Dareum Mountain 달음산

The last time I went hiking was just last November.  It took a total of 10 hours and I felt it for weeks. So of course I was apprehensive when I learned that I was expected to participate in the school hike that is done in honour of the 3rd year students who will be doing their university entrance exams in November. Then I learned that it's really steep. THEN I learned that near the top, it's also rocky (like climbing with hands rocky). So I got nervous. At the same time, though, I was pretty excited. I'd never gone hiking in Korea before so I was glad to have the opportunity. Not to mention I was getting paid to do it and there were no classes as a result of the hike. And now.... I've done it! It's 3 pm and I'm already home! So that's nice.

This was a much better and much more encouraging experience than in November for a number of reasons (length of time, distance, how my body felt doing it, weather), so I'm happy I got to the top. I wasn't sure I would, to be honest. But here are some of the thoughts I had on the way up:

You can do it.

Get it girl. 

The time will pass anyway, might as well keep going.

If you need to quit you can, so just go until you can't go any more.

Okay let's rest for a bit.

Stretch it out. 

Shall I stop or keep going? Let's keep going.

Where the hell am I?

Spirit, guide me. No, seriously. I don't know if this is the right path. (Metaphor for life, anyone?)

And now, some photos! 

My week so far

The past few days have been quite eventful! Between my ARC, my phone, my bed and sofa, and a lovely surprise last night, my head is spinning!

I ordered a bed (well, mattress) and sofa online and they both arrived days/weeks earlier than estimated! Bonus! They both look great and they're comfortable enough. They're both a bit firmer than I had expected, and I have learned why people test these things out rather than just buying online. I say that but I'm pretty happy with the way things have worked out. Pictures!

So that experience has been great. My ARC (Alien Registration Card) came a week earlier than I'd been told, so I went to get my new phone straight from work. The phone situation has ended well (I mean, I have a phone!), but I got a bit of a shocker when I got to Olleh to sign up. Apparently in 2011, I had left behind a whopping ₩184,400 unpaid charge and had to pay that before I could sign up with any phone company. I don't remember whether or not I knew in 2011 that this would happen but last night I was certain there was a huge mistake. But systems don't lie, I guess. So obviously I failed to pay that charge 4 years ago and had to pay now. So I did and now I'm equipped with a great phone and data to get me through until I set up Internet in my apartment.

Something really cool happened after the phone fiasco, though! I went to the french bakery across the street called "Pain d'Amour" for some good old fashioned stress eating lol. When I got there I asked the worker for suggestions. As he was suggesting things, I noticed his French accent was really good. Then another man (the owner I think), started making sone more suggestions,  also with a good accent when naming the foods. At one point he said micro-onde instead of microwave,  so when I had made my decision I said,  "Merci!" WELL, he started talking in rapid fire French and then said that the worker also spoke French. The 3 of us had a conversation in French!!! It was amazing! The owner lived in France and the worker lived in the Côte d'Ivoire! They both spoke much better than I could. They were talking so fast I just barely understood everything, but I was proud that I understood all but one sentence! Right across the street from me, I was NOT expecting to find something as awesome as that. It was definitely a good end to the day.

To add to the bonuses, I found out that one of my classes has been canceled for today so I don't have to go into work until 4:00pm! I have a 2.5 hour work day today hahaha.

Life, it would seem, is good.

Angel xo

I feel like such an adult!

I have a new apartment!! I required a lot of translation help (thank you Berry!!~) and I was lucky enough to have help moving too (thank you Tanya!~) but I went out and found a realtor and then chose an apartment and now I'm living in it!! It's what we call a "loft apartment" or 복층형. I love it. I've been dreaming of living in an apartment like this for some time now, so I'm just gonna experience this to the max, let me tell you!! Here are some photos:

And today I just ordered my bed and couch!! Man this feels so weird and exciting hahaha. More pics once everything's all in place! ^_^

Angel xo

Home...Sick....

I just realised I've definitely already taken a different approach to this blog from last time. Back in 2010-2011, I used it as a way to say, "Hey I did this specific thing. Here are ALLLL the details and I'm having a great time!" Now I'm like, "I feel icky/happy/scared/nervous/blech. I'm gonna blog about it." Hahaha I guess I'm being more honest with myself (and therefore you, the reader) this time around. Whoa that was deep.

Anyway, being sick forces you to really keep things real. Really. I had said I felt the beginnings of a cold. HA! It was the flu. And a cold. And it was most horrible. My parents skyped with me because they're awesome and it really helped to see their faces, hear their voices, and feel their love and support. (Shoutout to Skype and WiFi!) Turning down invitations and apparent opportunities is hard. But when you're physically unable to do what you feel you need to (or would really like to do) you have to make smarter decisions.

Things I wanted to do last weekend:
1. Have lunch with Meg and Cheryl and other new potential friends.
2. Audition for an independent play and meet more new people, get out there, do something fun.

Things I did last weekend:
1. Cough
2. Blow my nose
3. Shiver
4. Have headaches
5. Sleep
6. Wish I was home

Then I went to work yesterday, because it's only week 2 and I really can't be missing days already. It's not the done thing and I honestly felt up to it... in the morning. By the end of the day I was so spent.

Anyway, all that to say I've been feeling really home sick and I at first felt like it was too soon to feel that way, but Meg put it in perspective for me. She said, "...you're sick and of course you want to be home. This isn't your home yet." Yup. Nailed it. This isn't my home yet! Duh! Give it some time. And being sick makes everything suck, although it has made me REALLY grateful for modern and traditional medicines, helpful friends, supportive parents, and the permission to wear jeans to work! So that's good!

Also I no longer have a fever (or let me say I currently do not have a fever). Woke up all sweaty this morning so hopefully the spell fever has finally broken. And I had a rare moment earlier when both nostrils were clear, so I seized the golden opportunity to do a sinus rinse. It felt so good to be able to do! If you've never done one, I recommend it. Even if you're not sick, it's a great way to just clean out your sinuses and keep things operating properly. Mmmmm saline hahah It feels really weird and uncomfortable the first time you do it, but you get used to it.

All right, work later. TTFN!

Angel xo

Always Tired

Hey all,

So I've been here for just over a week now. I wanna write a post about getting settled and stuff, but I'm not done doing that so it'll have to wait. Right now, though, I'm super sleepy. It's 9:30am and I went to bed at 11pm last night and woke up at 7. So I got a full 8 hours. Maybe even more because I kept hitting snooze. So why do I feel so drained?

I've been getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night since I got here. I think my jet lag is taking longer to pass because I have yet to have one day where all I did was rest. Last time I came to Korea, I arrived on a Friday and pretty much slept all weekend. This time around, I arrived on a Tuesday and a few hours after arriving, started going out and getting things done (this includes seeing friends and meeting the teacher I replaced). Could that be it?

I'm also feeling the beginnings of a cold, which makes sense. There has been a LOT happening at once, and a lot of mental confusion. Aside from my vitamin C fix, I'm gonna need to let myself calm down more. Things have started falling into place now, so I feel like there's less need to scramble and hustle the way I had been this past week, so that's good.

Okay, people have been asking for pictures. Here are some! Love you bye!

Angel xo

On the way to E-Mart

Smiling but it's cold. Not as cold as Toronto, but I'm only wearing this wool coat.

Worthy of note!

Cheesy smile at my desk.

My Classroom (1)

My Classroom (2) - Nice big windows.

ELF Town hahaha. My classroom is at the end of the hall on the left. That door straight ahead is a dorm room.