Writing from a different angle...

A few random shots...just for fun...moving on...

A couple of weeks ago, I opened my e-mail to find a message form one, Matthew Lamers, writing to me on behalf of the prestigious Korean Herald, one of two English newspapers (that I have been made aware of at any rate) here in my corner of the world. Naturally assuming it was in regards to some sort of subscription, and being simultaneously impressed and indignant that they had somehow found my e-mail address, I was about to delete it without so much as a glance when curiosity got the better of me. Lo and behold, and much to my shock and delight, the following message appeared on the screen:

“Good'day.
I am with the Korea Herald newspaper. I was going through your website http://stephanieinsuwon.blogspot.com/
I am the editor for the expat section, which we are planning to expand in the near future.
I like your prose and topics of coverage and am wondering if you might be interested in writing a column.
You said: "But a writer requires inspiration in order to deliver the goods." So, how is this for inspiration?
If you agree in principal, we can more forward from here, as there are a lot of details to go over.
Best regards,
Matt
mattlamers@heraldm.com”

My artistic energies have been seemingly stunted since moving here. And in spite of my recent discovery of an expat community theatre group located in Seoul (Seoul Players...more on them to come…), the chances of me finding means in which to express my creativity and feed my passion for all things inspired looked bleak. This however, presented an interesting opportunity to once again, try my hand at writing, an activity I once was fanatical about, but has been something I’ve let go in the past few years. I replied immediately, agreed in principle (not principal...ahem…that’s the English teacher I suppose☺) and anxiously awaited the promised details. That was on November 21st. A week or so later, I replied again, wondering if I had accidentally clicked the wrong button, or if the computer had done what it damn well felt like doing and not what I told it to do, and didn’t actually send the thing at all…. computers have a habit of doing that with me…we have a mutual disrespect for each other that, at times, can get out of hand. By the time yesterday rolled around however, that being December 3rd, the compute and I were united in that fact that my inbox remained detail-less and we were both feeling a little dissed. I was in the midst of preparing a scathing commentary to post on my blog, when I went back to the e-mail and discovered a cell phone number just after Mr. Lamers signature (electronic of course). I looked at the clock and decided 11:30pm on a Monday night was a perfect and not at all inconsiderate time to make a business call, and promptly rang him up. After apologizing a couple of times, and assuring me that he was in fact still interested, my ego felt slightly mollified and we chatted for a bit about what the new section would be entailing and what my part in it would be. Turns out there will be around 15 other expat writers commenting in their own voices about subjects ranging from pop culture in Korea to fashion on the streets of Seoul to the current political standings in Korea and how they affect the foreigners living here. And while he still had a list of topics I could choose from, he already had an idea from reading what I had written already. He mentioned about the couple of times I had written about what it was like being a woman living in Korea, a foreign woman to be precise, and did I think I could get/have enough material to do a weekly/bi-weekly Coolum on subjects pertaining to that topic? And I quote, “…I’m sure you’re familiar with the show ‘Sex and the City’…well, your blog often reminded me of the writer on that show” end quote.
☺
Fifteen minutes later we ended the conversation with him assuring me that he would send me the topic list for me to peruse before any final decisions and that he would send it that night or tomorrow morning. And as nervous as I am to try writing for someone besides myself…did that sound weird…I think that sounded weird…I’m excited as well to try something new and creative and different. That is if the aforementioned reporter does in fact follow through on his promise to send me the agreed upon details. It is now almost 1pm and I have yet to hear from him. And so loyal readers, I find myself turning to the four of you. (Yes, four…I know I know…my numbers just keep going up!) As you all know, I am a very busy woman with many important people and places to see and go…after all, who are those middle school boys going to ridicule unless I show up to class? Who is going to teach the fourth grade class about the delicate differences between “Maybe” and “May be”? Who I ask? Who?!? So while I’m taking care of those things, and if you have a spare minute or two, Mr. Lamers e-mail may have accidentally been posted above and a quick e-mail fired off to his inbox might inspire him to do the same for me☺.

Closing thought: there are 21 days left until Christmas, and while being away this year is going to make certain things a little bittersweet, drinking naam sapparot khan while lying in the sun on a white sand beach in Thailand hand in hand with my man side by side with a few friends back home who just HAD to come and join the fun, will make the holiday one to remember.