Emily Rose Buck's etribes LifeSite

Farewell Korea!

I am leaving the land of kimchee, a country full of people who really never see a foreigner like me. A county where males and females are still treated so differently and almost everything I do is considered rude or offensive. A county where I have never seen people work so hard or kids be at school for so many hours a day, or so many little dogs in clothes! In a way coming to Korea was a real test of character. I left my house, job, my family and most of my friends behind and came away with out much of a clue as to what to expect. With Jenna and I living an hour and a half apart and with no phones I felt so alone during my first week but I soon found my feet and in the end have loved my experience here. I am so grateful for my lovely friend Kat and the very motivated organised Jenna, without her I probably would never have got round to doing half the things that I have done. I certainly made it here so I now have confidence that I can make it anywhere.

I have experienced many different sights, aromas and tastes, some I hope to forget, others I hope that I will treasure forever. I am leaving my amazing boyfriend Brian, who I will miss incredibly until the next time we meet, I am leaving all my new friends, fantastic fellow teachers and my beautiful children whom I love so much, and will probably never see or even hear of again. It makes me so sad that I will never now how they turn out in this crazy county, they are all so young I only hope that I have made an impact on their lives and that I have helped and that some day in the future they will think of their old 'Emily Teacher'. I never realised that this would be so hard!

Over the past few weeks I have been my usual busy self, I will just give you the briefest notes:

I eventually got to see pirates of the Caribbean- at worlds end, I really enjoyed it and Jack Sparrow was his usual crazy but hilarious self.

On the 6^th of June was Korean Memorial day, so Brian and I went to stay in a luxury hotel for the night (only cost ten quid each) and make the most of our day off. We spent the evening using the jacuzzi, hot-tub, steam room and luxury showers, using all the expensive body lotions, watching movies and eating pizza in bed. It was very fun, and to top it off Brian presented me with a beautiful ring to wear while I am travelling so as not to forget him. Don't worry it is not for 'that' finger, it fits perfectly on my middle finger and the stone identically matches the stones in the ring I wear on my other hand, which I got for my 16^th birthday from my parents. We spent the next day swanning around Shinsegae. I got a lovely skirt for the equivalent of 3 quid and we came home! And I was also thrown two parties. One on a Saturday night were just my teachers and I went out for food and drinks then we had a party at school with Alyssa, Mr Kim, the receptionist and everyone who was at the first party. We actually had a BBQ and it was delicious, char grilled sum-gyp, with all the trimmings...yum. It was such a nice thing for them to do. Mr Kim was on his best behaviour so I only had Alyssa to get frustrated with (oh she is such a greedy lazy girl). I also got persuaded that I should come in on Monday to help out the new teacher, I really didn't think I would have the time but agreed nevertheless as I want to make sure that he knows what he is doing with my precious children! I also eventually managed to organise Mr Kim to take me to the immigration office to hand back my 'alien card' and get an exit order so I can actually get out of Korea!

This weekend I spent a lot of time packing, sorting out stuff to send home and cleaning my room, it looks so miserable and bear with out all my pictures and ornaments and candles. It remind me of how ugly the room was before I moved in.

On Saturday I went out for a farewell night with Brian, Matt, Kristen, Kat and Jenna. We went to, the busy and very densely populated with 'weiguks' – foreigners, Itaewon. We were looking for a nice Thai place but in the end decided on an Indian buffet. It was pleasant, but rather expensive for what we got. Following our meal we found a nice little bar and got our own little alcove section where we shared a couple of bottles of wine before catching the last train home. On Sunday I spent an emotional day trying to pack up the last of my stuff then Brian took me out to 'Outback' for a nice meal, it was hard to fight back the tears thinking of it being our last meal out, as I made my way through my bowl of Chicken and Shrimp pasta.

Friday was supposed to be my last day at school, so I said goodbye to my older classes, which was pretty hard, especially for the ones who I have taught everyday for the past ten months. However I knew it would always be harder saying goodbye to my babies. So I came in to school on Monday morning to find that the new teacher had still not arrived, I was angry as the only reason I agreed to come in was to show him the ropes, never the less I taught my classes and hugged good bye to my beautiful little babies. A few cried but I think that I was the biggest cry baby of all. Some of the other teachers were crying too, so I didn't feel too silly. I got many thoughtful gifts and card from both kids and parents with such lovely thoughts. I also made them all little cards and gave them candies, chocolates and glow in the dark stars then I left Wonderland for the last time. Tears were streaming down my face as the lift took me down from the fourth floor to the ground. I had a busy day ahead of me so I quickly changed my mind-set and got on with my day, taking boxes to the post office, sent my brother, Greg's, 21^st birthday package and continued to pack and re pack my bag!

One traumatic thing I realised was when I came to tidy and clean my kitchen area and came across 23 Baskin' Robins spoons, oh dear, no wonder I have put on weight! I was soon feeling better when I went to my Korean bank to close my account and I discovered that I had sent more than five grand home to go towards my travel. Better than I thought actually considering I have been not living frugally and have missed out on my bonuses and my flight being paid for etc.

Well it is Monday night now and I have to be up at 5 am tomorrow morning and I must admit this email is a mess but to be honest I am an emotional wreck, crying at most opportunities, so I am sure I will update you with a proper reflection soon. I can reflect on the good times and my fantastic future ahead of me. Basically I will summarise, after living and teaching English in Korea for the past 9 months with my good friends Kat and Jen, I can't believe that in less a day I will be embarking on a life changing journey around the world. The real journey, what I have wanted to do this ever since I was a little girl, I blame my parents for taking me to exotic locations as a sprog. The next time I will get to a computer will probably be in Bangkok or maybe even the Philippines. I really can't believe it, my real travelling is about to begin....