Get Your Busan

Tomorrow pig roast.  Next week Korea.  For the next year . . . lots of kids staring at me.  Holy moly.  I'm just glad I saw Radiohead before the boat leaves.  There are things we say in life and then there are things we actually do.  I am amazed that this is actually happening.  Not that I didn't think it would but it seems too good to be real at the moment.  I just got my contracts in the mail today which is the final nail in my life here in Portland for some time.  This trip has all been just words coming out of my mouth now for the past 9+ months.  First it was Korea then Turkey then back to Korea in my "I can't make a decision to save my life," fashion that will most likely haunt me fo eva (fo eva eva?).  But now this is happening.  A move which prompts a series of firsts in my life:

Having a job outside of a kitchen.

Living alone.

Traveling for longer than three months at a time.

Living in a place that does not use a Romanic alphabet.

And Asia, sweet sweet Asia.

The more I talk about this the more I hear people say "Yeah I had a buddy do that and they loved it so much they stayed for 'x amount of" years!"  I'm not expecting that I'll fall madly in love with the country but I'm keeping an open mind.  But I have to admit every time I hear it I get exponentially excited.  This is perhaps why I haven't gotten a good nights sleep in like a week now.  Although, this sleep deprivation may be due to my uncertain future of teaching.  I've always wanted to teach and now its really happening.  I want to put on that arrow-through-my-head deal that Steve Martin uses while teaching them pronunciation.  I want to show my kids the Princess Bride.  I want to take kids for after school bike rides.  I want to share with them the magic of peanut butter and jelly on toast.  I just want to make learning English for them their favorite subject.  I'm excited to develop a new skill.  I'm excited to learn Korean myself.  The best part about the whole shibang is, the moment I get off of work . . . its like I'm traveling.  I can skip a rock and hit China, Japan, and Papua New Guinea.  I can throw a disc and hit Indonesia, Malaysia, and all of S.E. Asia.  Its all so overwhelming to me at the moment.   I want to see, do, and learn it all.  I want to talk to locals, take part in ceremonies, eat something besides peanut butter, pizza, and burritos for a change, and learn how other people view life. Perhaps I could also learn a thing or two about Korean cuisine.  At the moment, my knowledge of preparing Asian food in general is pretty much non-existent.   Oh man the possibilities are endless.  I can't freaking wait.  

But for the moment its one in the morning and I should really be concerned about Sally the pig.  Dad is coming over late morning and he, Basil, and I are (with the guidance of Milos the roast master) going to embark on our first (and certainly not the last) pig roast.  Today we picked it up from Gartner's meat market and brought it home for preparation.  Now its all ready for flame and a tasty good time tomorrow.  This'll be the last time I see a bunch of really, really great people.  We'll have t-shirts, dj's, beer pong, family, kegs, great food, and a swinging good time.  Yes that's right, we izz about to get our Busan (that's Boose-on) folks.  So put on your party hat and dance like nobody is watching.  Stay tuned for writing 180˚ style.  It'll be the same except that its completely different.