A look at last year...

So I haven’t written a “feely” post in a while… it seems it’s time for one again. And, I’m too lazy to make a post with pictures right now. Haha. I promise I will soon.

As you may know, Sunday was Valentine’s Day, but more importantly it was also the celebration of the Lunar New Year. To be honest, I’ve never cared about this holiday before, but I’m using it as an excuse to write my year reflection that I never wrote after New Year’s in the States.

This past year has been so many things… crazy, disappointing, exciting, fun, tiring, draining, filled with surprises… to name a few. Every emotion humanly possible I have felt this past year, I’m pretty sure. Feb 10th was my 1 year anniversary of moving to Korea. I actually didn’t think I would be reflecting on this time during a second year in Korea. I never thought I’d be here for another year, but alas, here I am. In Korea. Wondering if I made the right choice.

Basically, this is just a list of the things I’ve learned this year. I hope you enjoy….

~Nothing turns out the way you think it will. It’s best not to have super high expectations… those can very easily lead to disappointments.
~That being said, life is full of disappointments, learn to move on and give them to the Lord. He never disappoints.
~Don’t wear shirts you like on art day. You will most definitely end up with orange paint all over the front of your shirt.
~Don’t wear necklaces you really love when teaching 5 year olds. For some reason they’re attracted to sparkly things that dangle from your neck… you will be sad when you go home with a necklace in 2 pieces.
~Boys never grow up? Somehow I’m finding trouble differentiating between my 5 year olds and 23 year olds….
~You can’t learn a language in a year. Especially if you don’t work very hard at it… Sadly, you will not become fluent by immersion or positive thinking. Thomas the Train was wrong.
~Don’t give up the things you love because you don’t have time. Find time to do the things you’re passionate about. God gave you those for a reason, and they make the best stress relievers.
~There’s nothing wrong with riding a pink bike with a white basket at 22 years old.
~For the low price of $6 you can buy half a pound of imported ground beef…you will learn to cook with chicken, that’s for sure.
~No distance is far enough to separate a family.
~Don’t be offended when children call you a tomato because you are so round.
~Flexibility is definitely a learned quality after figuring out that nothing in Kindergarten will EVER go the way you think it will.
~Living in a cubicle can lead to near insanity.
~You can’t always get what you want.
~You should probably ask your boss BEFORE booking plane tickets.
~Swine Flu scare equals probably a month total of vacation between school closing and quarantines. Thank you very much little piggys.
~Life without friends is no life at all. You cannot survive in a foreign country without them.
~You will learn that being alone is ok. There’s nothing wrong with having a night to yourself. You will not be at risk for removal off the cool kids list.
~If you can’t work with all kinds of people and with all kinds of crazy personalities, you’ll never make it in the real world.
~Appreciate others for the gifts and talents they were given if you want to appreciated for yours.
~College and the real world are very, VERY different places.
~Money always disappears way faster than you think it will.
~Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet.
~Losing children on field trips doesn’t go over very well…
~There’s nothing wrong with keeping your high school friends forever... especially if they're as amazing as Amanda, Lauren, and Samantha ☺
~A life without oversized Korean glasses is certainly no life at all.
~Every day will be a day when I don’t understand the conversations around me. Patience. Patience. Patience.
~There’s always going to be someone who completely drives you bonkers. Live with it, and avoid them at all costs ☺
~Eating with chopsticks is way cooler than using a fork.

That’s all I can think of right now. I’ve learned a lot in these 12 long months. I’m sure there is so much more to be learned this coming year, and I can’t wait. a