I did try to pass this blog off to Danielle... but she wasn't really up for it... darn it! lol!
Well, it is 5 days until Christmas - and it will be our last Christmas here in Korea! (That should be read with a mix of joyous outburst and a tinge of sadness ~ if that is possible.)
Why? Let's just say that office politics here in Korea for women don't work out well most of the time. If a man tells you to do something then as a woman you do it with a smile on your face or suffer the consequences! And we weren't prepared to accept this for another academic year. It wasn't what we'd planned but it gave us the shove that we may have needed to cut the cord and go.
We've had a brilliant time here in Korea - we've set up home here... have all our comforts and I am sure there are lots of things we still want to do here but they'll have to wait for another time... if there is one.
As it stands, we will return to Belfast at the end of February 2013 and aim to be at home for about 1 month before moving onto another ESL Teaching position somewhere in Europe; though we are being tempted to try something completely different and work as Domestic staff instead which would provide it's own challenges.
So, why not just move elsewhere in Korea? No... to be honest we would like to be closer to home (or at least that is what I am sticking to). Living half a world away makes it difficult to see family and friends as they grow, get married and have new children. There are new additions to our wider family that we haven't even met, new nephews and unborns that we'd otherwise not get to see or play with other than via skype, weddings that we will miss... being out here means we are not part of their lives and we don't want them to be deprived of us! lol!
We had thought about merely moving elsewhere in Asia (Taiwan or Bangkok) but it wouldn't resolve the distance issue - at least if we are in Europe then getting home is only a matter of small hours away rather than travelling for DAY/DAYS. You can't just book a short flight home from here.
Spain would be our country of choice and we had an interview for a job in Melilla (Spanish enclave on the North African coast) at the beginning of December which seemed to go well. If we are accepted for that position then we'd travel there at the end of March for an April start. It is a quiet place so it might suit us for a while though I don't revel in the notion of losing my wedding ring again in the Med Sea! Sun, sea, siestas... could be a lot worse.
Since I don't trust myself to guarantee posting here before we leave Korea, I will bid SK farewell. We have 2 months left in this lovely country (which is currently freezing cold with negative Celsius the norm for the next few months) and we hope to enjoy what is left. Packing has already started and some boxes have been posted home... by the time we get back we may not physically be able to get into my old bedroom at my parents' house (where were hope to stay for a couple of weeks before leaving again).
Tally ho'! Catch ya in the next country!
Colm
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