Happy Almost 1 Year

Hi friends and family!

Wow, it has been a while, huh? Seems like it should be March 2020 with all that’s been happening around the world, yet I’m still blown away that it’s already August. Eight months into 2020. Definitely has not been the year I thought it would be, but I’m grateful to be alive and healthy. 

How are you all? Are you well? Please continue to wear your masks and wash your hands, as well as social distance. My heart goes out to my home country right now. Praying for things to get better, and for everyone to remain safe and healthy.

Since my last post, I have started back to school. Though as I’m writing this, I’m currently on summer vacation for 2 weeks. From mid-April to end of May, I solely did online classes with my students. Doesn’t sound too difficult, but doing online English lessons with elementary students is not the easiest job in the world. Once classes resumed in-person, I could clearly tell who actually did their work, and who just slacked off for that month. Once June hit, my work started in-person classes again. There were a lot, and I mean, a lot of precautions taken, but knowing elementary students and kids in general, those precautions lessened quite quickly. Before students could enter school, they all had to go through the same entrance, where their temperature was taken, their hands cleaned with sanitizer, and outdoor shoes switched for their indoor shoes. Everyone was required to wear a mask. Desks were spaced out, with some classes had plastic dividers surrounding the desks. Lunch consisted of a plastic wall in the middle of the long tables and everyone sat one seat apart in a zig-zag format. Students were also closely monitored when they left the classroom by the school assistants. However, most of my kids were all up in each others’ faces by the end of July. Fortunately, my city has been safe from the virus so there’s not as much worry. As for the in-person classes, each class came to school only twice a week, and different classes came on different days to spread out the students present at school. The other days students had online classes to complete at home (or not to complete at home). I saw each of my classes once a week, which halved the number of classes I “taught” per week to eleven. Once I return to school at the end of August, the students will be in the second half of their school year, and so far, I think the schedule should remain the same. 

It’s so crazy to think I’m coming up on my one-year anniversary in Korea! It definitely has not been the grand, adventurous year I thought it would be. I had so many plans to travel around the country, visit nearby countries, and do all these fun things. For a good 3-4 months, all of that was put to a complete halt. Traveling abroad is obviously still at a stand-still, but traveling within the country is okay now. The number of locals who do not wear masks anymore has increased, much to my dismay, but I still take precautions as do my friends. It’s good to be able to move around a little more. Despite my love for my city, it’s a little restrictive only staying here for months on end and not getting to travel. As I write this, I realize how arrogant that may seem, especially with the situation in America. I’m super thankful that Korea has done its part to contain the virus for the most part, but I think it’s human nature to want a bit of normalcy again.

Within my year in Korea, I have shamefully not learned the language as well as I wanted to. I’m going to start studying more intensely from now on (fingers crossed). But being stuck inside for months and really only communicating in English at work has put my language learning to a halt. I’m disappointed in myself, but realize the difficulties of learning a language that is very different from my own and that I haven’t directly needed to use on a daily basis. It’s funny to think that. I’ve survived nearly a whole year learning only the basics of the language. However, it is my goal for this next year to actually learn Korean and use it. 

A few weeks ago, I made a big decision in my life and adopted a cat! So far, things have been going well, despite this being my first time with a cat all to myself. This past week, I finally got some courage and visited the local vet’s office with my friend to set up a spay appointment for my cat, as well as get her overall health checked. Serena, my kitty, was a friendly stray who approached an acquaintance of mine while being pregnant (the cat, not the acquaintance lol). My cat has some health issues, mainly due to not being spayed (oh the yowling at night!) as well as some gingivitis. It has been a rather overwhelming couple weeks learning of all her medical needs as well as a hit to the wallet. But she’s honestly the sweetest girl and has opened up tremendously to me. For those worried about what my plans are with her when I move back home, she will be coming with me! I’m not sure when exactly I’ll be moving back to America, especially if the virus continues as it has been there, but I will be bringing Serena with me no matter what. 

It has been ridiculously humid here since mid-July so I have voluntarily stayed indoors most of the time (probably best for social distancing), but there are a couple places I like to visit within my province. The first place is the stretch of road alongside the beach. During the cooler months, my friend and I would go on a morning walk in search of coffee. The sidewalk by the beach has been a really nice place to just wander about, without feeling crowded. The second place I like to visit is actually in another city only forty minutes away, in Gangneung. There’s this coffee shop that hosts BTS birthdays and other events for fans. The owner is super sweet and recognizes my friends and I since we always come for a birthday event. The cafe faces the road outside and has a very cozy atmosphere inside. Plus it’s right by the train station, so it’s easy to get to/from my city. Back in June, my friends and I made the journey there for the first time in months to celebrate BTS’ debut date. One of my friends had recently gotten a car, so we all rode with her to practice safe social distancing from the locals. It was a nice reprieve from being stuck in my city for so long. 

Hopefully my next blog will not take four months to post. I have a couple of adventures coming up, which will make for a more exciting post (I hope!) so please look forward to that. Again, my prayers go out to America (and the rest of the world) and my friends and family living there. Please take care, stay healthy, and communicate with your loved ones. I would love to hear from you all and know how you’re doing! I’m still on Facebook, Instagram, and email. 

To my family and friends, I love you guys and miss you all so so much! Please consider writing to me as I love receiving letters! If you’d like my address, get in contact with me if you don’t have it 🙂

To those who just happened to come by my blog, thanks for reading! I hope you are doing well and that you and your loved ones are healthy. 

화이팅! Fighting!

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