Korea has been a very exciting place ever since
December has started. A presidential
election and shifting of grades at my school have been some of the major events
but here are a few others:
- The first major snowfall came to Gimcheon a few
weeks ago. Not only was it the first major one, but one of the largest snowfalls
Gimcheon has seen in years. In fact, it’s been a very uncharacteristically cold
winter for Korea. Combine this with the large amount of rainfall this summer
and you got a weather season for the record books.
- With some help and encouragement from a friend, I
have started a regular workout routine, twice a week, for about an hour and a
half at a time. It’s a simple start but with a combination of lifting weights
and watching what I eat protein wise, I feel much better. I actually look
forward to working out, something that I can honestly say I haven’t felt in a
long time. Also, my girlfriend seems to appreciate the results as well, which
is always a good thing.
- November and December have both been very pricey for
me. This has meant that my traveling and
leisure options have been limited along with my purchasing options. When you
combine this with the biting cold weather, it leaves a lot of weekends spent at
home playing games, watching movies and eating cheap food. This leads me to
another realization…
- I used to not mind doing this at all. In fact, I
used to love simply doing nothing but gaming and watching movies however as I
grow older, and especially since coming to Korea, I seem to dislike long
periods of doing nothing or having nothing productive to do. Even on vacations
if I’m not out and about, simply relaxing feels not as enticing as it used to. Make
no mistake I still love movies and games but the hours of movie and gaming
marathons become less and less appealing.
- I have made it official that I have resigned my
contract and will be staying one more year teaching in Korea at the same
school. Not only is the pay level and benefits enticing, but the students and
teachers are overall very good. Combine that with a ability to teach older
students useful materials, I feel like this is the best option as the job
market for me back at home still isn't as welcoming as I would like it to be.
- Along with resigning for another year, EPIK gives
its teachers a two week vacation bonus to go and do whatever they wish. While it’s
not set in stone yet, I am planning on going home during the month of February
to see family and friends again. I am enjoying the time and the people very
much in Korea, but I do miss my family and friends quite a bit.
- Korea has elected its first female president Park
Geun-hye as the new leader of Korea. While some people predict that given her
party affiliation, many things in Korea will continue to stay the same I am
hopeful that given her position and her attempts to shrug off the image of her
father and make some progressive changes for Korea.
- I saw the Hobbit this weekend and overall enjoyed it
very much. I was able to see this with HFR 48 FPS and Dolby Atmos and I can now
vouch for this new technology firsthand. The images at first appear
slightly fast and super clear (similar to a documentary or drama), but becomes much
better once your eyes adjust and instead offers a highly detailed look and feel
to the movies. Also, as someone who usually dislikes 3D, I can say that the 3D
in this movie was extremely well done and probably the best display of 3D I
have ever seen. As for the movie itself, it was a lot of fun. It dragged
slightly during the middle but overall was fun to watch with some great
performances by the actors, some spectacular CGI work (especially Gollum) and a
nice fantasy feel.
It’s been a busy month and it’s not even Christmas
yet! I love the fast paced living in Korea and continue to consider myself
lucky that I have a paying job that allows me to participate in events like
this every day.
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