My Daegu Days

2010-09-06T11:07:00.001-07:00

I HAVE MOVED TO:

http://fruithat.tumblr.com/

Moving.

2010-09-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided to move to tumblr. (It was a hard choice between tumblr or wordpress :O) Blogger lacks quite a bit for me, personally. :) I'll post the link when I set everything up

Fucking Umbrellas.

2010-08-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

On a personal note, Dakota, our foster, is getting adopted. He's thankfully gone to a home who can take care of him for his issues he has now, a lot better than we can. Adam saw his first beach yesterday, too. :)

Anyway, Umbrellas.

In Korea, like any place, it rains. Right? When I go out to take a walk, and it starts to drizzle. I deal with it. I keep walking. If it starts pouring heavily, I think it really sucks, but I wont cry over it. Why should I? It's just rain, and in most Western cultures, rain isn't a big deal. Especially a small drizzle. However, in Korea, people seem to just know when it was magically rain. No lie. The other day, I was at the park and there was NO indication of rain. As soon as it started, all the Koreans on the street popped out their umbrellas. I'm assuming they look at the weather channel beforehand or something, but for some reason, Koreans act like rain will melt them. Even if someone doesn't have an Umbrella, they'll put their hands over their heads like it'll really help keep them dry. Koreans use umbrellas for small little drizzles, and if you're like me, and you don't CARE if it's just a drizzle and you don't cover your head like a lava shower is approaching or get my umbrella, I'm looked at like I'm crazy. (Once even yelled at by an older Korean man.)

Koreans just don't have umbrellas for rain, though, they use them for the sun. Korean summer is extremely humid and hot, so I can understand why. But instead of wearing some roomy attire, they wear virtual bodysuits. I found a comic on ROKetship.com that portrayed that PERFECTLY. Koreans wear masks (Adam told me about something to do with the air. Don't know if it's true or not.) But you'll see a lot of people with masks, or cloth around their faces with baseball caps and jackets. Not unusual in Korean, but quite strange here.

I have a sun umbrella for my sun allergy, but Koreans look at me like I'm crazy when I use it. :/

MIA

2010-08-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been a bit MIA.

Why? Sickness, Cleaning (after being sick) and KAPS. KAPS has found a new location, thankfully, and should be moving soon, and I'm trying as hard as I can to get free time in to make the website. As well as that? Dakota. We're hoping to find him a new home extremely soon. Sadly, we're no longer able to foster him due to his destructive nature. We're pretty sad.

But, I have a new new blog posts in mind (Koreans&Umbrellas) and I have more pictures as of late. I would be making a post about the Daegu Body painting festival, but we didn't get to go. :(
Blah

Korean Hospitals.

2010-08-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I feel so overwhelmed. This was possibly one of the worst weeks I have ever had in my life. I found out my granddad died Friday night, and then on Saturday I spent 7 hours in the ER. So this post, ladies and gents, shall be about Korean Hospitals. :(

They're quite different than American ones, and quite intimidating as well. I went in at 2pmish with excruciating pains in my right side, that had been going on for 3 hours. Unable to take it anymore, Adam and I had rushed to the hospital as the on base hospital was unavailable. Upon entering and signing in, we were taken to a gurney, with about 10 other people sitting and waiting and asked what was wrong, went through the motions, etc. That wasn't too bad, besides the whole "being in a room with 10 other people" thing. You don't get your own little room, you get a curtain, which will blow open as people walk past.... while your shirt is up. NOT fun.

After that, we had to wait two hours until I was allowed any kind of medication. I went in for CT scans, and to an OB/GYN (I threw up in his trash can, take THAT for sticking things in my vagina!) and a bunch of other crap that was all a bit hazy. I loved the nurse I had as she spoke good English, and was very very very kind. The worst experience was actually when I did get medicine and I did go into the actual ER area, though.

The first time around, I was wheeled next to a lady who had shit all over herself and was making these scary groaning noises like she was dying. That was one of the scariest things I had seen in awhile. I needed a bucket because I kept wanting to throw up, and no one could get us one, which resulted in me hobbling over with Adam to a restroom which was past the front door, waiting room and all, and into a small unclean restroom that I had to sit down in and stick my head in the bowl. I was then taken right down to the end, away from the lady who smelled like poop, which was a HUGE relief. I chilled out for quite awhile, actually. Adam went home to check on the dogs, and eventually some cute Korean guy came to check my vitals and called me normal while patting my hand 8D! When Adam came back, some lady died a few beds down, and a guy came in a moped accident who was bleeding everywhere. Another nurse came over and stuck a tube up my urethra with JUST a curtain to separate us from the whole room, and pretty much the whole time I felt violated, scared and in pain.

7 hours of pure bliss, just to be told I had a Kidney Stone. Hurrah.

Door.

2010-08-18T07:49:00.001-07:00

You know what's weird? Recently, the front door hasn't closed all the way when we leave / enter, so we have to really PULL it behind us. Adam ALWAYS forgets, like this morning, when Artsy had dropped by and saw the door open with Dakota hanging out in there. Thankfully, no animals have ever left the apartment, even if it has been open for 3-4 hours, and I think I got it sorted today.

Scary, though

"A REAL Dog"

2010-08-15T22:56:00.001-07:00

Adam and I walked Dakota and Unnamed yesterday. We decided to go downtown to help them get used to big big crowds and the hustle and bustle of the streets. People were amazed, more at Dakota than anything. He's a big dog, a Husky, so people look and think "A wolf!" Our neighbors children actually had asked if he was a wolf. They're not wrong in this assumption, really, as the Husky is one of the closest breeds TO a wolf, but none the less, it's still funny.

He attracts attention, which is usually negative. People get angry when they see larger dogs. But today we received no negative feedback. (More than likely because there is a younger generation downtown!) People said Hello, they said he was a Beautiful Dog, and they waved. One couple had actually stopped to crouch down, pet him, play with his ears. He just sat there all happily. It was too cute!

Adam and I assumed they were selling dogs, but an older couples with 5 puppies in a cart came down and stopped to look at us, maybe trying to sell the puppies? That was interesting. A car stalked us as well. It slowly followed behind us, hopefully just driving, but I highly doubt it. It was a fun walk, though, people were interested in Kota (and Unnamed!) and stared A LOT, but we had no dog kicking or yelling. :) In fact, a western group walked by and said "A real dog!!!" Yay Korea!

Being Bisexual.

2010-08-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

I came out to my mum a couple of days before I left for Korea. It was a pretty awkward conversation. "Uh, so, I'm bi." Followed with my mum having this 'ThisIsSoAwkward,WhyDoesThisAlwaysHappenToMe,MyChildIsInsane' face. I've always been pretty hush about it until now. If someone asked, I'd tell them, but besides that, it's not something I'd parade around. Since coming out to my mother, I've not issues with telling people, though. I don't care who knows, because I have all the reassurance I need knowing my mother accepts my choices even if she doesn't like it. It was hard explaining the whole "I prefer men, but I'm also sexually attracted to women" thing, but, I was happy to have such support. My friends had known, C. Love has always been supportive and she is herself, so we relate, then there is Adam who I think has a hard time grasping the concept at times "but you chose to marry me, so you're straight!" "Urm.. No." But he's never had an issue with it, which again, means a lot too me. I know my family will support me, which means so much too me, and I'm happy that I have that support. I'm lucky, because many homosexual and bisexual people are disowned because of their sexuality. I don't mind answering questions and explaining bisexuality to people, I just hate explaining it to the bigots. One bigotry remark I cannot stand is the word Faggot.

The word faggot is a terrible word to say to some, funny to others, like the word "retard." Adam uses Faggot a lot, sadly, and I try and explain to him countless times the reason I hate it is that faggot is used in a negative context, right? That's sorta like saying that homosexuals are wrong, subconsciously.

First, “the n-word,” which is almost never said or printed in it’s entirety, and rightfully so. I won’t print it here because of the hundreds of years of hatred, violence and soullessness attached to the word. Tell me I am giving the word too much power and I will tell you that you are not giving the word enough power. It is despicable, disgusting and never OK to use. Feel free to start conversations about who is allowed to use it and how the word changes when you put an “a” at the end instead of an “er,” but I take a hard line on this issue: Its use is simply unacceptable. I think most mainstream media agrees with me, when the future leaders of the Republican Party hurled the n-word at African American lawmakers, you would be hard pressed to find a respected media outlet that said or printed the full word.

However, the other hate word that was used that day was directed toward openly gay Congressman Barney Frank, and media’s treatment of that word runs the gamut. Numerous headlines read something like this: “'Ni**er,' 'Faggot' Shouted At Members Of Congress.” While many media outlets did use asterisks in the f-word, just as many others felt perfectly comfortable saying or printing the full word.

Am I offended? As Sarah Palin would say, “You Betcha!”
- GayRights.change

The Meat Market Dog

2010-08-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun fact about today,

Adam surprised me with a Meat Market rescue dog, a little long haired Chihuahua. :0 Isn't he the bestest? More about Korea soon, I've just been WAYYY too sick to blog, etc.

So You Want To Know Me?

2010-08-12T07:46:00.001-07:00

As of late, I have been receiving feedback about my blog from friends and family, which is so sweet and I love you guys for it! :)! Thanks for everyone for saying you enjoy reading, like MN today. (You know who you arrreee :D)

I've heard multiple times that I should include more of me in the blog, such as my interests, and what I'm really like behind the avatar, as well as my husband. So here it goes!

I like to think of myself as laid back, but my husband would beg to differ. I love to read and sit in quiet environments drinking Ice Lattes and having soft relaxing indie music in the background. I like expressing myself, and I do so with words and art, that's why I have a blog, to vent and express. I'm very cautious with people, at the same time, though you'd never guess it. I don't always like being around my friends, or people in general. I'm not a "loner", I just like space. There are dogs and there are cats. I'm definitely a cat. Independent and bitchy when annoyed. I love to help people, though. I love volunteering and making friends. I love the city, I love culture and diversity. I'm an atheist, I enjoy debating, but I also keep a fine line of respect, and I'm very liberal. I stand up for homosexuals and their rights, I believe in pro-choice. Everyone is different, but that's what makes the world beautiful despite skin color, age, weight, sexual pref.

Adam is carefree and laid back, and takes things in his own stride. He doesn't mind being a little late, or not doing something right away when asked. He would rather play video games while listening to rap. Definitely not as verbal as me, though. He's more about body language. Adam would rather go out for a beer than an iced latte, and rather work out than blog, but whatever. We work out OK. Total opposites, though. We hold common ground, though. He's agnostic, and believes there is a higher power, just not necessarily the "man made" God. He'd definitely not as liberal as me, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care about human rights quite as much as I do, but he's still caring in his own special way. :)

Sick.

2010-08-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

I've not been feeling great these past couple of days, but it's really escalated. I'm beginning to think that I have Mono. :( My throat is sore, my face is swollen, I've lost my appetite and I'm napping (which I hardly ever do nowadays.) Potty Mouth and i were supposed to go out tonight, too, but poor girly is also sick, thanks to her icky little Korean students who cough and sneeze on her. :). So we've rescheduled, and hopefully by Sunday + we'll be feeling well enough to go out again!

Until then, I'm going to lie around in my PJ's and feel sorry for myself.

Old Korean Guys and Saving Face

2010-08-10T04:43:00.001-07:00

Since I promised something Korean Related, instead of myself and KAPS, etcetc, I decided to post about old men.

So many times since I have been in Korea have I heard terrible things about old Korean men. I've heard they think they're better than everyone else, and will be cruel to you, but I have never personally witnessed that until that man tried to kick my dog and yelled at Adam for letting his dehydrated dog have a drink.

Some older Korean men are perverts, they will stare at your chest like it's a fucking firework display. Once friend of mine had told me that one should not smile when walking your dog, as most of the time, an older Korean man will go out of his way to destroy that happiness.

This isn't to say this is ALL Korean elders, but so far I've witnessed a good majority of it. One friend was filming something about meat markets in Korea, and an old man smacked the camera out of her hand, so she said she kicked him in the shin, which he deserved imho.

I've met some very kind and very nice older Korean men. But I've also witnessed some cruel, cruel men. I'm just more aware of it here, I suppose, as the people are way more open about being cruel. They'll kick your dog, hit it with objects, in public.

My friend however, told me to make a scene. Koreans are big about saving face, unlike most Westerners.

What do I mean by Saving Face? It basically means your dignity and honor. Koreans really dislike Saving Face and will save others from losing face by lying, if need be. As my friend had put it, embarrassment and drawing attention to yourself is a nono in Korea, and could cause you to Lose Face. It's a concept hard for most westerners, as we're not as big on it as they are, I suppose.

Right now though, I don't feel like detailing everything, and I don't really want to talk about Korean stuff. A promise is a promise though, I s'pose.

Dear Typhoon.

2010-08-10T04:08:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that you're going to be coming right over Daegu. Well guess what, loser, no one wants you here. I have plans tomorrow, you know? I have a LIFE. Go back to where you formed or something.

Seriously, though, a Typhoon is heading over us and I'm going to be pissed if it's "bad." I hate bad weather. It doesn't scare me, it annoys me. It's ANNOYING. I don't know if living on the top floor is good or bad either, so I guess we'll see, but if random car parts come flying into my windows, I'm not going to be overjoyed, that's for sure.

On a side note, I've been sick. I don't know what it is, but it sucks, and it's annoying. Hopefully by tomorrow it will all be better. :( Dakota has been good today, so I've been able to lie down and relax for the most part and watch HOUSE. :3

I miss...

2010-08-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

My kitty Shadow. :( Sadly, Adam and I financially wont be able to make it to the US for a vacation at Christmas, which is something we wanted to do for awhile. My mother and I are not currently speaking, either, due to her calling me a liar and bitching at me because I couldn't come back for Christmas, yep, makes me a liar because I said I would. But I can't help it, so I'm not worrying about it. As much as I love and miss my mum, I'm sick of hearing some of her bullshit that she comes out with. What makes this even more rich is that she sends me messages making excuses and saying "I believe what I want to believe." Annoying.

My week has pretty much revolved around KAPS, and helping KAPS and dealing with life in general. A typhoon will be heading close to Daegu soon, so Adam and I have to be "prepared" for anything that could happen with that. We're considering adopting a Meat Market Rescue that has been at the shelter for awhile, a cuteeee little Papillion! :)

I'll make a more Korea related post, soon. :)

Oh, Look, A Girl With An IV In Her Arm.

2010-08-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty laid back, besides yesterday, and today should be a lot to handle as well.
Artsy and I met up at 2ish at the PX in the military base, took out some won, and we took a taxi down to Daemyoung, which is where Homeplus and KAPS are. A week or so before, one of the coordinators had informed us about a Korean restaurant which was really good, and Artsy and I were hungry, AND it was a couple of buildings away from KAPS, so why not? We entered, took off our shoes, and sat down on the floor in front of the table with the ... uh... thing... in the middle, that cooks your food.
So, that was our menu. I don't know why, but we weren't allowed to have a lot of the stuff on the right side. We kept trying, but she kept point and making an X sign with her hands. So whatever, we got that thing for 6,000 won and just hoped for the best. Artsy was hoping to get live Octopus, I think. We'll have to check out the fish markets near KAPS, but we got what we always get at Korean restaurants. The same meat. Most Korean restaurants actually give you the same meat, and other foods, and same leaves, etc. I was a bit frustrated until she gave us POTATOES and CHEESY CORN. I know it sounds really stupid, but in Korean restaurants that I've been too, instead of potatoes, and cheesy corn, you get some other kind of strange vegetable/fruit that when you taste it you're not sure if you like it or not, or, you're not sure if you should cook it on the cooker in front of you.

So, the restaurant wasn't half bad. We paid and went to KAPS, groomed dogs, played with dogs, took dogs for walks, got about 6 drinks because it's so fucking hot in Daegu at the minute. At 5:17, we decided to leave, which is usually when we leave anyway, but Adam wasn't picking us up. We decided to take the Subway! I was excited, because I've never been on the Subway before, and I really needed to learn how to navigate it. So we're walking down there, and stop for a minute to sit down and Sunnan, the president of KAPS see's us and starts talking to us. :D She's so sweet! She's quite a bit older, but very lively and active. She told us the importance of exercise and gave us fruit. 3 apples and a batch of blueberries each. We tried to refuse, but Koreans can be too kind sometimes. We conversed with her for awhile, she left, and we cont'd to walk down to the subway. On our way, though, we saw a hospital patient. Jamie, Artsy's husband, had mentioned before that hospital patients in Korea are allowed to leave the facility to get a drink, or something to eat. We saw a girl with an IV in arm, drip machine and all, hobbling along the street with her boyfriends/friend/brother.

So the subway was an experience. Artsy thought we had to get off at the third stop, but decided we should get off at the second one instead. Biggest mistake, EVER. We ended up semi-close to walker, but it was one well of a walk, and we needed to be on george. From the station, to walker, to George is not a fun walk. At All. We were actually semi-close to George and decided to get a taxi, told him where we needed to go, he didn't understand, drove us up the street and made a motion at us to get out. Thankfully, we didn't have to pay, but, he did take up back up the street we just walked up, so we had to walk back down, again.

Getting to George was like Ice Cream on a Hot day, though.

Most of last night, and today, is dedicated to making KAPS a new site that will be easier to function than the current one, making animal profiles, and other various things like figuring out a new building for KAPS. Sunday will be spent meeting with Sunnan and the Fund raising Coordinator at KAPS, I'll call her PottyMouth on here, because she always says "Fuck you" at me. :( Silly Londoners.

Adam doesn't get off work until 10 until Sunday, either, which really sucks. I get bored. 3:

2010-08-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

Did I mention? I'm learning Dutch, even though this song is German >_>

Standstill.

2010-08-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

Life is at a standstill at the moment. Nothing much to talk about besides the rain. I'm racking some blog posts up in my head, though, deciding which would make for a good blog post. Some things don't even deserve a post, whereas others don't need a whole post dedicated to that topic. Like, how long could I post about it raining, and how everybody will have an umbrella, for even the slightest drizzle. Not long enough to keep anyone occupied.

I've been reading up on being an expat teacher in general though. I think after this whole army thing is over with, we're both planning on doing something else with travel. Maybe be teachers, or, maybe bakpack through Europe. We talked about that. Could come to be fun.

Adam and I are saving up for a trip to Seoul soon, anyway. I think we could use the get away for the weekend.

Bleeding Toes & Drunken Old Men. (Warning: GROSS Pictures)

2010-07-31T04:01:00.000-07:00

Today was one hell of a day.
Adam and I went down to the shelter, KAPS, to walk dogs with 7 or so other people. Adam and I were handed two pitbulls which are quite rare in Korea ( as we were told ) They were young and quite sweet, Adam got the larger male and I got the younger female to walk. Anyway, there is a park near KAPS, which is really quite nice to walk around and all 9 of us (Adam and I included) took a walk down there. Adams dog, the larger pitbull was dehydrated. He kept stopping, couldn't walk, and throwing up. At the park are water fountains in which the dogs needed a drunk. They were all panting, and all exhausted. People stared, but didn't say anything, and we'd done this before the last time we'd come here, so we really didn't see an issue. Unless you're putting your mouth on anything other than water, what is there to worry about? Well some guy had an issue, and stepped forward, more than likely drunk. He yelled at us, shoo'd us away, and told us he didn't want the dogs drinking there in Korean. So OK, we can respect that, not like our dogs were jumping up drinking it anyway, they were kinda just on the ground, but OK, we get water bottles and pour it over the dogs instead. This guy still has a fucking issue, which resulted in more yelling. He got in one of the KAPS coordinators face and mine at some point, as people were walking, in which I gave him a 'wtf' face, and the coordinator just kind of rolled her eyes. Adam came us asking what the problem was, told us to go, and then this guy is harassing Adam's fucking dog. Adam called him something rude in Korean, the Korean guy yelled "HEYHEYHEY", I came back, told him to Shut Up, and grabbed Adam. In the process, my flip flop broke and my toe skidded on the ground which cut open the skin and bled quite a bit. Fucking sucked.

On the other hand, Artsy and Jamie adopted a little shih tsu they'd been wanting for awhile! It was so cute!! And I have more phone charms which always make me feel better, especially when they're obnoxious. Adam and I also got some things for our apartment which is making it feel a lot more homey! :)

Little Boxes.

2010-07-29T07:05:00.001-07:00

So today I decided I wanted to talk about something Korea related. Houses.

Houses here are different then houses in the states. First of all, the houses I have personally seen have all been in alleyways. Alleyways are very common where I live, especially serving as shortcuts for cars to drive down by. (Sometimes it gets quite annoying) But it does come in handy if you want to get somewhere a bit quicker than you might in the states or the UK. In the picture I posted, there is an alley right next to HomePlus which goes down and connects to a series of other alleys. Artsy and I took a Taxi down here before, (and he went a TOTALLY different way than we had both ever witnessed) and he came through the back of THAT alley, where as usually when we come, we just come down the main road (which is in the picture, going left and right) Anyway, the alleyways triple as shortcuts, places to place establishments such as clubs (not like drinking and partying), shops and restaurants, and homes. These homes are usually not viewable, however. Korean homes usually have a high brick wall going all through the alley, with a big gate that you can't see through/past. Next to the gate is a buzzer/intercom where you obviously push the button if you want in. Artsy and I were able to actually "kind of" see past a Korean gate today where were only saw a door with shoes in, but some homes (or apartments, not sure) are a couple of stories high and have a long stairway on the outside.

Korean houses are pretty nifty, and I hope to one day be able to see inside one myself. Until then, I think I'll just keep on trying to inconspicuously look through the cracks or try and look over the wall.

Lets Bitch, THEN Talk.

2010-07-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

This blog isn't as "Korea" related as it is "personal" related. But before that, "Boys over Flowers" is playing on Hulu! (A popular Korean drama! Go watch nao!)

Hopefully this coming weekend, Adam and I will be able to buy some decor things for our apartment, since that's had to have been put on a hold. :(. But I'm excited, and I'm going to try and get my mum to mail me my wedding pictures, and have C. Love draw me a picture I can frame. :)

Recently, the thought of going back to the US, to the city I once lived in, makes me feel extremely sick. Not as in, "oh, I just don't want to go." But I physically feel ill and mentally depressed. That place had caused me so much trouble the years I lived there, and I was not happy. Of course, bad stuff can happen to you anywhere you live, but this place was just depressing for me. Our home was in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't just up and leave and be in the city like I can now, and I felt confined. In the month I've lived here, I feel like this is where I'm meant to be at this stage of my life. Despite the language barrier, Korea is a nice and relaxing place to live. Of course, like any place, it has it downfalls at times, but I would rather be here despite them. The plan was for me to come back to Evansville at Christmas. However, Adam and I are doubting that we'll have enough for the flight there, so I'm hoping to convince my parents to come here. Although it would be nice to visit old friends from Evansville, I really do not want to go back. Adam and I both agreed on that. We could go to Japan, or England, for much cheaper and be much more interested. Family is nice, I'd love to see my mum and my dad, but I'd much rather they come here. I don't want to be sitting in Evansville thinking about how I made a big mistake coming back because I feel sick, tired and depressed the whole time, if that makes sense. Nothing to do there! :(

I have a feeling, though, some people will take this in the wrong context and think I'm being dramatic. It's slightly annoying. Like how someone had suggested before I came that I should start making friends with other military wives. I was never really bothered, (although I have made some great friends who are Military wives and expats) I wanted to make friends with KOREANS since I was in Korea. Or how people think I'm "too shy/quiet", when maybe I just don't have anything to say, because your conversation is fucking boring. Just being I don't socialize with your boring friends, doesn't mean I'm anti-social, I'm just particular about who I make friends with, you probably should be too, or you wouldn't have some shitty friends.

I know I'm being totally bitchy here, but I'm just so sick of people judging my actions here, so why would I even want to go back to Evansville?

Latte Mocha Love.

2010-07-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

So Adam and I went to KAPS, and made an adoption. We ended up going to the cat area to look, and decided we had fallen in love with a cat there too much. We didn't even go to the dog area, we just adopted the cat. She's a doll. We're torn between the name Latte and Mocha, so I'm just calling her Latte Mocha, or Momo for short. :) She's under my bed, but if I crouch down she'll come over and purr and lick my hand. Adam and I discussed possibly adopting a dog when Dakota is finally adopted. We just couldn't let this little doll go. She's so sweet. Anyway, here are some not-so-fabulous pictures, because she moves a lot. :P But pictures, none the less.

Making Friends Through Animals.

2010-07-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

At KAPS, I was recently appointed as someone to help out spread the word about KAPS and hopefully get people rounded together to walk the dogs. Another girl was also assigned this task. We'll name her Artsy and her husband Jamie for the sake of privacy.

Anyway, Artsy and I had recently planned to meet up at KAPS to help out with things. I showed her and Jamie around the cat area, and then we went to the dog shelter to walk some dogs. Adam took 2, a Boston and Shih tzu, Jamie took a Shih tzu, and so did Artsy. I took a Jindo puppy, because he's so mellow and sweet. Anyway, we took them for a walk around the park that I finally know my way to. It's actually really nice, minus the heat and all the people there. I suppose there was some kind of event going on, because there were a lot of older ladies and gentlemen hanging out. Some guy tried to hit my dog, while others tried to pet him. Poor guy looked like he was about to shit himself sometimes. Jamie's dog wanted to "mark his territory" EVERYWHERE, and Adams dog kept breaking loose from it's collar. Needless to say, eventful walk.

After the walk, we wanted to groom a dog since neither of us had ever really done that. There was a little girl there with MATTED fur. I'm talking REALLY matted. We're talking the kind of matted shown in the picture. (Although it's not the dog we were grooming.) Under the poor Maltese's yellow fur, was a beautiful white coat. We spent awhile just trying to cut all the fur off, and it was really sad. It was on its legs, belly, ears, back, neck. We're still planning on coming back and making a project out of sorting her out.

After taking care of that poor doll, we went back to Adam and I's apartment, cleaned up, and went down to Italy&Italy, my favorite restaurant ever. Artsy, obviously, is involved a lot in art, which sounds amazing. I like to draw (when I'm in the mood) and it reminded me of C. Love and how she draws a lot. I was nice that Adam had someone he could "relate" to, with Jamie, and that Artsy and I held a common ground as well. :)

We may adopt an animal soon. Very soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. God I love animals and new friends. ^^.

Cats ONLY Zone.

2010-07-22T08:21:00.001-07:00

Oh Dilemmas! Cats V. Dogs!

I'm a cat person. I love cats, I love kittens, I love meows and purring and cute little eats. I love picking kitties up and stroking them while they lie there. I love their cute little paws, and how they jump up on everything and /big breath/ I just love cats.

In fact, I love just about every animal. But Cats win my vote. I like dogs, too, but they're just so dependent, and that's really my only concern. Going somewhere for the weekend? No problem with a kitty! Big problem with a dog. Kitty needs to potty? Hey! That's what the litter box is for! Have a dog? Different story. Dogs jump up, lick, and bark, and with cats it's a different story. I don't have to worry about a cat running up and licking my hand after it's licked its bits and pieces or worry about taking a kitty out to potty.

Adam, however, loves dogs. He's much more of a dog person than a cat person. I don't think he really understands just how amazing cats are. How amazing their meowing and cuddles can be! Nope, he likes to throw a ball and have a dog bring it back to him so he can throw it... again. He likes to play tug of war with a dog, or take it for a run, or you know... Do what dog lovers do.

The thing, however, is that I already have two beautiful cats. I'm sure they wouldn't care about a new addition, but still! And, Adam and I have wanted a dog for awhile. (We're aiming towards a smaller breed, however.) We considered adopting a dog AND cat, but I doubt that will be happening, and Adam and I plan to continue fostering. I want a dog, I do, but there are quite a few things to consider. We're younger, we live to travel, (if we get a smaller breed we could just put it in a dog carrier and bring it with us, but with a cat, we could just leave it at home for awhile). There are quite a few pros and cons to this. So I created a poll in hopes that someone could try and help us with our decision! Dog, or cat? If you know us, try and base this on our lifestyle. If not, choose your favorite!

Now, please don't get me wrong. I love dogs. I love our foster. And I loved another dog that I nearly adopted, but thought she'd be better off with another family who wanted her, (and I was very right, and she's VERY happy and her new family ADORES her!) I would have loved that dog, and I love Dakota (even though he's not our adopted dog!) Just some things to consider, is all. :)

Picture shown is a particular cat I ADORE at the animal shelter in Daegu. :)

Also, my apologizes for the layout changes on the blog. I'm trying to find the perfect template tonight! :)

No, Really, I Feel Sorry For Him!

2010-07-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

This is going to sound like a complete bitchpost to some, and to other, they'll be able to understand and possibly relate.

I feel sorry for homeless people, because contrary to popular belief, their situation wasn't always their fault. I want to help, feed them, cloth them. I really do care. I promise. I really do. If there was a homeless shelter in Daegu, I'd totally volunteer there, but I'm not aware of any at the moment. So before you read on, please don't take me the wrong way when you read this. It's not intended to sound bitchy.

In downtown Daegu, where all the bars are, there is a specific man with long black hair, and raggy clothes. He is obviously a homeless man, or a begger. This specific man must be making a lot of money, however. Each time I've seen him, he has money. I've seen foreigners give him 30,000 won, and him just shove it in his pocket and continue begging. Not to say I don't appreciate homeless people, I just don't appreciate homeless people who beg. Find a job, dude! Just look! Try and make your life better. Anyway, it's not even so much that this specific homeless man begs, it's the fact he stalks, as well. Adam and I happened to pass him last night as we were crossing the road, and he held up his hand. As we continued walking, he starting following us. I mean, really? Thankfully, we dove into another building and he didn't follow us, but I thought it quite rude. He never begs to Koreans, only foreigners, (or so I have seen, at least) but he's always there, every time we go down that side of town. I feel really bad for the guy, but, please little dude, don't follow me.

Bruschetta and Pickles.

2010-07-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

I don't have many sentimental objects. I have a bracelet my Chinese friend Blanca (check out her blog here) gave me, a bracelet my Nana gave me, a stuffed animal from my dad I've had since I was a baby, a couple of things my mum gave me, and a ring that was my great grandmas. If I was to lose these, I'd feel heartbroken. A story of my life is in each of those objects. The bracelet Blanca gave me was special to me because she became one of my closest friends very fast, I feel like I gained so much cultural understanding from her. The bracelet from my Nana meant so much because it was given to me just before my wedding, and each little charm has a verse on it. The stuffed animal from my dad I've had since I was a baby was one of my favorites and always will be, and reminds me that although my dad didn't live with me growing up, and at times, we didn't have the best relationship, he's always loved me so much. The ring reminds me of where I came from, my roots, my heritage. It's heartbreaking to consider all of these items could be gone from me in a matter of seconds. So I think I'm buying a safe to make sure these items never leave me until I die.

Onto something Korean.... Pickles.

Okay, Okay... Pickles aren't Korean, they originated somewhere in Europe (according to Wikianswers.) Anyway, Koreans seem to love Pickles. Adam and I celebrated some money we had run into tonight by going to ItalyItaly. (a nice Italian restaurant) Before we were brought our main course we were given a salad, with some Bruschetta and pickles. Yes, Pickles. Who eats pickles with their Italian food? T_T. I don't like Korean pickles, I find them to be extra sour. But seriously, I think Koreans eat pickles with everything. Every time we go out to eat, we're given a side of pickles. I don't know why, but I guess it's the Korean thing to do. I didn't think anything of it at first, but after being to yet another restaurant where they serve pickles, I'm starting to get a tad confused. Could anyone shine some light on why these Korean restaurants insist on giving you pickle side dishes?

Not like it's that big of a deal, though, Adam seems to love them.

Oh No You Didn't.

2010-07-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

This isn't worth ranting about, but I'm going to anyway, because I can. Yesterday, Adam and I went to the furniture store to find it was closed. No big deal, right? We turned around and went back to the base. When we pulled up to our parking spot. OURS. It has OUR apartment number on it in BIG white lettering, to find someone had parked there. How rude. Our parking spot is RIGHT NEXT to a vacant one, and then there are some visitor parking spots a few feet away. Is it THAT hard to just get one of those? I wasn't happy. I don't care if your the Chaplains friend, I don't care if you're the fucking Prime Minister of South Africa, go park your ass in the visitor spots.

Urg.

Anyway, Adam saw a dead woman on the road yesterday just after she'd been hit by a car. It seems like death is following us. On Saturday, I stroked a kitty as it slowly died. Depressing shit.

Drinking.

2010-07-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

Oh Korea. I really love your alcohol.

Kitty Cats and Koreans.

2010-07-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have ben going down to the animal shelter, KAPS, as much and as long as I can. Most of the time, I spend my time with the cats, as I'm much more of a cat person, and sometimes, I think they need it a lot more. A lot of people like dogs, but not many people like cats as much, and seem to think they're independent enough that they don't need human attention as much as dogs do. I think they need it though, so i enjoy spending my time down there sitting down and stroking them and taking pictures of them. Makes me miss my kitties, though. You can see pictures of these beautiful cats, here. I like to go down to the dog shelter as well, and I've especially taken to a little (Yorkie) mix, who is bubbly and sweet. I take him for a walk around the block and he's as happy as day that he's allowed for a walk. So cute.
About pets, however, we seem to be having some serious issues with Dakota in regards to his behavior. He's chewed up 800-1000 dollars worth of furniture, he's peeing and pooping in the house after he JUST did it outside, and he's been biting us in what seems like an aggressive manner. We're confused, annoyed and stressed. It's been a lot to handle.

On a good note, however, I met my Korean friend, Rose, yesterday, who was a veryyyyy sweet girl. She's 24 (23 in Western culture) and her boyfriend Nick is 30. I'm not going to list their Korean names for the sake of privacy, but, she's a very sweet girl. We (Rose, Myself and Adam) went out to eat, and then coffee, (her treat!) and spent the whole night talking about culture and language. She's a great friend to have, and it's very useful when we don't know how to say something or how to communicate. Made me miss C. Love a lot, though. :( I miss you C. Love!

Chopsticks.

2010-07-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty embarrassed about last night. Yesterday, I saw Gay Tailor Guy wearing a BLACK shirt, and I guess it overly excited me, since that's the only color other than that creamy white he usually has on. Adam and I went to a really sweet, cheap restaurant where we obviously, like most Korean restaurants, used chopsticks.

Silly Laura was using them upside down without noticing. I have no idea why I didn't look. Anyway, our server came over, saw, laughed at me LOUDLY, ran off and told her friends, and they got me a fork. I wanted to die.

On the plus side, I've been introduced to my new favorite soda, MILKIS. It actually isn't half bad. I'd compare it to cream soda, thanks to Trombone-Lover helping me discover the taste. I came up with "cream soda with A LOT of ice cream." It's one of those beverages, that, when you first try it, you don't know if you like it or not. It's STILL like that for me, actually, but it's still my favorite.

"New feeling of soda beverage."

Nothing like NEW sugar and corn syrup! :)

Little Children.

2010-07-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

I like kids. They're alright for the most part, minus the whiney ones, and I'm not a big baby person either. (Your baby drooling is NOT cute.) Anyway, for the most part, I do like children. I like them when they reach 3+. They can talk, and say cute things, and usually form a sentence. The only person I babytalk to is my foster dog, doing it to a baby seems stupid.

However, this post is about how much I dislike the children right outside the base. I don't personally know these children, but they seem to be suicidal. There. I said it. These little brats are crazy and suicidal. Why? Well, let me tell you...

I guess there is something interesting that goes on RIGHT OUTSIDE the base, because there seems to be quite a few kids there. One day, Adam and I were driving along, going 10mph at most, and he coughs, or looks away for what? two seconds? A little girl on a bike just zooms on right infront of him. No kidding. The girls mother had STOPPED, while this little crazy kid was wanting to get hit my a car. What makes it better is she actually STOPPED infront of the car. Adam stopped just in the nick of time, but, really little girl? You come infront of the car and then STOP? You're like that deer I hit a year a go, that ran out in the road when I was going 5mph, ran back into the grass, waited for me to speed up and ran back out and got hit.

The second incident was when Adam and I were casually driving a long, yet again, outside the base, when this little girl in some karate attire ran infront of us. She didn't even peek behind the truck parked there. Just ran out. She managed to say "WOAH!!!!" Giggled to her friend, and then run out again. Hello! We just stopped because we thought you were going to get hit, the least you could do is wait for us to pass, since you gave us a heart attack and everything, we might just have to turn around and go to the hospital. Glad your amused. Run along now little karate kid, I really hope those karate skills save you when you run infront of another fucking car.

Urg.

HOMEPLUS!

2010-07-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm finally going down to the KAPS shelter here in Daegu! Exciting!

Also, the plan is to go over to Homeplus soon, as well, since Adam gets paid this week. It's a couple of stories high, but most things are here. It's a very crowded place. >.<

Gay Tailor Guy.

2010-07-11T03:13:00.000-07:00

I'm getting people pestering and bothering me about not being online as much. I've been busy. I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I have a foster puppy that requires a lot of attention and a husband that requires just as much. On the bright side, my goal is to keep this updated as much as possible. Right now, honestly, I'm trying to find a schedule for myself. I'm hopefully meeting up with a KAPS volunteer tomorrow and being shown around, so I can start volunteering. Which, I think, would be a great thing for me. :)! I'm hoping to foster, or possibly adopt a dog I've been looking at for awhile, which I think Dakota (or Cootie, as we call him) will need. He likes other animals. :) I feel like I need to get involved in something though. I'm glad I can help out the animals at the shelter! ^^. Gives me something to be proud of.

Moving on,

The title of my blog is "Gay Tailor Guy." I feel like I should shine a light on the man who I see nearly every single day outside Camp Walker. He owns a tailor store about 3 to 5 stores down from the entrance, and stands at his door with his sunglasses on his head, whiteish cream shirt and cool jeans. He doesn't actually, ever wear anything different. (And you really think he would, considering he's a tailor.) But no, not gay tailor guy!

It's hard to tell if people are gay here, anyway. Korean men are quite metro-sexual, as well as uh... touchy. It's not uncommon to see men holding hands, caressing each other, playing with each others hair. To many westerners, this is considered gay. I mean, honestly, what Western man would NOT think it was "gay" if another man came up rubbing his leg and giggling like a girl. Here in Korea? It's just friendly! :) I've heard of this anyway, so it was no surprise to me when I landed here. My husband Adam likes to poke fun at them, jokingly, though. I think it's cute! :)

HERRREEE DOGGY DOGGY DOGGY

2010-07-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

One thing I cannot stand about Korea is when you're walking your dog, 85% of the time, people try and call him over.

I mean, it's not that big of a deal since Dakota has the attention span of a fish, but what if he pulled me right over there and started jumping on them? Koreans don't like big dogs, so why call one over? It gets on my nerves. :/

When we walk down the street, people either glare (I'm thinking because of Dakota.) they want to pet him, or they shy away. Example, the other day we were walking down an alley and saw two young boys. As soon as they saw Dakota they said "OHHHH" and walked single file on the other side of the alley. However, the guard at the gate, who lets us on base, was incredibly interested in Dakota, and through broken english tried to tell us about how Huskies were once very popular in Korea, but now Korean's only like small dogs.

We see a lot of pet stores here. A lot with kittens, puppies (small breed) and most of these puppies and kittens end up in a shelter. It's really sad. My goal is to start volunteering at the animal shelter in Daegu super soon.

On a side note, Adam got a parking ticket last night. We can't read it, it's all in Korean. I wonder if we can get away with not paying it, either. n _ n !

Dakota.

2010-07-07T00:18:00.001-07:00

It's been quite a few days since I last posted... So where was I?

Adam has a two day week today, which is nice having him home. Ummm. Oh. And we got a puppy.
Okay, well, he's not really "ours" per say. We're fostering him. His name was Juno, we renamed him Dakota. We're fostering for an animal shelter here in Daegu... The only animal shelter, actually. They were close to euthanasing him because he chews walls, he's young, and has a lot of energy. And really, they couldn't afford having their stuff destroyed. Anyway, he's a good dog. Very sweet, just has a lot of enery built up. Adam and I adore him though, and we're hoping he finds a good home soon.

(my email is lauraallover@live.com if anyone is interested, lol!)

This is only a brief message, and I'm sorry. :(! I just don't have the time atm to blog. By tonight or tomorrow, I should, though. :)

The Art of Being a Fascinating Foreigner .

2010-07-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a break from talking about my new home, my new life, etcetcetc, to touch on some things in Korea.

I've read many expat blogs about Koreans who will stare at you, and most of those times, I kind of shrugged it off. First of all, I live on a military base, so I thought that maybe Koreans were used to seeing foreigners and it was no big deal. Wrong.

People stare at you all the time, you can see it in your peripheral vision, you can feel it on the back of your head, and you can tell when you turn around and they look away. A lot of the time, they will stare, you will look at them and smile and they turn away like nothing happened. I find it cute. Some people will smile right back, bow, or wave. It's endearing and sweet. Whatever. Sometimes I end up putting sunglasses on and hoping to dear god that no one can tell I'm white, but I think it's obvious, despite the glasses. Some people glance at you, others ignore you, some will stare for what feels like forever, and school girls will look at you, giggle, and whisper to their friends. Again, sometimes it's quite endearing, and others its just plain tiring. If you see another foreigner, they generally ignore you.

Most of the time, Koreans are kind, generous, friendly and helpful (excluding when they drive.) As I was told by a couple of friends, the Korean chaplain that lives next door is extremely kind and generous, and I feel this is how a lot of Koreans are. They go out of their way, 100%, sometimes. However, even with being here for a few weeks, I have still encountered racism. For example, the time I went to Woobang Land and sat down, a Korean lady looked over, scoffed, and got up to sit somewhere else. It was kind of sad, but I never let it get too me, I can't really change my race, can I?

Another thing about Korea that I thought people exaggerated about, was the change of last minute plans. I hate this the most. The internet guy, on Friday, was due to come at 10. At 10, I got a call saying he'd be at 2, and would call an hour before he got there. At 2, I get a call saying he is THERE. I had to run out in the pouring rain to escort him inside, during which I ended up slipping and banging my head. Another example? Last minute, a lady invited me to go to Beoun with her, which I had to reject because I already had plans for that day. Very frustrating and not something I think I could get used to anytime soon. In fact, I'm glad I'm not a teacher, I've heard of administrators making last minute plans constantly.

On a side note, on the 15th I think I want to go down to a Cafe place called "Vins Avenue" around here. It looks really sweet. I just wish C. Love was here to enjoy it with me.

Our Home Is Finally.. Well.. Home! :D

2010-07-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

God do I have a lot of stuff to ramble about. First of all, our house! These are the videos: Beginning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3OMTvHb_9c

and End.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lauraallover#p/u/0/vQMKX1Z7W8E

We tried our best to "transform" the apartment into our home, instead of just a house. (If that makes sense!) We're throwing a party tonight with Avacado and Jersey, actually! :) I really like this place, the only complaints Adam and I have is the plug ins. They are placed in the WEIRDEST places; and the radiators. They're everywhere, and they take up a lot of space, which is annoying. Besides that, everything is great, our neighbor is the Chaplin and his family, (which is funny, considering I'm an athiest) and the people around here are generally very sweet. Adam and I have been really good with grocery shopping, we've managed to buy a lot for quite cheap, which has been GREAT, and we've nearly stocked up our whole fridge. Our major needs at the moment is some more plates, cookware, dishes, etc, a trashcan and shoe holder. Maybe more some "homey" stuff too, like pictures/picture frames, candles, etc. A lot of the furniture in here, we don't need / wont use, so we're using a spare room for storage.

Now, onto the Husky. His current name is "Juno" and he was abandoned by an American couple, who decided he was too big to take home. They ended up dropping him off at the shelter. He's 6 months old, and in a small area and not getting the help he needed, and was pretty closed to getting "put down". The Foster of the Golden that Adam and I were planning on adopting decided she wanted to adopt her, so Adam and I looked for another dog, and stumbled across Juno. Poor guy. We're only fostering him at the moment, but if a time arises where we feel we would like to adopt him, I'm pretty sure we have that option. He is going to need A LOT of training, so I guess it's a good job I'm at home a lot and Adam works out a lot. If his home isn't with us, then we will do our best to make sure he finds a good one

Somewhere Called Home.

2010-07-01T04:46:00.000-07:00

No kids, I'm not dead, I'm very much alive.

Internet access has been hard to get since moving into our home, but we should get internet tomorrow morning! Hopefully!! Then I can finally post my videos and pictures.

Basically, we have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. It's REALLY nice, on the 5th floor, and has a great view. We're fostering a 6 month old Husky who was close to being faced with euthanasia, (irresponsible owners!) and we're settling in nicely. The apartment is nearly all clean, which is a BIG relief, because we've had clothes everywhere and crap laying around for a couple of days. We've been able to buy some appliances and such for our home, which has been super nice, and has taught us a lottt about budgeting.

:) Hope to post my videos soon, though and show people our new home!

We Finally Get Our Home!

2010-06-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

Adam and I have been in a hotel since the 22nd, and frankly, we have both really hated it. I feel so relieved. The housing office sent us a message yesterday to tell us that we will be getting our home on the 30th, which is tomorrow. So the plan today is to find out exactly which apartment we will be in, and start packing everything. That means, Adams barracks, the hotel, everything. Frankly kids, that's a lot of shit, and it's going to take a while to pack up everything. It's going to be a bitch. :(

So, the next post will hopefully be about our new apartment! :)

That's a Wrap!

2010-06-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had a wonderful, fabulastic day yesterday, that I think I will remember for a very long time.

We were kind of pressed as to what to do for the day, but we eventually decided upon Woobang Tower Land, a theme park type place. They actually had some really good rides, and I enjoyed myself a lot. A couple of boys were passing us and started saying "HIIII, WE FROM KOREA." and waved at us frantically. They were adorable. In fact, we got stared at more than I expected. People watched us on rides and laughed at us, Adam bought me bunny ears and Bradley. :) Bradley is the little blue thing. That probably isn't what people call him here, but I named him Bradley! When you shake him, he lights up! :3 Adam actually got bit by the dog they have at Woobang Land in the petting zoo. They have a Huskey and a Wiener Dog, and the Huskey went for his finger, so he has a cut now. :( Poor thing.

After Woobang Land, we went downtown and walked around. We ended up going into a cellphone store that had a cute charm and phone case. :) I got Sunglasses too! <3

We ate at McDonalds, which was nice, and we went back to Avacado's. From there we went to "Beef and Leaf" with Avacado and Jersey, and went back home.

Perhaps I'll upload videos of Jersey sometime. He's quite strange. He eats cigarettes, raw mushrooms, abd soju for 7$, as well as other random crap.

4-8 MORE DAYS until we get housing. It feel like it's going to take centuries.

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

2010-06-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

It's raining. For some reason, it's put Adam in a terrible mood where he just does not want to do anything. We were going to walk downtown, etc, but he decided the weather wasn't right for that. We'll just go tomorrow, but I bet it will rain then, too.

Last night Adam, Avacado and I went to 'Italy Italy', a restaurant in downtown Daegu, with really good food, (obviously Italian). [Note about picture: I was proud of myself for writing Sprite in Korean!].

After Italy Italy, we went back to Avacado's room and drank... A LOT. 5-8 beers later and I was drunk as hell.

I don't know what's going on tonight, Adam is at the gym and I'm doing laundry, but we might be going back out again today.

We are also planning on adopting a Golden Retriever sometime next week. :) She is an older dog, and has been in a shelter for awhile, (well, right now she's in foster care), but she's a sweetie, and Adam and I are hoping everything goes through smoothly.

The Scenic Route

2010-06-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night was something else.

Adam and I, around 5/6ish decided we were hungry and wanted to go to a "finer" restaurant, so we decided on the Daegu Tower pictured below.

It wasn't a bad restaurant at all, it actually moved on the inside, so as we were eating, we were slowly turning clockwise. Adam and I got to practice our lame Korean when the guy wasn't coming to pick up our card for us to pay. NO, really, it took 20-30 minutes until Adam said "this is for you" (in Korean, of course, which is due to this greatttttt Korean book we have). We got a small steak instead of Robster. Poor Rob.

After the Daegu tower, we went to the Wa Bar (I think that's what it was called.) We ended up trying to park in a small underground parking lot (that would take up to 6 cars.) A man was sitting there, reading the newspaper, saw Adam trying to park and FREAKED OUT and ran outr to where we were. He opened the door for me to get out, and while Adam was parking he was screaming "CRAZY! HE CRAZYYY DRIVER!!!!" Funny, seeing as Adam would be considered a maniac driver in the USA, but here, I think he'd be a "safe" driver. The Wa Bar was nice though, I had a cosmo (3 actually), and Adam had a beer (I'm not a cheap date, Adam told me :P) and then we went off to head home.

That's when the real "fun" began. We ended up getting lost. Adam had no idea where he had, and It's not like I even know how to get off post, so I couldn't be much help. We left at 9:30 for the Military Base, and by 10pm, Adam was freaking out. He called a Katusa, who told Adam to give the phone to some random Korean and he would talk to them. We stopped down an allyway, Adam got out and found a 20something looking guy, who took the phone from him and spoke to the Katusa... Then he ran off with the phone. Adam and I just kind of stood there, hoping he hadn't stolen it, and he eventually came back, and gave Adam back the phone. (No idea, don't ask) We didn't get home until 11:45 though because we ended up still being lost, it sucked.

Today has been a lazy day, though. Besides cleaning, and doing laundry soon, (and making Adam food), I haven't done much. Adams been at work. :( Actually he just got home, he said "Hi". :3. The plan tonight is to go to a nice restaurant and then to his friend Avacados barracks to drink and hang out. :)

BFFL

2010-06-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

I'm actually making progress with making friends here, only all of them seem to be Korean. I don't have any problem with that, but sometimes the small language barriers and humor doesn't translate as well as I hoped! The Koreans I have met so far don't understand my sarcasm so well, but I think this just gives me a chance to try and stop being such a bitch.

It's slightly boring at the moment, because I'm not fond of the idea of going anywhere by myself, but when Adam and I get the off post hotel, I think I'll explore more when he is away. Adam and I bought some furniture for our home today, also, which I also have to start taking pictures of, too! We got some groceries, and I picked up this Orange Soda that I absolutely love!

TT I'm very boring at the moment, but no worries, everything will pick up soon! :P

Hello, South Korea.

2010-06-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

link to pictures

I'm finally in South Korea. The trip was long, but it was generally painless -- a few mishaps here and there, but nothing serious. It was pretty hard leaving my parents and my best friend behind, I was on the verge of tears, but I kept it in. The plane to Chicago was short, didn't have an issue. In fact, all the airports besides Seoul were easy to navigate. The only issue I had in Seoul was the language barrier, which required me asking "English?" to nearly everybody. An older lady from the same plane I was on actually helped me when I landed in Seoul with my bags. She was so sweet! :) People were generally helpful and curious, there were a couple of rude people, but besides that, everyone was enjoyable. I met a couple of people at the airports also. One girl in LAX and another in Seoul (also going to Daegu), who I was able to become acquainted with. Of course, more happened than described at the airports, but I think those stories are for another time. (Aka: too lazy to type them all out.)

Adam picked me up from the Daegu airport, in his car. The car was a surprise, and it's not a bad car, I just wasn't expecting it. It's proved to be helpful though. Driving here is something I have no desire to do. It's the scariest experience just being in a car here. In fact, I'll probably make a video of it soon. It's terrifying.

Today, Adam and I bought phones. They're cute little flip phones, mine changes color though :3. I'm going to try and make a video/take pictures of it, because it's adorable. I also bought some language books so I can try and communicate easier. I'm surprised Adam actually knows as much of the language as he does. :O.

Now, with the housing situation, it's frustrating. First of all, they had told us we would get an apartment the week I arrived. Turns out we wont. Instead, we have to wait until July 2nd or 6th. This lodge will only hold us until the 27th, so then we have to leave then and find a new local hotel until they can get us the home.

This blog has been a two day process. I've had some jet lag, and I've been busy, so finding time to blog has been daunting. I'll be able to keep up with the more interesting things get, etc. Until then, I need to clean the hotel!

Gan Gan.

2010-06-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

A lot about grandparents has come up lately, and I've started to miss mine quite a lot. This is my GanGan, and I adore him. :)

~

I visited Aimee on Tuesday up until today. I really enjoyed spending time with her and her family, they were quite possibly the sweetest people I have ever met. I'm really wayyyy tired to type up much more about the trip, but here are some pictures. :)

Formspring Question?

2010-06-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

"Who is C. Love? Who is Adam? What are they like? What do they do?"

...This is an odd question, because I talk about them so much, people should know. But for those who don't:

C. Love is my best friend. We've been best friends for close to 3 years now, and we go "on and off." What I mean by that, is sometimes C. Love and I can go weeks to months without speaking, and pick up where we left off. We're very down to earth, we get along exceedingly well most of the time, and we bitch a lot. C. Love likes a lot of the same crap I like. : )

Adam is my husband, we've known each other for years now, and he joined the army a little over a year a go. He's funky and strange, but funny. He's a handful at times, and like any couple we have our ups and downs, but we always come out stronger. He likes to... Uh... Drinks, play video games, and be sweet too me. :3

And there is a little background on them both. <3

Presents & Packing.

2010-06-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that I've finally accomplished the horrible job of... packing. This of course was not done alone, and was accomplished because I have a wonderful Momma who did most of the work anyway. I had to pick and choose what I really did want and what I didn't. I wasn't even aware of the amount of clothes I have. Somehow we've been able to fit most of this into one suitcase.

Yesterday, I had a wonderful party thrown for me at my Sister-In-Laws house, with an awesome cake, and reallllllllly good dip. It was really sweet, and I got presents ~*~*~

The keychain thingy that says "Laura" was given to me by my MILB, (she also bought my luggage!) The planner, sketch book, address book, journal and pencils were from my Sister-In-Law, her fiance, and all their children*.

The picture on the right are the presents C. Love gave too me. Earrings, which I had seen in Rue 21 and fell in love with, a journal for "thoughts, secrets and doodles", (and really, who can't get enough of notebooks) a stationary set, and a book about living in S.K. which will be handy for reading on the plane!

Thanks for the presents everyone. :D

Oh! And here is my packing pictures, (I'm THAT proud!) I'm not 100% finished, obviously, I still have shoes, etc to pack!

<-- I know I have a Build-A-Bear stuffed animal in my luggage, :) My momma got it for me for Christmas. <3 When I press its hand, it talks with her voice. :O

I'm sorry, EIGHT days?

2010-06-12T17:18:00.001-07:00

Eight days until I leave! It's so nerve wrecking!

My schedule is to spend tomorrow with Adam's family, at his sisters house! They threw a "going away party"! So sweet, I love them so much! Monday is packing. Tuesday I'm leaving for Salem, IN to meet Aimee. Wednesday, I come home. Thursday, possible road trip with C. Love. Friday, pack!. Sat is mommas birthday, packing time and saying goodbyes. Sun, I say goodbye to my closest friends and board the plane for Korea!

I'm so nervous about the plane ride! I'll arrive at Korea on the 22nd (their time), at 9:30... Instead of resting, I'll be getting my SOFA army crap and ID's and other boring stuff. The next day, I get our doggy (Hopefully! She's been in the shelter for awhile, but the people there can't guarantee someone will adopt her before we do!)

That's all I know so far, but I'm sooooo ready to get this all over and done with! :D

North or South Korea?

2010-06-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

"So... Are you moving to North Korea or South Korea?"

Believe it or not, it's a question I get a lot. Sometimes, I can understand if it's a small child asking, but otherwise... Seriously?

Yes, I am moving to North Korea, I thought the scenery and the whole "worship our great leader" thing was really 'me.' We all know how much I love N. Korea, and their communism! Yum! I heard their drinking water can make you fatally ill, and for all you losers who die from it in NK, suck it up! You just haven't tasted real water. And hey, what is wrong with you people for having issues with Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. They obviously just want the best for their country!

For anyone who took that seriously, you're stupid.

I'm obviously not moving to North Korea, but what makes me laugh is the people who actually ask.

Hmmm.

2010-06-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ten days until I leave. I've looked at weather reports for the 20th, and it seems like there will be some thunderstorms. Yuck. It has me stressed out, which is the last thing I need. I've also started doing all my laundry today, so I can get them all into my air compression bag, and into a luggage bag, shown below.

Hope this sucker was worth the 20. :)

Laura, World. World, Laura. Now Shake Hands.

2010-06-09T00:24:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to blog about two things, but thought I could just incorporate them both together instead of seperately. Travel & Moving.

Obviously, I'm moving to the 3rd largest city in S. Korea, which is more than appeasing for me. I'm much more city orientated (I really hate the term 'country/city girl') than some other people, so Korea is exciting. I live in a place where, if this place was seriously considered a major city, it would be extremely pathetic. It's boring, it's bland and lacking color, and I hate it here. I'm a person who adores change, adores the sound of cars, people, etc.. So leaving here is a dream come true!

As of late, however, on top of Adam and I's possible plan to move to my home country, the United Kingdom, I've also weighed some other possibilities. New Zealand is one I'm particularly fond of. Wellington sounds like a fun city, and France has come up a couple of times in Adam and I's conversations, but he really enjoys the idea of New Zealand, over France. Another country that I have recently become interested in? Sweden. Why Sweden? The fact is, I didn't even think about Sweden until I was perusing Facebook and happened to stumble on somebodies profile with a Swedish name that really caught my attention. I stalked their wall to see if they spoke English, and they didn't, so using Google's Handy Dandy Translator I was able to figure the language out. (Yay, Facebook stalking) So, I've had a fun hour looking around the internet, figuring out the cost of living in Sweden, as well as the culture. The only issue I wonder about is if Adam would take the time out to learn a language.

Adam and I are planning to stay in Korea for a year and a half, and if we really like it, maybe more if possible; but after Korea, (unless we decide we really love it and stay forever, which I doubt because I don't know if Adam would like that) what then? Adam doesn't want to stay in the US, and neither do I... And I love the UK, and I defnately want to be there, but I also want to travel and live in many other countries. Maybe in Africa for awhile to help people there? It's a lot to think about, and a big decision, so I'm keeping all my options open until the time comes to leave Korea.

Going Anon.

2010-06-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

I've decided to go Anon (in a way), but not completely. I'm still going to be taking pictures of myself, friends, family, my surroundings, etc, I just wont be posting my friends' real names. "Why?" Because 95% of my traffic comes from my facebook page, which includes family and friends for the most part - - however, the more traffic this blog has, the odder I feel about people knowing my family and friends' names, etc (& believe me, some of my friends have ODD names.) So because I don't want weird people stalking them, I wont post their info. Plus, some of these people have blogs which I know they don't want to be found, either. :) I will however, be posting something at the side for you all to be referenced too.

My husband and I will have our real names in tact though. :) We love stalkers.

To Shine A Light.

2010-06-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

Some good news. Adam recieved a call from some Army guy, and we're definitely getting housing the week I arrive. So, that means that the longest we'd stay in a hotel in 4 days, which isn't bad. The not so good news? The lodge on the base is full at the moment, so we may have to find a place off post. Ah well. Just some good news to start off the day at least.

On a side note, when C. Love and I went out the other day, we saw this near the Micky D's.

It looked like they were taking burgers out a trashcan. Odd. Getting ready to go help C. Love run errands today, haven't even slept. :(

i just saw ur blogger post and ur an athiest right? ur going to go 2 hell.

2010-06-07T03:10:00.001-07:00

Dear reader of my blog,

Thank you for your concern! Although it's quite endearing, I must say that I don't believe in hell, therefore, the prospect of going there seems very unrealistic to me. Instead of saving my soul, maybe you should go back to school and learn some grammar. Thank you, come again.

<3 L

Ask me anything

Edie and Thea.

2010-06-07T02:26:00.000-07:00

I usually wouldn't blog about this, but...

Today I was watching those Independent Films on the Sundance Channel I love so much. It's past 4am, and I don't think I'm going to bed anytime soon, so why not, right? Well, I stumbled upon "Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement." A documentary of sorts which recounts the story of two lesbians in the 1960's.

I guess I've always been liberal on the subject of homosexuality, because it upsets me that people who love another gender are usually automatically discriminated against in some form. As someone said in the comment of this video I'm about to post:

Oh, gosh. I could go on forever about this.
Okay, first of all, marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege. If I wanted to get married to another female (which I don't; I don't believe in participating in any and all religious acts, marriage included), why shouldn't I be able to? If I were a homosexual or bisexual Christian, is it not my right as God's child to be able to live with my lover and be married?

But enough about the religious aspect; I want to talk about the political aspect. Originally marriage was a property thing, and it stated that the woman was the man's 'property'. Now, I know I would never want my lover to be my property, but it's about love and happiness, no?
And the constitution guarantees a legal citizen's right to pursue life, love and happiness?
If I want love and happiness, and I also want to be married (because it seems to go hand in hand), does the GOVERNMENT or the CHURCH have ANY RIGHT AT ALL to stop me?

When you get right down to it, if religion didn't exsist in the first place, homosexuality would not be questioned like it is.
Just wanted to throw that out there.

Just one last thing;
Love is Love.
No matter if its being felt by a man and a man, a man and a women, or a women and a women.
And I'll never understand people who think otherwise.

This isn't an "atheist" thing, (as some of my friends have suggested.) Even those years when I was a Christian, I was 100% for LG&B couples. Bigotry and intolerance just upsets me. It also upsets me when people befriend "gays" for the fact that they are gay. C. Love and I talked about a girl we know who befriends every homosexual she comes across. Yes! It's GREAT to be open minded and befriend people, but homosexuals are not collectibles.

Formspring Mayham!

2010-06-07T01:13:00.001-07:00

I got a new formspring. For whatever reason, I wasn't getting any "questions" on my old one, even when I knew people were asking me stuff. :(. I posted the new box on the blog already. :) It's http://www.formspring.me/lauraallover

A couple of videos.

2010-06-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

A stop motion video C. Love and I made a few days ago on our way to Penny Lane Coffeehouse.

A cute video of my cat. :)

One, Two, Three, Four.

2010-06-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a couple of days because really, I don't have anything to post about. I'm still counting down the days until I leave, I'm still procrastinating packing, and I'm still getting nervous butterflies when I think about leaving for Korea by myself. Adam and I found out the hotel would be $80 a night, which will be stretching out budget a little, but we should be alright. (Or so I'm hoping.) What makes me most nervous is that something will go wrong on the plane, and I'll either:
A. End up stranded somewhere
B. Wont be to see Adam in Korea

It's two weeks from today until I leave! 14 days! So far, I've been living off Blueberry Bagels & Diet Dr. Pepper. (My coffee supply is low, sadly. It really kills me.) As it gets closer, I keep getting more and more excited, yet missing my friends and family already. My mom has been pretty upset about it, but she's really trying, and I can respect that.

On a side note: Why do people have train obsessions? I find it odd.

Hurry Up, Please.

2010-06-03T09:41:00.001-07:00

The army is annoying. Not like I'm some kind of anarchist, but I have to say, they're quite unorganized.

"What do you mean by this, Laura?!!!1111one ~*~*~*~"

What I mean is, Adam went down to housing the other today to check that we have housing available. "Yes, around the 28th." Around the 28th isn't really preferred, and that's the problem. This means, we're going to have to stay in a hotel for 6 days, and pay for it out of pocket (they pay back, but still, paying out of pocket could get expensive.) Yeah, we might get the apt sooner than 6 days, but what if we get it a week or so later? They will definitely have an apartment, but we're not made of money, and I don't want to spend 24 hours on a plane to go to a hotel. I want to settle down in our home.

I know I might be coming off as ungrateful, and I swear I'm not. I'm frustrated because we I just want to finally be in my home after waiting for so long, and I feel like this should have been sorted earlier. :(

Meh.

2010-06-02T00:15:00.001-07:00

I feel so shitty tonight. A lot is on my mind.

Alos on Danse

2010-06-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

C. Love is coming over tonight to spend the night, it should be really great! Also means I have to clean my room, which still is not 100% accomplished. Adam and I find out if we get a house on the base or not soon, also. Besides that, nothing new. :/

The Passageway

2010-05-31T17:29:00.001-07:00

Troi and I went shopping today. It was nice, just hanging out and getting to buy some clothes before I leave this place for good.

For anyone who cares, the picture is of my side door, at my parents' house. I took it last summer when C. Love and I would go around taking pictures of shit all.

I've been procrastinating really sitting down and beginning to pack. I don't know how to describe how strange it is trying to fit your life into a couple of suitcases. What do we bring and what do we leave behind? What is "worthy" and what is not? It's slightly depressing that things I want to bring, I might not be able too. I'm hoping I can bring my extra large coffee mug my mother bought me. It's huge and I adore it.

My room is a mess, which I'm going to have to change before C. Love comes over tomorrow, (hopefully) to spend the night. Scanning my room, it's slightly sad that I have to leave it behind. Old photo frames, books, candles and papers. They have sentimental value to a certain extent. It's also dawning on me that when I get to Korea, I wont have my friends to fall back on anymore. I'll have my darling husband, Adam, but I think a girls best medicine is her friends. Who will I drive down to Penny Lane / Starbucks with and sit down, discussing religion, politics and life?

C. Love and I, however, decided to start something called a "Circle Journey Journal." We bought the Journal today, and she's writing in it first, and I'm reading her entry when I get on the plane, when I get on the plane and read it, I'll write back. We will send it via mail back and forth, and send little things from where we are each month. For example, I might send her a phone charm and some pictures, and so forth. It's actually a comforting idea. It's like a "scrapbook in action."

If anybody is interested, here is some tips to start your CJJ:

How To Start Your Circle Journal Exchange
Determine the purpose of your journal. Circle journals can be used to become re-acquainted with old friends, to celebrate existing close relationships, or serve as an ice breaker in cultivating new friendships. Here are my top tips for getting the most out of the experience
Choose your friends wisely. Decide whether you want to exchange the journal with one person or several people. Send out “feelers” to determine the level of interest. Scrapbookers, military families, college buddies, adoptive and birth families, and pen pals are examples of potential journaling groups.
Set a limit. Determine the maximum number of participants who will be involved. This type of “round robin” exchange may be more successful if there are fewer people involved.
Decide on a theme. Pages can reflect open-ended themes, such as “a day in the life,” or “what inspires me.” Favorite recipes, family folklore, inspiration from fashion or your favorite lyrics are also intriguing circle journal themes.
Pick a format. The pages can serve as a template to add journal entries of text or you can allow them to be a blank canvas to be filled with photographs, magazine clippings, found objects, ticket stubs, or drawings.
Be specific. It is important to effectively communicate the guidelines for the swap. Details like the number of journals in circulation, the length of the swap, the start date, and mailing instructions should be worked out beforehand.
Ready, set, mail. Complete your page and mail it to the first person on the list (if exchanging with a group). Anticipate its return with pages full of life.

read more at http://carrieanddanielle.com/keeping-in-touch-how-to-create-your-circle-journey/#ixzz0pYcoGDhU
a huge online directory just for you!

Freaks of America

2010-05-31T12:48:00.001-07:00

Trombone-Lover has never seen Sex & the City, OR Friends!

Freak.

Tickets.

2010-05-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

The tickets have come! :) I have my confirmation ready to go! I'm excited (and nervous)!

So, the plan is to leave here at 2:30PM (on Trombone-Lover's birthday! Sorry!)

I'll arrive at Chicago at 3:45 , then depart at 7:40

Then I arrive at LAX at 10PM, leave at 12:20 AM .

Arrive at Seoul at 5:30 (July 22nd for them, 13 hour flight), leave at 8:30.

Arrive at Taegu/Daegu at 9:25 AM :)

"So, Have A Good Life?"

2010-05-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

That's pretty much how the graduating class was. "Have a good life!" "Thanks. You too." I'm happy though. I'm happy everyone made huge accomplishments we never even dreamed of. We've changed, we've grown, and it's great. Couldn't be happier. I worked hard to get where I am today! I've been setting long and short terms goals for myself. Long term: Lose weight, eat healthy, etc. Short term: Pack!

Speaking of packing, my MILB bought me some luggage (3 piece set)! It's a great purple, which is my favorite color, and she got me tags for the baggage that say "I come with baggage", and "This is MY bag". I'm hoping all my clothes fit inside it, and then I can use the middle bag for my shoes and jewelry, (because Buddha knows I have too much jewelry!) :)

My plans for the week or so is to shop for some things I'll need before I leave. A new purse, make up, clothes. :) Yay <3!

Hope You Have The Time Of Your Life

2010-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny? I waited years for this day. We all did. Four years. It's finally the day, and for some reason, I'm sad to see people walk away.

When You Were Young

2010-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today I took a walk down, as C. Love calls it, Nostalgia Lane.

C. Love & I became friends three years a go, by chance. At first we weren't too hott about each other, but as time waned on, and we got talking, we ended up having a lot more in common than we originally thought. We became best friends. She's possibly the closest friend I have ever had, even if she's really ticked me off. A bunch of shit happened, and we stopped talking for quite awhile, and up until recently, we have started speaking again.

It's odd how you don't talk to someone for six months, and end up picking up right where you left off. We sat at Starbucks for an hour or so, drinking Lattes and discussing everything that had happened recently. Friends, family, life, and feelings. (Four F's) -- and it felt good. It's nice to have a best friend.

Wolf Whistling & Young Love

2010-05-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today I had something important to go too, so I wore a nice shirt with some "dress pants/trousers." My hair was frizzy due to the extreme heat in the building, (and I had highlighted my hair the day before, but I don't think people noticed due to the frizzy/wavy/wild hair.) and I wore minimal make up. I didn't think I looked particularly good, apparently, some creepers though otherwise. (I had fun taking pictures with CiCi though. Nothing like good ol' fashioned friends-taking-pics-like-losers)

<-- I call that Love Monstah

I was walking into the courthouse place (?) to get a copy of my marriage certificate and I got... wolf whistled at by a man in a wife beater. I kind of gave him this, "you wish" look, and kept walking. Then after that, I stopped by somewhere where I was asked if I was a single woman. Uh, well no. I have a wedding ring on dumbass. I got winked, waved at, and kissy faced by two men in a van, and all together, I feel violated.

In separate news, I'm adding people from my old primary school in England. :) Nice to see how they've changed.

2 am midnight woe.

2010-05-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's 2am, and I can't sleep for shit. Happened last night, too, when I was up for hours doing shit all. So what am I doing? I'm online, "window shopping" for stiletto's and animal print purses. Not usually a traditional night, I usually do this during the day... But hey, I compromise.

27 days now. I hope Korea isn't this fucking hot. It's like a sauna made its way to America. 25 C / 75ish F. I can barely stand hot weather.

Migraine.

2010-05-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

I have the worst migraine. 28 days. :/

Pack List.

2010-05-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

More for myself than anything.

Camera cords/CD drivers
Webcam cords / CD drivers
Any computer games
A couple of books
Throw out old / gross make up
Pack clothes I don't wear / need for donation
Pack Jewelry
Choose pictures to bring
Clean up my current laptop for my mom to have
Buy a few new clothing items / make up possibly ?
Electronics I might use (Hair straightener?)

Hopefully I can add / reduce things from my list as I go.

The Consonant Comes Before The Vowels!

2010-05-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

A letter from me to a friend: "So we move on, right? Start over with our lives & keep going along? I moved to America, and waited for years to go back to the UK, & now I'm going to Korea. 29 days. Granted, I do actually WANT to go to Korea, then maybe back to the UK. Maybe Adam & I could go to India! I don't know. But I do know I'll end back up in the UK. No doubt about it. Not even a little" - Letter to a friend, from myself.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about after Korea. I know, I know -- I haven't even landed there, and I'm thinking about when I leave already? I do that a lot though, I like to plan ahead. I've been seriously considering that move back to England I've been hoping for, for a while. We'll have to see though.

I was watching house earlier, when I thought, "Hmmm, my room is a mess..." Which led to, "Hmmm.... I need to pack..." Which led to... "Hmmm.... I need a fucking suitcase!" So I think I'll start putting things in boxes. The stuff that I want to bring, I'll put in a box. The other stuff will remain in my room, I guess. I'll just clean it up for when I come back to visit. I think I'll miss my room though, in some aspects. This house has a lot of bad memories along with it, but I do like my room. Plus, the A/C works great in here.

I'm kind of bummed I can't bring my "Los Cigarrillos Paris" poster:
But I'm sure I can buy another, or somehow get my mom to send it too me. I think I'll miss this huge coach in my room, too. I mean, this coach has virtually no use, I don't actually do anything with it. I don't sit on it, or anything. It's just... There. But it's pretty cool to have in my room. I won't miss this desk, as it's falling apart, and I won't miss my bed because it's so uncomfortable, but simple other things will definitely be missed. I was thinking about the little figurine, or whatever, that Adam apparently bought of a Dragon. I'm really hoping he will get rid of that, because if not, It's going somewhere where no one can see it. [I sound so mean!]

I better stop procrastinating, and start cleaning.

Ocean Apart.

2010-05-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

31 days until I leave. It's pretty much a waiting game at the moment.

The blog post I am looking forward to posting the most, is the one that says "I'm here! I'm finally in Korea!” I have so much to look forward too! The only thing I've been worried quite a bit about it actually flying over. What do I mean by that? My passport and U.S. Residency card still has my maiden name on it, whereas my Itinerary and Military ID and Drivers license does not. I can't exactly get it all changed so close to the date I leave, so I'm planning on bringing my birth certificate and marriage certificate. If any problems arise, I'm hoping I can just open up my folder and show them “My name is Laura XXXX, I swear! My name just USED to be Laura XXXXXXXX! Don't arrest me D:!” It shouldn't be that much of an issue, hopefully.

I'm putting bunches of recipes together for me to learn also. I'll need step-by-step instructions, as I really don't know how to cook unless it has very specific instructions. I can make Mac&Cheese, but besides that, not a lot else. Also, finals are coming up at the end of this week and next. It's really sneaked up on me, but I'm not exactly worried. I just dislike all the work.

Aimee's present came today :)! I'm hoping that Adam doesn't mind if I get a new purse before I leave, with new make up, etc. Why? Because the purse I have now is virtually falling apart, and the make up I have is months old and running out.

I need to start packing, I need a suitcase in general! I need to make a pile of what I want to bring and what I don't want too. Books will be hard, I love reading. The only things I'm really planning on bringing is clothes, books and a few things like a mini toothbrush and toothpaste.

Anyway, I'm out for the night folks. :) <3>

Dear Aimee,

2010-05-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Are you happy that you're labeled/tagged the most in my blog so far?

I bet I've given her an ego tripp. (She even asked me to dedicate a whole blog post too her! :O)

Thanks, But No Thanks.

2010-05-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

My husband said today, "You're so cute, you think you'll love Korea so much." Or something along the lines of such. It's quite funny, really, because I've always had a strong sense of what I will love and hate. For example, if I see a book, I know instantly whether or not I'll like it. Maybe it's strange? I don't know if other people do that. But I do. I also think it's how you look on the situation as well. Going to Korea sounds wonderful to me. My husband was never too excited about going over, but he's Okay there -- I think he prefers America though.

In other news, I'm planning on seeing Aimee soon. Hopefully everything goes as planned! Her family sounds absolutely adorable, and they seriously make me laugh, so I'm excited not only to see Aimee, but to meet her family.

I looked for an old blog I used to read called "Walking the Black Dog." I think the blogger ended his site, but I found an old paragraph from the blog about depression. (The blogger had depression) I think it's quite interesting, looking at it from somebody who has dealt (and deals with) depression, as well as looking at it from a psychological perspective. Just a food for thought I suppose. :)

Welcome to the land of the blues or more accurately – something more than the blues. Depression isn’t just a case of the blues or feeling a little off; everyone has those days. Depression is feeling overwhelmingly sad and devoid of any positive emotions – to the point where normally enjoyable activities seem empty or like a chore that requires just too much energy.
Winston Churchill described his own depression as a ‘black dog’ hence the name of this website. I’m sure you’ve seen people walking their dog and the dog is in complete control, peeing on every scent it comes upon, rolling on garbage, pulling its owner wherever it wants to go, jumping on people passing by and on and on.
Depression is a lot like an unruly dog, a big menacing black dog with a ferocious countenance. It may simply sit and watch you throughout the day staring holes through you or it may climb onto your lap and smother you with its weight. When depression enters your life it sucks the joy right out of you and affect everything & everyone in your life. Those commercials about ‘who does depression affect?’ are right on the money. It affects everyone right down to your dog.

Turtle Trouble.

2010-05-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

I got my camera today, it takes beautiful photos and videos. :) I'm quite happy!

In other news, I went outside today, and nearly stepped on a baby turtle. My mothers dogs have a tendency to kill small animals, so I know it's them that did this. It had some of its "guts" or whatever is under its shell sticking out. I felt really bad for it, so I'm caring for it at the moment. :( Poor turtle.
I took a picture of him before I made him a little habitat for him to recover in. I got him some vegetables, since I'm pretty sure he's a box turtle, and they like things like tomatoes, I think. So far he's in my garage though, in a box. He should be alright. I hope he makes a recovery too! I think I should take him into the vet :(! I posted on Facebook about him and got this as a response.

Made me kinda sad.

I also ended up taking pictures of my cats, and one of my moms dogs, Honey.

"Like.... How Their Cooking Sucks?"

2010-05-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

I don't recommend reading expat blogs about your own country, it can get a little offensive. I've witnessed this with a Korean friend of mine who read through a couple of expat blogs I regularly read. She wasn't impressed by them at all. I decided to read expat blogs on England, and while a few of them are quite hilarious, some of them are literally so insulting. Again, back to the whole "generalization" business. I don't take it too heart, but when you first read it, it's kind of like... "uh... ok.... screw you too then."

Anyway, I ranted a little about it to Aimee. "Blah blah blah, insulting, they're always talking about how shit Brits are." etc. Aimee, being the caring and knowledgeable friend she is came out with...

"Like how their cooking sucks?"

She knows how to make me laugh. She hasn't even had British food, and ever since we got into the argument over whether or not Marmite was good (she's never even had it.) I don't take her opinions on British food seriously.

Whatever you're doing, British food, I miss you! ~*~~*~*~

The Foreigner Hater?

2010-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

This bugs me to no end. The xenophobic asshole who always asks me "Why would you go to Korea?! They all eat cats and dogs, and (enter other stupid, inaccurate reason)." When I point out "hey, that's kind of a generalization, y know?" They rant on about how they didn't mean anything by it, when they did. Come on. Own up. I'm not stupid, and don't take me for a fool. I know exactly what you were saying.

It's like the people who are always "so surprised" when they find out I have generally good teeth, and I prefer coffee over tea. I mean, really? People seriously take these generalizations and stereotypes to a whole new level. It doesn't become "funny", it becomes offensive. Do I even need to mention the "Asians have small dicks / Asian women marry white men for money" argument? Are you seriously so stupid that you think this is true for a whole country/race? Sure, some people do have bad teeth, I'm sure a few Australians enjoy eating Kangaroo's, and that perhaps an Asian man out there may have a small penis. But does this go for everyone? Uh, no.

Why am I going to Korea? I don't have too. If I wasn't going, Adam would be home by the end of the year, and then maybe stationed somewhere else in America. Why did I come? Because:

A. I love my husband, I want to be with him, and he means the world too me,

B. I've always been in love with Asian culture/art/etc, since I've been young &

C. Why not? I have the opportunity to get to know a whole new world outside my own. Some people are perfectly fine in their own bubble, but not me. I love the fact that I will be learning Korean, meeting people not like me, and a culture so different than my own. No one is putting a gun to my head and telling me I must go. (And even if they did, I wouldn't need persuading.)

So enough with the whole "But Koreans are like this..." bullshit. No, you just think they are. I've known enough Koreans, and read enough expat blogs by now, to know that these stupid little "facts" about Korea are completely false. :)

On a brighter note, I ordered a new camera! A Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 :) It SHOULD be arriving by tomorrow, but we'll see about that. I also ordered one of my best online friends, (Aimee, you'll hear a lot more about her soon.) I got her and I a "best friends" necklace. Extremely corny? Yes! But it was so adorable, I couldn't resist. I also need to get my bestie here, Meredith, something. I happen to leave on her birthday. :(
Anyway, it's Friday, and I have more than enough to do this weekend. I think my mom and I are going out this weekend. I know it's hard for her, as it's getting so close to the leaving date.

Bye Jellybeans.

My Upcoming Daegu Days,

2010-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Once you get married, it seems to everybody like the next logical step would be to have babies. People start asking "when are you planning on having children?" Like, yeah, Adam and I don't have lives or anything, y know. Adam and I aren't ready for that stage. At least for for a good eight to ten years. Until we start "popping 'em out" we're going to be living in Daegu, South Korea. So I guess, this is a brutal telling of my time here. I want to share with my family, friends, expats alike and curious people (like myself) what our life is like here, and also because I'm too lazy to message/call each of you individually and recount a story I may have told fifteen times that current day. (Nothing personal, love.)

The date is set for June 20th for me to finally join my husband in South Korea, I say finally, because I haven't seen my husband since November, when he was on leave, and he's been in the army for over a year now, and it's an absolute shit hole here without him some days. This blog was going to be private, for my family and friends and all that;; but I figure that people may (or may not) want to be informed on Korea more so than they are (or are not.) <-- (P.S. Never ask me to say "aren't". I hate that word.) So a bit about me for people who don't know me? My name is Laura, I'm younger than most people who get married, I'm smart, I'm funny, I have strong opinions, I like coffee... a lot.... I was born in England but I spent quite a few years in America, I'm married to a U.S. soldier, and leaving to be with him in June; we have two babies, our cats, which will be joining us in Korea a couple of months after I arrive, I wanted to be an ESLT eventually, because I really don't feel like I'll be getting a genuine experience of Korea until I live outside a U.S. base. That's me in a nutshell. Adam and I will be in Korea for roughly two years, and maybe even longer if we like it/if we can.