ESL teacher life. Constant vs variable

On Friday the assistant manager at work said her goodbyes. She's received a promotion to be the manager at another branch in Daegu. She has been one of the friendliest, kindest and most helpful co-workers (Korean or Western) that I've had the pleasure of working with.

After some four years of working as an ESL teacher here in Korea I've seen many people come and go. From teachers to managers, receptionists and of course students. These days there is little or no affect on me. This time it was perhaps slightly different.

Now, at my academy, everyone I work with joined after I started. In effect, I am the senior teacher (by the way that means NOTHING, other than the fact that the longer you work the more pay rises you get). Right now I have some nine, ten or eleven months left on my contract, depending on a few things, before I hit the road for pastures new. I know that in that time maybe half of my co-workers could also have moved on.

I remain a constant rather than a variable. Have I wasted my time here? Should I go now or should I have even left earlier? Am I making a mistake by being 'stuck' in this job? The answer to all of those is no. Though I still feel I need to ask myself those questions. Emphatically, being where I am now is the right place to be and the right thing to be doing. No matter how I feel at the inevitable low points this is the best option.

My days as a constant end this calender year (I hope!). I look ahead, passively at times, yet in anticipation of the unpredictable variables that lie in store. The safety net has to come down eventually.