Thoughts of home and holiday

I love the holidays, the big holidays. The ones that you see on greeting cards and the ones that have songs played on the radio about them. They may have become more material (or rather more blatantly so) than before, but all the commercial glam and glitz I could care less about. I have in essence always enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the two things it brought with it: the copious amount of free time and time spent with my family.

My family was never very large. All of my holidays have always been spent with my immediate family; my mother and father, my siblings and occasionally my grandparents.  When I was young this used to bother me. I would always hear stories about my friends going off to different state to visit their large families packed with uncles, aunts and cousins in some warm and sunny state while my holidays were spent in my own home in the cold and grey Indiana winter. As with all young children with a limited grasp of the world, I always wanted more, I always wanted what I couldn't have.

As I grew older and wiser, I realized that the idea of going to a faraway place to see relatives that I didn't really know or care about didn't appeal to me. It was no secret that my family was separated by distance and personal differences. Why make an effort to be with people who didn't feel the same. As I grew older, I began to appreciate the people who were with me all the time, the people that I actually enjoyed spending time with, I eventually grew to loving the small family and simple holidays that I had. They looked unspectacular to the outsider looking in, but for me their simplicity meant comfort. I could be myself, not have to put on a face to please other people, I could joke around with my siblings, drink more than I probably should and pass out on the couch later on in the evening. It was pure, comfortable bliss.

In a way, I already celebrated Thanksgiving in my own way a few months ago by celebrating Chuseok in Korea. I traveled with friends, had a great meal and overall had a great time. However, the strong sentimentally of the holidays and the end of the year approaching, I have to admit, that the slight feeling of homesickness is beginning to creep over me.

It comes in little unexpected ways. From little emails sent to remind me about Black Friday deals to tweets giving tips on who to stay healthy during the holidays, it’s the little clues that pop up the remind me that while my life in Korea, a new culture has been going along well, almost a new life, different from my old one, life and my family has been continuing without me, taking part in traditions and events that used to be a prevalent part of life still continue, minus one person.

I’m sure I’ll get over it and get back to my own life of working and living in Korea. It’s just funny how the littlest things can often remind us of home and the smallest hint of something can bring back happy memories from your past, making you long for the people and places of yesterday.

They say you can never go back, but as Korea has proven to me time and time again, this is not always the case.

To all back home and to all those around the world, Happy Holidays. Stay safe. Stay happy. Keep those you love in your minds and hearts.

The closest video I could find related to Thanksgiving. I must admit, I will miss the turkey and dressing. Also, Fresh Prince. 

November testing and beginning again

It’s that time of year for Korea high school students. It’s the time for testing and preparing to finish up their semesters. While the lower grades at my school face the three week onslaught of speaking and essay tests, grade three has recently finished what would most likely be the most difficult test for them so far, the college entrance exam.

Entrance exams are nothing new to me; I have had my fair share of them in my life before and during university. However, the ones in Korea are a bit different than any other exams I have taken before. Getting into a university is so important for students at my school and all over Korea, that a majority of the semester was spent with self study, simply taking a class period to prepare for the upcoming test for their university of choice.

During my little break, I was able to visit the beautiful autumn scenery of Jikjisa  Park

The US SAT has two general sections, English and Math. The Korean exam has five categories including Math, English, Korean, and Social Issues. The test is taken so seriously that the day before the exam is cut short and the other grades (and quite a few teachers) have the day off the day of the exam.  Even airlines are diverted and delayed during this time, to prevent any planes from flying over the school and causing a distraction to the students.

Education is given paramount importance in Korea. I can still clearly remember being told that education is more than a bright future and a good head on your shoulders, in Korea education is a resource.

“In Korea, we have no natural resources. We live on a rock, no minerals, no gasses or materials to export. The only thing we have, the only thing we can offer is educated and specialized individuals.”

Also, Hyejin came to visit. Here we are at a coffee shop in Gumi.

Besides the glut of exams and tests, November is full of events at my school, including the upcoming school festival and service day. It feels strange not actually teaching a class and making new lesson planning material, but just like the spring semester towards the end, the lack of new lessons stands as a sign of the times, a sign that it’s time to wrap up the semester and eventually prepare for a new one.

So now I use this newfound free time to help better and prepare myself for the new year ahead. Soon I will be having new students, teaching new lessons and hopefully spending another year in Korea.

Despite being busy, November has been very good to me. I’ve been doing a better job of keeping personal goals and writing more. I’ve had more time to get back in contact with friends from back home and reconnect with people I thought I would never hear from again. November has also been the month my writing has picked up substantially with articles, personal stories and the National Writer’s Month goal of writing a significant amount of words in a single month’s span.

The wedding of one of my friends, another happy event in November.

I’ve even managed to fall in love during all of this, and despite the distance, am very happy to be with a special someone and hopefully look forward to many more months ahead.

Lantern Festival in Seoul

I was once told that if you’re busy doing the things you love, you will not notice the time passing around you. This could not be closer to the truth, as it now is the middle of November, and I feel like some much has happened to me in a short span of time. As many things that have happened to me, I still feel eager and ready to discover more opportunities and jump into more adventure.

The year may be nearly over, but there are many more months ahead of me. I’ve come so far, and still feel the need to get started. This is a good thing. A busy thing. A happy thing.