an experiment in video

A t-26 1/2 hour check list

Ticket...check.

Visa...check.

knots in my stomach...check check

fear of North Korea...check

laundy done...che

France weight lost... ch, 3 lbs, 6 to go.

Suitcases packed...

I better get on that.

I won't have internet when I first arrive in Seoul, but hopefully I will be moved into my apartment by next week. Then I'll share some photos.

Family, friends, and my beautiful US, I'll see you in a year.

Go Cubs!

U.P.D.A.T.E.

The wheels on the Korea bus are rolling. Friday morning I have an appointment at the Korean consulate in Chicago. A short interview, $45 cash, and 2-3 business days later will hopefully result in my visa. Tentatively, I am scheduled to leave Wednesday evening, as in a week from tomorrow.
I will be there 12 months. One year. 365 days. 52 weeks. 525,600 minutes (how do you measure, measure a year?). I've said it already, and I'll say it again- come and visit! I love guests-especially you, or you and your friends, or you and your family, or just your friends, or just your family, etc. Come come come come COME!

See you in Seoul.

Give a shout out!

I need to give a thousand gigantic thank yous to my miracle worker Grandma and my equally awesome Dad. Rather than taking a 36 hour journey from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, then to Chicago on Thursday, they got us on a flight from Dublin to London, then London to Chicago on Tuesday. Travel time was a considerably shorter 15 hours.
Thanks Grandma and Dad! I love you!

"lucky" number 3?

Four weeks ago, if I saw the word Eyjafjallajokull, I would have thought someone's kitty walked across their computer keyboard. And now, despite not being able to spell it (I copied and pasted) and definitely not being able to pronounce it, I absolutely know what it is.
Four weeks ago, I saw an unusual status on Facebook. My friend from Madrid was visiting family there, but trying to get back to her home in England. She said her flight was canceled because of volcanic ash in the air. I thought she was kidding. Throughout the day, I continued hearing about this volcano. That weekend, I had plans to meet a friend from the England in Biarritz. I thought to myself "Oh, I'm glad this is happening now, and not over the weekend. Things will be cleared up by then" HA. So the weekend came and went. His flight was canceled. I stayed in Bordeaux. I was supposed to fly to Berlin the following Tuesday. I thought to myself "Well, no Biarritz sucks. But at least it is happening now and not next week. Things will be cleared up by Tuesday" HA. Polka dancing across Checkpoint Charlie while wearing a dirndl and drinking coffee from a beer stein remains on my to do list. Verdammen.

Fast forward four weeks, following too many tearful goodbyes in Bordeaux and a tearful goodbye in Paris, I find myself in Ireland in the company of my mom and Aaron. Despite driving entirely wrong (and making it really difficult to cross the street), Ireland is a great country. The people are nice. The countryside is beautiful. The pubs are plentiful. But between Aaron being busy at work, my mom wanting to get back home and not live out of a suitcase, and me needing to get stuff ready for Korea, we are anxious to get home. We've been hearing about the volcano again. But I wasn't too nervous. I thought to myself, "This can't be happening now. This can't happen to me again" HA. Tomorrow's flight is canceled, making this the third travel interruption Eyjafjallajokull has caused me. But on the plus side, I get to enjoy my coffee tomorrow morning, rather than chugging it before rushing outside to take a taxi to the airport, and it's another day in Ireland. Illinois and Illinois people, I will see you soon, hopefully!
Here's a few Ireland pictures.

Kilkenny

Tulips in a park in Dublin

County Wicklow-the motherland

Howth, just outside of Dublin

The owners of our apartment have a cat. He drops in through the skylights and makes himself right at home.