Friday, February 16, 2007
Happy New Year, Korean style
This is the holiday weekend that all Koreans eagerly anticipate as soon as Chusok ends in the lovely autumn. That's because their holiday seasons are short and infrequent. In-between times, they are diehard workaholics, like I have never seen anywhere else on earth. After living here in Seoul for 2-1/2 years, I have learned some interesting things about human nature, and all I can say is, remember to balance my life!
Last November, I had sort of a new year-type fresh start in my own life, quite unexpectedly. I made a rather sudden decision within 3 weeks of deliberation, to quit my short-lived career as a special education teacher with DODDS (Department of Defense Dependent Schools), and take a break from the whole whacked-out scene at SAHS campus with a cold-hearted, micro-managing, control-freaky assistant principal. It was a traumatic time for me, but I can see now that this "parting of the ways" was the wise and wonderful choice I had to make to restore balance and sanity to my own life at the ripe ol' age of fifty-five fantastic years in mortality.
My new theme song is all about exercising control over my own destiny, like I have never been able to do for many years in the past. This explains my spontaneous trip to surprise my family members in LA area for Christmas season in December 2006! What a great time it was! Not only did I spend some quality time with my 91 year old Dad, big bro Bombie and Jen, and three of our four terrific children [Becky, Daniel and Milk], but I also met up with Michael's fiancee and her family in LaVerne....and I am so happy to welcome Eleanor Rossell to our fun little family in a few more months. They will be married in the Los Angeles Temple on May 19th.
That brings up one more area of my new-found control over my own life---I am now working hard at shedding 3 decades of "mommy and midlife" weight, so I can feel good about my appearance at our first family wedding, and every day after that for the rest of my life. I am tired of the trend to gain and never lose, and I am really weary of being trapped in a society of junk food junkies that insist on feeding me donuts, fried chicken, pizza, cookies, yukky cake, etc. for every little excuse of an occasion. My new style is cooking with only good ingredients, working out for as long as I have time and energy, as often as I can arrange it in the fitness center or apartment, and to get out with the Koreans in the Good Neighbor Program on Saturdays whenever we can.
This winter has been so much easier to survive because of a joyous January with Emily here in Seoul for the month, doing her vagabond thing between two India experiences. I watched her wander from teaching Korean children in a winter English camp with friend Lumina, to belly dancing at the Petra [Arabic] restaurant, to performing at a cafe on guitar, singing her own composed songs. And she has also added painting to her list of developed talents. She's my role model for continual self-improvement and self-determination.
Back to the Koreans---When I severed ties with DODDS for my daily walk on a career path, I immediately got recruited as a tutor to work with Korean folks in all walks of life, who are desperate to learn and improve their English language speaking skills. Little did I know, when I endured 18 months of after-school ESL-teaching courses in Davis County as a newly certified teacher at Davis High, that I would find myself instantly in demand, and filling my weekdays with private students who envy my native English speaking status. Talking with and tutoring them is so much more fun than dealing with witchy administrators and writing IEP's for a living.
[However, I do miss the great students I worked with, and rejoice every time I run into one of them in the Yongsan community, and have a chance to exchange a few words of love and support.]
Nevertheless, my daily contact with proud Koreans is what has made me feel the course of the year's seasons like they do, and feel the closeness with nature that they feel, the importance of being home with family at the special holiday times, the drive to improve themselves, the sacredness of education and ambition, the solid work ethic they practice, etc etc etc.....But I do wish they would think as highly of getting a full night's sleep! They are the "sleep deprivation champs" of the 21st century, in their zeal for getting to the top. My feeling is, all those great goals will look just as good in the morning, so let's all sleep on it!
Last November, I had sort of a new year-type fresh start in my own life, quite unexpectedly. I made a rather sudden decision within 3 weeks of deliberation, to quit my short-lived career as a special education teacher with DODDS (Department of Defense Dependent Schools), and take a break from the whole whacked-out scene at SAHS campus with a cold-hearted, micro-managing, control-freaky assistant principal. It was a traumatic time for me, but I can see now that this "parting of the ways" was the wise and wonderful choice I had to make to restore balance and sanity to my own life at the ripe ol' age of fifty-five fantastic years in mortality.
My new theme song is all about exercising control over my own destiny, like I have never been able to do for many years in the past. This explains my spontaneous trip to surprise my family members in LA area for Christmas season in December 2006! What a great time it was! Not only did I spend some quality time with my 91 year old Dad, big bro Bombie and Jen, and three of our four terrific children [Becky, Daniel and Milk], but I also met up with Michael's fiancee and her family in LaVerne....and I am so happy to welcome Eleanor Rossell to our fun little family in a few more months. They will be married in the Los Angeles Temple on May 19th.
That brings up one more area of my new-found control over my own life---I am now working hard at shedding 3 decades of "mommy and midlife" weight, so I can feel good about my appearance at our first family wedding, and every day after that for the rest of my life. I am tired of the trend to gain and never lose, and I am really weary of being trapped in a society of junk food junkies that insist on feeding me donuts, fried chicken, pizza, cookies, yukky cake, etc. for every little excuse of an occasion. My new style is cooking with only good ingredients, working out for as long as I have time and energy, as often as I can arrange it in the fitness center or apartment, and to get out with the Koreans in the Good Neighbor Program on Saturdays whenever we can.
This winter has been so much easier to survive because of a joyous January with Emily here in Seoul for the month, doing her vagabond thing between two India experiences. I watched her wander from teaching Korean children in a winter English camp with friend Lumina, to belly dancing at the Petra [Arabic] restaurant, to performing at a cafe on guitar, singing her own composed songs. And she has also added painting to her list of developed talents. She's my role model for continual self-improvement and self-determination.
Back to the Koreans---When I severed ties with DODDS for my daily walk on a career path, I immediately got recruited as a tutor to work with Korean folks in all walks of life, who are desperate to learn and improve their English language speaking skills. Little did I know, when I endured 18 months of after-school ESL-teaching courses in Davis County as a newly certified teacher at Davis High, that I would find myself instantly in demand, and filling my weekdays with private students who envy my native English speaking status. Talking with and tutoring them is so much more fun than dealing with witchy administrators and writing IEP's for a living.
[However, I do miss the great students I worked with, and rejoice every time I run into one of them in the Yongsan community, and have a chance to exchange a few words of love and support.]
Nevertheless, my daily contact with proud Koreans is what has made me feel the course of the year's seasons like they do, and feel the closeness with nature that they feel, the importance of being home with family at the special holiday times, the drive to improve themselves, the sacredness of education and ambition, the solid work ethic they practice, etc etc etc.....But I do wish they would think as highly of getting a full night's sleep! They are the "sleep deprivation champs" of the 21st century, in their zeal for getting to the top. My feeling is, all those great goals will look just as good in the morning, so let's all sleep on it!
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