Mid Move Update!

So much packing! Although it is thankfully less packing than what it took to get to Korea, I don't know how I've accumulated so much stuff in one year. I mean, yes, I bought a few too many stickers than a grown woman should admit to, but what is the rest of this stuff?

Last week was my one year anniversary of moving to Korea. Today is the last day of my contract. Even though I'm stressed and busy, I have a sense of joy about finishing up my year. Teaching abroad is another item crossed off my unwritten bucket list. It feels really good to accomplish that goal. Although this experience was trying at times, and I'm not the best lesson planner, I feel like I really had a good rapport with my kids in spite of the language barrier. All said and done I'm going to miss those little munchkins the most. They made my job awesome. Walking to and from school to a bunch of little voices shouting "Hello Theresa teacher!" made it possible to think to myself "I love my job" at least once a day. This is the best job I've ever had, but I'm still ready to come back to California.

I miss my brown grassy hills and oak trees. I miss walking on the beach or playing in the cold waves. I miss weather that lets me comfortably be outside for extended periods of time. I miss fresh air that doesn't try to kill me with anything more than pollen and dust. I hate to go all Dorothy on you all, but there is no place like home. (Especially when your home is California) I also miss my friends and loved ones obviously, but I've discovered my living environment plays a big part in my overall quality of life.

For the next month my life will be scattered  in boxes and planes over a few different countries. I'm going to the Philippines and Thailand with friends to celebrate the completion of my contract before returning to the states. I'm shipping the bulk of my belongings home ahead of me so when I return I'll only have my backpack and can waltz past the baggage claim, through customs, and into the arms of my ride home. I may be delirious enough to actually waltz. I'm looking forward to my little vacation, but I'm even more excited to have my life come back together state-side.

I'll be shipping my laptop home before leaving Korea, so there will be little to no blog updates until April. I'm really going to try get the last part of my Vietnam trip posted before then, but I'm not going to make any promises. Once I get home I'll be sure to post about my vacation and my glorious reunion with my cat. Will he remember me? Will he ignore me? Will he smugly pretend like nothing happened and he didn't notice I was gone? The suspense is killing me! Okay, back to packing. Until next time, stay classy planet Earth!