blood, sweat, but no tears.

today was a busy, but productive day. i am tired of completing menial tasks. well, i suppose they're not so menial because my future depends upon them. for example, today i spent $56 at the post office to send important paperwork to the korean consulate in chicago...including my passport. i was leery about sending my passport away, but i had no choice. i need my visa and can't afford to spend 3 days in chicago waiting for it to process. today i also bought two heavy-duty suitcases. they are high sierra brand and are 3-in-1 suitcase/duffel/backpacks. lots of space, well-made, versatile...what more could a girl ask for? ...perhaps my favorite color (green), but i had to settle with blue. still easier to find than the generic black suitcase on the conveyor belt.

after running errands, i decided to go for a skate. i am planning on competing in the hayward inline marathon on august 9th. this will be my second inline marathon. the first was a couple years ago in duluth. i finished in 1 hour and 44 minutes, so this year i'd like to shave my time down to 1 hour and 35 minutes. i think i can do it. i bought new skates several weeks ago and they are super-fast! i decided to go with the bont semi-race skate. the boot isn't quite as low as an authentic race boot, so i still get a little ankle support. the best part is that i no longer get blisters every time that i skate. unfortunately, i fell about 4 minutes into my skate today. the worst part is that i skinned my knee about 3 weeks ago and it finally healed. well, now i damaged myself in the exact same spot. ughhh. despite the blood dripping down my leg, i decided to go ahead instead of turning around and going back home. i am glad that i continued because the pain was minimal and the weather was nice. it finally cooled down a bit and a light breeze helped evaporate the sweat.

only 3 more days of summer school. hard to believe that i have almost completed my first job that actually requires the use of my degree. can't wait for the paycheck...

notice all of the boxes. my life is being packed away. nah.
actually it's just materialistic stuff. the real "life" is coming to korea.

close-up of the new skates and the new injury.

the beginning...

un·rav·el:

\ˌən-ˈra-vəl\

1: to resolve the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of : clear up <unravel a mystery>intransitive verb: to become unraveled


i am not a blogger by nature, but i will give it a go for your sake. since i am also notoriously bad at staying in touch with people, i hope this will become an outlet for interpersonal communication and perhaps some revelry along the way. your patience is requested.


so, as many of you may know, i am headed to south korea for a year. i will leave from wausau on august 20 and will not return for at least one year. "why am i going to korea," you may ask. well, i am going for numerous reasons. let me entertain you:

• to travel: 8 countries down, only 185 to go...
• to eat authentic korean food...mmmm, kimchi and toasted seaweed!
  
• to teach: it is my official occupation after all.
• to learn: the language, new & tasty recipes, 태권도 aka taekwondo, the national sport of korea.
• to visit rashoo & ji won and any other korean friends i can track down.
• to become more open-minded.
  
• to be adventurous: it is always easier to be spontaneous and try new things in an unfamiliar environment.
• to see different species of plants and animals.
  
• to save some money: i am not trying to be greedy, but i would like to come home with at least $15,000.
• to be able to eat regularly with chopsticks (again).
• to discover ways of life that i may want to incorporate into my own.
• to compete in at least one asian inline marathon.
• to meet people who are as strange as i am.
  

before i leave in 3 weeks, there are many preparations and details that need to be completed. i still need to get my e-2 work visa, a one-way plane ticket, figure out what to pack, say all of my goodbyes, get everyone's contact information, move out of my place in madison, relocate my precious pearl, and who-knows-what-else.


on a separate note, i have been thinking about getting another tattoo. there have been several images and ideas floating around in my mind, but today i finally had an epiphany about what i truly want. originally, i was thinking about a large tree on my side that had branches wrapping around both sides of my armpit and roots reaching toward my hipbone. then, i thought i wanted a world map outline possibly on my forearm or back. however, as i was browsing through tree photos on flickr, i came across a giraffe nibbling on some greenery. i have always adored giraffes, as i do most animals, but there is something special about this particular mammal. it could be the fact that we are both ungracefully tall and inconspicuously awkward. with that said, i want a lanky giraffe on my side, but not just any giraffe. this giraffe will have unique fur made up of a pattern of random shapes. amongst the random shapes, there will be not-so-random shapes including outlines of the countries and significant states that i have traveled to. i am currently working on a sketch that i will post if i ever finish...