last week at Reading Town

It's been proceeding better than expected, I should say. I'm still discharging my duties in a timely manner. I've completed some major cleaning projects this week in my apartment: I rinsed out my garbage can, washed out the inside of the refrigerator, vacuumed under the bed (a solid mat of hair and dust), and even scrubbed off all the grease from the stove and the wall behind it. Whew! As we speak, I'm washing my sheets in preparation for Kevin's arrival; I just need to clean the bathroom this morning and do one last spot-treatment of the apartment floor with the vacuum cleaner and then it should be all set for him. I'm also going to buy some groceries. When I got here there was some butter and some hot dogs in the fridge, and that was about it. I'm going to buy the fellow some familiar, home-comfort foods (as far as is possible) to fill the fridge with so (a) he isn't starving when he gets here and (b) he won't feel so homesick. He arrived sometime last night, and was put up in a cheap motel just like Adam and Elaine were. He probably feels lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut, what with being alone in a foreign country while jet-lagged and whatnot. So I'll do what I can for him.

Second, my duties at Reading Town are proceeding splendidly. Jacob and I went by the pension office Monday (during a rather hefty rain shower) and got all the paperwork filled out for my pension refund, which should arrive in my American bank account sometime in July. Now I just have to close my Korean bank account and pay my last bills and I should be all set to go. Stupid as this sounds, I'm thinking about...nah, I'll tell you later.

The real tricky thing, so far, has been saying goodbye to all the kids. Dang it, I went and got attached to most of 'em. Bella in particular. Have I told you about her?

She's a wonderful little girl, I'd say six or seven. She just loves us foreign teachers. First thing in the morning she runs up to us and jumps up and down, or grabs our hands, or feeds us candy. She's always poking her head in at the door of the teacher's room to say hello. She's darn cute, too: about four feet tall, shoulder-length black hair (usually sweaty this time of year), and a round, jovial face. She gives us apple-flavored sour candies or strips of dried squid, sometimes spicy. I bought a bunch of candy on Monday and have been slowly distributing it to the kids by way of parting gifts all this week. I gave Bella a bunch of it, and a letter saying how much I appreciated her kindness and attitude and thanking her for being such a good student. And get this: yesterday she came in, handed me a box of cookies, and a letter of her own. I had Charles translate it. It reads something like this:

Hello teacher! I'm Bella. You are leaving soon? Why are you going? Even though you are going to the U.S.A., you have to come back soon and give me more candy. Bye bye!                              —Bella

Man, I tell you: I misted up reading this. But when it got to the part about the snacks, there was a hearty laugh that echoed around the whole teacher's room. I felt better after reading it, actually. Bella's made it so I have to come back to Korea at some point, find her, and buy her some more goodies. I will see her again. But in the meantime, I'll miss that little girl like crazy.

I got a few other letters like this, too. I'm surprised I haven't busted out crying yet. I'm worried that's going to hit me hard on my last day. That'll be embarrassing, as I'll be in the midst of training my replacement. Today is the day I get to meet him. I'll also start training him. Yikes! That always makes me nervous. But I can't tell you how weird it is to be on the other side of the fence now. He's in exactly the same position I was when I got here nearly one calendar year ago. Well...he's slightly worse off, being in a motel, but I imagine he feels the same way: Where am I? How the heck do things work at this academy?

Maybe I'll be able to help him with that if I'm able. We're taking him out to dinner tonight; we'll find out some more about him and make him feel as welcome as we can. Poor guy's probably having a tough time. Tonight's just the start.

Yesterday night Adam and Elaine invited me around to their place for dinner (seafood and noodles, delicious), which was very kind, considering I had nothing to eat at my place and likely would have spent a very lonely evening there. You know how awful it is to be spending a night, alone, in a place that's all packed up and bare, regardless of whether you've just come or will soon be leaving. It was a good night, and we passed some interesting talk as we drank wine. Tonight, we're all going out for sogogi; Saturday night about six Jacob is taking the whole staff, incoming and outgoing, out to dinner. Big three days! Sunday will likely pass quietly as I pack and make sure all is in readiness for Monday, when I take off (EXTREMELY early) for Gimhae Airport and my flight to Jeju (departing at 2:30) and the start of my two weeks' furlough.
So, in the meantime, I just have to finish cleaning, finish packing, make sure to clear out enough room in my stomach for all these meals, purchase groceries for Kevin (oh yeah, and a gift for Jacob and Lily, I forgot to mention that)...and somehow get over the emotional trauma of leaving these kids of mine. They've made this year of my life infinitely better, with their smiles and their jokes and their laughs...yes, even their punches to the gut or their fingers up the wazoo. I won't soon forget them.