reflections on not taking advice and breaking a promise, and also, my muses

my teeth hurt. no, my jaw and head hurt and they know the teeth are to blame, and the teeth feel guilty. i was told 12 years ago i needed my wisdom teeth removed a.s.a.p., and we've come along this far together with no real problems. isn't it just like a tooth to wait until you're in another country to raise it's hand and tell you it's gotta go! but don't worry, i'm buying some pain killer and putting it off a little longer... i really want these guys to reach their fullest potential.

school is going very well. i'm getting positive feedback from the teachers, kids and my boss. i just finished grading my first speeches, and worked through the struggle of precise judgement on them (i am obsessed with fairness in this area)... so it took longer than it should, but i think it was worth it.

i have always been reluctant to become a teacher despite so many people pushing me in that direction- and i still have a lot of reservations about doing this in the states- but i really do dig the job i have here... and that's the most amazing part of this adventure for me. i have never felt this kind of creative freedom, personal connection, and immediate reward when it comes to the work i've done to pay the bills.

i'm meeting and getting to know new people every week: so that keeps me smiling, too. this situation has led me to interact with so many types of people i just normally wouldn't have ever met or put time in with... and i find the opportunity is making me appreciate those things that make us all unique even more than before. what i mean to say is, when forced to make friends outside of one's natural choices, the resulting diversity and new ways of thinking introduced back and forth can lead to some enlightening and unforgettable experiences.

the music is still going, but less frequently now. i mean, i'm still playing once a week for whoever happens to be at the german bar when i go in... sometimes a few people, sometimes a crowd: i am happiest when it's not all foreigners cause americans and canadians just don't offer a girl trying to share pretty songs the kind attention and applause that the koreans do. but i feel kind of guilty for so quickly abandoning my promise to ruby (that's the guitar) that i would play her every day. ***dear kt, insert your poem here*** but i've recently acquired some new music on the mac and feel inspiration slowly coming to a boil inside... so i hope soon i'll be making new songs.

ps- i probably wore out so fast on that promise because i was focusing on finding popular covers to play every day, and that just felt weird after a while.

kevin and i are also both poised to create some fun art as soon as the time feels right: we have the materials and the trash-turned-canvases... you just wait til that moment strikes! it's gonna be awesome.

by the way, i'm so thrilled every day that kevin and i are getting to do this together. i just wouldn't be having half as much fun without him; the boy is gifted at creating smiles.

that about covers things for now.

as a side note, though, let it be known there isn't fear or panic here at all over the tension with north korea (a lot of you have expressed concern).... every one seems confident that it's being resolved level-headedly and will not be the cause of ww3: i don't know if the american media is exploiting the story for ratings and making it sound scarier than it is, but we're all safe and comfortable here.

well, except for those damned teeth.