...i was me
....Bali
September 28th, 2010
A year ago I got off a plane in Gwangju greeted by Homeboy, whos name I'm am still unaware of. A year ago i didn't know a lot, i figured confidence and self-efficacy would transpire from culture to culture, from situation to situation. I was right, but also...oh so wrong.
Steve, Marie, Joel and I just got back from Bali, needless to say, it was heaven.
It was a bit annoying before I left as I had to desk warm from 9 to 12:20. Then catch a flight from Gwangju to Seoul at 2. Although I did get these awesome pictures out of it:
October 4, 2010. 9:55 AM
I just said goodbye to all the munchkins on the broadcast this morning, I’ve been avoiding the sadness that is leaving but its beginning to hit me. I took the last cab to Emart-uh, today, and saw “those bitches” for the last time. I listened to Mirage on my walk of fire, and said “good morning” to Hanna one more time. I feel awkward for one of the last times as I hear my name mixed in with Korean. I always figured to angel myself towards the co-teachers in hopes of insight as to what is going on today. That’s one thing I definetly won’t miss, hearing my name in Korean. My-ee-kuh.
The things I’ve been through here will fail to compare to anything.
October 5th, 1:14 AM
So, after hours of packing, 3 million won short of the correct pension/bonus, and an annoying day living in a culture obseyo to the language…I finish my night cap in my hammock. Today and the last year wasn’t easy, I speak to the 23 year old kid who came here a year ago. Who was venting away on a laptop with the keys illuminated and the texan fall stimulating his sweat glands. Now I look to the inner-hon-gookin. The 24 year old guy so confused about everything, but always offer the comfortering and safe:
…agit sam-ne-ca
When the teachers had their usual tedious meeting today, I provided a sense of entertainment with my terrible pronuciation of the language and tawdry sense of nostaliga. I will never forget when I made the same group of korean’s crack up my first week, this time it was a bit more…understandable:
Annyong-ha-say-o. Minihamneda, hangeul mal mo-lyo. Crom young, comsamneda, sungsang-em duel, keyok-cagit simneda.
Your pronuciation is as good as mine. “hello, sorry, Korean language I don’t know. And then, thank you, all teachers…I’ll never forget you.” I’ll never forget the amazing ness that has preceded over the previous year.
The ways I’ve been challenged, the wallets I’ve lost, the passports too. The TV show’s I’ve disovered and the munchkins I’ve taught. I’ll never forget the amount of challenge a mountain in Haenam gives me or an egotistical d-bag for a co-teacher provides.
Instead of depressing about what has happened, I’ll stay stalwart to Glasser’s cornerstone and raise my iced americano at 11 AM to:
Cab drivers
Gorgeous weather in Mokpo right now and cori coming tomorrow
The swamp
To my hammock
Flying down a black diamond in Muju
Teaching 31 little 3rd graders all alone
Hunni
Cheers to Café Bene, Paris Baguette with my favorite Korean
To school lunches
Here’s to the walk on fire from E-mart to school
Moes
Oxford seminars and their little help
Oedaldo
Here’s to Sam Gyep Sal, to Kimchi Ggegae, to dongkas and to dried squid
To B.B Guns
To Getting hammered at Uncle bar and being promised a yager by an agashi
Ajemmas
Cheers to:
Bali
Shooting an AK with my Dad in Vietnam
Climbing through tunnels
Getting lost in Mokpo, then getting lost in Gwangju
Here’s to Orientation in Seoul
Yudal-son
Here’s to the challenge I face everyday, but misconstrue as opportunity
To Climbing the great wall in February with the padre
Figuring out Winter Camps with a tyro english speaker
Nanta Pizza
To P-club in all its shady glory
The bartenders at Sexy Girl Bar who used to work at Moes
Joel
OB blue, Cass, Makoli
Here’s to the munchkins, don chim, being 55, and married to carrie underwood
Here’s to Seoul
To the song playing at 11, just keep on moving
Here’s to negative space
To parking on a sidewalk
Hanna sung-say-eem
To the illusive Mrs. Park
Oma, homeboy and Silly V
To the 6th grade boys
Heres to my freaking motorcycle
To busan, ttanguit, jimjebongs, PC bongs and Noreabongs
Here’s to the waygookins
To the fucking…GRE
Dr. Philpott, Ms. Zanfield, Ms. Lazaro, Dr. Osbourne/Ceballos, Chris Devison
To deskwarming
To a pension I never expected
Here’s to leaving every expectation I ever had at an apartment in San Marcos
To sammy, both the beer and the canine
To Rose street
Combey to Mokpo...to everything I will never, ever be able to explain.
I’ve never been able to put it into words, the whole living in Korea thing. Its not easy, there’s too much to say. The little things that I go through everyday have become routine, I can’t speak Korean and normally people know that. It’s impossible to admit how much fun its been, how hard to…The best I can say is:
…boomdeyada.
