Indigo and Butterflies
Alrighty then.
It’s been far too long and my sincere apologies to the both of you, dear readers. The past few weeks have been absolutely flying by and chock full of crazy. Brief synopsis:
Our trip to Thailand was a success in spite of the series of drama filled events that seemed to stalk us for the entirety of our week-long stay. Such trials include conning and subsequent robbing of some of our dear friends personal effects, money and a rather pricey camera to be more precise, and sad news from our families, informing and reminding us that although we can run far far away, life goes on/ just plain goes at home without us and the passing of dear friends long before their time dampened our Christmas spirits for an afternoon or so. On the plus side, my trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth came complete with a brief stay in a lovely and oh-so-newveau Thai hospital. FYI. Apparently combining large quantities of sun and salt water fun with copious amounts of Chang beer as opposed to water is conducive to a case of massive dehydration and heat exhaustion. And just in case that wasn’t fun enough, an allergic reaction to the at first, seemingly harmless bug bites, that left large swollen red bumps that were everywhere from my feet to my face. Nothing like standing on a beach, covered in bug bites and pasty white skin, next to the blonde skinny European women with caramel colored skin and designer bikinis. Confidence!!! Why have you forsaken me?!?! And then…
White sand beaches with water bluer then I could ever have imagined to be real surround me.. Drinking rum and pineapple juice out of a hollowed out coconut while relaxing with good friends and some of the most amazing food I have ever eaten. Thai massages. Warm, moist air wrapping itself around you like a hug as I walked back to our room in the early hours of what I know will be another day on the beach. Drinking beer on a darkened beach lit with torches listening to an acoustic guitar playing a song that reminded me of my brothers and thinking how much they would love where I was at that moment. Seeing my best friend again. Stretching out in a long boat under a sun in a cloudless sky, surrounded by lagoons, coves, beaches and endless sparkling water.
Could have been worse I guess……..
There was the briefest of moments though, upon our arrival in Phuket, staring out the window of the plane to the islands and lights floating below me and a Christmas carol that enjoys a permanent home in my families CD rotation during the holiday season started playing in the speaker above my head and a sharp lump rose in my throat unexpectedly. I closed my eyes and wished with all my heart that when I opened them, I would see the familiar lights of the Calgary International airport shining below and know that inside, my family was waiting to take me home. I opened my eyes when Dave put his hand on mine and saw Thailand instead. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, squeezed Dave’s hand and felt better.
All in all, not bad for my first Christmas away from home.
And returning to Korea has been surprisingly comforting and amazingly hectic all at the same time, mostly due to the fact that for the month of January I have been temporarily transferred to head office, which is located in the city of Bundang. This is providing me with a welcome reprieve from teaching all those delightful and not-at-all-energy-sucking kids for whom I hold such a soft spot for…who can tell if I’m being sarcastic? Anyone want to wager a guess?
This little shift in structure has also allowed me the chance to live alone again for a short while as they have supplied me with a place a short distance from the office. I was given the opportunity to stay put and commute everyday, but that would be four hours out of everyday that I would never get back. So I opted to live in Bundang and so far, it’s working out delightfully well. Gorgeous apartment, great new area to explore, and a Starbucks within walking distance, it’s almost as though I’ve been given an extended Christmas gift, and as much as I miss Dave and my friends from school, this change of scenery and situation is seeming to be just what I needed and didn’t know I needed it…does that make sense?
Resolutions for 2008 include travel☺, to try and not spazz out about stupid shit that really doesn’t matter in the bigger picture, and to wear rhinestones as much as I possibly can!
You?
It’s been far too long and my sincere apologies to the both of you, dear readers. The past few weeks have been absolutely flying by and chock full of crazy. Brief synopsis:
Our trip to Thailand was a success in spite of the series of drama filled events that seemed to stalk us for the entirety of our week-long stay. Such trials include conning and subsequent robbing of some of our dear friends personal effects, money and a rather pricey camera to be more precise, and sad news from our families, informing and reminding us that although we can run far far away, life goes on/ just plain goes at home without us and the passing of dear friends long before their time dampened our Christmas spirits for an afternoon or so. On the plus side, my trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth came complete with a brief stay in a lovely and oh-so-newveau Thai hospital. FYI. Apparently combining large quantities of sun and salt water fun with copious amounts of Chang beer as opposed to water is conducive to a case of massive dehydration and heat exhaustion. And just in case that wasn’t fun enough, an allergic reaction to the at first, seemingly harmless bug bites, that left large swollen red bumps that were everywhere from my feet to my face. Nothing like standing on a beach, covered in bug bites and pasty white skin, next to the blonde skinny European women with caramel colored skin and designer bikinis. Confidence!!! Why have you forsaken me?!?! And then…
White sand beaches with water bluer then I could ever have imagined to be real surround me.. Drinking rum and pineapple juice out of a hollowed out coconut while relaxing with good friends and some of the most amazing food I have ever eaten. Thai massages. Warm, moist air wrapping itself around you like a hug as I walked back to our room in the early hours of what I know will be another day on the beach. Drinking beer on a darkened beach lit with torches listening to an acoustic guitar playing a song that reminded me of my brothers and thinking how much they would love where I was at that moment. Seeing my best friend again. Stretching out in a long boat under a sun in a cloudless sky, surrounded by lagoons, coves, beaches and endless sparkling water.
Could have been worse I guess……..
There was the briefest of moments though, upon our arrival in Phuket, staring out the window of the plane to the islands and lights floating below me and a Christmas carol that enjoys a permanent home in my families CD rotation during the holiday season started playing in the speaker above my head and a sharp lump rose in my throat unexpectedly. I closed my eyes and wished with all my heart that when I opened them, I would see the familiar lights of the Calgary International airport shining below and know that inside, my family was waiting to take me home. I opened my eyes when Dave put his hand on mine and saw Thailand instead. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, squeezed Dave’s hand and felt better.
All in all, not bad for my first Christmas away from home.
And returning to Korea has been surprisingly comforting and amazingly hectic all at the same time, mostly due to the fact that for the month of January I have been temporarily transferred to head office, which is located in the city of Bundang. This is providing me with a welcome reprieve from teaching all those delightful and not-at-all-energy-sucking kids for whom I hold such a soft spot for…who can tell if I’m being sarcastic? Anyone want to wager a guess?
This little shift in structure has also allowed me the chance to live alone again for a short while as they have supplied me with a place a short distance from the office. I was given the opportunity to stay put and commute everyday, but that would be four hours out of everyday that I would never get back. So I opted to live in Bundang and so far, it’s working out delightfully well. Gorgeous apartment, great new area to explore, and a Starbucks within walking distance, it’s almost as though I’ve been given an extended Christmas gift, and as much as I miss Dave and my friends from school, this change of scenery and situation is seeming to be just what I needed and didn’t know I needed it…does that make sense?
Resolutions for 2008 include travel☺, to try and not spazz out about stupid shit that really doesn’t matter in the bigger picture, and to wear rhinestones as much as I possibly can!
You?
Comments
You really are a) an acute observer of yerself and other people, b) an energetic and enjoyable author, and c) real. Such is the stuff of a great writer/human being.
love, k
Dee