Stephanie in Suwon

I find myself feeling homesick tonight, with no real reason for it. Indeed, with my best friend in town for a visit, and a weekend that was filled with good times with good friends, one would imagine oneself feeling an excess of gratitude for being in the here and now. But I do. So there. My family and friends of course. But also…things less tangible. The smell of the inside of a theatre, that feeling in the pit of my stomach right before I walk into an audition, and a glass of red wine with fellow cast members. Corsets, Lit and Sing Sing Sing. Jazz, Dad’s BBQ chicken and homemade guacamole. A Corona with my brothers. Saturdays at Splolumbo’s. 4th street. 1719 2nd Ave NW. This is hard.

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 oppos...

let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder don’t you know the hardest part is over let it in, let your clarity define you in the end we will only just remember how it feels our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate time falls away, in these small hours, these small hours still remain let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you let it shine until you feel it all around you and i don’t mind if it’s me you need to turn to we’ll get by, it’s the heart that really matters in the end our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain all of my regret will wash away some how but i can not forget the way i feel right now in these small hours these little wonders these twists & turns of fate these twists & turns of fate time falls away but these small hours with these small hours, still remain, they still remain t...

The day I thought would never come has. Christmas break is upon us, a solid 10 days off, and a trip to look forward to, a reunion of sorts on the some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and a chance to regroup, rest and reflect on my time here so far. Oh! And apparently a full moon party on the island we’re staying on Christmas Eve as well. I must have been a VERY good girl this year☺. Christmas in Korea has been a trip; Christmas in Thailand will be even better. I am hard pressed to remember a time I needed rest more then right now. Our little Christmas tree sits in the corner of our apartment; its small promise has kept me going the past couple of weeks. Changes continue to surround me here, as I was told, pardon me, “asked” if I would be willing to give up teaching for a month and assist at head office for the month of January. The 2 hour commute both ways was a big deterrent for me but after sweetening the deal with a place of my own for the first month of 2008 in a place ...

With Christmas fast approaching, and our long-awaited trip to Thailand looming, things here in Korea-land have been getting a little bit more jazzy. That’s right, jazzy. You heard it here first. There is a sense of anticipation floating around and with 11 school days left (but really who’s counting?) before our vacation starts certain realizations are beggining to come into light. Christmas eve will mark four months since landing here and that number astounds me for a number of reasons: 1) It feels like we’ve been here forever and 2) It feels like we just got here yesterday. My four month mark will pass without Korean fanfare though as Dave and I will be celebrating Christmas while lying on a beach with white sand, blue water, and a never ending supply of frothy, sweet, rum soaked beverages with big pieces of fruit floating around in them. And while that little scenario is one I have been eagerly looking forward to, it does not diminish the fact that this will be my first Christmas awa...

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 write...

I’m feeling pretty good about the fact that it’s Friday. This week was one of non-stop stress, climaxing yesterday evening with an incident in one of my classes, involving me, a group of four thirteen year old boys and a serious flashback to a memory of me in junior high school. In this memory, which took place on a Wednesday afternoon (funny how stuff like that sticks with you), I was late for class and running down the hallway. I passed by a group of guys I knew in passing, who were undoubtably skipping class, who proceeded to chase me down said hallway, barking at the top of their lungs. You know. Cause I’m ugly. Like a dog. Get it? I ended up missing class because I was holed up in the girl’s washroom, bawling my face off, and too scared to come out in case they were waiting for me outside the door. This is a moment for me; I’d just like to point out. I just revealed an incredibly humiliating memory, and am allowing myself to be brutally honest with the three of you who actually re...