Arrived Safely

Hey!

After flights from Kansas City to Chicago to Warsaw, Poland to Geneva, Switzerland, and a 1.5 hour car ride to Leysin...I am "home." I've been at my new "home" for 2 days now. Right from the get go we've been busy attempting to learn the new ropes...no free time. The village is beyond beautiful. The people are friendly. I haven't had the chance to explore too much, but I hope to do so in the near future. I think school life/work will occupy a majority of my time.

The past 2 dinners have been typical Swiss dishes....cheese fondue on night 1 and raclette on night 2. YUM! If I don't exercise like crazy, then there will be trouble. The local wine is good....and cheap.

I shipped my mountain bike 3 months ago from Korea and I took my road bike on the plane with me, but somehow it didn't make it to the airport when I did. A delivery guy dropped it off today. I was bit worried, especially since I dropped an arm and a leg for it. But both bikes are built and ready to ride...I just need the free time to ride now. These mountains are going to beat me up, but I'm excited for it :) I think I'll get out Saturday and see how my lungs and legs hold up.

Something I didn't mention earlier as I was trying to focus on the positives of my new job and environment. I am working at a boarding school...boo. There are approximately 400 students representing 60 different countries...yea! I've been placed in the 12th grade boys' dorm and I have dorm responsibilities once a week and one weekend every 5 weeks. This part of the job I am not excited for, but I will do my best to embrace it. My apartment within the dorm is decent. I have just a bit less space than I did in Korea. It's a very weird setup, but it will work fine, especially when people visit because there is an extra room and bathroom. I guess one perk about being in the dorm is that my apartment gets cleaned once a week by housekeeping :)

Life won't be perfect here. Life may even be crazier here than in Korea...who knows. As I mentioned earlier, I think work will consume my life, but I should have time to enjoy the things I love. Initially there will be a lot of lonely times, clinging to the past, and resisting change. After getting used to living in Korea and feeling like I know what I'm doing, I now feel like a foreigner again. I have no idea where anything in town is. I don't even know survival French. I'll have a lot of work to do to get accustomed to life here, but in time I will be good.

I will take some pictures over the next few days. Here is one picture, but it's far from an accurate depiction of how beautiful this place is...it's what I wake up to in the morning :)

Summer Is Nearly Over

It's been great to be back here spending time with family and friends, and I feel like the time is much more rich given that it's limited and not something I experience on a regular basis now that I'm no longer living here. Going to my favorite places seem "that" much better now. I value the time spent with those near to me.

In 3 days I'm off to Leysin, Switzerland where I will be for at least the next 2 years. I signed my contract with the intention of staying additional years given that I like my job there...we'll see what happens. I'm doing my best to manage my expectations of what my life will be like when I'm in a place where I have access to so many things that make me feel alive (e.g. skiing, mountain biking, cycling, hiking, etc.). I believe that my quality of life and my health will improve being in such a place, but I still have a job to do and that's what most of my time will be spent doing. I'll have about the same amount of vacation time here as I had in Korea, which will allow me ample time to travel around Europe. My list of places to go is long!

I bought a new (used) road bike for my time over there. I contacted an old friend who is a sales rep for Trek Bicycles and he was able to pass along huge savings to me on a 2010 Trek Madone 6.9. This bike is AMAZING...more bike than I need, but hey, I got a great deal :) Right out my door in Leysin is world-class cycling, and I'm going to ride as much of it as possible.

Something I may not have mentioned earlier is that my school has a ski term. From January to March, every Tuesday and Thursday is ski day, which means that we have school the 1st part of the day, and then the 2nd part of the day is spent on the ski slopes! :) That's quite the job perk.

Hopefully in the weeks to come I'll have some fun stories/pictures/videos of my new "home."

A Lot to Say, A Little to Write

I've been back in the states now for just over a month. Much of my time has been spent with my family, friends and bicycle. It's so wonderful to re-connect with everyone back here, but at the same time the lifestyle differences are apparent and my position overseas is a great fit for the time being.

After 2 years of living abroad I know that I fit in better out of the states, than in the states. For a long time I was following the traditional path and that path did not lead to happiness for me...so I made a change. Although I miss regular time with family and friends, the adventure, new experiences and a broadened perspective make it worth it.

Despite knowing that the move and change I made was a good one, there are many times that I wish I was in one place. The past few days have been spent at a conference in Boston, MA for the Overseas Association of College Admission Counseling. Nearly 900 people representing over 80 countries gather together to network, share stories, learn, and have a good time. There are so many single people here though...of all ages. I've realized that this profession lends itself to a life of singleness, though not in all cases. Two years ago I was not ready for marriage (not for sure how I feel about the institution of marriage)...I'm still not, but I am more ready for long-term relationship than in the past. I've had the opportunity to meet many people that share my interest for education, travel, and adventure and at this conference I've met even more. I met a great gal this weekend from Vancouver, Canada. She works as an Admissions Rep for a Canadian university. We connected in many ways and it's times like these when I wish I was stationary and in a place to have a real relationship. It's times like these when I wrestle with what I've written at the beginning of this post.

I'm not sure what Switzerland holds for me. I look forward to the diverse student population that I will be working with, the skiing, the cycling, and the European travel. Four more weeks till my departure!!

Goodbyes Cont'd

Goodbyes in your home country are different than goodbyes in a foreign country. Each time I say goodbye to my friends and family in the states I know full well that I will see them again upon my return. In one sense saying goodbye to people here in Korea has been more difficult than back home. Odds are I will not see a majority of these people ever again, so it truly is a goodbye. We were at the same place during the same time and now we part ways. I value the relationships formed here, but due to the nature of our lifestyles and location we may never meet again...although I hope that our paths will cross in the future.

Let the Goodbyes Begin

Today was our last day of class, which will be followed by a week of student exams. We had an end of year assembly where student awards were handed out and the official goodbye was given to each departing staff member - that included me. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but I was caught off guard. My principal said some very kind words to/about me while I stood before the student body. I got just a little bit choked up, but not too much...you know, just a couple small tears. The principal said goodbyes to the three other departing staff members, then the assembly was finished. Afterwards, student after student approached me to say some nice words, tell me that they'll miss, and give me a hug. This is where I struggled. I was sad to begin with, but when I see other people cry, I share that experience with them. So a lot of hugs and tears later I was in the clear.

As much as I hate Korea, I love it. As much as the students frustrate me, I truly care about them. As much as the parents drive me crazy, I've built some great relationships with many of them. Four months into my stay here I was ready to bail on my contract and move home. I endured. My time here has been a mixture of love and hate, frustration and joy, camaraderie and loneliness, along with a number of other emotions.

Although I'm ready to leave, part of me desires to stay. I will miss my students, my coworkers, my friends - all those that have been a part of my life here in Korea. I'm moving on to what will be another chapter of travels, adventures, and new experiences, but I'll be taking with me many great memories of Korea.

My New Home - August 17

Here are just a few pics of where I'll be living for the next two years starting August 17. Looks nice, doesn't it? :)

Attempting to Wrap Things Up

Seeing that I haven't posted in quite a while you may assume that I've been busy or that I'm lacking motivation...both are true. I'm down to my final 5 weeks in Korea. It's hard to believe. I'm swamped at work and I don't think that I'll get everything done that I need to do before I leave...I can only do so much. Wrapping up things in one place while getting ready for a move to another place is quite overwhelming, enough so that I don't even want to deal with it. But I'm trying to knock out things one a time. Last Monday I visited the Swiss Embassy to submit my Swiss Visa application. If all goes well I should receive it right before I leave Korea. Last Friday I had a shipping company visit my apartment to provide me with a quote to get all my crap to Switzerland. My ticket is booked to leave Kansas City on August 16th and arrive in Geneva on August 17th. I'll get to try out LOT-Polish Airlines. I've been spoiled here flying with Korean Air.

There are a lot of things running around inside my head, but I'm going to save them for myself or another post. I'm ready to be back in the USA right now. I need/want to see my family and friends, and touch base with "home."