Long Winded

Hello, there! I writing to you as a much older, mature, and smarter human because I am now 27 years old. Some would say that I have entered my late 20's. I would say that I don't feel a day over 22 most days. Remember, you are only as old as you feel. I will let you know if I still feel that way when I turn 30. I have been a little MIA lately. July was an absolutely crazy month for me! It actually feels like a blur. Did it really happen? Thankfully, I have pictures to prove it. The month of July in Korea is my least favorite month out of the year. It is hot, humid, rainy, and there is very little sun. It is known as the monsoon month. I'm a little confused though, because this year, August has had that same description. As someone who needs sunlight to be fully awake on most days, the weather has put a damper on summer, literally. Oh, well. Here is what I have been up to. :)

July 4th-> Independence Day

- I woke up at 6 A.M. to chug some coffee before I needed to leave for my big 10K race. I felt good, slightly prepared for the race, and it wasn't raining. I stepped outside to meet my friends and flag a taxi. I immediately started sweating. I realized real quick that running in 80-ish degree weather and humidity so thick I could cut through it was going to really suck. Yup, I was right. Before the race, there was a group stretching session. Thankfully, we had some women there to get us pumped up. I think they may have just finished working on a workout video or thought they were going to be back-up dancers for Britney Spears. Either way, I loved laughing at them at 7 A.M. I think there is hope for my dance moves because I KNOW I could do better and you don't see me wearing that outfit dancing for hundreds of people. The race started off fine. Then mile 2 came and I was tired. I was thinking crap (probably another classy word), but I THOUGHT I would get a second wind and Lady Gaga would get me through. I kept that positive attitude up until mile 6.2. The adrenaline never kicked in, which made it a run from hell. It was very tough. I blame the heat. It could not have been my lack of skills... riiight.






Lesson 1. I will NEVER run a race during July.
Lesson 2. I will ALWAYS have a huge American breakfast after a race. It makes everything better.
Lesson 3. Sometimes Lady Gaga does not pull through.
Lesson 4. Who cares, I finished.

July 14th- 20th ->MINNESOTA

I arrived at the airport already delirious from getting everything prepared at work for my subs. Thankfully, tylenol PM was my friend and i was able to sleep the entire trip. That is when the whirl-wind of activities began. I wish I could say that jet lag did not affect me when I was home, but I would be lying. I kinda felt like I was in a cloud the entire time. I did my best to act coherent in conversations and stay focused, but I know I failed. I know I walked away from conversations thinking I have no idea what we were talking about. Oh, well. I guess that's what happens when you get 4 hours of sleep at night and want to be in bed at 6 P.M. I don't think the trip could have been any better. I was able to spend time with so many amazing friends and family. I feel truly blessed that so many people went out of there way to make time for me. I definitely felt the love, which was amazing. It was a perfect time to go home, especially because I was going through a homesickness spell. I wish I could have spent more time with everyone, but 5 days is never enough. I was able to spend my birthday with my brother, parents, and the Doby/Brown family who was visiting all the way from Colorado. In the evening, it was the rehearsal dinner for Eryn's wedding. It was an unforgettable day and it honestly couldn't have been better. The wedding was beautiful and I am SO happy I was able to make it. I don't want to bore you with details. Here is some photos from my time in MN.



Eryn and Jeff (Future teachers in Korea this fall. YAHOOOO!!!!)

Best friends/sisters

The people who made me.

College group


I had fun. Check out my dance moves.

Herschel. He didn't fit in my suitcase. Believe me, I tried.

Falyn. She also didn't fit in my suitcase.

Brother, Uncle Lavern, and my FAVORITE pic of my grandpa. The puppy is in love with his ear.

FAMILY! The Aulwes clan! :)


Duke and Graham. My favorite twins in the whole wide world.

HOT cousins!

I miss you all dearly,those who are present in the photos, those I saw and forgot to take pics with (doh!), and those who I missed. You're wonderful.

July 24th-25th -> Taiwan

Going with the theme of July and August, it rained everyday we were in Taiwan.We could not do a lot of the things that we had hoped to do because of the weather. It was a bummer, but I still had an amazing time. I got to see a country rich in culture. Taiwanese people are the friendliest people that I have encountered in Asia. Woop! Woop!

Taipei which is a city full of craziness and a real "China" feel. Amazing Chinese food that I fully enjoyed, especially the dim sum and red bean filled bun. I wasn't a huge fan of Taiwanese food.

I realized I am not a surfer, but I do enjoy jumping in the waves. However, I don't enjoy being tossed under the waves and worrying I may be shark food because they are never going to find me.

Getting lost in the rain.

Seeing a spider the size of a chocolate chip cookie and screaming bloody murder. Also, seeing the spider run into my room, never finding it, and realizing I was going to sleep with it that night.

I smelt and ate stinky tofu. Yes, it is really THAT stinky. Taiwan is the place to eat. Obviously, I loved it!

We stayed in a "bed" that fit four people. I say "bed" loosely because there was no mattress, only a thin piece of fabric over the wood frame. Luckily, we were with friends in our "bed". Sometimes you aren't that lucky. I love hostels.




The girls!

Beautiful girls. Don't you want to buy their wigs?

Stinky tofu! I have wanted to try it for a long time! It smells like food that you forgot about in your refrigerator for months. Tasty? I'll let you decide!

Best dim sum EVER! It is stuffed with pork and soup. My mouth is watering right now.

Wonderful fresh fruit stands in the market.


Market!

Night Market!

At the restaurant called Modern Toilet. The theme is toilets. Everything is served in urinal shaped dishes. Classy.

Temple in Taipei

Women praying with their prayer beads.

More praying. I love how at peace they look.







Taipei 101. I think it is the 2nd largest building in the world. It looked like Gothum City that night. I kept hoping I would see Batman.

If you look closely, you can see that the whole care is decked out to Hello Kitty. Meow.

My future wedding dress.

Sadly, I did not receive the memo about the animation conference. Sometimes Asian stereotypes are true. Just sayin.


So that is the major events in a nutshell. Life has been good here in Seoul. I have made some new amazing friends and have stayed in contact with a couple friends from last year. A new semester is starting in Korea, which means new students and new classes. I'm sad to loose some of my students, especially the kindergartners. I have them everyday, so it is very easy to get attached to them. We are going on a field trip to Character World tomorrow. It should be... interesting. Pictures to follow.

Sorry for the long winded post. Are you even still reading? Are you awake?

I hope all is well and you have had an amazing summer!!!

xoxo