Dear Joyce and Craig -

This is horribly overdue, so please forgive me!   I really need to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for this opportunity to teach in Korea!  I am having the time of my life both at school and in my personal time. Coming here was a tough decision, but one I am so glad I made.

I have to tell you that I love Gogol Elementary. It's the perfect fit for me. It's very small, only has one class per grade which makes it so easy to get to know all the kids; and the staff is fantastic and we all get along very well. My co-teacher is the sweetest girl ever, and takes excellent care of me. I feel as if I have a new family with my co-workers. Hanam City is great, too. So happy I ended up here!

I've been sightseeing on Saturdays, hiking on Sundays, and trying to see as much of the country as I can. But there's so much to see, it's overwhelming, and exciting to know that I always have something new to look forward to. I've already visited Jeju-do, on my first long weekend in May, which was fantastic! I walked the Jeju Olle, hiked Halla-san, and enjoyed some great seafood.

I've found, as I expected, that Korea is a great base for international travel, as well. I took my summer holiday in Bali (which was lovely!), will be going to Beijing during Chuseok, and am contemplating Australia in January.

I haven't told my school or my district coordinator yet, but I've decided to ask to renew my contract for one more year. :-)   I sincerely hope they want me back - I think it's going well so far, so I'm hopeful. I'm really happy here and I feel as if I have much more to accomplish.

So, thank you, Craig, for living right down the street from me in Portland. I chose Korvia mostly because I was able to meet you in person and get a feel for your love of Korea. And Joyce, if I hadn't met you and asked you all those questions you answered so patiently before I commited to this experience, I would not have been so comfortable in my decision.

I apologize for the tardiness of this email!  As I said, it's long overdue, but I wanted you both to know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me, and to let you know you have one very happy teacher in Hanam City!! I've attached some photos as evidence. :-)

And, I hope you're both enjoying Eugene. I miss being in Oregon now, during Duck football season! I'd be coming down for games and going to Rennies' for breakfast or burgers, Prince Puckler's for ice cream, and having dinner at Xenon... (If you haven't tried any of those, I highly recommend them!)

Best regards,

Tracy

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