Are we still counting days? If so, I’m currently at 397 here in Korea.

Yes, that’s right, I did renew my contract. I have remained here in Wonju, and have been assigned the same schools to teach as last year. I am still in my apartment, which has now become cosier with a few more Kyungsoo and general Korean decorations. I have also had a lovely, long, 1 month vacation during which I happily received a visit from my mum, who braved the 15 hour trip to come and visit her crazy daughter on the other side of the globe.

I made it through winter, which wasn’t quite as bad weather-wise as I was expecting. Yes, -15^oc is a bit nippy to be fair, but I didn’t have to buy any special hard core winter clothes, I made it through with my normal down jacket and a couple thicker layers. And yes, waiting for a bus in the morning in the freezing cold is a bit of an endurance test to be sure, but there was snow on the odd occasion which made it all better! I thoroughly enjoyed, and did not get fed up with, seeing or walking through snow. I would also like to clarify the main thing that makes winter bearable here – it’s pretty dry. On some days a little too dry (I’ve discovered why Koreans have humidifiers in their houses), but it sure beats the cold and damp I am accustomed to at home in the UK.

Hiking took a back seat over winter, with the exception of one walk I took with my mum, all treks into the wilderness were put on hold. I’m not geared up for snow and ice trekking, though maybe I’ll invest in some shoe spikes for next year.

Instead, I read a lot of books, watched a fair amount of TV, took up a pottery class, and generally just spent time relaxing and decompressing after a pretty full year of teaching and settling in to life here.

In case anyone is wondering, I slept through the martial law fiasco in December and woke up to worried texts from people abroad asking what the heck was happening (which was nothing that affected us really, as I said, most people slept through it all).

I also finally got my arm 100% sorted out, after a fair few hospital visits for the MRI, ultrasounds, and shoulder injection. Luckily, no surgery needed, and for the medically curious, I was told I had a SLAP lesion in my shoulder, which apparently you get from repeatedly playing sports (which obviously I do not do and still think it’s a result of travelling on the jerky buses and am now super careful about this).

I have also become very taken with the recently released film 말할 수 없는 비밀 (Secret: Untold Melody) and have gone to watch it 4 times in the cinema, including dragging my mum along to see it while we were in Seoul. But really, I’m sure she loved the experience given she also got to see Doh Kyungsoo live and in person at the cinema (for 5 minutes) as I happened to get us tickets for a stage greeting that was occurring while we were visiting (it was obviously meant to be).

My mum, I have decided, is also a lucky charm for EXO member encounters. Again, the good sport she is, she came along with me to Chanyeol’s closing tour in Seoul and sat through a 2 hour k-pop concert. It just so happens that at this concert, Lay and Sehun both turned up to watch as well. So, despite having only been in the country 2 weeks, by random luck she has already managed to chalk up seeing 4 out of the 9 members of EXO!

After a year of being in Korea, it was really lovely to have my mum here to spend time with. Even though the weather was a tad chill, we managed to get out for most days for a walk down into the main part of the town where I live and for her to see some of the common places I go to (including the library!).

And to get the most bang for our buck tourist-wise, we went for a week in Seoul to be sure to hit the big sites like the palaces, a hanok village, Namsan tower, the folk museum, and most importantly, Kyobo bookstore. Not deterred by her experiences here, I’m hoping she might find the time to come again in October.

So, what’s on the cards for this year then?

Well, teaching, for a start. The Korea school year begins in March, I am now 2 weeks into my classes, and there have already been changes to get accustomed to. First, in the office of my main school, all bar 2 people in the office (me and my co-teacher) have changed. That’s right. At the beginning of every year (and in a process I find very disorienting and would dislike if I was a permanent teacher here) the staff move offices. Everyone gets jumbled about like they’ve been tossed into a washing machine. As a result this year, I now share an office with 3 English teachers, a science teacher, a math teacher, an ethics teacher, and a Korean teacher. Coming from an education system where I am used to working in an office with people teaching the same subject as me, I find this to be a really unusual situation. Having said that, at least 4 of the people are friendly and chatty and like to practice their English skills with me, so that’s a bonus I guess.

The first year students in the high school appear a little more upbeat than last year’s cohort I feel, though that could change rapidly given that this year I have been asked to administer a written exam for them, so they might really hate me after a semester of writing practice, given this is a skill not many of them have been taught or enjoy in the first place.  

My middle school, well, what to say? We’ve had a new influx of students (I’ll never get used to the fact so many students in this country just transfer in and out of schools on a routine basis), so while the school is still 80% football boys, we do have some more ‘regular’ kids this year. But boy, do they all have a lot of energy. My 3^rd year lads (previous 2^nd grade) are still my favourites hands down, I will both be happy and sad to see them graduate this year.

As far as my elementary school goes, this is the biggest change of the year. Here in Korea, at the public schools, the teachers are required every 4 years to change schools. Yes. You read that correctly. They are not allowed to stay any longer than that at 1 school. My understanding of this system is that it ensures all kids are getting access to decent teachers, not that one school hoards the best of the best. But dang, I’m not sure I could buy into a system like that. Actually, I know I couldn’t, because I walked into the school to find that 3 of my co-teachers, who were so great last year, have left. In addition, the principal (who was brilliant with the students) and vice principal have also gone. The whole vibe of the school and even the student’s moods themselves seem completely different. I mean, it’s still a nice school, but I think it will take me a while to adjust to the new feeling and the change in the kid’s attitudes.

 And finally, where I was kind of hoping this year would be a little easier going given that I had spent a whole year prepping lessons and would be returning to the same schools, it is policy here in Korea to change the teaching materials in the schools after a certain number of years. That means that this year, I have new books for my 3^rd and 4^th grade elementary, and my 1^st grade middle school. While this isn’t as bad as it could be, it does mean that I am still on a strict weekly prepping schedule until I get myself into a rhythm again. There goes my amazing plan to use all my free time to study Korean.

Speaking of which, I am still meeting with my two friends weekly to chat with them, and have recently once again begun to have some italki lessons to prompt my speaking skills. I have also (but not for the purposes of speaking) begun a weekly pottery class, which is obviously all in Korean.

Pottery is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time, and have been totally blown away by how relaxing it is as a hobby. Given that I take lessons right after school (when I would usually flake out at home), I don’t feel tired but rather excited instead. I’m currently working on ‘table projects’ (not the wheel) and, because it’s a small studio, there is usually only 3 or 4 of us at a time, all working on our own things while the teacher circulates to help us. She is really kind and friendly, doesn’t speak a lick of English, and therefore is very patient while I follow along and try to understand her.

Funnily enough, it turns out that one of the science teachers from my school also attends the studio. I didn’t realise at all until the pottery teacher introduced us one week, and then this week we bumped into each other at school and she kindly gave me a ride to class. So overall, pottery is working out well for making me try to speak a little more Korean.

I’m trying to get a more productive routine to my weeks this year, with regular things booked in to prevent me from simply crashing out so much at home. I try to designate Thursday and Friday evenings only for typical relaxing (TV and junk food) and that’s because these are my travel school days, which knacker me out anyway. The other days, I want to try to be a bit more active and then have my weekends for hiking once the spring comes (it’s almost here!)

OK, folks. I think I’ve bored you enough. Plus, I’ve got to run as I’m having lunch with a friend today.

I hope the New Year is finding you all well, though I say that suddenly realising we are already almost ¼ of the way through 2025. Yikes!

Be safe, healthy, and happy.