The start of August finds me transported back to South Korea for another school year. Amazing how one can board a plane in one country and within the same day (14 hours later) exit half way around the world, confronted by differences in language, customs, food, traffic flow, topography, priority, interaction, temperature and on and on. This transport in time and place can be a real mind-bender, regardless of how much you prepare for it.
Sometimes it's the little things you notice the most, like at our staff retreat in Gyeongju when a bunch of us westerners were craving carbonation in glasses filled with ice. No vending or ice machines anywhere to be found in our hotel, so I went on a search only to find available local drinks such as sugared rice water, green tea and Su Jeung Kwa (a fantastic cinnamon drink)... good stuff, but not when you have a taste for Pepsi on ice. Eventually I returned to our table victorious with Pepsi and a bucket of ice in hand! Like I say, sometimes it's the little things in life =)
After a wonderful couple months break in Canada, I am ready to jump back into my job at Taejon Christian International School and international living that accompanies it. The first week alone was a fast-paced start for me as Technology Coordinator, as I was responsible for 10 staff and student software-training orientation sessions besides all the preparations and plans needed to navigate over 1300 users onto our school network!
At the start of this 2008-2009 school year, I not only look forward to the daily work challenges that meet me every morning but I look forward to getting more involved in the lives of the staff and students around me! I would hate for life to only be about my to-do list when surrounded by such an incredible community.
