Canadian Abroad

A Canadian living in the beautiful coastal city of Busan, South Korea, teaching English as a second language to young Korean boys and girls is where I currently find myself after 31 years of existence, but let’s back it up a little bit and find out how and why I am where I am.

The first of four children, I was born into a small town about an hours drive out of what people now call T-dot, the 6ix, and Raptors central (Toronto). I was involved in athletic competition from a young age, my parents selecting bowling and baseball as the main sports in my life. I found some early childhood success in these sports as won national titles in both bowling and baseball before the age of 15. It’s been all down hill from there.

me as a little kid

I’ve always been a competitive individual, whether in sports or academics, this has caused many rifts with friends, coworkers, classmates and random people over the years. At the same time I can procrastinate with the best and enjoy the rush of of rushing (no pun intended ).

After high school I took my smarts down south (in terms of Canada) and studied forensic science at the university of Windsor . I thoroughly enjoyed the program as it was in a new and exciting field and the competitive only helped ignite my pleasure.

However ¾ through my university tenure my father unexpectedly passed away and I was forced to take a year off from my studies and attend to family matters. My father being in his mid fifties, was considered young by today’s standards, but years of over indulgence and not committing to a healthy lifestyle finally caught up to him. After returning to university I had a semi-new outlook on what I deemed important. I finished up my degree and became the first in my family to graduate from !
university.

me and the family

After university I decided to take my life in a different direction, opting for adventure rather than the 9-5 job. Along with a friend, I received a teaching job in South Korea, in late 2010. My first time outside of North America, it was an eye opener as to just how much beauty there is in the world. Since arriving I have never looked back, making it a goal to see as much of this beautiful planet as possible. So far I’ve been to over 20 countries on 4 different continents, but I feel like I’ve only just begun.

me on a castle wall in Prague

Over my 6+ years in Korea I have learned many things, made some lifelong friends and even managed to find an amazing woman. That’s not to say that everything here in SK is perfect, but it’s a way of life I quite enjoy and for the time being plan on exploring this densely populated peninsula.

me teaching Korean elementary students

me and the lady

I am brand new to steem and this is my first post. As I learn more and meet fellow Steemians, I hope to help our community thrive and reach new heights. I won’t be blogging all the time, but when I do it will likely be about travel, education, physical fitness and/or cryptocurrency as they take up the majority of my time. I look forward to helping our steemit community grow and flourish in the coming future.

Jay