Departing the Land of the Lees

     7 days. It is almost unreal to think about it, and yet we have been ready for this for quite some time. Leaving Korea is a day I always knew would come, but now that it's here, I'm not sure how to feel. I'm really looking forward to our vacation across the world and the new memories it will bring (hopefully), but at the same time we are seeing friends for the last time. Expat life: the struggle is real.

     So, I decided to start blogging to let everyone kind of follow what we do and where we go on our vacation. Our destinations include (in this order) Kuala Lumpur, Siem Reap, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (again), Beijing, Rome, the Vatican, Skopje, Greece, Prague, Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Milan, Istanbul, and finally Chicago. (Google Maps is your friend.) This vacation will be the product of countless hours worth of research and planning. We're hoping for a successful trip with few complications, but we also are expecting Murphy to show up and rear his ugly head of mischief. In either case, it should be an interesting story for anyone reading.

     Living in a foreign country has taught me to read emotions better and guesstimate what people are saying, but the language barrier is probably the biggest thing I'm worried about and trying to plan for. After all, body language has its limitations when you're trying to say, "I'm being chased by a pack of ravenous monkeys." On the plus side, Google Translate now works in many languages without the use of internet. You can easily download the language onto your phone. It even works be pointing your camera at signs to translate. Technology can be pretty cool sometimes.

     My goal is to write a blog every time we switch locations. I plan on including pictures with (hopefully) a humorous account of what happened. We'll see if I can stick to that regimen, but if not, don't worry. I'm sure it just means that we are enjoying ourselves and not being chased by a pack of ravenous monkeys.

     We haven't been allowed to tell our students that we're leaving yet. This Monday is the first day that they will find out, and I'm not looking forward to what follows: "Why don't you want to be a teacher?" "Why are you leaving?" and of course the inevitable "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" some students will undoubtedly exclaim. I guess I could always just answer, "Because of that" but of course the answer is much more complicated. I have enjoyed my time teaching here in Korea, but I've realized that teaching is not for me. Hannah will hopefully have a successful career in it in the future, but the more I thought about it, I couldn't see myself teaching. But then again, I never would have seen myself as a teacher before Korea either. I guess we'll just have to see what God has in store for us. We're willing to go and do whatever he would have for us.

     I don't think either of us are having a problem with motivation during class right now, which is a blessing. So, until next week, you can be praying for us in our departure and final preparations.