Early-Mid May

Ace and I are enjoying a slower pace around here, for the time being. The weekend after the Lotus Lantern Festival, I headed back up to Seoul to pick up Rachel from the airport. It was great to have her here- Ace and I loved getting to share all the random bits of Korean insight we’ve picked up, showing off our weak Korean skills, introducing her to our favorite places and restaurants, and introducing her to our friends here. It was lovely to see her again, and a great excuse to visit places I’ve been to and loved, and places I’ve been meaning to check out. It really felt great to get to share everything I’ve learned over the last 9 months.

Unfortunately, we both developed a nasty cold or something in the beginning of the week. The doctor told me I had “cold plus allergy plus voice problem”, whatever that means, which was a bit of an understatement, seeing as I was completely unable to speak above a whisper when I visited him. It was pretty lame having to try not to talk with my friend here, but, on the bright side, I got the day off work and got to spend more time with her. Rach was feeling icky all week, but was still able to enjoy everything. I’d say some highlights were tandem biking around Gyeongju, the cool spas and whole-body-nibbly-fish-pool at Spa Valley, the local waterpark, and getting scrubbed within an inch of our lives, thrown around, beaten and then doused in cucumber and milk by the old ladies at the bath house we visited.

I took the day off on Friday to take Rach up to Seoul, which meant it was a 3 day workweek for me! It was really nice, though I still managed to exhaust myself. Ace met us up in Seoul in Saturday, and we enjoyed some good food, a live show, a night in a Korean traditional house, and a palace together.

Rachel left for Seoul that Sunday, and I spent most of last week catching up on little stuff, while still trying to work out, study Korean, and write in my journal. I had a phone interview with EF INST, my top choice for schools in Istanbul, on Monday. I think it went well, but they won’t be making offers until June, so now I just have to wait. There are a million uncertainties that are driving me crazy, but I’m trying not to dwell on them. What kind of position will they offer me, if they do offer one? How many split shifts and weekends will I have to work? What kind of students and classes will I teach? Will I have enough time with Ace? Will I get enough vacation and holidays to do some traveling in the area? What will my pay be like? What area will I work in? Will I be able to negotiate a 9 month contract? If they don’t offer me something, should I get a job with one of the less desirable schools, or just cruise on into Istanbul when I want and look for work there? Yuck. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate not having a plan, but I’m attempting to be patient.

This weekend was the first time in a month that I didn’t go up to Seoul! Saturday was one of our rare Daegu rainy days, so it was perfect for a lazy day around the house. Ace studied a lot of Korean, and I had a great time working on a photo book with our Turkey pictures, making banana bread, journaling, and getting myself organized. One of the bonuses about our situation is having apartments next to all of our friends, and we spend Saturday evening visiting three different friends’ apartments, all within a 15 minute walk.

Sunday I took myself shopping downtown, and Ace met up with me at night to see Star Trek. It was great! I’m not even remotely knowledgeable about the old stuff, but I still loved the movie. We had a late dinner at one of our favorite little restaurants, then headed home. It was a perfect weekend- just what I needed! It’s getting a bit late here-1:30 a.m.- and I think it’s time to retire with the good book I’m reading, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Goodnight!