Why on earth do we choose the labor of love that is being an educator?This week has been a mental hurricane. In the brief span of 7 days, I have felt exhausted to the core of my being, stretched so thin that my mind seemed as if it was sewn together only by the finest of threads, found myself weeping *without any intention of doing so* at the desk of an administrator, yet also felt energized and elated after a great lesson or a stellar day, felt loved and important, and felt perfectly in sync with the universal river from which springs forth creativity and drive. I have felt less productive than I have ever been and more productive than I could ever have hoped to be. I experienced a minor, yet monumental success, but was shortly after slapped down because, without meaning or knowing, made a student feel trivial. I have felt both confident and incompetent, both balanced and out of WAC (yup, Will, been thinking about you all week). Yet, despite it all, I am in love with my job and I wake up every morning ready to juggle it all professionally, look my fears in the tonsils, and do it all over again. Maybe I just enjoy the battle. We have never lived so waste free...I have been wanting to post about this for a while, but have repeatedly forgotten. Korea is a peninsula in which the majority of the food is shipped or freighted in and the ultimate goal of waste disposal is to keep reusable trash out of the garbage. In the 2.5 months that we have lived here, we have produced approximately one Walmart size plastic bag of actual garbage, maybe not even that much. Almost everything is recyclable: from the piece of plastic you remove from the top of the yogurt container to the plastic stem of your Q tip. All food waste (be it bone, peel, or grind) is compostable for a very small fee which is calculated by the kilo and worked into your monthly utility bill. With all this in mind, we have made a conscious effort to only buy produce (our largest expense) from the local street markets. Although almost any type of produce can be found at the E Mart or Costco, we have decided to only purchase what is abundant (which is obvious because it is what every corner street vendor is selling that week) and to consume it before it goes bad. Since we live in a temperate and humid climate, food goes bad fast; thus, we must choose wisely. Our main staples consist of carrots, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, eggs, and brown rice. We alternate between Asian pears (I think they are just called pears here), bananas, and apples. Occasionally we buy cheese and yogurt as well. For seasoning, we use small quantities of salt and sesame oil and little to no sugar. For a treat we buy seaweed and nuts, and subtly-sweet, sticky rice goodies from local vendors. I am now very surprised at how flavorful food tastes. I can drink coffee with no sugar and just a touch of cinnamon. When we eat out, I can distinguish between (although not identify) the array of spices used to flavor the food. With every meal, our collective gratitude for what we consume is growing. All you need is love...As Rosa and I walked to school on Friday, we pondered our new experience. We both agree that we are beginning to feel something new for this place...happiness, belonging, baby roots, maybe even love? Love may or may not be all you need, but from love stems for gratitude. Gratitude is a pretty cool emotion.
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AuthorHi, I'm Sarah, or Sarita as called by many. In an effort to cultivate multicultural empathy and deep respect in our daughter (Rosa), my husband (Brian) and I sold everything in order to embarked on a journey through life. Archives
November 2018
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