Korea Month 7

Here we are, 7 months and a few days after I first arrived in Korea.

This semester is proving to be significantly less stressful than last semester. Due mostly to the fact that I planned all of my lessons in advance over the summer and a shift in my expectations of myself in the classroom. I’m trying not to spend every spare second in the office lesson planning. I’m not taking my work home at the end of the day, and I’m NOT trying to compare myself to the Korean teachers any more.

And my life is a lot less stressful this way. I can enjoy my kids, my co-workers, and my free time so much more. I feel like by giving up the idea of the teacher I was trying to be, it freed me up to the teacher that I want to be. More myself. And I think the kids like that a whole heck of a lot better.

I’ve been making strides with some of my harder classes which feels really awesome. Two in particular remain as stubborn as ever. But where I used to look at my schedule and see so many classes to worry about, I now look at it and see the classes I’m excited about.

Personally, it’s also been a good month. I’ve said many times on this blog so far that after the 6 month mark hit, everything seemed to fall into place for me, and that remains true.

I’m the kind of person who needs to be busy all the time. Being idle, or feeling like I’m not being challenged, is not good for me. And I finally have my weeks pretty much filled up. I meet up with two friends twice a week for language exchange. One of whom exclusively uses Korean when we’re together so I feel like it’s helping my speaking skills a lot!

So between language exchange twice a week, bible study on Thursdays, and trying to meet up with different co-workers, I have something to do almost every single evening. Having things to do and people to see has really helped me to feel more comfortable and settled here.

7 months later I’m really starting to feel like I know the city pretty well too. I have places where the staff know me and I notice when new shops and restaurants open. Daejeon is a lovely city, and the more time that passes the less I feel like I need to go to Seoul to find something fun to do.

The weather is perfect right now. The mornings and evenings are chilly and the days are comfortable. I’m trying to enjoy it as much as possible before the long cold winter sets in.

Sorry this was pretty short. But things are good here. I suppose no news is good news. I’m heading off to Hong Kong soon so expect some good pictures from that trip soon! Thanks for reading!