​​Eight years ago I was sitting at home in Wisconsin, reading a friend's blog about volunteering at an orphanage in Gumi, South Korea. Never could I have imagined that this very orphanage would become an integral part of my life, a place I felt at home, made friends and was able to watch kids mature and grow into young adults.  Here I am eight years later, five Christmas parties under my belt and countless memories made.  My winding up at this orphanage was not so much coincidence as it was due 100% to my reading the aforementioned blog, but the pure fact that I was placed in Gumi was happen chance.  Was it really coincidence though? I think not, my landing in Gumi was an extremely pivotal moment in my life.  Not only did it lead me to these children, but also best friends, love for a new profession and ultimately hundreds of more experiences.  Back to the kids though, since that's what this one's all about. 

Nope, not the Backstreet Boys, although they did try to have a few comebacks in recent years didn't they? 

It's me, yet again giving Korea another go.  I landed just over a week ago and am already so busy throwing myself into new projects it feels, once again, like I never left.  My first day was hard, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to pack up and go home the minute I walked through the arrivals door, but I'll blame that all on extreme exhaustion.  I arrived in Korea on an overnight flight from Budapest where I didn't sleep a wink, after 3 other restless nights and one sleepless overnight bus.  I had hoped to go straight to bed (after my 4 hours bus to Daegu), but no Korea had other plans for me.  I met my recruiter, dropped my bag at the airBnB I'd booked and jumped in a taxi to Mama's English School.  I had an interview with the school and was fully expecting to start on the 1st of October, but my recruiter had options for me, this school being only one of them.  Since my arrival I will say my feelings have done a 180 degree turn and I'm so happy to be back.  In one week I've made new friends, settled into a new town, explored outlets for teaching yoga and private English lessons and am currently trying to help a friend start his own business.  Damn, I'm exhausted just thinking about it, but the busyness does keep my mind off other less exciting things *cough* broke up with my boyfriend *cough*  but that's all I'm going to post about on that note...

Aesop's Fables began as life lessons for adults and later turned to stories for children, but somehow one of them has turned into a reflection of my life.  Similar to The Boy Who Cried Wolf, I've found myself repeating the same story, over and over again.  Six years ago I promised my family that I'd be moving to Korea for "Only one year" which became two.  I was confident I was done with Korea after that, but  returned again in October of 2015 (and the few visits during my travels).  My year in Andong wasn't an easy one, including heartbreak, injuries and issues at work, so when I left a year later it felt like a final goodbye.  But, low and behold I was wrong again, I stopped by for a wedding last April and then was pulled back for the whole summer.  Long story short, I met a boy, remembered how much I love teaching here, and still wanted to learn the language.  16 entry stamps later, I'm back again, and this time there's no expiration date on my stay.