Change of plans

The <3 of my (bipedal) life

Coming home on the 18th of February rather than the 3rd of March as originally planned. Or actually that's not right - I originally hoped for the 11th of February, then decided the 3rd of March, and now it's back to the 18th. So I'll be home then, a little older and sadder, but happy to be back with family and friends and maybe even some sunshine by then. Christy thinks I have SAD (Seasonal Acute Depression) and I think she's right - there's nothing like snow to make me mopey and with everything going on right now it's hitting me pretty hard. Not quite the same as last year - last year it was a lot colder, there was more snow and I hadn't been home for a year, so even with Lala around to cheer me up and force me to be social I was still generally irritated by everything and toeing a fine line between unhappy and angry. Now that the home date is in sight, it's definitely reminding me of how happy I was to finally step off the plane, change into my Havvies and rush through those arrival gates into the arms of my family and my old familiar life. Not so great that I still haven't found a job at home and have to sort out mundane things like a new phone contract, re-starting my health insurance, renewing my driver's licence and passport, buying a car and finding a place to live, but hopefully keeping busy with things like that (and jobhunting if I can get organised and give myself a sufficiently good kick up the arse to get moving) will at least stop me from missing things in Korea. Now if only the exchange rate would comply so I don't lose so much money when I transfer it all home! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that our economy is doing so well, but it's a pain in the proverbial nonetheless that I'm probably going to lose at least a couple of thousand one way or another.

Freakin' scary view from the top of the Rainbow run

Anyway, I'm not one for a big farewell (after all, I like to entertain the somewhat sentinmental hope of seeing close friends again at some point and in this day and age, there's really no excuse not to if you're determined enough), so I'm planning on copying dear Lala's idea of eating my way towards a goodbye. I've pretty much done or can do everything else that's a must before I go. I went snowboarding on the weekend at Yongpyeong (where the winter Olympics will be held) and am proud of myself for making it down the green circle/black diamond 1.5km Rainbow run TWICE without serious injury and without having to ask to be towed down. I may or may not have had to walk the last 100m (which should be re-named 'Super Icy Death Alley') on the second run, and wondered once or twice why the hell I'd decided to snowboard it the second time after almost shattering my tailbone and winding myself three times the first, but that's besides the point. Sadly I probably won't have time to go to my beloved Spaland in Busan before I go, so I'll guess I'll have to make do with the Dreamplus one and keep Spaland for next time. Foodwise, these are on my 'must-eat' list:

Bossam

     -Jja-jang-myeon (black bean noodles)
     -Bossam (steamed pork and cabbage bundles)
     -Jogae-gu-i (grilled shellfish)
     -Naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles)
     -Dalk-galbi (sauteed spicy chicken)
     -Samgyetang (spring chicken soup)
     -Soondae (pig blood noodle sausages), preferably with ddokbokkie (stirfried chili rice-cakes)
     -Haejangguk ('hangover' pork bone stew)

Naengmyeon

     -Soondubu-jjigae (soft tofu soup)
     -Samgyopsal (barbecqued pork)
     -Makkolli (a sort of yoghurty-beer-flavoured rice alcohol)

Most of these I can really make at home, but it's nice to have the real thing without also having the washing up :) Hopefully there's also some magic way I can eat all of these without putting on all the weight I've lost recently, especially since I'm also sure to pig out  when I get home too ㅋㅋ

Anyway, on that note I'll leave off. The teachers at my school were supposed to all go hiking today at the fortress, but with it being a balmy 3 degrees outside right now and all - now being 12pm so significantly warmer than it was three hours ago when we were all supposed to set off - only the pro hikers appear to have actually gone for it. I guess they had no choice after turning up to school in their serious outfits and all with all their kit! I think the rest of us are just going to meet them for lunch (which in Korea also means alcohol of course) and defrosting somewhere soon. Happy Monday all and for those of you at home, see you down undah sooner rather than later :)