Mr. Rand McNally

So, Chusok is the Korean holiday and/or Thanksgiving. I went to Bali, Indonesia.

Steve and Marie were...'classy'

...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 5^th, 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 3^rd 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 6^th 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.