Good-Bye, Two-Thousand-Fourteen

When I reflect on 2014, all I can think about is how good this year was to me. It was a year of new adventures and crossings things off my Life List. It was a year of new jobs and professional growth. It was a year of reaching milestones and growing as a person overall. Here are some of the highlights from my 2014:

In January, I ended my short-yet-miserable experience with unemployment and got a part-time job as a server at a fine-dining steakhouse. (I can’t believe I’ve been working there for almost a year!) Serving at a restaurant is by no means what I want to do for the rest of my life; this is just a job to help me pay the bills while I figure out my career path. But even though this job is not ideal, I’m still glad I have it because it’s better than having no job at all. I was super grateful when my boss hired me, and I am still grateful to this day.

In April, I got a second part-time job working at a non-profit doing mainly administrative work. I was excited about this job because not only would it be my side hustle and help me gain more monthly income, but it would be a great way for me to gain more experience in my potential career field. I was right about this job helping me gain more experience: I feel like I’ve learned A LOT since April and now have some new skills to add to my resume, which is always a plus.

In April, I ran my first 10K. I had been wanting to run a 10K for a long time, it was just a matter of making it happen. After conquering the 10K, I then had the confidence to start training for a half marathon. I decided I would sign up for one after my 29th birthday, and I did.

In May, I turned 29. Since this birthday would start the last year of my twenties, I decided to make a big deal out of this birthday and plan a whole weekend of birthday festivities. My birthday weekend ended up being a ton of fun and it got me super excited to conquer the last year of my twenties and enter my thirties!

In June, I got my wisdom teeth removed. This was something I had been meaning to get done for years but kept putting off because of 1) the cost and 2) the pain. This year, I decided I needed to suck it up both financially and physically so I could just get it done and move on with my life. It turns out the experience was not that bad at all! And the best part? IT’S OVER WITH.

In August, I visited Yosemite National Park for the first time in my life and had a real camping experience consisting of hiking, roasting marshmallows by the fire, and not showering for two days. I absolutely loved Yosemite and spent the weekend thinking, “Why did it take me 29 years to finally see this beautiful place that’s only a three hour drive away?” Chris wants us to go back to Yosemite in summer of 2015 and climb Half Dome. We’ll see about that!

In September, Chris and I went on a belated honeymoon to New York City (part 1, part 2). This was our big trip of the year and we had a blast! Chris loved visiting New York for the first time and I loved being able to go back for the second time and experience way more than I did the first time I went.

In October, I ran my first half marathon: The Nike Women’s Half Marathon in SF. This is something that had been on my Life List for a long time and I finally crossed it off this year. Completing this big goal of mine ended up being one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I am still so proud of this accomplishment.

In October, Chris and I celebrated our two-year wedding aniversary. I still can’t believe we’ve been married for TWO years now. It seems like just yesterday we were eloping at SF City Hall! Seriously, where is the time going? I feel like before we know it, we’re going to be grandparents.

I ended 2014 by getting my very first pet: a pug named Otis! Chris and I are so happy to have this little guy in our lives and that we’re now a family of three.

How was your 2014? What was the best part of your year?

And Then There Were Three

Chris and I had been wanting a dog for a while. He loves dogs and even grew up with a dog named Jack who died when Chris was 22. Almost 10 years later, Chris was getting the itch to own a dog again, specifically a pug. Shortly after we got married, he started planting the “We should get a pug” seed into my head. I was a little hesitant at the idea at first because I’ve never owned a pet in my entire life, but after a few months of Chris constantly showing me random pictures of adorable little pugs on the internet, I, too, had developed pug fever and was sold on the idea. We would get a pug, but not until we moved into a house.

We had originally planned on renting a house when our apartment lease ended a month ago, but due to financial reasons, we decided to hold off on a house until November 2015. We were both a little disappointed with this decision because it meant we would have to wait another year to get a dog. Well, after some discussion about our timeline life plans, we decided that in addition to moving into a house in November 2015, we would start trying to have a baby around that time, too, which meant we would go ahead and get a dog now so we wouldn’t have to experience too many big life changes at once.

So we started searching for a pug. The first place we looked was pug rescue websites, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find what we were looking for. We knew for sure that we wanted a purebred, male, fawn pug around 1 year old so we could name him Otis (like Milo and Otis), but most of the pugs at the pug rescues are old, mixed breeds, unhealthy, or all of the above. The other problem with some of the pug rescue sites we looked at was that they are not kept up-to-date. One day, we did actually manage to find a one-year-old, male, fawn pug, but he got adopted right away and the rescue never bothered to update their website to reflect that. We were so bummed when we found out that pug had been taken so quickly, so we decided to start working on our adoption application so we would be one step ahead next time we found a pug we wanted to adopt. It turns out the adoption application was four pages long and the adoption process as a whole would be even more tedious. At this point, Chris and I decided to look elsewhere for our pug.

Chris started checking Craigslist daily to see if anyone would be selling or even giving away the kind of pug we were looking for. There were a few times when we were very tempted to just get a pug puppy from a breeder, but having a puppy would be difficult since we both work full-time and neither of us would be home during the day to prevent the puppy from going to the bathroom all over our apartment. Even though the pug rescue idea didn’t work out, and getting a puppy was out of the question, we remained hopeful. We also promised each other that if we found the perfect pug in another city, we would make the trip to get him.

Last Tuesday while I was at work, Chris texted me and told me to be home by 5:30pm because he was taking me somewhere as a surprise. I immediately assumed he was taking me on some kind of date night, so I made sure to get home in time like he told me to. Once we got in my car, he said we needed to get gas and then stop at an ATM because the place we were going only takes cash. I was immediately confused. I still had a quarter tank of gas left, so how far were we going? And what kind of place only takes cash these days? I decided not to think too much about it and let myself be surprised, and surprised I was: we ended up driving for an hour and ended up in a residential neighborhood in Manteca! At this point, my assumption about date night had been tossed out the window; the only other reason I could think of as to why Chris had taken me all the way out to Manteca was because we were getting a pug puppy. As it turns out, I was only half right:

“Do you know why we’re here?” Chris asked me as I parked in front of the house and turned off the car.

“We’re getting a pug puppy!” I replied enthusiastically.

“Close. We’re getting a male, fawn pug! He’s one year old, and his name is already Otis!”

*Cue all the feelings of excitement and tears of happiness*

Chris went on to tell me that he had found a Craigslist ad for the dog over the weekend. He immediately called the owner to find out if the dog was still available and why on earth he would be selling it. Apparently, the owner is an old guy who said he just didn’t have the energy to give the dog the time and attention he needs, so he thought it would be best to find the dog a loving home, particularly with a younger owner. As soon as the owner told Chris that the dog’s name is Otis, Chris asked, “HOW SOON CAN I COME PICK HIM UP?”

We have had Otis for almost a week now, and we are just over-the-moon in love with this little guy. He is so friendly, energetic, loveable, and basically the cutest thing ever! We do have some work to do with Otis, though. His previous owner never kept a collar on Otis and never took him out on a leash, so right now, we’re trying to get Otis used to both those things. Otis also needs to work on learning commands (he only knows “sit” and “no”), so we plan to take him to obedience classes at our local Petco. Luckily, he is mostly potty trained so the hard work is pretty much done!

I still can’t believe we finally got our Otis. We’ve been talking about and looking for this exact dog for so long, and now we finally have him. I’ve been calling him our little Christmas miracle since we found him a couple days before Christmas. Now that Christmas is over, I’m looking forward to starting the new year with Otis. I’m excited to to spoil him and watch him grow. I’m excited to become “parents” with Chris. I’m excited for life as a family of three.

Less Time On Facebook, More Time for Me

Over the last few months, I’ve mentioned here once or twice that I’ve been feeling crazy busy lately. Between our Yosemite trip, New York trip, training for my half marathon, fundraising for LLS, working two jobs, and social obligations almost every weekend, I haven’t had much time for me. Instead, I’ve been feeling like a bit of a stress case who can’t even find a minute to effing BREATHE.

Novemember is almost here, and for me, that means a lot more free time ahead, and I can’t wait! No trips to plan, no training, no fundraising, and only a handful of social obligations to fulfill. However, I’ve been thinking a lot lately how I want to create even more free time in my life. More free time to blog, to blog consistently, and to blog well. More free time to work on my running and start attending yoga classes again. More free time to read (and finish!) all the books that I’ve downloaded on my Kindle this year. Blogging, running, yoga, and reading are my hobbies– they are activities that I love to do in my free time. And because they are my hobbies and I love them so, I want to make more of an effort to fit them into my life. This means something else in my life has got to go.

After realizing that I need to eliminate one or two things from my life in order to make time for my hobbies again, I started thinking about what I do when I’m not working, and I immediately came up with this: waste time on social media, specifically Facebook. This is how my days looked like until recently:

Wake up, check Facebook.
Get ready for work, check Facebook.
Go through the Starbucks drive-thru, check Facebook.
Log onto my work computer, check Facebook.
Work, check Facebook.
Get home from work, check Facebook.
Go to my second job, check Facebook on my break.
Get home from second job, check Facebook.
Get ready for bed, check Facebook.
Lay in bed, check Facebook.
Fall asleep. Wake up in the morning and do it all over again.

Kinda disgusting how much time I’d spend on Facebook, isn’t it? I was probably spending on average about two hours a day on Facebook, equaling 14 hours a week. Think of all the other things I could be doing with those 14 hours! It’s not even that I care that much about what my so-called “friends” are posting (more on that later), it’s just habit. A very, very bad habit that takes up a lot of my time. A habit that I should work on breaking.

Not only do I want to quit Facebook because it is such a huge time-suck, I want to quit it because it adds no enrichment to my life whatsoever. In fact, most of the time when I check Facebook, I get annoyed/angry at what people are posting: political rants, sports fans shit-talking other sports fans, “What kind of _____ are you?” quizzes, Candy Crush invites, etc. I see so much of this crap in my Facebook feed, it’s literally starting to look like clutter. And don’t even get me started on some of the stuff my FB friends post that make me feel shitty about my own life, causing me to start playing the comparison game. Essentially, if I don’t enjoy reading over half of the stuff posted in my feed, why should I spend two hours a day on Facebook?

So how am I quitting Facebook? I started by deleting the app from my phone and my iPad a couple days ago. This means I can only check Facebook if I’m at a desktop computer, which is either at my office job or at home in our office. This may not sound like a lot, but it really is! Yesterday, I didn’t check Facebook between 2pm when I left my office job to 8pm when I got home from my restaurant job. Six hours is a long time for a Facebook junkie to not check Facebook. And you know what? I don’t even miss it. Not once in the last couple days have I thought, “Am I missing anything interesting by not checking Facebook right now?” because I already know there’s not a whole lot of interesting stuff going on there. Just a bunch of political rants and Candy Crush invites.

You might be wondering if I plan on deleting my account altogether. The answer to that question is: for now, no. I actually need a Facebook account for my non-profit office job because I manage our campaign’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles, so I kinda have to keep my account for the time being. You also might be wondering if I plan to delete any of my other social media accounts, and the answer to that is also not for now. I have Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest accounts, but I don’t spend a lot of time on any of those platforms. I do have an Instagram account that I use often (not nearly as often as FB), but I actually really enjoy Instagram; it’s made for a younger demographic which means my dad, relatives, and in-laws aren’t on it, and you can choose who you follow. I also like that Instagram is simpler and there’s way less clutter: you can’t “share” or “retweet,” and your feed doesn’t constantly tell you what other people “like” the way Facebook does.

I’m super excited about this change I’m making because I think it’ll be really healthy for me. I’m hoping that deleting the Facebook app will quickly help break my habit of checking it so much, and eventually I won’t feel the need to check my Facebook at my desktop computers, either. Less Facebook equals less negativity in my life and more time to be productive and do the things that make me happy.

If you’re on Facebook, how much time do you spend on it a day? Have you ever thought about deleting your account? How do you make time for your hobbies?

Goodbye, Two-Thousand-Thirteen

Hello again, lovely readers. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday last week. I myself had a fantastic Christmas Eve and Christmas with Chris and our families– lots of laughs, gifts, and food! Now that Christmas is over, I’m truly ready to focus on the new year.

I have to say, compared to last year, 2013 was pretty chill. I didn’t travel to different countries, get engaged, then married, or move into a new home. Two-thousand-thirteen was all about working on my career and traveling locally, which is most of what I said I would do this year. However, even though 2013 wasn’t the most eventful year, there were still some exciting things that happened. Let’s recap, shall we?

In February, I took a trip to Monterey with Chris to celebrate Valentine’s Day and our two year anniversary (two years since we got together, not since we’ve been married). I had never been to Monterey before, so this trip was extra fun for me. I also bought a car after sharing one with Chris for almost a year! It still feels so great to have mobile independence again.

In May, I quit my restaurant job and started a contracted job for a non-profit in hopes the career change would help me gain a permanent full-time position. At the end of the month, I turned 28, so Chris took me to San Diego over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate.

In September, I took Chris to Las Vegas for his 30th birthday. It was both my and Chris’ first time in Vegas, so the trip was extra fun for BOTH of us. A week later, we went to Lake Tahoe to participate in Tough Mudder where Chris dislocated his shoulder before we could finish the course. Tough Mudder is no joke, people!

In October, Chris and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary! I still can’t believe how fast the first year went by and that we’re not newlyweds anymore.

In November, my contracted job ended and my first time ever being unemployed began. It’s been a rough transition, but I’m adjusting.

All in all, 2013 has been a good year: I bought my own set of wheels, I got to travel to cities I had never been to before, I gained some work experience, and I went on various adventures with My Love. It sucks that 2013 had to end with my being unemployed and having very little money, but I’m confident that once 2014 starts, my luck is going to turn around.

How was your 2013? What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Our New Apartment!

It’s been about a month since Chris and I moved into our new apartment, and I’m happy to report that we are almost all settled in! All we need is an armchair and a few prints for our living room, bedroom, and office. Since most of the apartment is put together, I’ve decided to share a few pictures of our new place.

Living Room 1

Living Room 2

Dining Room

Kitchen

Bathroom

Bedroom

Office

My favorite part of our new apartment is the dining room; I ordered those prints from Etsy and put together the dining table and chairs by myself! Now I just need to find a cute table runner and centerpiece as the finishing touches.

I really cannot express how happy I am about our new home. I know it’s just a two bedroom apartment, but after you live in a studio apartment for a year and then share a studio apartment with someone else for eight months, making the move to a two bedroom feels AWESOME. We’ve gone from a “treehouse” to a “mansion” and we’re absolutely loving it.

Goodbye, Two-Thousand-Twelve

Two-thousand-twelve in pictures:

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Saying Goodbye to My Korean Students

March 30, 2012: Engaged!

27th Birthday Dinner in San Francisco

Santa Cruz Weekend Trip

South Lake Tahoe Camping Trip

October 26, 2012: Married!

Not pictured: On December 9th, we moved out of our studio and into a two bedroom apartment!

For me, 2012 was a roller coaster ride of emotions: happy, sad, excited, frustrated, confused, discouraged– you name it. It was one of those years where there were a lot of great things that happened, but there was also a lot of struggle. I started out the year with a trip to Thailand with Chris for his graduation/Christmas gift. At the end of March, I left the life I built in Suwon, South Korea and came back to my first home in Sacramento, California. A couple days later, Chris proposed and I said “YES!” Over Memorial Day weekend, I spent my 27th birthday celebrating in San Francisco with My Love. Over the summer we planned our wedding while taking mini get-a-ways to Santa Cruz and South Lake Tahoe.  At the end of October, we got married in front of our immediate families at San Francisco City Hall, and two weeks later, we celebrated with our extended families at my dad’s house. Three weeks ago, we moved into our new home.

Of course, with the good comes the bad. For seven months, Chris was unemployed and I supported us with my part-time restaurant job. During this time, we struggled individually and as a couple. Chris was upset and frustrated that he couldn’t find a job and help out with the finances. I was stressed about money and feeling down on myself that I was back to working in a restaurant again after graduating college and teaching abroad. We were living in a studio apartment during this struggle, so often times, we unintentionally took out our irritations on each other. It was a hard, challenging time for our relationship, but I am happy to say we got through it, and our love is stronger than it’s ever been.

Hard, challenging times aside, 2012 was a wonderful year. I got married to the love of my life, and together, we are making exciting plans for our first year of marriage: working on our careers, grad school, and going on a belated honeymoon to either Central America or Europe! Two-thousand-thirteen is going to be awesome, I just know it.

How was your 2012?

We’re Moving!

{Via}

Yup, that’s right. After eight long months of co-habitating in a tiny studio apartment, Chris and I are finally moving on up in the world and moving into a spacious two-bedroom apartment!

In case you’re wondering how we ended up in a studio apartment together in the first place, the studio is where Chris lived when he was in college. When I moved back from Korea, I moved in with him because not only did we want to live together, we weren’t sure what city he was going to find a job in. Well, fast-forward eight months later and we’re still in Sacramento, so Sacramento is where we’re going to stay for now. Especially since we just signed a one year lease.

I’m so excited for our new place. It’s a modern apartment with lots of space (a little over 800 square feet), a patio, and a DISHWASHER. You guys, I haven’t had a dishwasher in almost two years; there really aren’t enough words to express how happy I am to have one again! Also, the complex has a pool and a fitness center. Score!

Even though I’m stoked to move, a part of me is a little sad to leave our studio mainly because we have so many special memories here. This is the place where we had our first kiss. This is the place where Chris proposed to me. This is the place where our relationship has been challenged and strengthened for the last eight months. (Believe me when I tell you that sharing a studio apartment is a HUGE test to a relationship.) I am ecstatic to leave this tiny studio apartment, but it will always hold a special place in my heart as the first living space we ever shared.

Anyway, enough with the sappy nostalgia. Yay for having a dishwasher!

College: Then and Now

 

Next month marks two years since I graduated from college. This anniversary has been on my mind a lot as of late, because as it approaches, I can’t help but think about how much I’ve changed and grown since then. I’d say that most of these changes are good ones because they’ve helped me to become more of an adult– a “Big Girl,” which is suitable since I am 27 years old after all. Here are some of the changes I’ve noticed in the past few months:

Then: In college, I didn’t have time for hardly anything other than school, work, and studying. My Monday-Friday schedule was go to school, go to work, do homework, repeat. My weekends were consumed with writing papers and studying for exams on campus.
Now: I’m working two jobs right now, but I still have more time than I did in college. Nowadays, I actually have time to workout, hang out with friends, free read, etc.

Then: In college, I had no money. My parents didn’t help me pay for my college tuition or living expenses, so it was all up to me to pay my way through college with my part-time restaurant job and student loans. Because of this challenge, some months I had a hard time keeping up with my finances. Essentially, I was broke all the time and ate lots of spaghetti.
Now: I’m still working in a restaurant, but now I’m working full-time and making twice as much money as I did in college. I’m able to pay all my bills on time with a little bit leftover to treat myself to lunch or a pedicure once in a while.

Then: I had never traveled out of the country.
Now: I’ve traveled to six countries and lived in one.

Then: I sucked at being domestic. I never cooked because I didn’t have the time, especially the time to cook just for me. I didn’t do certain chores as nearly as often as I should have (e.g. clean the bathroom) because it grossed me out.
Now: I still don’t cook as much as I want to because I work nights, but the point is I actually cook! I cook dinner on my nights off, cook breakfast on the weekend mornings, and bake on my afternoons off. As for the cleaning, I have a chore chart that states what chores need to be done and when (daily, weekly, monthly), and I stay on top of it.

Then: I’ve always been pretty good at remembering birthdays, but not always good at acknowledging them, mostly because I was so preoccupied with school and/or broke.
Now: All of my family members and close friends’ birthdays are marked in my Google calender, and when one of them has a birthday, they get a card/drink/gift/birthday lunch. Also, these days I’m a lot better about sending thank you cards, showing up to parties with food/beverages to share, and attending family gatherings.

Then: I was single and ready to mingle! I flirted, dated, and made out with boys who later turned out to be jerks. I got my hopes up and my heart broken. A lot.
Now: I’m married to the most amazing man who treats me so well and makes me incredible happy.

Sometimes, I miss college, because I miss learning in a classroom, professors who motivate me, and college student camaraderie. But what I don’t miss about college is how much it restricted me from so many things: having free time, having money, traveling, taking care of myself, being a good family member/friend, meeting the right guy, etc. So even though I’m really thankful I went to college and got an education, I’m relieved that such an overwhelmingly busy, crazy, stressful time in my life is over.

How have you changed since college?

Apparently Life Didn’t Like the Plans I Made for Myself

After I moved back to Sacramento at the end of March, my post-Korea plan was to apply for CSUS Sacramento’s single-subject teacher credential program in August, and if I got accepted, I would start the year and a half program in January. In the meantime, I would substitute teach during the day and wait tables at night to earn and save money for school.

Yeah, those plans haven’t been working out so well these past three and half months. In fact, they aren’t going to work out at all.

It started when I didn’t get any of the subbing/tutoring jobs I applied for, leaving me with only my part-time restaurant job for income. Then I did poorly on one of the tests I needed to pass before applying to the credential program. Then a huge financial hardship got in the way of me being able to save any money for school. Then I realized that a couple of my co-workers (who already have teaching credentials and teaching experience) are working in a restaurant because they can’t find teaching jobs. Then I read this, and that pretty much solidified my decision to not pursue a teaching career anymore.

I didn’t want to give up my dream of becoming a teacher. In fact, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I finally decided to let it go because I realized that my “dream” wasn’t a dream; it was a plan I had made for myself because I didn’t know what I should do with my life once I moved back to California.

Teaching English in Korea is what made me want to become a teacher in the first place; I loved my job in Korea so much, it had me convinced that I would love teaching in America as well. But then I came home from Korea and, after talking to many experienced American teachers, I realized that teaching here would be completely different than teaching there. In Korea, I never had to deal with unmotivated students, crazy parents, and long hours of grading/lesson-planning; I only got to experience all of the fun, good things that come with teaching, and in a country where education is highly valued and teachers are appreciated. Teaching in America means I would have to deal with unmotivated students, crazy parents, and long, strenuous work hours on a daily basis, and in a country where the education system is failing and teaching is one of the least respected professions. Oh, and let’s not forget that teacher’s today are getting laid off left and right, and many of them can’t find new jobs, despite the fact that they have the education and experience.

So, in a nutshell, I have decided not to spend the time and money to get a degree that won’t guarantee me a job I will love when I graduate.

As for a new career goal, I have no idea. I recently got promoted at my restaurant as a Shift Supervisor: I’ll be working full-time and getting management experience to add to my resume, which I’m pretty happy about. But being a Shift Supervisor at a restaurant is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. To be honest, I’m not proud of the fact that I’m 27 years old with a college degree and working in a restaurant again, but I do feel fortunate to have a good full-time job during this bitch of a recession. So there’s that.

In a way, I’m frustrated that my post-Korea plans didn’t work out because not only do I have to start over, but I am left feeling like I don’t know what’s next and I don’t have control over my life right now. (I HATE that feeling!) But at the same time, I’m kind of relieved the teaching thing didn’t work out, because like I mentioned earlier, becoming a teacher isn’t my passion; it’s just something I thought I could do to make use of my English degree and my one year of teaching experience– it’s something I thought I could do because I didn’t (and still don’t) know what to do with my life. So instead of dwelling on the fact that I have to start over at 27, I’m going to be thankful for the fact that Life has steered me away from taking the wrong path towards something that isn’t right for me.

Have you ever made life plans for yourself that didn’t work out? Are you happy with your current job? Or are you settling?

On Reverse Culture Shock and Being Home

I’ve been home for almost three weeks now, and while life back home has been awesome, it’s also not quite what I had expected. Originally, I expected to have a hard time adjusting back into the American lifestyle and constantly experiencing reverse culture shock, but as it turns out, adjusting hasn’t been that difficult at all. The ease of settling in probably has to do with my five-day visit back in January; it’s like those five days broke me in and helped me figure out what to expect once I returned for good. I’m still trying to get used to certain things, like remembering tax and tip, the huge food portions, and not speaking to random people in Korean, but for the most part, I feel like I’ve adjusted quite well so far.

Chris and I are loving the fact that we’re living together and seeing each other every day: we’ve been spending a lot of quality time together, as well as with our friends and families. We especially love that we are engaged. (!!!!!) We haven’t done a lot of wedding planning yet, but we do know that we want to tie the knot sometime in early October, and we want to have a small, simple, inexpensive wedding ceremony and reception.

Before I came home, I wrote about my fear of not having anything in common with my close friends anymore, and feeling like they might be too busy for me with their new lives. As it turns out, that hasn’t been the case at all. My friends here have busy lives, but I feel like they’re still making time to hang out with me. And when we do hang out, it feels like I never left– like we’re picking up right where we left off with ease. I can’t express enough how happy and relieved this makes me.

As for work, I’m working at the same restaurant I worked at right before I left. Even though I’m not thrilled to be working in a restaurant again and I miss teaching, the money is good and the work is easy. In fact, getting back into serving again after a year off was surprisingly easy itself, like riding a bike. Right now, I’m working four nights a week, but once I start substitute teaching in May, I’ll probably cut down to 2-3 a week so I can focus on subbing.

Along with working and catching up with friends and family, I’m in the process of going back to school to get my teaching credential. I recently took the California Basic Education Skills Test and am now preparing to take the California Subject Examination Test (two tests I need to pass before applying), and soon I’ll start working on obtaining official transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. My plan is to apply in August, and if I get accepted, I’ll start next January and be done in a year. Until then, I plan on subbing, tutoring, and volunteering in classrooms to get more experience to add to my resume.

It’s crazy to think I’ve been home for barely three weeks; it seems like so much longer because of how much has happened since I’ve been back. Sometimes, it feels like I never left– like Korea was just a dream. But it wasn’t, and I do miss it, but not as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my students, my job, my friends, K-Pop, and spicy Korean food. However, being home is really, really nice, and I’m enjoying every second of it too much to feel sad about Korea. At least for now.