It's How You Get There

I've been here 7 months now.  That's insane to me. In a week we'll start our new school year and I'll have a new course schedule, new students, new experiences to learn.  It's also spring. As a Midwest girl, the idea of consistent 60 degree weather in February is mind boggling. I mean, we've had weird weather in Iowa, I've seen it this warm in February before. But not consistently. So this early spring is great. The sun is rising earlier and earlier, and setting later and later. Benefits of being out of the States, there's no daylight savings. That's the part of spring that I consistently dread the most when I'm home. I like waking up to sunlight, and having it ripped away from me when we spring forwards felt a lot like having my ice cream taken away midbite.  Friday night I also had my first successful phone call in Korean. Granted that was with my friend HyunHo, who knows my brand of Korean, so I'm not sure how many other people would have ...

You have to taste a culture to understand it. - Deborah Cater So, I haven't seen anyone (well hardly anyone) from my local congregation since October. We've been meeting through zoom, and video etiquette determines that if you're not speaking the video and audio stays off. Since I'm not quite at church speaking level, most people haven't seen me for almost 4 months now.  Which leads to something that will be a secret between you and me - my goal is to lose enough weight that the ladies at my church start asking me if I've been eating enough. Yeah, it's a weird goal, but I don't do well with numbers. Just ask my Mom - she's the one who's suffered most from my stubborn dislike of numbers (the fact I can do any math at all is 100% due to her tireless patience). But reactions? Subjective responses that have little or nothing to do with anything?  Sign me up.  Honestly though, that has been an interesting side effect of moving to Korea - I'm shrin...

Violence is never the answer but sometimes, like with cockroaches, it is the only possible response. Tanya Huff If you've read the title, and it made you squirm, this post may not be for you. I'll still love you, I won't even know you didn't, and since you clicked on the link, I've already got the click count so feel free to move on to a bug free realm.  For those of you who have stuck around, LET ME TELL YOU. I've become a ninja. My powers of observation have tripled. I know the black spots in my apartment intimately , and if there's a new spot, I have a swath of toilet paper or my Squisher Swiffer (a repurposed floor mop) in a matter of seconds.  My "Sweet Home" fans (all two of you) know how I'm vibing. Before you go "But Shayla, there's poison for those!", I've got my passive defense too. I have two different types of roach bait, some roach spray, and a Borax/sugar mix that I keep under the sink and sprinkle in the garbage...

 It's amazing to me how somethings as basic as the toilet and restrooms can have so many different variations. I mean, thankfully they have toiles here (never anything I worried about, but am grateful for), but it's not always the same, friends.  My apartment is definitely no Hilton by any means, and T Teacher sniffs whenever I talk about it and he frequently tells me I could be doing better (considering his new apartment has an actual bedroom and no roaches, he thinks it makes him an authority on these things). Many bathrooms, especially in budget housing, are wet rooms - a toilet and shower head with a tub spout sticking out of the wall, no sink and no shower curtain. Initially this took a little bit of getting used to, and deciding between the spout to wash my hands or the kitchen sink is something I still struggle with. I hadn't realized how accustomed I was to my setup until I had a couple friends over, and one was like "Sis, you don't have a sink in your bath...

“Memories of childhood were the dreams that stayed with you after you woke.” ― Julian Barnes, England, England Sometimes when you lay in bed with the clear intent to sleep early, moments come that change all of your plans. Granted, the two hour nap I took earlier today may have something to do with that, but sometimes my mind isn't done with me. Tonight it felt like a fairly strong combination of the two. Thoughts flooded my mind, and I found myself almost reliving memories from when I was younger, my sense flooding with sights and sounds that seem almost ancient now.  Most, if not all, off these memories take place in a small apartment where we lived in Virginia for several years as Dad finished his doctorate degree and then started working. My memory is a little hazy, and we moved back in forth there, so these memories are all a mixed jumble of events.  I remember running through the apartment from one side to the other, little brother tearing along behind me. That room was ...

“Employers babysit parents while their children are at school.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana 10 Laws of Kindergarten Homeroom 1. If you can't be silly you're not going to make it.  2. There's no point in guarding your dignity - they'll give it back when they're done with it.   3. Cute and pretty are NOT interchangeable, suggesting otherwise is a punishable offense.  4. Washing hands is optional, holding hands is not.  5. Unicorns are animals, just like everyone else.  6. Purple is the supreme color, unless you can choose pink. Then always choose pink.  7. You can't copy someone else's drawing unless it's already been telepathically agreed on by everyone beforehand. If you missed the meeting that's just too bad.  8. Skirts make you pretty. Dresses make you Elsa.  9. If you can't do "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" at the speed of light you are the weakest link.  10. You date who they tell you to. Even if it's a king who predates the discov...

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." Ludwig Wittgenstein Today I flexed my new Korean skills and told my friends that (and I quote) the "stomach skin called me". What I meant  to say, was "I called my family", but both the friends I was messaging and google translate assured me that was not what actually happened.  Welcome to the perils of language learning.   Before coming to Korea I knew that some people would likely speak English, and that I would be spending most of my days in English due to work. I didn't realize though how much all of the other time would be in English too. I was talking with my Dad today, and he said that he was realizing how different my "immersion" experience was compared to his. Both of my parents served missions for our church in different countries, Mom in Guatemala and Dad in Argentina. When Dad was there by about 6 months in he felt he had a decent mastery of the language and could express hi...