OK, so this is my first blog entry.  I thought I would start it while coming into the last month of teaching.  A little reflection on my time here.  I can't quite believe it's now 2007.  When I first came to Korea in 2002, I never thought I would still be here five years later.  I probably hoped that I would have met a nice guy and settled down somewhere.  Although five years have passed, I have been lucky enough to travel between jobs, so really I've only lived and taught English here for just over three years.

I would say on the whole, Korea has been good to me.  It's taught me a lot about myself and what I want from my life, as well as providing me with a well paid job and given me the chance to experience another culture.  It certainly hasn't all been fun and games.  At times it has been a nightmare, and I have wished to be surrounded by the familiarity of England.  Other times I've thought I have had the best job in all the world.  I have come to realize that I hate the way Korean people are so rude and ignorant of others.  They very rarely say thank you when you have done anything nice for them.  The only time you will get acknowledgment will be if you have known the person, otherwise it seems you are not worth a dime to them.  They will push, shove and act like elephants to be the first on a train, to a free seat on the subway, or be the first in any given situation.  I truly hope Korean people change this way of thinking above all else.  It is something that has been noticed by many foreigners and is always a source of jokes and annoyance.  I don't want this to sound negative, so here is my positive feedback.  I love eating gimchi and I know I will miss eating it once I'm gone.  It really is the best of Korea!