On November 15h I finished my 6th month in Korea. Time has gone by quickly but it also seems like I have been here for years. I have gotten to travel to Thailand, China and see quite a bit of Korea. It has been a great experience and I have learned a lot about myself and about people from other countries outside of the U.S. Most of the English teachers here are from Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and of course the U.S. Before I came to Gumi I new a lot about Americans and Canadians but I have gotten to learn about the other English speaking people in the world. I have also gotten to learn about Korea, it's culture,customs, history, people and even a little bit of it's language. Koreans are very different from Westerners and I have learned a lot about myself through them. I have learned that I love some of their foods, especially their Kimchi. I have learned about their kindness and their tempers. I have challenged my vegetarianism, my patience and my intellect. I have gotten to make many new friends that have and will continue to change me for the rest of my life.
If anyone is thinking about teaching abroad for a year I highly recommend it, sometimes it sucks, but overall it is a great experience and at least in Korea you can make a lot of money and pay very little in taxes to Korea(less than 10% for pention,health care and taxes). I am very happy to not be supporting the U.S. Government right now, I don't agree with their policies and I am happy that none of my money will go to support needless wars. So far Korea has rocked and I look forward to the next 6 months, I plan to travel to another country before I leave during the Lunar New Year in February and I will be spending 5-6 weeks in Australia after my contract is finished.
