From the "Love Motel" to the Apartment

Ahh, now I can finally settle in.

First I flew to California, then to Seoul, Korea. The final 13 hour flight was on Singapore Airlines, which I recommend. Comfortable seats, tasty snacks, good meals and a large selection of recent movies and television shows. My flight wasn't full, so I had three seats to myself. It was as good as it was going to get!

In Seoul, it took about 20 minutes for me to find the guy with my name on the sign. He arrived a bit late. The man gave me a bus ticket and the next thing I knew, my big bags were under a bus and we were on our way to Suwon. The teacher I replaced hadn't left yet, which meant I had to stay elsewhere for a few days. Yes, the school took care of that.

Nice sofa! Unfortunately, the lips and the bed were a bit hard

We got off the bus, got into his car and drove to my hotel. It was really what they call a "Love Motel," a common sight in Korea. Most young Koreans live with their parents until they get married. When they date, the logistics of love become tricky. So, a love motel is the perfect place to ... ahem ... really get to know your boyfriend or girlfriend. I know what you're thinking. Be assured that they're not dirty or grimy at all. Or, at least none that I've seen are like that -- and I've stayed in quite a few.

My room came with with a large bed, a sofa made to look like lips, a computer for internet access, and an HD TV with the standard channels plus softcore porn (hardcore porn is banned in Korea). These places always give out bags of goodies which include condoms, douches, perfumes and skin creams. My room also had a message-type bathtub, a shower and a sit-down shower.

My Life in Buenos Aires: A Throwback Post

While I'm getting settled in Korea, let's talk about my very first adventure overseas: Buenos Aires, Argentina!

The famous "El caminito" In the Boca neighborhood

Here is my experience as an exchange student in Buenos Aires, along with pictures!

Time to Go!

So, tomorrow I finally fly to Seoul! So, how will the process go? Let me explain:

Still trying to sort out my luggage

1. Pack all my bags -- One suitcase, one mountain backpack, a small carry-on bag and a large purse
2. Book a shared van to the airport ($47! )
3. Get my paperwork in order -- my recent medical treatments, papers for dad to mail/turn in, bring extra documents for the school in Korea, etc.
4. Say my goodbyes
5. Head for the airport early in the morning (leaving around 5:00am!)
6. Board two flights and arrive in Seoul
7. Find a guy holding a sign with my name on it
8. Get a nice ride to a hotel in the city I'm working in
9. Hope I don't get sick again, fail the medical, then get sent home :-)

I hope it's a smooth ride, with no airport hang ups and that I'm able to find the guy at the airport! Fun fact, last time my school also sent a guy holding a sign with my name on it, but I couldn't find him. Instead, the guy stopped the one other black girl who happened to be on the plane. We looked nothing alike, of course. As I was frustrated with the new currency and trying to use the phone, that girl approached me and asked me if I was [my name]. "Mmm.... yeah there's a guy over there looking for you." Funny, but I was relieved.

Connecting with the Family

So, I am due in Korea for phase II in about a week. It's hard to tell how I feel about it. I'm not especially excited this time. Perhaps you can say that I'm a little indifferent. I'm not looking forward to the flights since I despise flying. It will take about 20 hours of total traveling time.

To wrap up my home experience I've been visiting some relatives. First, my mom invited my step-brother to her house. I came over and my mom cooked dinner for us. I was delighted to see fish, crabcakes, mac & cheese, deviled eggs and chicken. It was great getting a chance to talk to him again after all this time. It was like catching up with an old friend. And he is a friend. It's a shame that we can't get together more often.

Mom, me, my step-brother and his dad

Next, I visited my maternal grandparents. I had already seen them a couple of times before, but this time I had a gift that I wanted to hand them in person. They know what I had been up to for the past few years but in reality they hadn't seen any pictures. As a result, I created a photo book for them telling them my story. Inside, there were the pictures they hadn't seen along with information about each place and I included a world map to show them where I have been. I loved getting the chance to finally show them and explain everything I had seen and done. It gave them a visual to something they'd only been hearing about. I mailed the same book to my other grandparents as well. I'm happy to report that they all loved their gifts.

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!