You were blowing kisses and I was waiting in the car

Anyeong, dear hearts. Wow. I'm kind of in state of shock these days. David and I have less than a week left in Korea and I'm beside myself, lost in a chaotic, half-confetti drenched web of glee, fear, confusion, poignancy and obliviousness. I swear to God I can't picture my life back in the United States. I just can't do it...it's so, so strange. What a weird feeling I'm having...oh dear. I say to myself, "Well, maybe I need one more month, a few more weeks, blah blah." But then I know that if that were the case I'd yearn for the day to be closer. And then once it was, I'd have a repeat of this strange feeling. There should be a name for this feeling. I will coin one.

I'm not going to lie, I've been quite emotional recently. It's ridiculous, really. I mean, commercial's are bringing me to tears. And today I went to the teacher's conference, held every Monday, and started getting all weepy in front of all my colleages as a hearty thank you speech spilled from my lungs. Though less than 1/4 probably understood what I was saying, I think the lone tear that filled up the space between my eyelids demonstrated my love for Chunhyun. My school has been so, so good to me. I cannot express how blessed I was to have such a wonderful co-teacher, my friend, and an advisor, my friend and teacher, such great students. Sure, there are a few varments out there, but I love them just as much.

I didn't think I would get so attached to this country, to my students, to this lifestyle. I didn't realize I would break anyone's heart because I was leaving. I came into it all quite bad at teaching, heartbreakingly homesick, nervous, shy and scared. I surprised myself in Korea - I did something I never imagined I would do. And after a few months I did it with gusto and, I dare say, a bit of talent. It was strange to watch my anxiety melt into joy.

So here I am. 6 days away from my long anticipated departure.

Anyway, as promised, here are photos from the one and only Great Wall of China. It was an incredible trip and completely worth the spontaneous vacay to Beijing. I can tell you, after hobbling around the Pyramids on camels, camping out in the Amazon, cuddling next to Tigers in Thailand, hiking Mt. Sinai, seeing the Harajuku girls do their thing in Tokyo...the Great Wall of China surpasses them all in impressiveness. There are few things with such history and beauty that you have the opportunity to climb and walk all over. I'll never forget the long sweaty hike up all those stairs and the cool breeze (and kisses shared with David) in the watch towers of the Mighty Great Wall; the expansive landscape rustling around us. Remarkable. I hope that you can experience even an ounce of the energy we felt while roaming around the ancient landmark. Enjoy:

hola, it's me!


David + beer





















































Finishee, Wendy City