You say Goodbye, and I say Hello

Today was my last Wednesday in Canada and the evening was spent with a very amazing friend. It was a complete blast and an extremely pleasant evening. I am grateful that our souls crossed paths in this broken road that we call life... though I know that there will be inevitable potholes ahead... I know that I can always count on you for your honesty... comfort... and joie de vivre. I love you dolly... thanks for making this night great... HUGS.

[He] is a friend of mind. [He] gather me, man. The pieces I am, [he] gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It's good, you know, when you got a [man] who is a friend of your mind. ~ Toni Morrison

DUDE I'M DONE!

So it is now 2am on Monday morning. Come 9am my stint at Crawford will be over. Though I am elated never to have to say PIPEDA again.... I am somewhat saddened... I mean I love the people I work with... they are all amazing... I really feel that some of us will be friends forever!
So above PIPEDA, here are a list of words I am overjoyed to never say again:
1) Seepage 2) Deductible 3) PIPEDA 4) Comprehensive 5) Collision 6) Based on the info provided 7) PIPEDA 8) Fault 9) Claim 10) The office is now closed 11) Broker 12) Courtier D'assurance 13) PIPEDA 14) HERMES 15) Adjuster 16) HERMES 17) Vin # 18) PIPEDA.. Did I mention PIPEDA.. heheheh
Tomorrow I am going to try and stay awake til at least 9pm. That way I can go back to bed at a normal time and not be forced to watch those ooberly and easily exited people on The Shopping Channel and ponder how I could have come this far without an automatic vegetable pealer.
I am so excited about Friday night. It is going to be my going away thing at the Stampede in Kitchener and about 20 people have already RSVPd. I am really hoping that it will be soo much fun... I know that it will... I hope that it will.
Anyways... packing has started.. and so have the tears... it is funny.. I don't think I have really cried over any life decision more in my life. But unlike any tear I have shed before this date... these tears are not out of anger... upset... or victimization... but they are of sheer joy. These past few years have been the best and worst of my life... and through them I have been able to cross paths with so many wonderful souls... I am grateful for their friendships... their kindness... for them.
I know that I am definetly no longer the green and naive young PK that I first was when I traveled to KW. A lot has happened to and for me these past years and have allowed me to grow spiritually, physically and emotionally. Though I may sometimes disapprove of the choices I made to get here... I will never regret them since they are apart of me and have helped me grow into the person that I am.
I am and forever will be grateful to those that have stayed by my side and have loved me unconditionally. To those people.. you know who you are... words can not express my gratitude... my respect... my love for you.
LOL you know that you are pathetic when you are sitting at a computer in the middle of the night... crying... because you are overwhelmed with joy.. and fear for what is about to come.
So with that... I sign off...
My final night at Crawford has been an emotional one... thank heavens I am alone!
This year was the best one ever for me... I have been able to grow and mature... and say without hesitation... that I am proud of who I am and where I am going.
Cheers

Neighbor upstairs

So I am working midnights at Crawford this week. From 10pm to 9am I at work. Yesterday started like any other day... I came home and went straight to bed. At 3:30pm Gump and Leah woke me up with their incessant Meowing and running full steam into my door. I was able to ignore them til 5:30ish... then... mad as hell went to make a new pair of Gump/Leah slippers. As soon as I stepped out of my bedroom, I stepped into water. Knowing that Gump enjoys playing in his water dish.. I angrily thought he had just threw his water all over the floor. As I kept walking though... the water became deeper and deeper. Finally, when I had reached the middle of the kitchen the water was up to my ankles. I decided to tiredly look down... and to my surprise... noticed that the kitchen ceiling was on the floor and that water was streaming from the ceiling. Immidiately I called the landlord. Turns out that the neighbor upstairs had forgotten to turn off their bathtub water and it overflowed/flooded into our basement below. Thankfully... other than having to mop and sweep up... nothing is damaged... well the ceiling... but that isn't really my concern.



3 nights left at Crawford... then one more week.... the countdown has entered single digits.

Knit one Purl two

So yesterday Krissy came up for a visit. It was really nice. Other than going on an excursion to get our eyebrows waxed... we spent the entire evening in my apartment... talking... knitting... watching tv and eating tacos.
I had so much fun. I like the fact that we can just sit on the couch next to each other and just be... silent. I think that sometimes silence is much more appreciated and sometimes more special than a conversation.
I think that I maybe leaving on my jetplane May 2 or 3 since Kaye from BCM school would like me to be in Korea for May 4... this of course all depends on the promptness of the Korean Consolate and my visa. And since Korea is basically a day ahead of us... well May 2 would be the most suitable date to leave to make that deadline.
I just found out how much I am getting back for my income taxes this year... yah baby... let me just say that this cash is very welcome and needed.
This is night 3 of my 7 midnight stint... I cant wait til it is over... I am not a night person... and it is so difficult to stay awake. I think I will ask Jill, when she gets here, if I may go at 7ish... I am tired and not feeling so great.. my voice and head hurt.
My documents arrived in Korea late last night. YAY UPS for your competance. I enclosed a small Canadian Flag Pin in the package and was informed by Kaye, that the under director is proudly wearing it on his lapel... I'm not sure if he is Canadian or not... but I know that he liked it.
I bought a whole bunch of Canadian paraphanalia. From magnets to pins and stickers and chocolates... I am trying to collect an arsonal of supplies so that I will not only have presents... but cool incentives for my young students.
Anyways I am very tired and starting to ramble.
4 days and counting at Crawford... Monday morning can't come soon enough!

Can't get warm

So this is my final week at Crawford. Come Monday at 9am (EST) I will be done and will never have to say STUPID Pipeda again... hehehe.
I have just come off my first midnight of a week long stint... though I managed to get a couple of hours sleep during the shift... no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get warm. Tonight I am bringing a blanket with me.
On Sunday I bought a neck pillow (hot pink.. lol) that I am going to bring on the plane with me. I tested its comfortness last night here... and I must say.. for 14 dollars... not too shabby.
As soon as 9am hits I am heading home to sleep. Krissy is coming up for the afternoon.. though she will be here around 4ish so I can at least sleep til 330... that way I can be a tad sociable and a tad less cranky.
I can literally taste freedom now. I can't wait to be completely free of Crawford and petty people. I mean really?!? Who calls in an accident that happened over 1 month ago at 2am... and really.. if you are doing such a thing... do you really expect the agent on the other end to be pleasant to you?!?
I have asked Ben to book me a seat next to the emergency exit on the plane. Not just because I am a tad nervous about flying since this excursion will be my first... but also because little birdies have told me that you get more leg room in those seats... hopefully I can get one.
Well I can see that I am now jammering for the sake of jammering. I am sooo tired and can't wait for 9am.
Until tonight...
1 down... 6 to go.

YAY FOR UPS

So the UPS man just left my place with my documents for Korea.... wow.... it is really happening and Dday is now so close that I can taste it.
It cost me 51$ to send my documents to Korea... ouch right?!?... well compared to Puralotor which quoted me $93 dollars.. UPS was a steal.
I now just have to wait for my documents to get there.. I enclosed a Canadian pin for my boss.. I hope she likes it... then... well off I go!
I must say that though I am excited... I dont believe that I am ooberly nervous... I mean I still question whether or not I will be able to hack it... but other than that... I am quite composed... ask me again when I am boarding my plane.. lol

IT'S OFFICIAL!

So Kaye from the BCM schools in Korea called me last night for an interview for vacant positions within their BCM school chains across Korea and Japan.
Since Korea is 13 hours ahead of us... the telephone interview occurred at 12:45 am (EST).
Kaye was very nice... herself an ex-patriot (England)... she asked about 20 minutes of questions.. to which I tiredly fumbled through.... then I asked about a gazillion questions... to which she graciously and knowledgeably answered.
At the end of the interview... she stated that the final decision was not hers... but based on the information I provided.... she thought that I would be a great candidate for the BCM school and would recommend me to her superiors.
This morning I opened my email and found a contract and a job offer!
Though I spent the day worrying about a couple of aspects of it (the contract that is) ... mainly about the airfare... after finalizing some things with my recruiting firm... I accepted the position.
Now I just have to send some stuff to Korea.... and well.. my start date is May 9!
I think now that everything has come into fruition.... I am starting to get nervous and a tad scared. I have never been on a plane before... and well 27 hours on a plane is a great way to start right?!?
I am basically feeling every emotion possible right now... happy... sad... nervous... excited... the indescribable feeling that you get when you want to throw up... lol... I am very elated though.... and relieved.
I can admit I lost my faith for a bit in my recruiting firm... since I am a total control freak... and having things taken out of my control... well not my finest moments.... but I would honestly recommend them wholeheartedly... the Footprints team are amazing!
So I am heading to Daejeon. I am not sure on what date I will be leaving Canada.. as it is a 27 hour flight and my contract start date is May 9. When I find out... you will all be the next to know.
Cheers!
PS. A BIG Happy Birthday to my doll Marcos.... HUGS HUGS MUAHS and HUGS some more!

Relieved!

I have an interview! Apparently the school in Daejon wants to call me to do a telephone interview tomorrow (which is tonight for me). They have 2 schools that they are looking to find teachers (either gender)... one in Seoul and one in Daejon.
This is one of the greatest things that could have happened, especially since I was starting to feel sorry for myself... not a pretty picture.
In other news... I LOVE my co-workers. In honor of me, we all ordered Korean for dinner. Inspite of the slimy, clear noodles... it was really good. I can't remember the name of the food I ate, but it was a chicken stirfry with mild sauce... I need to memorize that word "mild"... lol.
And apparently my boss would like to take me out for lunch tomorrow as a going away thing. I said that they, he and my supervisor didn't have too... but they would like to do so... and it feels nice.
I had my rough spots at Crawford... to say the least... but the people there were always amazing. There friendships... and I do consider them that... will be missed. Though I plan on staying on MSN to communicate with some... with some I think that we will be friends for years to come... since they all have outstanding invites for coffee and Kimchie if they are ever in my neck of the woods.
Anyways... I just thought some good news was in order... since.. well the last post was less than stellar... but since I am trying to document my journey... I think it only fair that I document the lows... along with the highs.
Cheers.

Sadness :'(

So here I sit disheartened and disillusioned. I think that after all of the problems that I have seemed to encounter lately... the novelty of Korea is rapidly fading. No... scratch that... the novelty has not worn off... the thought that by using a recruiter my stress level would be lessened is wearing off. I am tired :'(.
I am tired of having to chase the recruiting firm around to see if I have a job... I am tired of not knowing where I stand... I am tired of being passed over because the company wants a male... I am having a bad day :'(
I know that this is supposed to teach me patience... but I am feeling dejected.
I just want everything to be over and done with... I hate being in limbo... one can only be in the dark for so long.
I want to be done with Crawford... I am tired of petty people and their petty problems.
I just want to go home and cry.

This is my favorite picture.

Road Trip!

So yesterday we all went to Tina's house in Hamilton. My mother, grandmother, Kim, father and I packed into our little Kia and headed out.
IT WAS THE BEST TIME EVER!
First of all, Tina should never be allowed to give directions, because a trip that should have taken an hour, took almost 4.
Some people would be angry or annoyed or unwilling to be stuck in a tiny car with all of their immediate family, but for me, it was sooo much fun.
A lot of it has to do with the fact that my dad is pretty easy going and when we do get lost... well laughs it off.
When we finally got to Tina's... we had a late lunch (4:45) and then hung out with her and my niece. I know that I am totally biased, but Taytay is the most gorgeous baby ever!
The sad part is though that since it took so long to get there, and they still needed to drive me back to Kitchener, we could only stay for a couple of hours.
On our way back to KW, we got lost again... lol... I dont get how if we got lost on T's directions the first time, we would think her second directions would be any better!
Oh well... all in all it was such a GREAT day!

ME

Yours truly in the front seat. Ah it pays to be tall :)

Kimmy and Grandma

Kim and Grandma in the back seat smiling for the camera

Grammy and Mom

Grandma and mommy in the back seat

Taytay and Mom

Proud Grandma Lise with my niece Taylor (aka Taytay)

The Birthday Girls

Taytay

I know most people are biased, but isnt she the most beautiful one year old ever!

Same old.. same old

Nothing new yet to report on my end... still waiting to hear back from Ben about a job prospect in Daejong.... hopefully that will pan out. If not... well I am trying the patience thing on for size... lol.. though it is not always a great fit... I am trying to make it work.
Really the worse thing that could happen would be that I leave mid-may instead of May 1.
To be honest... it would be nice to have a week or so just to hang with my family... I mean I will miss them more than anyone else in this world.
Moving date back to Markham is set for April 30. The move should be pretty easy though... since I am leaving 90% of the furniture with Glenna... so like I said... moving should be smooth.
I am in the "I can't wait to be done with Crawford stage!"... 15 days left! Its not that I hate the job.. because... well it has gotten so much better... and I love all of my co-workers... it is more that I have grown tired of the monotony and lack of excitement in this job. The one thing that I have been able to learn about myself is that I get bored very easily... with people... with my job... I am very much like my mother where I need to have a sense of adventure and change... to not feel like I am being trapped or pigeonholed into anything... hence the drastic move to Korea... I am yearning for an adventure... and from what I have gathered... the days are not ever the same.... exactly what I am looking for.
Anyways... other than fighting the flue nothing is new on my end. Glenna and I got fish this week... 2 Goldfish... Napoleon (her's) and Pedro (Mine). LOL no wonder they have fish in dr's offices... I find them mesmerizing.... I can watch them for hours and not get bored. I really think that my first purchase in Korea is going to be another fish... I think that I may need the companionship for the first couple of weeks... lol.
Fingers still crossed for a suitable (non gender discriminating) contract.

1920-2005

Official word just came from the Vatican in Rome... the Pope John Paul II has died. This is not only a huge (for lack of better words) moment in time for Catholics (and Christians alike)... but it is also a momentous occasion in history. No other Pope has made an impact as this one in such a long time.
Pope John Paul II logged more trips across the world than all of the previous Pope's combined. JPII apologized for the wrong doings of the catholic church during the Holocaust... and spoke openly against communism. The Pope managed to connect with both his old and young followers alike. Though the Pope may have still spoken negatively against abortion and gay marraige rights... he was still an influential voice for human rights and liberties.
RIP.... We pray that the next Pope can use your example to lead, as well as follow.

Back to being in Limbo

So I got an email last night from Ben, my recruiter, and the school that I had accepted the contract from, gracefully bowed out... so I am back to being contract-less and unsure of where the hell I am going in May. The school apparently did not know that I was a female, apparently the name Chelsea didn’t give my gender away, and when they found out I was female, stated that they were actually looking for a male and said that they would not like to continue with contract proceedings. Meh, the perfect contract is out there for me.
On the other hand, I won employee of the month.. woohoo... and got a gift certificate to the mall. Perfect timing may I add, now I just have a few more items of clothing to buy, and I will be set.. yay!
My arm is a little sore today... it was throbbing by the end of the day yesterday... but I am slowly feeling like myself. I think that our house was jinxed this week.... after I went home with a broken collar bone... Glenna fell off her bike and got 9 stitches in her knee... it looks bad, but she says that it is alright. I think I should do a voodoo cleansing chant... lol... anyone in?
Guess that is all for now... I'll keep you posted on the contract situation.. fingers crossed.
Hugs