Being thankful for those in my life, for what I have and for what I do

Too often, I forget about how lucky and fortunate I am to be where I'm at, the loved ones in my life and for what I'm doing. I was reminded yesterday about how blessed I am as I went on the tour of the DMZ aka the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. You might be thinking, "isn't that dangerous given the tense situation between the two?" However, I'd like to reassure you that the trip went smoothly and nothing dangerous happened. It was an unforgettable and resonating experience; one that I won't forget anytime soon and the feelings which I felt at the time have left their imprint on me.

I was super excited to go to the DMZ, but as we were on the bus and as our tour guide was explaining the history and stories, I felt a pang in my heart and a gloominess took over me. I felt a deep sadness and sorrow for the two nations who were divided without wanting to be. Families have been torn apart for decades with little hope of reuniting again and seeing their loved ones before passing on. Despite the current situation, Korea never wanted to be split into two; why would a nation want to be turned against one another? I thought about the North Koreans who are suffering with no food, no heat and no hope. Many have been taught that South Korea and the US are imperialists and that the two wish to dominate all. Could the current state of affairs be different if the North and the South hadn't been split? What would have happened if Russia hadn't taken over leadership in North Korea and the US in the South Korea? My intention isn't meant to sound political, but I really do wonder what would have happened if Korea hadn't been separated. I understand that the history is complicated, but after reading the Declaration of Unification, I couldn't help but wonder, because in honesty, what group of people would want to be torn into two and to be turned against one another? It also made me think about the possibility that perhaps I have family in North Korea - I have no idea where my birth family is or if they're even alive, but it's possible that some may be in North Korea still. This thought saddened me deeply and I don't have control over the situation, but it just depresses me.

For a few minutes, I was actually in North Korea. We visited the conference room where the two may meet so one half of the room is in the north and one half is in the south; if you cross the room, you're in the north and if you cross the other way, you're in the south. Those few minutes were momentous and I could feel the intensity of the circumstances. We were only allowed ten minutes in the conference room and the moments were fleeting. With two minutes left, our South Korean soldier whom was escorting us told us to finish our pictures and looking around because we had to exit in two minutes. As we climbed the steps to go back inside the building, we looked across and not far off was the North Korean side where we could see a North Korean soldier watching us through binoculars. I could hardly believe that North Korea was in front of me. It's different when you hear about it on the news, because sometimes you know about situations happening, but it didn't really register for me until we were at the DMZ. I didn't feel like taking many pictures at the time, because it felt wrong to me. I could have taken a picture with the soldier, but it didn't feel right. It seemed offensive and almost disrespectful to me. I felt like it'd be an insult to the soldiers and to the people of both North and South Korea. I don't know how to explain this...

Thank goodness Ann was also there though. She was in a similar mood so I was glad to have someone who understood. She gave me a hug and it helped a lot. Isn't it amazing what a hug can do or merely the physical contact of someone?

Besides my DMZ experience, I am enjoying every second in Korea. The last couple weeks were stressful as I pondered over the future and whether to accept my boss's offer of extending my contract six months longer. I decided that despite my love for my coworkers and the children, I won't be extending my contract there. Honestly, I don't know where I want to be after my year here, and I refuse to decide anything right now, because I have time. If I spend all my time thinking about the future, the present will escape from me too quickly. Time goes too fast as is so I want to enjoy and live in every moment now. The future can wait a little longer.

I've eaten more scrumptious food recently. Ann and I ate some very spicy tofu and kimchi soup last week; I swear that's the spiciest soup I've ever had! It was so worth it though!

This week, we only work two days because we have off Wednesday-Friday since it's Seol-nal (Lunar New Year). On Tuesday night, I'm going to visit my Korean foster family, hang out with a friend from home in Seoul and visit the Kims. I also plan on going to noraebang on Saturday night with my Cheongju friends and being lazy on Sunday^^ Norma, Dave, Gerry, Mom, Dad and MJ, I will miss you all dearly at noraebang as I always think of you when I go. I'm waiting patiently for the time when we'll all go again. ^^

I hope you're all doing well, staying warm and taking care of yourselves. Thank you for all of your comments, love and support from where you are. I appreciate it so much and thank you for the impact you've had on my life. You're all special to me~

Ann and me on Friday, Jan. 28th. At school, we had a new year's day celebration and it's tradition for people to wear their hanbok (Korean traditional clothes)

Korean BBQ

Lovely Kate and Gayeon

This is called Dalk-kalbi. It's chicken! So yummy!

Judy and me

Judy, Amy, Kate and Gayeon at the cafe

Dried persimmons...nom nom nom!

My 7-year old class, Minky class. Emily, Ricky and Angela

Kevin and James

Angela

Bella

Emily and me

Angela and me

Bella and me

Kevin

Kevin and me

Alex and me. He is super cute. Everyday he gives me a hug whenever he sees me. On this day, he hung my bag on the chair and pulled my chair out for me.^^

James and me

Ricky and me

One of my elementary classes

Rachel

Ddeokbokki...spicy rice cakes!

Kkakduggi. Radish kimchi

Irene

Haejangguk. Spicy soup...also known as the hangover soup. Hehe.

Spicy tofu and kimchi soup

we came, we ate and we conquered!

just a building being constructed around my neighborhood

Gayeon and Ann

Miky and me...he's my favorite 5-year old. When he smiles, his whole face lights up.

The MAC conference room

The white building is in North Korea

The Bridge of No Return