C'est le grand adieu!
Well, my friends.. it looks like the time has come! It's been over a year since my last post, and according to my close consultation with the internet (we still discuss, you know, from time to time), it's only obvious that that would put this blog in the dead zone! No updates, no following, yo! So what does that mean for The Korean Experience?! Drum roll, please.
As you've probably seen--or happened upon (thanks to Google)--I've slowly been writing less and less since becoming a momma. Yeah, well, I can blame it on the birth of my son, Ayden, how life takes a huge, dramatic turn (sometimes for the better, sometimes the worse) and us parents know that when you've got a moment to spare, it ain't gonna be updating a blog: it's gonna be sleeping (or breast pumping, or snacking, or finally showering since you can't remember when was the last time you did so...am I right?) Sure, there are mommas out there, Miss Suzie-homemakers, juggling life with a zillion kids, working AND going to school, and yet they still blogged.. but I wasn't one of them! lol. What I was doing was better. I was raising my son and daughter, speaking 2-3 languages daily (counting French, if I was up to the head trauma!), pounding pavement and fighting the local adjummas in the nearby markets for my share of cheap food, healthcare and education-related activities! Oh, and I can list another 100 pages or so of things I settled for, and what I wanted to do but didn't, or couldn't, cuz of some significant 'other' that had his thumb placed on my head for way too damn long.. and now that sweet baby Zynia is nearing 5 months, and my amazing Aydenbear (..still in awe) is almost 2 and 1/2 years old.. I've finally realized it's time to lay The Korean Experience to rest. At least, for now, since...
We're no longer in Korea (wow, I never thought I'd be saying that... so, let me pause a moment and soak that in.)
....and so (deep breath, wipe tear, clear throat), it doesn't quite make sense to continue talking about the experience of living in Korea if we're not there, right? It's almost like the name of my blog was a forethought to having lived in Korea, as if I should be writing about it, about the experience, after having lived there (wrap that one around yer head!) Because, let me just say, the experience was far greater and far more life changing than I ever would have imagined! Thank God for closure. And not necessarily, a closure to an entirely good experience one would consider by 'western thought,' if you will. But that's another great story waiting to be written. Nonetheless, I cannot quite live with the idea of throwing this blog away, either. I guess it would nullify every damn thing I went through; and that, my friends, is not an option!
So here's the plan.
I still can't believe it's been almost 5 years since the inception of this blog (back in 2005, huh?), and there's quite a few resources on this blog that have been/will be useful to future ESL teachers. So, lucky for you, I'm leaving this blog up. AND, I'm extending the invitation for you to write me* (my loyal or passing readers) for questions, concerns, inquiries, wise-crack jokes, or the like (here's your que to slap your knee...) should you choose to do so. Mind you, I was an ESL teacher for nearly 5 years in Daegu, and I recruited teachers as well as networked within the Daegu community (although, once you have kids, your focus on life changes quite a bit, and I migrated to the "not quite a foreigner any longer, but yet not quite Korean either" spectrum of local expats). Sure, there are still 'lifers' in Korea (or about Korea, and my blog has long since stopped ranking anyway), plus a few of the well-known faves, but I'm the *lucky one* who said auf wiedersehen to my Nazi boss and got out (!). You can send all correspondence (and money?!) to kimchiandcoffee (at) gmail (dot) com*.
On the other hand, I will be Vlogging/Blogging vicariously, but where and with whom, is yet to be determined. There is so much to talk about back home in the Pacific Northwest (and man, is it GREAT to be home!), my creative momma skills are just waiting to be put on display for ALL the world to see! So make sure you check back on this post for an update!
To all my experiences, all the people I've met, all the places I've been---and to Daegu, my 'home away from home,'.......
