And it Begins...

Today is the day that I get thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire. It's the first day of teaching classes and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was incredibly nervous. I've been observing classes for the past three days, as well as teaching small portions of them, and meeting all the students. But nothing I've done is really going to prepare me for the real deal. Teaching full classes is a pretty daunting idea, but I've come to realize a few things that makes it seem a little less scary.

Every job has a period of time where you're learning the ropes and figuring stuff out. Teaching is no different, even if learning the ropes of a teaching job is a lot tougher than any other job I've had. However, my first time working at a golf course was definitely more than a little interesting. I was assigned to mow the greens with one of my bosses, using a mower that I thought was basically a death machine then. It was very similar to a regular lawn mower, but had six times the blades and no easy way to stop it. And even though when I used it for the first time I was incredibly careful, I still managed to dump it in a sand bunker in front of my boss. But after working with that machine for a bit longer, I quickly became very used to it and very good at it. So what had started as a death trap soon became a symbol of my achievement and perseverance. After looking back, I know that teaching will also have some rough starts, but I think it can quickly become a gratifying experience for both me and my students, even though it's starting out as incredibly daunting.

Another realization I've come to understand is even bigger than that and pertains to my journey to Korea as a whole. I came to Korea not only because I was very interested in the culture, but also because I wanted to find out what exactly I was capable of. My journey to Korea is also a journey of self-discovery and I can't think of a better way of discovering yourself than having to teach a large number of excitable, energetic youngsters in a language they're unfamiliar with. I'm confident that I'm capable enough to do this and I'm confident that I can become a teacher that all the students love and respect.

So with those words in my mind, I head out into the great unknown. Into what could be scariest thing I've ever done, but also the most satisfying.