Midnight Thoughts as I Near the End

I got a little teary and sad today about leaving Sydney. I went to cancel my gym membership at the pool and it just felt so final. I loved going there. I’ve spent soooo many days in that beautiful park just passing time, back-stoking across the pool and staring up at an endlessly blue sky. It felt wrong to be saying goodbye.

I keep finding myself wondering if this will be the last time I ever visit our grocery store, the convenience store in our building run by the nicest Chinese woman and her adorable daughter, the last time I’ll get gelato from Cow & Moon, or the last bus ticket I will ever buy here. None of these things are extraordinarily awesome or anything, they’ve just been my small comforts in times when I would have done anything to feel human again. I’m not sure if I can explain it well. I know in my mind that they are small things to miss but I know in my heart that the small things have sustained me and that imagining a world without even these very small pleasures scares me. I know there will be bigger and better pleasures where we are going but still I’m a bit afraid.

I’m sure none of my friends would believe me if I told them that—that I still feel a little bit of fear when I embark on a new journey. Sometimes traveling is easy but saying goodbye rarely is. Even when I left my small Korean town last time in 2008, I was a bit weepy despite having hated it for nearly 6 months. The truth is that no matter where we are, the human spirit compels us to make a home—to have a community, familiarity, comforts and sanctuary. However insufficient life here has been, I’ve still had a home here and I’m abandoning it, no doubt in search of another one, but abandoning it all the same. 

I named this blog Twenty First Century Nomad when I first started blogging; it's sort of a name I adopted for myself while I was still in college and dreaming of traveling forever. I grew up with a very warped and transient idea of home which in many ways has made me feel like I have no home at all. But I realize now, after a lot of traveling and life experience, that nomads are nothing like what my 21 yr old self thought they were.

Nomads are not “homeless” people but rather people with many homes. They are not gypsies, ever in motion and never returning to their roots. Real nomadic people like Kyrgyz and Mongols actually have several “homes” that they return to every year at different times, shuffling their herds around to the best grasslands at the best times of the year across vast expanses of land. They return to familiar places. Their children return to play in the same creek beds as the year before, fall out of the same trees, climb on the same rocks, eat the same roots, swim in the same lakes… They are not homeless people, people with no sense of home, or even people with no desire to stay put. On the contrary, they are people with a very deep rooted sense of belonging to the land and their surrounds, their hunting grounds, the traditions, the seasons, the places, the memories.

My idea of what a nomad was back in my early years of travel was very naive and romanticized. Back then, I didn’t really understand the concept of “home” or what it means to belong somewhere. I didn’t think I ever would. And yet, even in the hardest of environments (Sydney), I’ve made a home. It was in part a conscious effort but also in part a surprise because I never expected that I would feel the emotions I felt today. I never thought I would miss this place. I never thought I loved this place in any way despite so many efforts to. But I do. I don’t love the whole of it but I love pieces of it and it’s the culmination of those pieces that makes me realize leaving here means I really will be missing out on something.

When Jeremy got home from work I had a bit of cry with him because I felt so sad to be leaving without having found the “home” I expected. I came here with pretty high hopes of loving this place and becoming Australian one day but situations overcame us and I couldn’t make it—I couldn’t mold what I had into what I wanted. Call it money problems or call it people problems; the short of it is that it just didn’t work. And I feel bad because there is so much I wanted to see and so much I wanted to do, because I really do believe in the cliched Australia, that somewhere out there is a small town where everyone wants to be your friend and invite you to barbecues on the beach. I lamented to him that I fear this place would never be my home again, that I would always return as a visitor and only as a visitor, that I will never have that chance to find the life I wanted to have here.

I know that all sounds so existential but it’s what I feel and in someways it’s what I know. I know that somewhere in my heart my dreams have been burned. I know that even if I ever tried it again here, I would still have pain and I may never get beyond it. So leaving here really is a bit existential—it’s the end. There is no return. I’m not going to find that dream. I may return as a polite observer of the natural wonders this country has to offer but I will never own them as my own, and that makes me sad. I’m leaving my home. I’m really leaving my home. I’m returning to another home (Korea) but I’m well and truly leaving this one. I won’t return next season to play in the same creek beds as the year before, fall out of the same trees, climb on the same rocks, eat the same roots, swim in the same lakes…

In leaving here I am both breaking with my nomad tradition and also keeping it.

In many ways I’m tired of traveling. I miss my original home—my country, the United States. I haven’t touched soil there since August 2007 and I miss it so much. The smell of evergreen trees, the really random kindness of strangers, going to baseball games, watching the super bowl (mind you, I don’t really care about sports), eating barbecue ribs and listening to my uncle play the harmonica. I miss everyday life. We’re heading back to Korea for what I think will be two years and I know that’s all it’ll be, but it feels like too much sometimes. My heart keeps telling me it’s time to return to my traditional home, to the grasslands of my youth, where my clan is waiting for me.

I hope that one day I’ll make it back to the home I miss most. 

Growing our Little Family

I am a dog lover. Always have been, always will be. I was raised with dogs--rottweilers, mastiffs, labs, spaniels, mutts, chihuahuas... We've done it all. Having a dog in your life is like having a better best friend. It's impossible to duplicate the love of a dog. Who else will wet themself with excitement when you come home? Who else will lick your face and lay at your feet when you're sad? Who else will so faithfully protect you to death at even the slightest knock on the door?

Only a dog.

These last two years I've been so lonely without any best friend. I have gone months without a hug from anyone other than Jeremy and I've been so desperate to be touched, loved and needed that I've often fantasized about hugging strangers, and it was during these times that I realized a dog would greatly improve my life. I needed to be needed. I wanted to be wanted. I longed for a best friend.

So I started going to the dog park near my house where lots of dogs just run around and play with each other completely unhindered and free. It was so refreshing and soul lifting to lay in the grass under blue skies and laugh at the silliness of two dogs meeting for the first time. It made my heart lighter and I found reason to laugh and smile on so many empty days.

We talked a lot about getting a dog here in Australia but it can be really expensive. Vaccinations and vet bills are costly and many apartments won't let you have pets. Not to mention, food costs a lot and we don't make much money either. But I've wanted one so bad... I just know in my heart that what's missing from my life is a dog. And so we've decided to get a dog in Korea.

We leave Sydney on February 17th for South Korea and will be settling into Busan (our new home) at the end of the month. We're already getting ready by clearing out our house and selling things which has made it much more real, and last night Jeremy brought up pet adoptions in Korea after seeing a thread on one of Korea's notorious expat forums.

I poked around on the forums a bit this morning and ended up finding lots and lots of really great information about wonderful, English speaking, no-kill shelters in Korea where they've rescued thousands of dogs from abuse, abandonment and even from meat markets. Some of the stories will shock you. Yes, some Koreans still eat dogs and many of these dedicated rescue workers have saved lives by stealing them straight of the truck to the market or by purchasing them outright and taking them to shelters.

I read a lot of stories about individual dogs and cats who really need forever families. Lots of people who don't want to commit to forever foster animals in Korea for a few months and sometimes even years until they can find homes but sometimes they just end up going back to the shelter. Some of them have gone back and forth a few times. Many of them have health issues like heartworm or skin allergies. One poor puppy had stomach cancer and thankfully, through appeals for donations, was able to have surgery. Another dog has cushing's disease and his medical needs are about $150 a month until someone adopts him and can pay for surgery. It just makes me so sad. So many of them get left behind, beaten or abandoned and have to live out sad, lonely lives in cages. Many only get walked once a week because there is a shortage of volunteers and few have indoor homes for the winter.


Reading all of this today has only reaffirmed what I knew in my heart: I need to save a dog. I need to give someone a home. I need to empty my heart into some poor soul and better someone else's life.
And then I came across Annie.

Annie is a 2-5 yr old bulldog that was found lost, dirty and starving in Jeju City and was taken to a government run shelter where she was found sometime later boney and suffering from a serious skin condition. The no-kill shelter that removed her said she had mayeb only 2-3 days left before she would have died of hypothermia and hunger. The poor girl had suffered a lot of abuse from her previous owner and had many injuries that needed attention. Thankfully some wonderful people with big hearts found her because they were able to nurse her back to health. Annie slept solidly for several months from exhaustion and illness but made a pretty good recovery. Now she is energetic, healthy and happier and her skin condition is healing up.

But Annie has been at the shelter for over a year now. They don't have the money to keep their dogs up to date with vets and there isn't much information about their vaccination status and particularly about Annie's skin condition. This is mostly because there is no money to pay the bills. So Annie still needs a home. She loves getting out for walks but there aren't enough volunteers either and sometimes she only gets to go for a walk once or twice a week.


She really needs a family.

Which is why, if she's still available when I arrive, I'm going to take her home and give her a family and love her forever. Bulldogs are companion dogs who need lots of love and attention. They are a bit high maintenance because they need someone to clean the folds in their skin so they don't get yeast infections and they need someone to wipe away the eye goobers every day. I've never had a bulldog before but I'm up for the challenge! I want to make sure Annie gets all the care she deserves. I seriously love her already.


I'm a little worried about her skin condition but I'm looking into it. It sounds like she may have Black Skin Disease in which case I worry that there might not be anything we can do. If there isn't and it persists, it might be difficult getting her through quarantine in the US when we eventually return. I feel really strongly that I can't leave any of my babies behind but I really want to change poor Annie's life.
If any of you are interested in donating to one of these wonderful, loving animal shelters in Korea, I believe most of them accept PayPal donations. You can find out more about them here: Korea Animal Rescue Org.


I can't wait to get to Korea and start growing my little furbaby family!

The Korea I Remember: Part II

This is Part II in a series of photos from Korea. To see the first set, click here.

At the Sunrise Festival in Yeongduk, we all put little papers with wishes written on them into this tree which was later set on fire so that our dreams may go to heaven. My wish actually came true and I'll be writing about it in the next few weeks! To read more about the Sunrise Festival, click here.

I would often go on little photo walks in Jeomchon just to see what I would see. Down the street from my apartment was a bounce house set up for the neighborhood kids and they were all so excited to let me take their photo--especially this one in the middle. Isn't she adorable?! Check out my other photos from my day out by clicking here.

Mungyeong SaeJae is a provincial road and gate system through the mountains near my home. A river runs through the park and on one occasion I happened upon a group of young people splashing in the water. The sun was hitting the water just right and it was photo magic! To read another story about hiking at Mungyeong Sae Jae, click here.

More photos from out and about in Jeomchon. These kids were so cute. I always loved that about Jeomchon and Korea in general--the people were so nice. To read more about the people in Jeomchon, click here.

At the end of the year, my girls school went to the Sae Jae for a sports day where we had all kinds of competitions and they all dressed up. It was so much fun and a really great way to wrap up my year of teaching. Read more about it here.

This is one of the many beautiful water feature/fountains that pour spring water for hikers at Jiksi Temple in Gimcheon. Read more about the temple and see more photos here.

Hiking in Mungyeong Sae Jae is wonderful. This is the last of three provincial gates up through the mountains--a long hike but worth it! To read more about Mungyeong Sae Jae, click here.

 I used to pass by the beautiful green home every Monday and Friday when I walked to my boys high school. One day, I was out taking photos of my city as part of a photographic tour and I decided to peak over the wall and take some photos of my favorite house. To see more of what a provincial Korean mountain town looks like, click here.

The Korea I Remember: Part I

A blogger whom I follow recently started a series of posts on her favorite photos from Korea (she too was a teacher) and it got me thinking about all the photos I love and all the people I miss, so I decided to post one of my own. Here are a few of my memories.

Taken at the city festival. More photos here.

The Sunrise Festival in Yeongduk where Koreans gather every year to watch the sun rise over the Pacific for the first time that year. Read the blog here.

Just some random photos I took of a hogwan I visited in Jeomchon. I really love the black and white startchiness of the photos and how empty the room is. So artsy!

More photos from the Jiksi Temple in Gimcheon here.

This was a traditional play put on at the Mask Dance Festival. I can't remember the whole story about these characters but they are noted people of Korean folk lore. Read the story of my adventure at the Mask Dance Festival in Andong here.

Again, traditional Korean wrestling (similar to sumo) from the mask dance festival.

Part of the Buddha's Birthday Lantern Festival Parade in Seoul. These ajummas (old married women) came out a bit blurry but I still love it. They make me think of evil ghosts (similar to the truth). Read more about the parade here. (This is also the first time I mention Jeremy by name in my blog!)

 

I once had the pleasure of attending a very intimate family gathering in Jeomchon for the Seollal (Lunar New Year) Festival. Families come home and give thanks to their ancestors at an alter filled with food from the harvest. It was really interesting and such a great opportunity! Read more about it here.



 To give my readers and idea of what my little mountain town was like, I posted a blog where I took everyone on a photographic walking tour. This little girl was just one of the many I saw and smiled at along the way. Read the story and see the sights here.

Too Tired to Blog

I feel so tired lately. I've been working full time for the last month and I had forgotten how much energy that took. My day is reduced to wake up, shower, make lunches, watch news, check emails (but don't reply), catch the bus, work, eat lunch with Jeremy, day dream, work more, catch another bus, cook dinner, watch house, brush teeth, and repeat.

But, in the midst of my exhaustion, some good things are happening.

1. We turned in the visa application and I did my health check. We're still waiting for the results as well as the letter of confirmation for the submission of the visa, but all in good time I suspect.

2. Because I've had so much work, we've been able to save a bit of money and we almost have enough to come home. Never mind we only have enough for the flights but that's at least a start. We'll have to wait for the visa to be approved before I leave the country (and before we purchase tickets) but I'm really excited about seeing my family again.

3. We're a couple of dreamers and even though I don't have full time work and even though we don't have money, we're going to start putting it aside for a real vacation. Maybe Burma in December? We're hoping to take advantage of Jeremy's forced leave around Christmas. And we're desperate for a change of scene. Life here is a little boring...

4. I got paid for my photography! Yay! It wasn't much but more than what I expected. We've since decided to put that towards our trip home and I'll worry about camera gear later. Family first, camera second. (Trying to get my priorities in order!)

5. Jeremy's birthday is on April 5th and we're making plans for our big 4 day weekend! Okay, so we can't really do much but we do plan on going to Luna Park (Sydney's Coney Island equivalent) and picnicking on the harbour (we bought some expensive goat cheese for the occasion since we don't have money go away but still deserve a treat). There might also be some hiking and beach coming in this weekend adventure--stay tuned!

6. I've been in touch with the Korean Times and I'm writing an article for them about Jeomchon as a second part to their story on Mungyeong and the hidden gems of Korean tourism! This is SUPER exciting to get my first piece published in a national paper! And they want to print some pictures to go along with it! They intend to run it on or around April 9th so I'll keep you posted when it goes to print! I love success. Make me feel so confident. :)

7. Easter and Passover! We've been blessed with a lovely package from Mom and Grandma with birthday presents for Jeremy and yummy chocolate for us both to share! I love Easter! We're also planning to have our first family Seder and we've purchased some matzo to make some matzo ball soup! (Not really that delicious but void of calories, so...) I'm also making us a wild goat roast! Never done roast (or goat!) before so I'm hoping it works out! Can't wait to tell you all about it! A special blog is coming up about the Seder!!

8. It's raining and it hasn't rained in weeks! I know some of you will think I'm crazy for saying this but I'm so sick of sun. I just want some real dark and cold days! The rain today is the best reprieve I've had from pit stains and a sweaty back in weeks! Our house has been roasting inside and all I can think about--dream about!--is snow and other cold wet things. Like pavement. I am a Northwest girl through-and-through. I often wonder if I have RSAD (Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder) because I seriously feel drained of energy on sunny days and I feel my best in the dark hours before sunrise. And it's even weirder when your seasons are backwards. Right now, my body is saying, "Hey! It should be getting warmer here!" But my head knows it's getting cooler. It really messes me up. But to top it off, spring and fall are like two week seasons here which means there is almost no transition period to ease your way in. I feel like I'm in a seasonal vacuum! And even though it'll get "cooler," it will never get "cold." This body was made to vacation in the tropics--not live in them. Us Anglo Saxons were never meant for the desert.

And, as a side note, I wanted to share with you one of the cute little things Jeremy did today. We have this on-going joke at work that's been perpetuating for months (I keep getting called back to temp at his work place). Whenever I stop by his desk and he's not there, I leave silly little post-it notes in unexpected places. He usually finds them right away like in his coffee cup or under his keyboard but sometimes it takes him a while like the one under his desk or the one in a binder (I think the one in the binder lasted about 3 weeks). Well, today I arrived at work to find a post-it on my desk that said, "Two can play this game!" He didn't leave me many but they were wonderful all the same. I found one under my mouse with some undecipherable scribble on it (Jeremy has atrocious handwriting--he used to be called in to professor's offices to read them his papers) and one in my notebook with a silly little self portrait on it! I was quite surprised and even though I had a tough day today, those little notes gave me reason to smile.

Can I just say that I love, love, love this guy? It's so wonderful to know him and be loved by him. I came across some of my old boyfriends on Facebook today and it really made me realize how fortunate I am that it never worked out between me and them. They are every where and every thing I don't want to be. I'm sure they are still kind people, but wow, my life would be vastly different and I would hate it. Someone had bigger plans for me--and bigger plans yet! I'm so glad to be on this journey with Jeremy. He once called me his Sputnik (Russian for "traveling companion") and I wouldn't have it any other way.

As I was saying...

Okay, I'm going to get back to what I was saying before the giant cockroach attacked me.

Korea
I think it's fairly obvious and well known now that I haven't been the happiest camper here in Australia. Heat + No Friends + No Possessions + No Family + COCKROACHES + Expenses + No Suitable Job = Misery. Jeremy isn't quite the happiest camper either so a couple months ago we started giving some pretty serious thought to going back to Korea and we started looking for jobs. We eventually found one too but the start date wasn't until late May which meant we would have to hang around here for at least a month after my Working Holiday visa expired (which really isn't such a good option for me). Anyway, to make a long story short, we found out a few things (which I shall not disclose in such a public forum) and ultimately decided that we wouldn't be going afterall which makes me a little bit sad.

I really miss Korea. I miss the ajumas with 50 lb kids on their backs. I miss friendly kids who like to have their pictures taken. I miss students who make me laugh. I miss the delicious food and I miss the cheap accomodation. I miss traveling and I miss having friends. And I miss meeting random people who instantly become your friends! Actually, I miss all things random. I miss being surprised by life. Sydney, to me, seems like such a gaurded place... Life was simpler in Korea and I really wish I could have that back.

But for the forseeable future, we'll be remaining in Sydney. Seriously, I welcome visitors. Please. Visit me.

Visas
And on that topic, since we aren't going to Korea and will be staying in here instead, we submitted our partner visa application on Wednesday! I can't believe it has taken us so long to get all of that information together! Wow. I started this back in September and seriously, some things took months to get. Now, I'm a multi-tasker of the Multi-tasking Jedi Order and when I say there was no way to get this done quicker, I mean it. For instance, the FBI background check took 1.5 months. The South Korean background check took 1 month. The Soap Lake PD background check took an obscene 3 months because the idiot police chief refused to answer the phone when an unavailable number came up (my solution was to place calls back to back for 20 minutes until he was annoyed enough to pick up the phone). Jeremy (bless him!) is slow as sludge when it comes to getting things done. He's thourough but slow. It took him a couple months to finally finish his personal statement (you have no idea how much nagging has gone down in this place). And of course, there were a million other little things that just took time. To say the least, getting that binder off my coffee table was literally removing a huge weight from my chest.

So what now? I will go on to a bridging visa soon (maybe this week) which is just an automatic thing that happens when you're inbetween visas (obviously--bridging?) and then I have to do a health check on the 20th and wait for those results to be submitted. Let's hope the health check goes better than the last one and that the Australian immigration department processes it faster (we are paying $2,525 for it after all). Once that's approved (hopefully in a month from now but I'm being optimistic), I'll be granted my partner visa and given free healthcare! ACE! Just kidding... Sort of. No, I'll also have full working rights, lower taxes (working holiday visa holders are taxed a flat 30%), residency, and health care options. Right now, my only health care option is cash which isn't so bad since costs are kept low here but I'm looking forward to life where you don't have to worry about accidents...

Temping
I have been so lucky this week with work! I finished Wesley Private Hospital a couple weeks ago and spent a week on my own at home doing nothing, which I know you all think that sounds great but it isn't. Really. Nine hours of Facebook kills brain cells. So, I hope you can imagine my excitement when I got a call to do two days at Thomson Reuters for my old boss Alysia! It was wonderful to be back. I really missed everyone there, not to mention I missed eating lunch with Jeremy. And on Tuesday I got another job offer to do some work as a marketing assistant in Artarman (north Sydney) one day a week for a month! It's just Fridays but I love that I can actually use my brain and publishing skills in this job and no matter how short it is, it's still a great experience and an amazing opportunity to beef up the professional side of my resume. And, I get to go back to Thomson next week for three more days of work! It's so exciting to think that I'll be getting four days of work next week! This hasn't happened in months! My paycheck should be good. :)

Paychecks
And, thinking of paychecks, Jeremy got his annual bonus this week which was nearly 3x's more than he was expecting so hopefully that plus our left over visa savings will be enough to fly us home this summer!

Photography
Well, my meeting with Crown Catering was cancelled because the owner got sick and couldn't make it, so I haven't been paid yet and they haven't received their photos. I'm anxious to finalized this deal though because my camera could really use the pick-me-up. I've been seriously debating what I should buy with the money I've made--thoughts? It's a toss up between an external flash, a macro lens, and mid-length lens (mine's broken), or a new camera bag and tripod. Honestly, I need all of those things but the money isn't good enough to cover more than one (other than the bag/tripod combo). I'm definitely getting to the point where I need a new camera all together which also has me thinking about putting all of the money towards it. What I want is an Olympus E-3 but it'll take me a while before I can afford it. It's about $2,000+ in Australia... My current camera, the Olympus E-500, has been good but is starting to fail me in quality and I'm finding it's becoming less and less versatile as it's brothers and sisters keep getting more and more advanced. If you're reading this and you're a camera junky or maybe struggled with this once before too, I'd like your input. As for when this whole photo/paycheck thing is going to happen, I'm hoping for Monday. I'll keep you posted.

Life Down Under

"We-Are-Fam-i-ly"

Saturday night was a big ol' family dinner at a Thai restaurant way out in the middle of Nowhere, Australia. But it was delicious food and a good time. Everyone was there and we order TONS of food, picked off each other's plates, caught up on all the latest stories, made fun of Michael (J's brother) because he's been seeing this girl almost everyday but says they're not dating (right...), talked about our trip, and hung out with Uncle Bob and Greta who live in Thailand and only come home once every few months. Afterwards, we all went to J's grandparent's home for some coffee, tea and dessert. When we left, I was so surprised to realize that J's family is so much like my own sometimes. We all gossiped over cheesecake, poked fun at each other, someone passed out on the couch from too much wine, the boys went out back to look at Uncle Bob's boat, and at the end of the night it was hugs, kisses and goodbyes as we headed out to our next party--we only stayed for about 10 minutes. I guess that's a sign that hanging out with the family can be just as much fun as hanging out with your friends (and just as tiring too!) so we headed home and got some rest. It was a wonderful night out and showed me once again (as if I didn't already know) just how wonderful Jeremy's family really is. I feel at home here and I'm so glad to be here with him.

The slow life...

Yesterday was Doug's birthday (that's Jeremy's sister's fiancee) and we took some interesting back roads to get there. It was kinda like adventuring all over again and it felt good to be out of the house. The party was really nice and I finally got to meet some the people Karen talks about a lot. One thing you'll notice about Australians (should you ever visit) is how relaxed they are. I was shocked when this one dog at the party (not Karen's) peed on TWO hand bags and no one flinched. They just laughed and carried on. Didn't even wash it off. I know this is probably a relaxed extreme (because most people would get upset) but it's still true: Australians are certainly less up-tight than my own people.

Reflecting on my Time in Korea

I've been having some dreams lately about being back in the classroom at Mung Yeoung Girls High School; last night it was about being evaluated by another foreign teacher with a TESOL certificate and my old co-teacher, Shin Eun Jeong. In my dream I felt that I was doing a good job in the classroom but it seemed like I wasn't getting good marks on my evaluation because I kept hearing Shin say, "Well, it's not bad for someone who isn't certified." Of course I know exactly what it means. I've found myself feeling a little guilty lately for not putting more effort into my lessons at school and feeling like sometimes I really just checked out of class all together. Teaching was hard and those last few months it left me a little bitter. I didn't really know what I was doing there and I was so ill-equipped to teach students of another language. I've often said that Koreans really need to change their education system if they want students to succeed in English but I never believe it more than now. They take on too many inexperienced teachers and ask them to teach 24 different classes a week of 40 students each for one hour at a time and expect those test scores to improve. How? How can anyone be successful in such a situation? I don't think I want to teach again. I love the whole "imparting wisdom and knowledge" part but I'm definitely not a fan of lesson planning. Maybe I'm just not that creative. And I'm a person who needs visible results that can be seen a little more often than once every few months.

Work and Stuff

So, Tuesday night will be my first night closing by myself. I've got the key and I'm ready. I'm also thinking that after I get paid this week, I might enter myself in the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary volunteer program. It's $60 and lasts for three months but it would give me a chance to hangout with the animals, fill some empty hours around the house, and look into a new career that I never really put much thought into. I'm still planning on grad school for journalism but I must admit, there is a bit of lingering doubt there... Is it really the right path for me? I feel like I'm in a good place to make a career shift so I just want to check out a few other options...

Mother's Day

Mother's day is coming up and I've been thinking a lot about my mom and how much I miss her. She really is a wonderful mom. She always supports me and helps me out financially when I need it. She always sends me packages when I'm missing things like Butterfingers or Macaroni and Cheese. She always takes time to talk with me when I call. She really is a good momma. I was thinking about her the other day and how when I was in my last year of school I pretty much broke down under the stress of The Talon Journal and all my writing classes and really just needed someone to cry with me. I bawled, and bawled, and bawled on the phone with her for nearly two hours and she just sat there, crying with me, encouraging me, assuring me that I made the right decision to resign, and giving my assistant editor a few verbal slappings for betraying me (a good momma always defends her young). My mom may not always be capable of giving me the best advice but she always gives the best hugs (even if it's just over the phone).

I love my mom.

Friends, this is my boyfriend, Jeremy.

I realize that most of you know nothing about this amazing boyfriend of mine and until you get a chance to meet him in person, I hope I can give you a little glimpse of who he is.



-He always puts the lid on too tight (and often can't get it off either). This is how the camp stove was broken.

-He never gets upset over spilled milk. One time, the blender exploded on us and sent pureed watermelon all over the living room of his apartment and we both just looked at it and laughed. Later, I dropped a glass of milk. We had to mop the floor three times in that one day!

-He's a computer nerd. There is nothing he can't find, whether it's the latest season of your favorite TV show or an article from an obscure newspaper in 1986.

-He often falls down the "Wikipedia Hole." Yes, he loves to read the encyclopedia and can do it for a VERY long time.

-Thank God he doesn't play Nintendo or Play Station but he still likes his computer games--particularly simulation games.

-He hates Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson (with the exception of Brave Heart).

-His McDonald's meal is a double quarter pounder with a large fry and large vanilla shake.

-When Jeremy was 13 he was hit by a car and yet he STILL walks out in front of them! It scares me ALL the time!

-Despite the wide range of trance, dance and house music on his MP# player, he also has Shakira love songs. But don't ask him about it. He won't admit it. :)

-One day he would love to own a rare books store.

-He only likes ties that have patterns stitched into them. No prints. And color doesn't always matter--but the stitch does.

-Jeremy used to buy pizza for all his classes on the last day of the quarter to reward them for all their hard work.

-Jeremy says that sleeping is a fine art that has taken him many years to perfect.

-He makes the world's BEST scrambled eggs and Thai curry.

-He isn't allergic to anything.

-Sometimes he eats raw slices of onion but I don't complain because he doesn't when I eat raw slices of garlic. That's one stinky kiss!!

-Jeremy speaks Russian but also studied French and Indonesian.

-We met online. Yes, using Facebook.

-The first time he said "I love you" to me was when he found a can of Red Bull in the fridge with a note that said, "Because I love you." Red Bull is his favorite and he knew I had to go an hour out of my way to buy him a can. But he doesn't remember saying it. The first time he remembers saying it was when he took me to the bus station and gave me a kiss goodbye after a long weekend together.

-When we get to Australia, Jeremy and I are going to train for a triathlon together--his idea!! From the guy who doesn't like sports!

-Our second date was the night before I went to Thailand on vacation. When I came to his house, he was still at work but left me a little Thai Airways gift baf complete with a travel hairbrush, socks, eye mask, and a little note that said: "Welcome aboard. We're not called Assussies airlines. Please find a selection of newspapers available for your reading pleasure, together with this gift pack. If you would like a meal... get it yourself! :) "

-He likes to kiss me on the eye lids when I fall asleep.

-On our first date we went to eat dakkalbi in an alley restaurant. On our last night in Korea, we ate there again with all our friends.

-He's almost blind without his glasses.

-For his birthday (April 5th), I gave him an Australia themed box full of Fan Tails, Jaffas, Vegemite, newspapers, and other little goodies like Uncle Toby's snack bars. How did I get these things in Korea? I met some Aussies in THailand and gave them $200 to buy some stuff and sent it to me for his birthday. Yeah--we'd only been on two dates but I knew he was special and I wanted to impress him... And I did! He couldn't believe that I would go through all that trouble for him and that's when he decided to REALLY like me.

-He LOVES milk. Chocolate milk, stawberry milk, banana milk, vanilla milk, coffee milk, regular milk, LIME milk! (The lime stuff is an Australian thing.)

-I have only seen him angry three times: once when a guy grabbed my butt on a train in Baku, once when a guy commented on my butt in a Luxor street market, and once when a guy tried taking my picture with his phone while I was crying in Alexandria. He is a really slow-to-anger, understanding, "let's talk this through" kind of guy.

-He's becoming quite a good photographer!!

-Even though Jeremy has spent most of his life split between Canberra and Brisbane, if you ask him, he'll say he's from Melbourne because that's where he was born and where he most identifies himself.

-On February 3rd, Jeremy and I will celebrate one year together. :)

JOY to the world!

Reasons to be joyful:

1. I survived the bus ride to Hopa, Turkey from Erzurum. Holy cow. Miraculously, I didn't get sick until the very end. Our driver hurled our bus up and down perilously steep cliffs next to infinitely deep ravines (yes, at times the bottom was too far away to see) all the while speeding up as he rounded corners and passed cars in oncoming traffic. On one lane roads. With rock cliffs on the other side. I survived 6 hours of this.

2. We made it in to Georgia last night without many problems (though there was some minor confusion as to why people with anything other than a Turkish visa would cross the border in Georgia). My visa was free but Jeremy--poor guy--had to pay $60 for his. Ouch! And the sucky thing is that he'll have to buy a second one on the way back from Armenia. But mine was fee. So I'm happy.

3. My pension money from Korea finally came in which means that I won't have to leave J at the end of October and instead I can continue traveling for another month or two. Yay!!

4. Georgia is BEAUTIFUL and the people are NICE! Who would have thought? After all the miscreants and vultures we met in Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, India, and Pakistan, I was beginning to wonder if all the nice people in Asia had been corralled and held against their will somewhere.

5. My student loan has been deferred. Big sigh of relief.

6. I have the sweetest boyfriend. Here's a cute story for you all: we were staying at a hostel in Istanbul and I was feeling a little sick but decided to join him while he read in the common room. But the place was full of smoke and it was making me choke up so I got up and left, crawled into my little twin bunk bed, turned on the lamp, and started reading there. About 10 minutes later Jeremy comes peeking in through the door and curls up into my bed next to me. He said, "I was wondering where you went. I thought you went to the bathroom but you didn't come back and I missed you. I wanted you next to me." Awe! Melting... I'm melting... Cute things like this happen everyday and I'm so glad that I get to share this wonderful adventure with him. It's really bringing us so much closer and showing me everyday a million new reasons why I love him so much.

India Day 1

Okay, so first off, my apologies for neglecting this blog for soo long. I've just been too busy to blog much and near the end my priorities shifted from spending time on the internet to spending time with Jeremy and my friends.

These last few weeks have been the best few weeks I've ever had in Korea and I'm really going to miss people. Saying goodbye to Jeremy at the airport was nearly devastating. I don't know what to say. I'm not sure what happens now. I cried for hours on the plane and all night. It's only been one day but after spending two weeks together, one day seems like eternity. And I know it may be 8 or 9 months before we see each other again. What happens then is a mystery. All I can say is that I seriously love this guy. He is the most kind, gentle, tender, understanding, patient, and caring man I've ever known. He's not just my boyfriend. He's my best friend. It's going to be hard for the next few weeks to not spend my time counting down days and rather enjoy my trip...

As for India, my first acquaintance was a stinky one. I'm pretty sure India is the armpit of the world. Yes, that's right. Holy pit stains, it reeks of sweat here! The flight to India from Malaysia was intoxicating. And the man next to me drank a lot of whiskey. But I'm here. I checked into my hotel last night (bare but live able, though the toilet is something else) and I got up this morning and came straight to the internet cafe. I had to get up all those posts before I got too far behind. So, here I am. Not much else to say. It's 9:30 AM and I still need to call my mom. After that, I'm moving to a new hotel room, getting some food and much needed water, and then hopefully starting to see the city. Stay tuned! Photos and stories on the way!

7 Months and Last night in Korea

Wednesday, September 3rd, was our 7 month anniversary and our last night together in Seoul. To celebrate, we went out to dinner with some more friends at the same restaurant we had our first date in. :)

It wasn't even close to as wild as this photo suggests. lol. But we had a good time.

All of Jeremy's Seoul friends (l-r): Jin (being weird), Tony, (?), Ryan, Jeremy, Me, and Ian.

These guys are all super nice and just like the Incheon crowd, have adopted me into their group. I'm so glad I got to know a few of them. Maybe one day we'll meet again.

Last night in Incheon

Out at Wild Max for one last night of drinks with friends.

Here are (l-r): Megan, Heather, Lindsey, and Simon.

And Sonja looking cute as ever. :)

J and I.

It was a really nice night out with friends. I'm sure going to miss these people. I met them all through Jeremy but they've always been so nice to me. I hope we meet again someday.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

On this last Sunday, we went out with some friends for a little baseball in Seoul. What an experience!

Left to right: Hartman, Tracy (?), Heather, and Jeremy.

Korean baseball is crazy. EVERYONE cheers and bangs thundersticks together so the stadium roars. And there are cheerleaders and MCs!

Some Korean craziness. It was a pretty wild game. We didn't catch any balls but several home runs landed in our section.

Forget the cracker jacks! Koreans eat dried squid as a game time snack. J and I said ewe but our friends liked it.

Climbing Sunrise Peak

On the way back from the lava tubes, we stopped at Sunrise Peak. Sunrise Peak is an extinct volcano that separated from the island to make it's own little island. What is really cool about it is that the top is concave and not convex, meaning it's like a big hole, and full of grass and wildlife.

But before we went up, we needed a picture of one of Jeju's many phallus of malice men. :) These guys are everywhere. And yes, they really are meant to look like penises; it's no accident.

What'd I say? Wildlife... Actually this colt was in a pasture at the base of the mountain along with two other horses for hire. lol. But pretty none the less.

The view on our way up.

From the top... (left)

From the top... (right)

From the top... (us) :)

Back at the bottom. Beautiful pastures and sea views.

"Arr! We are the wolves of the sea!" (An inside joke) That's me, btw.

That beautiful sunset.

Sea cliffs with crashing waves.

My favorite photo. It was pretty romantic. I love this guy.

The next day, before heading back to Seoul, we stopped at this cool waterfall which Koreans purport is the only waterfall in Asia that falls into the sea. I guess the tide was out...?

Back to Seoul!