Korea, here I come

Don't worry, it's South Korea. I officially got offered a job working at the Simson School in Seoul, South Korea. I leave January 2! It will be here before I know it. I'll be teaching history, science, and literature in English to fifth and sixth graders. I'm so excited, and I little nervous too. I think this will be an absolutely awesome experience, but I'm sure there will be some hiccups along the way. There always are when working in a different environment and culture.

So in the meantime I'll be trying to prepare myself by learning the Korean alphabet, getting my paperwork figured out, and deciding what I need to take with me for a year in Korea. And also spending time with my family before I leave.

I invite anyone who wants to come visit me, to come. I'll have a studio apartment, so you might have to sleep on the floor, but hey it would be a free room. And if anyone has any advice on teaching ESL, please throw it my way.

Discovery

So being in Colorado has made me discover things I dearly missed.  My sister-in-law has a lovely baby grand piano, and I've been playing every day.  I haven't played in two years, and I forgot how much I like it - even though I get super frustrated sometimes when I can't find the right notes. But it's still great, and it helps that she teaches piano lessons and has a ton of music.

Playing all kinds of sports.  In Virginia I played basketball but not much else.  Here I've been playing golf (I know shocking, but fun), and softball.  I haven't played softball in so long, and I actually got hit in the face with a ball because I wasn't catching right, but I only bled for a little while and then went back out on the field.  Major fun.  We also have some tennis courts near my brother's house, so I'll have to convince him to be patient and go play with me.  I'm really no good at tennis.

Reading for fun.  Being in grad school the past two years didn't offer me tons of time to read for pleasure.  Since being here for a month I've read five books already and I'm still going.  It helps that there isn't TV or Internet at my brother's place, so I have lots of time to read.  But I'm enjoying it.    

The Mile High State

I'm in Durango, Colorado now and it is absolutely beautiful.  There are mountains - real mountains!  I can see the stars at night, and there is no humidity, and it is just plain lovely.  The other night I stepped out onto the balcony and heard crickets.  I can't describe how great it was to be able to hear nature instead of sirens, or neighbors fighting, or cars whizzing by.  I have missed the West and it is great to be back.  It's also great to be with my brother, sister-in-law, and cute little niece.  She's so tiny - of course she's only three weeks old so that's part of the reason.  She has quite a bit of hair the forms into this uber cool mohawk.  She totally pulls it off. 

Of course there are the down sides of being here.  I miss my friends in DC :(  And my body is definitely not used to the altitude here.  I'm super sleepy trying to adjust to it.  And my cute niece does have a tendency to cry; she is not a fan of her car seat or baths.  But I'm keeping my chin up.

I love Elvis and dancing

I was bored in class, so I wrote a poem...

The Middle

I sat upon an empty stair, alone
In my own thoughts, considering my path
In life – whether I should go up or down.
I was stuck in the middle, you see,
The middle of I don’t know what or where –
The middle of life and love
Of progress and choice.
But wait, what is the middle of life?
If there is a middle, I don’t know
When it is. The end is unknown;
A close or distant point
Depending on choices that I make
And fate and luck.
I can only enjoy what I am given
What I earn,
And what I fairly take.
Only I can decide how I view my life
And so I choose –
I choose sore stomachs and dewy eyes
From laughing until it hurts
And letting the tears come freely.
I choose dirty feet and sticky hands
From running barefoot in the country
And summers filled with fresh fruit and ice cream.
I choose wet clothes and exhaustion
From dancing in the rain and water fights
And playing baseball too hard and too much.
I choose ugly hair and wrinkly skin
From driving with my car top down
And smiling so much as I soak in the sun.
From all this I realized that I’m not
Stuck – I’m free.
Free in the middle of my life!

Things that annoy me

I was sitting in my bedroom, hanging out with my super cool roommate Lisa, complaining about the fact that I never know what to blog about. Then I was surfing around on Facebook, and saw that my friend was engaged. Naturally, I wanted to see a picture of his fiance, but her profile picture is of her engagement ring - not of her beautiful face. (Actually, I don't know if it's beautiful because I couldn't see it, but I'm taking my friend's word here.) So that got me thinking about things that annoy me. And so starts the list:

1. When people put their engagement ring as their profile picture. I want to see you, not your ring, your hand, your foot, or any other body part that doesn't show your face. I don't think it shows how clever you are, it's just annoying. If you want to post those pictures, that's what the albums tab is for.

2. When people throw garbage in the recycling bin, or recycling in the garbage can (this bugs Lisa too), especially when they're right next to each other. Take a little time, people, take a little time.

3. When people feel the need to add filler words throughout their sentences such as; you know, and such, um, uh, does that make sense, etc. If you don't have a complete thought stop for a moment and form it. It will make you sound much more intelligent.

4. Traffic and stupid drivers. Enough said. (Don't worry, I'm a perfect driver ;)

5. Messy and unorganized clothing stores. I guess I'm particularly anal about this because I used to work at a Ralph Lauren store and spent hours folding shirts and pants, and straightening hangers on racks. Every time I walk into the Old Navy where I live I'm frustrated with the disaster of it. What exactly do the employees do?

I could go on, but I'll limit myself to five for the time being. Just a little food for thought, and venting for my sanity's sake.

Things we take for granted

I have been having this thought a lot lately - that we take a lot of things for granted in our lives. I've specifically been thinking about how when we're from an area, we don't take advantage of the sights and activities that surround us. For instance, I'm from Northern California and have never been to Yosemite National Park. What's up with that? It's like a five hour drive, but I never got in my car and just went. It's a shame really, and one I'm hoping to rectify soon.

Living in the DC area for the past two years has given me ample opportunity to learn about our nation's history, explore interesting sights, and participate in fun activities. And trust me, I have taken advantage of it. I have done and seen tons of stuff here. But it always surprises me when I talk with co-workers who are from the area and they have never gone to certain places or participated in certain activities. It shocks me - but then I realize that I'm guilty of the same thing. For example, I have a friend that has lived in the DC area since he was eight, but he's never gone to any of the Smithsonian Museums. There are a ton of them and they are free! FREE! I was astounded. So the lesson here: take advantage of what surrounds you. I don't want to be preachy, but it's just a thought.

And speaking of not taking things for granted - I'm not taking for granted the fact that I saw the Nationals win a baseball game on Saturday night. And not just win, but clobber their opponents. The Nats creamed the Mets, 7 to 1. John Lannen, the Nats pitcher, was on fire and the game only lasted two hours - a rare feat for major league baseball. And the Nats had like four home runs. It was a fun game to watch. Go Nats!