Update Maybe...

Ok, Ok - I know that I haven't been keeping up on this like I should. I just feel that being in the states isn't nearly as newsworthy as Korea was. I was browsing around my internet files and came across the link to my blog and thought maybe it was time I at least send out a little update...just y'all know I am alive! Being back in the States has been really amazing and really sad at the same time. I miss everything about Korea...well not so much the politics within the workplace, but the rest of it I really miss :) I am also trying my hand at writing a book, so look for that to be published in 2015, haha. I seriously hope to get it finished before then, but we'll see; maybe I will post some excerpts up here to give my loyal followers a little taste before the final product comes out.

Being away from the country for a few months has really been an eye-opener to the friends I have made. Many of those whom I thought I would stay in touch with have been silent and those I thought were for sure going to forget about me have been checking in regularly. Though when you move a lot, you become quickly accustomed to this. However, meeting people from all over the world also helps you to appreciate the friends you have back home. Since I have been back in the states I have been having some of the best times with some old and new friends; Mike, April, Dan, Tim, Kat and Lalo are pretty much the most awesome people I know! I have been spending my weekends out on Mike's boat, or at Dan's house with a cook-out to top off the night. I have been to concerts, movies, pub crawls and am counting down to a trip to Las Vegas. It isn't quite as crazy as Korea, but it fits in nicely with my lifestyle back home and it's pretty much one of the best summers I have ever had. If it hadn't been for Korea I don't think I would have appreciated all this as much as I do now.

On the job front I don't have equally spectacular news, but nonetheless I did manage to land a job; and one that I really think I will enjoy. The budget for the American school systems is awful and most locally, the North Carolina budget is a mess. They have placed a hiring freeze on all teaching positions and there isn't a teaching job to be found. I don't often let things stop me, so I sent out about 284745 resumes and am getting a shot back in the world of retail. It isn't as glamorous as one would hope, but in this economy, a job is a job. I actually have a fair amount of experience in retail and I really do love working with the clientele, and it's just a brief time until I take over my own store and move up in the ranks :)

All in all, being back in the States is awesome. I wouldn't have traded my time abroad for anything, but it's good to be home! I must throw in a quick list of differences just for fun:

1. In Korea I was stopped on the street by businessmen to tell me I was beautiful. In America I was shouted at, out of an open van door "Hey baby, can I get your number" from a man with no teeth while I was waiting to cross the street.

2. In Korea the price of a full meal is about $5. In America the price of a sandwich is $5.

3. In Korea you can walk everywhere, and there is abundant public transportation. In America I have to drive 3 blocks to Target because there are no sidewalks and it's on a major road.

4. In Korea I can sit at a Starbucks and read all afternoon with no one bothering me. In America I can sit and read in a coffee house and still meet some really interesting people (see...not all changes are bad)

5. In Korea the price of a mixed drink is $7. In America the price of a mixed drink is $4 (again, not all bad)

6. In Korea there is no American football. In America, preseason started last week :)

I still miss a lot of the fun we had, but it's balanced out with all the fun I am having!! Until next time....ciao!

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