Aiming for a quiet, structured week this week. Let’s see how that goes!

MONDAY

Went back to work today after vacation. A moment of silence, please.

A friend reminded me that a few weeks (months? I have no concept of time anymore) ago I was on a good schedule of doing some kind of movement every day. Something knocked me out of routine and that was that.

Let’s see how long I can keep up with THIS schedule:

4:20 Get home, grab snack/drink
4:30-5:30 Korean study/homework
5:30-6 Do TikTok video and OOTD blog post picture, edit
6-6:30 Change into movement-appropriate clothing and MOVE: jump rope, stretch, exercise video, pretend dance
6:30-7:30 rotate between working on blog, cleaning project, ebay listing
7:30-? make dinner, eat while watching tv…til whenever

I always go over on the Korean study time…but I also don’t spend 30 minutes moving…so those two work themselves out. It’s the 6:30-7:30 things that always seem to get lost in the shuffle so no progress is made. But…I need to get that into a routine. Also, this is only 3 nights a week, cuz one night is 2-hour Korean class, and another night 1-hour with the tutor…and both of those are so draining that afterwards I am SHOT. Weekends are a free for all, ha ha.

But that doesn’t seem so hard, right? I actually DID IT tonight. But I was pooped.

Sigh. Why is there no way to DO ALL THE THINGS and NOT be exhausted all the time? I guess that’s called Being Young and I exceed the age limit for that.

Age Is Not Just A Number.

TUESDAY

ANNNND that’s the end of THAT schedule, ha. I just need to admit to myself that I Cannot Do All The Things. I ended spending WAY more time (as usual) on the Korean…I did the ootd and video for blog and TikTok…I made a half-hearted attempt at jumping rope and stretching. I mean, I DID them, but…when I missed at 14, I gave it one more try, only got a few more jumps and was just like I’M TOO TIRED. I only did 2 of each of the stretches I started doing for my hip and lower back cuz they’re awkward and they hurt and ugh.

I got distracted picking out my next k-drama. This is a very important decision. ESPECIALLY when you finish a good one, the bar is Very High. So I watched the first episodes of two different shows…thought…yeah, I’ll watch these SOMEDAY but they’re not for me right now. I have a LOT of those. That’s what Watch Lists were created for, ha ha.

I’ve been eating a LOT of instant ramen – it’s cheap, easy and tasty. But that’s a lot of carbs for my body. So I’ve been trying to come up with a substitute. That I like. I tried some dried spaghetti squash. Uhm. No. Plus, it was expensive. $8 for what was supposed to be four servings. Seemed like two small servings to me. Then I tried some shiritaki noodles made out of yam flour. Uhm. It was interesting. Better than the dried spaghetti squash but…I don’t think the search is over. I want to try the Miracle Shiritaki noodles made from some other kind of flour and only a couple grams of carbs. Has anyone tried these?

I know I could just make ACTUAL spaghetti squash but it’s kind of a pain in the butt and I’m just not that motivated to make something that takes more than like 5 minutes.

WEDNESDAY

Yeah. The same three things get done every night: OOTD/TikTok, Korean, movement (at least there’s that!) but all the other stuff, nope.

So. After two nights of LIVING on a Facebook group a friend recommended called Every Expat in South Korea, here’s what I’ve learned:

  • online teaching does NOT qualify for a work/teaching visa, so that’s out.
  • “hopping out/hopping in” of the country is still in question. IT may in itself be legal ONE TIME, but not if you’re WORKING in S Korea. So if nothing else, I could MAYBE extend the 90 days to 180…but I would like a more official decision on that.
  • I still don’t know if I can work via online while there on a tourist visa if I’m not working for a Korean employer (but if I’m working for an American company or for myself). I feel like that rule is based in taxation…if you’re a tourist and not paying taxes, they don’t want to be paying you. But maybe if THEY’RE not paying me…then it’s okay? That kinda makes sense, right??

BUT. What seems like may be a very viable option is getting a language/education visa…which is good for up to 2 years. I’d known of that option but kept getting mentally blocked thinking I would not be able to get a student loan given what I still owe on existing student loans, PLUS, I don’t want to add additional payments back into my retirement expenses.

BUT (again) here’s the thing. It looks like schools are much more affordable there than here and I have to look more into it but it APPEARS that I can do a two-year language course for $12,000 (which includes student visa and health insurance, which is a plus). SO.

THE JOY! THE RELIEF! THE OH MY GOSH I CAN ACTUALLY DO THIS!! 

I just need to raise $12,000 (above and beyond what I’m already saving for retirement)! That doesn’t seem like THAT much money, right?? Surely I can do that somehow! And then I wouldn’t need to get approved for a loan or pay it back.

So that’s the new goal. Pay for my own tuition and do Korean language training in S Korea for a year (or two. Ha! I’m actually leaning towards two at this point. There are reasons it makes good financial sense for me to be there for two years). And then see where in the world/I am then!

Easy peasy! Right? I’m just gonna pretend it is and go for it.

I’m Stoked. There is A Possibility and A Plan. Those are good things to have,

THURSDAY

BTS IS IN THE US! Ha, they arrived in Los Angeles for the concerts (and AMA awards…and a couple other things) and I’m so excited that soon I will be in the same place as they are…AGAIN!

FRIDAY

WHOEVER SAID MONEY CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS WAS AN IDIOT.

I finally got my prescription sunglasses. I haven’t had prescription sunglasses since my TWENTIES. My eyes are VERY sensitive to light. I do not like sunny days, I prefer grey, dark, overcast days so I’m not in misery.

I left the house this sunny morning with my new sunglasses on and was immediately like OOH what a crisp and lovely day! Why is this day so exceptionally lovely??

THE SUNGLASSES!!!

For the past 35 years I’ve had to choose – sun protection…or clear vision. I never got to have both. TODAY…I had both…and it was MAGICAL. Truly.

What a shame that a gift such as this is denied people because of MONEY. Sigh. Such a simple pleasure – to just be able to SEE. It seemed as miraculous as when I got my first glasses at nine…and could see clearly for the first time EVER.

Next. BTS is having fun in LA!!! They’re out and about in the world, walking on the streets, going shopping…it’s SO nice to see!

Next. Tutoring. Ha. I just ask him a million questions, he hardly gets to his lesson plan. But it’s still good.

(Let’s make writing the word “Next” the new bullet points.)

One of the hardest things is…just trying to not think like an English speaker. Not trying to make another language fit into “English’s rules.” The sentence structure is different, the phrasing is different…it’s not apples to apples and all you need to do is learn the Korean word for the English word and just swap them out. I sort of caught myself tonight and thought…it’s a little…”American superiority-ey” to think/try to make OTHER languages fit into OUR rules.

OOOOHHHHH.

I felt a little ashamed. But…now I’m looking at it from a different perspective. Correction: I’m trying to stay mindful that there IS a different perspective.

And it’s hard to look at language from a different perspective when you’ve only spoken one language for 60 years. BUT…here we are.

I’ll get there.

I was about to say, “and if I don’t, it won’t be for lack of trying,” but I stopped myself…cuz I WILL. I’ll Get There.

SATURDAY

BTS WENT TO THE HARRY STYLES CONCERT!!! Ha. Well, four of them did. My internet is FULL of that today. Just like…regular people. No in-your-face bodyguards (they were THERE, they just blended in. somewhat), they were in regular seats next to regular people, just drinking beer and vibing. It was a beautiful thing. I literally cried.

I feel like, between covid and their meteoric rise to super-fame in the past 18 months, they can barely step outside without planning, security, wariness, extreme face/head coverings, etc. Even when they were in NY just two months ago for the UN presentation, they weren’t really out on the streets anywhere. The UN and the Metropolitan Museum of Art were their only appearances/sightings. They stayed very low-key and well-protected. Fun Fact: each member has like 10 body-guards when they’re out in public, like traveling. So there’s the seven of them, 70ish bodyguards, each of their managers…a couple photographers for official photos…so they travel in a herd of about a hundred humans. They’re a little hard to miss, ha ha. And there’s even more security at concerts!

But last night? They just had fun out in the wild, like regular young men who love music. It made my heart so happy.

Next. Today I just did trip prep kind of stuff – car rental, parking reservations (at airport and concert), getting all my travel apps and documents in one folder on my phone, making packing lists.

Spent about an hour writing this sentence: “I read my book at the park today.” In Korean, ha. I go down so many language website rabbitholes and end up with more questions than when I started. But here’s what that sentence looks like in Korean: I(+subject-marker) today park(+location-marker, which one? I’m not sure) book(+topic-marker) read (in high polite past tense). Once I do all that THEN I can swap out the English words for Korean. Ha. THAT’S the easy part! And I just THINK that’s right. I HOPE it’s right. Ha. I’ll send it to the tutor. And if it’s RIGHT, then…PHEW…and I will be a sentence writing DEMON. I will write ALL THE SENTENCES.

Just wait.

SUNDAY

Phew. I’m kinda mentally done.

Have I been saying that for the past 5, uh, 30 years??

Want to wrap up trip prep today…short of putting things in the suitcase.

The hardest thing is: what do I wear Wednesday/put in my carry-on? I work Wednesday and will be leaving for the airport straight from work, so…a work outfit that is also a good cross-country flight outfit. Oh, and I don’t think I’ve shared this part. I have a 7-hour layover in Las Vegas from 11pm (west coast time) to 6am. So I’ll be leaving the airport, ubering over to The Strip. strolling around, taking pictures…I’m dreaming of a massive 24-hour all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet (is that even a thing anymore after covid?) (am I the only that’s saying “after” covid??), before returning to the airport to just slump in a chair and do phone or laptop things. Or read. Or nap. So. I need work/airplane/Las Vegas middle of the night stroll appropriate clothing, and I need to have my camera, phone (obvi), laptop (and chargers for both), and a book with me…as well as some kind of jacket cuz it will be cool at night in Vegas and no matter how warm I am on the plane I always feel better with something over me if I’m going to sleep or just close my eyes.

In other words…I want to HAVE all the things….but I hate CARRYING all the things. It’s a dilemma. What to wear, what to take. I’m waiting for a sign from heaven above.

I can’t even decide what to have right now for BREAKFAST.

DECISIONS ARE TOO HARD.

Okay. I had the American Music Awards Red Carpet pre-show on while I was washing the dishes and when I heard the literal ROAR of the crowd I knew BTS had arrived 🙂 So I gotta wrap this up so I can watch their performances and keep my fingers crossed for them to win in their categories. They’ve won Favorite Pop Group and Favorite Social Artist for the past 3 years…and this is the first year they were nominated for ARTIST of the Year – the first time an Asian artist has ever been nominated. So Proud.

Sorry this was so Korea trip/Korean studying/BTS-esque…but that’s kind of what my life is right now. Next week will be more FUN FUN FUN cuz I’ll be away and doing different things. My cousin Randy has a super Fun Friday planned for us, I’m really looking forward to it! And Thanksgiving with the fam on Thursday…I get to see my niece and great-niece and SISTER on Saturday…I haven’t seen my sister in Three Years! And Sunday is…yup…THE BTS CONCERT!!! I’m getting so….I can’t even. EMOTIONAL. I’m getting so emotional. I cry like EVERY time I see them on social right now…and right now they are on EV. RY. THING!!!

I need water. And ice to crunch. Hope y’all have a good week!

WAIT. STOP. THIS JUST HAPPENED. BTS JUST MADE HISTORY BY BEING THE FIRST ASIAN ARTISTS TO EVER WIN THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS FAVORITE ARTIST OF THE YEAR!!! AND Best Pop Song AND Best Pop Group or Duo (ie, all their categories). So. Proud.

Okay. NOW I can go to sleep.