It's a Part of Life...

To afford you a more comprehensive look into our lives, I thought that I would post on a common occurrence which seems unique to foreign English teachers.

After returning for our second year in Korea we are realizing more and more what a transient community it is that we live in. On Sunday, this week, we attended what should have been our fourth going away party in three months.

As everything is magnified in Korea, in a seemingly short period we have learned to love the people that surround us. We feel that a bond has formed that is almost as strong as our family ties. In a way our friends have become a sort of family for us in the absence of our real families. And in our time here we have found that making friends seems to be easy, it's saying good-bye such a short time later that is so difficult.

Attending an event such as this is bittersweet. On one hand you are thrilled for the adventures, life and reunions that your friends are going to have upon leaving Korea and returning home. Yet, seeing your pseudo-family leave is a hard realization to face knowing that as hard as you try to keep in contact, distance severs relationships.
We will miss Randi. She was a wonderful friend and we loved seeing her smiling face every Sunday at church and every Thursday at leadership group. We wish her the best as she settles back into Hawaii and reunites with her family and close friends.