Along the Way

Obviously On Hold....

2010-12-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a very very long time since I have even opened this page...
Due to a change of continents and change of story, I have not blogged in an entire year.
I will actually make an effort to restart this story in January, adding more pictures and less words (who wants to actually read all this anyways...pictures are soooo much easier :)

Gotta have faith!

2009-12-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

That was the song that was streaming through my mind as I woke up this morning...yep, George Michael to the early morning wake up!
And as the woman who runs the sandwich cart (egg sandwiches pronounced 'toast-uh') was making my sandwich, she offered me egg fried kimbop and the customer next to me offered to poor me a hot drink...I was reminded as to why I would trust an 18~something young man that asked to borrow my phone last night.

I willing allowed the young man to 'use' my phone and was rewarded with a sprint through traffic in my attempt to catch him as he ran away with my cell phone... and for the record, ol' girl is slow...I really need to work on my turn over (that is how quickly I can move my legs for you non-runner types).

But you know what? Korea with all of its quirks is still by far a safer place, and in many ways, a more pleasant place to live than other locations throughout the world.
I am reminded of this daily with customary shows of respect, unnecessary displays of kindness and generosity, of all the quirkiness that makes up Korean living.

Where else do toddlers bow to you in greeting simply because you are a foreigner and their parent wants you to walk away with a good impression of their country?
Where can you oogle and googoo over a ridiculously cute dog (on the subway) and the owner embarrassingly obliges your immature fascination?...
Where your greeting of another person that does not expect you to even pay them the time of day is rewarded with the biggest smile and hello that you will see throughout your day?

...Not many places have such a display and appreciation for human interaction, and for that, I love Korea and am grateful for it...and for the fact that I can immediately hop into a cab post theft-sprint, cry and blubber all over myself as I am driven to my friend Mindy's apartment where I am greeted with the most beautiful mix of shock, confusion and open arms as she opens the door to my red-tear stained face and am too emotional to tell her the source of my incredibly rare display of emotion.
Korea has given me amazing friends, a support system that I am eternally grateful for.
So regardless of last night's events, I will keep my faith in Korea...cause there's really no better choice in the matter now is there?

The bitter and the sweet

2009-12-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

He blows in with a gust of cold air and plops down in my office with his cigarette smoke wafting in behind him...his nerves pulling at the corner of his mouth with a slight twitch, only to be further exaggerated as he finishes off the can of liquid crack (commercial coffee) in his hand. It starts with a simple question, "How's work?"...and the unraveling starts.

Ever seen a grown Korean man tear up when he's NOT watching a Korean TV drama? Well, just ask one that is overworked in the financial industry how his days are...and the years of dedication repaid with denied vacation, a nonexistent wife (because he never had time to find one), and unfulfilled dreams of life in foreign countries and you will see a hint of emotion in otherwise well hardened tear ducts.

His story starts with the recent loss of his opportunity to get sponsored to work abroad through a clerical error with his company...the feelings of betrayal and pure anger show as slight tremors shake his shoulders. This does quickly transition to words of hopelessness, loss and confusion. He doesn't know what would make him happy, he only knows he is unhappy where he is, of working for people that really don't care about him and never notice the hard work he puts in. He mentions his dreams of travel, of life abroad...how he has wanted of family but (cue pent up anger...) he is unhappy and always takes his unhappiness and unfulfilled dreams out on those around him, that he can't imagine taking care of others because he can't seem to control the emotions that boil up from inside. I do make a mental note of this rather respectable choice.

I am just so confused and frustrated...is what his rant boils down to. He proceeds to ask me if I ever feel this way, if I am ever unsatisfied...ummm, if he only knew who he was talking to! I condense my feelings of complete loss of direction, momentary suffocating inability to see my future, and oppressive feelings of uselessness down to a "Yes, I do"....and this satisfies his curiosity.

Sadly, this shadow of a dreamer makes my job a little more meaningful. I am grateful for his angst...does that make me a bad person?...no, let's just call it efficient- making use of what I can get!
I am left feeling significantly more hopeful than the hour before... that maybe I can learn from these classes, give my dreams time to surface, and realize that my self-value does not come from a job but from the work I put into living life out of the shadow of expectation and obligation (my new favorite word in Korea) and out, under the sun...preferably with temperatures higher than 2°C.

Decision to love...if only a little

2009-12-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

Same day, two different students, two completely different worlds...not compared side by side nor even with exactly the same circumstances...but each portraying vastly different people and different approaches to life.

One student, during class, asks me what I value most. So I, in turn, ask him the same question. He names three different things that seem to have little correlation to me: wisdom, money, and fame...yes money and fame can be easily coupled up...but really, how wise are those who open up their lives to mass media and society? Okay I say. How do you plan on achieving your fame? My student responds that he will make a monumental investment decision that will rock the investment world of Korea, of course. So, this is the game plan. From a man who openly dislikes his work, who drinks each night away with the morning promise of never doing it again, who considers his child a leach on his personal space and time, who seems to receive great amusement from how much he can wear the same suit days in a row because he has not been home. He relays the happenings of his days which involve little actual effort in his work and 100% commitment to his smoking breaks. These are not statements made out of judgement, these are words straight from his lips.
In my mind I find it hard to rationalize that an individual such as this would be capable of any great feat...but what do I know about investment really? Maybe this is just the echelon of person that the industry requires? Who knew?!

Later the same day, a student comes to my class, initially a little quiet but with eyes that burst with desire to ask questions...he had read a book which upset his well manicured corporate world. The book was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. He asked me to explain a little bit of it to clarify timing and events that were told by Randy Pausch in his novel. To quickly summarize, Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University that gave a true 'last lecture' about achieving childhood dreams (he was suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer which would take his life about 10 months after the lecture). Note: This book is absolutely phenomenal and my crude summary does it no justice. I highly recommend it. My student looked at me and said that he had achieved nothing of what he dreamed of and would be full of regret if death should make an early appearance. He had always dreamed about being an architect...he had drawn pictures of homes in all his notebooks throughout his childhood. As fate would have it, with the specialized high school system in Korea, he was pushed toward a school that focused on the arts and literature - not science and math. This then momentarily crippled his pursuit of a future as an architect. His dream is still alive, though, and picking at the edges of his mind.
Here is the beauty of the sad situation...he wants to change, he really wants to make an effort to live a life he dreamed of as a child and his wife is fully supportive. He, a 30something corporate employed Korean man, has plans to quit his job and go back to school full time in order to study for a second degree in architecture.
How awesome is that?! Completely and utterly fabulous if I do say so myself!

It are these little sparks of hope for a little change, a proactive approach to happiness that really make the days a little more sweet. For this reason (and moments like when a student had an epiphany how better off (relaxed) Korean society would be if the government stopped feeding them cigarettes and people switched to weed... but that is a whole different blog) I am going to like my job today.

Work: to love or not to love it...or just accept it

2009-11-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

Working with adults is grossly different than teaching children. In some ways it is easier but...well, there are always 'but's. I have been 'teaching' adults for 2 months now and whether it is the split shifts and looooong days or the work, the time seems much longer.

This position has given me an insight into Korean life incomparable to other positions. For both men and women, life in Korea is ruled/haunted/dominated/drenched in obligation. From what I have gathered from 99.9% of my students, their lives are governed by obligation that I had never encountered in my western life.

One might compare obligation to responsibility and say this is a good thing. In some cases I can agree and say that it is even necessary. But the extent to which the students I have encountered eat, breathe, bleed obligation is just amazing.

A rare few are actively trying to break away from this obligatory cycle and find some way to make their own happiness but the fear of the unknown, of a life outside the known obligation sphere, seeps from their pores (some in the form of perspiring others in the form of digesting all the soju they have consumed in their creative process).

The obligation I speak of does not start as an adult...it basically starts at conception when their lives are obliged to be created (I would love to give a class on the necessity and enjoyment of passion in any aspect of life...other than work that is). These children are groomed to look a specific way, manicured and molded by their stay-at-home moms, hardened by their distant work obsessed fathers, and brain washed of virtually all 'illogical' dreams of their future by a competitive society.

Children turn into young adults that study and test their youth away in order to succeed in the post graduation rush for employment in which only 20% of them will succeed and the rest will have to answer to the shame of their families. In between the studying and the testing, young women decide which eye shape they want and monitor their all too slim figures with the ferocity of Kate Moss...young men turn into 'men' with their obligatory military service and work to save as much money as possible in order to be able to afford a girlfriend.

Eventually relationships are formed and the overbearing girlfriend role is taken up (when really she is just afraid of being discarded and having to answer to more family shame) and distant boyfriend is created (through the pressure of family to marry and carry on the line as a proper man should)...as for love, lust and passion?...well, the lust can be satiated through less admirable avenues.

Should twentysomethings reach 28~29 without a boy/girlfriend or even marriage...the obligation mounts its offense and personal goals and standards are lowered in order to meet the call of life's checkpoints: "Have you gotten a successful job and secured a female to have your children?" "Have you maintained yourself well enough to secure a man that will provide for you?"

Then the dispassionate cycle continues with more children that are not born out of want but necessity...you would think they were still surviving on farms and needed working hands in order to survive.

Men, suffocated by their wives and needs of their children, live at work. They attend special 'business meetings' where extra needs are attended to and have soju to 'clear' their mind the rest of the time.
Women are quietly forced to quit their jobs to have children, because the biggest achievement in a women's life is bearing children of course!...why would she need a job to feel fulfilled? They become overbearing mothers because their children are all they have since their husbands have married their jobs and other extracurricular activities.

While this might seem like a comedic dance to an outsider, a ridiculous circus that one should easily be able to get out of if they wanted to...it's not...obligation is Korea's drug of choice and it is passed on generation to generation. While the younger generation sees more possibility in their lives than maybe their parents did, they also see the expectation in their parents' eyes and that is a hard sight to turn from in such a Confucian society.

Where do I fit in? I am what I once thought was a teacher, giving people the opportunity to do more with their lives...But I have come to realize that I am 1) just a new hurtle in the obligation course, English must be learned in order to survive your competitive peers; and 2)a new form of a talky girl from the bar...men book my class to look at and speak with a foreign women, where they proudly relay their overworked lives saturated with unhappiness and for many, tinged with exploits that I would really prefer not to hear about.

Yes, I do know that the location of my office feeds me a very specific Korean demographic...and this cannot be applied to everyone- that would be racist. BUT this is a reality that is hard to turn from as I am assaulted with it daily and make a conscious effort to observe it and not take it on as my own burden (I have the weight of my own world to deal with, thank you very much)...sometimes it does get a little heavy, particularly those with a blatant dislike and annoyance with having a family that they 'have to' go home to. Is that what it comes down to? Really?! No, I was not raised with the golden, idealistic image that you can have your own perfectly happy little family where all are honest and devoted- but there was some hope for something beyond resigning oneself to whatever reality they are obligated to live.

What I Don't Like About Korea

2009-08-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

The visa system sucks!!!! I try not to be negative, judgemental, or any of those other unattractive qualities...but it really does. It is the epitome of koreasoning...or the logic only understood and used by Koreans. I am hugely sorry for this sounding racist...it is not intended to be a condemnation... but truly there is a logic system used in business and government that makes no sense. You cannot rationalize why something is done that particular way... I have relatively accepted this in the work environment and in turn I have become incredibly adept at doing something with a moment's notice...because that is just how things work here...no foresight seems to exist.

As for government, I am speaking of the immigration and visa procedures now... they think that by requiring a ridiculous sequence of documents they will keep all the bad people away. It's a nice thought...always the best of intentions, I'm sure. In my case, trying to establish a new contract while in country has proved beyond frustrating- a real character builder... I thought I had all my paperwork nicely arranged- but it turns out I brought the wrong kind of check...my bad. I am in the wonderful process of trying to get an FBI check now, as this will prove I am suitable to teach (of course)...but where have I spent 99% of the last 20 months? In the US? Nope...in Korea... one would assume that to truly see what I have been up to, you would want a check from the country of current residence...but that is my simple assumption.

Anyways, enough of the complaining (for now...cause there is always room for more)... here is a link to some help with the check process if you are in Korea at the moment (Good LUCK!):
Link 1
Link 2

The first link suggests that is difficult to get prints at your city police station (you cannot go to just any police station...you must go to the city station...at least when you are outside of the major cities). It is not difficult, they are pretty smart and know what a fingerprint card looks like and what to do with it. Take your passport (just in case), mention the word visa and they will understand why you are there...don't forget to have the printer sign the card!

Eating watermelon with chopsticks

2009-06-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

There are many things that regularly remind me why I like ... maybe even love...Korea. Everyday is full of random little events that seem to stand out more here than they may have at home. Or at least I feel that I have become more aware of things to appreciate. To name a few:

+ as the title points out, eating watermelon with chopsticks

+ finding a new international condiment being sold in stores that you used to love at home but hadn't found in Korea yet

+ a Korean confessing to you that they are surprised to find an English teacher that actually has more to offer than their western accent

+ meeting your landlord's daughter who conveniently speaks fluent English

+ seeing children run around with their butterfly nets...not because they have an assignment and they must do this, but because it is an honest to goodness hobby here. Summertime rolls around and the bugs come out (dragonflies galore)...and so come the kids and nets.

+ the most random coffee shops tucked away into the most random little nooks...the decor is off the charts...awesome creativeness (with the exception of those few where I swear Martha Stewart walked in and tried to leave a legacy).

+ Noraebangs...or karaoke as it might be referred to by some. Noraebangs (or singing rooms) are rooms you rent for your private entourage so that you can sing the night away as obnoxiously as you want AND have food/beverages delivered to your room.

Korean revelations

2009-05-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

New school, new kids, new information...
As I stated before the students I teach are hugely different than my kids at my first school. Different as in motivation, age, and family demographic. I actually have students whose parent does blue collar work...something that was unheard of at my first school. It is quite refreshing to see and experience this part of Korean culture.

But for the things I have learned recently...
First- those awful bowl haircuts that so many students seem to sport...they aren't all by choice. Here I thought they had just missed some memo on the appropriate cut for your facial structure...when it is the schools that set regulations on the hair cuts themselves. Seriously, bangs have a specified length, the cut of the hair has to be just so...and with thick Korean hair that results in a rather curvy -do. It all makes so much more sense now! Poor kids!

Second...yesterday my student (6th grade) comes into class to tell me how one of his classmates tried to committ suicide...and the kid (my student) is laughing! So I tell him it is quite a serious matter, that if a student tried to kill himself then he is probably in a lot of pain. "No teacher...he lived...he is not hurt!" I try to explain to him that there are different kinds of pain, pain the body feels and pain the heart feels. "Teacher! He is okay...he jumped out of the second floor window!" Obviously my student just isn't quite catching what I am throwing...I try to tell him I am glad the student is alive but it is sad that someone so young attempted suicide..."But teacher, I told you he is fine!" Yes, I got that part but the student tried to take his own life. "No, teacher he did not try to suicide...he was just practicing" (yes poor English was purposefully used...insert heavy Asian accent). I admit, I did laugh at the comment that the student was just 'practicing suicide' quite the new revelation...I did not know such a thing existed. I did late find out that the kid that jumped out a second story window was not doing so with the purpose of committing suicide, but was dared to jump...and he did just that.

That is all I have for now....I currently am still computer less so no photos have been uploaded (I am planning on getting some up next weekend- sorry). It is quite the experience here in Samgye...combined with being technologically inconvenienced and slightly isolated (I don't have a phone either...due to circumstance).

It's been a while....

2009-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Not having a computer or a phone has really hindered my ability to communicate with people...sorry. I am learning to adjust to life without a computer and ready internet access- it is not easy, but I definitely think it is healthy.
So here I am, in Naesseo. This is a little city (more along the lines of a town) close to Masan. It was a surprise upon arrival because I had been told I was going to be in Masan and I am most definitely not. The school is WAY different than my prior teaching experience, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. There are only 3 foreign teachers (myself included) and 3 Korean teachers (who are amazing by the way), the students speak very little English and really are not that motivated. This has definitely made teaching much more difficult, but also a bit more interesting as well. Kids are HIlarious! Oh, and I get to wear socks and sandals at work!
In my opinion this is one thing that Korea really got right...I am so much happier being that much more comfy at work... Whether or not I should admit it, but growing up I always loved the forbidden socks and birkenstock combo- the renowned fashion faux pas. The next best thing: slip on sandals and socks to help you glide through the day!...well, there is rarely any gliding that comes along with teaching these days...but it helps.
So far I have actually followed up on my promise to myself and have started taking Korean classes (yay!...but wow, super hard). I am learning SLOWLY but I would like to say surely. I have even taken up the infamous Korean dance classes in the evening with my Korean coteachers after work...that stuff is actually kinda tricky and I look like a monumental idiot, but it is fun (really though, knowing a dance routine is not going to work in clubs...so that is what counts, ya? being able to hold your own in a social environment...that is what I tell myself at least). And yes, I have found lactose free milk in Korea! Thank you God...and it is actually lactose free...life just became that much more convenient.
Last weekend was camping and climbing at Wolchulsan National Park in Yeongam near Gwangju...GORGEOUS! Unfortunately, I don't have a camera yet either (I am really technologically impaired at the moment) so pictures are limited but I will attach some from the people I was with. Hiking: Koreans for some reason feel the need to put stairs, everywhere...so it is not the age old tradition one might think of when talking about 'hiking'. There really are stairs all over the freakin mountain, and if there are not stairs there are rebar steps to awkwardly use or even ropes where the trail mysteriously ends and rocks begin. Overall, hiking is a little tricky and does not always allow you to feel you have escaped society (especially with the line of Koreans in front AND behind you...criticizing the silly foreigner for not being decked out head to toe in the latest sporting gear that THEY are so overly prepared with). Don't get me wrong, I loved it and had a great time, but these are just some observations to share the experience.
Okay...this is getting long and you have probably not reached the end of this anyways...more later. Thank you to Jake Preston for the photos!

Packing again...so tedious!

2009-04-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Yep, you know what that means? I am getting ready to head out...again! Yay! It looks like I will be back in Korea the first weekend in May- and I couldn't be more happy! I will be working in Masan City (near Busan) for the summer and then heading back up to Seoul at the end of August. I am stoked about a summer near the beach, and doing all the hiking and camping that I didn't get to do last year.

So I will be seeing you, Korea, in the very near future....

Pretty Soon...on the move

2009-04-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Back in California is wonderful...the sun, the orange trees, being able to understand people because they are actually speaking a language I know- all good and wonderful things. Man, I miss Korea...but I am remedying this by having 1) found decent Korean restaurants 2) being surprised by how much Korean advertising there is to be found in Southern California...crazy! 3) making Korean friends that go to my family's church now. Basically I have been able to semi mold my own little Korea...quite nice.

As nice as this is, I am still going to be making my way back to Korea...I'm thinking in May. Where exactly? Well I don't know yet- downtown Seoul where I will sell my soul to a Hagwon or in a neighborhood of Seoul (probably Bundang from the looks of it) where I will step unknowingly into a public school position- we shall see! I am excited about taking Korean classes and actually being an active participant in the culture this time round (living in Korea rather than surviving it is how I view the difference).

Last year was wonderful, but it was definitely time spent learning to live in Korea...and a lot is passed by when you are learning to live and may not be actively enjoying things. So now that I have that wonderful hindsight and life in Korea has that peachy afterglow, I am excited about the next year there...and no, I have not forgotten about Yellow Dust, or bronchitis, or that wonderful inconvenience of no trashcans to be found so there being trash strewn about...those things I have not forgotten- but hey, I live in LA...how much can I be a hater?

See you soon Korea :)

Changes

2009-03-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have been back in California for a week now. Kind of strange since the change from Korea to Hawaii, Hawaii to here, makes everything seem like a lifetime ago. The most asked question I get is, "What is your next step?" Well, initially it was to go to Africa with the Peace Corps. But, a combination of things from the postponement the Peace Corps is giving me (till September), to the change of job title (from environmental to purely English teacher), to whatever effects I had from the character building experience in Hawaii- has led me to reconsider the Peace Corps. I just don't know if it is exactly what I want right now (if you would like more indepth reasoning- email me). Strangely enough, the place that sounds the best for me is Korea (which is completely opposite of what I would have said 1 year ago).

So, back to the question regarding my next step. I do believe my next step is to apply for a public teaching position in Seoul. Yep, it is looking like Korea round 2. Right now I am filling my time with getting my TESOL, getting outside to enjoy the wonderful California sunshine (since it is spring, the air smells of orange blossoms- quite nice!), and catching up with friends and family. I know there are some people that are disappointed in my decision, but I honestly feel that right now teaching in Korea is the best place for me. Plus, I am looking at graduate school there and getting pretty excited about what I am finding, as well as the Korean classes I am going to sign up for! This weekend I am heading to the mountains, so more pics coming soon.

Back in California

2009-03-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

How quickly things can change, huh? After about 8 days attempting to 'farm' and 'rough it' I decided that I really didn't need to make myself that uncomfortable, so I packed up and headed to the opposite side of the Big Island- to Kona. It was pretty awesome. There was actually sunshine, great people, and an awesome vibe. There was ample time for snorkeling- swam with some sea turtles and a whole lot of dolpins! There happened to also be some really cool whale spectacles to watch...there were pods up and down the coast- truly amazing. This wonderful Hawaiian experience has shown me that as much as I like the outdoors, and I don't exactly need things to be easy, I don't like to go out of my way to be uncomfortable...so this brings a lot into question (ie the Peace Corps). I can handle difficult, but what made my difficult situations tolerable were the people. Peace Corps would not exactly facility close friends (in regards to distance)...I need people around. So, I don't know what is next...I do miss Korea like CRAZY...so ya, never know. But for now I am back on the mainland and trying to adjust- not an easy thing.

Hawaii

2009-03-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Long time no speak....

Sorry I have been out of touch, but getting to Hawaii and getting settled in (if one can call it that) has taken some time. I am doing a work exchange here on the Big Island in Hilo. It rains about 10 times a day and is pretty cold at night. I am getting used to that. I am still adjusting to the mosquitos that seem to love me. I am sleeping in a ply wood shack, learning to live rustic. When I am not learning about me new environment I am learning to harvest and work with noni. This farm is a noni farm- a polynesian fruit harvested for its medicinal properties. I have picked fruit and been hacking through bamboo weeds with a machete (yeah, pictures of me with a machete coming soon...scary, huh?)

Besides work, it is beautiful here. On my runs I can pick up guava, avocado and papaya to take back to the camp site. When a machete is available, it is pretty easy to cut down some bananas or break into a coconut. Fruit does taste amazing here. This is the view from our 'kitchen' (we use that term loosely)...that is the ocean a few miles in the distance. Also, our closest beach is a black sand beach which is pretty amazing! The main form of transportation is hitch hiking...which was never something that seemed to be a good idea, but has worked out pretty well...it is how most all tourists seem to get around. So things are generally pretty safe. We are pretty close to a lava flow so it is cool to see the giant steam plume where it hits the ocean. I have met some really cool people (yes some pretty crazy ones too) but the people that I actually work and live with are laid back and have made this experience wonderful. On that note, I am going to step away from the computer and wish you all well. More pictures can be found using the link to the right. Please stay in touch!

Intro

2009-02-15T06:05:00.000-08:00

Life is moving forward- quickly I might add. I have been fortunate enough to meet many people along my journey, and even more blessed to count them as friends. This blog is my attempt to stay connected, tell you what is going on in my life, and hopefully hear how you are doing. I, naturally, am horrible at keeping in touch but always have you on my mind and in my heart. So, hopefully, now I will be able to remedy that issue. I leave Korea March 1, 2009 and am surprisingly sad to say goodbye.
For the Koreans reading this, I say surprisingly because initially, Korea did not feel like a good fit for me. I took about 5 months to get my feet on the ground and learn to not take myself so seriously, let go, and just enjoy. Now, after 14 months, I feel like I understand Korea and really really do love being here. There is so much that I am going to miss. Yes, I will miss the kimchi, but mostly I am going to miss the amazing people. Throughout my time here, Koreans proved to be some of the most gracious, welcoming, and selfless people I have ever known (minus the occasional disgruntled person).
Next, I am heading to the Big Island of Hawaii to do a work exchange on a farm. Here I will get to learn more about sustainable living, organic and permaculture farming, and hopefully other skill sets that will be applicable to my Peace Corps adventures to come. I will be in Hawaii until May 1...then home for a visit and regroup for the next chapter. No, I do not know yet were I am heading to with the Peace Corps...all I know is that in June of this year I will be heading to some country in Africa. As soon as I get my invitation, believe me, I will tell you.
Thank you for making the last year an amazing year. It was unbelievably educational (as well as enjoyable). Please keep in touch!!!!
For those of you that might need a little help translating, here is a site you can use: http://www.google.com/language_tools