Monday, October 26, 2009

The Ride's Over/ I'm Coming Home (The Last Post)








The roller coaster has made its last lap, its last plunge, and the conductor has taken the metal bars off. My exit is Incheon International Airport in one week's time. It's destination....JFK New York City...........wow!
This most likely will be my last post living in Seoul, South Korea. Strange but good....

Of course, I should tell you that they shortened my contract due to a new teacher coming early to replace me. Communication via school adminatrators and directors is more than a joke over here, and the President of my school wondered why I acted so surprised that I was to be done so quickly when I found out that I would be leaving in two weeks instead of five or six??? Didn't the Director tell me? Of course not, why would they want to give me important life-changing information that I could use to my benefit? Ya know,,, close some ties over here and get ready to go?? Well, as I've always said, there is a very strange and unbalanced difference of culture. I told them that since they told me on such short notice that unfortunately I'm going to need a day off from work to get all my financial and government stuff taken care of before I leave. Yeah.....thanks for telling me. You couldn't of told me the day before you scheduled my flight? You probably wouldn't know the difference....lol............I swear to God these Koreans are ass backwards.....but I will miss them............

hese last few days have been another reason why I look to come home. As much as I love this place, I have been sick here too much. The other day I went to a "convenient store" that wasn't so "convenient." They gave me "free" mussells (shellfish) that were bad. So a few hours later, I had (and am still feeling the ramifications of) FOOD POISONING. I was delirious (and not in the good way), and all my crevices turned into volcanoes from Satan. I could not even get out of bed without falling over. So that's a great way to end my stay here I guess.........I knew those mussells smelled rather peculiar when I cooked them, but I use many marinades ect..

Anyway, its seems my lust for this city has taken a 180 degree turn, however, I blame that on my defence mechanism...we all have them, and now is my time to use my own. As my blogs always posted, I love this city, always will, and have had some of my best memories here. But in my mind I want to come home to see and engage my family and friends that I have not seen in a long time...I have had the most life altering experience here that has made me become free, independent, and more than a man than when I left. I have dated many beautiful Asian girls (which was goal number 1...ha hahahha ha), enjoyed and experienced a foreign culture (even picked up a little of the speaking and writing), and had a job and made some money (very important coming from an unemployed college grad!). Of course, all of my goals were not accomplished, but the majority were, so I am proud to come home and say that the mission was infact successful.

Thank you to all who wrote on my blog and kept in touch. To the ones who just looked on, I hope I kept you entertained and showed you something you may not have otherwise seen. To my very close family and friends: I miss you, I love you, and I'll be home before you know it.

I leave you with two things important to me: 1) a list of the things I may miss in South Korea, and of what I can't wait to come home to. 2) Some of my photos that will be sketched into my memory and summarize my great experience here:

Things (some)I will miss about living in Seoul:

-$1 bottles of Soju Vodka (of course)
-Eating out at Korean restaurants because they are so Goddam cheap
-Friendly Korean people
-My awesome, cute, and smart Korean geniuses that I teach
-Awesome and cheap Healthcare (that America will never see..hahaha)
-The awesome Ajoshi (Old man) who walked me across the street under his umbrella while it was raining
-The cleanest Subway ever
-The great friends that I made
-Going to Hongdae to jam in a recording studio for a few dollars on the hour (and recording the cheezy yet awesome single we all wrote)
-Friday night's at the Dweji Galbi (BBQ'ed Steak and veggies in cooked in front of you)
-Having my own place (even though it was a small shoebox;it was home..lol)
-Asian Women (Why I didn't put that at the top of my list I don't know, this is after all a defence mechanism like I said)
-My fresher than fresh Korean Market street a stone's throw away (fresh octopus and seaweed is great to have around the corner)
-My various trips and vacations I have taken seeing the Korean countryside
-Being free and independent/broadening my horizon and taking risks unmeasured before in my life

Things I have missed and can't wait to home to:

-My great parents
-My brothers whom I treasure even though how messed up we all are....lol
-my nephews and nieces (I may have missed them the most because I'm sure they grew a lot)
-My dog (who apparently is not disciplined.........yet) wait till I get home.
-My House
-Bry's couch(and Family Guy Sunday's /Robot Chicken ect.)
-Dan's strong hand at pouring Vodka..lol (and his awesome cooking)
-Chip's (Paul's intelligent advice, and seeing him and his family)
-All my good friends and the times we share
-X-box (and the one addiction I will never stop)
-Having a house that doesn't resemble a prison cell with a kitchen (or a bathroom that doesn't resembles a 3-in-one shower, toilet, and washer without a bathtub or DRY floor. Thank God finally....)
-German Bolagna and real coldcut sandwiches....with American cheese???? (I can't explain that one??)
-BBQ'in with Pops and Dan and Bry
-Watchin' Jeopardy and getting all the right answers (hell yeah..Korean TV is like root canal)
-Not having a Landlord tell you that he's "remodeling" your apartment right before you have to take a shower and go to work
-(Very Imortant) ***Understanding conversations as you go ANYWHERE (a big one)
-Having bosses and administration actually do their job and "communicate" what's expected of you and also the things that may "help" and "inform" you as a professional working for their organization (otherwise......it's unorganized...........maybe they'll get that after the North attacks, I just don't get they're blatant lack of communication......I digress............)
-Clean, healthy air (that's gonna be a treat)
-Family Holidays


**Christmas 09' in Jamaica for a week with my whole extended family (Damn Right)

Signing out from Seoul, South Korea,

Chris Teacher

11/3/09

Quoting Garcia: "What a long strange trip it's been"













Friday, October 9, 2009

Happy Belated Chuesok (Korean Thanksgiving)

Happy belated Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Many things have changed in the last time since I've posted, including my lust and wonder of my surroundings. I'm ready to come home, I have 6 weeks left, and find that perfectly matched with the way things are going. I almost signed on for another month, and I'm very glad I did not. I love it over here, but it seems that life infact IS like a Roller Coaster...............and I kind of feel like the ride is done...............

What helps this theory, is that I will be coming home in a matter of weeks....hell yeah............so I am trying hard not to hold onto anything here; which will help me grab that plane on time, and will help me get back to my family and friends.

I've enjoyed the culture; women, food, customs, religion, work-mentality, and all the rest....I think it's about high time that I dream of coming home, and this dream awaits me.......................................see you all soon.................................

P>S- My Ghengis neighbor was kicked out for breaking the guard's window, but now is back again, so I just give him a quick "Anyonghaseyo" and then give him the EYES........................Tks DannyBoy...it's working.............

Anyonghakeesoyo,
Chris