"...for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides."

Where will I be 1 year from now?

Wow.
Reflecting over the last month I can see now how far I have come from where I was a year ago.  At this time in 2011 I was student teaching, going to MMC playing my final concert with the Wind symphony and sorting through life as I knew it.  Sometime in February I received the email about teaching in Korea and the rest is history.
In February I was graced with my older sisters presence as she and her husband visited Korea for 10 days.  I showed them off to my school a bit and got a few extra days off as well.  We went to visit Gyeongju, a very historical and culture rich city in my provence.  It was a good test of my Korean language and culture skills to sort of navigate us throughout the city.  I think we did alright (there is a certain amount to "dynamic" Korea that will be inherent in any sort of adventure).
After Gyeongju, they shuffled off to Jeju-do island, and saw what most koreans call the most beautiful part of the country.  The last time I saw them was when they busted down my door on the following saturday morning to pick up their luggage and head off to seoul.  We had a bit of lunch and saw them off on the train platform!  I was really grateful and glad they chose to visit me, I don't think they would have chose to visit Korea otherwise.  I extend an invitation to anyone who feels the need to travel a bit and might want to come here.

Doing Korea

In addition to teaching my winter classes, managed to socialize a bit and another teacher in my town, Rita, mentioned that I should join an ultimate frisbee league team in Gumi (The Gumi Bears).  I did, and had a few scrimmage practices and my first game last week.  It is tons of fun and I always enjoy meeting new and cool people.

What else could the name be, really? 

Last saturday we had a going away night out for only Waegwan people, a chill group of teachers hitting Daegu to say farewell to Meagan and Rita.  After a few 맥주, and loosing 5 straight games of shuffleboard we called it a night (early morning, actually), and I some brief shuteye before my Frisbee games the next day.  After the frisbee game, I had to run home and change, and get a taxi out to an english town in Chilgok.  The next generation of Talk scholars were at the english town for the provincial orientation, and I was giving a presentation about scholar life in my area.  After a weekend of not much sleep at all I had to dive in head first for my last days of winter camp.  I only had to teach Monday and Tuesday, the end was in sight and it would be back to normal classes next week.  Monday was regular and uneventful, but when I walked into my classroom on Tuesday There was my co-teacher 신영, which is normal.  What was off kilter was the other person in the room, what I heard next broke my heart... "Michael, this is your new co-teacher", I nearly cried on the spot.  This was so unexpected, I adored Shinyoung, but it was nice to hear that the reason she was leaving was because she got a job teaching English at an elementary school in Daegu.  It was a bittersweet moment, I hope my next co-teacher is as cool as Shinyoung was ㅠㅠ.  On a side note, my mentor teacher wants me to come to her apartment and cook a spaghetti dinner for her, her husband, Shinyoung, and myself.  Then after dinner she told me she will take all my money in poker.  Game on.

Not to be derailed by my change in co-teachers, the next two days I have off because of the change in school year (Korea starts their school year in March).  I wake up early on the wednesday to go climb a mountain.  Much travel was involved in getting to the middle of nowhere... a train to DongDaegu and an express bus to Yeongju, walking to a different bus terminal, waiting for a bus to BongHwa, then a final bus to the park.  Yikes, then the group of up finally got to spend some time hiking the mountain.  It was worth it!

Climbing up needlessly steep mountain.

Dave's 4th backpack in Korea

Temple halfway up. 

Nice view!

After we finished the hike and made it back to Yeongju, Ian took us to a meat buffet bbq.  All you can eat korean bbq for 12000W!

Eating infinity meat. 

It is not easy to say goodbye to my friends, most of whom I will not ever see in person again.  But, the upon reflection the friendship was not in vain.  It was a brilliant rainbow that made the time our paths crossed wondurfull and fulfilling.  As much as it feels like I am breaking up with a dozen people every time contracts end it feels good to have had the pleasure than to never have had it in the first place (somebody more poetic than myself worded something like that much better),  I am taking new Gumi/Gimcheon scholars out with old scholars this friday and I'll have this in mind when I meet them for the first time.  I've got a shelf life here, I don't know when it expires but there is no sense in having any leftovers when it does.

"Saying goodbye doesn't mean anything. It's the time we spent together that matters, not how we left it."