So you're going to South Korea?

Yes, it's true. I'm leaving for South Korea in less than four days.

Am I excited? Not exactly. I've noticed the more I talk about something and plan for it, the less anticlimactic it is as time draws near. Perhaps this explains why I dislike having plans in general-- whether it's planned by me or someone else. Then again, making plans to visit somewhere halfway across the world doesn't leave much room for spontaneity.

Of course, I'm thrilled to be taking advantage of the opportunity to go to South Korea. Never in a million years when I left in January did I think I'd be back to Asia so soon. When studying abroad in Hong Kong, I was lucky enough to see Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and mainland China (Yangshuo, Guilin, Xian, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen..).

I should mention that I don't have a particular affinity for Asian cultures or countries, but that's just how opportunities have presented themselves so far. I'd love to travel everywhere if possible. Earlier this summer, I took a Birthright trip to Israel. Two years before that, I had brief visits to Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey on a cruise with my mom. Thanks to my study abroad experience, my most extensive trips were in Asia.

If there's one thing I've learned from my travels in Asia, it's that each Asian country is very different. I've never been to South Korea, but here's some information about it and what I'll be doing there:

I'll be working as an English teacher at a summer camp in the Jeollanam province for a month through a University of Missouri program for recent graduates. The first 6 days will be spent at an orientation in Gwangju. Although many of the kids will have a good understanding of English already, each American teacher will be paired with a Korean English teacher in case anything needs to be translated. When the camp is over, I'll have five days to travel, some of which I hope to spend with my friend MJ from Seoul.

As for South Korea itself, the ethnicity is homogeneous (except for 20,000 Chinese) with a population of 46,884,800. The religion is 49% Christian, 47% Buddhist, 3% Confucian and 1% other. Rainfall is heavier in summer than winter (oh, joy). Like Hong Kong, summers are hot and humid.

Yes, I think it's even worse than Missouri's ridiculously humid summers.