Blog O' Nibs: Moving Day and Seoraksan

On September 23rd, after a year in Eunpyeong, Seoul, my contract was up and I was ready to move on. I felt sentimental for about one second about leaving my adopted hometown.. then I remembered I had about a million things to look forward to: staying with Matt in Dong Song, being close to my friends, going to Italy, visiting with family in the US, a trip to Vietnam and Laos in the winter, etc.

I was leaving the best mondu-guk restaurant in Korea behind, and had some tears in my eyes while saying good-bye to my favorite co-workers. I was especially upset having to say goodbye to Eva, my favorite Korean co-teacher.. we had a lot of fun together and also made a great teaching team. She was the one I turned to whenever I had a question about something "Korean". She definitely made my life in Seoul much better!

Eva and I on my birthday

Other than that, there was not much else to be sad about. I was honestly pretty sick of my school and had been counting down the days until it would be over. We had a strict curriculum that the teachers had to follow, and it was the same old thing every day. After a year, it got tiresome and I could tell that the kids were bored of it- but it was frowned upon to stray even a little bit from the book. I was also tired of working national holidays. I know it sounds like a petty complaint, but those extra vacation days really make a big difference. And last of all, I got really irritated by bureaucracy of the private academy. I don't want to go into it on a public blog, but the business/school was run inefficiently and I had no power to make suggestions or change it. So, when moving day came, my amazing boyfriend and friends came into Seoul to help me pack up, clean up, and move out. And that was that.

I spent 10 days after the end of my contract in Cheorwon. It was supposed to be a relaxing 10 days of hiking, biking, and cooking.. but it turned into a lot of job-coordinating, paperwork, unpacking and repacking. I think it's a sign you're getting old- when you spend your whole vacation doing work. I did get a few hikes in and made it to Seoraksan (a national park/ mountain range in Sokcho) for a long weekend with Matt, Scott, and Jerusha. We had a really good hike to a peak that none of us really knew the name of.. but it was stunning none-the-less. I had been to Seoraksan the year before to hike Ulsambawi with friends, but I really enjoyed this new peak because it was "off the beaten path," so to say. The only other people up there with us were intense hikers and rock climbers. My 10 day vacation in Korea was a whirlwind, but it was great to spend some time with Matt and the gang before I left on my big solo-journey.