet to choose the schools to apply to or take the ever-intimidating GRE (sort of a graduate student's version of the SAT) but I still have time.  I have scheduled the appointment to take the test here in Korea this coming June and will hopefully garner a high enough score to get me into the school of my choice.  The next few months will be an interesting balance of studying and continuing to tackle life each day at a time.  Wish me luck!

Upcoming Adventures

[Happy 27th Birthday Mike.  I wish I could be there to celebrate with you but know that sometime in the next few years we'll do it up right together.]

It's been awhile since I have posted anything on here with something more to say than just a casual Wordless Wednesday or snow-filled pictures.  Somehow it's March already and  the weather is beginning to shake off that winter coat it's had on for the past few months.  Beach time is around the corner and I can hardly restrain myself from riding my bike beachside and waiting for the sun to finally reach us here in Pohang.  If you see me down there with my tank top on trying to tan my legs, just leave me.  I'll learn my lesson when I get another cold from Mother Nature, who just can't seem to make up her mind on day-to-day weather.

In all seriousness, the past few weeks have been a bit dreary.  I have said goodbye to some amazing friends, cutesy little kids at Kids College, gotten sick repeatedly (from the cutesy kids at Kids College) and had a horrible bout of homesickness that I felt would never pass.  Boo hoo.  Whine Whine.  Sniff Sniff.  Clearly my life could be o so much worse.

What lies in store for me during the next few weeks?  Well quite a few little adventures.  I will be going to Jeju Island for a weekend getaway with some friends due to the outrageously slashed flights found for less than $25 round trip.  I will also be going to the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival as well to part those seas like Moses.  I'll let you just think about the locations "Jeju" and "Jindo" until I actually go on the little excursion so as to prime you for the explanations at a later date.

Keep reading...the next few posts could be intriguing.

Until Then, Not Goodbye

I know I have been a bit lazy in keeping this up to date recently.  I promise the next one will have the sustenance and more importantly, the Koreanisms, that keeps my loyal readers coming back for more.  Until then, here's a wordless Wednesday that is devoted to some amazing people that have recently left Pohang.  To Raechal, Kevin and Tim:  You helped to make my first year in Korea an amazing one.  I wish you the best and hope that during our travels we meet again soon.

My dear Raechal.  We came to Korea at the same time and now you're  leaving to
back home.  We got to experience Japan together.  Words don't even express
how much I will miss you. 

The theme of Raechal's part was centered around the way Koreans dress.

Kevin Osborne.  Unfortunately, we started to get closer the weeks leading
up to his departure.  

Three great friends doing Noraebong on Kevin's last night.

A few of the original JSD crew:  Kory, Nick Kelly, Myself and Tim

Tim's last night in town consisted of dinner at his favorite duck place with
all his favorite people. 

The friendship I have with Tim is not traditional, so why should our last picture
be?  To Tim, you are a big reason why my first year was so amazing.  Thank you for all the memories
including (but not limited to) Deokjeok Island, Geoje Island, Daegu Nights, Sandcastle festival,
Thailand and all the random nights in between.  I know we'll meet again.  Until then. 

Description of Jenn Teacher

Today I taught a lesson to my 3C class (students between 10-11 years old) on how to write a description of a person, place or thing.  The lesson explained how to describe people and my students decided they wanted to write a description about yours truly.  I knew their descriptions of me would be colorful and quite imaginative so I agreed. What I was not counting on was the extrodinary amount of suck ups that my class holds.  Do I honestly care that I was told repeatedly that I was beautiful (a model I am certainly not) or thin (in my dreams)?  Not in the slightest.

Each student got some American chocolate and big hug as they were leaving.  I'm easy to please and compliments go a long way to put a smile on this tired teacher's face.

The boys of 3C:  Edward, Robbie, Michael and Zeki

The girls of 3C: Esther, Elly and Tiffany

The following is their unedited description of me.  Enjoy.

She is beautiful.
She is tall.
She is smart.
She has sand brown hair and blue happy eyes.
She likes samguypsal and chocolate.
She has a clean face.
She wants a vacation.
She wants to raise a panda.
She is wearing a black shirt.
She is thin like a flower.
She is a Kids College teacher.
She can speak English very well.
She likes her mom.
She likes games.
She gives chocolate.
She has favorite students.
She likes to swim.
She broke her leg last summer.
Her name is Jennifer Teacher.
She yells "No Korean" at Robbie everyday.
She studies Korean because she doesn't know it.
Sometimes she smells like flowers.
She likes red.
She has many friends but no boyfriend.
She has a nose ring.
She has many silver rings on her face.
She drives a car in America but not in Korea.
She is from America.
She is kind.
She is angry sometimes.
She has long hair like a pony.

Wordless Wednesday

The week before my little vacation I spent a few hours attempting to fly kites with the itty bitties.  Here are a few of the cutest pictures of that particular afternoon.

The kids attempting to pay attention during the Korean translation

Sunny can't quite get it off the ground

Ryan ran with his kite everywhere

The girls like the kite tails the best

My Korean staff decided that Smile, a little BOY,
would look cute with the tail being used as a bow in his hair

He did not like it

Sometimes a hug and a kiss just makes it all better

It Rarely Snows in Pohang.

So it looks like I brought the snow and ice from the Midwest back to Korea with me.  Sorry people of Pohang. My first day back resulted in a day off from school due to the snow that is so unusual in my neck of the woods.  Day number two is much of the same.  Two whole days off to recuperate.  Thank you thank you thank you.  The only downside to this blessing in disguise is the punishment that is in disguise as well.  Due to the fact that we can apparently control mother nature, we have to make up these days on Saturday.  Yes, Saturday.  One of the only days of the week where I am free from the munchkins and my less than cooperative coworkers.

My days off are including some much needed sleep and some even more needed cleaning around my pig stye of an apartment. Two huge suitcases to unpack.  Clothes to put away and yes Mom, I know I need to iron them.  Apartment organizing yet to be finished.  Working out to be done.  Clearly my to do list will keep me more than occupied.

Here are a few pictures of our most recent winter wonderland.  Not quite as entertaining as the previous pictures with the mohawked snowmen from the first snowday but interesting nonetheless.

My alley with an actual walkway 

Enough snow.  I want spring!

It's not a snow shovel, but a garden spade is a far cry
from the cardboard and dustpans used in the last snowstorm.

There and Back Again

Somehow it is already February 12th and I am started on my looonnngg journey back to Pohang.  My 11 day vacation from all things Korean is over and I am trying to get back to the right frame of mind to teach the itty bitties come Monday morning.

Now what did I do during my almost 2 week of bliss?  It all began at the Indianapolis airport.  After my combined 20 hours of traveling I looked down the tunnel to the public area to see my family with a huge balloon boquet.  I did that ever so cliché run that you see on the sappy romance comedies where the woman runs and cries from the gate into the arms of her husband/mother/father/complete stranger.  I didn't really believe I was home until I ran straight into the arms of my family.  There's just nothing quite like it. 


The next part of my trip was of me trying to cram as much western food as humanly possibly into my previously western food free stomach.  We're talking Subway, sloppy joes, homemade cookies, more fountain diet coke than any human being should drink, obnoxious quanities of real cheese and so much more. Oh, and did I mention this was all on the first day?!  Let's just say that even though my tastebuds went into overdrive...so did my digestive system.  Not fun but utterly worth it.  Mmmmmm cheese.

After a proper and fantastic haircut done by someone who speaks English as a first language (Thanks Jason!) I was able to spend time with a few of my Muncie friends.  A relaxing night at the Chug, one of my favorite bars during college, with my girls and crew from Chilis was definietely a highlight of my trip.  It's nice knowing that even after not seeing some of my dearest friends for a year, nothing has changed.

Just a few of my crew that made the visit so amazing

My first weekend home was spent in Michigan to see my little sister Angela.  We ate tons of food, with cheese as the main ingredient (naturally), played Mexican Train (if you don't know how to play it learn as soon as humanly possible) and played a years worth of catch up.  One of the biggest pieces of news I received was that I was going to be an Auntie!  My older sister Stacey is going to be a mommy and is due in August.  We're still not sure if she's having a girl or a boy (I think it'll be a boy) but I'm just so excited.  It's been decided that i'll be the cool auntie that takes him (or her) on fun trips.  Okay okay, when I say "it's been decided" I mean that I have decided this.  Let's face it people, i'm not exactly the disciplinarian.  Fun Auntie Jenn it is.   Let's just hope he's not like Grandma Joan and doesn't have an intense aversion to intercontinenal flying.  Fingers crossed.  Congratulations Stacey and Ross.  You will be amazing parents!

The family finally together again

Another extended part of my family, The Brewers.

The rest of my trip passed without much excitement.  I got to sleep in, eat whatever I wanted (whenever I wanted), go shopping (I may have developed a shopping problem) and got to see as many friends from around the city as I could.  Looking back on my whirlwind trip I realize that my favorite parts were the ordinary ones.  Starbucks and shopping with Mom.  A dinner with Dad, just the two of us.  Taking family pictures with the whole family.  Getting hugged by all the little daycare kids.  Having hundreds of channels at my disposal and having all of them in English.  All that beautiful cheese. Clearly it doesn't take a whole lot to thrill me.

One of my favorite daycare kiddies, Connor

And another one of my favorites, Jake, in his Korea soccer jersey.
Ya think I got it a little big?

Well, now I am in the Detroit airport waiting on the big flight that will take me home to Pohang.  While leaving my parents was hard, it was so much easier than the first time.  This time I knew what to expect and how to handle it all.  If the next 9 months (almost to the date) pass as quickly as the first year did I will be home again before anyone realizes it.  

Farewell Amurica.  See you in November.