Here I am, yet again.

After having flown over the Pacific twice in the past two months, I have finally decided it is time to update the good old blog. So what have I, Caley, been up to? Well, since my last post, I travelled home to New Brunswick, Canada. While I was so excited to get home, the journey there was less than desirable. After three flights, two layovers and about 40 hours total, I was finally greeted at the airport by my mom and my best friend. Now after such a long haul to get back, upon my arrival, my mother burst into tears and my best friend was suffering from one of the worst hangovers I have seen in awhile, while the guy next to me had a giant entourage complete with a welcome home sign! Ha! Despite the condition of my two family members, I was finally home! That very evening, I met up with about twelve of my closest friends for dinner. It's weird, after spending a year abroad, how overwhelming it can be to be surrounded by great friends again. Just sitting there in the restaurant I found myself holding back tears. I had no idea why, I was happy and sad all at once! My time at home was short but sweet. I spent time with my family, some of whom I haven't seen in years and stayed with friends-who are now like family. After a few weeks, I started to get bored and was itching to get back to Korea, where life never seems to stop moving!

So after a crazy couple of days trying to get my passport and visa ready to go, I was finally back in the Fredericton airport, at 5am, saying good-bye to my parents and about to board a plan for Korea once again.  This time, I wasn't scared, wasn't nervous, I was ready to get back to my life. Ready to see what adventures lay ahead of me this time around. I had a new job, new city and new experiences awaiting me!

I have been back just over a month now and things are going great! My new school is quite different from my last, but better I think. My apartment is 100% better than the last and the area I live in is fantastic. Upon my arrival, I got right back into the swing of things and headed out onto a weekend bike trip to the mountains of Gangwon-do(the northern South Korean province-not to be confused with North Korea).

Making it to the top of our 8am 920m climb! My highest yet!

 I had been looking forward to this trip for months and I was not to be disappointed. The weather was fantastic, the views were amazing and the company was nothing short of spectacular. There is nothing like the feeling of excitement you get from spending an hour climbing a 10% incline up a mountain and knowing that once you reach the top, you get to glide down into a valley with the fresh mountain air in your face.

Gorgeous views into the valley we just climbed out of!

Struggling hard along the last 10km of climbing! 

My next adventure begins with swimming lessons. I just recently hired a swim coach, another foreign teacher, to help me learn to properly swim, in hopes of training for a triathlon next summer. I have been logging tons of kilometers on my bike and running, so the logical next step is to add swimming in to the mix. My ultimate goal will be to compete in an Ironman competition, but that is still a few years away yet. For now, I need to concentrate on actually learning to swim. I am also training for my first ever half marathon, that I will run right here in Bundang in the spring.


I am very excited for the next few months and what 2012 has to offer me. Big lifestyle changes are on the horizon for me. The decision to commit myself to training means having to say no to nights out with friends, choosing fitness over fun and partying, something I have had a hard time doing in the past. For some reason though, this time, it seems like the obvious choice. I can only live in limbo for so long, sooner or later I need to choose a side, and I choose the side of living life! On my bike weekend, I realized the feeling of accomplishing feats you never thought you could, is much better than even the best night out with friends. So with that in mind, I will be pushing myself harder than ever before! Here's to fitness!!