I mentioned, to a small extent, that what I'm doing is as much about teaching my kids that if you don't like your life, you CAN and SHOULD do things about it! To some it may seem like a crazy way to go about it, to which I say a criminal act would be MUCH more insane. It strikes me odd, too, the more I come to learn about Korean society, in the course of doing the prep work, I could very well fit right in; it embodies things I myself have always cherished, like the value of one's good name, hard work, and generally doing the things that will make you a success, not just for your own sake, but for that of everyone around you. Value your faith, in other words, your heritage, your efficiency, your peace of mind, and leave frettings over the size of your butt to work themselves out by taking care of the rest. Dare I say, I feel distinctly more at peace with myself at this point than I ever have, in spite of the fact that the prep work is enough to make me nuts. The Korean language from the perspective of an English speaker, has very little to "attach to," mentally, ergo, yeah, no matter whose program you choose to use, you're going to be drilling the living hell out of yourself. It's not like French, or something, where you can actually see the roots of some words if you're paying attention, a great deal of the language, as with a lot of foreign languages, is pure politesse and deference to elders and superiors. The bigger issues beyond that, at the moment, are waiting for my bifocals, (yeah, I know I said tris, and that's what they sold me initially, but bis will actually work better in the frames I picked, and that's what I'll end up with in the end.)
Big picture, despite the fact that I'm 6'2", I'm interested to know how I really will "fit in" in Korea, because I feel very much as though I might. The question that follows from there, of course, is.......THEN WHAT?!