Texan Accents...eww

Andrew: "CASSAAAAAANDRA!"

Me: (In the worst possible Texan voice I could come up with) "I hate you Andrew Scott Miller!"

That time has come...

I recently had a conversation with my boss and she asked me if I would like to renew my contract here for another year. I politely declined the one year offer but agreed to extend for four additional months, pushing my state-side arrival to early July. If by that time, I'm still not ready to leave, I can keep extending a few more months until I know for sure my time here is done. But I can't seem to fully lock myself into a 12 month allotment for the time being. And maybe when I'm here all alone, away from my Korean family that I've become so close with (who will all be gone), I'll want to come home sooner than expected.

When it comes down to it, I know for certain I'm not ready to leave Korea just yet. But I did come to the conclusion that another year in Korea may be a few months too long. I guess I'm just proceeding with caution and playing it safe. There's nothing wrong with that -- right?

A silly little Christmas letter

Dear Santa,

I just wanted to write in order to tell you what I wanted for Christmas this winter. I feel that I have been pretty good for the most part. I wasn't mean to many people except for the mean ajuma that owns the shop near my house. Well, I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel like I have been really good this Christmas and all I want for Christmas is Cass. She sure is super swell and I think it would just be a good idea for you to drop her under my tree Christmas morning. I will find really good cookies and give them to you with the finest milk Korea has to offer. I promise I will not contaminate the cookies with Kimchi. Thanks for listening Santa.

Love, Andrew.

P.S. Please don't run over my grandma, and don't kiss my mom this Christmas. It is really putting a strain on the family.

Epic Birthday

I don't even know where to start with this blog about my giant birthday celebration on the Saturday after my 24th. All I can say is that it will be remembered by all who were a part of it.

Well the day started off with me getting my hair dyed yet again, but instead of the dark blonde I was going for, it turned a dark purpley-red. I left the salon quite upset but didn't have time to deal with or stress over it - I had to find my party dress! I went to Zara's to pick up my dress that I found the week before at a store in Seoul. But unfortunately the location closest to my house didn't carry the one I wanted. So, I had to make a quick unexpected trip into Seoul just to pick up my perfect party dress. When I got back to Jeongja, I met Si and Pauly to get a manicure and an early dinner (my first and only meal of the day). Afterwards, we headed back to my house to drink champagne and get ready for the festivities.

We made our way to Dublin's at 9pm for a quick cocktail and then off to Itaewon for another decadent mango martini. After finishing the perfect and very strong martini, the girls and I hopped into a cab and headed to Hongdae to meet up with the rest of the crew. That's where everything fell apart. First we started walking to the bar and somehow the group got split up in different directions. Once we regrouped, we drank and danced the night away. Other epic events that occurred throughout the evening are as follows:

• Songi and Andrew broke up over a lollipop
• Sionna got blackout drunk by midnight, and left her purse in the bathroom
• Sionna twisted her ankle (later we learned from the doctor she actually fractured her foot and is now getting around on crutches)
• My keys were given to a stranger (and not by me)
• I jumped over a bar to greet the bartenders with a warm drunken hug and then I proceeded to work in the bar while making friends with the bar manager at the same time
• I was found passed out by the speakers (Bouncer to Liz: "Umm...do you know that girl? Liz: "Yup! In fact I do!")
• My friends (thank the lord for them) carried me home as I was unconscious (They may have dropped me A LOT - you should see the bruises)
• The next day, I woke up in Andrew's bed freaking out because I had NO idea where I was. Turns out they didn't have my keys so they couldn't put me in my own bed.
• I had to meet Si and Pauly in the pouring rain to get my keys back still fully dressed in my heels and party dress mid-afternoon (I got quite a bit of looks)
• I was throwing up until 10pm that night, super hung-over (I definitely had alcohol poisoning)
• Then the next day (Monday), I had to pick up my purse from Jee containing my credit card, cash, and camera because I didn't know it existed at the time
• I couldn't eat solid food for 3 days because my body was so screwed up

Now, I'm not proud of what happened nor have I ever got that belligerent in public, but all I can say is that it was eventful. And thank god I have the friends that I do.

Note to self: don't ever take a month off of drinking and then instantly party like a rock star. It equals misery for many, many, many days.

A Year of Many Thanks

There was no Macy's Day Parade. No turkey paired with the "fix-ins". No family squished around a table gorging and chatting away. No male family members deer hunting. No football game or football talk. No after turkey naps. No apple pie or pumpkin roll. And no game of dominoes.

There was just me, at work, thinking about all the things I was missing out on being a gazillion miles away on Thanksgiving Day. And if you think about it, that's quite ironic. I was left to sit alone and actually be thankful for all that I have in my life. This year, Thanksgiving wasn't just about having a day off and eating a lot of great food. It was like taking a look back at this past year and realizing how good I really have it. I am thankful for everyone in my life and all of the experiences I have had. And, I am thankful for being me. I am happy, and that's all a girl can really ask for.

Birthday Make-up

We're not talking cosmetics here. We're talking about the fact that I didn't do anything special on my big day.

So despite my poor health, I decided to lift my spirits with liquid spirits at Dublins with all of my friends. I think by the end of the night, I sampled all the drinks Dublin's has to offer. Car Bombs, martinis, mixed drinks, beer, and shots galore filled my insides and I was feeling much better about my Birthday-less Birthday the day before. I even received a home-made card (the best kind), a can of fake snow that was sprayed into the air all throughout the night, a stellar performance by Andrew that included all of my favorite upbeat cover songs, many shout-outs on the microphone, an amazing fire show, a few gifts, a delicious Korean cake (that I ate all of the chocolate pieces off of and then later started a cake fight with), and lots of love from all my friends.

All in all, it turned out to be a great night and a super fantastic 24th Birthday celebration! Like always, I closed the bar at 3 am and actually SK, the beautiful bar owner, kept Dublins open for myself, Cho, Alex, and the bartenders (DJ, Matt, and Tae) for a private after party with some grub and many bottles of soju. I think I got home around 6 am and in one piece.

When I woke up the next day for work, I moved at a snail's pace to get ready and all with a headache the size of Jeju Island. Now all that's left on the birthday agenda is round 2 which will take place Saturday night in the busy and eclectic area of Hongdae. I'm looking forward to a night of birthday magic and debauchery.

Birthday-less in Korea

If there's something I've learned about having a winter birthday, it's that with the cold, blustery air, flu season comes blowing in. Unfortunately I didn't get to really enjoy my birthday because I woke up with an awful cold. I somehow managed to get to the gym but I only lasted about 5 minutes on the treadmill before I had to call it quits on my cardio session due to not being able to breathe. When I got to work a few hours later, I headed to the Doctor's office for some meds. The Doctor insisted that I get tested for Swine Flu as I had all of the symptoms. But unfortunately I had to decline due to lack of time. I made it through the day of teaching, drinking 2 liters of orange juice in 6 hours. And then I had to cancel my birthday dinner afterwards to go home and rest.

On top of the misery I was feeling, my school forgot it was my birthday and I didn't get the cake I was looking forward to (as this is what our school does for every one's birthday). So yes, I was sick, not blowing out 24 candles, and not celebrating whatsoever that it was my Champagne year. Hopefully I can make up for it over the weekend. Happy fan-freakin' Birthday to me! ;)