Well, I'm back in the UK!!! I've been back now about 10 days and thought it time to add my final Korea entry for the last few days I spent there. I am going to try and keep this fairly brief, but we'll see how it goes!

My final weekend was mostly spent getting ready for the new teacher arriving (cleaning the apartment etc) and getting my things organised for leaving on the Thursday.
On Monday, Charlie (the new teacher) arrived part way through my teaching day (although I didn't get to meet him until I got back to the apartment after school) and was taken back to the apartment. After school, Jong Sool suggested we go for dinner that night, which was fine with me and so we went back to the apartment (where I got ot meet Charlie) and then headed to a BBQ restaurant back near the school. Sara and the girls didn't come this time (I'm not sure why), so it was just me, Charlie and Jong Sool. Dinner was really good, as it always is at the BBQ places, and it was nice to get to chat to Charlie a bit (and to be able to speak full speed Englsih!!).

On both Tuesday and Wednesday Charlie came into school with me and we did all the classes together so that he had a chance to meet the kids and for them to meet him, and for him to get a feel for how things work at the school and the books etc. It was actually a really fun couple of days and the kids generally responded well to Charlie and were really interested in the 'new teacher'. There were a few sad faces though, especially with the little ones, because I was leaving.

I really underestimated just how difficult it would be to leave everyone behind. I think I had been kidding myself for quite some time that it would be fine, and it just suddenly hit me once Charlie arrived, that I was really leaving and just how much I was going to miss everyone! It seems that they also felt the same way about me leaving, and they gave me a really nice send off. I got some really lovely gifts from everyone and they have asked me to go back again next year, an offer that I am considering taking up. Sunny and Olivia also bought me a really nice gift, a photo frame to put in the picture I took of me with the 2 of them.

On Thursday I was getting a taxi to the bus station and then a bus to the airport. Jong Sool came over to the apartment and asked me to come over to the school to see everyone one last time, which I did. It was great to see everyone one last time, but it made it even harder to say good bye again. Jong Sool got his camera out and we had a photo all together, and I got to see some of the little ones again to say good bye (I think Jong Sool pulled them out of class to come see me).
Too soon it was time to get my taxi and Jong Sool, Jin Sun, Grace and Sunny all came down to wave me off, and that was it - I was on my way to the airport and home.

My flights were pretty good and actually passed fairly quickly and before I Knew it, I was at Gatwick meeting with my parents and heading back home!
It's taking some time to adjust to being back home and I am still missing Korea and everyone there very much, but it's nice to be back and starting to catch up with everyone!

Now I have to start planning my trip to the USA a bit more, so that will no doubt keep me busy the next few weeks, and the next time I write, I will likely be in America!