The 6 month mark!

 Well, I have officially been in the Republic of Korea for 6 months! I can't believe how fast it has gone. I came here not knowing anyone and now I have found a great school, fun friends, a home church and other great things. I have also scratched off many things from my Bucket List. :)

Sometimes it seems as if I got here and then other times it feels like forever, especially when I am missing everyone. Great news though: my mom and sister will be here so soon! I can't wait!

Things I have learned/accomplished over the past 6 months:

• read Hangul
• basic Korean phrases
• give instructions to a taxi driver
• order food
• order delivery
• survived winter
• become BFF with Skype/Facebook/Email

I've also managed to keep in touch with my family and friends back home.  I try to talk to my family, boyfriend and friends at least a couple of times of week (if not more. I'm sure they're sick of it) :) The long-distance, 14-hour-difference does get tough at times but it's possible! Thanks for staying up late/getting up early so we can Skype and thanks for the quick email and Facebook replies! And to my 10 followers, thanks for reading this blog! :)

Big news: I am officially staying in SoKo for one more year! I signed my 2011-2012 contract a couple of weeks ago. I am excited for new adventures to come. It was a hard decision at first because I am so far away, but after a lot praying and thinking, I know that I am supposed to be in Korea at this time in my life. I had originally planned on counseling in the US this fall, but since I love teaching at the moment, I decided to stay. I will be home for the summer and for Christmas (for a full 3 weeks!).
 This school offers a great salary and benefits but even beyond that; the administration really cares for the educators and the students have been wonderful, as well. To all teachers: international schools are the way to go, especially at a school like Seoul Foreign!
My family and friends were very supportive of my staying.



Now for a few pictures...

Girls night: Ordering delivery for the first time (I now can order jjigae and pizza delivery on my own!). Korea is so detailed. When you order delivery, they bring it to you in real containers (not plastic) and then when you're done, you leave your dishes outside of your apartment and they pick them up for you-no messes and no cleaning!

          Delivery!                                                    Thanks for the Edward blanket, Leslie!

           

    








Valentine's Day: Jessica and I both have boyfriends in the US so we decided to hang out together on Valentine's Day. We went to a cultural center in Myeongdong and painted Korean masks and then we went to dinner.

      

Bright's birthday: We went out to dinner and then went to the Han river and went bike-riding.

Alright, I'm off to bed now.