i am noky these are my random musings…

Seven months and counting…

Something went horribly wrong along the way...

Seven months and I still haven't gotten in to a rhythm of blogging. I meant to make a lot of different posts. I never did take pictures of my Christmas swag. Nor did I...well I haven't taken enough pictures period. I'm going to change that. I wish I had some shots with last year's third graders. The group at my second school was a bunch of really cool guys. I need to take more pictures when I go out. I was at an awesome party the other day and I barely took any shots. Granted, I was having a lot of fun and didn't want to stop and pull out a stupid camera. Anyway, more pictures -- got it. Anyway, lets get you up to speed:New Bloods

The new teachers came in a few weeks back. Most of them are cool. I have a lot of thoughts obviously but my blog is probably the last place I need to air them out. Suffice to say, things changed and life continues to be interesting.

Renewing

I'm probably staying another year at this point. That shouldn't surprise anyone who really knows me. When I was considering JET, I had plans to stay up to three years. Now that I'm in EPIK instead, I went in with the same feeling. At this point, I'm probably only going to stay for two years. I really miss being home. Financially, Korea is a massive bundle of paid-for opportunities. A lot of people talk about career suicide (for long term expats) but the truth is I'm only 23 (turning 24). I'm enjoying myself for the most part and I'm getting paid to -- I don't see a reason to run home.

The Job

The honeymoon is over. Thankfully with the rose-colored glasses off I see that my job isn't that bad. In fact, it's great. I don't have heavy hours. The expected work load is always reasonable (at least compared to stocking discount retail). I wish I was paid more but I don't feel exceptionally underpaid. I might feel like I need better pay after I have a few years of experience in the field but at that point I'm looking to exit as salaries have been on the decline. In fact, the real struggle is...

After-Hours

I'm not using my time productively. When I go out, I spend a lot of time "socializing" and since I don't like the local flavor of refreshments I tend to overspend for foreign staples. I need to reign that in now. When I do stay in, I tend to again splurge on junk food and spend the downtime indulging in various forms of media. Instead, I need to be a little more thrifty with my nights out and do more studying. I have a real chance to put together a portfolio and learn a language at almost zero net cost. I'll be damned, if I throw that away.

Conclusive Statements

In the end, I just want to improve the health of my life. I want to be physically, mentally, and financially healthy just like the next guy. I'm already past the half mark (possible quarter-mark) and I'm starting to put things in perspective. To those who read: I'm sorry you already went through all that. The unfortunate consequence of it being a personal blog is that sometimes I litter the log with self-centered drivel that has very little sentimental value for anyone that isn't me. Good chance it's only going to get worse though. If you want interesting life reflection from expats in Korea you need to check out some other people.