Weekend Update

Ohhhh, my goodness people. So sorry it's been forever since I posted but life has been a ridiculous whirlwind of activity, plus I don't have internet at my new apartment yet so posting has been put on the back burner. But, let's do a review.

First off, had the BEST visit ever with one my favorite people in the world. Three weeks of just total happiness. So great, can't say enough good things about it. So thankful and so lucky it happened, I sometimes still can't even believe it's real.

And now, here I am in KOREA, and I am also having a hard time believing it's real. I mean, it is just too bizarre for words. A true roller coaster of emotions. Saying goodbye at the Charleston airport, being a sad sack, packing in a frenzy, saying goodbye again over hamburgers and Groucho's, saying hello to great friends in LA, having a really fun day and a half, a 14 hour plane ride and helllloooo Korea. So nuts. The plane ride was much better than expected. It actually went by pretty fast and was quite comfortable. The Korean flight attendants were just insane...so put together and fancy looking...I loved it. The food was good, I got to play Tetris and the guy next to me got up a bunch of times, which was awesome because then I could up and go to the bathroom without annoying him a bunch of times. I also read my awesome new book about Saturday Night Live, which I was pretty much obsessed with. I finished it today and am super sad about that...also sad the book only goes up to 2002 because I would love to read more about the current cast. Oh well, it at least had a little my fave, Jimmy Fallon. I was discussing the book with a teacher here and surprise, surprise, he's not a Jimmy fan. So he's obviously a total loser. Just kidding.

Anyway, so many changes and stuff going on here! So little internet time until my computer dies at Quizno's (still don't have an adapter). I'll just hit the big stuff. My apartment is a studio, so it's pretty tiny, but I love it. It's all mine, I don't have to share it with anyone and apparently I lucked out big time because I have curtains. I also have a non-functional TV, heated floors and a good sized fridge. I feel pretty fortunate. The bed is hard as a rock (I'm pretty sure it's a box spring, not a mattress), but hopefully it will be good for my back. It's not uncomfortable to sleep on, but not particularly comfy either. but I do have nice fluffy pillows and a soft comforter, so no complaints. My toilet is normal and my shower has a door, so that is also something to be happy about (so I've been told). When I got here, my friend Jessica met me at the airport and then came "home" with me, so I got a lot of info from her about what is good and what's not. She thinks I'm very lucky and I'm sticking with that since she's been here two years now. I also felt very lucky she met me there because I'm pretty sure I would have been a mess without her. A 14 hour plane ride is pretty exhausting and not only helped me exchange money, find food, pay for a bus ticket, make a phone call and figure out where to go, but she also helped drag my heavy ass suitcases around and I am SO grateful.

Oh yeah, and my apartment also has a sensor light, and instead of a key, I have a code that lets me in. I think that is pretty awesome. The sensor light just pleases me to no end. I live in a high rise building, which I think is pretty bad ass. Honestly, I kind of feel like I moved to Koreatown in Los Angeles, only with better public transportation. It is a huge city, lots of big buildings, all kinds of stores (lots of "western" stuff), and tons of people. Weird thing is, the people all look the same and I feel a little out of place. No one acts weird, but I am definitely like, oh wow, I am the only non Korean person here. Like I said, I'm at Quiznos right now (I don't really want to attempt an authentic Korean restaurant by myself just yet) and across the street is a Jamba Juice and a Starbucks...as well as a "Waffle Bant" that looks delicious and I'll be trying it asap.

And the school! It's nuts. There are a ton of little kids running around, screaming all the time but everything is really nice and new and sooo cute! It's all decorated and just overall precious looking. I spent the first few days just observing, which was interesting for about an hour and then my butt fell asleep and I wanted to pass out. Jet lag is a bitch! I feel a little more normal today but I was totally dragging the first days. Just sitting around watching didn't help things so I'm ready to get in the game and start doing stuff. The kids come next week so we have a week of planning. From what I've seen, the kids are SO sticking cute. And SMART! Holy shit, I sat in on a 7 year old class and the kids were pretty much fluent and learning about space....they knew more about the planets and stars than I did! And in a second language! Makes me feel like a total fool. Fortunately, I will have beginner 6 year olds so I can feel smart again, for the first few months anyway. But maybe not since I cannot, for the life of me, remember how to say pretty much anything in Korean. I keep trying to remember hello and thank you, but my brain hasn't really been working.

The people at the school are all really nice and friendly as well. Yesterday was "graduation" (OH MY GOD-the most ridiculous spectacle I have ever witnessed, more another time) and afterwards we all went to dinner (Italian, oddly enough) and it was a lot of fun. Two teachers are leaving...one I'm sad about because she's really nice and the other I'm kind of glad because he is a talkative know it all. All the guy teachers there are married to Korean women, which I find odd but it seems to be pretty normal around here. I am the only actual newcomer to Korea, which is good and bad. Bad only because people tend to assume I know what's going on because everyone else does. Good because when they remember that I have no freaking clue as to what is going on, they're super helpful. Oh, and so far the food has been really good at school. They have kimchee every day, but they also have other non-spicy food that's tasty. Also, they have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches available for the "foreigners." Which is just fine with me because I love me some PB&Js. A few days I ate both because since I got here, I've pretty much been insatiable. Not sure what's going on with that.

Anyway, that is all for now. I've been in Quiznos for an uncomfortable amount of time now. Also, someone just came in and set a cat in a cage down beside me. No thanks (sorry Kelley!)

I really miss everyone. Not like, I wish I hadn't done this...because I'm really excited about my year and all the new things going on, but more like, I wish all my friends and family were here with me. I think part of it has been not being able to get in touch with people, with no phone and internet, the last week so hopefully that will go away when I can Skype and such. Once I can, you people best be setting dates with me! I have a super handy time chart I can send to you, if you like. Also, once I figure out where my mailbox is, I would love to get some letters. Care packages will have to be sent to the school. Feel free to request the address. I don't really need anything at this point, but I'll keep yall posted.

Dream big people!