a bit of this and that

I am actually getting quite excited that spring in Korea is almost here. It will be nice to have the colder weather set aside and be on the way to more adventures in warmer weather. I have so much stuff planned. It is pretty exciting all the things I want to do, but time is going to be restricting. I guess things like China can be done on a long weekend eh? Not much has been going on lately. Work has been work. Sometimes the kids are amazing, and other times they are shits. Same goes for everything though. I have been going out too much. Well, not going out too much, just spending too much money while out there. I am really looking forward to the warmer weather for fact of not doing the same thing over and over again. Like, last weekend I went sledding Korean style. It was very different and it scared them to see white people sledding. I guess western fear of getting hurt is far less than that of our eastern counterparts. I got yelled at for going to fast down the hill and running into too many things. Oh well, I knew what he was talking about, but I just pretended not to and walked away haha.
I have fallen in love with the grocery store lady. She is so adorable. She has taken to speaking English to me. After she tried and failed at speaking Korean to me she resorted to her broken English. It is much appreciated though. She is a sweet lady. Also for the past few weeks I've had a replacement boss. My regular one is working in the USA right now so we have a fill in. I like the fill in so much! Things are so much more relaxed in the teachers' room. There are far less egg shells to walk in lately. It is really nice.
I have also taken to sketching. I suck, and I throw out a lot of paper, but I still do it. It has been relaxing for me so far. I am hoping to put something on my walls sometime. The wall paper is leaving a lot to be desired. Today is my 4th month in Korea. I am glad I've made it this far. It has been rocky that's for sure, but I am settling in well so far. Just transferring my focus to different things I guess. Mindset makes a big difference.
Hmmmm what else has been going on. Not too much really. Just been planning trips and things like that. My friends and I have a little checklist to do while we are here. This weekend I am going to a city outside of Seoul to a party. I am looking forward to it. Also, I found a rifle range near here and I want to give my hand at that. It has been years since I've shot a gun...since I was a child I think. I am really looking forward to it.
Other than that, nothing much else has happened. I am in a good place mentally lately. I like it. I think I am starting to leave some of the stuff from home at home and that is a huge relief. For a while my Asian Adventures had been ones of my mental state, but I think a good mental detox was needed. Hopefully things don't flood back when I get home.

It has been a while

So, as the title of this entry dictates; it has been a while. I figured I might as well write as enjoy the second dosage of Oprah I am getting today. Just a couple things I've done to start with. One day around the holidays I went to the spa. A night in the sauna never hurt anybody. While there I tried out the newest Korea craze. Doctor Fish. Sounds interesting eh? Sort of some OBGYN obsession you're thinking? No. It is this take of tiny fish and you put your feet in and they eat the dead skin off. It was pretty cool. Once you get beyond the tickling, it felt quite nice. My feet felt fantastic afterward.
I also ventured up to Seoul Tower with Craig one afternoon. It was pretty amazing to see the city from the air. This city is freaking huge, but still looks small to me. The way it is set out from what I could see what that there are just a bunch of tiny pockets in between mountains so the largest part of the city doesn't look that big. If you consider the amount of pockets it has, it is pretty huge. I also went shopping some more. Looked at a $2000 coat. That was pretty cool and shopped around Louis Vuitton as well. Over-rated designer....sorry...went there. Sometimes a brown is just a brown bag. Thanks Louis!
Other than that, I don't really have much new to bring to the table.
I have been in a huge slump lately. I am in culture shock. It is easy enough for a person in their natural setting to say they are open minded, but moving to a different country has made me realize things I didn't know I had realized. I am not cut out for an Asian lifestyle. I am far far far too western for that. To all you Canadians who think we are very different from America. Think again. We are more polite, but we get just as frustrated haha. It may be a combination or many things that is bringing the rage. And no, rage isn't too strong of a word. I am furious over the simplest things sometimes. I hate taxi drivers, I hate the smell of this city, I hate the work ethic....and I lately I am just really sick of hearing Korean. All of those things I hate bring appreciation too. I am glad that I can use a taxi in this country now, I am learning to adapt to doing things last minute (work ethic) and I am glad for what I came for. Anonymity. I was asked if I was ready to come home. Without a thought I said no. As much as I miss people at home, I am glad to be away from many aspects of home.
I am searching for a safe haven though. I don't have a place where I can go and feel like I am at peace. The best thing I've found so far is Starbucks. I went there last Saturday and just sat for hours reading a not so good book.
I went for dinner tonight alone. First time I've ever been to a restaurant alone. Can't say I liked it. I will stick to take out I think. While I was at Starbucks I made a list of things that were on my mind. Some of the shit that spewed out I never really thought before. I am gonna do more writing I think. This is making me feel better. These next few months are going to be hard....I will be here more often.