The past 24 hours have proven to be both tiring and inspiring. First off my flight to SFO was delayed due to waiting for other people from other flights to connect to mine. Then while in the air we were delayed landing because SFO was having a traffic jam. When I looked at the mini-map on the screen in front of me I saw a loop-de-loop shape over Oregon.

The flight itself was pretty good, which was Asiana Airlines by the way. I think, however, that because I have regularly flown Korean Air that I have been spoiled. Let me just say that Korean Air has their butt together, and the food tastes better.

Yet once the lights turned off I put in my ear plugs and put on my eye mask and made myself a comfy little corner near the window and tried to get some sleep. I kept on waking up to adjust myself and  move my neck around.

Before they turned off the lights I think they tried to entertain us to compensate for leaving an hour and half late from Korea. They did this by parading around the plane in traditional Korean clothes, like it were a show at a folk festival.

The rest of the flight was pretty smooth. Then came landing and I made my way through the immigration maze.

Yes it was great to see English all around me and hear it being spoken too, but this was still the International side of the airport. It felt as if I was at the delta of a huge melting pot river ready to burst out.

As I waited outside for my hotel shuttle I had a view of the mountains, houses and freeway.
It doesn't look like much but concrete and blue sky, however to my eyes it was like seeing something for the first time again.

First off if you have never been to San Francisco and the Bay Area then you might not know what I mean by all this. The air smelled fantastic! It had the distinct sea smell mixed with eucalyptus. It was home in every sense of the word from scent to sight.

I nearly cried as I looked out over this imagery. Sure I had been in America last year on my summer vacation but this time around something struck a nerve in me.

I checked in to my hotel, called family and took a long hot bath. It had been since last November when I took bath, which was in Osaka at the hotel during my visa run.

Then I watched a little TV to chill out, which was interesting as I had somehow forgotten that American TV has a lot of commercials.  My hotel room...

This is the suburbs of San Francisco, which is up in the more Northern parts on the peninsula. It is suburbia, quiet and quaint. Soon many things felt like a novelty, like having to push the button to cross the street.
Yet as I walked through the neighborhood my emotions ran high. This was just a typical street on any here in Northern California, but to me it became so special.

It brought back memories of when I lived around Northern California in various places. The quietude and sharp contrast to a Korean neighborhood started to get to me.
Seeing the American flag people had put out to decorate their lawns or houses felt so symbolic.
I have been trying really hard in my tired and fatigued head to talk about this experience without painting Korea as this god-awful place and America as the ultimate utopia vision.

What I realized was that it wasn't really about that Koreans live in tall apartment complexes while Americans (in most areas) live in houses. No, this was personal and was touching on the emotional roller coaster I have been riding since I have been working at my current school.

I can't tell how many times I have cried, crumpled my forehead in anger and lost all hope over what are probably trivial occurrences at work. Last February when I was having the worst of it I felt so desperate that I wanted to just pack up and go home.

Seeing these houses with their comfortable curtains and green lawns made me become aware of what I value so much in life. That is comfort, both in work and home. A sense of peace and comradeship at the workplace.
It feels like every since I went to Korea all I wanted to do was get it right. To do the right things and not disrupt their culture. To learn and accept the differences and be a perfect little diplomat. Yet ever since things messed up at the hagwon my faith in myself to accomplish this has always been shaken.

For some reason coming back to America and seeing the suburban houses I felt a sense of relief that it is all still there and solid. But, most importantly, everything here revolves around a different society, one which is familiar and like a soft pillow.

Before getting on the plane, yesterday, I ran into these two very crucial aspects about Korean culture, that of Kibun and nunchi.

Kibun – The word kibun has no literal translation in English, however, as a concept that permeates every facet of Korean life, it can be described in terms of pride, face, mood, or state of mind. In order to maintain a Korean’s sense of Kibun, particularly in a business context, one must show the proper respect and avoid causing loss of face. In a culture where social harmony is essential, the ability to identify another’s state of mind, often referred to as nunchi, is crucial to successful business ventures. For this reason, you must be aware of subtleties in communication, observing non-verbal and indirect cues that often suggest the true sense of what is being communicated. 

After reading up on this a lot of the broken pieces started make sense and would fit into a focused puzzle.  One example from my experience is asking my coteachers in a direct manner about matters at work.

The point I am trying to make is that Korea has this kibun and nunchi society, whereas America mostly and practically doesn't have it. Sure Americans are perceptive to each others moods, but our values are elsewhere.

Seeing these houses reminded me of how hard Korean life has been and how much I strive to understand yet seem to always come out even more confounded.
To move on with my return-to-America story I then went on to find a Walgreens (Pharmacy) and went inside to see what they had. Then I moved on back towards the hotel to have a bite to eat.

April is just around the corner and that means that May will soon be here too. For me this time of year reminds me that I have been in Korea nearly 2 years. I spend my free time thinking about all that has transpired within this time.

Certainly what sticks out the most to me is that the way I feel about Korea today is nearly completely different from when I first got here. Of course that would make sense, right? But actually, I feel that as I go into creating my 3rd year here in Korea my attitude and outlook on the place is also very different than the first year.

When I first came to Korea I was 26 years old and now I am 28 (American age). My first job was at a hagwon (private school) and I understand now that it was this first experience at that place that shaped my mindset for the months to come.

The first 3 months of my life here in Korea were about survival and adaptation. It took forever to find certain essential things and also find my way to particular places. My Korean was pretty basic, yet I had a good grasp of being able to read it.

I remember my first 3 months busily trying to adapt to working at the hagwon. Coming in early to prepare work and finding myself hungry and tired during the last class before I came home. There were many times, I can recall, riding the subway home and trying not to cry in front of strangers.

The Korean workplace is a whole different experience than what I was familiar with. I feel because I crashed and burned so hard with my fellow Korean coworkers that it scarred me. During that time I couldn't understand why my Korean coworkers were so bitter around me. We had fights and arguments, all of which lead me to grow a habit within myself, that of distrust. I began to believe that I could never trust my Korean coworkers. That they would never be able to understand the foreigner perspective. It is this mindset that kept on getting in my way at my future jobs.

In the beginning, I was fragile and weak. The long hours and stressful work environment made me wonder if being an expat was always full of hardships.

But really at that time I was a new face amongst the expat crowd here. Everything seemed so new and different and every new place I went was thrilling.

I managed to quit the hagwon and move to a public school. That was a very dark and stressful time of my life. Things between me and my exboyfriend were crumbling and falling apart. I needed his support and good words but mostly what I got from was half-hearted. Yet, at the time I knew I needed to make money and get my career out here back on track.

My new school moved me into a terrible new home. First it was a room with no window that had cigarette smoke pumped into it from neighboring tenants. Then with enough nagging I got moved into a room across the hall with a window. It didn't change the fact that the place was a dump.

There I was alone and feeling treated wrongly by new school. I couldn't believe that people would put someone to live in such a shit-hole. Because of this I grew very resentful of my new coteacher and the staff at my new school. This combined with what I took from the hagwon, which was that I couldn't trust my Korean coworkers. Needless to say, this was a recipe for more disaster.

As I look back I only see all the potential that was wasted.  For example, my old public school had it's own classroom. It was also considerably small in class size and my schedule wasn't overloaded. However, I didn't really care about making new materials or decorating the classroom. I only put my energy into the after school classes because it was the most difficult aspect of the job. (No curriculum, 20 energetic students). I also spent extremely little time getting to know my coteacher. The first one seemed not to interested in me so it wasn't much of a problem. But the second coteacher was a very kind and generous woman. Yet, because of my bitterness towards the school and that I still had not gotten over my distrust for Korean coworkers, we got off on the wrong foot.

Looking back I wish I had gotten to know her well and really worked more with her. She had already 3 years English teaching experience and really cared about their education. Also she was into the modern sense of teaching and liked to use new ideas. In other words, I know now what I threw away because of my personal choices.

And so here we are at my 3rd job here in Korea. I made a promise with myself that at this new school I would try hard to teach the kids well, make stunning lesson plans and try to care about my coteachers. From December to January it seemed I only cared about the first half of my promise. And ended up on the dark side of my coteachers, yet again. But February signaled another chance to get it right, since we were given new coteachers.

If you have been reading since that time then you would know how I had a big fallout (last week) and then a huge turn around.

Now I understand how to balance both my desire to make good lessons and keep my coteachers happy. I believe it is because I have come to realize so many things over the course of living here, but also because I have grown to accept the Korean way of things.

In addition, because of this weekend's KOTESOL conference, I was able to see that it is really about working on a team.

Yesterday I felt more aware of the people around me and my role. In the classroom I could see how, although I was the leader and teaching most of the time, I needed to bounce it back between myself and the coteacher. Then, after work, we went out to dinner and during this time I talked a lot with everyone and opened myself up. I did all this knowing that it is what is best for the team, and ultimately for the children.

Today was just another teaching day and I realize now that I ended up putting myself too much into my planning. But I have started to check with the coteacher about her opinion of the day's teaching and see how she feels. We are going to play a big game with the 6th graders tomorrow and I showed my excitement.

In the beginning, I was fragile and weak.  Now, I am stronger and confident. Yet a part of me still feels like there is a hidden monster inside myself that could slip out without notice. I suppose the only thing I need to do is have a first-aid kit ready to go.

;)

This will be my information of my experience of doing the Osaka Visa Run. I stayed there for 6 days so I had plenty of time to get accustomed to the transportation system and local neighborhood near the Korean Consulate.

Obviously you will take a flight into Kansai International Airport. After clearing immigration and picking up any checked-in luggage you are free to go.

Head towards the signs that read "subway" so that you can follow your way to the public transportation options.

Transportation Passes:
Before heading directly to the train stop for a minute at the Tourist Information Center located on the first floor. You want to stop at the "Travel Desk" because you can purchase a very important train pass called the "Kansai Thru Pass"

For just 5,000 Yen for a 3 day pass or 3,800 for a 2 day pass you can use this to ride the Osaka City Subway and buses both in Osaka and Kyoto.

It is a lot easier than having to figure out which ticket to buy at the station. Also when you transfer from one Osaka subway line to another you have to buy a separate ticket. This saves you the hassle.

**Also you get a complimentary Kansai guide with train and bus map that is amazingly useful!
**In this area also look for more maps and tourist information.

And yes! It will allow you to ride from the airport to Namba station, on the Nankai line, which is where you are going.

If you plan on staying longer than 2 days consider getting the JR Subway pass. JR subway is a private line and more expensive but it can easily take you to places like Kyoto and has rapid service trains that are really fast. I would recommend getting a 3 day pass depending on how far you want to travel.

You will get the JR West Kansai Pass and to get it you have to show your passport. Also the ticket booth is in the train entrance area which means you have to make the next move and leave the airport terminal building and go to the train station.
 

Again make your way to this area of the airport complex to either use your Kansai Thru Pass or purchase a ticket on the Nankai line heading for Namba.

But the best way I found to plan out what train to take was to use these trip planning websites:
1. Nankai "RAPIT" which costs the most but is the fastest...but not really that much faster.



2. Nankai "Airport Express"... makes major stops before arriving at Namba but pretty fast.

3. Nankai "Local" makes every stop before arriving at Namba....slow but you can enjoy the scenery.

You can use the Kansai Thru Pass on all of these EXCEPT the "RAPIT". You can take the RAPIT and pay a discount since you have Kansai Thru Pass, basically paying the difference.

All in all I would shoot for #2 of that list up there. Once you have your ticket or Kansai Thru Pass go through the gate (put your ticket in the machine) and make your way down to the platform.

Read the signs along the platforms and find the one that shows the label of the train..."Airport Express". Wait and get on the train. If you are going to take a local train expect more passengers so tuck your luggage close to yourself to be nice.

Moving out was interesting, because I learned that I have a lot of stuff. How much? Four car loads worth! How the heck did I end up with so much stuff and where I am going to put it in my new place? So far my plan is to either throw out or give away a lot of stuff when I move again or store it somewhere for the future.

The man who helped me out during all this was JH. Boy was he a trooper, and somehow all my stuff is stored at his house in their storage space.

Saturday night I moved into the Goshiwon and I have to say I was really tired but also perplexed at how I was going to live in such a small space.

This is the street where the Goshiwon is located. I am in the Konkuk University area just a street up near the Children's Grand Park.

This will be just a short rendition as the video will provide more of a peek into the whole place. Down this hallway is the door to my room.

This is it folks all the space one needs for one month in Seoul. I have to say I kind of wish I spent more time on looking for a goshiwon with more space (of course you had to pay a lot).

So where you see the drying rack there is the only open space. Next to the drying rack is the shower unit which is closed in via a glass box. I could put the drying rack on the roof but I don't want to take any chances with a random rain shower.

Yes the bed is nice and cozy mostly because I doubled up my winter blanket to act as a mattress pad.

Here is the desk area where there was a TV situated on top, but I wasn't really using it so I tucked it underneath. Also you can see a mini-frig. There is a shared kitchen where you can store stuff in a larger frig.

Yes that is a real window there people. I have a lovely view of a brick wall but I think since these days are getting colder I won't have the window open too wide. Oh I would like to remark that I brought in my own lamp. I can't stand fluorescent lighting~
The place is quiet with I think mostly gals living in the other rooms. Although there is a major road nearby so I get to hear the traffic from that.

There were a few issues I had to get fixed yesterday before feeling completely comfortable in here. One, the shower drain was extremely clogged. Solution: Got the Ahjumma to clean it. Two, needed something to store my personal dishes. Fixed it by going to Emart. And basically had to organize my stuff and put it all in logical spaces.

Yesterday JH took me around the Children's Grand Park (pictures and story to come) and we had a jolly good time. Funny story too about something that happened yesterday.

Well of course I don't want to spend all my time in this closet but it sure is darn cold today. However, I need to get photos for my new job documents and get them mailed off. So I do have some work to get done.

Ah quarantine contemplation times. Trust me I haven't stuck to staying in my house, just not walking past my school. Vacation was good and I hope I did enough out there in America Land. Now of course I miss the tree that was outside my window and the deep blue California sky.

But having a few days off before going back to work is nice as well. Kind of helping get back into the groove of Korean life.

So to finish off my posts about my vacation I will just share the last few pics I took before I came back.



I have completely unpacked and tucked everything away where it should go. But I am starting to do some cleaning out in preparation for moving out in two months.

Job hunting is coming along. I have three recruiters working for me and I picked what I feel are the top ones out there. So far I have one job offer for an after school program in Bundang. But I asked if I can see the house and school before making my decision and the recruiter said they just prefer a phone interview. We will see if I can finesse them into letting me see the place first. I feel I have a lot of time to find the right matching job so I am in no hurry.

I am keeping a notebook of my job hunting and wrote down questions I intend to ask before finishing the interview. In a lot of ways I feel more prepared to be on the job hunt again than I was the last two times I went through this.

All right well Foreign/er Joy has the next few days off if anyone wants to meet her. ;)