Reflecting on Korea

The culture of being an expat is... so unique.  You are living in a different country where you are obviously an outsider so you gravitate toward others who are also outsiders and from those people the expat community is formed.  However, sometimes the people within that community are not people that you would associate with if given more of a choice.  The mental friction caused by knowing that you need to be around people, but that these people are not YOUR people is a constant source of stress.  At least, that was my experience.  I tend to keep my circle small - only around trusted friends can I let down my defenses and be 100% me - so keeping those defenses up and watching what I said at all times was another source of stress for me.  God forbid I let something slip and then find out that I'd been the subject of gossip (again).

I have told J more than once that "normal" people don't leave their home country to go teach English.  We all had some kind of screw loose (frankly I think everyone, regardless of geography, has a screw loose but that's a thought for another day).  What I eventually came to realize was that in moving to Korea I had forfeited my greatest treasure - my support network.  Yeah, we were able to talk some online and that did help, but I didn't have the opportunity to go out for margaritas or have movie nights or meet up for lazy weekends at the river.  My family wasn't a (long) road trip away.  I was completely out of my comfort zone, trying to make new friends, and finding that I was again an odd man out.  For one, I am older than many of the teachers in Korea.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make relating somewhat difficult.  No wonder I latched on to someone who was near my age, raised in the rural Western US, and could keep up with my sarcasm (usually).  Being from a rural setting instead of a city was another thing that set me apart - anyone who has spent any time in the US can tell you that city folk and country folk are 2 very different types of folks!  Add to that my natural introversion, love of heavy metal, sarcastic nature (comes out more when I'm uncomfortable), and intolerance of foolishness and you can see why perhaps I didn't really vibe with most of the 20-somethings I worked with.  I also have a low tolerance for drama, gossip, and general nastiness.  Unfortunately, some people I knew there seemed to THRIVE on that.  As one put it "I thrive on strife."  Where I come from, we call those people drama queens (or kings).  Trying to stay apart from, but still on good terms, with people was a challenge.  It made my work environment rather stressful, and I can't say that I was totally successful anyway.  I needed to be able to interact with people who weren't my co-workers, but trying to meet people during a pandemic and social distancing is difficult, as I'm sure you can imagine.

I also was afraid of perpetuating the "stupid American" stereotype.  Therefore, I consciously made the effort to be respectful of Korean culture, even when I couldn't understand it.  I think it's sad that plastic surgery is so common there because if you are a little more attractive, it's possible that you'll get the job over someone who has all of the same qualifications as you.  I bowed to everyone who was my age or older, I trained myself to hand my debit card to the cashier with either both hands or with my left hand on my right arm as I gave the card over (a habit I'm consciously breaking myself of now, tho I did almost do it today in HEB), and I feel as though I treated everyone with respect.  However, that was also stressful.  I didn't know if something I did or said would come back to haunt me somehow.  At a certain point, I just figured I'd do my best and let it be, but as Jess would say, I'm too nice and I still worried about how I came across (especially on bad days).  With my Korean co-teachers, I did get to where I'd say things like "I'm not annoyed at you, I'm annoyed at the situation."  Tho at one point I was entertaining the idea of making a voodoo doll of one of the kid's moms... not the kid, his MOM.  Sigh.

Then there are the little daily interactions that you miss when you don't know the language of the country that you are in.  Joking with the barista who makes your coffee, saying hello to the cashier at the grocery store, wishing someone a nice day, telling someone you like their outfit - all of these little things are not possible unless the other person understands you and not being able to have these little interactions amplifies the loneliness of living abroad.  I never wanted to assume that the person behind the counter knew English, and I always felt like a bit of a jerk for not knowing more Korean.  I think that's one reason why I enjoyed getting my hair cut so much.  I went every 3 months into Seoul to see Jay, who spoke English, never had anyone else in his studio, so it was just us, and always made my hair look great.  In the US I HATE making small talk when getting my hair done, but in Korea it was one of the few places that I could.  

There's the big word - loneliness.  How can I describe the great, crushing weight of loneliness?  There were times when I could be surrounded by all my coworkers and feel totally alone.  The best description I can think of comes from ancient Greece - Sisyphus and his stone - except the stone wasn't totally round, it changed size, and the hill became more or less steep depending on the day.  However, it was always there, always being pushed along, and sometimes it rolled backwards and crushed me.  The thing was, it wasn't unfamiliar loneliness.  I've got friends and family scattered from one end of the US to the other, and often in Glen Rose I felt lonely for people.  What made it different and crushing was the geography and time differences - I was literally half a world and a whole day away from my support network.  I wasn't able to relate to the people in my geography and had no desire to open up to people who I didn't trust, so I was stuck.  Maybe a better description would be Tantalus... my support network was THERE, but just out of reach (usually due to time zones and the need for sleep).  When we were able to set something up it was wonderful, but couldn't last and was also a shade of what could have been if I were on the same continent.  In Glen Rose I was able to come to San Antonio for the weekend or meet up with Ana in Arlington for food and venting.  That wasn't possible anymore (though Ana and I did joke about meeting up in Hawaii).  I will forever be grateful to my friends and family who reached out in any way that they could to remind me that I was loved and missed.  It was so easy to get bogged down in daily misery... toward the end it was never-ending misery.  Truly when I was coming home, I was terrified that something would go wrong and I'd somehow be stuck in Korea... I felt like I was slowly suffocating (though the kids were a breath of fresh air for me - some of them were so sweet and I did love them).  

For all of this, I don't want you to think that the last year of my life in Korea was awful all the time.  I did have fun taking my trips, having Wednesday date nights with J, and Tuesday night hang outs with S.  The last couple of months I enjoyed my weekends with E and my hermit weekends.  I was able to message and talk movies and TV shows with a Korean friend, M, whom I never actually met in real life.  I had my weekly calls home scheduled and only rarely missed those.  I enjoyed talking with my Korean co-workers and the kids.  So there were times when the load was lightened a bit.  As time goes by I'm sure I'll remember more of the good and less of the bad... and I now can choose who I'll keep in my life and who will fade away.  That's the beauty of things ending and others beginning.  People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime and sometimes you get to decide what it's going to be.  :)

My dislike of being the subject of gossip seems to be something that I need to work on.  I think it stems from growing up in a small town, and a small school.  I found out so much about myself by learning what the other kids were saying (my fav is still that I was a pregnant lesbian... had a guy years later from another town tell me that he heard that one).  I hate the feeling that I'm living in a fish bowl and my every move is being discussed, ridiculed, and broken down by people that I don't associate with AT ALL.  In Korea it was finding out that a co-worker wanted to create a fake Bumble profile to see what I'd put on mine, knowing there was speculation as to the nature of S and I's relationship, and learning that people were complaining about my work behind my back.  That last one really got me - if there is a problem, come to me and let me fix it, don't just complain about it behind my back... grrrr.  I know that I can't stop anyone from participating in gossip, and I can't control if I'm the subject of their nastiness, but it made my work place toxic.  That's what caused most of the trouble for me that last year in Korea - the toxicity that was perpetuated by some of my coworkers.  I knew we wouldn't be super close friends sitting in a circle and singing "kumbaya" all the time, but I had expected more professionalism and less "Real Teachers of Korea."  Ah well, such is life I suppose.  

For those who are wondering, my favorite thing about Korea was not paying rent.  I also achieved what I set out to do - I have overseas experience, I learned a LOT about myself, I healed from a lot of crap in my past, I made some really good friends, and I got to see life from a different angle.  I'm incredibly grateful for the experience.  I'm also incredibly happy to be back home, spending time with MY people, re-connecting with friends, and letting my defenses down.  Jess and I have been totally silly - painting, buying berets because we're painting, going shopping, making beaded trees for a wedding, having all the food that I was craving, and tomorrow we're going to the zoo.  Soon I'll head to GRose and Gbury to see more people and then I'm heading up to OK to see Todd and reflect on the fact I've known him for nearly 20 years.  In fact, I'm coming up on many 20 year anniversaries... basically of everyone I met in college (sorry everyone, but it's just a fact).  I'm still studying for the FSOT (the book Guns, Germs, and Steel is a good one, but I can only take it a chapter at a time... it's DRY), and I'll be able to sign up for it sometime in May.  I'll be in WY for a week before I head to WA and then it looks like I'll be going to KS shortly after that, so WY friends, sorry, but it might be mid-May before I'm BACK back.

Jeremiah Red beer from BJ's Brewhouse.  I love that place.

My lovely dates, friends, roomies, hosts, and all-around AMAZING humans.

My new hooded sweater - cozy and fits right.

The inspiration for my painting... 

The painting... this is why I say I'm good at wine, not so good at the painting part.  I do like my background... we have talked about either throwing it away and starting fresh or painting over the 'flower' and going for something TOTALLY different.  Not sure what it's fate will be.  Sorry Gpa, I'm a better artist with a camera.  Hehe.

The beaded trees for the wedding.

FACE MASKS!  Cuz who doesn't want to have glowing skin at a wedding?  Not that I went... this was more a solidarity thing.  My fingernails also match Jess's toes now.

Babysitting the cat while J&D were at the wedding.

How DARE you touch Her Majesty, Queen Fluffy of the Death Blades?  She smote me... I shall carry the scratches until they finally heal, then will do it all over again.  Me, learn my lesson?  NEVER! 

Anyway, life is good, looking forward to seeing more people and catching up.  Hugs for all, and a big SMOOCH!  :*

Food and Fun

 I love staying with my bestie and her hubby - they are some of the most wonderful people you will ever meet.  My bestie is also one of the most honest people in my life.  I love how she tells me like it is, but ultimately ends with the message "I'll still love and support you if you choose to be stupid, but I'm also gonna tell you all the reasons why I think you are being stupid."  If your best friend doesn't tell it like it is, even when it's not what you want to hear, are they really your 'best' friend?!

Anyway, enough about my (occasional) stupidity.  Here's what we've been up to:

New lipstick from one of Jess's aunts.  It's apparently all natural and vegan and stuff cuz you know women will eat about 5lbs of lipstick in their lifetime.  So might as well make it... healthy lipstick?  Weird sentence to write.

After we went shopping at Earthbound Trading Company (one of my ABSOLUTE favorite places to shop), we went to eat a Pasha's, a mediterranean place.  This is what Jess got - salad, chicken, and hummus.

I got the Gyro plate - so strips of gyro meat, salad, and hummus.  I forgot to take a pic before we started eating... oops.

The appetizer - fried cauliflower.

The mediterranean version of chips and salsa - naan, dipped in olive oil and spices.

The fitting rooms at Earthbound were still closed, so I had to take things home to try them on.  Ended up getting a bigger size in one of the pairs of pants.  I got 2 pairs of leggy pants, an extremely leggy skirt, and a fun tank top.

Next day, we decided to eat in.  Here's my window-opener because I thought it was pretty.  Envy apple with coffee cake that Jess's mom made (so good). 

Side dishes for the ribs - green beans with rotel, cauliflower potato salad (no potatoes, but tasted EXACTLY like potato salad), and a real salad for me (zesty Italian dressing).

The ribs - I didn't get a pic of them before, but these are so tender the fat comes right off the meat and if you try to lift a whole rib it comes apart.  They are topped with onion and lemon (the lemon makes them so tender).

Today I thought I'd take a pic of the happy kitty with her dad.  She plays rather cutely with him (head bonks and such when he gets on the ground to pet her), but she is still kitty of doom with me.  Which is fine, we have a love-scratch relationship.

One of the pairs of pants from Earthbound.  As you can see, they are leggy... 

but also cover in the back... 

and SUPER leggy when I sit down.  The sandals are also new, from Ross.  

As you can see, we have had some success at finding me fun clothes that do in fact fit.  It's been interesting, I'm super small at Torrid now, and still an XL at Earthbound (whose sizes have always run a little small IMO).  I'm putting off any other shopping as I feel I've got the essentials - really it was jeans and pants that I mostly needed and those should be coming in from Torrid tomorrow.  Today we are having a FEAST of WINGS from WingStop when J&D have their lunch break.  I also have to return some toothbrush chargers to Amazon (didn't work) and had to order one directly from the manufacturer (more expensive, but SHOULD work).  I can't find the darn thing in all my bags to save my life, and I don't really want to go thru everything again.  A spare is always a good thing, right?  

I've been thinking of the past year and all the factors that made it a perfect storm of misery.  I've almost run out of fingers and toes as I name each factor that led to stress.  If you haven't experienced it, I'm not sure I can describe it.  Once I figure out how to put it all together into a real narrative, I'll post it.  For now, I do want to say that my general experience in Korea was good - I grew a lot personally, I learned a lot professionally, and I'm glad I had the experience.  I'm also happy to say that I'm feeling good about the future, whatever it holds, and I'm still stoked to be back with people who love me.  I'll be moving on in about a week or so, back up to the Dallas area for a bit and then to Gbury and GRose to see people before heading to OK City to see Todd.  After that, I'll head to WY to get the paperwork done on my car before going to WA to see my older sis.  So the trip shall continue, with some good stops along the way.  I'll probably run into some weather eventually, but it has been nice not being locked in to any plans.  The weather in San Antonio is WAY better than the weather in WY right now, so I'm feeling rather justified in my choice to stick around for a bit.  MUAH!  Much love to all my readers, I hope all is good for you and you are also surrounded by people who love and care for you.  :*

Time at the River

The weather in TX has been absolutely perfect.  Nice and cool in the morning, warming up to decent temps in the day, usually with a cool breeze.  We didn't get IN the river this weekend, but we did enjoy the weather and the company.  We ended up having a bit of a 15 year anniversary celebration of the first time we came down to the condo during our last year of college.  We stayed in the same condo, and even ended up driving by the dance hall we went to while we were here.  I was officially dubbed the "surrogate, prodigal daughter" of my best friend's parents, and I'm quite ok with this.  I love the fact that I'm a part of so many wonderful families.  

The lovely mat they got for the guest condo.

The view of the river.  There were some people who were staying at other condos who were actually IN the river, but we were a) not that adventurous and b) sans swim suits.

Besides, it was nice to just sit and talk.

My room in the condo - SUPER comfy bed.

The next day we went to Mass.  Here's my outfit - pants from Torrid, shirt from Zara in Korea.  I have to say, I like my shape these days.  The funny thing about weight loss is, when I'm dressed, I can see that I've shrunk but when I take a shower and look at myself in the mirror I still see me as big as I was.  I think it's because I'm fixating on those areas of me that have shrunk, but 'not enough' to my mind.  The games our brains play with us are RUDE!

Post-Mass, post-bfast coma.  She's so cute!!

We then went to her parent's house (known as the Stonehaus) and sat out back reading.  Their rocking chairs and such made for a very nice, super chill day.

I was enjoying as well.

The view of the back yard.  

I could write an entire ode to my Texas family.  These people accepted me when I moved down here, dealt with my awkwardness, enfolded me into their family, and loved me.  In the course of my time here, I also came to love them.  While we were at the river, I got to see extended family members - three aunts and an uncle - who were in town.  When we were leaving, Jess's mom almost made me cry when she asked "when will we see you again?!"  I invited everyone to WY this summer, since I'll be there too and I'd love to play tour guide for my state.  Being in TX has been such a big part of my life and part of what has made it so wonderful is the acceptance and love of my best friend's family.  I am well and truly blessed to have such a wonderful core of people in my life.  To have people that I love like my family in so many parts of the world is... staggering when I think about it.  I hope that I have been able to show them how much I love them as well, though I always feel that I fall short in expressing my feelings.  There were lots of hugs all around, great conversations, and a general feeling of well-being all around.  As much as things have changed in the past 2 years, it's amazing to me how much our feelings for each other haven't.  

Anyway, I had to share some of what we've been doing.  Lots of chatting with family, catching up, having GREAT food (I got my Papa Murphy's and my huevos rancheros), and just generally being with each other.  After a couple of years of painful solitude, being surrounded by the love and support of my TX families has been... incredibly overwhelming.  I missed this so much, and I don't think I really realized it.  It's amazing how looking back on the last 2 years has opened my eyes to how much I truly left behind.  There will be a post on this, I promise, it's just that I think I'm letting time let some of the bitterness wear off.  My job became almost unbearable there at the end, though I'm glad that I toughed it out (that stubbornness that I'm so famous for).  Much love to all, MUAH!  :*

Fun with the Bestie

 Words really fail me when I try to explain how much I love my Jess.  She is an incredible, sweet, generous, lovely, intelligent, AMAZING person and I'm so, so, so grateful to have her in my life.  I arrived here on Tuesday night after a harrowing trip from NM (dust storm galore, cross winds, it was intense).  It was a good time to find out how my car handles wind, how long I can go on one tank, and how EMPTY I-10 thru TX is.  It was a pretty drive once I got out of the dust storm (around where I-20 splits off from I-10).  When I got to my destination I came in, dumped my stuff on the floor, hugged my Jess, and we caught up a bit.  It was as if I'd only been gone for a couple of weeks.  No awkwardness, and even the CAT remembered me!!  That first night was interesting because I was laying in bed and felt like I was still being pushed around by the wind.  My shower before bed was awesome tho, as I felt like I had a layer of grime on me from the dust (gonna have to wash the car).  The mornings here have been wonderful and cozy as I get all curled up on my favorite chair with my hoodie and my coffee.  Doug makes the BEST coffee.  We have such a great time together, and I love these people so, so much.

The fluffy who came to get me up, then proceeded to try to get me with her claws when I petted her.  Just like we used to do back in the day.  It's nice when animals remember you.

We went shopping for our snack/lazy day at HEB.  We maaaay have gone a litttle overboard.

We also had to make the dips - we did a spinach and artichoke dip and the velveeta with rotel and spicy jimmy dean sausage.  SO GOOD!

Doesn't look great, is horrible for you, but tastes AMAZING.

The spinach and artichoke dip had to go in the oven... so cheesy, so good.

It's been a while since my bestie entertained anyone, so she decided to go all out with the spread.  We ended up watching Agatha Raisin's murder mysteries cuz... you know, why not?!  This also being St. Paddy's Day, we also watched Boondock Saints when Doug got off work.

The next day we did a noontime yoga class and then went shopping at Torrid and let me tell you - a frugal bestie is AMAZEBALLS.  I tried on a bunch of stuff to see if it looked good on me or not.  In-store, the sales were buy one get one free on clearance and buy one get one 50% off of regular priced items.  No problem, right?  WRONG!  Online clearance was the same, but all regular priced items were 40% off.  So what do we do?  Figure out what we love, find it online, and get it cheaper than we could in-store.  We left with 4 clearance items (2 pairs of pants, one pencil skirt, and one hoodie - sizes ranging from 12-10 - EEP!!).  The pants could be good for work or for fun, and the skirt just looked AMAZING.  The hoodie was fun (and obs we HAD to get 4 items to get the most bang for our buck).  The online stuff should arrive some time next week, and I'm having a hard time remembering everything we got.  I know there's at least one pair of jeans, a dress, a skirt, and a cardigan... I'm not sure if there is more or not.  I seem to think there's at least one more pair of jeans and/or work pants.  The important thing is, I'm going to have things that fit!  I have to keep reminding myself that most of this really is needed because I have no clue if anything I left here will fit now.  Two years ago, I was a 16-18, and I've shrunk (between 14/12 and 10)... it's gonna be an interesting time seeing what I can keep and what needs to be given away.

Anyway, one of our favorite things to do is have post-shopping lunch/dinner.  We went to Gloria's, which is our favorite Mexican place that's close to home and Torrid.  After 2 years of wanting margaritas together, we were FINALLY able to enjoy some margaritas together.

Gloria's does salsa and a black bean dip with the chips.  The cherries in the 'ritas is also new.

My beautiful, savvy bestie.  

Me too.  LOL. 

COVID update - we did wear masks the whole time we were in Torrid and going in to Gloria's.  Every person in Torrid was masked-up, as was our servers.  We are still being cautious, while being able to enjoy some of things we really love doing together.  

It's been so great to be back with my peoples, and I'm enjoying it immensely (even if it's making my older sis crazy cuz she can't be here and I haven't seen her yet).  We are making plans for the rest of my visit and figuring out when I'll be headed out.  From here it looks like I'll make a stop in Gbury/Grose before heading up to OK.  Then I think I'll head to WY to do paperwork on the car and drop some stuff off before heading to WA to see my older sis and bil.  Good news is that the book I bought to prepare for the FSOT works with my new Fire tablet, so I can study for that while J&D are working.  I have missed my people so much, and it's so nice to be back with my wonderful friends and family.  I knew I was lonely in Korea, but I don't think I realized HOW lonely I was - being able to come over to a friend's house and relax is a real blessing.  So MUAH! :* to all my peeps I haven't been able to see yet, we'll figure something out, I'm sure.  Much love, here's to being home again.

New Mexico

 When we got to AL's, we were early so she wasn't off work yet.  Ana and I unloaded the truck and then relaxed.  When AL got home, we spent the evening drinking, laughing, eating, and generally enjoying each other's company.  

I was trying to be all artsy with our wine - AL went with Pinot Grigio, Ana's a Red Moscato kind of gal, and I went for my Apothetic Rose, cuz I love the bottle.  The wine is good too, but the bottle is the best. 

The AMAZING dinner we had - fried elk steaks with mashed potatoes and gravy, and breaded garlic Parmesan cauliflower.  It was HEAVEN!  AL made it from a recipe my cousin sent her and holy CRAP it was awesome.

Ana had to leave the next day, but they spend the morning drinking coffee and chatting until I got up, then we all were drinking coffee and chatting.  Hehe.  AL made bfast for her and Ana and then she took us to meet Magnum (her new Ranger) and see Bruce (her big truck) and the new RV (which she uses Bruce to haul).  Ana took off and AL and I went to the general store in Bruce.  We spent the day chatting and making plans.  Since she worked on Thurs, I decided to make her a buffalo chicken pizza for dinner, so that meant I had to go to town in my new Stink Bug on Thurs.

Before I left, however, her cat Popeye came in with something small and furry in his mouth.  He deposited the rodent on the floor of AL's bedroom.  I went to get a paper towel to throw away the dead rodent.  Lo and behold, the rodent was not dead!  The chipmunk (as said rodent turned out to be) tried to get out the window, and I tried to open said window to let it out.  However, this did not work and it escaped into the rest of the house and seems to have entered another dimension because I couldn't find the darn thing!  Stay tuned for updates, tho I REALLY hope it found a way out.

Meet the Stink Bug.  My first silver car.  The rest were white, red, and red.  

He's a cute little stinker, isn't he?  Just look at all that room!

There is a spot for Boss - he shall be the protector of the Stink Bug and my constant road trip companion.  Look how happy he is with his fishie!!!

I gotta tell you, it felt AMAZINGLY good to drive.  The Stink Bug and I should get along just fine, though it is going to take some time getting used to backing up in the thing.  It seems like my cars just keep getting bigger and bigger butts - from the Mustang to the Intrepid to the Taurus to the Sportage.  On the other hand, it'll be perfect to load a couple of coolers and beach stuff in to go to the lake this summer.  :)  It should also be able to carry all my crap from Mom's garage when I know where I'm going to be headed.  I'm really, really happy to be home.  I also feel incredibly blessed to have the friends/family that I do.  I've felt so welcome and loved ever since I saw Ana in DFW and it's just been getting better and better.  It was interesting when I went to the store - 2 people said "Hi" and one even told me she liked my T-shirt!

I also was able to report my Kindle as being lost/stolen, so no one can use it to try to download anything.  I'll put off replacing it for a while as I just got a new Kindle Fire sent to J&D's house.  Then I can really start studying for the FSOT.

I made buffalo chicken pizza for AL - she LOVED it.  It's super simple, and SO GOOD!!!  I was so glad she was willing to try it because it's one of my favorites.  I did go a little overboard with the sauce, but I was so happy to HAVE it!

Popeye - the mighty hunter.  This kitty was responsible for bringing a chipmunk in the house, who was a resident for about a day and a half.  The cat brought in the chipmunk like a cat carries a kitten.  I thought it was dead.  It was not.  It got away... the next day, AL and I looked like crazy ladies trying to corner the darn thing in her room.

He mocked me... he mocked me all day.  Between the 2 of us, we ping-ponged him until the poor thing was exhausted and I was able to get him into an empty trash can, hold him down with a duster, and get him out the door.  He really enjoyed sunning himself on AL's windowsills.  We had to run around at his hidey holes to clean up after him.

Feeding the horses.

Paco is 30... and SHAGGY!  They all still have their winter coats.

Then AL decided that since she had a hair appt, I should get some color in mine.  So I had her add red and blonde highlights and I must say, I'm happy with the result.  She also cleaned up the back some and made it look a little better as I'm trying to grow it out.  

We also went to a Mexican restaurant and I got myself a CHIMICHANGA!!!  I think they could have put more green chili on it, but it was SO GOOD.  I missed getting refried beans with my Mexican food, I must tell you.  I've also been eating a lot more beef lately.  There was shredded beef inside it - for those who don't know a Chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito that is smothered in red or green chili, or cheese sauce.  As you can see, it came with refried beans, spanish rice, sour cream, and guacamole.  I was in HEAVEN.  The salsa was nice and spicy, too.  

Today AL, her boyfriend L, and I are going to have a pot roast and relax.  It's been a wonderful trip and I'm going to take off on Tuesday to head to San Antonio and J&D!  I'm still so happy to be home, to be spending time with people that I love, and to have things be familiar.  I'm pretty much over the jet lag by now and I really do feel like me again.  :)  Much love to all who are still reading, and I hope to see most of you pretty soon-ish.  :D