Is this REALLY Culture-shock--- Still?!?!?

Since my first year of living overseas is nearing an end, I figured I'd give some cultural analysis... 

Here's A lil website about sum culture shock that helps to explain what I've been going thru this year & what I describe below... 

When I first got here, I LOVED LOVED LOVED everything Korean... Korean food, Korean stores, Korean language, Korean MEN!!! I wanted to marry a Korean man, have adorable Korean babies, and live in Korea FOREVER!!!! (This was called, what I would later discover- THE HONEYMOON PHASE of Culture shock) 

Around November I started to miss home... I attribute this to my birthday, the Holidays... AND I hadn’t seen a familiar face in 4 whole months... 

BUT it was ok, b.c. I still had Xmas in the Philippines to look forward to and that was gonna be pretty awesome!!! 

As I returned from the Philippines, feeling as if no Holiday season had existed for me- my sadness & homesickness increased... Yet, the major HS APAC competition was keeping me quite busy AND I was SO excited b.c. I was going home in a month for my girl’s wedding so that helped January FLY by... 

Once I went home, I realized why I should have waited to return home until June- one year after my arrival... My homesickness SKYROCKETED and I experienced the RE-verse Culture shock Honeymoon phase... AMERICA!!! OH AMERICA!!! How I missed EVERYTHING AMERICAN!!!! (quite unrealistic, tbh)

On my return to Seoul, I was DE-pressed... this re-introduction to Asian culture in addition to the bitterly, unending FrIgId weather made me HATE Korea... I HATED EVERYTHING Korean.... Korean Food, Korean language, Korean MEN!!!! BLECH!!! (No more Korean babies, thas Fo SHO!) 

I continued to drag my butt to work and simply MAKE IT THROUGH this dreadful existence that was now my international life. I was working ALL the time and when I was not working, I was either sleeping or sitting around eating American food, talking to my American friends, and watching American movies... NOT GOOD!! (This is commonly referred to as THE HATRED & REJECTION PHASE... uh, ya think!??!)

Needless to say, Winter has JUST cleared up and it’s ALREADY MAY!!! I suffered a SEVERE Vitamin D deficiency and it was just NOT COOL... I have finally rediscovered my ability to enjoy hanging out with my friends (doubled by the facts that I dont work EVERY second AND the fact that I don’t hate everything NOT American anymore...Thank God!!) 

As if all this ridiculous Culture-Shock crap was not enough to deal with and go thru.... it did NOT help that my boss is a manipulative, anal retentive, control freak of a person who would not give me individuality and freedom to be my own person and be my own teacher... It has taken EVERYTHING in my power this Spring to stay in Seoul and not catch the next flight back home to Flo-Rida... 

So, if anything, this experience in Seoul has taught me a few things: 

1. I, in fact, ADORE the sun & NEED Vitamin D in order to be happy and survive... Winter is CRAP. 
2. I love Florida and I love my people... even though I am open-minded, accept other cultures, and enjoy learning first-hand about other cultures-- Dorothy said it best: There’s NOWHERE like HOME... 
3. My passion is HISTORY, NOT swimming... Even though I love swimming, it is NOTHING in comparison to the study of History and cultures and people... Oh!!! How I MISS teaching in the classroom. :( 
4. When someone is treating you ridiculously: Do not just take abuse, disrespect, and arrogance-- I am a strong, powerful, and amazing woman who deserves better, which has taught me to.... 
5. ....stand up for myself when I am being treated  so ridiculously....
6. You can NOT change the way other people are or the way they behave, you can only change the way you react to those people. (this one, I used to “think” but now, I TRULY believe it...) 
7. Although Asia is cool, it’s not the place for me long-term..... which in turn has made me realize: 
8. Relationships w/ loved ones are more important than how much money I make... 
9. Money does NOT make you happy... 
10. It’s important to make goals & dreams and then ACHIEVE those goals & dreams in order to truly understand what you are meant to do in life... IF your goals & dreams are not in fact meant for you, you can at least say “I made a goal, achieved it, and am a stronger person for it today and everyday from here on out.”