Monday, March 31, 2014

See ya later USA!

Well it seems it's time for my vacation to end today. I am flying back to Canada this afternoon after an action packed time in America. This past week in DC has been amazing. I flew in on Wednesday evening and met my friend Emily, we got our rental car and took to the streets to go meet our friends Maddie and Ed for dinner. DC is probably the biggest city I have driven in and the traffic and highways were insane. I opted out of the GPS for the car because I wanted to save money, but I definitely regretted that decision after the 3rd or 4th time of getting lost and having to back track.

On Thursday Emily, Ed and I spent the day being touristy and visiting all the monuments and government sights in downtown DC. We took our friend Morgue along with us for photo ops. 

Thursday night we headed out to run with a hash group in DC. The Everyday is a Wednesday Hash House Harriers were an awesome bunch. The pack of about 40 was large by our standards, but apparently the smallest they've seen in awhile. I loved the trail. The pack was fast, much faster than we are used to, it was tough to keep up, but we had a blast. When we arrived I was surprised to meet up with a hasher I knew, Yari Ben, whom I met while he was visiting Korea from Japan this past summer. I love how small the hashing world is! 


Emily and I spent Friday wandering around some of the Smithsonian Museums. We had a great time exploring and wandering. I loved being able to spend time with my Korean friends outside of Korea. 

Saturday was the big event we all came for. Our friends, Ed and Maddie were getting married! We were so excited to be able to go and we would be reuniting with some friends from Korea while there. We got all fancied up and headed out to the venue. It was absolutely gorgeous. Maddie looked stunning and the boys didn't look so bad either. I felt really honoured to be part of their special day, they are so in love and I know they will have a wonderful life together. I found myself in tears pretty quickly once the ceremony started. Just being able to be there and experience the love they have for each other was amazing. 

They had a delicious dinner and then we spent the night dancing away. Our crew basically owned the dance floor until they literally kicked us out of the building! 



Meeting up and hanging with the hashers was awesome and today I am really depressed about leaving and heading back to Canada. The prospect of having no planned visits or future trips with hashers is terrifying. Emily just left on her flight and I am sitting here, alone again, wondering what the future will bring. Plans for school are progressing but I am still waiting to hear if I will get a student loan for the program. If not, I don't know what I'll do. Maybe head to Vietnam to try to teach there, or I've been really leaning towards perhaps joining the military. Either way it is all new and I am scared. I have been blessed to have met so many awesome hashers who I know call family, I just don't know what I am going to do without them around all the time. This trip has been an awesome time of reunions, new places and closure. I've been on such a high being around all the people I love that I am afraid of the low that will come this week when I'm back in Bathurst, in the midst of the horrible winter. I'm trying to take it all as it comes. It will be a new challenge that's for sure. 

Monday, March 24, 2014

Georgia ain't half bad

All week long I've been wanting to sit down and write about my adventures but I just haven't had the time or the inspiration. I've been in Georgia for a week and I'm having a blast. Not only has the weather been fantastic and warm, but the state itself is gorgeous. I arrived in Augusta last Monday night after taking the bus from Charlotte. Taking the bus is America is much different than taking the bus in Korea. Let's just say I don't plan on taking it again unless absolutely necessary. My good friend , Truck, picked me up from the bus station and brought me to his house. For most of my trip I had planned out everything I wanted to do while I was in each location, except for Augusta. I left the 10 days I would be here open so I could just relax and go with the flow. 

The first morning I woke up and had a phone call from a long lost friend I met in Korea. He lives in Macon, Georgia about two hours away. Since Truck had an emergency at work and had to go in, I decided I would rent a car and head to Macon to visit him,(sorry Mom!). Being out on the road alone was awesome, I took some scenic roads to get there and really enjoyed driving through the countryside. I was meeting Drew at his work, and I was definitely nervous. I hadn't seen him in over three years, I was excited but at the same time it is really weird seeing people outside of Korea in a different light. So I met up with him and we went out with a few of his friends. It was really nice to catch up with him. By the time I even remembered to look at my watch, it was dark so there was no way I was driving back to Augusta that night. Drew offered me a place to stay at his house, but after spending sometime with him and seeing his house, it was clear to me our lives had gone in two different directions. Granted he is a few years younger than me, but he still lives the life of a young college student. That night I realized a lot about myself. I told him I was going to get a hotel and crash for the night. He couldn't understand why. So I told him exactly what was going through my head. When we first met, our lives were at the same place, he was in Korea with the army and I, a first year teacher, our lives revolved around partying and drinking and it was nice. But now, I don't drink, I don't party, my life isn't the same. And his is. I told him I just wasn't comfortable with staying at his house but that we could definitely meet up the next day. So I headed to the first hotel I could find and got a nice room at a good price! 

The next morning I woke up rather early, but being a morning person I called him anyway! I told him I would come get him at 9:00am sharp and if he wasn't ready by 9:05 I was heading back to Augusta. I drove up and he was out the door by 9:01am. Haha I'm demanding I know, but I get results! We went wandering around some National Monuments and Native American burial grounds. We walked through downtown Macon and had lunch at a nice little Greek restaurant. It was nice to be able to hang out with him in a non-drinking atmosphere. After our morning of hanging out he had to get ready to go to work, and I had decided I was going to keep the car for an extra day and drive to Savannah to check it out. I had come all this way, I might as well see some different places while I'm here. 

Savannah was gorgeous!! I could definitely see myself living there! The old houses and buildings were amazing, and the historical downtown area was great to just walk around. I spent the morning exploring downtown and then headed to a nearby beach for the afternoon. The weather was gorgeous and I had a great time enjoying the day to myself. Once I'd had enough of the beach I headed back to the car and made the two hour trip back to Augusta. 

Friday the weather was gorgeous so Truck took me out on his harley for the afternoon. It was my first experience on the back of a motorcycle and at first I was terrified! But as the day went on I got more comfortable and actually enjoyed it immensely! After the ride we met up with some friends of his at this neat pizza restaurant called the Mellow Mushroom. It was a good dinner with some great convo! 

Saturday was yet another amazing day weather wise so we took the harley to Dublin, Georgia. Obviously it's named after Dublin, Ireland, so they have a huge two week long St. Patty's day festival every year. We headed in to check out the parade and arts & crafts fair. Afterwards we drove to Macon, where there is a huge Cherry Blossom festival going on. Truck dropped me off and I spent the day visiting with Drew(well he was actually working for most of it) and hanging out with his friends. It was a really awesome day. It's funny how you can not see someone for years and then it's almost like things go right back to the way they were before. I spent a lot of time debating whether going to see Drew was a good idea. He had hurt me pretty badly when we were in Korea, but since we have remained friends and still talk quite often. After having spent some time with him, I am really glad I was able to see him again. It was nice to spend time with him and it made me more aware of who I am and what I want in my life. 

So now I am back in Augusta with one day left until I head to DC. It has been an awesome time hanging out with Truck and chatting with him. He is a great man. I'm scared of heading home to the maritimes again, I am so used to having friends around and things to do all the time, it's going to be hard to be alone in Bathurst or Charlottetown and not have my hash family around to support me. I am however, very much looking forward to meeting up with Emily in DC on Wednesday and seeing everyone for Maddie and Ed's wedding on the weekend! 

I got in a little run this morning which was nice, I have been eating everything down here, trying all the southern comfort foods, so I am definitely putting on some weight. But I am trying not to worry about it, and I know I will get back into my healthy routine once I get back to Canada. 

Monday, March 17, 2014

A weekend in Charlotte

It's a chilly, rainy Monday and I'm sitting here in a bakery in downtown Charlotte escaping the cold! My weekend in Charlotte has come to an end and I am awaiting my bus to my next destination, Augusta! Charlotte has been fun. I was reunited with my good friend Kat, got to meet her boyfriend and family, ran a 4 mile race, attended my first American Hash run, explored Discovery Place, and completed Crossfit Open WOD 14.3 at Crossfit Eternal. It was a busy, fun filled weekend! Seeing old friends really makes the transition from Korean life to North American life a little easier. I still find myself comparing everything to Korea, beginning sentences with "in Korea", and experiencing reverse culture shock of how things are here in the West.



The more I travel and hang out with people who know me well, the more I am beginning to know myself. I have always felt pressure by others to be someone I am not, whether it was to drink more, stay out later, go with the flow, or dress a certain way. I always felt the need to conform to others ideas of who I should be. As I grow up I've begun to realize my life is so much better when I stand my ground and do things the way I want. I know I am not a huge partier anymore, I'd rather have an action packed day full of adventures than sleep in and have a long night of drinking and partying. I know I am a loner, I crave personal space and am comfortable going at things alone. This weekend has only helped me be more confident in my choices. I attended the hash with Kat and not knowing anyone it was a bit difficult to tell them(the members of a drinking club with a running problem) that I am sober and no longer drink. People are quick to judge, but for the most part everyone was cool with my choice and didn't really give me a hard time.

I'm trying to remind myself that I am allowed to screw up, I am allowed to gain weight and not always be perfect. It's hard to eat healthy and on a Paleo diet while travelling. I know I am gaining weight by not eating my normal foods and by not following my normal eating plan. I gain weight easily and quickly, so even though my initial reaction when looking in the mirror is disgust and hatred, I am trying to actively say it's okay, it's okay to gain 5, or even 10 lbs while on vacation. It doesn't change who I am. Other people don't stop loving me just because my stomach is flabby, so I shouldn't stop loving myself either. It's easier said than done.

Going to Crossfit this morning was awesome, I got to complete this week's open WOD and did an additional little WOD as well. It made me feel good to push hard, especially because of all the junk food I've been eating so far.

Next stop on my adventure is Augusta to visit the one and only Little Bunny Foo Foo! I am very excited to spend some time with him and just relax! I am possibly going to take a day trip to Savannah to hit the beach! Who knows, no plans yet!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Another airport, another adventure

Airport's have become some of my favourite places. Being in an airport either means I am heading out on an adventure, or coming home from one. Today I am heading out yet again. After 6 days in Bathurst, I am on my way down to good ol' America for a couple of weeks. As soon as I boarded the plane this morning I felt a wave of calm wash over me. I don't belong in a small town being idle. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to be home, but I am more myself while exploring and being out on my own. I love the freedom of travelling alone. I can do what I want, when I want and not worry about anyone else. I can eat what I feel like, sleep when I want to, workout when I want to and explore the way I want to. Additionally, you meet so many people while travelling alone. This morning on my red eye flight to Montreal, I sat next to the nicest lady, she was in her late 60's but was travelling alone visiting long lost family she had only met a few years prior. She was so sweet and interesting to talk to. It's things like that that make me realize I am a lone traveler at heart. When I am kicking it somewhere for awhile(think months, or years) I love having a big group of friends to depend on, but when it comes to short trips and discovering new places, I love doing it alone.

So today, 46 days sober by the way, I am heading to Charlotte, North Carolina. I will meet up with my good friend Kat, whom I met in Korea. We have a race and a hash run planned for this weekend and I am very excited! Also on the agenda for the next few weeks are Augusta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.(with perhaps a stop over in Columbia, South Carolina!) I am looking forward to reuniting with old friends and exploring new places(and getting out of the cold, snowy north!)

Thursday, March 6, 2014

The time has finally come.

I didn't believe this day would ever actually arrive. Currently I am sitting in the Incheon Airport awaiting to board my first flight in my epic journey back to Bathurst, NB. Seoul-Tokyo-Toronto-Montreal-Bathurst. As I sit here, I look back on the last few months and am astonished at how quickly the time has gone by, it seems like it was just yesterday that I started applying to schools and deciding that this would be the year I leave Korea for good. This past week has been one of the hardest and longest I've had yet, the goodbyes seem to be never ending. It's hard to hold back tears while reminiscing about all the amazing adventures I've had here and the wonderful people I've shared them with. Coming to Korea was difficult and saying goodbye to home was hard, but knowing I would always go back "home" was comforting. Leaving Korea and my hash family isn't so easy, I don't know when I'll see them again or if I'll ever come back to this home. It's the end of an era, another chapter closed.

I've always been a little nervous about flying, but today the fear is not of the flight, but of leaving this place I have loved for the past three and a half years. It's a fear of the unknown, a fear of making a mistake, a fear of being alone. What if this is where I belong? Everyone keeps telling me this change will be good for me, it will be a new beginning, but right now it seems like an ending. I feel loved by so many, yet all alone.

I spent my last night in Korea amongst friends. My very good friend, Nathan, was kind enough to invite a few of us to a home cooked Mexican dinner by his visiting mother. It was a night filled with some of my dearest friends and the most delicious food. It was all a girl could ask for as a send off. Leaving was tough. Saying those last goodbyes, giving my favourite pup, Bruiser, one last snuggle, going back for one last hug from Nathan, a friend who has seen me at my worst and still loves me dearly. I never had friendships like this back home. The bond of living abroad and travelling together is stronger than any I have experienced yet. Shared goals and experiences brings us together.

Korea has been a roller coaster ride for sure. I have changed and become a totally different person from everything I have experienced here. I am so happy I took the leap to move here alone and I will always look back on this as one of the best times of my life. Things in Korea aren't quite right, and I like them that way. Maybe I fit in because I am a bit (NQR) not quite right myself!

A new adventure looms around the corner, I know it, but the older I get, the scarier the adventures become. Will I always be adventuring alone? When will I figure out what it is I want from this life? Or will I ever? For now I look forward to seeing my family and a few weeks spent reuniting with friends in the US, not to mention a hashy wedding at the end of March! And finally, after a nice month off, back to school, back to school. The world is mine for the taking!

Breathe in, breathe out, move on.