Greetings from South Korea!

A year ago I had just quit my job of eight years at the Girl Scouts! I was dealing with all sorts of paperwork to apply for a visa and was trying to figure out how to pack my life into two suitcases, a carry on and a personal item . I had no idea what day I was getting on a plane to move to Korea as it all depended on when I got my visa. I was moving to a place I had never heard of before Gwangju, South Korea to teach English. Three flights half way around the world and a 4 hour bus ride and I was finally arriving at the bus terminal in Gwangju.

At this time I had intended to start a blog but it never happened. Well actually I had picked out the name but never did anything with it. So this is finally my first post.

A year later and I have almost completed my year long contract teaching English at a private Kindergarten. Currently my students are Korean age 4-8 years old but in the fall I had students who were up to age 11. You are probably asking yourself what is Korean age? In Korea when you are born you are one year old, and you get one year older on the New Year. So if you are born in December you are one year old, and then when it is the New Year you turn two, even though if you were in the US you would only be a few months old. This explains Korean age further.

So if I was teaching in the US my students currently would be from 2 to maybe 7 years old. They amaze me everyday with what they know and are able to do. It has been an interesting experience teaching children who in some cases had no English exposure to seeing them quickly learning and using English. Children’s brains are like sponges and it has been amazing to watch them learn and grow.

I have had a great time in Korea and have enjoyed teaching and living here but I want to see and explore more of the world. In early September I will be unemployed by choice so that I can travel. I have thought about doing this for awhile but it is exciting and scary to think about.

As of now I have travel plans from September until the end of October. After this point I’m not sure what I’m doing. I will probably be back in Pennsylvania for Christmas. After that I don’t know what I’m doing.

My plans are:

• Japan
• Hawaii
• Thailand
• China
• Hong Kong
• Cambodia

After this we’ll see what comes next. There are many more places I want to see and visit beyond this list. I haven’t decided yet if I’m flying back to the US through Asia or going through Europe and stopping in Iceland. The world is a great big place and I want to see and explore as much as I can.

~Becky