let's wish on a sunrise

sunrise on the way to the dells

Want to know why being an ESL teacher is the coolest job in the world?  Because you have the chance to learn something new from your students everyday!

In one of my classes, we were discussing the rainy season (which is supposed to start tomorrow : /  ) and then got to other topics such as rainbows, shooting stars, and sunrises.  Doesn't my job just sound horrible?? ; )  Anyway...I learned three things about Korea today:

1. Rainbows are rare occurrences in Korea - my student who is probably in his 40s told me has only seen a rainbow 3-4 times in his entire life!!  As Americans, we can easily see rainbows but we get excited every time we see them.  Imagine how pumped the Koreans must get when one appears!

2. Koreans believe falling stars are bad luck - They don't wish on shooting stars because they say that when a star falls, a great man will die.

3. New Year's sunrises - My student told me that instead, Koreans like to go to the mountains on New Year's Day to see the sunrise and make a wish for the new year and the well-being of their family.

I've only been lucky enough to see a couple of sunrises because well, this lady likes her sleep!!  It got me to thinking...what will I wish for on the New Year's sunrise?  Many of my students have asked me, "Caitlin, what is your dream?" For so long, my dream has been to teach English in Korea and it has come true.  It feels somewhat false when I say that my dream is to get my master's degree in TESOL and teach ESL in a university.  Yes, this is what I want to do as my career because I want to make a difference in people's lives and be continually learning about other cultures and perspectives.  But really, it's not a dream - it's something I want to implement in my everyday life to make the most out of every day. 

To be honest, I have no idea what I will wish for on a sunrise but I think this year in Korea will help me figure that out.  Is it pursuing a future husband?  Doing research and getting a "scholarly article" published like a good little sociology student?  Visiting another country someday?  Again, I don't know...but that is the beauty of possibilities : )