I remember certain things as my twelfth year here in South Korea commences.

I remember my father. He influenced me to consider plying my trade as a teacher in another country. Thus, when I revisited my career path at the turn of the 21^st century (Yup… that was eons ago!), I included teaching in a foreign land as one of my options. It was not until 2008 that I seriously considered it. What led me to give this option a try was my father’s response when I informed him that I had finally completed my Ph.D. I even bragged to him about me being the first one in our clan to become a “doctor.” He, of course, congratulated me but asked, “How much is your salary now?.”  I gave him the exact amount and the possible increase because of my newly minted PhD. Then he informed me that one of my cousins, a seaman, receives a higher income even if he has not finished college. All I could do then was scratch my head. Four years after that exchange between me and dad, I finally flew to South Korea in 2013. Had my father not died in 2014, I am sure I could have brought him and my mom here for a vacation.

I also recall the FAPE accreditors who interviewed me in 2012 when I was the Principal of a basic education institution in the Philippines. The school I was supervising then applied for FAPE re-accreditation. One of them asked why I left the previous schools where I worked. The interviewer even noted that I had good supervisory positions in those schools.  However, the question irritates me a little bit because it seems that for that educator who asked it, something is wrong with somebody in any profession if they move so often from one workplace to another. Why, then, do people immediately label the constant movement of an employee from one company or institution to another as a red flag? What if that employee has justifiable reasons to quit and find another job? I had good reasons for jumping out of those ships. How I wish I could divulge the reasons.

I decided to reply politely to that question: “I have not quite found my niche yet.”

That was true. I had a great run as a teacher and school administrator but wasn’t satisfied. My mother helped me figure out the reason for such dissatisfaction –   I could not give time for my other passion – writing. My mom is my number one fan as a writer. She loves reading my stories and poems. She was the one who kept reminding me about my gift of writing. Just like me, my mom loves writing stories.

Then, on March 2, 2013, much to my father’s delight, I flew here to South Korea to teach English.

Leaving my country to work here was both a professional and a personal decision.  I suffered from severe job burnout then. I wanted to just be a teacher and not hold a supervisory position at the same time.  I just want to teach and to pursue my other passion – writing. On the personal side, I had some personal demons to slay… too personal to share. Suffice it to say that the job burnout, combined with the consequences of some wrong decisions I made, led to depression. If I did not do something to address it, I wasn’t sure if I would emerge from that chaos with my sanity still intact. I escaped from that turmoil and could not have chosen a better place than the Land of the Morning Calm to soothe my hurting spirit and continue my academic career.

So, I got what I wished – to teach only and not supervise people at the same time. The pleasant surprise I got when I started teaching here was the required number of working hours – less than 20. Four days a week, teach for not more than 16 hours and stay in the office for possible visits from students for 3 hours. I have 3 full days and plenty of vacant hours during work days to do the other things I love – particularly writing and working out in the gym.

So, did I finally find my niche?

South Korea has turned out to be the best place where I can pursue both teaching and writing. I am so blessed to be in this corner of the Korean peninsula. Way back in my native land, it was only my academic career that blossomed. I may not have fulfilled my dream of operating my own school, but I checked a significant box in my career path – becoming a college dean.

But I am not just a teacher… I am also a writer. Being a teacher and a school administrator at the same time in my country gobbled up my time and energy. I could not focus on my writing. I was lucky to have at least a poem, an essay, or a story in a week.  But here in South Korea, with all the free time that I had ( and still have), I could scratch my creative itch to the fullest. I still do until now. And the bonus… I was able to pursue my self-improvement advocacy.

Oh… I might forget. Every semester, we get to work only for 15 weeks. I already did the math; technically, we have 5 months of vacation a year. But we continue to receive pay. What a blessing! I have lots and lots of free time to use for my writing and my advocacy for self-improvement. Now, I have my own websites and social media accounts where I publish the things I write… where I blog and vlog.

The niche I was looking for was a place where I could be most productive professionally and personally. It is here in South Korea where I found that niche. I cannot thank God enough for leading me here. South Korea is my second home, and I feel so blessed that I am now in my twelfth year… and praying for more years to come.

I will forever be indebted to Dr. Larry Chong and Gyeongju University for paving the way for my entry to South Korea. That indebtedness extends to Hanseo University for being my home for the past 10 years.