Thursday, June 20, 2013

Many Hats

These days I have found myself incredibly busy. I am still the full time teacher who wants to make a difference in many beautiful Korean children's lives, but I am now entering the exit period of Korea. For this reason I now have more hats than just 'teacher' and more motivation to make my worldly dreams become a reality. 

One of those hats is the 'breadwinner' as I am trying to save as much money as possible and earn it however I can, so that I will be ready to invest it into my nonprofit when I get home. I also have the hat of 'world traveler' because I am trying to prepare plans and iron out details for my trip of a lifetime; a trip with my Mom around Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. For this reason I am trying to work out religiously each week so I can be ready for whatever happens on my trip around Asia. We can call this the 'gym addict' hat. My theory is, if I want to climb a mountain in a gorgeous area of Vietnam or Thailand then I want to be able to do so. Do I think I will want to? Probably not, but I don't want something silly like the shape I'm in to be my reason for passing up anything cool while traveling. With myself only having 10 weeks to go until my last days as a teacher here in Seoul, I also am trying to see places here in Korea that I have not seen, but want to before I leave. We can call this the 'bucket list' hat as I am working hard to cross a few things off. This is precisely why I am going to Jeju this weekend (a Korean version of Hawaii) and trying to head down to the beaches of Busan in July. I also will have to get things ready for my departure, such as sorting things out at home and packing up here. This is totally my 'Sayōnara' hat. 

So much to do, so little time.

The hat I am most excited about starting to wear and really rock out these last few months is the 'Executive Director' one for my nonprofit. I am doing research, preparing information for board meetings, and working on our official website. I found myself on the bike at the gym, spinning my heart out and highlighting books about starting a nonprofit. I am wholly utilizing my time here in order to make the next few months really count, so that when I get back home I am ready for whatever path God leads me to. 

Things have changed so much since my first 6 months here when going home seemed like it was years away. That was a time that Korea was so new, and everything around me demanded me to learn about the place I was living in. This meant learning some Korean, finding a local grocery store, clothes to wear, and experiencing everything cool and different that the city of Seoul had to offer. I am no longer in this phase, as my eye is only on the goals to be achieved. August 31st is approaching rapidly and I am experienced and happy with my time here in Seoul. I am not a newcomer any longer searching for answers. So I am willing to spread myself a little thin to be able to complete what needs to be done both for my summer in Korea to be rewarding, but more importantly for my life back in NC to be even richer.

There are times to relax and times for action. Now is time to get busy because I have gotten what I needed from this place. Now I need to let all the experiences that have inspired me, helped me to grow, and pushed me forward to be applied. It's now or never, and never is not an option. I'm stepping up to the plate, I'm taking my stand, and I'm changing my life. If I want my life to turn out a certain way I can't just sit back and pray for those things to come to fruition. Prayer needs action, and has no time for doubt or fear. I am moving into the final phase of Seoul-life and that means I've got to dig my heels in and finish the job. Well I'm going out strong by putting meaning and memories into these last 2 months by doing so much more than just living my life here. I'm going to be living enough for 2 lives; Ms.Nikki in Seoul and Ms.Nikki in NC. No time to dilly-dally. Like I always say, "What are you waiting for? Come on, make moves."


I don't wanna spend my life jaded, waitin,
To wake up one day and find,
that I let all these years go by,
wasted.
I don't wanna keep on wishin, missin
The still of the morning, the color of the night
I ain't spending anymore time 
wasted.

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