A couple days ago, I was stopped by 6 different Korean and/or Chinese university students who were on a mission to practice their English skills with a native speaker. Their assignment was to create a three question survey and find someone to answer the questions. Many of them asked me what I thought of Korea, and over and over again I kept finding myself say, "Well there are some things that are very similar to America, but other things are drastically different." I went on to give a few classic examples of driving, food, and the language. Their question and my answer(s) got me to start comparing home and Korea once again. (I've been doing it since the moment I boarded my international flight) This post include some of my most recent thoughts on the topic and how it affects my life, now that I've been here for over 2 months.
Life in Korea is becoming normal to me. Songtan is beginning to feel like home. Even though I am settled in here, I am also feeling a little homesickness start to creep up. I think the reason for the simultaneous conflicting feelings is because I am doing a lot of the same activities I did in St. Louis, just in a different way in Songtan.
I have been continuing to run the past two months (an activity I would've done at home) but it is different because I'm running on busy roads and mountain trails. I am even running a half marathon next weekend, but instead of being downtown St. Louis near the river, it is by a port that leads to the Yellow Sea. I enjoy my picturesque long runs through rice patty fields, but I miss running the pretty neighborhoods of Lake St. Louis with my mom.
Another thing in my life here that is the same is that I meet with a lot of friends to eat food! I really enjoy the sense of fellowship and community in the relationships I have made so far. Of course though, I miss my friends back at home! Also the style of living and getting around is different here. Instead of driving myself to a friend's house and walking up to their front door on a sidewalk through their yard, I walk or bike to an apartment complex, buzz in and start climbing stairs.
Teaching was my full time job last year, just like it is this year. There are many many similar things about the two experiences. However, going from elementary to high school is quite the change. I love my high school students and classes, but I miss my fourth graders too! One of my favorite things about fourth grade is having them all day. One of my favorite things about high school is getting to know so many of them!
Insert random (sort of related) thought here: I received my absentee ballot in the mail last week and plan on sending the completed ballot back to the states tomorrow. The election is still a ways off, but my vote is going to be in! See, voting still going to happen, but just in a different way.
It's just as difficult to describe the things I miss from home as it is to detail everything about my normal life here. Yes, there are still countless things I do not understand about Korea, and I still feel like a foreigner. No, the things I miss aren't really items that can be boxed and shipped. (Don't worry, I have candy corn to welcome the fall weather.) I am very blessed for both the life I had in the states and the life I have here in Korea.
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