The deed is done.

It's official. At 4:30 pm, on Monday June 15, 2009, I gave my notice at Chungnam National University. Thus begins the final three months of my nine year stay in Korea.

It is a bit weird really. I've been here so long that I feel strange about leaving. I've been going through some of my previous posts, and it's been an interesting ride. Korea has treated me well over the years. Sure there have been ups and downs, but for the most part, the experience has been very positive.

That said, however, it is time for me to leave. The last six to ten months have been trying. All the little cultural and professional things that that were minor annoyances in the past, are starting to piss me off. I'm also finding that when people ask me how it's going, I can't really answer them. There's none of the excitement of being in a new country anymore. Everything has become quite routine. I still enjoy teaching my students, but that only gets you so far. Even hanging out at Santa Claus has lost a bit of it's appeal (although we all know, that isn't going to stop until I'm on the plane out of here, lol).

Thus we come to the end. In three months I'll be in Taiwan and beginning a whole new adventure; another country and culture to explore. Maybe in time I'll return to Korea, but it won't be for a while. I need to get out of here for an extended time before I'll once again be able to appreciate the things that I enjoyed about this country.