Giving Up...

Basically I have become pretty bored with my life here in Korea. Monday through Friday my weeks are exactly the same. So in order to spice up my life a bit I've decided to give up things every week. One week it was sugar, one week I was a vegetarian, another week I gave up pasta and rice. This week I am giving up money. I am not allowed to spend any money until Saturday. I didn't decide to give it up until Sunday, at which time it was too late to go buy groceries, so I've been coming up with some pretty interesting meals. For breakfast especially. I've been eating yogurt (which I ate the last of this morning), and dry cranberry mini-wheats. I don't have any milk...sad. Anyway, it keeps life interesting.

Accentuating the Positive

It's been a REALLY long time since I last posted. I think that I'll start writing here more often. Maybe. No one reads it, so I guess I can say whatever I want. I can wax eloquent and sappy and introspective. That seems to be the modern trend in blogging.

In ten days I will have been in Korea for four months...That's half as long as I lived in Georgia. That's two months shy of the time I spent as Caty's roomie, that's twice the time I spent with my most memorable roommate. That's an entire semester of school. I've been here for quite some time. What have I learned?

Lesson number 1: I am not as independent as I thought I was. In England Heavenly Father blessed me with amazing friends right from the start. I do have friends here, but they're not the ones that I just want to hang out with all the time. I'm still having trouble enjoying the society of others over solitude. I was really spoiled with amazing friends over the past four years, and it's taken its toll. I haven't stopped being homesick since I got here. It's not debilitating, but there's always that little ache for something familiar. To call a friend to go out for chinese and wallow night. Or eating exhorbitant amounts of pixy stix and watching "Spice World" with one of the few other people in this world that might appreciate it.

Lesson number 2: I am not as smart as I thought I was. Learning Korean is hard. I'm picking things up, but for the most part I'm still completely hopeless at the language. I study every day, but it's difficult by myself, and I'm not at a point yet where I can drag a Korean into being my conversation partner yet, because I don't know enough Korean to have a conversation.

Lesson number 3: I am addicted to food. I love food. I miss good food, and even the bad food I still crave. It takes a great deal of self control to make myself not eat. I've put restrictions on my food intake, but it's still not enough. My worst enemy is myself...I always thwart my own good intentions.

Lesson number 4: Even if you're 7000 miles away from the foot, it can still step on your heart and crush it.

Lesson number 5: If you surround yourself with negative people who hate where they are, you will become a negative person who hates where you are. However, if you are with people who want to be where they are. You will soak up that desire and enjoy life more. Attitudes are contagious. If you want to be happy, find the people who are happy and surround yourself with them. They're desire to be there will rub off on you. It doesn't even take much time. Enthusiasm is instantly contagious.

Lesson number 6: I CAN do it. It's hard, but I can make myself do almost anything. I have the willpower to control what goes into my body and mind. If I can just have faith in myself, then that's all I need. If I have to, I can stand on my own two feet. It's hard, and it's not fun all of the time. But I can do it...if I have to.

DON'T BUY SONY!!!!

My computer sucks...I am here and now declaring it unto the world. I have had it barely more than a month and already, the webcam doesn't work, the USB ports sometimes don't recognize that there's anything in them, the fan makes a horrible whirring sound, and to top it all off sometimes it just won't turn on. I paid a buttload of money for this stupid thing and it's already falling apart. I am really not happy about this.

Then I almost went postal on the lady at customer support, I know it wasn't her fault, but basically Sony will only service my computer in the US becuase I don't have international warranty coverage, because despite the fact that I told the stupid sales people at Best Buy that I would be using the computer in South Korea, they never mentioned that I would need international coverage to validate my warranty abroad. So I have to send my computer to CA then have them send the computer to my parents, then I have to have my parents waste 100 dollars to ship it back to me. I am almost tempted to use the stupid thing until it dies, then buy a new one here. Definitely not a Sony. After the 200 dollars worth of shipping, it would only be about 500 dollars more to just buy a new machine. Oh the rage...

My internal bleeding...

"I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you- especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string in the corresponding quarter of your little frame. And if that boisterous Channel, and two hundred miles or so of land come broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapped; and then I've a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly. As for you-- you'd forget me."

Edward Fairfax Rochester
-Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

Pippi Longstocking is Universally Loved...

I wore pigtails when I went to work today and at least three Korean children called me Pippi as I walked past them. I thought of all the things that would be lost when I left the English speaking world, that would be one of them, but apparently the Pippi taunts are going to haunt me the rest of my life. So, I'm still not enjoying Korea as much as I would like to. I don't know if I'm a freak or what, but I just don't enjoy being stared at and pointed at and laughed at behind my back. The Korean people are very kind when they know you, but they aren't very subtle about their disdain or their curiosity. I'm tired of being the center of attention every time I just walk down a street. I really should have invested in a good hat.

I went out with some people from work tongiht. It was pretty fun. I had some lemonade and watched half of the people I work with get completely wasted. Fun, fun, fun. This week at work has been pretty good. I actually got to start teaching classes, so that was fun. I made friends with a few girls in one of the classes, one of which cried when I had to go home. It was really cute. They had fun trying to teach me some Korean words while I tried to teach them English. It was pretty fun. I tried some decent Korean food this week. I'm trying some things. I'm too tired to keep making sense...

Holy Buttload of Asians

So you always hear about how over-crowded Asia is. Everyone's like "oh look at China and it's billion people." But you never really take it seriously until you are crammed on a subway train with the entire population of Korea, and you can't breath or you will vomit from the overwhelming smell of Korea, which your stomach has not yet adjusted to. I think my two biggest complaints about Korea are that it's dirty and it smells funny. I understand the overcrowding. Korea is kind of a small place and because it can't learn to get along with its sister (North Korea) the there is no where for them to expand to. So the fact that they just keep building on top of things that are already there is only because they have no where else to go.

But it does smell funny. I read about the Korean red pepper paste before I came here, but I had no idea to what extent the Koreas love their paste. The whole country reeks of it. The other day, I went to a sushi place with a couple people, I didn't get anything because my stomach and I still weren't speaking at the time, but it gave me ample time for observation. At most restaurants in the states, you'll find ketchup bottles, salt, pepper, and maybe some fake sugar on the table, at this restaurant, there was a HUGE bottle of red pepper paste, which any American would probably mistake for ketchup, (they would get quite an unpleasant surprise with that one), a tub of Kimchi, and a bucket of chop sticks. Which I am actually getting pretty good at using.

Speaking of chop sticks, friday night I worked the late shift at school, which had me working from 1-9. This meant I got to help out at dinner. Dinner on friday was an attempt at an American meal. They tried to make chicken patties, and some form of pasta, and rice of course. But western night meant that the chop sticks were put away for the evening. It was incredibly amusing to watch the children trying to eat with forks. They had no idea what to do. They were taking their forks and their soup spoons and trying to use them like chop sticks. It made my night.

Today I went on an adventure to Seoul. This was where I realized that not all of Korea is dirty and ugly like Incheon. Incheon has it's good points, but it is not a pretty city...well, basically it's ugly. Anywho. I took the subway down town in search of an LDS church. When I got off the subway, rising before me was a huge royal palace from the 1300s. It was beautiful. I walked around it, very impressed. Then went into the museum next door, realized I was too tired to be in a museum, went back outside, and happened to be there just in time for the changing of the guards. Sadly there were no fuzzy hats, but there were some pretty awesome swords, and axe-type things.

I found church saw some cool Asian things, basically I had a decent exhausting day and I think I'm ready for bed. Although, it's barely past nine. I am very lame.

KOR-Ea

I have arrived safely in the land of Kimchi. I am exhausted nauseous and feeling somewhat violated from my medical checkup this morning. The people at work were nice and I would write more about it, but I am so exhausted from my day and from jet lag, that all I want to do is put on a movie and fall into bed, so I think that's what I am going to do. Here are some highlights from my first 24 hours in Korea.

1. My first taxi ride: What I learned, Taxi drivers in Korea are insane. They drive like maniacs, instilling much fear into their foreign passengers, which is compounded by the fact that taxis here have no seat belts.

2. Korean doctors, very efficient, I had about 10 medical tests done in 45 min: height, weight, eye exam, hearing exam, drug test, HIV test, urine sample, Some heart scan thingy, dental exam, medical history check, blood pressure, chest X-ray. Ya, it was really comprehensive and it didn't take very long. Apparently medical care here is really cheap too, maybe I should go get my foot x-rayed after all.

3. People are pretty nice. Everyone I have met has been so nice. Taking it upon themselves to make me feel so welcome here. Some annoying things have happened, and I've been nervous and shocked by all the different things, but everyone has worked really hard to make me feel welcome.

4. IT'S BLOODY COLD!!! My first night all I had was the small blanket I brought with me, but now I have a comforter, and big thick one, so I will be warm tonight. It's kind of funny because the comforter is a lot shorter than an american one would be...I wonder why that is...teehee

Okay, I am tired and going to pass out now.

The Point of No Return

I have now passed the point of no return. I bought the non-refundable $1000 plane ticket to South Korea. I leave two weeks from today. Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! I think I am excited. But that could just be because I am in Chi-Town!!! woot woot.

Since no one really reads this yet...

Everything was working out swimmingly for my jaunt over to Asia, then we hit this little snag. They wanted me to work in this other program, and it was an amazing opportunity so I said yes. But they wanted me the 30th, so I rearranged everything. Quit my job three days early than I had previously planned. I bought a plane ticket to go visit my parents for a day and a half instead of spending a week with them like I was supposed to. Then about 5 days ago, I got a phone call from Korea asking me if I could come the 23rd instead. And that just wasn't enough time so I told them no, so they told me that I would be going back to my previous position with the company. Meaning I rearranged everything for nothing, but then the lady e-mailed me back and told me to come on the 30th still, so I e-mailed her back and asked if I could come on the 31st instead, that way I could spend the 29th with people who love me. But that was three days ago, and no one has e-mailed me back, and I need to buy a plane ticket. I leave two weeks from Sunday or Monday, and whereas I have everything else I need, I don't have a ticket to fly over there and the tickets aren't getting any cheaper as the time approaches.

Plus I sold my car this week, the Black Rider has been given to another...It is truly a sad thing. I actually cried a little because the car I have had since I was 17 has now been passed on to someone else who won't appreciate it as much as I did. I am also tired, and stressed out, and the one person who I want to care most about the fact that I am leaving doesn't seem to care at all, or at least is too distracted by his own worries (and in his defense he has quite a few) to pay any attention to mine. It's all making me want to pull out my hair. I am not ready to move to Korea yet, but I am ready for all this stress to be over with.

The Wheels are a-turnin'

I sent off all of my documents for my visa today. They should arrive in Korea by next tuesday, which means I might have my visa issued within the next three weeks or so, then I can buy my plane ticket and then it will be the point of no return. I don't expect anyone to send me anything whilst I am abroad. Today I spent $41, just to send an envelope full of documents to Korea. So, don't worry about presents for Christmas or anything, just send me an e-mail.

My excitement comes and goes. One day I am pumped that I am going to have this opportunity, and I just wish that I could leave tomorrow. Then the next day I am hitting myself upside the head, wondering what the heck I was thinking when I said yes. Hopefully I will soon have more exciting things to write about. The prep work is boring. But I have picked out my new Laptop, and once the tax returns start rolling in, I will be able to go out and get it. I also am going to get a new camera, so that I can get rid of the one I have now that's held together by lime green duct tape. Woohoo!!!

I have accepted the job. Now I just have to assemble the exhorbitant amount of paperwork necessary to apply for the visa. Woohoo...

Greetings and Salutations...

I have very nearly decided to move to Korea, so I figured I would set this up again, just like when I was in England, so that I could just write about all my doings in one spot instead of having to e-mail everyone. This makes life a lot easier for me, plus it gives me an opportunity to wax eloquent, and I know how much everyone loves that. So, hopefully this blog will go somewhere. I have the job, all I need now is the plane ticket and the visa, and I am good to go!