Iridescent

I'm Coming Home

My trip home is all planned. Well, not really planned. The plane tickets are bought and that's about it. I leave here on December 1st. (A whopping big "thank you" to my director for letting me to take two additional days to avoid weekend flight prices.) I arrive in St Louis the same day I leave here (which is pretty cool) so I will be there the evening of the 1st. I get to spend two glorious weeks with my family and on the 15th, I will fly to Orlando to see Matt and to squeeze in as many lunches with friends as possible in a week's time. As I've said in a previous blog- if you want to see me, you better start contacting me now. I'm not sure if I'll have a phone while I'm home, and Internet will be intermittent at best while I'm in Missouri. (Chris and Patti you are already on the list!) 6am Christmas Eve (it blows, I know) I am flying out of Orlando to return to Korea. Because I lose a day when flying here I will arrive back in Korea on the afternoon of Christmas Day, hopefully with plenty of time to join my friends for a lovely Christmas dinner.

Then back at work Monday, December 26th! Oh, and to those in Korea - I'm collecting shopping lists. Let me know what you need me to grab for you while I'm home!

8 more working days until I'm on a plane home! Hip Hip Hooray!

I'm coming home
I'm coming home
tell the World I'm coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home, I'm coming home
tell the World I'm coming

The Ego of A Weiner Dog

Earlier this week, I found a stash of candy and treats that Charlie had hidden behind his kennel.  He really is like a small child. Matt's mom had sent me cupcake kits for Halloween to make for my students.  I had lost one of the boxes, which seemed a bit strange even for me.  Monday night I found tattered packages of marshmallows, frosting, sugar decorations, a few other little gems hidden behind his kennel.  Apparently the packaging was too strong for a weiner dog to break through.

This is him when I found the stash...

"Marshmallows....they smell so good!!!"

I Can Breathe Again! And Other Revelations

I know longer feel like death.  That's a bonus.  The last two weeks were pretty rough.  I'm not a sick person but the last two weeks were probably about the worst sick that I've ever been. Minus that whole ruptured appendicitis thing a few years back.

Things here are getting much nicer though the weather is getting much colder.  I had a revelation last week.  A pretty major one actually.  So, homesickness (and boredom) has hit pretty intensely the last few months.  I figured out why. We used to do really cool stuff all.the.time.  Shark diving. Eric Clapton. Run around town begging random Koreans to say "Merry Christmas" for a camera.  Hiking. and Festivals.  Then I quit doing stuff.  The last major thing I did was ziplining on my birthday-which goes down as my favorite experience in Korea, by the way.  I very clearly remember after that weekend expressing how completely exhausted I was from being so busy every weekend of the last 8 months and I was calling it quits.  4 months later, I still haven't done anything exciting.  And I haven't left Daejeon since my birthday.

The Wiener Dog Essay

It's been a year but Charles finally made his way into our weekly essays.  A few weeks ago when I met the quirky Korean man outside the Family Mart, Charlie and I also ran into a few of my students while conversing with our new friend. Mostly, Charles behaved very well around all these new faces. But, if you know my dog, you know he just can't control himself all the time.  He loves to bark and terrify people and there was one boy that got all of Charlie's ummm, "attention".  It's a little game he likes to play. I think it's probably 20% wanting to protect me and 80% (or more) a hysterical game for him.  It also doesn't help that he doesn't have the usual wiener dog "yippy" bark.  He sounds like a Rottweiler and he's awfully proud of it.  Needless to say, this does not make him super popular in a country where dogs are not the most welcome members of society.  Well, I take that back.  He's plenty popular, but not always in a good way.

Bronchitis & the Pharmacy

I am not ok.  I see stars everytime I cough. And I cough like an 80 year smoker, though I've never been a smoker.

I've diagnosed myself with bronchitis. (Thank you WebMD) I've never had it before but several people who have had it, agree with me.  I think I've actually coughed so hard that I've fractured a couple of ribs.  It hurts.

I went to get meds today.  At home, I would just run into Target and grab something over-the-counter.  While Korea has OTC drugs, you can't just go buy Tylenol or Benadryl at the local Home Plus.  Or at least I've never been able to find it. For any and all medicine related things, you need to go to a pharmacy. 

10 Things I Most Look Forward At Home

Being sick is making me melodramatic.  I love Korea but with all good things sometimes you need a little space.  And while Korea is hugely accommodating to the foreigner population (Americans could learn a lot from them), we're due for a little time apart right now. 

Here is what I look forward to most about going home.  Family, boyfriend and friends are intentionally left off the list though they are obviously what I miss the most. Of course meeting my new nephew trumps everything.  And spending time with my beautiful niece, Lily.  And my sisters. I'm in desperate need of some sister time. And my parents.  My God, I miss my parents.  In the words of Madea, "I'm ret-ta-go now."

Sick In Korea

Me: Guys, I'm really sick today.  Can you please be nice today?

Student: You look sick.  Your eyes are purple.

I have no idea what that means, but I've been bad sick since Sunday evening.  Monday was the worst day, but today is pulling in a close second. What I should have done last night was go home and take a benadryl and go straight to bed. That was the plan. What I really did was stay up wasting time online until 4 am making today a really hard day.  Really, really hard.