We Live On

Sometimes it seems like my life in Korea creates many highs and lows for me. I'm not going to lie, some days are hard. Not because I miss home and want to leave or anything, but because my job and daily life in general can cause some major frustrations. Some days are amazing and those are the days I look forward to and try to focus on. Today has been one of those days.

I am very pleased to report that my semester is off to a fantastic start. I have three new co-teachers. Two of them speak very good English and it is easy to work with them. One does not really speak English very well at all (don't even let me get into the "why did they hire her to teach English then?!" rant because I have no idea) and it can be difficult to communicate with her. I have one more extra class a week and I will also be teaching an English class for first and second grade teachers twice a week. I am teaching grades 4, 5, and 6 once again.

The first day with sixth grade I was preparing for the worst. When I walked down the sixth grade hallway and heard not a peep and saw the students in their seats through the windows, I almost had a heart attack. I could not believe it was the same hallway as one month ago. The fifth and sixth grade students have been well behaved and attentive so far. I really pray that it stays this way. (At least until October 6.) The fourth grade students are adorable. I love them. It was my first time to meet them and teach them this week and last. Some of the students I taught in winter camp, but most I had never seen before. It was so cute because when they saw me it was a succession of "ohhs and ahhhs" and they were really excited. It brought a big smile to my face.

The little girl I wrote about a couple months ago who always said hello to me in the hallway was in my class today. I realized that she must have some kind of learning disability. She was sitting in her seat, blurting things out at the wrong times. During my lesson she was cutting up something in her book instead of paying attention to me. No one seemed to pay attention to her and my co-teacher brushed her off and just let her do her own thing. It was actually kind of sad. The way that learning disabled students are treated here is far different from home and can be quite upsetting. I won't get into this today because I vowed to stayed on a positive note, but I will write about it at a later time.

Communicating with my co-workers can be trying. Some people speak English to me, but many cannot or choose not to speak English. This leaves me feeling like an outsider most of the time. I am used to it now and it doesn't really bother me that much. The only thing I really get frustrated about is when I hear my name in a conversation and unless someone feels gracious enough to translate for me, I have no idea what they are saying. Yesterday at lunch my co-teachers, some other co-workers, and I got into a conversation about my leaving next fall. They asked me what my plans were and I told them I wanted to pursue my masters degree or teach. They were like "no, don't leave- you are a good teacher and we will miss you." They complimented me on my organization, good control with my classes, and my ability to be open to the Korean culture. I felt like I had really been accepted by my co-workers and hearing them praise me as a teacher felt great.

I got way too overexcited the the other day when I found out that Gregory David Roberts is writing a sequel to his best seller, Shantaram. If you have not read this book and are not intimidated by 900+ pages, then do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy. NOW. There is something in this intriguing tale for everyone. His writing is beautiful and immensely impressive. It is hands down one of the best books I have ever picked up and I have been recommending it to friends since I first read it a few years ago. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.”

"If fate doesn't make you laugh, then you don't get the joke."

"Lovers find their way by insights and confidences; they are the stars they use to navigate the ocean of desire. And the brightest of those stars are the heartbreaks and sorrows. The most precious gift you can bring to your lover is your suffering."

"At first, when we truly love someone, our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us. What we should fear and dread instead is that we won't stop loving them, even after they are dead and gone."

"Be true to love where ever you find it, and be true to yourself and everything that you really are."

"For this is what we do. Put one foot forward and then the other. Lift our eyes to the snarl and smile of the world once more. Think. Act. Feel. Add our little consequence to the tides of good and evil that flood and drain the world. Drag our shadowed crosses into the hope of another night. Push our brave hearts into the promise of a new day. With love: the passionate search for truth other than our own. With longing: the pure, ineffable yearning to be saved. For so long as fate keeps waiting, we live on. God help us. God forgive us. We live on."

Namaste