It's been a nutty last few days. Two of our five friends (Jess and Zack) who left a few weeks ago came back to Busan Monday after travelling around SE Asia to grab their stuff (including one very adorable puppy) and head back to the States. I knew this was the last chance I would have to see them for a few months (if at all ever, but that's another story...) so I wanted to see them as much as I could. I get off work earlier than most people so I headed to Abhay's to hang out with them for a bit before we met others in Seomyeon for dinner. It was so nice seeing their faces! We met up with more friends at Beer Chicken to eat and then headed out for the night. Although working the next day was inevitable, working at 2:00 really isn't that bad so coming home at 6am after a night of amazingness was worth it.
Wednesday was election day here in Korealand so that means NO SCHOOL! Me and only a handful of other friends were off. While the majority of the rest of everyone still had to work, it didn't stop everyone from a long last Tuesday night in KSU before Zack and Jess were off again home. It was one last hoorah for them to get everyone together so that's exactly what we did. We all went to Sharky's for old time's sake for dinner then off to KSU we went. About 4am (?) we left where we were to head to the Spaceship Noraebang (aka greatest karaoke joint in Busan) where we all stayed singing our faces off until 7:30 in the morning. I got in a cab and got home about 8 while Al stayed out a big longer. I went straight to sleep and woke up about three hours later unable to sleep any longer. Since it was a holiday I pretty much just laid around all day while Al went Christmas shopping for me (!). Later Wednesday night, a few people were going over to Abhay's for "Christmas Night" with Irish coffees, wine and Home Alone and Christmas Vacation. I went a little early since I was off work and bored and helped decorate Abhay's place, which now looks fantastic thanks to mine and Jess's amazing paper chain making skills. Once 2:30 rolled around and I was starting to get really tired I decided it was finally time to tell them goodbye. I holed myself up with Jess in the kitchen for about 20 minutes just getting some talking in before some very sad hugs, gave Zack a cuddle on the couch and went on my way.
After getting hit on relentlessly in the taxi by the very young driver, ("You have boyfriend?" "How old are you?" "Very beautiful!" "Oooooh, so beautiful." All while continuously turning around to look at me) I finally got home about 3:15 and slept for a glorious 8 hours that I desperately needed.
It's now Thursday evening and tonight will be the last night of getting any adequate sleep until Sunday night. Tomorrow night we're heading off on our ski trip! We have to meet everyone at 2:30am to catch the 3am bus that will take us 5 1/2 hours north to the resort. There are 30 people going I believe and it's going to be a blaaaaast. We're definitely not going to go to sleep tomorrow, it's pointless. And then Saturday night there will be 30 of us in one amazingly large "cabin" with some hot tubbing and a lot of booze...who's sleeping Saturday night? That's right. Nobody. So Sunday when we get back will be the next chance I'll get to sleep. And you know what? It's been worth it.
Life with insatiable wanderlust.
Vang Vieng, Laos, December 2010
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Some Gripes But Also Some Happies
Another Monday is done and over with. It's been a week since everyone left and I'm happy to say (and Al is happy as well) that I'm feeling much better this Monday than last. I was nothing but a sulky crybaby for like four days but after a very relaxing (i.e. no money) weekend and a fun night seeing everyone (minus five) on Sunday for family dinner I am definitely working my way back to feeling top notch again. Plus, there are some things to be looking forward to!
First things first, I'm waiting on some sort of message or confirmation or anything really to say that I've gotten a job in Japan. I had an interview a while ago and I'm praying and hoping and crossing every finger I have that I get this job. If I do, the second I know for sure, I'm booking my flight home and starting my planning and counting down to that. I'm hoping to get out of here mid to late February depending on a lot of factors. If I don't, well, I'm not really sure what will happen. I know I can't make any plans to go home, that's for sure, and a huge bummer to boot. I should hopefully hear back from him this week or next. I'll tell you one thing, I'm going absolutely stir crazy waiting to hear and it's partly to blame for my dismal mood over the past week. If it's a "yes", wham bam I'm going home. If it's a "no"...well...I better start figuring out what I'm going to do because our Plan B is practically nonexistant. We both want to get back to Japan but finding a job there is a lot harder. That's why it was so nice to be able to interview for a job taking over for a friend, and a good job that I would really enjoy for the next year on top of that. Fingers/toes/arms/legs/eyes crossed!
Another reason for my overall air of grumpiness is the fact that I SHOULD BE LEAVING. My contract is up within a matter of a few weeks and yet, here I am, not packing, not selling my accumulated junk, just staying put for another two months after I am supposed to be finished. Knowing that I have to stay when I could be going home or going travelling to some warm, exotic place in just a few weeks leaves one rather depressed and frustrated. So there's that.
The weekend before Christmas 30 people (most are good friends) are heading 5 hours north to ski for a few days. We rented a huge 3,500 sq ft penthouse/cabin thing right on the mountain. It's going to be sick. I haven't decided if I'm going to ski. I LOVE skiing, but I haven't been for a very, very long time...four or five years in fact. I just don't want to have an accident and break my leg or something terrible right before it's (hopefully) time to head home. There are some others that aren't skiing, just hanging out in the house hot tubbing and boozing all day so I may join them. It'll save me 70,000 as well. I'll probably decide on the bus on the way up there whether I want to or not. Either way, I'm dead excited.
So, the weather officially blows. Usually hangs around 45-50 or so. We've started getting highs only in the 40s as well and I know that it only gets MUCH MUCH worse from here. The bad part about arriving in Korea in the winter is that you technically have to endure two bouts of crap weather, whereas if you arrive in the summer you just have to get through that single terrible one. It's only December and I know that January and February have still yet to come, as well as those windy, bone-chilling days when you know that it's definitely below zero. It's different at home when the only time you're outside is to dart to and from your car to your door/work/grocery store but for moi, I have a 25 minute walk to work. I keep telling myself that I survived it last winter and just because I know how to use a taxi to get myself home this time around I'm not going to spend $3 every single day (and not getting the exercise either) just to avoid the cold. We'll see how this turns out.
School is the same as ever...just FREEZING. I could, again, complain and complain about the lack of proper insulation/heating/cooling systems but I won't. I'll just say that it's cold cold cold in school and it's completely miserable. The classrooms and offices have heat, yes, but is'a crapshoot on whether or not it will stay on all day or shut off automatically an hour and a half before it's time to head home. Even though the office has heat, the children (and some staff) are deathly allergic to SHUTTING THE DOOR so anytime I'm in there I'm up and down a thousand times to close it or the frigid air pours in. The hallways are the same temperature as the outside air because they keep the windows open 24/7. Don't even ask. There is no logical explanation other than that Koreans are on crack. It's actually like, a "thing", Koreans opening the windows in the winter. Do a google search, it's all a bunch of crazy nonsense. So the hallways are 40 degrees, the bathrooms are 40 degrees and the classrooms are 40 degrees unless I get in there and turn on the heat. There's nothing worse than having to pee while being at school because it's having to pull my pants down in a drafty, tile room where I can nearly see my breath to sit down on an ice block in the shape of a toilet. I try not to drink too much liquid or else I do my best to hold it until I get home. When the classrooms do have I heat I blast it as high as I can and then all I hear is, "Teacher! Hot!" Nope. Sorry. You're suffering. They also all have their big puffy coats on in class and when I tell them that if they're hot they should take their coats off they look at me with a mixture of "you're insane" and "What? Coat? Off? But...it's...winter? But...I'm hot? Take it off?? I don't know what to do!?" Then their head explodes from the logic. I guess it's just a you-have-to-be-here-to-understand-and-appreciate-what-I'm-talking-about-thing but let's just leave it at this: It's cold at school.
Welp, I've bored you long enough with all my ranting about stupid things so I'm off! Goooood NIGHT.
First things first, I'm waiting on some sort of message or confirmation or anything really to say that I've gotten a job in Japan. I had an interview a while ago and I'm praying and hoping and crossing every finger I have that I get this job. If I do, the second I know for sure, I'm booking my flight home and starting my planning and counting down to that. I'm hoping to get out of here mid to late February depending on a lot of factors. If I don't, well, I'm not really sure what will happen. I know I can't make any plans to go home, that's for sure, and a huge bummer to boot. I should hopefully hear back from him this week or next. I'll tell you one thing, I'm going absolutely stir crazy waiting to hear and it's partly to blame for my dismal mood over the past week. If it's a "yes", wham bam I'm going home. If it's a "no"...well...I better start figuring out what I'm going to do because our Plan B is practically nonexistant. We both want to get back to Japan but finding a job there is a lot harder. That's why it was so nice to be able to interview for a job taking over for a friend, and a good job that I would really enjoy for the next year on top of that. Fingers/toes/arms/legs/eyes crossed!
Another reason for my overall air of grumpiness is the fact that I SHOULD BE LEAVING. My contract is up within a matter of a few weeks and yet, here I am, not packing, not selling my accumulated junk, just staying put for another two months after I am supposed to be finished. Knowing that I have to stay when I could be going home or going travelling to some warm, exotic place in just a few weeks leaves one rather depressed and frustrated. So there's that.
The weekend before Christmas 30 people (most are good friends) are heading 5 hours north to ski for a few days. We rented a huge 3,500 sq ft penthouse/cabin thing right on the mountain. It's going to be sick. I haven't decided if I'm going to ski. I LOVE skiing, but I haven't been for a very, very long time...four or five years in fact. I just don't want to have an accident and break my leg or something terrible right before it's (hopefully) time to head home. There are some others that aren't skiing, just hanging out in the house hot tubbing and boozing all day so I may join them. It'll save me 70,000 as well. I'll probably decide on the bus on the way up there whether I want to or not. Either way, I'm dead excited.
So, the weather officially blows. Usually hangs around 45-50 or so. We've started getting highs only in the 40s as well and I know that it only gets MUCH MUCH worse from here. The bad part about arriving in Korea in the winter is that you technically have to endure two bouts of crap weather, whereas if you arrive in the summer you just have to get through that single terrible one. It's only December and I know that January and February have still yet to come, as well as those windy, bone-chilling days when you know that it's definitely below zero. It's different at home when the only time you're outside is to dart to and from your car to your door/work/grocery store but for moi, I have a 25 minute walk to work. I keep telling myself that I survived it last winter and just because I know how to use a taxi to get myself home this time around I'm not going to spend $3 every single day (and not getting the exercise either) just to avoid the cold. We'll see how this turns out.
School is the same as ever...just FREEZING. I could, again, complain and complain about the lack of proper insulation/heating/cooling systems but I won't. I'll just say that it's cold cold cold in school and it's completely miserable. The classrooms and offices have heat, yes, but is'a crapshoot on whether or not it will stay on all day or shut off automatically an hour and a half before it's time to head home. Even though the office has heat, the children (and some staff) are deathly allergic to SHUTTING THE DOOR so anytime I'm in there I'm up and down a thousand times to close it or the frigid air pours in. The hallways are the same temperature as the outside air because they keep the windows open 24/7. Don't even ask. There is no logical explanation other than that Koreans are on crack. It's actually like, a "thing", Koreans opening the windows in the winter. Do a google search, it's all a bunch of crazy nonsense. So the hallways are 40 degrees, the bathrooms are 40 degrees and the classrooms are 40 degrees unless I get in there and turn on the heat. There's nothing worse than having to pee while being at school because it's having to pull my pants down in a drafty, tile room where I can nearly see my breath to sit down on an ice block in the shape of a toilet. I try not to drink too much liquid or else I do my best to hold it until I get home. When the classrooms do have I heat I blast it as high as I can and then all I hear is, "Teacher! Hot!" Nope. Sorry. You're suffering. They also all have their big puffy coats on in class and when I tell them that if they're hot they should take their coats off they look at me with a mixture of "you're insane" and "What? Coat? Off? But...it's...winter? But...I'm hot? Take it off?? I don't know what to do!?" Then their head explodes from the logic. I guess it's just a you-have-to-be-here-to-understand-and-appreciate-what-I'm-talking-about-thing but let's just leave it at this: It's cold at school.
Welp, I've bored you long enough with all my ranting about stupid things so I'm off! Goooood NIGHT.
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