8 down, 4 to go

If all goes as planned, I will be flying home 4 months from today. 4 Months from the day Jamie left.

I woke early and took the cab with Jamie to the Marriott Hotel, where he got his shuttle to the airport this morning. A tearful goodbye, a leisurely walk, a bagel and coffee at Dunkin Donuts, and then a full day of work and my first Hapkido class in weeks. This was my day today, but the story begins slightly over two weeks ago, the day after I finally arrived back from Thailand.

I had been back in Korea for about 36 hours when I found myself back at the airport. This time, to pick up Jamie for his second and final visit. Since he'd been here before, we had to be more creative in filling his days. His visit spanned two weekends, so we were able to use one for a quick trip to Seoul for the DMZ tour. I never really thought about paying to tour a war zone before moving to Korea, but it was a unique experience that, despite the sad absence of photos (I forgot my camera!), I will never forget. During the week, Jamie ran in the mornings and met me for lunch. Sometimes we ran into random people that took Jamie along with then as I went back to work, sometimes he had to fend for himself, exploring places he had not ventured to in May. Having him here was a great excuse to avoid cooking in my tiny studio. We ate my favorite Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes during his stay, and hit up the Mexican restaurant in Seoul, of course!

We had planned to kick off the final weekend by going to see some baseball. The Lotte Giants were in town, but so was the edge of a typhoon...so the game was rained out. We went rafting with some of my favorite members of the the Hapkido gym, stayed at a Korean-style hotel with barely any furniture...just mats and pillows and lots of floor space. We played paintball the next day. It was probably my first and last attempt at the sport; I'm not such a good shot and I prefer not to play with guns.

The beginning of this week went too fast. Jamie spent the morning of his last full day in Korea with my kindergarten class. He graciously taught the little kiddies to sing the Spiderman song. Last night, we got some spicy chicken (dakgalbi, my favorite!), then took the cribbage board to the best local coffee shop, Adagio. When I told the owner he was leaving, she was sad to see him go and gave us each free kiwi smoothies when we finished our coffee.

So that brings you up to speed. I'm just keeping myself occupied until I'm ready to fall asleep. I'm alone again. For four more months.

...And I'm Back! (Thailand, Part one)

Current mood: pensive

Oh Thailand! Here are some highlights of a wonderful trip...

1. Riding Burt the Elephant. For part of it I was sitting on his head, my feet tucked behind his ears!

2. Booking all of our accomodations, transportation to/from Bangkok, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan for less per day than what I spend just eating here. And food is cheap in Korea.

3. Dancing all night at the half moon party on Koh Phangan...an open-air nightclub in the jungle...and getting to the half moon party on the back of our new Thai friends' motorbikes.

4. The tuk-tuk experience. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuk-tuk)

5. Being mesmerized by the fire dancers on the beach on Koh Phangan.

6. Drinking sprite poured from a glass bottle into a plastic bag with ice.

7. Watching trained monkeys retrieve coconuts from high in the trees...and having one dangling from my arm!

8. Drinking fresh coconut juice from a coconut that was just cleaved in two.

9. Shopping for hours at Khoa San Road, acquiring a massive amount of clothing and souvenirs and spending less than $100.

10. Green curry. Daily.

Thailand, part two (part one to follow)

My flight back to Busan was supposed to leave 11 hours ago, and yet I find myself in the VIP lounge at Bangkok International Airport, waiting for a midnight flight to Beijing. Yes. China. Not Korea.

We begrudgingly left Khoasan Road in Bangkok this morning in plenty of time to check in 2 hours early for our international flight. We were responsible fliers. However, by the time we got to the front of the incredibly long line at the check in counter, we knew something had gone terribly wrong. The guy helping us got on the phone and began speaking Thai. Now, I've been in oversold situations many, many, many times in Alaska...but never on the receiving end! We were informed that there were no more seats on our plane. We were informed that there were no more planes going to Korea today with empty seats. We were informed that we would have to switch from our morning flight direct to Busan to a midnight flight to Busan via Beijing, China. Yeah. Well, originally, we were none too pleased.

Then they set us up with individual hotel rooms at the swanky airport hotel next door. We got meal vouchers at two different restaurants, the hotel had a pool, and we were able to nap, shower, bathe, lounge...and we had to! We were forced to relax and be gluttonous and lazy because we actually had no other options! So the day was alright, and right now I'm enjoying some free internet right before I indulge in a free drink at the Thai airlines VIP lounge. Not bad, not bad at all. I do feel a twinge of guilt about the craziness that will ensue tomorrow at work when three teachers aren't able to teach their morning classes (during Intensives no less! There's no one to cover!) I feel terrible about the stress it will cause work...but we honestly didn't choose it, we had no choice...and we're getting back as soon as we can. Once I got over that fact, I've been doing my best to enjoy the day.

Now, if I can only stay awake until boarding...