But I digress...

I title this blog in the name of irony for this blog has no real topic to digress from. I suppose in some manner it is a compilation of digressions that could occur had I chosen a topic. So here we go on a random journey of stories and pictures….

Actually, first I think I must rewind to the beginning of things and start with a quote. I’ll explain…. If you’ve known me for some time, then you know I’ve changed a lot in the last few years. I dare say in my younger years I was a shy and timid person. The unknown was far to stressful, to the point that I cried at my going away party when I moved a mere 2 hours away for college. Overtime and with experience, my strength has grown exponentially. When the time came put on my cap and gown and pass the threshold to the next chapter of my life, I went forth with a quote in  mind…

“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

With this idea in mind that I was no longer had to the person I had once been, I set forth on this adventure with the goals of meeting many amazing people and seeing amazing things. I guess to fallow the idea of digression, I’ll also throw in a piece I wrote when I was still at home….

August 2, 2011: I searched for quite some time tonight to find a quote that best represents my upcoming endeavors [[here I must add that it is way too clear that I like quotes ha ha]], but all that could properly seem to fit is a song that has kept me in high spirits for the last 3 years. The song is by The Daylights called “Little Girl”===>”Don’t back down little girl, cause you’re gunna be alright. Step on out, it’s a wide wide world, and you’re gunna be alright. You’re a star, you’ll do fine, and you’re gunna be alright”

Once upon a time I was scare to leave home and this song helped me realize how small I was living. An attempt to leave the only town I’d ever known seemed beyond my abilities. Of course, if someone would have told me 10 years ago that I would even pass high school I’d say they were lying. If 5 years ago, someone would have told me I would have gone to Australia for a summer, I’d say they needed a brain check. So I suppose they fact that I’m leaving the country shouldn’t surprise me in this ever evolving life.

I find that no matter how much we want to plan our lives, it proves to be impossible. The unexpected will always happen. We will plan, try, fail, and pick ourselves up on a new path. We will meet people that will inspire us. We will always encounter a challenge that will change our reality as we knew it. So the best thing I’ve come to learn is to expect the unexpected. So forward I go into something so unknown and so unexpected of what I had planned for my life. I guess I’ve found myself on some sort of proverbial quest to discover everything I can about myself and the world.

We must always remember where we sprouted from….the family that taught you the basics of life and began the seed of what we are to become. The friends that laughed with us, cried with us, and joined us in the crazy situations of youth. We must always remember where home is and appreciate the safety of it, as well as the fact that they all love you enough to smile as they watch you go.

I’m not sure what lies ahead of me….great memories, hard times, love, adventure….I can’t tell you exactly what I shall do, but I can tell you that I want to do everything that I never thought I could. I want to push myself as hard as I can since I firmly believe that the best way to become the strongest person we can be is to be knocked down, challenged, and then pick ourselves up and rebuild with stronger material.

So 3 weeks and 8 hours from now the journey begins. At the heart I’m a writer, a passion that I have slowly forgotten I loved, so my goal is to write for my whole excursion. Maybe I’ll write once a day, and maybe I’ll sometimes forget for a couple weeks, I just don’t ever want to forget where I began in this, what I did during, and proudly (hopefully) seeing the person I have grown into at the end.

====>I added this in partially because it’s nice to remember where I started 6 months ago and partially to somehow express my intentions when coming into this. I wish there was a way to display the changes I’ve implemented since I’ve been here, but I can’t. Perhaps my word is enough, perhaps the pictures I’m going to post in this will show it, or perhaps it just can’t be grasped by anyone but myself. I apologize for the longevity of this blog since it has yet to have anything to do with Korea so far, but here I will begin the tales…..

Susong-gu Lake

So my journey to be outgoing was truly tested for the first time on a Friday night. My fellow newbie co-workers and I were suppose to go visit my friend, Tim, who is from the other school. At the last minute, all three of the people going with me backed out of the night. I would likely say my old self would have claimed defeat and ventured home for a quiet night, but my new ambition drove me forward. So I got on the subway, found a bus I’d never been on and walked down streets I’ve never seen before and found my way to the roof top gathering. Not 20 minutes after I arrived, the neighbor was upset with us being on the roof….right, seems to be about my luck ha ha but it turned out to be a great thing. We hiked ourselves, our blankets and our munchies to the lake down the street. I also forgot to add that in this group of about 25 people, I knew only 1. This was also part of my adventure….and what a great adventure it was! I met some wonderful friends that night, both foreign and Korean.

The lovely Sienna, June and myself

The most memorable and the one I see the most is the lovely Sienna. Such a kind heart! I also met some more colorful characters, such as Bok…”my name is Bok! B as in boy, A as in apple, K as in KOREA!” Everyone was so friendly and so fun. This was true proof that my new take on life was going to be a lucrative one.

So there we sat by the lake. I think my favorite part of the evening was our semi-cheesy yet wonderful sing-a-long. Both Tim and Holly are wonderful guitar players and as they strummed the guitars we all sang with. Perhaps not perfectly, perhaps we sounded foolish at times and forgot the words, but no one seemed to mind. I think it came across as clumsy perfection in a way. We had a crowd of Koreans standing around us listening for the longest time.

In addition to the music festivities, Tim also busted out his long board for some evening fun. This night had produced some great memories and definitely was far more fun than I had anticipated. And so began my ever changing group of friends….

Another frequent past time of my friends an I is a place called Sugar Joe’s.  A few months back, Tim and Holly had attended open mic night at Sugar Joe’s and they had asked Tim to do semi-regular gigs there. Its a rather chill place. Couches, darts, a stage….it has a rather hippie-esk feel to it. The owners are a wonderful couple that both speak excellent English since the husband is a foreigner (the wife being Korean). Tim’s song selection is a highly amusing array that includes songs such as “Horse with no Name”, Adele , “Wonderwall” , and “I want it that way” by the Backstreet boys. The owner sometimes joins him on stage at the end and they have a free style session which is always wonderful.

Lately the activities have been a little mellow. Several people have left and new teachers have come in. I’m sad to say my fellow nouribang (karoke) enthusiasts are gone  and I find myself home a bit more on the weekends…rather this is a bit more by choice so I can save some money. The friend I’ve been hanging out with the most lately has been Kat. She is from the UK and is an in your face type personality. I’ve had some of my most hysterical moments with that lady! We’ve been going to a free Taekwondo class twice a week, though that has been put on hold due to an increased schedule for January. She also has recently moved….all the horror stories that my mom and I were concerned about when I came here, well my poor friend Kat unfortunately had to endure every one of those bad experiences. Last week, she went into work and her co-teacher told her the school was closing that week! Very long story short, her boss had given her poor accomidations, treated her poorly and now was messing with her contract to try and get money to transfer her to another school. I am very happy to say she is settled into her new apartment and is in a school she seems very hopeful about!

Well this is getting long and my random stories are fading from mind as I get more and more sleepy. So I shale give a few more pictures then say goodnight….

Kat and me

Brad, Hyuna and Kaitlin (Brad is being weird as usual)

"The Tim" in Korean for his show