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]