Skimming the posts I’ve made in the last few months makes me realize how weather-obsessed we must seem. This isn’t all we talk about, really, but it is a frequent subject. The weather absolutely sucks in this country.
Except in autumn! This hot, sticky, outdoor sauna is about to transform into paradise. The Koreans say it’ll come after this last rain dumps.
The drops are so fat that last night when it started, I thought for sure someone had spit on me from a tall window. We wear sandals now, Hawaii-style, and when we get to work our feet and ankles are caked with grit. I hate summer rain. All rain, really. I hate blank, sunless skies.
We were hoping to have a Labor Day beach party–another American’s idea for ironic fun in a sadly union-deprived culture. If all the fat drops shake out before Saturday, it’ll be perfect at Jinha beach. I’m hopeful, but not planning yet. I’ve experienced too much weather-related disappointment here to get excited!
In other news, we’re exactly four workdays away from finishing our original contract! We’re staying an extra month after that because we got greedy and wanted more dough–and the free Chuseok vacation! After this week, we’ll work three more regular weeks, then get five days off for Chuseok, in which we’ll say goodbye to Seoul and finish packing. Then it’s back to work for a few more days, and on October 3, we’re done! We’re staying here until the 8th just to close things down, and then we’ll fly to China!
Checking the last post about this, I realize I haven’t updated you all on our China plans. I’m sure you’ve been breathlessly awaiting news on this subject, and I apologize for leaving you hanging. We ARE going to China for a one-month vacation! We’re renting an American professor’s apartment in Beijing for three weeks, and then we’ll take a train to Shanghai and stay for a week, the last night of which is Joel’s birthday. Then we’ll fly home and see you!
It feels just as surreal as we thought it might to contemplate the suitcases that have been sitting on our porch all year. In a way, the year has flown by; in a way, it’s been an eternity. I don’t think we’ll realize all the ways we’ve changed until we’re away from this place. For now, we’re just lapping up the kimchi and the love from our students (who now realize we’re leaving and are surprisingly emotional about it). The long sleep is over. Autumn starts next week. We’re feeling like travelers again.
