I told myself that I would explore more and take advantage of more travel opportunities. There's still so much to see in Korea. So many scenic spots and festivals to go to from all corners of Korea. I still haven't visited Jeju yet, as well as the DMZ. Just another place to add to the quickly growing list of locations to travel to.
I've looked ahead at my schedule and thanks to the increase of "red days" (days off) this year, I plan to try my hardest to get out of my town and travel. My goal isn't to hit every place I want to go, to serve some self completion attitude of crossing off places on my list like random tasks on a too do list.
My plan is to just go. Go to where I want, when I want and not worry about other events or places that I should be going to. If I don't make it to Jeju or the DMZ this year or before I leave Korea, I won't feel bad. Sure, they are places that I should go to, but its my trip and my planning. Everything will just be played by ear.
I also plan on meeting more people, holding on to old relationships and making more of an effort to spend time with them. Being here a year in Korea has formed some impressive relationships with people in my town and beyond.
I've come to met people that I truly enjoy their company and seek to try to find the spare time to be with.
I've meet people that I enjoy, and yet only see a few times out of the year. This also holds true to friends back at home. The amount of time I spend with is disproportionate to the people I see daily. Despite the shift, I still enjoy their time and our friendship has not diminished If anything, I know that once we meet or speak to one another again, we can pick back where we left off without missing a beat. It's the closeness and understanding that make time and distance seem irrelevant.
I've met people who I can't stand being with more that a few minutes. It's not that they're bad people, its just that our personalities don't match. It's sometimes difficult to find topics to keep a conversation alive and in honesty, feels more like a chore than something that I want to do. I'm sure some people feel the same way about me and everyone. We are the same, yet different. We do not always fit or see eye to eye. This is not a bad thing.
No matter what, I have come to respect a great deal of people that I met here. Most are hard working, friendly and genuine people who have a desire to do good in the world. I can happily say that those "horrible waygooks" everyone keeps talking about have been mostly absent from my life. Maybe its because I live in a smaller city. Maybe its because I just got lucky in meeting good people. Either way, meeting people has been a highlight for me so far, something I want to keep doing.
My goals are simple and in no way strict. I want to see more and interact more. I want to come home everyday and say that I did something worthwhile and I can go to bed satisfied that the day was well spent. Improving my lessons and teaching method at school, making sure I stay healthy, having healthy interactions with people and just enjoying myself. I want to leave Korea with happy memories of people and places.
I plan on letting nothing hold me back. Even in the face of war from our neighbors from up North, I feel more eager and energetic than ever. It's the little reminders that danger can come at anytime and nothing last forever that makes me want to do more.
To end on an old scenario, if I were to die tomorrow , I would want to say that my life was awesome and I was at my happiest. Not decent and not content. Happy. Awesome and happy.
I'm not just going to have the cake and eat it too. I'm going to bake the damn thing myself and its going to be delicious. No one can ruin this recipe, not even you North Korea.
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| Delicious cake of opportunities |
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