Last entry for 2005!!

Hey folks! I've returned--to the wonderful land of the morning calm. Korea never looked better and I'm really glad to be back! I've missed teaching--but who would have thought since I was pretty stressed when I left for my vacation. Ah! Now I'm refreshed and ready to tackle it all over again :)

I've definitely missed the kids, that's for sure. But hey, that's not what this entry is about. It's my last entry for 2005 before the New Year rings in--and I thought I'd just say a few words and publicize my resolutions... basically get my last few of 2005 out there!!

It's really been a great year, and it seemed to flow by so quickly. After 5 months in Korea, I've realized just a few things about myself, what I want to change and what I want to do differently in the new year.

What have I learned through all my mishaps and good times thus far? Patience. It takes patience; one lovely asset I've learned from just a few important people that raised me, and those wonderful experiences I've learned on my own. Hitting the brick wall truly does help to rationalize and realize whether the direction you're heading in is the right one--or whether it's time to turn around and head in another direction.

Ah, 'tis one of the best things in life; to be able to assess your surroundings and make that choice to change or let things stay the same. Isn't it great?

So in the New Year, I want to accomplish 5 things. And if I fail, then at least I tried; but for now, the whole world will know this:

1) I plan on finally writing a book of all my travels (tentatively titled "The Swiss Experience") and at least send it to a few publishers. It'll probably be a mild fiction focusing on my experience working as an Au Pair in Switzerland and progressing from there.

2) I plan on getting into the best shape of my life and by summer, running at least a 10K (I figure there must be some running/swimming or Triathalon races in Seoul by then!!)

3) Pass the DELF/DALF French exam with flying colors to add to my teaching/translation credentials.

4) Take the necessary steps to get working on my Master's, and finally earning my Teaching Certificate.

5) Last, learn the art of patience, balance and self-reflection. The greatest thing in life is not the end result, but the progress. I want to really reflect on myself and put everything into perspective. This goes with finding a balance between work and play, friendships and relationships~ sort of a branch from the yin-yang theory.

There you go. The last words (almost) of 2005. So there's just 3 and 1/2 hours to go~ and to everyone at home, far away, and even close, may you ALL have a Happy New Year!!

~ Chelsea

Life Happens: A trip back to my old church, nostalgia, and growing pains

It's Monday, already, and it snowed beautifully last night when my mom and I took a midnight walk outside. I've spent quite a bit of time with my friend Stephanie, doing miscellaneous errands and mutually helping one another doing this and that. It's been a little exhausting at times, but nonetheless, I felt like I was helping out. Now on Sunday, there was a Christmas pageant at my old church, Emmanuel Lutheran, and we spent the good part of the morning there. It was good times filled with nostaligia.

It was also going to be my official last Sunday of church there before I left for Korea. I enjoyed however, seeing all the old faces I remember so well from childhood (faces, but not always names, mind you!) We had a breakfast afterwards, put on by the Altar Guild ladies, and it was yummy (well, I thought the egg casserole thingy was strange, but the muffins were good!)

Steph and her husband Jay were Mary and Joseph, and it brought back memories thinking of just a year prior, we were all sitting together watching Juan standing up as one of the Wisemen during the story of Jesus born in Bethlehem. That seems like so long ago, now... it's funny how time flies.





I caught a photo of Rachel (the church Treasurer and my personal life-saver, as she helped me on many occasions when I was working last spring as church secretary~ before Korea, of course). Her daughter has the most beautiful eyes, and I snapped right when she looked up at me. Neat moment, indeed.





Today was just one of those days I needed to sit at home, my folks' home, and do nothing. Every other day, I've either done errands, went to buy stuff, gone to visit someone, or... whatever else I find I don't remember. Nah, I just needed to slow down. And I did. But I felt aggitated, like I needed to do something constructive. You see, I've got an 'equal work/equal play' work ethic (or I try to, at least). I have to find a balance, and sometimes having just too much of one or another, I realize I don't feel right. Rather strange, but then maybe that's just me.

I think moreover I realize now that my vacation is winding down, too. Perhaps it hasn't helped that I've come down with a snag of a cold, and I'm feeling it now; or maybe I don't feel as in control as I'd like to be. That could be my problem, come to think of it. I've always needed to be in control, to have the freedom to do as I please, and it should be that way seeing as I'm 27. But, as you can imagine, going home and staying with the folks (because of sheer nostalgia, the feeling of 'living at home again') maybe has brought me down, or reliving some of my childhood memories, among other possibilities (although I have to admit, they've let me do pretty much what I wanted, and they've bent over backwards for me, I know). It could be having the freedom to get in the car and go; then of course, there's car rentals, silly me!

But the truth of the matter is, I think in the midst of this near month-long vacation, trying to free these demons that have built up inside me (health issues, the nostalgia of being back at home and seeing all of my friends and family again, in particular my ex-boyfriend~ whilst placing myself in time and realizing my 'here-and-now' in Korea) I've come to the conclusion that I think I'm right in the middle of a little growing up crisis.

It seems odd, I know, but it's a fact. I feel that strange clock ticking, being around my since-childhood friend, Stephanie, her husband and child. Then there was the 'Bon voyage back to Korea' family party we had on Dec 10th my Grandmother's, visiting the Brown family once again, and seeing my cousin Amber at 6 months pregnant with her second boy. And Jennifer, my Junior High friend, who I'll see this week; she's got 2 boys already and they're growing like weeds!

Alright, alright, so I happen to be focusing on the baby/children part, but that's not necessarily what I'm concentrating on. It's the life happens part. It's not just the geography; my bro and his wife are in Alabama. My dad and step-ma Debbie are in Louisiana. My pop and mom are here in Washington. I've got family all over, so I can't just say I'm 'missing out' because I'm 6,000 miles away in Korea, or just out of the country, for that matter... or can I? Does geography have anything to do with it, or is there something more...?

I used to think it was not being near my friends, or family, or simply in the same country as the people I know that I thought was the root problem. The life happens part will happen, whether your close geographically or not. The unfortunate part is that many families-including my own-live so close to one another, yet they hardly visit. They hardly pick up the phone. They hardly email.

I'm guilty of this too. And I realize, as I'm sure I'm not the only one, that we let too many things get in the way of what is really important; sometimes I think this American (Westernized, if you will) culture molds us into thinking that life is made up the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. It's become an issue of materialism---how many homes you have, if your 'dialed in' to 'what's going on' (how many of you got that one?), where to get the best prices, and saving for retirement (among so many others, folks). Yeah, I compare myself. I want to be apart of the 'haves' more than the 'have-nots'. But you know what? Life isn't about that. We're fueled by tv, the media, this secret underlying connected cortex we associate with, we depend upon, we're fed by. It's pathetic, and sometimes I think it's the only way we can survive, because it's almost ingrained in us. It's a cruel world out there (no cliche intended), and with fierce competition, you gotta know when to 'run with the bulls,' as they say. I wonder if that's a law school slogan? Would be interesting, anyway.

In the end, it's all boils down to how you live your life, right? I mean, we preach about what's really important in life, we talk about how money is meaningless, we listen to self-help books and watch shows and movies about improving our lives, our productivity, about being happy and fruitful, and 'balanced'.. HA! Yet we don't even heed our own advice!!

And we watch National Geographic, the special on Ethiopia and the starving children, with hyperextended stomaches from malnutrition; we cry with them, maybe talk to someone else about the show we just saw. But do we do anything about it? No. We move on to the next gossip, or the next errand, or the next hour to get ready for work or school.

I mean, how much fun would God have if he had created perfect human beings, anyway? That's precisely why we are the way we are.

And so there's turmoil. And suffering. And the educated. And the poor. And people struggling to be the better of the 'haves' whilst the 'have-nots' just struggle to make ends meet. And in the middle, there's Tyra and Opera tv shows, giving away such wonderful, unreal, expensive Christmas gifts to a select audience who live like Kings and Queens for a day. Or an episode.

Which is probably all given back after the show, but is made to look like the audience is lucky, making all the normal folks at home wish we were in the audience.

But wait! These tv show hosts really do change peoples lives, don't they? I mean, it's all about believing. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? Believing there will be lots of good food to eat, Christmas presents to exchange, family and friends to meet... it's the chaos of Christmas and guess what? It's the Money, with a capital 'M', that drives the season through. Alas, we have come to the truth.

After the holidays, credit card companies are happy, and people are sapped, zapped and monkey slapped with no money and debt up to their ears because they wanted to be apart of the 'haves'. Or, at least, rememembered that way. Afterall, you'll always be remembered for the Christmas gift you gave, right? What did you give last year, and do the people remember? What about 5 years ago??

Let me get back to the point I was trying to make: we shouldn't use Christmas or Thanksgiving, or the Holidays as an excuse to get in touch with our family, friends or loved ones. It's truly how you stay in touch with your family, your friends, or the people you know that is the most important, without the influence of the media-fueled holidays to rectify the call or the visit that enables you to recount the entire last year in a single conversation.

Emails are incredible tools, and likewise, the telephone (or the other way around); but nowadays, it seems that emails are replacing the telephone, which originally replaced the one-on-one, the face to face communication that many of us desperately needed~ and still need 'til this day. Eventually, there may no longer be such types of communication needed; but hey, that's way, way, way down yonder to think about.

(sigh)

Nostalgia, growing pains, the lack of communication, and misaligned meanings of Christmas and holidays... these are all what I call 'relative clauses' in the story of life. And the deal is, there is no such 'instructions to life' (if there is one, please enlighten me!). We are all essentially a product of our parents and our surroundings; and though we don't necessarily have to be like them or what influenced us from day one, we still have the choice to write our own story and instructions to life.

Sometimes just one phone call, a knock at the door, or--an email, could make all the difference. So put down that newspaper, throw away that magazine, turn off the t.v. and maybe, just maybe you might be inspired to bash in that computer screen (wait, if that's the case, you wouldn't be able to read my entry... now I'm caught in my own entanglement! How about you put that 'ol screen on standby, then.) Indeed, it's about staying in touch, and it's about finding that right balance. That's life, naturally, one day at a time.

~ Chelsea

On the homefront: A trip to Seattle

Just a few photo postings of my stay back home. This particular sequence is from a recent trip to Seattle, with Juan, his roommie Richard, and their friend Mike (besides myself, of course!) We went to reek havoc in Seattle, among other things, checking out the scenary, look at the Art Institute of Seattle for Mike, and together see a backetball game at Key Arena. The photos say it all~ what a bea-uuute of a day, indeed! ENJOY!

More photos coming soon. Check out some recent additions to my Flickr photos!

Prolonged vacation: Communcation and Foreign Environments

My vacation is going to be prolonged. Sorry folks, but it had to be done. I know you were just waiting for more Korean adventures!

As of today, I moved my ticket up a full 2 weeks. Now, on one hand, I should be thrilled to stay longer: my folks are here, I get to visit with my friends and family longer, and I'd be here to finalize moving my stuff and turning in the keys to my old apartment, among other things (say--health check-ups, for example: there's nothing like being able to communicate with your doctor about important things without having to translate sensitive topics between you and your school director, due to the language barrier!) But alas, I feel a little guilty, for more than once reason.

I've been missing the kids at school: driving me mad, begging me to buy them Odang and taking the first part of class trying to persuade me to play, whereas the phrase, "Chelsea ssem (meaning, teacher), let's play game!" has become all too common.

I miss to some degree, the co-workers who choose to speak in Korean all the time, leaving me often in my own little world~ yeah, I sort of miss them too. Perhaps it's their way of speaking English a wee bit broken. Or the frivalous blah blahs they chat about, petty stories I imagine they gossip about since I often have but a 2% understanding of their conversations anway (thanks to Konglish).

And then there's my boss, Susan, who'll somehow have to collaborate another 2 weeks of chaos, figuring out how to keep the kids we've got and praying I'll really come back before the parents start wondering. I'm sure I'll have some feet tapping when I return: but after they've tasted my delectable, American snacks; given my quasi-Christmas, quasi-"thank you for putting up with a whole month of knowing what my days at work feel like without a break or a moment to breath" just-because gifts; and begun to work my butt off again in the usual manner~ I'm sure all will be forgiven.

Last, I miss the familiar landscapes that were once foreign to me. I've had a bit of time to think about how much just being in Korea, geographically, has changed me. I've become more independent and self-sufficient, and among other things, have taken a sort of pride and ownership for my little town-- it's petite, distinct culture that took me so long to adjust to, for example, along with the funky food, the quirks I've come in contact with, and the manner and way things were done~ which was so far from the normal, westernized style I had known all my life.

But speaking in terms of guiltiness in prolonging my vacation: the simple, rudimentary and obvious reason boils down to an issue of health. The fact of the matter is, I've realized there is no quarreling or compromising with one's health. It's either good or bad, not somewhere in-between. And I didn't want to go back to Korea in a stae of bad or in-betweeness concerning my health. Period.

So for the curious audience, I'll just say a bladder infection is no fun in a foreign country (including--and ladies, you know what I mean when I talk about--the infection that ensues because of the pills you take to cure the bladder infection!) Funny, I already dealt with the like in Switzerland, some years ago; but at least then I was able to communicate in French without a translator! Let me tell you, it's another story when you can't find the help you need (or the pills!) because you lack the necessary language skills.

Ahhh.. now, all I need is for everything to go as planned, and my fairytale vacation stay, to end blissfully. So all you women considering moving to another country to teach, consider ALL the possibilities. I'm not saying you should base whether moving to another country outside of your own is worth it, based upon whether you're able to communicate to health professionals or emergency services in that foreign country should the occasion arise; the point is, being knowledgeable ABOUT them~ who to talk to, connecting to translation services, and knowing heads from tails are essential to getting around and feeling comfortable in the foreign environment. How you feel in that foreign environment is the key, and knowing where to look for help....

(Commercial Break) And now that I'm on a rampage, and you know practically the whole story, let me talk to you about some necessities when you consider going to another country (for work, for teaching, or anything of a nature where you'll stay longer than a few weeks, that is).

I mentioned knowing how you feel in a foreign environment, knowing where to look for help and who to talk to when a crisis or anything health-related is concerned.

Once that's covered, you need to think about having a proper support system; something that is crucial when your outside of your 'comfortable environment'--a.k.a. your country of origin. That is, people you can depend upon to help you out. And no, I don't just mean when there's a crisis. Every woman, particularly, needs to have girl friends to talk to. You need to ask yourself: Who can I turn to when I need help, and not just in an emergency? Do I have friends or acquaintences I can rely on, simply communicate or hang out with? When you have a comfortable circle--a list of numbers to dial when you need to, you become less on the 'offensive' and more resilient to the environment you're residing in. You essentially feel comfortable, more in-tune, more 'one' in where you are (a bit philosophical, I know, but I'm trying hard to stay clear of that!)

One brick wall I hit when I arrived in Korea was being able to simply ask where the bathroom was, where I could buy bread, or how to take a taxi to downtown. Language barriers are just the tip of the iceberg, too, in terms of how you feel in that foreign environment. It's not just about being able to communicate in the case of health emergencies, when you're at the bank, or in everyday circumstances. I'm talking about simple, good-'ol human talk.

Everyone needs to nurture themselves through social contact and relationships. I suffered a bit from isolation when I first arrived in Korea. I subconsciously believed that to truly immerse myself and learn the language in this country, I had to limit myself to the locals. Not entirely so (but this is subjective: in Switzerland, I intentially spoke only French because it was the only way I could essentially become fluent in the language!)

Back to Korea, within a few months, I realized the isolation was taking it's tole on me, and what I really needed was confirmation from other English speakers. What I longed for were people who were in my same position, going through exactly what I was going through, with mutually shared experiences on which I could base my own. This was part of the experience I was missing.

In terms of communication, you don't get the same affect speaking English to non-native speakers; eventually, you end up speaking slower than normal, watching your grammar and what you say, and either party can easily misconstrue what is communicated. I've also found, when speaking to non-native speakers, there's two things that could happen, which essentially changes the way you speak: You can sometimes break down that fluency and begin communicating like the foreigners with whom you speak with (when, in actuality, you're the foreigner in their country!) or you enable your fluency skills and build upon them. You figure out the meaning of the language you speak, simply by dissecting it, breaking it down, and teaching it to others. You become in-tune to your language, and that is the moment when you realize the true meaning of communication, and just how important it is.

With a native-english speaker, you brush past those language barriers you intially needed to overcome in the first place; you abate those uncertainties, feelings of lonliness or isolation, embellishing those experiences with people you feel comfortable with, building upon your independence and certitude in that foreign environment. Eventually, that environment becomes less and less foreign, until one day, you consider that environment your home.

It's an awesome phenomenon that teachers, such as my self, stumble upon in their ESL teaching experiences. But who knows; I am but one of many in this little country called Korea. Once I tackled the initial fears~ learning and memorizing basic phrases needed to get me around and feel independent, gathering a support circle of friends and must-have contact infos, I essentially realized how self-empowering it could be to live in Korea, and doing just what I was doing!

So there you go. My vacation is prolonged, and here I am talking about not being able to communicate to others in a foreign country! Perhaps I'm going through withdrawals from not being surrounded 24/7 with people I can't communicate with...or better yet, maybe the place I've called home for more than 27 years has now become foreign to me? I almost find it easier now to speak in English to non-native speakers. It's a curious thought, indeed.

I find it interesting how being in a foreign place can change you. I saw myself changing in Korea, and maybe now, I'm finding myself changed being home again. 'Til then, I'll just enjoy speaking regular English for awhile.

~ Chelsea

The Perils of Phone Communication

Story: The perils of a telecommunications company.

Once upon a time, there was this company called Teletech. And there was this guy named Juan that worked for this company. And there was also this girl named Chelsea--the guy's ex-turned-quasi-friend (coz there's alot of junk going on and miscellaneous blah-blah)--who wanted to get a hold of him at said Teletech company because he didn't give her his apartment keys after brunch, though she wanted to move some of her stuff out while he was at work, but was unable to do so without keys to the apartment. She was moving her stuff out of the apartment and preparing to go back to Korea after a near two-week vacation in her hometown.

Anyhow, as you can imagine, he worked as a 'tech-by-telephone' for this company: answering phone calls, problem solving and possibly dealing with irrate customers. Irrate is probably an understatement for the day Chelsea tried contacting Juan at this Teletech company..

So this particular day, Chelsea called Teletech to get a hold of Juan to try and get the apartment keys that he had forgotten to give her. A recorded operator started speaking: If this is a family emergency, push 1. If not, and this is not of an emergency nature, we will not message an employee.. blah blah blah. Chelsea pushed one. Then an operater answered, asked where to direct the call, and without further adieu, Chelsea thought about what she wanted to say to Juan. Another operator- this time superviser - picked up the line and asked if this was a family emergency. Yes, it is. I must get a hold of Juan Morey. The superviser confessed he didn't know who that was. Why? Can't you just transfer me, Chelsea wondered. No, you called an employee sick line. Well, yeah, I'm calling to talk to Juan and I need to talk to him. Let me transfer you, the superviser says, to Human Resources. They should be able to connect you to Juan. Ok, maybe I'll get to talking to him, finally, Chelsea thought.

Moments later, another operator answered the line: Teletech Human Resources, how can I help you? Can I speak to Juan Morey, please? Who?, the person on the other end of the line replied. Juan Morey, M-O-R-E-Y. I just dropped him off at work an hour ago. How could you not know him? Well, this place is big, there are alot of employees, and besides, I'm not able to transfer the call to employees. We can only take messages. What?! How do family members get through if there's an emergency, and they must speak to one of the employees there? So this isn't a family emergency, the Human Resources person said to Chelsea. Well, of course, for crying out loud! I just want to know how in the world I'm able to just speak to Juan Morey. I've spend more than 20 minutes on the line trying to talk with him. Now can you put me through or not?? Well, let me transfer you. I'm sure you'll be able to talk to him.

5 seconds later and cotton mouth forming from speaking in an exassperated tone, Chelsea heard, once again, the initial recorded operator that she heard when she first made the call to Teletech. The last part of the recorded message said, please leave a message after the tone.

And with that, Chelsea left a major complaint about such telecommunications company not being able to connect her to a Teletech employee.

Ah... the perils of phone communication. I guess this is how people respond to emergencies in a company where people are too used to communicating on the phone.

Time Flies: Must I leave so soon?

Here it is, already the 8th of December (+15 hours difference between Washington and Korea), and I'm already near packing, buying gifts for the boss, kids and co-workers, and thinking about last-minute things to accomplish before my flight out on Sunday. That's right, back to Korea. And it's just 3 days from now. Amazing how time flies.

So while I'm packing the last tid-bits of my belongings in my apartment with Juan (who's leaving back to the DR on Christmas day, of all days!), I'm constantly reminded of my life here in little Bremerton. Just driving in my Pop's Nissan truck, feeling free, going over the Manette or Warren Avenue Bridge; looking at the cloudless, blue sky and snowy mountain peaks of the Olympics; or visiting with old friends that were crucial to my prior-Louisiana school days, and after... I'm seriously surrounded by so such nostalgia, it's almost irritating!

Tonight I'm off with my old friend and former Home Depot co-worker, Troy, to check out the show, "Mama Mia" at the Paramount in Seattle. We hears it's a real knee jerker. I'll tell you all about it, promise! I'm looking forward to the crisp, Seattle air again. Should be fun :)

And after all this, I wonder: Must I leave so soon? I could do for another week. Or two. I've got plenty of things to keep me here longer, including some medical check-ups to make sure this Yankee is still doing fine. But we'll see~ there's still a possibility to change my ticket for later. The only problem is, the earliest flight after my Dec 11th scheduled flight is the 21st: nearly 10 full days later, and almost a month since I took off on Nov 29th to Washington. I have a feeling though there'd be a few grudges built at home. 'Til then, I'll just have fun while I'm here!

~ Chelsea

Bremerton: It's snowflakes falling on rooftops...not cedar.

What a beautiful day it was. the northwest has great things to offer, and though I've only been away in Korea just a few short months~ it's really taken just this short time to realize how good home really is!

I woke up to another cold, cloudy day. But the unusual part was that it started snowing just about 11am. I had crashed over at Juan's after a pretty fun day hanging out in Seattle with Juan and his roommate, Richard, and one of their Teletech co-workers, Mike. We had a blast over in Seattle, yesterday~ but I'll get back to that later. Juan and I decided to go down to our old hang-out, Cafe Destino's where my old friend, Jennifer, used to work. They made pretty good coffee~ 2 muffins and a chai tea and caramel latte 10 minutes later, and we went walking to the bus stop: he off to work, and I walking gingerly home to freshen' up and see the folks.

We walked past Evergreen park, after visiting a local all organic food store that recently opened up (it had been closed for some years when I left for Korea) and suddenly realized that the small drizzle had turned into light snow flakes. We looked at each other rather surprisingly, both stopping at the same time, racking our brains realizing that it was actually snowing and not raining! We then continued walking with a smile and giggled at the funny moment we shared. It was cold; he had the umbrella and I with my wet running shoes. We walked frozen in the cold, commenting on the luck we had that we left right at the exact time that it started snowing. I recalled how it had been years since I saw the snow like that tumble so gently in my hometown. The last time I remember, I was young and had made a snowman or two in my parents' front yard. What a memory; now I get to relive them during this blink-of-an-eye vacation!

Yesterday was a blast event too. I woke up half-awake and groggy from going to bed late Tuesday night (go figure; my body was still adjusting to the new time). Indeed, I went over to Juan and Richard's apartment about a quarter to 10 for plans we had to hang out in Seattle (just a clarification: me and Juan's old apartment for those who don't know but might care; and yes, Juan is my ex-turned-dear-friend. Richard is Juan's current roommate who'll take over the apartment when I return back to Korea, and Juan moves back home to the Dominican Republic. In a nutshell, this apartment change was one of the reasons I took this interlude and vacation back home!) So, back to the story~ Juan and I showed up after getting some groceries at the local Safeway. $12 bucks later, we met up with Richard who was just starting the German pancakes (more like cornbread!) that he promised to make us for breakfast; Mike was just about on his way to join up in the pre-Seattle breakfast.

It's rather funny~ the dynamic between the four of us folks and how the day played out in Seattle yesterday. Picture this: Me, 27, visiting from Korea, still adjusting to speaking English, just getting to know Juan's roommate Richard and their friend Mike; Juan, 24, Dominican, mutual friend and ex, the talkative one of the crew; Richard, 57, Juan's roommate and young, spirited soul bound to be full of fun and laughs; and Mike, 19, looking as if he's recovering from a night's drink out, thoughtful and playing the role of a wannabe graffiti artist.

Oh, don't worry! You'll get to see pictures of us soon and our trip pto Seattle; however, I need to finish the current CD on my Mavica camera before I upload them here. I've forgotten my USB cable back in Korea~ so I won't be able to upload often. We'll see :)

Anyway, in summary, we walked around, quarelled about taking the bus vs. walking to the Seattle center; we ate some awesome Thai food near the Seattle Art Institute near the eastern quarter of the Seattle waterfront; and last, accompanied Mike on his trip to check out the Seattle Art Institute to see if the graphic artist $70,000 program was right for him (that's a heck of a lot more than I remember when I was looking into AIS!!) We met some interesting people along the way, and basically enjoyed the evening.

For the day's closer, we decided to check out a Seattle SUPERSONICS GAME at the KEY ARENA at 7pm. The Sonics were playing the Charlotte Bobcats (unheard of by me, at least); nevertheless, the basketball game was a blast, except the moments I was nearly falling asleep... (Which, by the way, I'm not sure why; maybe it was the annoying highschoolers sitting behind us yelling, or the cheer of the crowd incidently heard during the half-time Sonics junior wheelchair basketball team play, or maybe, on last thought, the Sonics lady cheerleaderss shaking their blessings during the 20 second time-outs. Hmmm, I dunno. There could be any number of reasons!)

We enjoyed some expensive beer at the game, and later, while waiting for the 11 something ferry to come home, I enjoyed some wine at a ferry terminal restaurant while Richard bought Mike some tap beer that turned out yucky. I chose the wine because I figured it's harder to find bad wine than good beer. Interesting times.

Well, folks, it late here. Friday comes quickly, and I'm already heading into my 4th day back in Washington. I think the plan for tomorrow so far, is to call up my friend Stephanie and my grandma and see what their up to. Tomorrow night, Juan and his Teletech buddies are supposed to go out to Red Robin for chow in Silverdale, maybe afterwards going bowling. This is another 'we shall see' event. I've got a big checklist of this to do while I'm here.. and I'm just getting started! Oh, that includes maybe some 'cannot find in Korea but you can find in the States' shopping...

Night 'all! Maybe there'll be more lovely, flakey, so-like-home snow flakes in the mornin' :)
~ Chelsea