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Showing posts from March, 2005

One Way

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one-way

Quite Suddenly

Well, it’s been a crazy few days.  For starters, I left my job earlier than planned.  The owners were bringing in new co-management, and taking a new direction that I wasn't on board with, so I gracefully bowed out as they began on their new path.  The devastating side effect of leaving a job I loved is my sudden realization of how much I have to do before joining Alex in Korea. And then my plan ticket came. It’s a weird sensation to look at this ticket if only for the reason that it’s one-way.  I stared at the destination, but was only able to envision places I was familiar with traveling to.  I thought, if I can see a tree, or a street, or a house in this faraway place, it will take the edge off. But I've never left North America, so needless to say, my imagination conjured only tidbits from books, and stories from my faraway husband.  It was about that moment I became okay with it all.  I don't know why, but I suddenly felt less anxious and ready to begin the adventure

*Sigh*

This whole thing has been much harder than I anticipated. The separation, the packing, the separation . . . did I mention the separation? It's difficult to stay focused on tasks at hand. I whirl around the apartment with boxes, tissue and packing peanuts, one eye always trained on the computer hoping to see a new email or Alex online. While I should be trying to get all the necessary paperwork and vaccinations completed, I worry about packing, the cats, and whether Alex has emailed me or is online. I'm sure you get the picture. I do not recommend this type of separation for anyone. Alex and I have agreed, in hindsight, that we would never do this again. Not the move itself, but rather the moving separately.  20/20, right? I had my first round of vaccinations at Northwestern's Travel Immunization Clinic. The staff are very informative and helpful. The only critical vaccinations are the Hepititis A/B. South Korea is a very clean and progressive country, so there are

Korean BBQ

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Kalbi

One Way

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Master Jung Kyu Cheon, Chicago

The Beginning . . .

Two days after Alex hopped a flight to Seoul, and I'm miserable.  I didn't think I'd be so lonely, even the cats are depressed.   We spent saturday with Master Cheon and other students from the martial arts school, taking a long lunch at a Korean BBQ. Master Cheon waxed poetic about the differences we'd encounter, and I thought how odd that at the same time Sunday, Alex would be gone. He wrote me a tear-jerker before leaving, and I probably already would've had tears, but this really sealed the deal. "We will be apart in body, but not in soul, every new experience I have will be filled with thoughts of you, of how you would see it, of how we would speak, of how you would make fun of my syrupy sentimentality . . ."  Can you believe this guy?!