eons and eons

I've entered a new phase of my time in Korea. I'm not sure how to describe what's different. A lot of small things have become better or worse. But mostly better. And change is good.

I have a bike to ride to work now, so I actually look forward to going. My bike also makes me feel more free. It's almost like having a car, because I know I can get places faster and go more places I want to go.

Yoga makes more sense now. My brain is conditioned to the Korean phrases for certain positions. I wouldn't be able to repeat what he says, but I know what to do when I hear certain words. I need to push myself harder, though. I go into child's pose too often.

Teaching is different now. I plan more than I used to. I come into work earlier and try to think of the best way to teach the lessons and make good use of time. I'm trying really hard to decide if I want to be a teacher as a career. My biggest goal now is to figure out what I'm going to do when I come home. I feel like I have 40 weeks to decide what to do with the rest of my life!

I have learned way more about the English language in the past several weeks than I did in all my years of grade school and college combined. Oh, the things I discover. Did you know Long A sounds like "a" and Long I sounds like "i"? And today I realized the word "wind" is in window when the wind slammed my classroom door shut and scared my students to death. My school won't turn on the air conditioning till it's warmer outside. Still, my kids and I already sweat to death every day, and every half hour I get a, "TEACHER HOT HOT TEACHER-ER-ER!"

Ryan asked me why I haven't written in my blog in so long. The truth is there isn't much to write about. I do a lot of the same things over and over on weekdays. Then on weekends I try to go see something touristy. This weekend I didn't do anything touristy. I did find out there are some awesome bars and adorable areas in Seoul. That city is beautiful at night. If only it didn't smell so very very horrible.

This weekend I want to stay in my small town, enjoy the park and nice weather, and save some money. On the other hand I still haven't seen or done a ton of things I want to see. I feel like a year isn't long enough to do all I want to do in this country, and I have to make every weekend count. But that exchange rate will most likely keep me at home this weekend. The amount of money I'm making here at the current exchange rate is laughable. But I'm not here for the money. (I have to keep telling myself that.)

I just finished watching Synecdoche, New York. It's a really weird movie, but at the same time the best movie I've seen in a really long time. Years even. I recommend it. Before I go I want to remind everyone that Corey's in boot camp. Please get his address from Ryan or one of my parents. I know how homesick he must feel. I'll feel much better knowing he's getting letters from friends and family. Trust me, I know it makes a huge difference.