Listening to Nina Simone RIGHT NOW

It's Cherry Blossom season!!!!! This is the view from my class room window. Sadly, this the closest I have been to the cherry blossoms this year...I have no real excuse...maybe I resent them because I have had a sinus infection since I got here and I'm pretty sure it's their fault? I'll try to get better pictures this weekend even though it's almost time for their demise into full on green leaves. I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!!

Now to some business...It's been brought to my attention that I don't post enough...I don't have much in the way of exciting pictures to post these days because I'm venturing out on my own so much and frankly, it's a little harder to take pictures of korean people on the streets without another foreigner there to back you up. I had this imaginary experience once on the subway when I really wanted to take a picture of this girl's crazy (and I mean crazy) 5 sparkly bow hair do...I imagined taking the picture only to have her boyfriend get in my face screaming something in korean and knock the camera out of my hand all the while moving me closer and closer to the doors which open just in time for him to push me out, falling into a large crowd of tiny korean business men who lack the upper body strength to catch my average american frame. So yeah. The blog is a little sparse...but if you can promise not to be mad at the lack of pictures, I will start writing more.

Now, for the interesting news of the day. Someone BARFED on the bus this morning. The culprit was gone by the time I got on, but they left a nice trail of vomit all over the seat with the wheel hump. The worst part about it was the smell and the fact that there was this trail of watery stuff all over the floor of the bus. The best part about it was the fact that I missed the trail of watery stuff AND it was kind of funny to see everyone get on the bus (which is usually really crowded) and perk up at the seemingly EMPTY 2 seats near the back only to be rudely greeted by the seat's true occupant. I had this horrible flashback of the time when I was in junior high and we all went to Knoebels amusement park...I jumped into the seat of that ride that flies you up into the air at an angle, pulled the bar down, rode the ride with much glee and amusement (it was an amusement park after all) and upon getting off realized that I had been sitting in vomit. Not a pleasant moment and I'm surprised to report, still not a pleasant memory.

At any rate, it's not so odd that someone had trouble keeping it down on this bus. A week or so ago, I was forced to stand the whole way to work. I fell asleep standing up only to be jerked awake by the bus stopping abruptly in the middle of a highway. My head hit the pole in front of me and I accidently smacked my forehead into the "stop" button which makes a loud beep sound to alert the driver that someone wants to get off. In the middle of stretch of highway with no bus stop. That was me.Saturday night I went with some friends to a jazz club in Hongdae (the college town area of seoul). Club Evans... I wanted to get all dressed up in case they called me out of the audience and asked me to sing...

They didn't, but I felt cute enough to have my friend Young Ji ask around the club about opportunities to sing. Evidently, I am not allowed to have a paying gig at a club in Korea (without a special visa) but I can come sing at the Jam Session on Mondays. Hmmmm...we'll see about that.

Look at me MOM!!!! I'm a long haired girl!!!!