The Flood

Real quick: Here is a picture of the flood I experienced in Seoul over my vacation.

I was pretty much swimming home.

Shortest. Blog. Entry. Ever.

Adjusting and Returning

Ever since I took this job, I feel like I've neglected my blog.  So, I'm taking some time from work and school to update you guys.

The past two months at work have been good, but it's definitely taking a toll on my sleep schedule and social life.  Granted I've got to grow up sometime, but it's definitely hard work.  This month has been pretty good, though.  I've really enjoyed my schedule-- I work splits everyday but I feel like my schedule isn't that rough.  I have really enjoyed all my classes.  The students have been great! So, it has definitely made my month more enjoyable.

On top of juggling a full-time job that has me awake 17 hours a day and has trained me to run on five hours of sleep, graduate school started August 30.  It's not that difficult but it has a lot of tedious work.  For example, I have to keep up with discussion boards in both of my classes.  This discussions are a big chunk of my grade but it can be easy work.  Each class is broken up into different modules-- some run one week, others run three or four depending on the module course load.  Despite that, though, I've really enjoyed studying again and it really helps that I am seeing what I am studying in the classroom.  So, I get to utilize what I am learning immediately. ^^ I really feel like I've chosen the right MA program, so it's turning into money well spent-- which is what is supposed to happen, right?

Well, I've got approximately 50 days until I return to America for the first time in a year and six months.  I didn't really experience culture shock when I got to Korea, but I am expecting to experience reverse culture shock. They say this is really common.  I am going to 'freak out' when I am able to read and understand everything around me-- English overload! I am looking forward to seeing everyone even though it's going to be for only eight days. But I guess that's the sacrifice I have to make for choosing a career that has me live and travel abroad.

I've been on vacation for the past three days so I've really tried relaxing as much as I can.  I got back to work tomorrow which is depressing since I just set my alarm for 5:20 am... ugh.  

Six day work weeks are getting pretty difficult, too, but in October and November I am only working half shifts-- four hours on Saturdays.  So, it's going to feel really nice to feel like I gain another day on my weekend.  Now that I'm one month into graduate school and I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on things, I am highly considering enrolling in a Japanese class at my school.  I really want to learn to read and write it if at all possible.  They say that learning Japanese and Korean at the same time definitely makes things easier-- especially speaking and formulating the correct sentence structure.  Then, I will enroll in a free Korean class in November that is free.  It's at the Global Village behind our school, so I am going to take a level test then do that in a month.  So, we'll see how that goes. ^^

Well, I am going to get going.  Just wanted to give you guys a small update and let you know that I'm still alive (if I haven't talked to you in a while).  Hope all is well!

OH, before I forget. I just started this new hobby.  I am starting to collect postcards from all over the world.  How? Go to Postcrossing. It's free and all you have to do is sign up.  You just send postcards to random people all over the world and people will in turn send you a postcard from their country.  I just received two-- one from Denmark and the other from Finland.  It's just nice to get kind words from people, even if it from someone you may never meet.  You should check it out! It's a cheap, fun way to make someone smile all the way across the globe. ^^