The Happiness Factor

Visiting the ocean near my apartment

"I have never seen you looking so happy."

"It's been a long time since I've seen that smile!" 

"I think you should stay another year!"

"You seem so happy there. Are you?"

These are just a few quotes I have heard in just the past 24 hours. This comes at a good time for me as I enter the seven month point in my contract and must start contemplating my next move. EPIK (the public school system in Korea) started accepting applications today for Fall 2011. Schools back home that have openings are in the midst of the hiring season now for Fall 2011, however, there are less jobs posted this year than in previous years.

What is it about Korea that puts that smile on my face? Is it Korea at all? Is it me discovering more about myself? Is it the students at my school? What is it about this strange land full of people who don't look like me or speak like me? How can I be happy in a land of which I knew nothing of until a few short months ago?

I think the answer lies within myself. Before I came to Korea, I did not know one single word of Korean. I had no idea what those symbols (called Hangul) meant that they could read. I was illiterate. I had done some basic research on the culture so I would not embarrass myself, but still did not know everything, and still don't. I think my attitude has made the difference for me in what I would like to call the "happiness factor". 

Some people come here with an attitude that Koreans are ready for change and want to be "westernized" and they were sent to westernize this ancient culture AND will succeed in doing so in one short year. That is so not going to happen! Others come to party, get a Korean girlfriend, and work as little as possible. Partying can happen, however, the rest is variable. Some come here to Korea to teach ESL to escape something back home. This is a viable option, but must be approached with the right attitude. 

Enjoying traditional Korean BBQ 

You see, I came to Korea because I have a love for teaching, a love for travel, and needed a break from my so-called "real life". I had no fantastic notion of changing the world, but did want to learn about it. I am fascinated every time I take a cultural trip and learn more about the Korean people. I am fascinated every time I go out with a large group of Koreans and witness hierarchy of the social structure and how each member of the party behaves. I try to speak the language and have found myself understanding quite a bit, though I am not always successful at answering. I respect the culture even though I don't always understand it. 

This is why I am happy here. I have embraced a culture I knew virtually nothing about. I have tasted food I never would have tried back home. I have visited places I have only heard about or seen pictures of. I have found an inner strength and peace within myself that allows me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things, visit new places, and make new friends despite not knowing the language and being moderately illiterate. 

The question I keep getting asked the most by friends and family is, "What are you going to do in September?" The answer is, I don't know yet. I do know I have a job here that I can continue or I can extend my Visa and move to a different part of the country for a different position. I have a comfortable place to live and I make enough money to pay my bills and travel. I could pack up and head home to a crummy economy with no job, no home, no car, and no certainty of what I'd find once I got there. I have heard, "Come home and struggle like the rest of us." Why? Why would anyone choose to struggle if they did not have to? Isn't the American dream to be successful and happy? To have "enough" is what everyone wants.

Maybe that is why I smile. Maybe that is why I seem happy. Maybe I actually have "enough". Funny thing is, I have so little material possessions, it would only take me about two hours to pack my whole place. Friends, I seem happy because I am happy. The only thing that would make me happier is to have all of my friends, family and my two boys here with me.

Will I stay abroad for another year? Perhaps. Right now I am happy and keep praying for guidance. I have applied to jobs here as well as jobs back home and in other countries. I am leaving it in God's hands to guide me to where I should be in September, and I have to trust that He will show me the way.

Until next time...