(1) 90 in 90 Begins Again

When I was a university student, I was tasked with a challenge by my professor to take the 90 in 90 day writing challenge. For 90 days I would write a blog post everyday. The topics would never be specific, rather it would be anything that happened to come into my head. I can't remember every post, but a few still stick out in my memories. I remember writing about my final days of being a college student. I remember writing about that slight nervousness and excited anticipation of what the future would bring me. Some of the writing was introverted and deeply personal, while other bits of writing were nothing more than rambling nonsense that comes from lack of sleep or lack of ideas.

No matter what I wrote, the main objective was to always keep writing. To keep and hold onto a goal to keep my mind fresh and my fingers constantly typing. The writing wasn't stellar and it wasn't always meant to be. It made me write everyday, whether I had a fresh idea or was struggling over a single sentence. It kept me sharp and focused.

Its been a few years since I've completed the 90 in 90 day challenge and since that time I can readily admit that the time I spend writing has greatly diminished since then. The reasons are not important, I won't spend time pouring over petty details, rather I would try to spend my time fixing the mistake instead. The lack of writing, no matter what the reason is painful to see and realize, so I am taking steps to fix that.

I'm going to start writing everyday for 90 days. Whatever comes to mind will make its way to the page. Living and working abroad presents many opportunities to write about many different things. It's time to get out of the rut and time to start writing again. There's never a perfect time or mood to write. It something you do not because you have to, but like laughing out loud or crying during a sad movie, something that we do because we want to. We need to express ourselves and our lives. Writing often helps us focus on that. It allows us to reflect on the things that bother us most, and sometimes, the things that we aren't always aware of.

The new 90 day challenges begins again. Let's see if I can do it again.

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.