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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Gratitude 101: Part 4 {A Link- Up}

Oh my- has it already been four weeks since the wonderful Erika over at Chimerikal started this wonderful link-up?!? 

GRAD-ITUDE 101: A Linkup By Chimerikal

Let me start this post by saying, I am so grateful for Gratitude 101! Grateful for gratitude? That sounded weird, so let me say- I am thankful for this link up. 

All throughout the week, I am constantly trying to find the positive in my life. Not just to be able to share with you guys, but to make sure I am keeping up with the goals I have set in my previous link ups with Erika. {If you missed any of these, just click here.} 

So many thanks to Erika for putting this wonderful link up together. 

{Don't you just love this printable from the wonderfully talented Amy at Club Narwhal!} 

I want to talke about the first line in the printable above: Be Generous

This week is Chuseok in Korea, or Korean Thanksgiving. This is one of the biggest holidays in Korean, bigger than Christmas. It's a big family holiday, and most people go to their family homes to pay tribute to their ancestors. Anyway, we found out that it is custom for people to exchange gifts with each other during this holiday. 

 Matt and I decided that we wanted to participate in this custom even though we weren't celebrating the holiday. Between the two of us we had 11 co-workers to buy gifts for and 2 bosses. We ended up going to a bakery called The White Windmill and buying a container of cookies for each of our co-workers and a box of macaroons for our bosses. I wanted to do this because I have been struggling with my relationship with my co-workers, and I wanted to take a step in making our relationship goes forward. 

When we gave our gifts, our co-workers and bosses were surprised that we gave them the gifts and understood the importance of the holiday. And it felt good. I'm glad we spent the money and gave everyone a gift. I don't think our relationship is perfect, but I do think it's a step in the right direction. 

This week I learned to be generous- even if you don't love the person- be generous. These are people I have to work with for the next year, and things needed to change at work. 

And to end this post, here are this week's Gratitude Moments: 
1. I am thankful for Chuseok- I am happy to have three days off of work to explore Korea a little bit better 
2. I am thankful for cold medicine- It only took 12 days of teaching for me to catch a cold from my students. Thank you so much DayQuil. 
3. I am thankful for my Lonely Planet books- They provide so much information for my travels. I love them- I really do.

Side Note- Did you know about this blog hop that is happening over at Treasure Tromp and Brachel Boulevard 



Friends Around the World Link Up Blog Hop

12 comments:

  1. Yay! I love the gratitude posts! It's my favourite post of the week to get up.
    I think it's really important you are adopting the Korean culture and I think the more your co-workers see that, the easier your relationship will be. Maybe for them it's tough as I've heard they often view us as "expats" and put us in a separate compartment to them.

    I've been doing a lot of research as my manfriend and I are moving to Taiwan next year :)

    Kate | Diaries of an Essex Girl

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    1. Kate- I enjoy this part of the week as well. I think within time my relationship with my co-workers will get better. I think they definitely put expats in a different category, esp. since most of us just stay one year at a time. Good luck with your move to Taiwan. I can't wait to be able to go on a trip there one day soon.

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  2. "be generous- even if you don't love the person- be generous"

    I love this line so much, and I agree 100% ! I think it's sometimes easier to be generous to those whom you love, but the true test comes from dealing with people you don't exactly care for. I think it's so sweet, and says so much about your character for you to participate in this holiday and gift the people you aren't exactly loving right now. Very inspiring :)

    Zauni | The Kind Side

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    1. Zauni, I agree completely. I always love doing something for someone I love, but when it's someone I don't necessarily like the challenge becomes harder. Thanks for such a sweet comment.

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  3. Alex, you are so thoughtful of other people and that's a theme I've seen repeated in your GRAD-ITUDE posts! Thank you so much for participating and inspiring me to think beyond myself and what I have to give! Your generosity is contagious! And I really hope that your gifts help to break down the walls between you and your co-workers! :) Thanks for sharing this!

    --Erika
    http://www.chimerikal.com

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    1. Erika- I know with time the relationship will get better between myself and my co-workers. Thanks for your comment. I look forward to this link up every week.

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  4. Alex, what a lovely gesture! It is so hard to show gratitude to people who rub us the wrong way but I'm glad (and not at all surprised) that you took the higher road. And thanks for the little shout out :)

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    1. Every since you posted the printable I have been thinking of a post to go with it. I am so happy I finally got to share it. One of these days, I will actually find a printer here in Korea and it will be going on our wall.

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  5. OMG completely forgot about chuseok! & That's really awesome of you. :)

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  6. Lovely way to take a step toward bridging the gap with your coworkers! Also shows your character that you are willing to go the extra step. :-)

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Thanks for taking the time to comment- I appreciate and read each and every one of them. All replies will be in the comment section, please check back to read them!

- Alex