This blog originally was intended to be more as a guide (hence the name!) and less of a medium of personal expression. That would be why I haven’t written for such a long time. To be honest, I haven’t had much to say. I’ve been busy for sure. Too busy to write, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed all that has kept me busy the past few months, I would hardly call my goings-on blogworthy. It has occurred to me however, that a good many of my readers (what, maybe 3 of you?) might also be interested in my ponderings. Here we go!

After living in Korea for almost 9 months, I finally had my first, full-on dream of being back home. I mostly dream about work, which is either terrible or a sign of fulfillment. I haven’t decided which yet. In these dreams, I’m always trying to figure out how to teach better. I also often dream about people that I’ve met here. I rarely dream about people from back home, but when I do, it’s always in a less personal atmosphere. I mean, one dream that stands out is one in which I was saving the world from dinosaurs in some big city with a former co-worker.

Last night, I was back home. I was surrounded by family, and I was back to familiar sights and smells. There was carpet on the floor, a separate stall for the shower, and an OVEN! I woke up with a sense of nostalgia that I haven’t had to deal with in months. It’s led to a certain quiet reflection, and it has made me incredibly grateful for the moments of joy that I’ve found in my life in the midst of quite a bit of emotional turbulence.

I taught writing today. Well, I tried, anyway. The topic in one class was “Write about your happiest moment”. I had to suppress a giggle when I read that. These kids are only about 11 or 12 years old. Their happiest moments are more than likely going to be pretty superficial. I was right. One of my students wrote, “My happiest moment is play computer game.” Poor grammar aside, it’s interesting to note how easily children are amused. If only computer games could ensure my happiness!

When I got home from work, I was still in a bit of a funk from the dream. One of my co-worker’s birthday is the day before mine. Our birthdays are coming up- this Sunday and Monday. He’d received a package from home and tore into it right then and there. He gifted me with a Reese’s cup, which did nothing but make my weird mood even weirder. My parents left gifts with me from their visit months ago, and like a good daughter, I was saving the birthday package specifically for Monday. It didn’t quite happen. Needing some piece of home, I opened the box to find, among other things, a rather large bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups. I spent the evening watching a few episodes of The Office and eating a rather unnecessary number of Reese’s cups, and I reflected on our happiest moment topic. What was my happiest moment?

It does not involve Reese’s. Nor does it involve video games. The past few years have been very rough on me, but since I came to Korea, I feel blessed to have found many moments in which I felt happy. In fact, in spite of my strange mood, I can still count myself happy now. Can a moment be a long period of time? Perhaps not, but each day, I am given a renewed sense of strength in myself and a great confidence in what I am capable of. I am happiest when I have a sense of purpose and am surrounded by people who love and support me. I have had many such moments, and I hope to have a good many more in the years to come.