Calm Before the Storm

     These last 2 weeks have been pretty awesome. Despite the fact that I was near broke because I hadn't received my first pay check yet, there was still a lot of frugal good times to be had in expensive Seoul.
     First of all, please excuse the previous blog post. Some readers were confused, but actually these days Donghee and I get along quite well. We've joined the Korean couple trend and placed a locket on the fence around Seoul Tower - and he threw away the key~  I occasionally climb up Namsan (more of a hill than a "mountain") to check on it :)

Scenically placed, it reads "Claire and Donghee: Soul Entwined" 

     About two weeks ago, Korea also celebrated it's version of Thanksgiving, known as "Chuseok." For most Koreans, this holiday is marked with traveling to visit extended family, getting stuck in horrible, 9 hours-for-100 km traffic jams, and stuffing your face with delicious food. When most people around you are talking about meeting family, or other English teachers are flying off for tropical adventures, it can make poor, broke Claire a tad homesick and angsty... but I never let life do that to me (>u<)

     I prefer sitting on my couch than the on the highway, so I took 2 out of 3 and threw a party at my house. Dear friends are my surrogate family, and they kindly covered the cost of food ingredients. I was much happier to fill my belly with Jason's hearty chili and my family's nostalgic recipe for cranberry apple oatmeal crumble instead of kimchi pancakes or songpyeon (white-bean filled rice cakes). Donghee even snuck out of his filial obligations to join the festivities. Another friend Adrian brought some creative card games that helped to change up the usual flow of parties.  All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.

Girl in the plastic bubble! Seriously, it's harder than it looks to stand up

     This past weekend was also eventfully busy but interesting. Summer and Winter must have signed a temporary seize-fire agreement and given administrative weather control over to Autumn since it hasn't rained in over 3 weeks and the days are clear, dry, bright, and warm- perfect for picnics. A few weeks ago, I feel like I didn't have a broad, concrete social base in Korea (good friends keep leaving and moving away...) so I decided to join more meetup.com groups again.  This time was Lost in Seoul group picnic in the spacious and forested Children's Grand Park. Chris came, everyone shared their food, and rode the midget roller coaster. It was a good time.

My awesome Arirang Taekwondo Club - I just got my red belt~! Black belt in December~!!! Fighting~!!

   
Despite all these good times, I am anxious... tomorrow is the day that I will get the result of my interview for the job in Kobe, Japan.  This job is the best opportunity to work in Japan earning a comfortable salary for few teaching hours in an area of Japan I want to live.  However, I'm not sure if I'll be ready to leave Seoul and Korea... if I get the job, I'll have 4 months to prepare but I still sense many things yet completed- annual events and festivals to attend, mountains to climb, cosplays to complete, tkdo skills to improve... I feel like my life is like the roller coaster I rode on Saturday.  I'm painfully, slowly creeping up the apex of accomplishment. But as I climb higher, I can see there is a loop-de-loop just up ahead. The anxiety builds- will I be able to hold on to my precious skills/memories/relationships?  Or will they go flying out of my hands in the overturning chaos of change? I'm prepared for the answer of "no, you didn't get the job"- that would almost be more reasurring. At least I wouldn't have to worry or fear about losing something. But wasn't it in the Alchemist this kind of situation was described?? People work so hard to achieve their dream and just before it comes true, they abandon it because they are afraid of the transformative change it will ignite?
God, grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change, the COURAGE to change the things I can, and the WISDOM to know the difference.
Amen.