Why I haven't blogged this time.

Why I haven't blogged.
The gravity of Facebook has gripped me and I am swirling in its vortex, through prepubescent memories and those faces all grown up. I see people change and have babies who are the same age we were when we met. I feel older because of facebook. It has a way of categorizing your life and taking stock of what you've done. Sometimes I judge people on how interesting or how creative their 'face' is. I don't think I'm alone. You find yourself admitting to the universe that you like America's Next Top Model and making jokes of what your religious and political affiliations are. Then you take a moment to think how meaningful your life is and how witty you are to see that a bunch of other people said the same thing.
I've come to realize that my blog is my more thoughtful cyber-me, and that I will think here and mingle there.
But it is exciting...

Decisions made

You know, Facebook is really evil. Evil in that if you are a person with little discipline and the ability to get completely distracted easily, then it will take over your life. So, the blogging has, yet again, fallen by the wayside.

We have been going through the process of booking tickets home, changing plans, planning to volunteer for Cambodia, changing plans, re-booking tickets home, changing plans, looking to volunteer in El Salvador, realizing time commitments, changing plans, re-booking tickets, looking to volunteer with elephants in Thailand, and finalizing our tickets to Canada instead. (for now anyway). We're having a heck of a time trying to organise the cats going home (flying sucks for cats and we are having trouble getting them all the way to Deer Lake, and the flight may not even take them). Trying to see everyone before we leave, but most of all we have been trying to figure out our plans to go back to Ontario this summer/fall. Should we go to K-town? Or just straight to Peterborough? Everyday, we examine our possiblities and come up with 15 more plan Bs, and get ourselves more confused. This whole process is way more confusing than it needs to be.

Anyway, some decisions that have been made:

1. We will fly home on May 8th, and arrive in Deer Lake (Newfoundland) on May9th.
2. After about 10 days, we will drive back to Ontario with my folks and the cats and head to TO and then to Ptbo to find accom. for next year.
3. We will house sit for Mark in Kingston, after finding a good person to cat sit our cats.
4. We'll head to Ptbo. at the end of the summer and I will start Teacher's College there. Whoo hoo! I made a decision!!
5. At some point in either the summer, fall or winter, Bryce will head to El Salvador for a 10 week volunteer position with a political/ popular education center. Very cool revolutionary work going on there. Hopefully it will be at a good time for Lana to go for a few weeks too.

Umm... th-th-th-thats' all folks. I'll keep you posted.
Going to enjoy the sun for now.

Really, what should I do??

So, really, I should be ouside on the field, walking in the spring air since I don't have a class this period. I just got finished teaching my grade 3s for the day (for those who don't teach in Korea, that means grade 3 middle school, or grade 9 in canada). Started with what I had been doing with the grade 2s and 1s previously- learning "You Raise Me Up" (a ridiculously cheesy song that is uplifting and semi-inspirational, but of course is too popular and is overplayed/in every second advertisement). It is easy to teach and learn for ESL. However, the grade 3s seemed to have the same nauseated reaction to it as I do, therefore I had to change their lesson over lunch to teach to the last two classes. So, I did a bit of research on B-boys, and played some b-boy videos and taught some of the terms and history of b-boys. It was cool, but not totally English immersed. But at least we got to watch some videos and not watch Westlife oversing. fun stuff. See video posted in blog for some fun stuff.

My weekend was really fantastic, and instead of telling you about it, you should read Matt's blog (under "What a weekend!"), because he said everything in great detail and because I am a little lazy. Thanks for having a birthday Brooke for the excuse for the trip, and thanks for such a fabulous Easter brunch Matt- you really tie everyone together beautifully.

Bryce and I are ironing out our plans for next year. I have been accepted into all but one of the 6 programs I applied for in Canada (the one being the program I was supposed to have an interview for and I didn't care enough to try to organize it long distance).
I may need a vote. I need to decide by Friday. I think I know where I am heading, but I'd like your opinion as well:

1. GIS Cartography specialist- this means making maps (which I think is fascinating).
2. Environmental Technology- this means doing assessments of the Environment and doing something that is more hands on for my degree (Environmental Studies).
3. International Project Management- learning skills to effectively manage International Projects (basically a lot of the non-profit work I've been doing but being able to get a higher position). this was a difficult one to get into (i think anyway).
4. Massage Therapy- because it is an interest of mine, but this program would take a few years.
5. Teacher's college at Trent- one of the harder programs to get into. I love being a teacher, and this would allow me to do it anywhere and may lead to a masters in education the year after.

So, tell me what you think! I need some input. Bryce and I are working out everything now and making decisions and overall I'm nervous as hell to go back to school. Is it age? Is it failure? Not quite sure, but hopefully these nerves will keep my excitement up until at least midterms.

Kisses

The Countdown to Canada stress page

AAAAAHHH! I am getting crazy stressed out. We are leaving really really soon. Like, really really soon. Because I am a dork (and those of you who know me can surely attest to this), I wrote out a list of things to do weeks ago, on recipe cards for each week, for both Bryce and I. Like:

March 25-31st
LANA
- book ticket
- shop for souvenirs for home
- download files from work
- get motorcycle tuned up
- ship 3 boxes home
- give books/food/...away

March 25-31st
BRYCE
-find accomodations in Kingston
- find jobs in Kingston
- plan cross-Korea trip
- get cats shots finished
-go to pension office for a refund
....

etc... However, some things just aren't done. How the heck did this happen? I am up at night stressed out and thinking about all sorts of 'what ifs'.
Like What IF:
- the cats die on the plane home
- I don't have a job in Canada
- I can't give away our stuff
- something is wrong with the motorbike and we can't do our Cross-Korea trip (WHICH IN THE END IS TRUE, BECAUSE IT WAS STOLEN YESTERDAY)
- I don't get to see important people to say goodbye to them
- I choose the wrong program to study next year
- I don't have a place to live in Canada
-etc...

These What Ifs are piled onto a host of How Are We Going To's and all sorts of Maybe We Shoulds and then sprinkled with loads of I'm Really Going To Misses.

The coundown is on- 2 weeks to the end of the contract ( Holy crap!!), and our tix are booked for April 28th. We may change the date (shhh!), but for now, that is the story.

I hate moving. I suppose I should get over that considering my lifestyle.
yoiks.

Milestone

I HAVE PAID OFF MY STUDENT LOAN THAT HAS DISABLED MY LIFE FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS!!

I AM DEBT FREE!!

CAN YOU IMAGINE??

I think that I will now conquer everything that comes my way!
This is defintely one of the highlights of my life. I am more proud of this moment than when I got my degree. It simply feels amazing- until now, I imagined winning a small lottery and that the "first thing I'd do" would be pay off the loan. After that, it was all just free money and coasting. So, that is what I will now do- coast.

In a strange way, I feel so revolutionary- breaking free from the shackles of the bank. Yippee!
Thank you Korea.

And thank you to my wonderful Bryce for encouraging me and moving around the world with me so that I could do this. You are my treasure. (my secret treasure- don't tell anyone...)

My Celebrity Look -a-likes

Cambodian diaries

We made it to Cambodia. After an intensive 2 week camp at the JETI (Jeollanamdo Education Training Institute), where I was hanging out with 7 other Native Speaker Instructors and 32 Korean English teachers, I had one day to find sitters for all three cats and to get our things together to get to Cambodia.
Bryce and I are finally on vacation. I was hesitating to come to South East Asia, simply because nothing could ever match up to my year in Thailand so long ago (was that really NINE years ago?? dear jesus)- I knew that I didn't want to actually go back to Thailand until I had some significant time to spend tracking down my old host family in the mountains and some of my old friends who have finished all of their respective degrees at Chiang Mai University and are working all over Thailand. So, we thought Cambodia may be different from this.

And it is. It has been really amazing. We are volunteering with University age students (some in Uni, some not), who study English from a Korean missionary education centre. I've never really been involved with a Christian NGO, and I suppose I'm still not really, but my co-teacher in Korea helped to set up this place a few years ago, and helped me to get set up with them. Thank you Kim Hyun. Bryce and I have been working with them since Monday and its been a blast. We teach from 9:30-10:30 every morning teaching the Bible studies class some conversational English. These guys all live at the dorm at the centre. Most are from 'the Provinces' and have moved to Phnom Penh for some opportunity. They spend most of their time at the center, volunteering or studying. They've been really welcoming to us.

In the afternoon we return at 2:30, after doing some Phnom Penh sightseeing, and teach more classes until 5. The classes are mainly conversational and cross-cultural. For example (for all of you pedagogy geeks out there), on Tuesday we taught a couple of Canadian songs, including the "Log Drivers Waltz", but we couldn't show the video since there is not internet or computer, or tv there. The following day we did a "Cambodia " lesson, whereby they presented aspects of Cambodiana culture . We've been throwing all sorts of other fun and enticing things in as well. WEll, at least enticing for us.
Apart from volunteering, its been quite horrifying to learn first hand about Cambodia's history. We went to the Tuol Sleng museum yesterday, which used to be a high school until it was revamped as torture center for the Pol Pot regime. It was sombre and the air was heavy. I had a strong dejavu to 15 years ago when I visited Auschwitz with my school from Germany. Terrible terrible crimes paid to children, mothers, young men and men and grandmothers alike. As we left there were landmine aputees everywhere asking for some cash. A strong legacy to mines planted by the US military and the Khmer Rouge 25 years ago. Never removed except by civilians walking their fields years after the regime. Cambodia has one of the worst unexploded landmine problems in the world. This restricts land that would otherwise be used for agriculture or for building in such an impoverished country.

There have also been some really fun and interesting moments everyday. Our first day in town we went to Wat Phnom (a temple on a small hill in town), on the beginning of our walking tour. While talking to Mike, our newly discovered friend, I was very startled to find a monkey clawing desperately at my pants (which I had just sewn the day before!!)- she was screaming at me for the banana in my hand ( I mean really! How cliche!). I gave it to her, because as I looked around there were dozens of monkeys suddenly around us- in the trees, on the ground, everwhere- and I felt a little outnumbered. Even though it was a much-trafficked park, there seemed to be no management to these little wild guys. So, well, I gave in.

Everyday we are experiencing so much- just went on a dodgy ferris wheel in an amusement park that was built in apparently 20 days, while looking down at some young guys in muscle tees and belted tight jeans working out in a gym and rehearsing dance moves in front of a large mirror. I dont think I'm explaining just how bizarre it was- imagine watching Grease from 50 ft in the air with "happy birthday' playing in the background and everyone staring at YOU instead of the main attraction. Or something. I think I need some sleep.

I hope everyone is well- I'm a bit tired. The weather is breezy and warm- the perfect vacation.
More coming soon.
'aw kohn'
bye

When Lisa Came to Town

I must post about my sister trekking across the world to spend the Christmas season with her little sis. Lisa came early December after spending the past semester in France (St. Pierre et Michelon, off the coast of Canada), speaking only french and eating lots of crepes and baguettes. So, she headed over here to Korea in order to speak some Korean and eat lots of kimchi and red bean fish pastries. We spent some good time hiking up to the temples (but my camera didn't work, so I'll get my sister to send some pics), and touring around the countryside.

We did quite a bit during her visit and I truly think that she got a unique taste of Korea that many don't get the chance to do. Living in the countryside of Gurye affords that 'luxury'. Lots of mountains and such. We went around on the scooter- yup thats right, the three of us! I wish I had a picture of that... Then I taught Lisa the basics and she just took off (too fast if you ask me), yelling out "I'm going to the store see you sooooooooonnnn". I fretted and looked out the window waiting for her until she got back. Thanks for the neurotic paranoia tendencies mom!

Anyway, we went to Gwangju and my sister was introduced to all the beauty of the 'love motel' , which is a lovely Korean thing. Cheap hotel with luxuries of free 'toiletries' (yes, including condoms), and a whirlpool bath and multi-head, multi-directional shower (basically the best thing on earth). Often with large screens built into the wall for your digital viewing pleasure. Full channels and free movie rental (including the porn, not that i know really...). For 30 bucks its a great deal. We need these places in Canada! I personally could travel better! Anyway, went to a Christmas party where Lisa met some of our friends and got a bit chrismassytipsy(well, she got a LOT chrismassytipsy). We also met up with our second? third? cousin who was playing in the band and hails from the Newfoundland Bay. He lives nearby me. Maybe we'll meet again soon. Nice loud Newfoundlander! yes b'ye

Christmas was really great- since this is my third consecutive Christmas away from home, it was really fantastic to have Lisa here. She was also here for our first snow fall, which you can see above. There were actually better pics, but I had to include Madonna in here somewhere...

I even fashioned up a 'tree' with branches and boughs from the flower store. strung some lights and decs and put all of the presents from each other and sent from home underneath and whoo hoo!! I recieved some really lovely presents this year, including a GUITAR from beautiful bryce (below with a present of his own)! (its was in a washing machine box next to the tree).

Sang carols and really loved everything. I even invited some friends (Korean and Philipina) over for a big Canadian Christmas feast- chicken and turkey made in the rice steamer, stuffing made in a pan, and my sister trucked all sorts of goodies (like cranberry sauce!! ) over from Canada to complete the meal. yummy.

Lisa and I took off on a backpacking trip to Gyeongju, the old capital to the Shilla Kingdom in Korea. Its so beautiful there. We met a great girl, Kiki from Japan, and _____, from ______. Here's a picture of us out on the town(notice the sinful sundaes):

Following are pictures of Lisa and my trip around Gyeongju. We walked around a lot and learned a little too much about history.

a view from Bulguksa- a very famous Korean temple

(tee hee)

Lisa is so tall in this country!

Spent hours in a museum (below), most of the time trying to get our translation tour headphones to work. I was museumed out- as I get when I walk around a museum with my sister, or with Bryce, who both feel the need to read EVERY little sign and absorb everything until they become a part of the display. So after I threw a minor fit, Lisa left with me so we could get me some food.

Lisa left after seeing the DMZ and touring around Seoul on her own. She's a right traveler that girl! (say with a light Newfoundlander accent)...We loved having her here!