But, alas, things happen in life that we just can't control. And we have to learn to "roll with the punches", and move on. So that's what I'm trying to do. Even with everything that has happened, I wouldn't have changed anything I did in my Korean adventure. Sure, I wish it had ended differently, but there's nothing I could have done about that. I LOVED my school. I love the people I worked with, the friends I made, the city I lived in, and the kids. Heck, the kids made me re-examine my life and completely changed the career path I was headed down. They are the reason I'm headed back to school in 3 months time.
I've gotten a little off-topic. So here we go. My Whirlwind last 4 days in South Korea:
Day 1: "The Day After". I wake up to a call from my sister in Vancouver. I talk to her, cry a little, and book a ticket to Vancouver. Then, I get a call from Kristin about a meeting, and a call from Cecilia about signing papers at the labor board. So I go meet up with Paul and David. We get lost, it's raining. What a great start to the day. Finally we get to the meeting which is all in Korean. There are news crews there. Now I've been on Korean TV twice. Great.
After the meeting Michelle fills us in a little about what's been happening. I kind of understand. We all paid into some sort of tax, so we are talking to a lawyer about hopefully getting paid for the 6 weeks we worked without pay. A ray of hope, finally!
The meeting ends and Sunny, Karen, YooSoo and I decide to go for lunch. I love these ladies, they are wonderful people. At lunch, YooSoo tells us that she's been working at SLP for 9 years. That's the longest of any teacher there. Wow. Our lunch brightens my day, but also makes me really sad that I have to leave these wonderful ladies that I truly care about and admire. 
After lunch, Sunny and I decide to head to Starbucks for one final Starbucks date. I'll miss these times with Sunny. She has become a great friend of mine, my Korean big sister. Then, we head to Kristin's to hang out with Kristin and Emily. We head to playburger, one of my favorite burger places in Daejeon. IN the evening we meet up with some co-workers, but I call it an early-ish night so I can start packing. What. packing? Holy Crap.
Around 11pm I hear loud Waygook noises in the stairs. I know there aren't any other waygooks in my building, so I open the door and see all the guys carrying 5 couches up stairs to my balcony. Andy informs me that my balcony is now named "The Boardroom", we are still a work family, even if we don't have jobs. They all hangout for a bit eating donuts (an entire tray that David has mysteriously brought..) and then they leave me to continue what seems to be the never-ending job of sorting and cleaning and packing and reminiscing. I collapse into bed exhausted. It seems like it will be a very busy few days. Day 2: aka "run around like a chicken without a head day", aka, Friday. It seems like it will be a low-key day. I keep packing and cleaning until Cecilia shows up at my door at 1:30 saying we have to have a meeting in the boardroom. Everyone shows up and we start going over documents and papers to sign and I find out I have to go to two different banks as well as the pension office before they close since they aren't open on the weekend. They all close at 4, and by this time it is almost 2:30. All I can say is thank goodness for Sunny! Not only does she speak Korean (obviously), but she also has a car. By 3:35 we have powered through two banks and Josh, Andy, Andrew, Sunny and I are on our way to the pension office. I honestly can't believe we fit it all in!
Afterwards we decide to hit up TGIF's on last time together. Even Jenny and Karen make and appearance! When Karen shows up she has her 8 year old daughter with her, a student I taught for over 8 months. She wanted to come say goodbye, but was acting so shy! All of a sudden she starts crying. I hug her and it breaks my heart a little more. She's the only student I have an opportunity to say goodbye to. I will miss them all so much. I say goodbye to YooJin and give her mom my email and address and tell her to email and write (great English practice!). After dinner I meet up with Robs and Katlyn at YellowTaxi (somehow I lose everyone else along the way!) for one last hang-out-and-dance party! At the end of the night we all head back to the boardroom for a bit and then Katlyn, Kristin and I decide to have one final sleepover at K's place. We started this journey together, and they're the ones I want to end my time with.
Day 3: My last FULL day. Kristin, Katlyn and I spend my last day hanging out, and get things done. We lug 4 huge boxes to the post office downtown since it's open on Saturdays. I love the Korean postal system - two huge boxes cost me only about $50! Then we head for a caffeine fix (yes, please!), and for some last minute shopping in my favorite shops. Before we leave downtown we stop to do "sticker pictures" in a photobooth. It's a blast, and we get nine pictures for only 4 bucks! Then we head to meet up with Sunny and Robs for my last Korean meal (Dak Galbi, naturally). I say a tearful goodbye to Katlyn (only 2 more months!) who is headed to Seoul, and the rest of us head over to Coldstone to meet up with Cec. After some much needed ice cream we go to the boardroom and slowly the rest of my "Korean/Waygooken" family shows up.
By this time I've decided that I won't be going to bed since I have to catch a bus at 3:30am and I just don't think I'll be able to sleep.
Day 4: 12AM-9AM. So, it's not actually a full day, but it still counts. I finish packing, I hang out, I eat gimbap (I miss gimbap SO much), I cry, and cry, and cry. Whenever I leave a place, the last thing I do is take down pictures. Despite a tiny kitchen, crappy bathroom, and the occasional cockroach, apartment F02 has become my home. I love the slanted ceilings, big comfy chair, huge balcony, heated floors and big stain-glass windows, I'll miss it. I'll even miss the piano-playing neighbors and unpredictable internet. Mostly, I'll miss what that apartment represents. My first "home" that I lived in by myself. The adventure and freedom it brought me. I'll miss cramming 18 people into one room. As I pack up the final pictures from my wall and look around I can't help but feel extremely sad that this is no longer my home.
As 3:15am rolls around Cec, K and I prepare to lug my suitcases to the bus. Everyone gathers downstairs outside my apartment. I'm the first to leave Daejeon, and I think we all realize SLP, at least how we knew it, is gone. Everyone stands in a line and I can't help but laughing for two reasons. 1) I feel like it's some sort of receiving line, and 2) to keep from crying.
Beware. Before you read further, know that I am about to get extremely corny. As I hug each person and say goodbye, I honestly can't believe how blessed I have been, how much I truly care about each of these people, and how incredibly much I'm going to miss each one.
Cecilia, Kristin and I walk to the bus, and in true Anna fashion, I don't start crying until the bus is pulling away. But this time I'm the one leaving. It sucks. There is no other way to put it. I think the other people on the bus must be thinking how crazy his white girl is, because I'm crying so much that I can't really breathe properly. As we pull onto the highway I silently say goodbye to the city I have grown to know and love over the last 10 months, and I pray I'll be able to come back someday.
Finally, I stop crying and I'm able to fall asleep for a little while. When I get to the airport it's not very busy, probably since it's 7am. I check-in, get through security, buy some breakfast, and sit and wait for my flight.
It seems surreal. My Korean adventure is over. In 18 hours I'll be in the land of hockey and Tim Hortons. And I'm not happy about it (who would have thought that possible!) It's not the way I wanted it to happen, but it happened. And I press on. To new places, and new adventures.
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