Festivities and Precariousness

What have we been up to lately?

Festivals, for one thing. There have been a bunch of festivals here at the onset of fall, and they've involved lots of new foods, a sensational one-man ice-cream show, traditional Korean clothes and activities, a bowing lesson, a petting zoo, interactive art, dancing groups galore, performances I could only catch glimpses of through the crowds, fishing with strainers, fields of flowers, unbelievable cakes shaped like palaces, dragons, and such, and my favorite part- fireworks and carnival games in the streets. I won a plush heart by knocking over some cans from the kiddie spot.

Amidst the festivals, we also celebrated Kevin's 27th birthday with our closest friends here, some Mario Bros on Wii, and a handful of seedy establishments. Both branches of Jisan bought him a delicious cake from Paris Baguette, and his students made him cards and sang Happy Birthday.

Right before birthday time, Kevin's parents were visiting during our extended Chu-Seok vacation! It was so great to see them, and we made the absolute most of the visit, doing something new and exciting every day. It was refreshing to act like a tourist again, and so comforting to have some family around. We miss our loved ones something terrible, so this was much needed.

Yeah, it's been a great time lately. Lots of fun on the weekends, and lots of work during the week so that it goes by fast.

We've officially made it past the halfway mark here at the Jisan-Hangil Academy. It has been and continues to be a wonderful experience, full of positives! I enjoy my job, and feel good about the work I do here. I have more in my bank account than I believe I've ever had in the past. Gwangju is a fun and welcoming city with plenty I have yet to explore, but also little spots that make me feel at home. The apartment is becoming cozier with every passing week. Kevin is even liking his job more, and we've both made a few friendships that will last beyond our Asian time together.

The question remains, though: Will we sign on for a second year?

Just a month ago, we thought we'd made up our minds, and the answer was 'yes'. Then a week ago, with no factors changing except a big case of homesick, we switched to a definite 'no'.

So: Picture it-- since challenges are often compared to mountains, and we're halfway through this one, you can imagine us at the very top of a mountain, looking around for what to do for fun once we trek down.
But then, we can't decide-- and when you can't decide 'yes' or 'no', you're said to be on a fence, right?

So we're on fence on a mountain peak. Now that's a precarious situation if ever there was one. And that's kind of how I feel right now. I mean, all we have to do is simply climb down from the fence, on either side, really, and then just walk down the mountain- which will be much easier than it was going up- and even that wasn't very hard:
But at the moment, I'm a little overwhelmed up here...