Life in Yeonhui Dong

I have lived in Korea for two and a half years, one of the greatest countries in the world. Of course I’m a little biased, but why not love the country that helped me grow and experience most dream of?

It all started with a long plane ride from Texas. I was so nervous walking off the plane hoping I’d made the right decision to look abroad for a job after University. I was soon met by an older Korean man holding a sign with my name on it. That moment was the turning point. I grabbed him for a good ‘ol Texas hello and we were off to my new teaching job at SLP.

My new friend turned out to be a bus driver for my school and he was just excited to see me as I was him. We talked about everything from spicy Korean food to Barrack Obama on the way to my new apartment. When we arrived, he insisted on carrying all eight of my overstuffed bags up three floors and opened the door to my quaint studio apartment. It was perfect, not too small and I even had my own balcony.

We dropped the bags off and headed straight for SLP. I walked out of the elevator and was greeted by the entire administration that welcomed me. They were all so kind. I didn’t know it at the time but I would grow to know each one of them and now I miss them terribly.

The next day started with learning the schedule and getting used to the books I’d be teaching. I was probably more scared than my students that first da, but we soon got to know each other. The administration was more than happy to answer all of my thousands of questions. They helped with everything from my apartment to what class I was supposed to teach next.

My co-workers soon walked me through the phases of getting to know the area and of course, the food. They shared easy ways to plan my classes and helped me with understanding the basics of the Korean language. We quickly formed a bond that all started with us doing the things we do because we love to travel and experience the adventure.

Korea has been one experience I’ll be able to share within my family for generations to come. I’ve become an inspiration to my nine year old nieces that you can do anything to put your mind to. I was literally living on the other side of the globe. It’s the country where Ranch Dressing is unheard of and people wave from moving cars just to say hello.

I’m now back in Texas and my only regret is not staying longer. I’ve already started to process to return to SLP and continue living what I call, “The Dream.” For all who read this and are considering making the move, do it. Never feel like you’re stuck. There are plenty of opportunities in this wonderful world and Korea is one of them.