In Short

Greetings,

Well right off the bat my return date has been selected, I’m flying back to Portland on July 8th. My ticket isn’t booked yet, but because my visa expires on the 16th, I’m confident that I’ll be home on the 8th. I must say that I’m excited. As anyone here will tell you, I’ve been looking forward to going home since I arrived. It’s nothing to do with the ROK, it’s simply that Oregon is the most beautiful place in the world, with the loveliest people in the world. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

It’s supposed to be spring here, however thanks to climate change and Al Gore, it’s been snowing on and off for the past two days. That’s a blessing and a curse, it’s great because the ski parks are still open (so I’m skiing on Saturday) but it’s bad because it’s very cold outside. Things at the school are crazy. We’ve just received a crop of new students, about half of which don’t speak any English at all. This is a much more daunting proposition than it sounds, because as a foreigner I am mostly just a source of amusement for these kids. I stand at the front of the classroom, shouting and waving my arms, and the kids just laugh and chatter in Korean. Someone asked me ‘how I did it’ the other day and I responded, “I pray. It’s an exercise in patience.” Which is 100% the truth. I know that in time this will change, but for now it is exhausting work.

It’s strange to imagine going home; I know I’m in for a shock. First, I’ll be driving everywhere. If I want to get the paper, I’ll get in my car. If I want to get a box of cereal, I’ll get in my car. If I want to go to the park, I’ll get in my car. Second, the supermarkets will be full of every sort of imaginable food. Here in SOKO it’s mostly fancy Top-Ramen, dried fish, kimchi, women shouting ‘Hello!’ in Korean, and cleaning supplies. If I close my eyes I can picture aisle after aisle of chips, breads, cereal, soups, ice creams, cheese, and of course cereal. Finally, it will smell nice. That one’s pretty self explanatory, but Seoul is a really smelly place.

Of course, I am slightly nostalgic about leaving. This is an amazing country; it’s a very safe place to learn about the wide world, the people are friendly, there’s a lot to do, and it’s inexpensive. I am going to miss my job, the convenience of the subway (which is the best in the world), the lovely woman that makes toasted sandwiches around the corner from my apartment, and the madness of it all. Those feelings are crushed, however, when I remember that I got hit by a cab (it was more of a love tap) and had an old man spit on me, but tit for tat.

So there you have it. The longer blog post that I promised. I just picked up a 50mm lens for my Canon and I’ve been putting it to good use, so enjoy the photos. I read this in Oswald the other day: My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. I think that’s a good thing to be meditating on. Have a great week and a great month! Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Dickie