Spectacular

Hiking Mt Fuji during the night and watching the sunrise with hundreds of hikers from around the world, was quite possibly one of the most amazing things I've experienced in my life. It took eight grueling hours (8pm-4am) of braving the bitter cold rain, adjusting to the altitude, and waiting in long lines up the mountain, but the end result was well worth it. When the sun started to peak through the clouds, for one brief moment we were all connected, all the hikers from around the world, and everything just made sense. Simply amazing.






A magical, spectacular, glorious experience from Elizabeth Holbrook on Vimeo

He's got two left feet, and he bites my moves

This song is deliciously delightful and while I remember Tara singing the lyrics months ago, it is now my current obsession. It's toe tapping, arm pumping, dance down the street with ipod in hand while Koreans stare at the babo waygook (crazy foreigner) good.

Back

I'm back in the land of the morning calm.

I've spent the past week just trying to readjust to life in Korea. I have a new schedule with new classes and kids. My schedule has been so stagnant that I've forgotten how much I love getting new students...like Oscar the biggest little nerd with round wire rimmed glasses and a squeaky voice. I love the geeky kids.

I also have a new class with three students that I had in the first two months of teaching at Swaton. I hadn't seen them in 7 months, and when I walked in the classroom they shouted my name excitedly. It's so crazy how much they've developed and grown since I last taught them. One of the girls proudly showed me that she still had the pen I gave her as a Christmas gift. "Look teacher, you gave to me." It was such a small gesture, but so often I feel replaceable, as if my efforts don't matter, and it was nice to know that after 7 months these students still remembered/appreciated me.

I rejoined the gym. The weather has cooled off a bit to where I can exercise more outside, but I've missed the posters of photoshopped small, white, Asian heads on big, overly tanned, muscular bodies. Also, I'm doing the Nike 10 K Human Race in Seoul at the end of the month.

Japan was amazing (posts and pictures coming soon), but it's good to be back. We have a three day holiday next weekend and I'm ready for another Korean adventure.