Half-Way There!

Congratulations to me for reaching the six month mark today!

It also happens to be the end of the first semester, which sadly means many children are coming and going. Everyday, I hear about several people who are going to leave the school at the end of this week. One particularly sweet little boy named Nathan in Tolkien class had his last day today. The results of the level tests have come out and some of students who are not leaving will move up or down.

Katie got laid off. It must have been pre-planned. Without boring you over the details, I can say that I had a feeling someone would be laid off by the end of the summer, but I didn't know who it'd be.

We went on a field trip last Friday to the Bucheon Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful area. We watched a 3-D film about dinosaurs (not sure what that has to do with gardens, but the students loved it). It was funny when it started barely sprinkling outside and everyone freaked out over needing an umbrella. Portlanders would not even have grabbed a hat.

Last weekend I met a girl named Rachel from Madison, Wisconsin. I seem to meet a lot of Mid-Westerners here in Korea. She is “fresh off the boat.” We spent 5 or six hours at coffee, the park, the Mall, the hardware store, and the Dream Market. It was a great afternoon.

I've been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's “Eat, Pray, Love.” When I first arrived in Korea, I felt a little guilty that I'd not read it right away, as had been recommended. I am now so glad that I waited to read it, because it suits my “mental state” at this point in my travels. It's a beautiful book. It is a narrative based on the author's year of travel throughout Italy, India, and Indonesia. I can relate to many of her internal struggles, as well as her personal accomplishments. It is also fun to read because Dayna, who gave me the book, left me little sticky note messages hiding in the pages for me to discover.

This book has also been a reminder of all of the things I want to do with travel. But sadly, one of my biggest dreams can no longer be achieved. There is a school in Kerala, India that I have dreamed of attending for the past six years. But it is down closing this month. I dreamed of going there eventually, staying at least six months, once I pay off my debt. It was a school that taught a variety Indian traditional arts. I particularly wanted to study Varanasic singing, cooking, painting—which included learning how to make my own paint. There are very probably other such schools, but this one appealed to me because of its commitment to rigorous training, safe living arraignments, meals included, and daily hatha yoga classes each morning. They also would have taken $50 off the already cheap price of $350 a month, if I taught English to the village children in the afternoons. Uggh, bummer.

I want to travel while paying off my debt, but I thought that I would only be able to do that in Korea. I am starting to wonder whether I could make enough money in Hong Kong to pay off my debt next year instead of spending two years in Korea. I know that jobs are available, but it is a little more intimidating. First of all, the schools do not provide housing, so you have to arrive to a foreign country and look for a place to live. Sara visited Michelle there over her summer vacation and said that she loved it there, but Michelle says it is too big and too crowded. Technically, Seoul has a higher density and a greater city population, but this could be a zoning thing.

For fun, here is the top ten most densely populated cities in the world (according to Forbes):

1) Manila, 41,014 people/sq. kilometer
2) Cairo, 36,618 people/sq. kilometer
3) Lagos, 20,000 + people/sq. kilometer
4) Macau, 16,521 people/ sq. kilometer
5) Seoul, 16,391 people/ sq. kilometer
6) Dhaka, 14,688 people/ sq. kilometer
7) Buenos Aires, 13,680 people/ sq. kilometer
8) Jakarta, 11,360 people/ sq. kilometer
9) Taipei, 9,835 people/ sq. kilometer
10) Santo Domingo 9,516 people/ sq. kilometer