A Crime Post

While last weekend has been active for me, I've still been sitting around the house for quite a bit. Keep in mind that I don't have access to a car and there isn't much to do around here, so I've been engaging in other activities!

And "other activities" have been mostly watching TV and surfing the internet. I haven't thought about it this way, but sticking around without much to do has had some negative effects on me. I basically been feeling more depressed and afraid than usual.

I have managed to upset myself by reading about depressing subjects on the internet. I was seriously in a state of grief for a couple of days.

On the other hand, I've been watching plenty of TV, and I'm usually not a TV-watcher. We've got lots of channels, but there aren't a lot of options! Daytime and late night TV has been pretty bad. I'm always running into those talk shows about the same subjects ("Who's my baby's daddy???" & "So-and-so has been cheating on me!!"). So, I've been watching mainly the news and scripted shows.

My area has a LOT of crime. Hell, the United States has a lot of crime. Everyone seems to be killing each other.

Winding down to departure

So here I am, with a few weeks left until I go back to Korea again.

You see, I've been in the USA since the end of October, which means that I'll have been in the states for a little less than four months. I just counted now, and I'm personally shocked that I've been here for less than three months. It has felt much longer than that.

I'm currently staying at my father's house, along with his wife and a toddler who is my half-sister. I'm from a small city with very limited public transport and I also haven't had a car here, so that has had its challenges. I generally like to stay active by going to places and doing things and that has been difficult. Having a small child around also has its stresses, and the wife is a stay at home mom. So they are around all the time, kind of like having a room mate that is always there. I don't quite fit nicely into this second family that my dad has, and I have definitely been in their way as well.

Despite all of the time we spend together in close proximity, we haven't really done much together overall. Dad's wife told me once that she wanted to try Korean food, so I thought it was a good idea for all of us to go to a local Korean BBQ place.

The restaurant, also called "Kahl-Bee". I had to explain to dad why the different spellings existed.

It was like a nice version of what you would typically find in Korea -- with MUCH larger portion sizes. We ordered some dishes such as samgyupsal (삼겹살), bulgogi (불고기) and dumpling soup with rice cakes (떡만두국).

Ahh, the first post

Hello everyone! Welcome to my brand-new blog. I can start with a little bit about me.

At the last place I visited, Colombia

1. I'm a gal in my mid-20s and I'm usually single. But don't get too excited because I rarely post about significant others.
2. I chose the blog name because since I move often, people are beginning to tell me that I have "gypsy blood," but I didn't want to use the word "gypsy," since it could be seen as offensive.
3. I really enjoy meeting new people, and cherish friendships. However, since people move on, that can be seen as a downside of being an expat.
4. I'm from the states and I have also lived in Argentina, South Korea and Colombia. I've traveled to a few more places, such as Chile, Bolivia and Thailand. 
5. I'm an expat teacher! Right now I'm teaching EFL, but I'm upgrading my credentials so that I'll be able to teach in international schools abroad.
6. I have an odd and somewhat distant relationship with my parents.
7. I'm the black sheep of my family. I have lots of relatives, but I don't have much in common with them. I still love them very much.
8. The above facts allow me to live away from home for long periods without feeling homesick.
9. I take pride in my work and always adore my students!
10. I like to take pictures, dance to fun music, try new foods, hang out with friends, see new places, read about current events, learn about political issues, watch films and experience different cultures!

See my former students being silly!