The 6 month mark has come and gone and now I'm about 6.5 months into my new-ish life here in Korea. I would say at this point the 'honeymoon' phase of moving to a new location is over. As for myself I've successfully completed two terms of language school and started the winter term this week.
It has not been without its challenges and during every exam time I became quite stressed and even somewhat irritable and frustrated. Considering there are only two test periods per term (a midterm exam and a final exam) there is very little room for error. Class participation (homework, in class participation, etc.) counts for no more than 10% of our grade so the only real assessment we have is the exam. There is little time left for much else besides preview for the next day's lesson, review the current day's lesson, complete homework, and study vocabulary. I find myself studying hours outside of class hours especially for review/preview/vocabulary and even with this it is not enough. You must also find time to practice speaking and listening which...can be a little harder.
In other news, since moving to Korea I've gotten more frequent comments on how I've slimmed down and generally "look better now". To me this implies I wasn't at my best looking right before I moved to Korea. I admit my eating habits were pretty bad and I actually was fairly sedentary throughout the day. Got up from bed, sat in a car to get to work, sat at a desk for 9+ hours, sat in a car to get back home, sat in a chair to watch TV/play video games/etc. Between the sitting was eating and barely any calories were burnt in any given day.
In contrast, I now walk much more than I ever used to and my diet has completely changed. In the USA I got very lazy with how I acquired food and since I never had to worry about more than myself I would eat unhealthy/fast food meals quite often. I don't think it's a bad thing to eat out at restaurants frequently - what can be bad is what you choose when you do. I actually eat out a lot here in Korea because 1) it's cheap 2) I live alone and cooking for one is not so fun 3) the options are relatively healthy and at a cheaper price point.
In the USA my day might have started with a granola bar but would slowly spiral out of control. Lunch might have been Chinese takeout, fast food burgers/tacos/burritos, hot sandwiches (think Philly Cheesesteak style), or a number of other not healthy items. Dinner was often bought on the way home or shortly after getting home...this was pizza, pasta, more fast food, etc. If I had continued on this eating path with no exercise I'm guessing I would have gained even more weight and looked even more round than I did before my move.
You may also be wondering just how good my Korean is now...for me it's hard to judge. Most of my Korean friends say I've improved a lot. Those who rarely heard me speak or write Korean before think I'm decent. My personal assessment is that I have a long way to go. I still struggle to understand native Koreans. My speaking is still probably my weakest skill but my writing and reading comprehension aren't half-bad. Many people have told me I just need to find every possible way to practice and take advantage of every opportunity to speak/listen to Korean. I still find it challenging though and most likely will for a long time. I can't really equate learning this language to anything else...it's just difficult.
Travel! I actually haven't done as much of it as I would have liked but I did go to Jeonju which was a nice break from Seoul. I took the train to and from Jeonju and it was quite a smooth ride except the train coming back to Seoul was an older one without as nice amenities but still enjoyable. I am currently trying to plan some trips around Asia for early 2015 but with school and other things already starting to pile up these plans may/may not come to fruition.
Missing the USA? Hard to say, there are things I do miss about the USA. There are many friends and family I don't get to see as often...there are some foods I miss and I kind of miss being able to drive a car. I miss having a steady income ^.^ but I hopefully will remedy that by next year...either with part time work or something.
Anyway, I'll most likely write about level 4 within the next few weeks. Wish me luck!
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