This has been the fastest year I have ever experienced. Both, between August 2010 and now, and the year 2011. Is it really almost September?! Where did summer go? It rained so much, it’s insane.
It’s so hard to think back to this time last year. I went back and read the article from the 30th. It’s kind of fun to see exactly where my priorities were when packing there, and where they are now. (In case you’re wondering, I have no regrets for packing the Miracle Whip, and still beg for jars when people come back from North America.)
Last September was a whirlwind. I landed in a typhoon, stayed in a love hotel, and went and acted like a complete tourist during Chuseok.
In October, I began to hint at the fact that I was falling head over heels for k-pop. I also learnt that report cards are evil and I never wanted to write them again.
November was quiet. I experienced the strangest holiday ever, Pepero Day (which is the same day as Remembrance Day, hence the awkwardness), watched the high school examinations with great fascination, and spoke about dealing with holiday homesickness for my article. North Korea also attacked us, which was scary at the time, but I’ve completely forgotten about at this point. Strange how things work out.
December was Christmas! I began something that is now quite common for me, and that’s reporting from the concerts that I went to. I went to the JYJ concert (in what might be my worst seats ever) and the JYP Nation concert. I also went to Japan for a vacation that lasted only 30 hours! I also turned 25! A very momentous occasion that involved costco birthday cake. Which is a rare, rare treat.
Really, the only thing that happened in January was I decided to be helpful and write my most viewed article, how to get into Inkigayo.
February was… a bad month. The website was quiet, and all I wrote about were Dr.Fish and coffee shops. I had my contract with Maple Bear Pyeongchon cancelled 6 months early and rather illegally. I tried to not say anything until I had everything secured, and ended up working with GEPIK at Gwanyang Public School.
In March, I went head over heels with concerts and shows, going to a play or musical every weekend for six weeks. I went to watch On Air with Kevin from U-Kiss, the BEAST concert, and the best concert I’ve seen, the Big Bang show 2011. Another big thing that happened in March was the Japan earthquake. Since many of my friends live there, I was really affected and worried. The end of March was the most exciting day ever: U-KISS COME BACK!
Almost all of my April was taken over by the U-Kiss come back. It was the greatest month EVER. I also finally got around to writing my review for the 2AM concert.
In May, I ended up writing a lot about k-pop and tried to be helpful. I broke down how to make a sign in the way Korean fans do (folded and durable), how to use pop culture in an ESL classroom, and reviewed the difference between recruitment companies and dispatch companies, the two ways to take jobs in Japan and Korea. Of course, I also acted like a U-Kiss fan and went to everything I possibly could, including the Guri Han River Rapeblossom Festival, the Seokwangsa Mountain Festival, and the biggest concert of the year, the Dream Concert 2011.
In June, I tried to continue to be a fan, but not much happened over the summer. All the Korean artists went over to Japan, and the only concert I was able to go to was K-Will’s concert. I randomly went down to Busan for the day, and also went into detail over my experiences with an easy and cheap way to order things from the US.
July was another quiet month. One of my friends moved away for the summer, and there were no concerts to go to. So I went to Busan again. I also ended up getting my first press pass at the R-16 Master World B-Boy Championships.
And then there was August! I spent most the time in Japan, and had an amazing time. I also went to the MBLAQ concert.
And here we are, minutes away from September 1st. It’s been one year. 52 weeks. 365 days. 525,600 minutes ♪ What’s there to look forward in the future? Well, right now, I’m counting down the minutes to U-Kiss’ next CD, which I’m sure I’ll be mentioning in the coming weeks. I’ve got some amazing concerts lined up, and a vacation in a week’s time which is going to be out of this world. Work wise, I would like to try and expand the article further, and try get more freelance work. I’m really excited to the next year! So far, I know I have 6 more months here in Korea, but I’m hoping to take another contract.
I hope you all keep following my site! Don’t forget to like the site on Facebook and follow the twitter feed!
Good Day! My wife and I are thinking about teaching at this location and were wondering if you could give us some insight. Any tips would benefit us! 🙂 thank you!
Ah I love Anyang! I don’t live there any more, I had to transfer to get a middle school location, but I think anyone moving to Korea would be really happy to get Anyang. It’s really well located and connected to Seoul, with both line 1 and 4 connected to it. I could get into Seoul easily within an hour, which was always a bonus. You can get everything you need in Anyang though, because there are lots of great shops in most areas.
What about the school? How was the director? Fair? Apartment? Any info would help. Thanks!!
Are you looking to work at Maple Bear Pyeongchon? Or at the public school? Because if it’s Maple Bear… Considering how my contract with them ended, I don’t have the best things to say about them. Use the “Contact Us” page for any specific questions because I’d rather not voice my opinions on the school in a place Google Search can find. ^^;;;