These days

I have been MIA lately due to the fact that I have 2 weeks left in Korea. Even after typing this I can't believe it. It hasn't sunk in yet.

Mainly I've been preparing for an art show in which I'll be the featured artist. I'm almost done my work for that. I have to get my artist statement together and all the odds and ends that need to make a show come together by Saturday.

When that's done I can spend the week packing up my apartment. I think that might make this feel more like a reality. I'm not good at throwing things away. (I keep looking around this place I've called home for 2.5 years and wonder how did I accumulate so much crap?!) I'm also not good at saying good-bye. I usually end up bawling like a baby, resulting in an embarrassingly splotchy red face for hours.

Since it's just about the end I've been doing things that I haven't done all this time. I've also been going to places and doing things I've been doing dozens of times for the last time.

Recently I have...

-gone to a Korean night club
-finally made it to the jimjilbang (bath house)
-saw a great exhibition by 15 young up and coming Korean artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea
-been addicted to several Korean dramas
-done all sorts of theme nights when going out
-bought hundreds of dollars worth of DVDs, china and Louis Vuitton and Coach purses


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Everyone keeps asking if I'm excited about going home. It's hard to say. I can't stop thinking about all of the things that I'm going to be missing. I know that it's time to be with family and friends and relax for a while. I'm not too worried about what I'll do next. I have a ton of ideas that appeal to me and I could really see myself doing.

Here are a few:

-move to France. That has always been the plan. I don't know when it will happen. I could apply for a 3 month tourist visa and go to just hang out with Pascaline, Kaya, Sebastian and Marine. At that time I could see if there were any job possibilities and then apply for a working visa. I wouldn't mind being an Au Pair if the family/situation was right. I could also be an artist's assistant while working on my own stuff. Then there is always the teaching English gig. It's worked well for me so far, so I could keep going with it. No matter what I end up doing in France, I know that I need to study. I've lost a lot of the French that I used to know. It's time for me to get serious about the language.

-get a studio and be more serious about my art. I should focus on that for a while. I should apply to shows. I need to read more and see more art. I'm so out of touch with that world.

-Asia still isn't out of my mind. I love it here. I don't think I'll come back to Korea though. I would really like to live in Tokyo or Hong Kong, or even possibly a South East Asian country (although I don't know if I could handle the heat all year long) If I came back here the job would have to be right. Now that I know a little bit more about teaching in Asia I feel like I could figure out what was right for me.

-If I can't go to France, maybe I could end up in another French speaking country???

-I've also thought about going to Eastern Europe. (specifically Ukraine) How cool would that be to learn about and live in the country that my grandparents came from? If I went there I'd probably teach.

-Then there is the business of staying in Canada. I know that that's what most of you would like me to do. I'm not sure about it yet. I've already had two offers for roommates if I end up staying for a long period of time. I could see myself living with both of them. That would put me in the Toronto area. I don't know what I'd do job-wise though. I don't think I'd feel comfortable getting a place first and then looking for a job.

Until I figure out what I'll do next I'll be living at my dad's place in Markham. I'm sure I'll be all over the place crashing on couches again like last year. I'm excited for what's to come. I need to catch up with everyone. I need to figure out the future.
In Korea I'm having too much fun to be serious and decide what to do next. I guess going home is necessary at this point.