Hello Kookmin Review! I am from the UK. I have been living in Korea for four years and this semester is the start of my third year teaching English Conversation at KMU. Hopefully, over the coming months I can give you an insight into the mind of a Brit abroad. Here goes:

I find that January is a great time to set oneself challenges and goals for the coming year. It is somewhat of a UK tradition to set and try to live by New Year’s Resolutions. The beginning of the year is also a good time to look back at what you have achieved.

I find inspiration for my new challenges from many sources. Many ideas come from friends who have families and jobs and yet still find time for further education or beginning their own businesses. I also look to my family and see what interests them. My father is looking forward to retiring and being able to spend more time researching, planning and walking various hiking routes within the northwest of England. My mother, I think, looks forward to a time when she has a home that is not filled with clutter created by her two daughters and where she can concentrate on her art and textile work undisturbed.

My sister too, is setting herself new challenges in her career. She is a veterinary nurse and works for a charity (http://www.animalsasia.org/) that raises awareness about the treatment and care of animals, especially the Moon Bear (also known as the Black Asiatic Bear). She currently works in Vietnam at a rescue centre for these amazing creatures, but she is still looking for more ways in which to share her knowledge and skills.

I set myself a variety of challenges, some of which I know I will achieve quite easily; others will require much more effort; and the final group may not be realised, but I shall continue to slowly work towards them. It has been said by both Ralph W. Emerson and the band Aerosmith that life’s a journey, not a destination and I think that is quite apt for this subject.

So what do I want to do this year? There are squillions of ideas, some of which are trivial and others that will require much forethought and preparation. So, in no particular order:

Getting wet and cold! I am a keen scuba diver. I want to dive in two new places this year, one of them being cool or cold water, as I have only dived in lovely warm water where I didn’t even need a wetsuit. I am not a fan of being cold so this will definitely be a challenge, but I hope to be rewarded with seeing different fish and plants and maybe an ancient ship wreck. I have swum around a ship wreck before, but it would be interesting to go inside one too. However, this would come with a further test of character as I can feel rather stressed in small spaces or where there is low visibility, but I am sure, with practise, those fears will decrease…I hope.

Power slides and drifting! When I am back in the UK, I really love driving. I also love the programme Top Gear. (Do check it out if you haven’t seen it. http://www.topgear.com/uk/) One of my favourite parts is when the presenters take cars around the track and drift around corners (go around corners sideways). It looks amazing! And ever so cool. In the UK, it is possible to get lessons on how to do this and eventually gain a Rally Driving License. I don’t intend to become a rally driver, but I think it would be an excellent way to build upon my current driving and navigating skills.

Write that again. Last year, my letter writing passion was reignited. Yes, in an era of emails and social networking the poor handwritten letter has fallen out of favour, but how much more exciting is it to get an actual handwritten letter in the post rather than an email?

I shall tell you: it is brilliant!

My aim is to continue and expand my letter writing. I have many friends and relatives in the UK and from being in Seoul, I now have friends scattered across the globe. My plan is to try and write each person at least one letter this year. It may only be a short card or note, but I want to spread the joy of receiving something in the post that isn’t a bill or generic junk mail.

How about you try this one too?

If you are far from home, write a letter to a school friend or a member of your family. It may take longer to arrive, but a letter can carry pictures, memories, smells and love in a way an email cannot. It is tangible. It can be held as if you are holding that missed loved one close to you. And it is ever so exciting getting a reply.

You will laugh! My biggest and most scary challenge for this year is to try Stand Up Comedy. This is where you stand in front of a room full of people and attempt to make them laugh with the things you say and/or do. If it works it can be amazing and very rewarding and a fun way to spend an evening. If it doesn’t work…it can be embarrassing, awkward and very VERY disheartening. Why would I put myself in such a risky position? Well, sometimes it is good to do something that scares you, which confronts your normal day-to-day life and puts Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory: What does not kill me makes me stronger into practise.

Also, having watched a variety of stand up comedians, a little voice in my head told me I could do that…and a bigger voice said I should try.

Work it, baby! Yes, exercise and get fitter, healthier,   and trimmer. This is a traditional New Year’s Resolution and probably the most broken, abandoned and defeated. I think we live in a world where we see so many quick-fixes that we can become disheartened when our bodies don’t respond instantly to our attempts to change them.

Or, if you are like me, even if you stick at it long enough to notice changes sometimes that is not enough and determination wanes…falters…and dies with a whimper. Last year, I started a training programme and I did quite well, but then my interest….pfffffffft…dissipated. I guess from this perspective, although the comedy will be the scariest, sticking with my plan to get and stay fit, is going to be the most difficult. Wish me luck!

Run, Sarah, run! And to add to the getting fit challenge and in many ways to create a goal or a focus point…I am seriously considering running a half marathon. That is 13 and a half miles or 21.1 kilometres. For someone who finds running for a bus tiring and tiresome…this is a MASSIVE undertaking…hence the consideration and thought that is going into making the final decision.

As I have said, I do come up with many ideas about things I would like to do or try. Some fall by the wayside whereas others are adapted to better suit my changing circumstances or interests, but they all go into helping me learn more about myself, the people around me and the world I live in.

I really believe if we always do what we are comfortable with and never try new things ? we stagnate and what could become our greatest achievements just don’t happen. Trying new and out-of-the-ordinary activities makes us stronger, develops our character, and gives us insight in to what we can do (even if we first thought it was something impossible).

I think sometimes we need reminding that we should take every opportunity to live life to the full and give everything that excites and inspires us a really good try.

So what’re you waiting for? Get going!

Sarah Nelson(Professor, Dept. of General Education)

snelson@hotmail.co.uk