Seems weird to say that since I am living in a foreign country and all, but really my life is pretty normal and content now. I work 40 hours a week with kids who don't speak the same language as me (and I am sure they are not saying nice things sometimes), I go out to eat almost every night and have something I have never had before (places with pictures are my favorite!),surf the internet like its my job (oh wait it is, here I am, keeping this desk warm, classes canceled AGAIN), crave kimchi right about lunch time (thank goodness the prices have lowered again, I am making kimchi jjigae 김치찌개 this weekend, my favorite!), drink Cass-a every week with my crew (or max-a or hite-a. they don't have bud light but they have bud ICE, why?) and go home every night to a sexy man waiting for me in our box we call a home (it really does feel like home though, so cozy.) The fact that is would not have been normal for the party animal, odd hours schedule, stoned all the time girl that lived in Arizona only makes it seem more normal than my "real life" back home.

But I live in Korea. and life is not normal.

I have no oven, (or shower for that matter just a spout over my sink) I only have one English channel on my TV (the Discovery Channel, which is really the channel I would have picked if I could have only one channel forever but the repetitive commercials are driving me insane!), I take the subway anywhere I need to go but miss my car, cigarettes are 2 bucks and you can smoke everywhere (needless to say, I'm a smoker when I drink, again UGH) cannot really communicate with anyone (except my other expat friends and in Iteawon), and people still stare and gawk at me where ever I go (curse this blonde, beautiful hair!)

Yet I guess this all seems pretty normal when I think about some of the places I could be and how really similar this developed country is to America, or at least how much it wants to be. I have running water and the subway is all in English. This part of Asia really is not much of a stretch for me with its convenience stores and dunkin donuts on every corner, the only real hardship is finding decent cheese! Maybe this is a great first step of getting out of my comfort zone since I still have a warm bed (and warm floor which is way better than home, I love the floor heating here) and a lot of the luxuries from the "western" world, at a lower price too! Perhaps next, I should really spread my wings and feel totally uncomfortable and out of place because before long, that may even start to feel same ole, same ole.


Thank goodness the unfamiliar is just a footstep away, peace my friends!

I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad. ~George Bernard Shaw