Korea

Ever since I've been back at home, it's been a whirlwind of meeting family + friends, getting into the holiday cheer, random errands, and job hunting. I haven't really set aside the proper time to soak in my Korea experience. Now that I've been back and I can look at my year in Korea in hindsight, I can say that it was truly a learning year for me. I would hope to say that I learn a little something new every year, but Korea taught me so much about myself, my family, my culture, my faith, teaching, and definitely relationships in all aspects.

I feel beyond fortunate to have been able to work and live in Korea for a year - it was the perfect amount of time to realize how different my life would've been if my parents didn't move to the U.S... how thankful I am for the family I met with....how actions are so much stronger than words or languages....how small the world really is....how you can stumble upon something truly amazing if you stay open-minded.

Something that definitely enhanced my experience in Korea was having Kit and my best friends there with me. It's funny how life works out sometimes. It was so incredible to experience a new country with close+dear friends of mine.

Here are some of the top highlights of my year:

• my students. my troublemakers turned out to be the ones I missed the most - seeing how much they've improved throughout the year and seeing that all my invested time was paid off was such a blessing
• meeting my/Kit's family
• traveling to Thailand, Jeju Island, and Japan
• weekend trips to Seoul for church and big city adventures
• improving my Korean (although I definitely still have a long way to go)
• spontaneous midnight trip to Busan to see the sunrise
• finally realizing what I want to do with my next step in life
• hanging out with co-teachers + friends
• the food
• beautiful changes throughout the seasons
• the inspirational aesthetics throughout the country (from nature to branding)
• the church Kit + I attended

There are definitely some I left out, but I would have to say those are what really stuck out to me. Overall, I feel so incredibly fortunate and blessed to have lived in Korea for a year. It's definitely something I would recommend for all Korean-Americans to do sometime in their lives. It's amazing + eye-opening.