my reality

ok, i shall update about the rest of Japan at a later date.

First...a pressing issue that I shall rant about.

My reality is South Korea, the ROK. I live in South Korea. I teach English. I love my job. I wake up happy everyday, roll over, walk the dog, have lunch with some awesome friends, then go to work. On the weekends there are many options. I can go and party, go be cultural, visit another city, go shopping, go see nature, or just chill. All options are ALWAYS available to us because of our standard of living. My plans for Fall include bungee jumping, white-water rafting and possibly China. Christmas plans sound like either Guam or the Phillipines...I could go to Thailand...who knows. I buy what I want, when I want it. I budget somewhat. I have fun more. Bottom line: my life makes me happy.

Granted, there are things that totally suck about being here. Being so far away from family and friends being the hugely obvious and major breaking point. Everything else is easily dealt with.

The rant goes as follows: this is my reality. What is wrong with it being so? Why do I, when talking to people back home, get the feeling like I'm being judged for not "facing reality?" Or, I don't get the feeling, yet get blatently accused of such.

I get it, the usual life path for someone back home includes graduating Uni, taking off for tops one year to travel and "get it out of our system," then settle down into a career, marry, pop outta few kids, and be blissfully happy with our lives. I'm not saying that's wrong in any way shape of form. That sounds awesome to me. I want that. I will have that one day. Trust me, I'm at that age. I'd love nothing more than to be stable enough to have children right now. Reality is though, that I'm not. and I'M OK WITH THAT.

I'm not ready for that reality yet, this travelling thing is not outta my system. That "tops one year" thing doesn't apply to me. Everyone listen and say it with me: That is OK. Coming to Korea was the best thing that ever happened to me. Random circumstances brought me here and life changing events made me stay. I never have regrets in my life. It's a policy of mine. Everything happens for a reason. To have regrets is to wish that something never happened. You never know the effect one small event can have on your life.

I've changed for the better. I think for myself now. I'm more my own person. I know what I want and now I'll say it. I'm WAY less introverted. I'll speak my mind when I think I'm getting screwed over. I still think the best of people, but I'm not as gullible or oblivious anymore. Are these all good things??? Probably not. Do I take all of these things to the extreme? Not at all.

So, I've changed for the better, I've seen Asia, I've made fabulous life-long friends, my life has changed, I'm happy. HOW is this bad? How can my reality be judged to be of a lesser calibre than a "normal" one back home?

No, really...I'm asking!!

*yaya, I know not everyone thinks this. I'm not saying that. It just gets to me sometimes. You may not think this, but trust me, many people do.

oh ya...did I not mention that I was going to Japan?

this last month sucked for work, life pretty damn good, work, not so much. 20 days of being at work from 8:30am till 8pm starts to wear thin after the first...well, day. Intensive classes are the norm for Korean kids summer vacations. It's apparently obvious that they should study insane hours during vacation instead of, say, having a vacation. Anyways...i don't want to rant. I'm chill at the moment, let's keep it that way.

My last day of that insaneness was Monday. Tuesday morning at 4:45am I awoke, possibly cursed a bit, then got my butt downstairs to meet Jimmy and Tena and go to the AIRPORT (much happier by this point). My flight for Aomori, Japan left at 9:30, I was here by 11:45. My friend from uni met me at the airport. I havn't seen Niqie for 2 years. Good to see her. We'll be heading down to Tokyo on friday night. She's at work right now. I'm staying at her place right now. Today till Fri it'll just be me chillin' in her city. I've already gone to a Japanese JimJilBang (waaaaay better people), tanned a bit, read some of my book, gone shopping and met Niqie for lunch. Oh, and I also slept past 6am. In my books that's a pretty frickin good day.

It gets better...on Saturday...I am....drumroll......

going to DISNEYLAND!!!!

That's all for now really. Stuff's changed a lot at school. People have left (sad), new people have come (happy), and 6 new people will be there when we all come back from vacation (kinda weird, cuz that's a lot of new dynamics to deal with at once).

I'll possibly update more tomorrow...the cities really nice, but I'm not doing anything touristy...saving that for Tokyo. Right now it's all about me relaxing in a city by the sea.

Sayonara! Annyonghegyeseyo!! Good-bye!!!