Stressed?

...just a little.

I'm really trying to remember that I'm in freakin' Korea. I love this place. I love the friends I've made, the kids I teach, the culture and weirdness of everything that has become life this year.

Lately I've been so wrapped up in all the little things. Work has been more stressful than ever since I arrived here just about a year ago. We have a new manager and he is putting the pressure on everyone to do more work. Being a senior teacher, we have a lot more meetings to throw around ideas on how to make the school better. We've been having more class observations, teacher/parent meetings and open classes. Then to top it all off the kids' essays are now written online. The kids won't stop complaining about how long it takes them to type in English and all I want to do is scream "ME TOO I HATE THEM!" My macbook doesn't have internet explorer, which, of course is the only thing that is compatable with the program. So, I have been spending my free time after school in the PC room correcting those dang essays. I appreitate the fact that the school is trying to make things more up-to-date and high tech to pull in more students, but really, it shouldn't take this long to correct each essay.

The other night, after I had been working on the essays for 3 hours after having a long day at work, I just about broke down. If ever there was a time that I was going to pull a runner it was then. I just had this overwhelming feeling of "this is never going to end and I just agreed to stay another year!!!!"

After getting some sleep, I felt much better about my situation and had a good day dispite the lack of sleep. I had two sets of meetings with some parents. They went REALLY well. It was so nice to introduce myself to them and let them know more about how I teach my classes. They were really receptive and are confient that I'm a good teacher for their children. You have no idea how much that means to hear from them. I feel relief and excitement that I'm going to keep these kids for the next few months before I return home.

Things are good dispite all the work.

This week is Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving. Last year it was in October, the first week that I arrived. It's so crazy to think that it was just about a year ago that Matt, Emiel, Mandie and I went to Deok Jeok Do for my first trip. I have been all over, seen so much and learned a lot since then.

I look forward to what the next year holds.