Hi friend. I often forget that I have some responsibilities that need constant attention, like this blog. I haven't been really busy lately - just really lazy. A lot has happened since the new year started, so I'm going to try to sift through it all and find the important stuff.

I guess I should mention that I've decided to stay another year here. Ultimately, this decision is about money. When I went home this last January I found out that I'll be paying the school back for more loans than I had originally thought. So most of my paycheck from this year's earnings will be going to that. I'm going to need another year to have some emergency fund money for things like grad school (yeah right...) or for other things that require money.

There are lots of other things that I considered as well. The job market at home is...well, pretty bad, obviously. In contrast, it's almost absurdly easy to find an English teaching job here. And half of them give us foreigners unbelievable benefits. In general, shit is easy here and I am trying to take it easy.

I've basically separated "real life" and "my life in Korea." There's a lot of priveleges I'm gaining from being here - both as a physically looking Korean and as a foreigner. I'm not treated any differently (until they find out I can't really speak Korean), almost every weekend becomes a giant shit show of alcohol induced happiness in an attempt to forget that one horrible class we all have to teach during the week. Taxes are not a problem, the food is great, I'm helped everyday by family and for once in my life I can walk around a place without standing out or getting stares. To everybody else I am just another Korean.

I always cringe, though, whenever I see another foreigner treated differently. Getting yelled at on the street (nothing offensive though, at least, so far), sometimes getting ignored by taxis, etc. Half of me finds it very amusing but then I can't help but sympathize with them as well. Anyway, I can't help but describe this whole experience as semi-charmed, since it comes with the good and the bad, but the bad are just small nit picky things. The good is like, some kind of license to be a stupid person because of your foreign status - something I've taken advantage of from time to time (yeah I HAVE been that loud and rude person from time to time George...and I always feel bad about it afterwards.)