so since it has been may since i have updated this, i figured it was probably about time for an update of some kinds. since it's the very last day of august and all. summer was crazy super busy between work, grad classes, weekend trips, summer camp and then my vacation to america, i really had no free time to just sit down and write out what had been going on. now that i am back in korea (and desk-warming already), i figured now was as good a time as any to update this.
so here is a run down of things that happened over the summer... in list form of course (because that is the only way i am going to remember what happened over the last 3.5 months)
may:
- cinco de mayo weekend trip to cheongpeyong lake. this included my 3rd bungee jump!
- saw stephanie perform in "our country's good"
- namhae weekend trip. with some kayaking and plenty of drinks. and of course taking care of jungsop after he insisted on trying every kind of alcohol we had at the bar.
june:
- me paying off my first student loan!
- my school's english play/speech competition (which was a korean mom overloaded nightmare!)
- USO DMZ tour with stephanie. us getting to step foot on the north korean side.
- a "lovely" 3 day orientation for GEPIK returning teachers
july:
- rafting/ziplining/river trekking trip. which ended with this girl getting a lot of bumps and bruises, which really shouldn't be anything new to anyone.
- MUDFEST 2012. which was awesome on so many levels. :)
- paying off student loan number 2!
- summer camp prep and trying to save money for my vacation to america!
- start of 1st summer camp
august:
- finishing up 1st and 2nd summer camp
- and finally AMERICA!
so usually i would have pictures for all of this... but since it's basically 3.5 months worth of stuff you guys are just gonna have to leave it to your imagination. or go on my facebook since all my pictures are there.
my vacation home was absolutely amazing! there are really no words to describe how nice it was to visit. i was greeted at the airport by my mom, baby sister, aunt and two adorable little cousins. they even made me welcome home signs and everything. after being on a plane for 12+ hours, dealing with the idiot workers at LAX after they sent me to the wrong terminal and insisted that i was too late to check in for my connecting flight, and then another 2 hour flight, it was nice to see some familiar faces and get some hugs.
the next two weeks went by way to fast and included so many different things. the beach with my mom and sister, shooting with my dad, eye appts, getting to finally meet both cooper and mckenzie, seeing friends i haven't seen since i left or even way before that, tons and tons and tons of shopping, portland saturday market, a birthday/welcome home party my aunt and mom threw for me, a lot of driving, DELICIOUS BEER AND WINE!!, and so many more awesome things, places and people.
it was wonderful to be home, but it's also good to be back in korea and in a routine of some sorts (my jet lag is kicking my butt). while on vacation i got the question over and over again about what i was going to do come the end of my contract. my answer was always the same, "i'm on vacation and i'm not thinking about it." i was under strict orders from ariel, laura and a few others to not stress about it and to actually enjoy my vacation. so that's what i did, for the most part. there were the few people that would seriously not drop the topic and actually pushed me to tears about it at one point. now that i am back though, i have to buckle down and really start to think about what i am going to do come february. and literally just thinking about it now makes me tense and stresses me out, and it's still only august.
sadly when i was home i was in the middle of a grad school class, so i didn't really get a break from that. thankfully the first week, i was able to pre-write my discussion questions and get those out of the way before my 12 hour flight home. and naturally i procrastinated and wrote my paper in 3 hours the morning it was due (and got a 100%). the next week was a group project. there were three of us total, me being on vacation in america with limited time i was willing to spend online, valerie was starting teaching again and tammy was dealing with family stuff. with all of us being busy we were able to slowly get everything put together for our paper. and of course i was the last one to submit my portion (wrote it in 26 mins and was praised for how well written it was) and thankfully we pulled on a 100%. i am currently starting my last week of this class i couldn't be more happier. this professor is TERRIBLE! and it's not because she is the first one to give me a "B" on an assignment either. she is just all around awful and i can't wait to be done with her. this will also mean that i have 3 graduate classes left until i have earned my master's degree! this girl couldn't be more excited either! all this hard work and the student loans i am taking out are going to pay off finally.
now that i am back in korea, i have been desk-warming all week because the construction on the bathrooms at my school are not finished. so there was only one floor of bathrooms for the entire school. though since i have been here all week, i am not seeing much progress on what they have done. i mean don't get me wrong, they finally look like bathrooms, but are missing key components, like STALLS and you know... TOILETS! but thankfully this is the last day of desk-warming, because i am starting to go stir-crazy being at the school all by myself. (yep that's right, the NET has to be here while all the other teachers got to stay home... complete B.S. if you ask me!)
so as of now, i am getting back in the groove of things and prepping for a very busy month of september... which include finishing my current grad class, korea burn/iain visiting from china next weekend, taking ariel to eat properly cooked crab at boiling crab, and of course JAPAN for chuseok vacation with stephanie and laura!! that is going to be AMAZING!!!! and i can't wait. 5 full days in japan!
now i must go pay my bills before i get a ''late fee'' and order my sleeping bag for korea burn. then it's home to unpack some more (yes i am STILL not unpacked fully from my trip) and drinks with the girls.
