Happy Good

A message from my Vice Principal this morning on our messenger chat system:
"Be Happy Good, Dani!"

I love this woman (yes, she's a woman, which is Korea is no small feat at her level). She knows how to make me smile.

I am so incredibly blessed to be working with some of the nicest people on the planet. While most teachers have connected with at least one of their Korean co-teachers, I have been fortunate enough to connect with not only my 7 English co-teachers, but also the majority of 3rd grade teachers, and most of all, my vice principal. It's such a comfort knowing that every day when I come to school, to a building with over 1200 Korean kids and adults as the only foreigner, that I am taken care of. They have understood and responded appropriately to my bouts of homesickness, Matt's TKD injuries, family hardships, wedding planning/stress, banking matters, vacation dates, my own illnesses, and every other concern you can think of. I have never once had to beg to stay home sick from school, or leave a few minutes early to transfer money home, or bring Matt to the doctor's for an exam.

While that may not sound like a big deal, I have heard of different scenarios across the board when it comes to teaching in Korea, but most of them aren't entirely positive. Once I realized that this wasn't necessarily normal, I told myself to be thankful and to give back as much as I can. This has meant bringing in food to the teacher's office to share, staying late for open classes, making 175 page reference books, editing tests, and judging contests with a big smile on my face. Everything I do here at school I do with a smile, and I think people know how much I love it here.

It will be hard to leave this place, for sure.

Feeling a bit nostalgic today. Even though I have 10 more months on my contract, only 7 of those are actual teaching months. August I will be in Maine and January and February are a swirl of vacation, a few camps, and desk-warming. My school just finished the first semester's midterm exams last week. That means that everything is downhill from here on out. It's ridiculous how fast the time flies once one exam has taken place. YIKES!

Speaking of time flying...we're almost down to double digits until the wedding!!!!!