fuck this scarf, i wanna knit socks.

these socks.

(@bird_esque what do you think of the colors of this version?)

177 days

Mentally checking out of Korea, even though I'm trying not to, even though I know it's not a good thing. I only want to be in other places: Vietnam, Michigan, Chile. I could hardly have less motivation to start the new semester on Wednesday. I hardly even feel guilty about leaving anymore.

Maybe it will be better once I get into the hang of things. I don't want to spend the next 6 months thinking about how to pack my bags.

hey guys, someone hold me up.

I miss at least 4 of these people, guess who. I also miss having close drinking buddies. Back in Seoul for a week, and haven't gone out for a beer even once.

(how i had considered not coming back to Korea, if only my knitting and books weren't here)

Back in Seoul, not even the whisper of an argument from Korean immigration about my lost alien registration. Yena, U Young-Hee 샘, mini-me (I'm almost sad, she was such a constant in my life) gone for the new year. Park Mi-Ran back in my life. Taught winter camp this morning, two students (the sweetest of the sweet) came. I showed them pictures of Vietnam and took them out for pizza afterwards, wasn't capable of anything else. My first day back, and I've already been invited to the mountain. The mountain! With I-LOVE-GOLF and the immovable force. I have nothing to wear, but (suddenly!) so many purses.

nothing to offer anybody but my own confusion

My camera was in my bag when it was stolen, guys. These pictures are from people named Jackie, Chris, and Shenko.

CRUNK.

people:

that's not 7-up, guys.

I finally, finally, finally had time to get to the bank yesterday afternoon to get a cash advance off my credit card, and they gave me the money I'll need for the rest of my stay and to pay my rent in these tiny, tiny bills - the equivalent of giving someone $300 in $1 and $5 dollar bills. There are so many of them, thick wads hidden in various places to avoid losing all my money again. Still haven't received my new debit card, which isn't that surprising considering the Vietnamese Post is involved.

One more 60-minute observed teaching practice to go, my final assessment. After that, crunk-time.

a picture that i did not take of gambling but that is similar to one that i might have taken:

shrimp-crab-fish-cock-gourd-deer

it's just that i feel too lazy to write long paragraphs about my feelings right now, when i could feel braindead for an hour instead

1. vacation was nice, went motorbike road-tripping with some new friends

• saw the green, green countryside
• did not almost die
• gambled (new year's tradition, to test your luck) with huge extended family of a Vietnamese friend of a Vietnamese American friend
• have lots of good pictures but can't show you until my friend uploads them

2. being back in school is nice (kind of)

• i'm surprisingly attached to a surprising number of my classmates
• we all know i thrive on writing essays
• got another "above standard" today without really knowing why, i hope i'm not coming off as know-it-all/supercilious to my classmates who i don't want to hate me
• (it's just that this all isn't that difficult for me [why am i not struggling more?])
• not feeling the need to be alone that i might have expected, haven't felt it for a while actually
• (maybe i'm becoming more social)

3. drinking lots of coffee, in school and out. [VIETNAMESE] COFFEE IS THE BEST.

bella-mela

• slightly sunburnt (but i'd be sad going back to Korea not even a little less pale)
• fatty ratty everywhere
• coming out every night to more people, i'm not used to this
• lush
• the bar owner is not giving you bedroom eyes. did you just give me bedroom eyes? why are you paying for my drinks and walking me home?
• tiger tiger tiger, pho
• if you put 1 on the cock i'll put 1 on the gourd and 2 on the deer. gourd FTW.
• bean sprouts. crunchy water. bitter melon. that's an eye.
• guys, i feel crazy.

it's the year of the rabbit everywhere except vietnam

party times are gay times

• puff of smoke from the marigold/traditional New Year tree sitting in the corner while I was waiting (if you wait long enough someone will help you)
• closer contact with things, the fish freshly clubbed next to the dinner table
• comfort I feel when I see Kim Hyun Joong's face on a billboard, comfort when I hear last year's 서녀시대 hits while I'm writing my lesson plans. I'm dying to say 안녕하세요.

• girl in the lobby plucking a goldfish from the pool with the hands that brought me breakfast - laid it in her palm, petted it, kept it waiting, mercifully dropped it back.

Sistar - How Dare You

the one with red hair and hotpants is my favorite, duh.