Last Post...in Korea

Hey Everyone...(is this on? is anyone reading??) Just wanted to post that I have gotten my plane ticket home so I am FOR SURE going to be home on Feb. 19th. The past few weeks have been really emotional saying goodbye to the other teachers one by one. Gail and myself are the only 2 left from our team. Gail is staying on another month to help with the transition. So, we don't have kids here this month. I have just been working office hours on some preparation for the teachers coming next year. It seems really surreal that someone will be coming in and starting the journey I just completed all over. I think it will be easier for them in a lot of ways. (we blazed some trails here).
I don't even know if I can even put into words what this year has meant to me. I think it may take me some time away from this to really be able to look at the experience as a whole. Of course, now that it is over, it is easy to forget about all the nights I cried and all the times I was thisclose to calling the airline and just coming home. But, I am so proud of myself for finishing what I started.
I will start the packing process this weekend. Hopefully, everything will fit! Thank you all so much for your prayers in the past year for myself and my family. God has been really good. I know that He will now provide for me in Charlotte. He is faithful and good. Please keep in touch via my email m_elizabeth_gray@yahoo.com. Peace.

20 DAYS LEFT! (but who's counting?)

Hey all- sorry for the lack of posts in the past 2 weeks. I have actually been quite busy and somewhat overwhelmed. My friends here have started to leave one by one and it has begun to get quite emotional. This past weekend was the Lunar (or Chinese) New Year and I ha a friend come from Charlotte to visit. My friend Allison Payne came on Saturday, Jan 24th and stayed until the 29th. It was fun to get to hang out with her and we actually stumbled upon some great things to see.

Lunar New Year is a 3-day long holiday here which happened to fall on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this year. Most people in Korea spend this holiday with their families and it is probably the biggest holiday for them on the calendar every year. I went into Seoul on Friday evening and picked up Allison from the airport on Saturday afternoon. We joined some of my friends for dinner on Saturday night, but didn't stay out too long as a 17-hour plane ride had caused Allison to be tired. (imagine that) Sunday we went to one of the smaller palaces in Seoul and then to a traditional Korean performance called Miso. I have seen it now 3 times, and I still think it is the best show in Seoul. Monday, we went to COEX mall to try and catch a movie since a lot of the stores were closed. We missed all the shows and settled for a mani/pedi instead. Monday night we went to see a martial arts comedy called Jump. Tuesday we decided to go see a traditional folk village. I had read that there were going to be games and stuff, but had no idea of the big celebration that was going on there. We were lucky to stumble upon a circus act that was really entertaining. Wednesday I had to be back here for work, so we headed back to camp and spent the day here. Allison left here for the airport at 550 am on Thursday. It was a great visit.

Now, I am down to 20 days. My great friend Stanley left today to head back to Canada for a month's vacation. It was really sad to see him go.

Tomorrow I will actually be heading back into Seoul for dinner with another friend for his birthday. I can't believe the time I have left here is so short. I am still looking for a job at home, and am kicking up the prayer request to a Level 10! We have a 3-day teaching program next week and an English Festival on Thursday. After that, I will be doing some prep work for the teachers that will be here next year. It is weird to think of a whole new staff doing our jobs, but I guess such is life.

Hope you are all well. I can't wait to be stateside soon. Take care...

11 down and 1 to go...

Hey all- tomorrow is the official one month mark for me. I am a bag of all sorts of emotions. I am excited, relieved, anxious, sad, happy, worried, depressed, thankful, etc etc. It has been quite a journey here in Korea and it is really strange that it is coming to an end. It's like my life in Charlotte has been on hold and I have been living in this parallel world. I am thinking about what it will be like when I get back. Of course, my mind is consumed with the worry about a job. It couldn't be a worse time to be looking for a job, but it is what it is. Some of the American teachers here are just resigning as they know a job here is a sure thing, whereas maybe not so much at home. Resigning is not an option for me though. One- I promised my Mom only one year! ;) Two- I miss my dogs way too much. Three- I want my "real" life to start moving forward again. I am enrolling in a Master's program this summer to begin working toward that goal. I really miss my church and my community there. I do have some friendships here that will be difficult to leave- but now I have global connections (ha ha).
This week is our last "regular program" week. We are running a 3-day program Feb 1-3. Unfortunately, that means I will be at work when the Super Bowl is on. Bummer. After that, I guess our time will be spent cleaning and organizing for next year. I should have lots of time to pack, so that is good.
We got a few more inches of snow this weekend, so it is blanketed in white again. It looks so pretty. My friend Allison will be here on Friday, so I will spend one last long weekend in Seoul. Lunar New Year is this upcoming weekend, so I am sure there will be interesting stuff going on, but don't really know what yet. We are hopefully taking a River Cruise on Saturday- but not sure if that is going to happen as some of the Han River is frozen. Either way, I am sure we will have fun.
Please keep my job search in your prayers. I am sure it will all work out according to His plan. I can't wait to touch base with you all again soon. Love-
m

40 days and 40 nights

So, technically, today is 39 days and 38 nights, but I ttok some poetic license. Last Monday was back to work for me and it was just as painful as I am sure it was for everyone else. We are all in the final days of our contract and just seem to be coasting on automatic pilot. The students we had last week are middle school/coed which I think are my least favorite to teach. Not to say that they are all bad, but it's just an awkward age and a tough time to be trying to make the kids confindent in anything. Especially when the opposite sex is right across the room distracting them. So, we have middle school/coed again this week and then a week of middle school boys. There won't be kids here on the last week of January, as it is the Lunar New Year holiday. I jst found out my friend Allison Payne will be coming for a few days at the end of the month, so that will be nice to have some company.
It is REALLY conld here this weekend with temps staying around 20 for the high and 0 for the low. No more snow yet, which is disappointing. Gail, Jenn and I went to a "winter wind festival" today in Jarasum (just down the road) but there wasn't much to see and it was too cold to think about enjoying anything.
I am going to start sending out my resume this week to all the "normal" outlets in Charlotte. If you hear of ANYTHING in Charlotte that may present an opportunity, PLEASE let me know. It is a tough time for anyone in the job market right now and I am going to need all the help I can get. My plan is to start working toward my Masters this summer, so hopefully, that will help in the future.
Hope you are all warm and well. Send me any job leads (m_elizabeth_gray@yahoo.com) Talk to you soon!

OMG...2009!

So here it is the first day of 2009. You can't help but feel reflective on a day like this. I had a great visit with my parents over the past 10 days. They went quickly and the sting of them leaving was only softened by the reality that I only have 50 more days here in Korea. We spent time together visiting some sites in Korea, but also some time just relaxing, which was good for me. Their departure has really brought my departure date into focus. Of course, I am more that THRILLED to get back home to see my puppies and roll on the floor with them. I want to see my nephew and niece, who I know have changed a lot in a year. I want to see my little sister, Sydney, and find out how she has held up the past year. I want to be in my house with all the comforts of knowing that the familiar is all within reach. But, there is anxiety in returning home. Of course, I am worried about finding a job when I get back. The only news from the US is discouraging. I have to trust that I will find something, but I am getting to the point in my life where I want to be inspired by my work, not just happy to be earning a paycheck. Please pray that I will find that position quickly.

We go back to teaching on Monday, January 5th. I think a lot of us have already checked out, so it will be difficult to get back into the grind for 3 weeks.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and were surrounded by friends and family. Thank you to those of you who remembered me with an email or a message. It meant a lot. I will keep you posted on the last few weeks here. Love to all...m

Mom and Dad arriving in Seoul with the sign made by my students

Me and Sarah collecting on a free hug from Santa on Christmas

Dad and I waiting for the show "Nanta" to begin

Countdown to Sanity...

Hi Everyone-
Do you remember when you were a student in school how long the weeks before Christmas seemed? I am here to testify that, for teachers, the weeks are JUST AS LONG IF NOT LONGER! We are all anxious to get out of here for the 2-week break. Not only for the holiday itself, but also for the mental break away from the kids. Fortunately, this week, we have some elementary kids that are quite smart and really sweet- so it could be a lot worse. I am teaching the SBC room this week, so we are doing Christmas news reports and in the music room we are singing Christmas songs. On the good side of that, I am one of those people who could quite happily listen to Christmas music the entire month of December and never get sick of it. So, it's a good fit.
This past weekend, the girls and I went to see Twilight. I loved all 4 of the books in the series, and was quite happy with the movie. Crazy how attractive vampires can be! :) I also cut all my hair off, so now it is back to chin length. I will try to get some pics up this weekend. Saturday, we had some friends come to visit from Seoul, so we cooked dinner and went to the Music Room for some karaoke. It was lots of fun. Still no more snow since last week, but very cold. I am REALLY hoping for a White Christmas as it has been a LONG time for me.
This weekend, my friend Gail's mom will be coming in from England for the Holidays, so we will show her "the sights" here around camp. My mom and dad will be flying in on Monday, the 22nd and I can't wait to see them. We will spend most of the 10 days they are here in Seoul, but I will get to show them the camp and where I live one day. Since it is staying pretty much around freezing temperature, I think most of our activities will be indoors.
That is the update for now. I don't have my airline tickets CONFIRMED as of yet, but as far as I know, I am still on track to fly home February 19th. (just in time for the Oscars..but too late for the Super Bowl). I will post again before Christmas! Love you all!

Thanksgiving in the Science Lab

So we did get a Thanksgiving Dinner together on Saturday, November 29th. One of the bigger rooms in our school is the Science Lab, which is also conveniently located across from Mom's Kitchen. So, we pushed the lab tables together and ate in there. There was, of course, no tukey, but we did come through with some stuffing, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole (my addition), roast, vegetables, and other assorted goodies. It was quite bittersweet.

This past week we have been decorating for Christmas. Some of you may know my obsession with Christmas and my ability to go a bit overboard. My room has 2 trees, doors wrapped like presents, snowflakes and a winter scene in the window. I will take some pictures. I just LOVE decorating for Christmas. Mom and Dad will be here on the 22nd. I will try to get some more news to post before then. Take care!

ps- I am approved to return home on Feb 19th. So I have 4 more days left in Korea! Hooray!