A Korean Year in Review

So I did what I set out to do: live and teach in Korea for a year.  And now I'm going home... No, not for good. I've signed another contract that'll keep me here until next June.  I'm just going home for a quick 10 day visit.  But before I leave, I thought I'd commemorate my one year anniversary by looking back on the best parts of the year.


1. My first kindergarten class:  My kindergarten class that I joined when I first came, the one I had before my current class, was surely the best class ever.  My kids were brilliant, and I'm not from the U.K. so I don't use that word too often.  I had a lot of fun teaching them.  My current class has a lot of character and I love them too, but they stress me out so much more than the other class did.
2. Joyful Church: This is the name of the small congregation that meets at 2:00 on Sundays for an English service, which I have semi-regularly attended.  Every time I go, I'm thankful for it.  And I've gotten to know some pretty cool people from it.
3. Soccer: Both our weekly Tuesday night futsal games and being part of the foreigner team have been a consistent highlight for me this year.  It keeps me active, I hang out with great guys, and I love it.
4. Scooting: I'm pretty sure I've expressed my joy in scooting enough in my blog, but I'll just do it again.  It's so great.  Around Pohang, I save so much from not taking a taxi, and I love to explore new areas of the city when I get the chance.  I can't wait for our next trip into the mountains.
5. Snow Days: We had three of four of them, and they were just lovely.
6. Vietnam: It was an awesome trip.  I'd love to go back to see more of it sometime.  I'll never forget the crazy triffic and the constant chaos of the intersections, nor the beauty of Halong Bay.
7. Tilt: The bar.  It's been a good place to hang out on quiet nights, and a good place to dance on loud nights.
8. The Jazz Bar: So relaxing.
9. Pohang Steelers games: They always turn out to be fun games to watch.  And we usually get a good group of people to watch them.
10. My drum: I love it.  And I loved playing it.  I've been lucky to have the chance to jam with cool people here.
14. Buffet Lady: Every day for lunch we walk down the road to a buffet place run by this very cool woman who makes very Korean food which is very good.
12. My parents' visit: It was not long enough, but it was a great week.  Having my parents come here and showing them around made this a cool place to be.
13. Alisa coming: I've really come to appreciate her being here.  She's settled in so quickly, it's almost as if she's been here the whole time.
14. Japan: One great weekend full of excitement, worry, and an awesome boat ride.
15. The beach: I didn't think I'd like living on the coast as much as I do.  Volleyball on the beach is the perfect summer activity.
16. Building relationships: There are some great people here and I've made some relationships that will surely last after my time here.
17. Learning about Korea: It's just really cool to be in a totally different country with a totally different culture.  I love the funny little oddities that foreigners don't really understand.

Thanks for reading,
Michael

P.S. Next week, I will probably not post a blog as I will be camping with my family.