A Walk on the Sidewalk: Rediscovering Korea and Getting Blisters

View from my room at Yonsei Songdo Campus

Blisters! I have four of them on my feet! I knew it was going to happen but I didn't expect it to be so soon. On the bright side, though, I have installed myself into my room at the summer camp and am pretty well-pleased. The room is nice, my coworkers seem nice, my TA seems nice, everything seems nice. The food seems fishy, which is less than nice but oh well. You win some, you lose some. At least I don't have to share my room, that would make me really sad. I was going to do laundry today because thankfully there is a laundry room but once I finished with dinner and got upstairs, I was too tired to even think about venturing out again. I imagine that I'm going to be in a state of perpetual tiredness for the next three weeks. Then I'll still be tired because I'll have to start working. I should have thought about all this.

Today I traveled from Bundang to the far side (subway wise) of Incheon. It took two hours. TWO HOURS ON THE SUBWAY. And I got to sit the whole time. Unexpected and awesome because I was toting around two, (count 'em) two suitcases. Sure,  they're carry-on sized but still cumbersome and unwieldy. I was glad that I made it here and could drop them off and walk around without an accompanying rolling noise. It sounded like thunder. No, it didn't. I'm not sure why I wrote that.

I get to wash my hair tomorrow! I love getting the Magic Straight treatment on my hair but being unable to wash your hair  or even tie it up in summer is pretty difficult to handle.

Also, I would totally go to school here. They  have a coffee shop in the basement! Man, Korea.

Into Magic Straight Hair

I'm getting my hair did as we speak, y'all. Technology at its finest. I'm in Bundang with my friend Tina, who is in the process of studying to get her teaching license. She was nice enough to take some time out of her day to go with me to this fancy salon where I am getting a magic straight perm. No, really, the name of the perm is Magic Straight. It probably is magic, too, for all I know because it's the one thing that reliably can make my mess of hair into something tolerable.... Dare I say nice-looking, even. And because Tina is getting her hair done too but hers is taking longer, they're giving me a free conditioning treatment while I wait.

I love Korea. I might never come back.

Oh wait, I have a job. And a car. And a boyfriend. I guess I'll go back.

The past few days have been crazy busy. I got to visit the Hello Kitty cafe! And revisit some old familiar places in the form of Jamsil and Coex and Hongdae. Not to mention exploring Bundang, which is a really nice city. Lots of things to do and easy to not get lost. That last part is important because I've had some bad luck with getting turned around in the past.

Visiting my uncle's house was nice, too. It's very calm there so I was able to finally start feeling like a human again with the copious amount of relaxing that I did. Plus, I love my aunt's kimchi. So seriously good. It makes me cry a little.

Not really.

Tomorrow I will report for duty at the summer camp and then work nonstop until its time to go home. I'm ready for that, too. Well, I'm ready for the paycheck I'll receive at the end of the camp, which is practically the same thing as being ready to work. Isn't it? I do wish the camp weren't in Incheon, because it's so far from everything I know and love but then again, it gives me the opportunity to explore a new part of the country... In the scant amount of free time that I'll be available to me.

Is it bad that I'm already dreading the flight home? And the subsequent working that will take place almost immediately after my arrival? Or that I've already been checking for days off once the school year starts? I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation.

On the Dangerous Korean Highway

Ahhh, it took so freaking long to get here that it's still difficult to believe that I've actually arrived. The flying wasn't really that terrible. Actually, yeah, it was that terrible. My wrists were aching from carrying my luggage with me, then my elbows, my feet, ankles, knees, basically every joint in my body. I did score an awesome seat on the flight from Honolulu to Incheon--the plane was probably 70% empty so I moved to the middle aisle and put up the armrests and laid down. Magic. But it still wasn't enough to make me want to fly again anytime soon.

I HAVE TO FLY AGAIN IN FOUR WEEKS. I'm going to cry now.

Okay, I couldn't cry. I'm probably still dehydrated.

I'm not sure if I'm making any sense. Anyway, let me try to think of things chronologically so that they make more sense.

I met my friend at the airport and she drove me to my other friend's house. Then she drove me to her house and we had dinner (samgyupsal!) and then I took the best, most amazing, wonderful shower of my life and fell asleep.

Today, after waking up and getting my backpack packed up, she and I went for breakfast and then I tried to figure out a way to get to Gapyeong from Bundang.... not possible. So I ended up going to the bus terminal I was most familiar with (it's in Gangbeon) and took the bus to Cheongpyeong where I took a taxi to Surijae and now I'm sitting at my uncle's house in my pajamas with a pair of poo socks on.
Because I know people won't believe that....

Now I want to relax and try to get over my tired-ness so I can be fully awake and ready for the weekend. 

Or at least... semi-functional.

Seven Years in Seoul

Just kidding, it's going to be a month. I begin my ridiculously long journey today! I have everything packed, for the most part, and am planning on relaxing for the longest amount of time possible so that I can feel less stressed for the rest of the trip. I realize that this is not going to work. I'm fine on the plane, don't get me wrong, but getting to the plane is a heart attack in a stroke in a brain aneurysm. That said, I'm still looking forward to my layover in Dallas for unspecified reasons. I'm not looking forward to my two hours in Vegas because I'm afraid my flight is going to be delayed and then I won't be able to make my connection and I'll have to spend a month in the airport like Tom Hanks in The Terminal. 

Anyway.

In my carry-on suitcase, I've managed to fit:

3 pairs of shoes
3 tank tops
2 pairs of jeans
2 skirts
2 dressy tops
2 simple tops
2 dresses
2 cardigans
2 clutch bags
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of tights
1 pair of dress pants
Toiletries and necessities
Battery charger
Non-liquid or gel makeup
 A towel


In my personal bag, I've managed to fit

Netbook and charger
Ipad and charger
Cell phone and charger
Camera
Book

Saline solution
Liquid and gel makeup and stuff that I'll have to take out during the security checkpoints


I think that's everything! It should be more than enough for the next four weeks in Korea.  I mean, I'm going to be working nonstop for three of those weeks so who cares what I wear then? I probably won't even comb my hair.


Just kidding, I'm totally going to comb my hair because it's going to get MAGICKED. I can't wait!

I could bend the universe.

Father,
You know where I have been and  you know what I have done.
They say that you see everything, so you know I never hurt no one.
What I have stolen won't be missed by those who had so much so long.
We'll soon be laughing about this.
They will never notice it was gone.
I could bend the universe if I can only get there first.
These are some foolish fresh laid plans.
My fate is firmly in your hands.

Take, if you must take me, but I can not go peacefully.
I left someone waiting for me; I left things so terribly undone.

They say man is just your seed spilled out on the thirsty earth.
A simple servant of your needs from the moment of our birth.
Tell me am I not your seed?
Tell me am I not your son?
Tell me have you just forgotten all those years of devotion?

Take, if you must take me, but I can not go peacefully.
I left someone waiting for me; I left things so terribly undone.

Fantastic song, listening to it makes me feel like I'm in some Robert Rodriguez film and Antonio Banderas is going to come through those doors any minute. Or Johnny Depp. I'll take Johnny Depp, too. 

Let us go then, you and I.

I had a really happy song to post with this but then I thought, 'Ah, screw it' and put this one up instead because I LIKE IT. Listen to it. Now. Please?

I'm almost on my way to Korea! The countdown has dropped to days (not weeks) and then I'll be flying for days (not weeks) and then staying for weeks (not days) and did I mention it's monsoon season? That's going to be fun. One of the first items on the agenda of mine will be to go and done get my hair done did 'cause it's going to need some permanent straightening and then I'll always wake up with fabulous, glamorous, not wavy hair. Excitement pervades my very being, ya'll.

On a separate note, I can't believe it's already July. School starts soon and then I'll be all stressed and not sleep a lot and drink tons of coffee and think about the Crucible and the Transcendentalists and the Lovesong of Alfred J. Prufrock and the Harlem Renaissance and whoa. What the heck, that sounds awesome, I'm going to stop complaining now. I probably shouldn't say this just in case a student reads the next few words, but I live life dangerously so here goes.

My class next year will be more rigorous and more exacting than this year. I required so much more out of my kids this year and they met and exceeded so many of those expectations that I couldn't in good conscience not expect more this coming school year. Yes, it's more work for me and yes, that idea is daunting because I worked a heckofa lot last year and this year will have more responsibilities in store for me in addition to my English classes but asfihodsigh, it makes it all worthwhile at the end of the year when you see how much the students have learned and improved. Okay, the sappy teaching moment is over.

Other than that, things are goooood.