why korea? oh i will tell you...

so you say you are interested 

in teaching abroad?

and you are thinking about coming to Korea?

let me tell you right now,

teaching abroad is not for everyone.

and Korea is probably not for everyone either...

but if your on the fence

about plans for your future,

you should consider this burst of

persuasion.

at least think about it.

number one: 

i teach some of the

cutest kids you've 

ever seen.

number two:

Koreans grow massive amount of their produce

in country.

and let me tell you...

whatever comes with the season...

will take your breath away. 

number three: the old men.

sometimes these lovely old men

 might invite

you to drink a little beer

and eat a little squid with them

because you just happened to be

sitting in their favorite spot 

in the park.

the spot where they have

 sat,

drank,

and munched on squid together

for the past...

the past forever.

number four: rice fields.

because they are just actually so awesome.

so foreign to me.

and so breathtakingly beautiful.

number five:

you get to wear amazing shoes like this...

at work.

typically with socks

showcasing the most popular 

cartoon characters.

and if it's winter...

you get to wear slippers.

number six: 

mogyoktangs. 

i.e. 

korean bath houses.

with separate bathing areas for

men and women

[yes you will be naked throughout this whole experience]

you will discover

something so wonderful

you'll wonder how you ever lived without

such pure

bliss.

picture from this fun blog.

number seven:

Korean co-teachers.

if you are fortunate enough to have them

they will make your life better.

and completely

worth it.

all you must do

is take the time to get to know them.

they've changed my life.

that's for sure.

and i will never be the same again.

number eight: 

after the long winter color emerges in the form of...

cherry blossoms.

and it's just as magical as it sounds.

number nine:

Korean baseball.

best.sporting.event.i've.ever.been.to.

no.question.

number ten:

the special coffee drinks.

best latte i'll ever drink.

made to perfection

each and every time!

and i've only just begun...

are you teaching and living abroad in

Korea?

tell me why you love it.

squids & trains.

i stood on the other side 

of the security tape. 

watching as my lovely mother 

extended her passport 

[with two hands]

to the security guard. 

she flashed the peace sign. 

her shoulders signaled 

a deep and slow sigh. 

a final goodbye was mouthed. 

and then my lovely mother 

disappeared behind the security barrier.

i stood very still.

the people bustled around me.

the giant clock hanging high over head 

moved on.

i felt convinced she might reemerge 

from behind that barrier.

but she didn't.

she journeyed on.

breathed in. breathed out.

and i realized i must too.

i caught the express subway.

from incheon international airport 

to seoul station.

and just like that, we pulled away.

we were moving.

the ever-prompt and informative

korean public transportation system 

with the flashing screen 

in multi-languages 

informed me

this ride would take approximately 

54 minutes.

and i realized...

i'd stayed too long at the airport.

and i was going to miss my 5:00 pm [17:00] train,

bound for my Korean home.

but as luck would have it.

i stepped onto the KTX train

car number 12.

seat 14D

at 4:59.and a half...

just as the doors were closing.

just having sprinted up four levels of escaladers.

from the very deepest depths of the world

of seoul subway systems,

my breath was heavy 

as i approached my seat, 

"아줌마..??" 

adjumma...

i addressed the older woman who would be 

my seat-mate for the ride.

she smiled kindly and stood to move

so i could slide between her 

and the window

into 14D.

and just like that, we pulled away.

we were moving.

the Korean country side

blurred in and out of my distracted attention.

i tried to read.

i tried to listen to a "this American life" episode.

my seat-mate slowly and methodically read

her newspaper.

without warning.

a few tears settled themselves into my eyes.

and they would not be blinked back.

my face.

it was turned from her [my seat-mate],

out the window

to the rolling rice patties

perfect in their twists 

and playful, deliberate turns.

the next thing i knew.

my seat-mate adjumma

was offering me half the package

of her snack,

dried squid.

with a little wet-wipe even

for my assumedly dirty hands.

she wouldn't even look at me

as i fumbled through my feeble polite-Korean 

language attempts.

she pushed the squid into

my hands with serious force.

her face barely hinted at a smile.

her act was done out of necessity.

not for her.

but for me.

how could she tell?

was it the few measly sniffles

that made their escape from my tight throat

into the wide wide world?

or was it something about her mother's heart,

that just knew?

i hate dried squid.

but this one.

went down brilliantly.

and i never tasted something so sweet.

and just like that...

we kept moving.