Saying Goodbye

My contract is up at the preschool, and since I'm already teaching more than full time without my classes there, I've decided not to renew the contract. I said goodbye to the kids today. At the end of each class, I asked the kids if they could now speak, read, write, and understand English. Even though they are just beginners, they have such confidence and answered each question with an enthusiastic "Yes!" I had tears in my eyes as I left my last class, and they were only made worse when the kids followed me into the hall to give me a hug. I wonder who they will be in their futures, these Korean children whose lives have crossed briefly with mine. I hope I've given them an adequate introduction to English. Here are some pictures from the last days of class.And the end-of-the-year preschool staff pictureAfter work this evening, one of the preschool teachers had a housewarming/end-of-the-school-year party at her apartment. Since the preschool teachers have hardly spoken to me all year, I was a little nervous that it was going to be an awkward evening. Even though I couldn't really participate in the conversations, I'm glad I went. I felt like I actually connected to the other teachers. I wish we had done something like this a year ago so I could have gotten to know them a little better. I'm thankful for the teachers who speak some English and could help include me in some of the conversations. While I'll see the kids and teachers again at the graduation ceremony next week, I'm really sad to say goodbye. However, I know I've made the right decision and will be glad to have a couple hours of free time each morning. I plan to start going to the gym again and also be more intentional about studying Korean. I had wanted to take a course at a nearby university, but there isn't enough time between the end of the Korean class and my first class at the school. Instead, a couple friends have offered to help me. It's going to require a lot more discipline than I usually have when it comes to studying, but improving my Korean is very important to me these days since the language barrier is bothering me more than it has since I came here. Feel free to pester me about my progress. It'll help keep me on task.