Mommy Dearest

This woman ages so gracefully I hope I have her genes.  You ask Mikayla how old her Nana is and she’ll tell you she’s 24.

(Nana has Mikayla trained well.)

We all know your real age, Nana.  But, in our eyes you are timeless.

I love you!  Happy Birthday!

 

Oh, Korea

Telling people that I live abroad usually results in some comment that includes, “Oh, I am so jealous!”  The ability to travel to another country, to experience and ingest a different culture in its entirety, to live in a mysterious world where everyday arrives with some sense of wonderment cultivates that jealousy.

What is often overlooked, however, is the fact that living life in another country comes with the same responsibilities and pitfalls of living in your own country.   That the banality of life still exists and can still be incredibly annoying.

Case in point: my weekend started on Friday night with a few drinks and home by a decent hour, snuggled in bed, only to be woken at 3.30am by yet another drunk Korean man at my door insisting that he lived here although the alarm going off on my keypad should have alerted him otherwise.  Thirty minutes of arguing and telling him to go home while he continued to code in wrong numbers, ring the doorbell from hell, and POUND on my door resulted in only a cheerful, “Hey buddy, this isn’t your room” punishment from security.

After only a few hours of sleep, it was up bright and early to trek across Seoul to meet with a group to go to an orphanage two hours outside of the city.  Yet, our ‘organizers’ were no where in site and thus began only the first of many complaints about the organization running this volunteer opportunity.  The complete and utter incompetence of the woman set to get us to and from the organization started with us missing our bus and me being called “Larry” all day due to her mistranslation of my name into Korean script.  Many other instances, of which I will spare you, left me and everyone else wanting to smack the obnoxious smile straight off her face.

After a long day where success was only found in the smiles of the many orphans we played with, I was completely exhausted and dreaming of my bed.  Unfortunately, I returned home to find my door’s keypad completely unresponsive as a result of zero battery power no doubt due to the jackass who couldn’t leave it alone the night before.  My key, a mere 15 feet away and tucked nicely in a drawer in my apartment, did me no good as did the building security guard who just looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said he could do nothing for me.  So, at midnight I called my very generous girls who were still out partying in Seoul and asked if I could crash at their place in hopes they would rage all night so I could sleep.

I woke, crossing my fingers to find my building management open, to be denied once again and had to call Kelly on the weekend and ask her to call me a locksmith.  It is now 3pm, I am 65,000 Won lighter, but I am once again in my apartment…my apartment that I don’t really like in the first place, yet have never wanted to be in so badly before.

So you see kids, living abroad isn’t all magical and glorious.  Life can be just as annoying here as anywhere although I am pretty sure this weekend in Korea was worse off for me than you lovelies getting to enjoy the snow, the beauty, the good news of Kiki’s acceptance to DU (what! what!), another Bronco victory (!!) and each other.

Be assured, today the jealousy is all mine.

 

Quick recap

I am not keen on the idea (ie: I am being lazy)  of recapping the whole Chris/Kris experience in Korea (awesome) or the roaming around Tokyo (awesomer) or my visit home to see all my lovelies (awesomest), so I’m just going to post some of the highlights.  (Most of you who really care to know, already do know, and the rest, well, you won’t have to sit through someone else’s vacation photos= win, win!)

Showing off Korea

Monsoon season, Korean food, and climbing up a gazillion stairs to see a pig head on an altar.  Korean Style.

***

TOKYO

In front of a palace

In front of Mt. Fuji, or lack thereof since it was MIA this day.

In front of, and making fun of, fat Asian baby.

***

Home Sweet Colorado

Jumping with my girls

Happy to see favorite uncles and aunts!

And, doing it up Browning style!

 

Bit^12

To my favorite Bitty Boo!

You know what today is and so do I

My, how quickly time does fly.

I am sad to be away from you on this of all days

But, you know I love you in so many ways.

So here is your ode, I hope you like it

Happy Birthday to you, my favorite little Bit!

Now, hurry up and email me about your boyfriend!!  :)

 

#44

What a day.

 

Specially For Mikayla

Get it?

Got it?

Good.

 

Represent!

Last week one of my student’s, Amy, showed up to class in a ColoState sweatshirt.  She has never lived or traveled in the US so I was surprised to see that she was rocking my alma mater!  I surmise it is one of the mass produced sweatshirts sold in subway stations and malls that people buy all the time simply for the appeal of the English written word.

And, then there is the Denver bar/restaurant that I pass everyday as I go to and fro the gym.  Been in once or twice to enjoy some Czech beer, ironically.  Wanted to show them my CO ID so they understood I was from Denver, but it says Aurora so my attempt failed.

 

Finally!!

You really don’t know how excited I am to see Election Tuesday play out.  I hate, hate, HATE that I will be in classes all day Wednesday and barely able to check internet updates on your Tuesday night proceedings.

I hope you all get out to vote.  I was able to figure it out before I left for Korea and with a little help from my parentals, my ballot has been cast.  I hope yours will be too!!

You wouldn’t believe how all the Canadians here I have met are all up in our biz too.  They love asking who you are voting for and why and then saying, “Well, if I could vote in your country…”

Seriously.  So excited.

Cough *GoBama!* Cough

 

Why I love home

Being home has been wonderful.  Almost too wonderful as I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted to leave when I finally got my visa a couple days ago. I had a great time and will certainly miss it all while I am trying to figure my way through my 10 million new friends in Seoul!

I packed my days home with as much as I could including some of the following:

A lovely ‘Welcome Home’ party put on by Mikayla:

Including several drinks/nights out with the friends:

Made my way to the amazing Rocky Mountains:

Followed by several shopping trips…

…for the wedding of my brother…

…and the very welcome addition of an amazing new sister!

We met in San Fran:

And the Michels/Brownings/Askari’s partied  like pros:

BEST.WEEKEND.EVER!

Saw a concert at Red Rocks (although a geriatric crowd, James Taylor still rocked with us girls):

Danced with some boys at work after introducing them to Slivovice (a Czech specialty):

And, rallied with the Dems at the DNC in Denver:

Made a few trips to the Fort to hang out with Kiki and cheered on the Rams as in true fashion:

Rocked a couple Bronc’s game (3-0!!) J.C Saves!!!!

Celebrated Oktoberfest Denver style (ie. Coors Light as a sponsor…weak sauce)

Helped Watched my folk’s move their company to their new building!

(Sorry, no pics of this.  On another camera.  It was wicked cool though.)

And, loved the fam:

I hate to say goodbye again, but last year went by so quickly that I am sure this will too. Plus, I know that more of you will be keen to visit me in Asia.  Europe is soooooo last year :)

Thanks for a lovely time.  I love you all!!

 

Still waiting…

South Korea must have gold coming out of their faucets and Wons growing on trees as it is the most tedious process to get a visa into that place…and all I am going to do is teach.

So, I am still waiting.  Was hoping to be there by now, but now hope to be there by the end of this month. We can take over/unders if you haven’t signed up for any football pools and still want to bet on something.  I myself will take after October of 2058 since that seems to be the track I am on for getting into SK.

While I have had to send numerous documents, get record checks with apostille stamps, answer self-medical checks, and fill out applications and contracts in triplicate, I must say that the delay has been good to me.  I have been able to spend much loved time here in Colorado with the fam and friends.  Being here makes me realize that no matter where I go on this lovely planet, here is where I will always end up!

Wish me luck as I still have about 18 more steps in the visa process and if one more thing goes wrong, I may just chuck the whole idea and find my way down to Argentina and see what I can do there.