1. July was a work-intensive month. Between a full-time teaching schedule and preparing a comprehensive exit report for my replacement, I also had three kindergarten open classes. If you’re unfamiliar, an “open class” is when parents sit in on their children’s class and watch you teach. Given the high pressure put on students by their parents, I had to rehearse for open classes with my students for about a week and a half before to ensure they were comfortable with the material. I structured the lesson for my six year olds around “community places”, while the lesson for my seven year olds was based on concepts relating to “our Earth” (i.e. countries, continents, and oceans). Despite the stress I felt leading up to Open Class Week, I was totally and utterly vindicated when Happiness, Pride, and Smile Class totally killed it! My smile on that Friday afternoon was in recognition of their achievement, and also in recognition that I would never be subjected to another open class, ever. Huzzah!
2. Maybe I was listening to a lot of Calvin Harris, but I became painfully aware of summer’s fleeting nature in July. The realization that I would be returning to Canada in a matter of weeks and trading my flip-flops for winter-appropriate boots was not an easy one to accept. However, I pulled myself up by my flip-flops (NOT my boot straps) and made a simple, conscious effort to enjoy my remaining few weekends on Busan’s various beaches. I enjoyed mid-day tall boys of Cass. I fell a lot while trying to perfect my handstand. I laughed a lot and had great heart-to-hearts with friends. Ultimately, summer is always fleeting but those memories will endure long after it’s gone.
3. I took a trip to the beautiful Jeju Island with Steph and Mary at the beginning of the month. Despite the treacherous weather we endured for the majority of the weekend, it would be nearly impossible to have a bad time in Jeju. We sampled some of the local black pork stew, visited a majestic waterfall, hiked up a giant crater called “Sunrise Peak” during a typhoon, and enjoyed a period of brief blue skies on a black sand beach. I only wish I had more time to continue exploring the island!
4. My hagwon took our kindergarten students on a field trip to learn what to do and how to respond in times of crises. My students learned how to use a fire extinguisher, how to escape a burning house safely, and what to do in the case of an earthquake. These situations were often quite stressful and some of my students were rattled by the experience, but I do think they learned some valuable lessons from the field trip. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a sunlit picnic and naturally had an outdoor photo-shoot. Pictured above is me with Big Jaden, Yuli, and my absolute favourite student, Nina.
5. One of my favourite days at school, Cooking Day, returned in July! We taught our kindergarten students how to make my favourite Korean dessert, patbingsu. The recipe itself is pretty basic, requiring only shaved ice with sweet toppings such as chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red bean paste. The kiddies loved assisting with the preparation, but not as much as they loved devouring their “cool” creations!
6. I hosted an event titled Goodbye to Your Bae to celebrate my last official weekend in Busan. We ate at Artista, our favourite Mexican spot in Jung-dong, headed to the Kyungsung University area and watched the sun rise on Gwangalli Beach. It was the perfect setting to reminisce on memories from the past year and to salute the future.
7. As always, my school hosted a July birthday party. Given that this was my last birthday party at Brown & LCI, I ended up hosting. I created a PowerPoint quiz titled “Who Is That Teacher?”, where my students were shown a baby picture and had to guess which staff member it was. The best parts were when a picture of a clearly Caucasian baby were shown and the students guessed a Korean teacher, or vice versa. God bless the derpy little angels, amirite?
8. The neighbourhood of Hwamyeong became like a second home to me, after spending nearly every weekend there with Jess, Maddie, and Mary during the winter months. So, prior to leaving for summer vacation, I spent my last day in Hwamyeong with my friends Mary and Nina. Mary cooked a delicious breakfast for us, and the three of us took a walk through the local ecological park. Shortly afterwards, I had to leave to catch my flight to Shanghai. This was an incredibly bittersweet moment, as I had to bid farewell to Nina (I will be seeing Mary again in Toronto this fall). This was my first serious goodbye and I was incredibly touched by Nina’s emotion as I pulled away in the cab. I’m confident this is only “see you later” for Nina and I, and am looking forward to crossing paths again soon!
9. I spent 15 glorious/somewhat stressful hours in Shanghai en route to my final destination, Bangkok, during my summer vacation. While I didn’t get the opportunity to fully explore the city, I did manage to wake up early enough to see The Bund from its observation deck. Despite the fog, the iconic waterfront area was breathtaking, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to have seen it.
10. My love for Southeast Asia could never be quenched, but my summer vacation in Bangkok was like a refreshing 255mL water bottle after a long run. My week in Bangkok was filled with exploring, noshing, making new friends, and relaxing. While I wish I could have toured around all of Thailand, I have confidence that I will be back, someday soon.
Millennial Abroad 