HEY, I'M GOING TO KOREA

South.

I find it really interesting that I have to keep making that specification when I tell people I'm moving to Korea. With all the rep North Korea has been getting, you'd have to real ballsy to choose to live there for a year. Hell, have you heard  about the US student who is facing 15 years in prison because of a prank? There are many opinions about this whole ordeal, but the biggest known fact that everyone should know is: you don't fuck with North Korea. 

So... that's not where I'm going. I'm going South! 

And this has been a process that is about three months a little too late. So I'm ready! Mentally, I'm ready to go! But now it just means that it is crunch time... so many people to see, so many things to make sure I get done, packing, so many emotions... and yet, I feel strangely calm. I feel like all I need is a full day to get everything organized, and I have that, at least.

I'm excited to be exploring a new city again. I'll be living in Seoul .. or close to it. From what I've read, Guri is about 20-30 minutes subway ride away from Seoul. And from what I've been reading... the subway system is (a) Huge and (b) easy to use! And I don't mind subways, in fact I find them exciting and incredibly convenient, ... I guess it's because we don't have them in Houston that I have this strong fascination with subways.

But I know they're not that exotic. I'm not that naive

This was typical Beijing subway line 10 or line 13... or all of them... and this, I would argue, is on a decent day

But anyways, yes... subways again, which means some sort of freedom to roam and explore. So that's exciting. And I'm going to be teaching again... which I'm actually really looking forward to. I enjoy being in a classroom and working with children. I still wouldn't say whether this is the career path I would want to take if I were ever to establish myself in the States and settle here, but it's nice to know that I have more positive feelings regarding teaching now than two and a half years ago when I started doing this. 

So there is a lot to be looking forward. By this time next week, I should be in Korea, in school and teaching. And I can't wait - but in the meantime I really want to make the most of my time at home and not be counting the days (which I'm not finding it to be an easy task) before leaving. I have my family, my dogs, my friends and my routine, and I should really learn to enjoy them as long as I still have them. Which I will... yes, yes I will. 

BUT HEY! I'M GOING TO SOUTH KOREA!!!

A new commitment?! 

Well, not really new. I attempted to start a blog years ago and dropped it after the first post. But I've been reading blogs from friends and strangers and the temptation has urged. 

I've always been intimidated by the commitment of keeping a blog. How often should I write? What should I write about? How do I make it look pretty? And every single time, when I've flirted with the idea of keeping a blog, I just dismiss it and tell myself 'I've got my notebooks, so no biggie'. 

And I love my notebooks. I like how unorganized they are and how they've got a little bit of everything in them and that I can decorate the corners or that I can tape some memento like a ticket stub or a flower petal from the bouquet I got for my 25th birthday from my Georgian students. They're personal, and they're an incredibly beautiful mess. But I suppose a blog could be the same thing - if I manage to figure out how to work out every single thing this can offer, I bet I could actually transfer everything from my notebooks digitally. 

Or I could just take pictures of my notebooks and post them and call it a day. 

Honestly though, I find myself weirdly intimidated by keeping a 'good looking' blog. I don't necessarily think it takes too much effort, but there have been days when I wonder if I've hit that point in life where I've been left behind when it comes to the Internet and its children. 

Seriously though - some of the stuff the Internet can do nowadays is just like woah

(NOTE: Good blog post idea right there!)

So hopefully I'll get the hang of things, and keep up this commitment and write as if I were writing on my notebooks. Some of the stuff that I see myself blogging about constantly would have to be.. travel adventures (past and future), random thoughts of the day, my obsession with RuPaul's Drag Race and Beach Body workouts, lists of things to do and things done, pictures, books and movies... a bit of everything life has to offer - my life anyway. 

Ok, So I'm gonna finish this first post... with a picture. Because pictures are cool. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from one of my favorite places. Kazbegi, Georgia