Until all is lost, unto the beauty of the day.

Okay... so.

Got back from Kyoto last week with my mom. I would go into details about the trip, but I simply don't have the energy. If you want to see pictures, you can go here. The entire time she was in Gyeongju though, was, well... incredible. I wish she could have stayed longer. Really.

I wasn't stressed out when my mom was here, and I don't think I'm necessarily stressed out now, but my body is suddenly unfamiliar to me. Every few days if not less I feel nauseous and weak. I was eating extremely well in Japan, a hearty breakfast and everything, but now I am back to my old eating habits, and don't seem to ever feel hungry. And if I am hungry, I can never finish my meal. I don't know.

Let's break the last two weeks into pros and cons:

Cons

1. I got dismissed from my job... fired would be the proper verb. This happened because of my spinal/back/leg problems. I took my three days of contractual sick leave all within a week and a half of each other, and my boss approached me and said that she wanted to change teachers because I can't guarantee her that I won't need more time off in the future. And she's right, but I didn't break my contract. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. There is no guarantee that my replacement teacher wouldn't take four days of work, or that he'd even be a good teacher. I am concerned for my students, and am so, so sad that I have to leave them.

As I've said before, Koreans don't do well with sick leave. Parents complain. They are paying good money for a native English teacher, and when I'm not there, my boss has to cover my classes. The entire situation is extremely complicated, and I am getting opinions from everyone, and I don't know. It's just difficult. I've been in contact with the Korean Labor Ward and have e-mailed a lawyer who specializes in foreign teacher rights. The thing is though, is that I'm not completely opposed to going home. I would say realistically, even with the nerve root injection (which cost me a cool $200), I am only at about 35-40% of my physical capability. Obviously room for improvement.

However, she expects me to pay for my own flight home. She broke my contract based on a hypothetical. I am going to fight this (the flight home she wants me to pay), find out what my rights are, and possibly take another job within the next week, week and a half. She made a business decision, and it looks as though I might need to as well.

2. I think this is causing my body to act up. I can't seem to get a grip on my quality of life. Every day I am dealing with some other aspect of this mess. I really, really like my boss. I don't believe that she is doing anything maliciously. I don't want to believe she is capable of that. But the more people I talk to, specifically one friend who has run her own hagwon for seven years and is married to a Korean, the more I feel like an idiot. Everything from the apparently obscene taxes that are being taken out of my paycheck, to the fact that she found a replacement so quickly, to continually pushing for back surgery when I've said I don't want it, etc. The whole situation is taking an incessant toll on my body and on my life.

Pros

1. Jeff is home. Let me repeat. JEFF IS HOME! A lot has happened since he has been gone for the last seven weeks, and chatting with him has put me in a strange sort of peace. A little more complete.

2. Him and Megan are coming to Gyeongju one week from tomorrow. Holy rice balls. I just want to hug them for hours. I'm going to cry, I know it.

3. I am planning a massive road trip when I come home. Visiting my friends who are scattered around the States. Nothing sounds more appealing to me than driving (which I've greatly missed for the last 5 months) across the country with my iPod, good company, and incredible scenery. From Michigan to Montana, to Oregon, to California, to Arizona, to Louisiana, then rounding up in Florida. This is all assuming, of course, that I don't accompany Amit on her trip out west in September. It just depends. If I am coming home in early September like at this moment I am supposed to be, I will go with Amit, which would be all kinds of beautiful. If I come home in late September, I will go on my own road trip with anyone who wants to accompany me for a leg of it. It will be epic either way, and I would rather go with someone whether it be Amit or whoever than go by myself. I am currently taking applications.

4. I have a boyfriend. Haha! He's going to read this and give me a slightly harder time than usual. It's complicated, as it always is with him and I, but it's really, really good. If everything works out, we will hopefully be teaching abroad together once I get my back sorted. But yeah. Big smiles. :)

So more pros than cons, which is good. Looking over this post I have more things to look forward to than the one thing that is bringing me down. And whatever happens, I know I am not done traveling. I will only be home for as long as absolutely necessary, and then I'm off again.

Staying global, kids.

Nam Sai.

After an emotional (and problem free) arrival last night and an incredibly packed Sunday-- complete with a mother/daughter apartment cleaning extravaganza, a delicious vegetarian lunch, a trip to Anapche Pond, grocery shopping, a mocha and a shared piece of cheesecake-- this is where she ended up.


More (much) to come later. Nam sai!

Mi Casa.

The reason there are so many of these is because my camera can only record in 2.5 minute or so intervals. So they aren't long-- I promise!














My hair looks ratty because I didn't shower before going to the hospital at 7 a.m., and I was told I couldn't shower for 24 hours after my injection. Now it's just a waiting game. Waiting for the pain to go away, waiting to see if anything actually improves or if the pain meds are what's making me feel almost normal again, rather than the injection.

Anyway. Kudos to you if you watched all four videos! Annyeong.

I tried to change, but I changed my mind.

"The earth laughs in flowers". -E.E. Cummings
(aka me; my toesies)

Cute, eh? I love.

The past couple weeks or so have been a tumultuous whirlwind of emotions. People almost leaving, then not leaving, perspectives changing, reconnecting with friends back home, moving forwards rather than backwards. It's nice in an "I'm going to be much wiser for this in the long run" kind of way. Things change so quickly. I have grown attached to several people here, and have had to deal with one friend going home, and another going as far as to book a ticket home, only to find out he was able to stay. A thousand sighs of relief.

I've also managed to spend upwards of a thousand dollars on back doctors, MRIs, medications, x-rays, and medical opinions to find out that I have a herniated/portruding disc in my spine causing me a world of discomfort. That little disc is a little shit. The Koreans suggest back surgery, while the Americans suggest otherwise. It's difficult because I'm obviously here, and getting relief for my pain can only be attained through the Korean medical system. It's been determined, however, that I'm going to get an epidural injection this Monday morning (yikes) which will supposedly relieve the pain. I am so looking forward to living, moving, dancing, walking, hiking, and working out like a 23 year old should be able to. My hopes are officially up.

I also realized earlier this week that this is the first summer I've worked a real full time job. Usually by this time I would be going to concerts, taking summer classes, tanning on East Campus, working part time and loving Kalamazoo. Which I must admit I do miss greatly. I haven't been enrolled in classes in nearly a year now (not counting my internship) and the longer I'm away from school, the more I am finding myself missing academia. I want to get my Masters. Not any time soon, but I'd say realistically within the next 3-5 years. Get some traveling done, see more of the world, then settle at a University where I can immerse myself in lecture notes, libraries, and vehement discussions.

In other news, my mom is coming to visit me in t-minus... shit... how long is it now? 14 days. Two weeks from today. We are going to have a well deserved, much needed vacation in either Kyoto, Japan (which looks unbelievable) or Boracay in the Philippines. The biggest difference is that one is an ancient capital, while the other is a tropical island. My first thought was to go to the Philippines, and I have friends going there for their vacation as well, but the more I think about it, the more I find myself leaning towards Kyoto. Kayley and I are planning our winter vacation in Thailand anyway, so I can always get the sun/sand factor in then. New Years in Phuket? Yes please.

This is the first weekend in four consecutive weekends I haven't been traveling and it feels fantastic. Now that I've been mildly pampered (re: toesies) I think I'm going to lay down.

ALSO: I almost forgot. Megan and Jeff are coming to visit me. Together. Jeff doesn't know Megan booked the same flight as him (or that she's coming at all for that matter) and he is going to flip his shit when he finds out. Legendary!

[insert extreme smiley emoticon here]

How can you sleep at a time like this?

So, I've been looking at options for my next move after Korea. Here are the options I've come across and are considering:

1. Renewing my contract with English World. This means staying in Korea a second year. Although I love my kids and my coworkers and my boss, and am saving real money for the first time in ages, I don't think I can teach ABCs for a second year. I do not believe that this job is intellectually stimulating enough for me, and I believe that I am worth more, and that I'd like to put my training to better use.

2. Teaching English in Australia or New Zealand. Preferably Australia. A friend of mine here is doing this in December. The perks of teaching in either country are phenomenal. In Australia, a lot of jobs are for casual or relief teachers, and the contracts go by 3 month intervals. So hypothetically, I could teach English in an Australian high school for 3 months, and if I love it, continue to teach there for 6 months, 9 months, or 1 year.

3. Teach ESL in Prague. I don't know what is drawing me to the Czech Republic, but it's there and I don't know why and I can't really deny it. Maybe that it was founded in the 8th century. Or maybe that it has the Prague castle and that secretly I want to feel like I'm living in a modern day kingdom where I can meet a man (prince) who drives a black Mustang. We can drink champagne on his stone terrace and chat about political matters that I will pretend to understand. Always an option.

This week, these are my top choices. Although the order would be Australia, Prague, then Korea. I could also teach in South America. I've narrowed the countries to Peru, Chile, or Venezuela. Or I could teach the Aborigines in Australia. Or I could teach in Thailand, Greece, Botswana, or the Cayman Islands. The more countries I research, the more overwhelmed I become. The only thing I can say conclusively and without any hesitation, is that having a degree in education, or at least a teaching certificate, is something that can literally take you around the world. I don't believe I could have picked a better career to pursue. The international demand for English teachers is high and it is everywhere.

My dad's new favorite line is "Rosie, these are problems, but they're good problems". As in, you have all of these options, the world at your fingertips, so you should enjoy the "next move" process. At least that's my interpretation. So with that in mind, I will take the night off from thinking about my next move, and leave you with pictures from yesterday/last night in Busan-- my new favorite city in Korea.

Jewelry overload

Looks like Daegu


At a charity event/reggae concert. Di, Nina, and I.

Annyeoung!

Lists.

This past weekend, I:

[x] Swam in the Sea of Japan
[x] Ate mediocre nachos at a cute Mexican restaurant in Busan
[x] Danced to Bob Dylan
[x] Watched Cold Mountain at the DVD Bong (highly recommend!)
[x] Said goodbye to a dear friend for seven weeks

So far this week, I have:

[x] Successfully transferred money from my Korean checking account to my American checking account
[x] Shopped. Finally. You don't realize how much you miss Target and Forever 21 until the one stop shops are no longer available.
[x] Spent a morning at the lovely Can More restaurant with Diane, sipping on Mango Guava smoothies and chatting about her departure back to South Africa next week
[x] Taught my private about the difference between "giddy", "smitten", "infatuated", and "crush". I'm not sure that is worth her paying $50/hour, but she seems happy to do it. Can't really complain, can I?
[x] Fallen in love with the lyrics to "The Dance" by aKing
[x] Given two hours of oral tests to two of my classes...
[x] ...because of this, had two pizza parties today
[x] Tanned on the rooftop of an 18 floor apartment building
[x] Written and sent letters
[x] Gotten a MASSIVE new fridge which replaced my old broken one. I love cold milk. Who knew?
[x] Practiced with Jay
[x] Booked Jeff's flight to South Korea. EPIC!

The rest of the week/upcoming weekend, I am:

[x ] Playing at a Korean coffee house, Yan's, with Jay. We've been practicing for about a month now, and have six songs down cold. (iwillnotletmynervesgettomeiwillnotletmynervesgettome)
[x ] Going to a Hawaiian themed movie night on Friday
[ ] Helping my students rehearse scripts Saturday morning for an English speaking competition
[ ] Possibly returning to the beach, depending on the weather

* * *

Needless to say, busy busy busy busy. But all of it is fabulous and intoxicating and beautiful and thought provoking. All of it. I have fallen in love with nearly all of my students. They've grown on me faster than rice paddies grow in the summer time.

More later? I need to practice.

Update: Just got home from playing music with Jay at Yan's. I haven't been on stage with my guitar since Xhedo's, and it felt so good. So familiar. Even though my nerves were as apparent as ever, I got past them within the first 30 seconds of the first song, and managed to sing as best I could for the following five. Now it is time for me to rest me weary eyes, wake up tomorrow morning, and Skype Megan Lang... and then proceed to the easiest work day of the week.

'Til next time. :)

Seoul Brother Version 2.0 or British Embassy... ing.

On a whim, George and I upped and went to Seoul this past weekend. When I say on a whim, I really mean he asked me to go on a Thursday, and we were en route to the megalopolis Saturday morning. We arrived at about 2 ish (after having left at 10-- having planned to be on a bus by that time-- yeah, I was late). Although the ride is long, the buses stop for about 15 minutes halfway through.

Once we got there, and George didn't get us lost on the subway,

we booked an overly priced hotel in Itaewon, and headed for the British Embassy to say hello to the British Ambassador to Korea, Martin, his wife Fiona, and their son, Thomas-- family friends of George's parents. Aside from the fact that they had to leave early to have dinner at the Korean Prime Minister's house, they were an extremely normal and lovely family. Fiona showed me around the Embassy; she showed me where they host dinner parties, and their incredibly beautiful English-esque (so she says) garden where events are also hosted. We sipped English tea and peach papaya juice, and chatted about hockey-- don't get me started. Thomas then showed George and I the pool and gave us a more intricate tour of the garden. We only stayed for just under two hours, as they had dinner plans and we wanted to start our evening.

Terrace view of the backyard/garden

Low level view

Terrace

Back of the Embassy

Poolside (sort of)

Suffice it to say, this was absolutely one of the highlights since I've been here. We are planning to go back once Gyeongju FC games dwindle down, and summer takes full effect. As George put it so eloquently (he wants to be a guest writer on this post-- so I'm sure he'll tell you about it in his own words) when we return, we can use the Embassy's amenities to their fullest extent. Swim in the pool, attempt to play tennis, walk around the garden, drink gin and tonic on the terrace. I'm not sure how a weekend could be better spent.

After we said our goodbyes and promised to meet up with Thomas after dinner, we went and ate at a super cute French bistro in Itaewon. Unfortunately, the best part of the meal was George's salmon appetizer and the French wine we ordered, as my plaice was not up to par, and my celery and pumpkin soup tasted like pureed nothing. But after eating only about five things in Gyeongju, pureed nothing and mediocre fish is still better than most things we could get back home.

When we finished our meals we met up with Thomas and his friend Nina for drinks. I wish I had gotten more pictures of the four of us at the first bar we went to, as it was so beautifully decorated and so Westernized they didn't even serve Korean beer. Nina left shortly afterwards, and the three of us ended up at a Mexican restaurant where we drank London Pride, and I answered Thomas' polite questions about Michigan and the Great Lakes-- a topic I am all too willing to discuss.

Eventually we transferred locations to a bar that offered strawberry soju by the pitcher. Not the classiest of drinks. But I did get good pictures.

An ode to MC Hammer

George and Thomas

To be continued.
aka...
I'm almost late for work.