Back to reality...I think

This week is the first week of classes. This means that my 3 month vacation has come and gone; that my days of sleeping in until 11 and doing absolutely nothing related to work all day are finished; that I can’t ride elephants, raft down rivers, or eat awesome Thai food for under a dollar; that I can’t see the faces of my family, friends, or Jenni unless it is via pictures or webcam; basically, my dream vacation is no more. Instead, I’m back to meetings entirely in Korean, teaching 7 English classes, and wearing ties. Back to reality, right? Well, maybe not in the sense that most people think of it. I’m back to the reality of my life in Korea, which means celebrity status as the young American professor. I’m back to assembly halls filled with hooting, hollering, and whistling when I’m introduced on stage; I’m back to people thanking me several times for simply remembering their name; I’m back to groups of girls chattering excitedly and giggling as I walk by; I’m back to people older than me bowing and calling me professor as they hand me a drink that they just bought for me from the vending machine. Yeah, I guess I’m back to reality, but a really, really strange one.