I'm still pinching myself

Have I mentioned that I love being here?  It is Friday afternoon and I feel so blessed! My week has been excellent and I am looking forward to the weekend. 

I am settling into my role as a Montessori teacher/guide.  The kids are much more comfortable with me now than there were originally.  The crying has all but stopped when my co-teacher leaves the immediate vicinity.  I know the routine, the expectations, most of the work, and a few of the songs and prayers.  I know how to use the laminating machine though I still don't know how to use the copier.  Doing anything on the computer still takes some work and patience because everything is in Korean; I assume the functions and processes are the same, but I would sure hate to be wrong and delete something important!

My apartment is still pretty bare, but with clean laundry drying just outside my window it feels more like "my" place than just a common apartment.  I am looking for a microwave, chairs, and a little table still.  My washing machine is awesome (brand new) and my hot water issue was resolved.  I have pictures to hang up and two knickknacks I would like to display. I do miss a number of things from home that are familiar and provide a sense of personal history: my painting and pictures from Spain, my flowers from Target, my Starbucks mugs from Greece, and my BOOKS.  I realized that even though my Kindle has dominated my reading habits, I need books in my life.  I truly feel incomplete without a shelf of books nearby my bed.  While I'm not too homesick for my family and friends (though I miss you all a lot!), I am sick at the thought of living in a place that doesn't have any memories of family, friends, laughter, etc.  I know that I will make those memories and my kitchen will someday host dinners again, but those joyous moments seem a little far away.

I am so blessed to be in a community of wonderful people.  I really respect, admire, and like my co-teacher.  She is a gentle soul with lots of common sense and compassion.  My co-workers are great and women with whom I would love to develop deep friendships.  I had expected my first job to be in a generally good work environment with small amounts of frustration, hostility, irritation, etc. However, my co-workers are pleasant, kind, well-mannered, considerate, and fun to be around.  My principal and vice-principal are educators who love God, the students, and this community.  They are passionate about what they do and I am so grateful that I can be apart of this growing school.