It's the weekend!

 After a long, stressful week at work do you know what I like to do?  I like to have a solo pizza, wine, and movie night.  So that's what I did.  Friday for lunch I made b-fast bagels for myself, J, M(C), and S.  They were quite nice, basically I made omlettes and put them on bagels with different sauces (pesto for J, chili sauce for M(C), salsa for S, and BBQ sauce for me).  I know what you are thinking "how nice of you to cook for people!"  Well, not totally... the bagels came in packs of 4 and I didn't want leftovers.  :D  M(C) is heading home on Saturday, so it was a nice 'sayonara' lunch.  I'm gonna miss him - we are actually quite alike in our dry humor, sarcasm, and introversion.  He 'gets' me at a level others kinda don't.  So after work I got chicken cup for the road, went to Papa John's, got my garden special pizza, went home, popped the cork on a bottle of wine, and watched Dark Fury and The Chronicles of Riddick.  It was 100% what I needed after a week of craziness.  

My Friday night - it was amazing.

Have to share my new skirt - I love this outfit.  It makes me so happy.  J showed me a website that is a little more gothic... I could spend SO much money.

We have our calendars for our fall schedule and I must say, I'm excited for Cheuseok.  We have Sept 29-Oct 4 off.  That's right, almost a whole week of work off.  The following week is only a 4-day week too because we'll have that Friday off.  Yay for time off!  After that, we won't have any other time off until Christmas and New Year's since those are both on Fridays.  Still, I'm officially in my last 6 months of my contract and I'm so stoked to come home.  I was talking to my friend in TX and she said it feels like I've been gone longer and I have to agree.  It's only been a year and half in normal time but in terms of mental and emotional time it's more like 3-5 years.  

I do have to mention I find it interesting when people I went to HS with send me friend requests thru FB.  I don't exactly have the fondest memories of WRHS, or the people there.  In fact, sometimes it's a former bully now sending the request.  The thing is, enough time has passed and things considered that I can now see that if they were horrible to me, they probably had horrible things happening to them as well, and there is no point in holding a grudge.  So yay for reaching the point where crap that happened in HS no longer friggin' matters.  It's been a long time since I actively wished harm on any of them, but now I'm at the point where I do kinda want to see how their lives turned out (and not just because of morbid curiosity).  So whatever the reason, it's kinda nice to reconnect with people from home.  And some of the pictures... MAN I miss mountains and horses!!!

Now for the dating rant - On another note, what is with guys just meeting you and trying to 'fix' things?!  "You should get a VPN," "You should come to see me," "You should X, you should Y..."  I want to tell them, YOU SHOULD SHOVE IT!!!!  I've been here a year and a half, and I'm FINE!  Ugh, I'm not good at people with their unsolicited advice.  I'm also not great at talking to someone on the phone... I'm not sure if that was ever really one of my skills, it was just a job for a while.  Also, if I tell you that I'm leaving in March and we have never met, don't try the "You'll have to take me with you" thing.  No, no, no, and NO!  I'm single, I'm not desperate and nor am I stupid.  You send me a "Hey babe" message that was obviously meant for someone else - TWICE - and try to pass it off with 'I meant that for my daughter.'  RIIIIIIIIGHT.  Look people, this is online dating - I know I'm not the only one you are talking to, and you probably know you're not the only one I'm talking to.  If you think I'm gonna go volcanic on you because you didn't check who you were sending the message to, then I don't, you need to thank your lucky stars and drop it.  It's gonna take a while for me to really get 'into' any guy - a few messages and a phone call or 2 ain't gonna do it.  I'll see if I end up meeting anyone new tomorrow, but honestly right now I'm not into humans.  Probably time to get rid of the dating app (I know, ALREADY? AGAIN?!).  It was supposed to help me meet people and to get me out of the apt.  I mean, it's serving it's purpose, why should I begrudge it for doing what it was supposed to do?  It's not the app's fault that people are already saying things like 'I'll come visit you in WY.'  Like, really dude?  I highly doubt it.

Me looking great on Friday - officially at my lowest adult weight. :)

Repeat after me, I don't need a hooded beach towel, I don't need a hooded beach towel, they are probably for kids anyway!

Anyway, that's pretty much all for me.  It's been a lazy weekend due to the resurgence of corona and the rain.  I was able to get J's b-day presents (yay) and Paris Baguette had my favorite salad (dinner tomorrow), and I had 2 of the beers that I got from M(C - safe flight home buddy).  Now for some Riddick watching, checking on the status of Furya, and bemoaning the fact that Metallica's S&M2 album is $9.99 on amazon for the physical album, which includes digital download, $14.99 for the MP3 version, free shipping if the order is over $25, but if I buy the album for $9.99, there is $5.99 shipping, so I'd have to shop for something that would be over $15.00 and send it all to Mom's and... I'll just hold off a bit and listen to it on youtube.  Sigh... what a day.

Reflecting

 I knew when I came to Korea that it would challenge me in many different ways.  I was concerned about the lack of personal space that Asians are generally comfortable with (and I'm... not), and I was also concerned about making new friends.  What I found was a roller coaster of healing, heartache, decent into one of the darkest places I've ever been, slowly crawling back out, and now I find myself realizing what a stronger version of myself I have become.  

Some examples - I no longer apologize for saying 'no.'  It's not 'I'm so sorry, but I have plans that day,' it's now 'Actually I'm busy, want to try for x?'  I'm not longer apologetic about needing my alone time - and my co-workers understand my need for BH weekends.  I don't force myself to do things that I know deep down I really don't want to do.  It's nice.  I'm also getting better at being 100% honest with guys.  I had an illuminating email exchange with a certain aunt who suggested I take some time to really think about what I want out of a relationship.  Notice the language - not what I need from a man, but what I want out of a relationship.  It's caused some serious thought on my part, and no I don't have a list... yet.  I have started meeting more guys online recently and I can say one thing that I want from a relationship is laughter - I met one guy and accidentally tripped.  He laughed and said 'that was perfect' and gave me a hug.  That's the kind of support I'm looking for... he then tripped later, so naturally I accused him of false clumsiness to make me feel better.  He assures me that is not the case.  I also know that I want intelligent conversation - my day with H was so good because we talked on a wide range of topics and when things didn't work out plan-wise, he didn't get annoyed and (for lack of a better word) bitchy about it.  Taking things in stride, super important.  

Anyway, I'm enjoying this bout of meeting people, maybe because I know more of what to expect and now I know what I want.  That's right, I want the big 'R' - a Relationship.  I want to be able to look at someone and say 'that's my weirdo.'  Do I think I'm actually going to find that in Korea in the last 6 months I plan to be here?  No and don't be absurd.  Do I think it's a good idea for me to get out of the apt on weekends, meet new people, have some new experiences, and get used to telling guys exactly what I want/how I'm feeling?  Yes, yes I do.

Slightly related - I think one of the reasons my weight loss had plateaued was because I've been snacking too much on the weekends.  Being alone, bored, and loving my own food?  Recipe for overeating.  Speaking of which, explaining the fasting is... interesting.  That's another thing that I'm not apologizing for - I don't eat on certain days, and I do eat on others.  We can plan stuff around that or you can take a hike.  In other news, my (unofficial) weight as of Monday is officially at the lowest it's been (for too long to count) so I'm stoked.  We'll see what Friday's official weight says.  

I also have greater confidence in my own thoughts and opinions - I'm less likely to agree with someone just to move on.  I do still stop talking when I feel railroaded or when my opinions are not being taken into consideration, simply because I'm not going to waste energy trying to be heard.  If it's important I'll give it more of a chance but if not, let it ride.  Life is too short to waste arguing with people just for the sake of arguing.  

As for work, we are still online.  Drama continues, but I guess that's to be expected.  I had the thought the other day, you know how many dramas and stuff are centered around hospitals?  They don't hold a CANDLE to multi-cultural hagwons in S. Korea.  You get so many people from so many backgrounds together and there is BOUND to be drama.  The stress of living in a new country, meeting new people. learning how to teach (in many cases), dealing with kids, trying to understand the new work culture, clashes between personalities, the language divide with co-workers... yeah... it's an... interesting stew, that's for sure.  People survive in different ways... as for me, after this week, I'm having pizza, wine, and a Riddick movie fest on Friday.

My new dress from Holy Clothing!  It's an over dress, which is why you can see just a liiiitle of my side there... I figure it will be fun to wear when the weather gets cooler and I can wear my thermals under it.  Until then, I won't be wearing it to work... accidental skin!!!  Feeling good, though... it's a medium (their clothes tend to run a little large, but I'm still calling it a win). ;)

As for what I stated at the beginning... I'm still sorry for the pain I caused to those who were around to see my descent into the dark place.  I am also thankful for those who stayed with me to the other side.  I knew healing would be messy, but I did not expect it to take the route that it did.  However, I finally feel like perhaps I'm actually better - not just 'yeah, I'm fine' but 100% 'yeah, I've still got some stuff to sort out but I actually feel capable of taking care of it.'  I've had to admit to myself that I've spent YEARS running from my issues, accepting less than I deserved, holding on to past pain as a shield against future hurt, nursing my wounds like old friends.  It's been a long road, but I finally feel like I can walk away from things that hurt my soul, hold out for the love I deserve, let down my shield (a bit, once I get to know someone), and take the lesson from the wounding but let them heal.  A lot of the stuff I took upon myself (it's my fault, style of thing) had nothing to do with me.  I am coming around to where I only take responsibility for my actions... seems small, but trust me, it's huge.  

Anyway, thank you all for being here with me - I love and miss you and I can't wait to see you again.  Stay tuned for updates on the misadventures of dating.  I see many rants in the future.  Oh also, if I do start dating someone you probably won't know for a while cuz I tend to keep that under wraps until I know they are someone I'm serious about.  It's just the way I am. :)

MUAH!  :*

Misadventures in Surfing (or To Surf or Not to Surf)

 So Saturday was an eventful 12 hours away from my apt.  The good news is, the guy I was with, H, is not a serial killer.  If he is, he's the worst one ever.  He came to pick me up at my apt at 10 am.  I knew he was outside because I heard other cars honking at him.  LOL.  We headed out and he told me it would be about a 3 hour trip - 250 km to the beach (that's 155 miles for those of us who don't use the metric system).  I said that's fine and away we went.  The weather was cloudy, but we were hoping it would clear up a bit.  About 20 miles from the beach (when we stopped for food) it got really foggy, then when we got to the beach it was overcast.  So our plan B became to get coffee and see what we could do.  We decided to walk down beach #1.  Sand was ok, but coarse.

Lunch for me was kimchi udon - so good!

The fog at lunch - it was at a Korean roadside stop.  They have a lot of these and usually have restrooms, restaurants, souvenirs, etc.

So H imports and sells pots from Italy - he got really excited to see these pots, which were actually some of his!  It was fun watching him get so excited.

             

 My vanilla latte looked so good!  The oreo cream cake was also good, but it was tough eating the oreos!

We walked along the beach a bit.

Beach in the time of Corona.

Feet in the sand!

Even with the overcast, it was a pretty day.  The water was pretty warm, but there was no surfing here so we decided to try for elsewhere.  Also, everyone who was actually in the water had life jackets on, which seemed silly to me, but I figure there were probably warnings about the waves and/or currents that I just couldn't read.

You can tell the water is beautiful and clear.

I love the sound of waves crashing.

So that was beach #1 - Gangmun.  H then suggested that we drive up the coast for a bit to see Jukdo beach, which is billed as a great beach to learn how to surf.  Generally the waves in Korea don't get big enough for surfing, so we were intrigued as to what it would be like.  While we were driving, it started raining a bit.

When we got to the beach, this is what we found.  Lots and lots of people, some running into each other, as they rode baby waves in to the beach.

We decided it was a bit too crowded for us, and while it was warm enough to get into the water, I was embarrassed that I had forgotten to bring a towel.  I remembered a shirt to wear over my suit (I only have bottoms now, no top, so I've been using a bralett), clothes to change into after, and sunscreen, but no towel.  Towelie would be ashamed.

I think we both wanted to try surfing another day, just not with so many other people around.

So after that H decided he was hungry and wanted a burger.  So we drove to Jumunjin beach.  It was there that we learned how rebellious we had been at the first beach - we were supposed to get our temps checked and get wrist bands saying we were 'ok.'  Oops.  H is a bit of a rebel, always breaking rules.  LOL.  I liked this beach best, not only cuz it was pretty, but the sand was more fine than at previous beaches and... there was no one there.

So here's where we went for burgers.

And our burgers themselves.  They had the typical beef patty, lettuce, and tomato... then they got interesting with egg, sweet chili sauce, and a pineapple slice.  Knife and fork were needed to eat these, and the fries were awesome. H had mentioned getting another burger, and I told him he could but I was stuffed.  And yes, I ate 2x that day, and no, I don't think it's gonna mess up my fasting.  I did tell him about it, but sometimes it takes people a while to wrap their heads around the idea, much less get comfy eating in front of someone who is just drinking water.

The emptiness of the beach.

The sand was so nice, and the waves were beautiful.

We thought this beach would be much better for surfing.

Funny enough, we also learned that we wear the same shoe size.  LOL.

So after this, we headed home and ended up in one of the biggest, most amazing rain storms I've ever driven thru.  H is a very safe driver, so I was never really afraid.  However, his phone died and he lost his navigation.  Apparently in Korea it's not common to keep a map in the car in case the navigation craps out (WHAT?!  Never leave home without Rand McNally), so we started guessing and ended up on the wrong highway.  We took some twists and turns before the phone came back on, and then we got back on the right route.  The phone died again later but by that point we were back on highway 1 and could find our way.  He seemed surprised that I knew how to get home... silly people not realizing that Mandi usually keeps her eyes open and can direct you.  Now I know that the main road is highway 1, (so I'm going to be unstoppable!), funny enough we did not want highway 35 (it followed me from TX), and I was amazed that he didn't know his way around without navigation.  I feel justified in my mistrust of navigation and my love of physical maps.

Convo with H was fun and varied.  Apparently cruise control is not a thing in Korea, so I had to explain to him that you set the cruise to maintain speed but it doesn't keep you on the road.  He has decided that I'm 72% Catholic (whatever that means).  I told him that I am not a rabid Catholic, I'm a compassionate Catholic, which is really what we are called to be anyway.  He maintains I'm 72%.  He thought my idea for "Olympian Vs Average Joe" was crazy, but he seemed amused.  He even played me some metal-type music from a Korean artist that was really good.  I'd describe it as a fusion between Rage Against the Machine and Blink-182.  He asked if I was good at decorating my apt, and I told him yes cuz I like it.  He asked how I'd describe it and I said "Halloween all year round" so he suggested I buy a haunted house.  When the phone died we discussed why I don't have a data plan or navigation (cuz I don't need it), then we talked about how I was never scared during the trip back thru the rain.  I told him I'm not sure if it's because I'm just too trusting or I just don't know when to be scared.  I have a pretty good creep-o-meter and he never set it off.  When talking about actors we found attractive I told him Jason Momoa and he responded "yeah, he fits you."  We talked about stereotypes, what Westerners find annoying about dating Koreans, his coffee shop in Busan, cars, trips, where we could be from if we could be born in another country, etc.  We shall see if we end up hanging out again (we've had coffee 2x and then this trip, first coffee date was in Sept or Oct last year, 2nd coffee date was in June, then this in Aug).  He warned me that he's spontaneous and random, and he's proven both!  For those who are wondering, I forsee a friendship, not anything romantical.  Still, it was a good way to spend 12 hours of my Saturday.

So now it's Sunday and the sun that was so elusive yesterday is shining it's heart out.  LOL.  I am thinking today will require coffee, finishing my laundry, having food (I really should cook but I don't wanna), and maybe spending some time outside in a tank top trying to get the sun that I didn't get yesterday.  I have another book I want to finish before I leave (Under the Same Sky by a guy who escaped N Korea and ended up in the US), so I can start that one.  We will be teaching online next week, especially since Covid is rearing it's ugly head.  

I hope this post finds you all doing well and I'm sending all my love and hugs from Korea to you.  

Making lemonade

 As much as I'd love to be back in WY to hug, cry, drink, laugh, and generally just BE THERE, I can't.  So I'm trying to make the best of things while I'm still on the other side of the world.  Sunday was a good day in Seoul with J.  We found a bunch of shops underneath the Myeongdong Cathedral, found jeans for her at H&M, had the most beautiful glass of iced tea ever, and met up with M(C) for dinner at PF Chang's in the Coex Mall.  It was a good day.

I don't know why they were selling these at a Catholic shop under a Cathedral... but I want to know the full story.  Farm implements?  Torture devices?  

The shop was quite cute.

This display reminded me of people in TX and their walls of crosses.

Stephen King in Korean!

Creepy clippers.

Such a pretty tea.

Look at those ice cubes!

So pretty!

Obligatory selfie.

American Soul Food.

Want eggs?

We stopped at the Instagram library - due to the pandemic, it was much less busy than it had been in the past.

Chicken lettuce wraps!!!!

Dinner - Lo mein for M(C), sweet and sour chicken for J, szechuan chicken for me.  It was so good!

Dessert was gelato... look how pretty it is!!

Back to online classes, break out the LIPSTICK!

I found a little bit of home.  You bet I bought those and enjoyed them immensely.  Had to go grocery shopping on Monday, I was out of a bunch of stuff.

As of Monday, due to a spike in Corona cases around Seoul and Gyeonggi province, we are back to online teaching for a week.  The good news from Korea right now is that it stopped raining for a bit, so that's nice.  As far as plans go, I may end up on a beach this weekend learning how to surf... stay tuned for more on that.  Otherwise I'm looking forward to hiking at Seoraksan during the first weekend in September.  

Ready as I am to come home, I do still enjoy this country: the people, the food, the nature, it's all good.  Much love from the other side of the world, stay tuned for more shenanigans and malarkey. 

This gelato pic refuses to go where it should... I got the cappuccino flavored kind.

My soul is tired

It's been a helluva week.  There's been a lot of bad news from home, which sucks.  Sending love from Korea doesn't seem like enough, but there's not much else I can do so... tons of love friends.  Wish I could be there to be with you right now.  Seven months and counting.  

In other news, I had to go shopping this weekend and found... an interesting snack that I was NOT brave enough to buy and try.  That's right - this:

I did get dried sweet potatoes, plums, and my signature mixed nuts, but this was a bit over the top.

I also found shoes - no more holy soles!  So yay for teaching in comfort again (the socks and sandals combo I was wearing at work wasn't really working for me).  I was wearing my higher-heeled boots to work so that I didn't have wet feet and changing to sandals there.  I left the socks on because of the tats on my feet, in retrospect maybe the kids seeing my skull and crossbones on one foot and scary guy on the other would have scared them into behaving... but probably not.  

The good news is that overtime is over, the rain seems to have passed for the time being, and I can resume my weekly calls home.  That's really all I've got right now - I miss all of you, the world seems a little darker, life is going to kind of suck for a while, hold on to those you love... I cherish our memories, and I hold you in my heart.  <3  Hugs and love from too far away.

Another think-y post

 So I saw this thing online the other day that said "I wish I could make everyone understand how important this statement is: go where you are wanted." and it got me thinking.  Most of what it got me thinking is how can you really tell where/when you are truly wanted?  So much of human relationships seem to be broken people trying to protect themselves from other broken people so there is a real lack of honesty and openness about what role we play in each other's lives.  

Disclaimer - obviously this is more about acquaintances than it is about tried and tested friendships.  For example, I know that I am wanted back home, in certain states and with certain people.  However, here it's harder to tell where my company is actually wanted and where it's tolerated because the pool of native English speakers is so small.  Again, there are exceptions (my Busan peeps, for example) but something I'm coming to recognize is how some people really feel weird social pressures.  

For example, if I'm hanging out with some people that I don't know very well and they are making plans for a spa day, they are under no obligation that I know of to invite me along.  However, often the invitation will be extended due to the fact that they feel awkward excluding me from the convo.  In that situation I actually did tell them that they didn't have to invite me and I politely turned down the offer.  I had to laugh on one of my trips because I was hanging out with some folks I had just met and one lady and I were going to leave and she said she'd be back while I said I wouldn't, and I'd see them back at the bonfire.  She laughed and said that she appreciated my honesty which led to about a 30 min convo about how life would be so much easier if people just said what they mean.  

I also wonder if it's a symptom of social anxiety to overthink every time you hang out with people and to second guess everything you say.  I can convince myself that people are only tolerating me because they must due to social pressures or because they want something.  It really sucks sometimes to be the person always second guessing other's intentions and motivations.  Also it really, REALLY sucks to be right.  I think this will be a hard thing to work thru when I start actually dating.  I've seen it a bit with J and her boyfriend.  She often will ask how she knows how he feels about her - I always tell her she can't really KNOW, but if he shows her thru little things, then she can have a pretty good idea.  I've always been a huge fan of the little things - someone knowing how I take my coffee, a hug when they can tell I'm having a rough time, or one of my favorites from back home 'we need to meet for margaritas.'  

One of the hardest things about being here is the lack of established good friends like the kind we all leave behind.  Then we want to make new friends, but it's hard to meet people.  In my case, I meet people on one of my weekend trips, then with the exception of D and N, I never see them again.  Or if I do, it's extremely random (like running into I and J in Busan).  Tho that may change as my friend C from the Namhae trip is talking about going on a hiking trip in early Sept and I think I'm going to go on that one, too.  So that way we can meet up and probably bunk together.  She's the lady from South Africa that I kind of bonded with.  She called me her 'crazy American friend' which was fitting.  

Anyway, that's my thinking lately.  On the one hand it would be nice to know where I stand with people... on the other hand, would it help me to relate to them at all?  Probably not.  Would it make any of our lives any easier?  Again, probably not.  So the status quo will continue and I'll muddle thru as best I can.  

For those who are wondering what my weekend was like, I can describe it in one word - lazy.  On Saturday, I called Gma and Gpa and we had a lovely video chat, then I ventured into the rain to get food, then I came home and changed into PJ's and watched the extended editions of Lord of the Rings.  Sunday I got up, did laundry, and finished LOTR.  Now I'm writing this.  After the week of rain and overtime and exhaustion, it was nice to just lay back and relax.  Also apparently there's a typhoon coming tomorrow so that should be fun.  One more week of OT, another expected week of rain, payday is tomorrow and eventually I'll actually go to the grocery store.  I'm also thinking I'd like an outing in Seoul... when it's not in danger of floating away, that is.  MUAH!  Much love to all, hope you are all doing ok and looking forward to when we can see each other again! :*

New Levels

Soooooo... here's a first.  I literally had a dream where I went to Wal-Mart and Target and... just enjoyed being able to find all the treats that I've been missing here.  Things like being able to find socks that fit my big feet, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, Kraft buttermilk ranch dressing (it's the best, fight me), sandwich meat, etc.  The funny thing is, in the dream, I left the store and was back in Korea.  So my take away from this is that even though I miss some of the creature comforts of being home, I still am not done being here.  In my dream, I did ended up at Costco and bought like... 3 big ass pumpkin pies - which I know they have in Nov and which I WILL be purchasing when they are there.  J really loved them and frankly, well, it's a nice slice of home (see what I did there). 

We are working overtime this week, which means that I'm working from 10am - 8pm, with an additional 3 hours of actually teaching the kids.  The first couple of days were rough, but today I got a class with about 5 kids that I've either had before or currently have and that was WONDERFUL.  These kids already know me and are comfortable with me and that makes all the difference in the world.  We were able to have a good time.  In order to kill some time we ended up playing pictionary and they found out just how BAD of an artist I am.  I was going for 'concert' and some thought I was drawing 'shower' - blue was a bad choice for the color of the spotlights I guess.  Either way, even though it feels like it should be Friday, OT is only for 2 weeks and I will survive.  The bad news is that my usual phone calls home will have to be either cancelled or rescheduled because I usually in my AM, home PM, and that's shot when I have to be to work so early.  That's right, I'm complaining about going to work at 10 am... my old supervisor should get a kick out of that since I once used a study to show that work shouldn't start until 10 anyway.  She laughed and said 'see you at 8 tomorrow.'  Long shot, but I had to try. 

Anyway, I want to thank everyone back home for the love and support they have given me while I've been away.  Also, I'd like to thank the wonderful people that I have in Korea who have been so amazing as we all go through this journey together.  It's been a wild ride, and I'm learning more and more that the people you surround yourself are SO important.  I don't want to brag too much about what wonderful people I have in my world... but I will... YOU ARE ALL SO FRIGGIN AWESOME AND I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL WE ARE BACK TOGETHER!!!  I am going to hug all of you so friggin' hard and if I have to wear a Haz-Mat suit to do it, then so be it.  Love to all, no matter how near or far, MUAH!  :*

Busan Trip with D

So Tuesday at around noon I left my apartment and took a bus to the metro, took the metro to Suwon train station, and took the train to Busan where D picked me up and we took a cab to his place.  It was a long day of travel, but I felt pretty good about it.  We got some dinner and drinks and then went to bed.

 It was a wonderful rainy day - but the clouds coming off the mountains were SO PRETTY!

 We got chicken and beer.

 Funny enough, I didn't get a pic of the chicken.

Wednesday afternoon-ish (yes, we slept in, it was vacation) we ventured to Fuzzy Navel on the strip at Haeundae beach.  There, we ran into E and J from my Namhae trip.  What was going to be a couple drinks and food turned into a LOT of drinks and food.  We ended up staying there for a good 4-5 hours, during which the bartender (lovely woman, I'll call O) got bored and started giving us shots.  It was a lovely day.  When O's shift ended, she left and the new guy wasn't as fun, so we went to Wolfhound.  There we ran into some more lovely people and had some drinks before we called it a night. 

 The start - and it kinda never ended.

 Some kind of drink that we turned into a bomb - we had to drink while O poured.

 E and J are on the left, 2 other lovely people we met that day are on the right.

 Apparently the beer I was drinking (a stout) 'looked like coffee' so O made me a coffee martini.

 A friend we made at Wolfhound... nope, don't remember his name, never saw him again.

Me and D!  We are so fun!!

So you'd think after a night like that, D and I would be hurting.  Funny enough, that was not the case.  So on Thursday we got up and met up with our friend N and went to what D calls 'the water temple.'  Its actual name is Hae Dong Yong Gung Temple.  And yes, that's how the sign said it, so that's how I'm writing it.  Actually it was also spelled Haedong Yonggung Temple or Haedongyonggung Temple.  Spacing seems to be voluntary.

 Starts off with statues for all of (what we call) the Chinese Zodiac.

 I want to know the story of the dragon/turtle.

 Outside the temple.

 So. Many. Stairs.

 The self-proclaimed "Most beautiful temple in Korea."

 We took a bit of a trail and went to where people stack rocks.

 Obligatory selfie.

 D touched something, then brought his hand to his face and N goes 'Oh my gosh, did you TASTE IT?'  D: 'No, I smelled it.'  N: 'You need to sanitize your hands after that!'

 So apparently there are a few reasons for the stacked rocks.  Some are in memoriam, some are for promotions and such and the last reason N told us, I can't remember for the life of me.  These pretty pictures are all from a brief time when the sun came out, FYI.

 More statues and a wishing bowl.  You toss your coin in from the bridge that we're standing on and if it lands in the bowl, your wish may come true.

 I liked this guy.

 The temple itself.

 Cool vase.

 Me being artsy, but the TREES are so cool.

 Love how colorful Korean temples are.

 I feel a connection to this buddah.

 Just really pretty - though the rain was starting to come back.

 Don't think it's solid gold, but didn't check.

 DRAGON!

 Trying to give you some perspective over how steep these stairs were  Also, please remember it had been raining - those things were SLIPPERY.  Poor N already biffed it earlier, so when we took these, we were SUPER careful.

 The statue at the top of the stairs - the goddess of mercy.

 Just a wicked column.  So after we were done at the temple, we ended up outside an E24 I think - that's another convenience store they have here.  We decided to hydrate and get some snacks.  The picnic tables and stuff were right next to this place selling Korean pancakes and eventually I gave in and had to have one.

 The dough is deep fried and the pancake itself is filled with a sweet red bean and nut paste, that seemed to also have some cinnamon or something in it.  It was REALLY GOOD!

 There was also this mural, which I just had to get a picture of.

I thought this sign was just too cute. 

So that was going to be the end of my first part, but after this the pictures aren't so many so what the heck, I'll do it in one.

After the temple, D, N, and I all went to meet up with some of the other people that they work with to have pizza at Slice of Life.  It was really good, NY style pizza.  They had about 6 different kinds of pizza you could choose (by the slice, surprisingly... NOT), and a TON of different beers.  There ended up being 8 of us all together.  They also had a kind of ranch that went really good with the pizza, but was too heavy on the dill to be REAL ranch. 

My expensive first beer, went cheap after this.

 The not-ranch, that was close enough.

The rains come, the rains go. 

After Slice of Life, we went to a bar called HQ where D knew the lady who was doing Trivia night.  We ended up getting a decent 26 (out of 30) though we didn't win.  It's amazing how much random stuff we all knew.

 The Tito's cup for my Moscow Mule made me so happy cuz it reminded me of my Glen Rose peeps and all the wonderful evenings spent at their place making such things (sans the copper cup).

So at one point, D decided we needed Maple Syrup shots and N decided we needed Dr. Pepper shots.  I was not to be wanting, so I got us my favorite shots.  There were other places we went, and other people we met (one guy picked me up and I won't lie, I squealed).  Among some (besides the picking-me-up guy) was one who said I was the 2nd person from WY he had met, his other friend was from Crowheart.  Which just so happens to be a small town down the ways from MY small town, which made my WY soul so happy.  I don't know what I'd do if I met another WYomingite here... die of shock?!  Eventually we all found our ways back home and went to bed.  The group invited all of us out for a beach day the next day, and who is going to say no to that!?

Friday D and I woke up and had red wine for breakfast.  Yep, if you are on my FB you know that I mentioned liver punishment?  Don't worry, retribution is coming.  We went to a sandwich place that D knows about that was close to the beach they went to (no idea what the name is, cuz Busan has a LOT of beaches). 

 Bfast of champs?

 Ready for the BEACH!

 So good!

 Awwww... happy friend. 

 Talented work mate.

 Getting silly at the beach - yes, they were dancing.  Yes, you can drink on the beach in Korea and yes, normally we were all wearing masks.

Obligatory toes in the sand pic.

So after this there were other shenanigans but I don't have any photographic evidence of them.  I know there was more drinking, a cab ride, we went to a vegan sandwich place for dinner, but it was a) dark and I was b) tired by that time, so no pic.  D laughed at me because it took a while for us to get our food, so I just laid my head down on the table.  After dinner we went home again.

Saturday D didn't feel so great so we spent most of the day chilling at his place.  We did venture out for American Chinese food and N joined us for that.  Then she mentioned that we HAD to meet up again before I left on Sunday, so we made plans for Korean BBQ.

 I tried to get a pic of FIRE WOK, but this was the best I could do.

 The Chow Mein that D and N had.

 Dumplings to share - the orange sauce made them a little spicy.  They were veggie, so a little bummed that not pork.

 What I had - rice, veggies, chicken, mushrooms, and seafood.  There's a mussel on top, plenty of squid throughout, some shrimpies, you get the idea.  The mushrooms were AMAZING.

 So you leave something in Korea long enough - nature will reclaim it.  I felt so bad for this bike, no clue how long it had been there, but you notice - no one stole it (except the ivy).

Our pic at BBQ - we ended up getting 3 plates of meat, all pork.  The sides were standard and the stuff you see on our grill is egg close to N's side, and kimchi closer to me and D.  We went here at like 11 or so, stayed until 1.  N and I had some makkoli - which is Korean rice wine that is served in a bowl.  It was really good. 

After this, we went for a walk down by the beach (wearing our masks like good people) which was nice.  It was striking how many signs about wearing your mask were there (due to American 4th of July shenanigans - look it up and shake your head).  The walk was a nice cap to the night.  When we got back D and I watched some more Rick and Morty (which D introduced me to - quite fun and INSANE), then went to sleep. 

On Sunday my train was leaving at 1:30.  I asked D and he said it would take about 30 mins to get to the station, so I could leave around 12:50 to get a cab and be fine.  I told him that would make me crazy, so I left at 12:30.  Good thing, too, cuz it took me about 20 mins to flag down a cab, told him Busan Station (KTX, just so I was sure he would know which one), and at about 1:02 we ran into... TRAFFIC.  Bad, bad friggin' traffic.  Around 1:20 I figured I was up a creek, and sure enough he got me to the station at 1:32.  So I went to the counter and said I'd missed my train and I needed to cancel my first ticket and get another.  The cancellation fee was only about $5, and they are supposed to refund me most of my ticket price.  I got a ticket on the next (slow) trail leaving.  I was on my way at about 2pm and got home at around 8pm.  I was exhausted, but did my laundry (cuz EVERYTHING was saturated with sand) like a good traveler, put all my stuff away, and went to BED.

It was so nice to spend a few days away with great people.  I miss D and N so much, and we have discussed further trips and more shenanigans.  Apparently there is a cultural village that I still need to see, so I'm thinking we'll have to set something up for a long weekend.  I have decided that next time I'll spring for tickets on the KTX because apparently then I could get to Busan in 2 hours instead of 4-6 and that just really appeals after a long day of travel.  (This time I did bring 2 books - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and Dr. Death by Jonathan Kellerman.  I told D about The Dante Club and next time I go down I'll have to bring that for him to read.)

Today... well... today was the perfect storm of crap after vacation that you'd expect, and some things that you wouldn't expect, and hormones, and I got a bunch of cards and a package.  What was in the package made me so happy because it's so silly and perfect.  My friend sent me... I guess you could call them solar powered fairy lights.  So I came home, put on my AC, hung those, and then did this for you, dear reader.  Sometimes I'm boggled by the quality of people in my life.  I am truly incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends who are LITERALLY all around the world.  My life is rich in all ways that matter.  So here's to more trips to see friends in the future, here's to the wonderful people that I have in my life, and here's to many more treasured memories (no matter how fuzzy they get at times).  MUAH!  :*