Dead Fish is Die and Realizations

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much I love Korea and how sad I'm going to be to leave here.  I've been debating whether to stay or go.  I think yesterday's events gave me the answer.
Yesterday was the opening ceremony for the Expo.   We decided to have an E-World BBQ at the beach.  It was the four E-World foreigners - me, Robby, Kayla, Meg -, our boss - May, and two other Korean co-workers - Rock and Lydia.  We also had an E-World student, Eric, with us because Eric is Rock's nephew. 

We're at the beach and I love the beach so I'm playing in the sand with Eric, making holes and helping Eric find shells.  "Teacher!!!  SHELLSS!!!!!!!"  He gets really excited about shells.  Then I see one of my students, Kaeden, and she comes over to me and is so happy to see me.  So we are playing and then Eric finds a dead fish.  The kids go nuts.  The start playing with it, running around with it, covering it's eyes with sand and going "no eyes!", bringing it around like a pet, all of these things.  "TEACHER!!!!!  Fish is die!  Die fish!  Die fish!"  They can't get enough of the dead fish. 

So I leave and I tell Robby and Meg, "those kids are down there just playing with a dead fish."  All of the sudden I turn around and Rock is scrubbing down Eric because of all the dead fish handling.  Perfect timing.

Later, I see Kaeden and I say "Kaeden, dead fish where?"  and she says with the utmost of urgency in her voice "TEACHER!  Dead fish is die so (motions burying something) and finish-y!"  It was really important that I knew that apparently.  All our students are like that.  They have to tell you things and it's always so important.  "Teacher!  Teacher!  Yesterday.....I go to the home and sleeping!!"  Umm...ok?  That was that important that you had to interrupt my class to tell me?

Anyway, so later on, we're chillin' by our tent drinking and Kaeden comes over and says "Katie Teacher, my father, you come."  So I went with Kaeden thinking "Oh I'll just say hi to her father and then go back to the tent." 

But of course, as with all Koreans, every meeting is a big event.  So I go and her whole family is there and they have me sit down and they give me all this food and soju and moonshine.  I didn't want to drink in front of my student but I couldn't be rude and not accept the liquor so alas, I did.  Then they started passing around a bottle and everyone had to sing into it.  So it was my turn and I sang "manem" (the Korean song I learned for the wedding) because it's a crowd pleaser and I knew they would love it.  And of course they did.  Then the next guy started singing "Edelweiss" and everyone was singing it.  It was so funny to me.  A whole bunch of Koreans sitting around drinking, eating, and mumbling Edelwiess because they know the tune but not the words.  I love that.

Then Kaeden was asking me if I liked her father and if I had a boyfriend and I should have her father for my boyfriend.  And that's when I thought I had overstayed my welcome so I went back to my tent.

The long-winded point I am making here is that the Edelwiess moment made me realize something.  Every single day here is an adventure.  Every SINGLE day something happens that is so so funny to me.  I love my life here and I think I have to come back here.  I have to go back to America for one year and then I have to come back to Korea.  Life in Korea is the happiest life.  I just realized I typed this whole blog like I am talking to a Korean person.  I'm really sorry for my terrible and awkward-sounding English.  It's hard to speak well these days.