Today I realized something while watching the minutes tick down to my check-out time at work. I realized how I am happy to be where I am. An image of my life flashed to me of the time I was living in Eureka, California. It was summer vacation and I was trying to find a job to pick up some extra cash for the next semester. However, things weren't looking good.

I recalled being in the unemployment office where there were flyers and bulletin boards with listings on them. Then I looked around my classroom and understood just how far I have come in life. Back then I didn't get a summer job and just worked a few weeks at McDonald's.

Despite some of the hard times I have had in Korea, and the fact that the future is uncertain (as it always is) I am grateful to be here.