2012 has come and gone. 2013 has begun. The year that has passed was one of the biggest challenges I have faced in recent times. I felt overwhelmed by the demands placed on me at home, at work and in my personal life. The best I could do was to find a way to juggle everything in such a way that I wouldn't lose my mind! I did not achieve some of the goals I had set for myself, particularly those regarding renovations at home, but personally, I believe I found a way to navigate through all the ups and downs so that at the end of the year I could say I had had more successes than failures.
These are the things I feel I succeeded at:
At work:
1. learning to be more patient with my learners in the classroom
2. developing an effective classroom management style
3. forging new relationships with fellow teachers
4. finding a way to be heard by colleagues
At home:
1. getting the floors fixed and sanded
2. helping my son to overcome obstacles at school
3. making sure my home was a comfortable place to be
4. getting my son to help with chores
Personal:
1. finding a little time for myself, whether it be in the shower/bathtub, or taking a nap
OK, that list is not so impressive after all! But, for me, I feel like it's quite a good list. Now for the non-successes (I don't want to say failures!)
At work:
1. sometimes losing my patience with my learners
2. feeling like I'm making no progress with my learners whatsoever
3. being misunderstood by colleagues
At home:
1. feeling like I'm making no progress with renovations
2. doing the same chores day in and day out
3. being frustrated with the amount of work still to be done on the house
Personal:
1. not having enough time to do the things I enjoy such as listening to music, watching my favourite movies/shows, going out, reading, doing handwork, getting a manicure
And that's about it! I hope that I'll be able to fix some of these problems this year. The only resolution I'm interested in is the one that will give me more time to pursue my own pastimes. More time to work out, to go for walks, to listen to music, to crochet, to read, to watch classic sci-fi movies, to be artistic/creative and to get a mani/pedi! That's all I'm asking for.
another goodbye
My sister is moving to Johannesburg! I don't know whether to laugh or cry but I wish her and her family all the best.
When I was returning to South Africa after many years in Korea, the thing I looked forward to most was reconnecting with my family, especially my sister. I had so many things planned for us, shopping, watching movies, catching up with fashion, scrapbooking, etc, etc. The best thing about it was that our houses are in the same street, so we were practically neighbours. It was lovely to just be able to walk down the road and pop in for a visit. I will miss those visits dearly. So now, I'm feeling a little sorry for myself.
Although the move is going to be quite traumatic for us all, this is the next chapter in their lives and I support whatever they need to do. There are already plans afoot to make a trip up north in July for a birthday bash. I can see that we'll be making annual visits (at least) for the holidays and later, when the boys are bigger, I hope they will come and spend time with us in Durbs.
So, little sister, I will miss having you nearby, just a stone's throw away, but I hope you have an awesome time in your new home and I certainly wish you all the best in the years to come. I look forward to the holidays and I want you to know that our door is always open to you and your family. Whenever Joburg gets too hectic, head on down to the coast for some r 'n r with us!
When I was returning to South Africa after many years in Korea, the thing I looked forward to most was reconnecting with my family, especially my sister. I had so many things planned for us, shopping, watching movies, catching up with fashion, scrapbooking, etc, etc. The best thing about it was that our houses are in the same street, so we were practically neighbours. It was lovely to just be able to walk down the road and pop in for a visit. I will miss those visits dearly. So now, I'm feeling a little sorry for myself.
Although the move is going to be quite traumatic for us all, this is the next chapter in their lives and I support whatever they need to do. There are already plans afoot to make a trip up north in July for a birthday bash. I can see that we'll be making annual visits (at least) for the holidays and later, when the boys are bigger, I hope they will come and spend time with us in Durbs.
So, little sister, I will miss having you nearby, just a stone's throw away, but I hope you have an awesome time in your new home and I certainly wish you all the best in the years to come. I look forward to the holidays and I want you to know that our door is always open to you and your family. Whenever Joburg gets too hectic, head on down to the coast for some r 'n r with us!
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| At the races, 2011, what a lovely day! |
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| On arrival, 2009, at the new King Shaka Int/l airport. |
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| Chilling at Moyo Durban, 2009. |
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| At the July races, 2011. |
Getting creative...
Now that my son is getting bigger, I finally have some time to get back to being creative. Working with my hands, making things, is one of my passions. When Nick was a baby, I stumbled upon the glories of scrapbooking. I got hold of all sorts of equipment, paper, punches, stamps etc, and started putting together a scrapbook album of my son's first six months on Earth. I absolutely loved the process, but it was time-consuming and I already had another hands-on project on the go, my baby!! Anyway, I worked it out so that I only worked on the album late at night for about two hours every night, well after Nick had gone to bed. In the end, it took me almost a year to complete the album, but it's a project that is very close to my heart, and I still take great pleasure in looking at the pages I created and I love to show it off.
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Recently I started crocheting again. I've been busy making headbands, a nice project because I can try new and different stitches and it takes just about an hour to complete one.
Precious time together
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| Bowling together (age 4) |
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| Turning 3 in Korea. |
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| Chilling on a cold day (age4) |
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| At the Pavillion (age3) |
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| Moyo in Durban (age 4) |
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| Hotel in Daegu (age 4) |
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| Walking in downtown Gwangyang (age 5) |
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| Visiting a fortress in Jinju (age 4) |
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| Walking in the snow (age 4) |
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| Walking at the beach (age 5) |
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| on the way to Seoul (age 5) |
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| Hanging out with a friend at home (age 5) |
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| At Virginia Airshow with cousin Matt (age 5) |
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| on the ferry to Jeju-Do (age 5) |
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| Hiking in the mountains (age 4) |
the things we say
I believe that the greatest gift I can give to my son is my time. I love to spend time with him, just chatting about our day or reading together, or talking about something new that he's curious about, or laying on the cushions watching a movie or cartoons, or taking a walk to the shops or to the library. Because he was born in Korea, he's had a lot of catching up to do. Things that we take for granted are still a great source of curiosity for him. So I treasure the time that we have together, not only because the time we spend together is priceless, but also because of the absolute gems that come out of his mouth!
For instance, the other day my husband was giving Molly, our dog, a bath, and he sent NJ to get a rag from the bathroom. I laughed when I heard NJ say, "what's a rag?" He's only been speaking English full time since we came back home last year. For the first six years of his life he was speaking Korean most of the time. There are lots of things that he can't identify in English. The good thing is that he's at an age where he's quite comfortable asking "what's this?/what's that?". The questions are constant and seemingly never-ending. There are times when I find myself having to explain, what is to me, the most mundane or inane things. I've had to explain the difference between an SA/kombi-taxi and the sedan-type taxi that we would take in Korea. I've also had a difficult time explaining why he can't just go up to any "black" person he sees and say "Sawubona"!
On the lighter side there are some awesome language trip-ups that he's had, like one day when I served him cole-slaw, and he asked his dad why he wasn't having any. His dad answered that he doesn't like cole-slaw, so my son called me and suggested that I give dad some hot-slaw instead!! I was practically rolling on the laugh after that.
Another day, when I was getting ready to do some washing, he calmly asked me if I would come and play with him after I'd finished "downloading" the washing in the machine!! That one was a testament to his exposure to technology all his young life!
There have been countless other similar occassions and I'll be recording more as I remember them or as they happen.
For instance, the other day my husband was giving Molly, our dog, a bath, and he sent NJ to get a rag from the bathroom. I laughed when I heard NJ say, "what's a rag?" He's only been speaking English full time since we came back home last year. For the first six years of his life he was speaking Korean most of the time. There are lots of things that he can't identify in English. The good thing is that he's at an age where he's quite comfortable asking "what's this?/what's that?". The questions are constant and seemingly never-ending. There are times when I find myself having to explain, what is to me, the most mundane or inane things. I've had to explain the difference between an SA/kombi-taxi and the sedan-type taxi that we would take in Korea. I've also had a difficult time explaining why he can't just go up to any "black" person he sees and say "Sawubona"!
On the lighter side there are some awesome language trip-ups that he's had, like one day when I served him cole-slaw, and he asked his dad why he wasn't having any. His dad answered that he doesn't like cole-slaw, so my son called me and suggested that I give dad some hot-slaw instead!! I was practically rolling on the laugh after that.
Another day, when I was getting ready to do some washing, he calmly asked me if I would come and play with him after I'd finished "downloading" the washing in the machine!! That one was a testament to his exposure to technology all his young life!
There have been countless other similar occassions and I'll be recording more as I remember them or as they happen.
birthday boy
My son's seventh birthday is this week, on Friday, March 16. Last year we'd just come back from Korea and we couldn't organise a decent celebration for him in time, so later in the year I got some family members and NJ's little friend, together at our new house. We hired a jumping castle and bought some fireworks (it was also the Guy Fawkes weekend), and we had a braai. Everyone had fun and NJ was happy. This year, similar situation, but thankfully we'll be going to NJ's school's Easter picnic in the evening on his birthday so we're not having a party. He's had some awesome birthday celebrations in the past. When we were in Korea, we celebrated his first b-day with a full-on buffet feast, Korean style and we invited everyone that had anything to do with his first year, Koreans and foreigners alike. That was awesome because we had the main table set-up in the Korean style and we also had the little ceremony where the baby picks from various items which symbolise different hopes for his future. The items include a pencil (if he picks it, he'll be a scholar), money (rich/tycoon), a mike (an entertainer) and string (long life). Amid all the cheering, my son picked the string!!
He also spent a couple of his b-days at amusement parks - great fun for everyone, and wonderful memories for us now.
I know I'm not supposed to but I love to spoil NJ. He's always on my mind especially when I see toys, or games, or stickers. There are times when I have to restrain myself from buying all kinds of things for him. He's my greatest joy in life and I just want to make him happy. I hope this b-day will be a good one and I look forward to planning a big bash for him next year!
He also spent a couple of his b-days at amusement parks - great fun for everyone, and wonderful memories for us now.
I know I'm not supposed to but I love to spoil NJ. He's always on my mind especially when I see toys, or games, or stickers. There are times when I have to restrain myself from buying all kinds of things for him. He's my greatest joy in life and I just want to make him happy. I hope this b-day will be a good one and I look forward to planning a big bash for him next year!
Going down the road to nowhere
It's March 2012, one year since we returned to South Africa from Korea. It's been a hard year, a year of adjustment, finding our feet again. The biggest milestone was moving into our house in June. There's still plenty to do but it's so exciting to have a place that is officially our home now.
It's been quite an adventure getting to know our new surroundings but so far we are very happy. It takes just a few minutes to get to the beach, the library is just a walk away, we have two major shopping centres nearby and a SuperSpar around the corner. We have a gorgeous view where we can see a golfcourse, as well as the ocean from our backyard. We also get the Fun Fair and the Circus in the Bluff about twice a year.
We made a brief foray into Durban's CBD, and it was so nice to see the familiar buildings, stores, the vendors and the stores. The hustle and bustle is still as exciting as it was before. In my absence many of the streets have been renamed for ANC activists/freedom fighters, but seeing my old stomping grounds was really nice. Some of the businesses are gone or have moved, or have been upgraded, but everything is pretty much still the same. Walking along these old streets brought back a lot of old memories, and I was also happy to be able to show off my city to my son who is seeing it from a completely different perspective.
Basically, it's been difficult getting to this point but we are just thankful to have each other, to have a lovely home and to live in such a beautiful city.
It's been quite an adventure getting to know our new surroundings but so far we are very happy. It takes just a few minutes to get to the beach, the library is just a walk away, we have two major shopping centres nearby and a SuperSpar around the corner. We have a gorgeous view where we can see a golfcourse, as well as the ocean from our backyard. We also get the Fun Fair and the Circus in the Bluff about twice a year.
We made a brief foray into Durban's CBD, and it was so nice to see the familiar buildings, stores, the vendors and the stores. The hustle and bustle is still as exciting as it was before. In my absence many of the streets have been renamed for ANC activists/freedom fighters, but seeing my old stomping grounds was really nice. Some of the businesses are gone or have moved, or have been upgraded, but everything is pretty much still the same. Walking along these old streets brought back a lot of old memories, and I was also happy to be able to show off my city to my son who is seeing it from a completely different perspective.
Basically, it's been difficult getting to this point but we are just thankful to have each other, to have a lovely home and to live in such a beautiful city.
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