Guess where I am currently located in the world! Give up? NEW YORK! I know, it's hard to keep track. But yes, I have returned to my homeland for a short break from 한국. A lot has happened since I last updated my blog. I finished up my teaching duties at 선덕, said goodbye to a lot of Fulbright friends (many of whom I'll be seeing again next year, yay!), teacher friends, and students. That was bittersweet, or 아쉬워, which is a word my students taught me. I used it in my speech (in korean!) that I gave to the students over the school's broadcasting system on the last day of the semester. Apparently, they were quite touched. I really will miss them! Back at orientation, when we were told that we would be surprised at how much we would love our students, and grow attached to them, I didn't quite believe it- of course, now, I know that was silly of me! In my last few weeks in the country, I went to Costco and got a membership just so that I could go buy ingredients for s'mores and show my students about the 4th of July, BBQs, and roasting marshmallows. Unfortunately they don't allow open fire in the English Lounge, so I had to make do with squashing the marshmallows down with my fingers (to which one of the students asked nervously: "emily hands, clean?"), but it was definitely an enjoyable experience for all involved. Many of my students also presented me with gifts before I left. My special 3rd grade lunch time class came with a cake to surprise me. Some students wrote letters, most of which were quite touching. My special lunchtime 1st and 2nd grade class (which is only 5 students) each wrote letters and put together gifts for me, including a hair stick, a model of a traditional Korean thatched hut, a Korean book (which it will be years before I can even think about reading), and a pair of "bling bling" earrings, which they insist I wear everywhere. One of my third grade vocational classes also pooled to buy an entire giant box of my favorite cookies from the 매점, the convenience store downstairs. Literally. GIANT box. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stuff all the cookies in my suitcase, but somehow I managed and it's been pretty convenient to bring them along wherever I go as novelty gifts, because they're filled with 떡 (Korean rice cake). I feel (a little) bad though, because the students insisted that I "eat alone!" Oh well, they certainly wouldn't want me to get fat.
I think one of the most beautiful gifts I received from my students was a letter from one student, English name Amelia, who was in my 1st grade winter class and always seemed a little different from her peers. For instance, when we talked about balancing marriage and a career, most of the girls spent a lot of time describing their perfect husband. Amelia didn't put any emphasis on the man, and seemed to think mostly of her own success. I later found out that she's one of the top students in her grade, and has won many writing awards. However, Korean schools being the way they are, her English scores kept her out of my special lunchtime class. As the semester drew to a close she began to visit me more in my classroom, the last time presenting me with a letter. In it, she wrote about her dream: to study abroad. She had given up on her dream because her test scores were not high enough, but my winter class, in which the students did research on American cities in small groups, apparently inspired her not to give up on her dream. I couldn't believe that this project I'd come up with (to kill a little time, in all honesty) had actually had some kind of impact upon the students!
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