Prior to sharing my news of the future, I must briefly digress to last summer. Last summer I had the privilege of leading an incredible canoeing expedition into northern Saskatchewan. It was my sixth consecutive summer in the back-country and one of my most memorable experiences yet. At the end of the summer it was hard to pack up and say good-bye to my girls and camp, but I held my ground to begin my year contract in Korea. Now let me tell you, the call of the Canadian wilderness is not something I can just "pack up." Rather it is something that I must actively work to repress and ignore. As December came to a close I was offered a position to lead an Expeditionary Level Canoeing Trip (Expo) at Camp Manito wish YMCA. After wrestling with the decision and weighing the pros and cons of both, I ultimately decided to accept the position and return to the States at the end of May to begin preparations.
Although this is a very exciting decision, that I am happy to share, it did not come without a struggle. This struggle is much of what occupied my January. Accepting the position meant that I was breaking my contract with Wonderland. The way my contract works is that for the first six months I am essentially on a "trial" basis. If I do anything to warrant dismissal I am asked to leave without my arrival or departure ticketed paid for, pension, or security deposit. This is not to mention that I am also hindering the students education by leaving them mid-session. For a week or so I didn't know if I was going to share the news with Wonderland. I feared being "let go" and I have only been here for four and half months. I also feared the disappointment of Wonderland. After a week of not sleeping, I knew I had to share the news. This news was being shared at the same time many of the teachers were not re-signing their contracts for the upcoming school year (beginning in March). My heart led me to the right decision. My manager, Mr. Lee, was very understanding. He told me I must follow my heart and even offered me a position starting in September! I am currently sitting on this one for a while. It seems like decisions about the future are never far away.
I am excited to be returning to the back-country but am holding on tight to my time here. I am not ready to say good-bye and am not looking forward to it, but Korea will always be here and I worry that the back-country is disappearing all to fast. This decision, accompanied with all of the unrest at Wonderland occupied most of my spirit during January. However, at the end of the month I finally broke away from the every day stresses to see the DMZ.
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North Korea and South Korea was a very educational trip. My friend booked a tour which began in Seoul. We took a forty minute bus ride to the border, saw the Freedom Bridge, Joint Security Area, and much more. The experience brought on the somber reality of our neighbors to the north. It caused us to reflect the gravity of countries that are striving for power, a world that is volatile (as we all know from the news lately) and the long standing consequences of these actions.
There was also one more notable, amazing aspect of January. I began baking again! The stress of the month, a bad weekend fever, and yearning for home baked goodies made me take on this endeavor and man has it been rewarding. The reason it has taken so long is that I don't have a proper western oven. I merely have a little toaster oven!! Did you know that a toaster oven works exactly the same? It just takes smaller portions. Baking itself has been a task. The ingredients are a little different and sometimes hard to come by, my working space is limited, and past experience with a toaster oven is non-exsistent. I think that all my experience of baking in the back country has helped! Over the course of the month I have mastered (or so I will venture to say) fresh bread, banana bread, and apple cinnamon bars. I have also made cookies and delicious brownies. My favorite, and most commonly baked item is fresh bread. It is a great way to start to the day and fun to share.
Baking has not only warmed my insides, but has touched many. I have been able to use it as a "treat" at many functions, and reach out to friends that have never made anything from scratch before. I didn't know that baking, a therapy (like running) for me could also be used as a therapy for others. This month I am trying to break out of my baking mold and start cooking again. We shall see...