Hello everyone - or should I say Annyeong Haseyo? It's 2:17am Monday morning (I can't sleep - jet lag and odd sleeping hours) and I'm posting what is hoped to be the first of many regular entries in hopes of keeping touch with everyone back home.
Speaking of back home, I've been having episodes of panic attacks, bordering on full-scale heart attacks, since I arrived in Hwaseong. I've been here for less than 24 hours, so I shouldn't really expect to feel comfortable or situated. That being said, the old addage of not knowing what you have until it's gone really is true. I miss mom. I miss my friends. I miss my cats. And I think the reason this is hitting me so fast is because of the realness of it all. I'm here for a year, not a week or a month. I'm not even thinking about the possibility of renewing a teaching contract (which 75%-80% native English teachers do...and that's in a normal economy), which would extend my time abroad. But a year is still a long time, even as time has the tendency to go by so quickly. Logically speaking, the odds are very much in favor of me acclimating and adjusting here, and enjoying my experience in Korea. Emotion supersedes logic when you're scared and unsure, though. And right now, it is fair to say that I am scared and unsure.
The other thing that's driving me nuts is the "what next?" factor. What next after this little escapade? Don't get me wrong - this was the perfect time to take a job abroad. I'm 23, single, and the economy is crap. I know very few people around my age who are truly confident and secure in what they're doing at the moment. But it's more than that. What is the purpose of my life? What is my meaning? I honestly don't know the answer to that yet, and I've tried to let go of figuring out that question for fear that I'll keep asking as the answer appears and slips away. So we'll see. Life is this great gift and adventure, yes?
SOOOO
Some interesting things I've seen in the 24hrs since I've been here:
My airport driver bouncing his head to the Backstreet Boys.
Campaign singers and dancers for local candidates in an upcoming election.
Britney Spears' ring tones going off.
Budweiser is more expensive than Hite.
A 24hr PC room filled with chain-smoking teenage boys spending countless hours playing computer games.
Cherries on sale for $9.
So that's it for now. I don't have internet in my shoebox apartment just yet, so I can't upload photos. Will do soon. Leave me comments, send me emails (foleyr@unlv.nevada.edu), facebook me, etc. I'm very eager to keep in touch with everyone.
