In case you
didn’t know, Korea’s great! I’ve got a
great job, lots of hobbies to keep me occupied, and lots of random occurrences
that leave me scratching my head with a WTF-was-that face. I’m having a blast and learning new things
every day. It’s every Millennial’s
dream!
But…
One of the
hardest, if not the hardest things
about living here is missing my family.
The Grabijas clan is quite close, which is one of the things I love most
about my family. Consequently, it makes
living abroad and far away from them quite difficult at times. I’ve missed many family vacations and
weddings as a result of living abroad.
It sucks, plain and simple. (And
if you’re reading this Caitlin, don’t worry, I’ll be there!). You just can’t have it all, can ya?
I am very lucky in that as an English teacher, I am not stuck here and am able to visit home during the ample vacation time given to us. Additionally, most teaching contracts are only for 1 year. However, there are many other foreign workers who can’t jump-ship and fly home without any consequences as easily as us English teachers can. Longer contracts, less vacation time, and less forgiving bosses all get in the way of it. It’s privilege, plain and simple.
I am very lucky in that as an English teacher, I am not stuck here and am able to visit home during the ample vacation time given to us. Additionally, most teaching contracts are only for 1 year. However, there are many other foreign workers who can’t jump-ship and fly home without any consequences as easily as us English teachers can. Longer contracts, less vacation time, and less forgiving bosses all get in the way of it. It’s privilege, plain and simple.
And so, I
guess the point of this post/rant is to notice the foreign workers/immigrants
in your neighborhood, wherever you are.
There’s a good chance they miss their family as much as I do. Going the extra mile and doing a small
kindness to them really goes a long way.
It always does with me.
