My Blanket And Me

• So, as I was unpacking/repacking after arriving home from Korea, I realized a terrible terrible thing - I had left my Blankie at the hostel we stayed in. This may not sound that awful. But it really is. I've had my yellow Blankie since Erin was born - that would be 22 years. In middle school, my mom tried to get me to use a new one, because the original was getting old and not yellow. But that one is packed away somewhere, and looks good as new. Over the last 10 years, I've left my Blankie many places - home as I was headed to camp, MSU, NYC, Royal Oak - but it was always with someone who could send it back to me. If I left it somewhere that was within driving distance, I drove back to go get it. This time, despite my efforts to contact the hostel (and their efforts to look for it), it hasn't been found. I'm actually tearing up a little writing this. My Blankie has gone with me everywhere and was a big comfort when I climbed into my bed every night. It smelled good (despite what other people said) and it was amazing, since it had tangled itself into an undoable knot over the years. I know it's silly, but I feel like something close to me has died. And the fact that this happened at a time when so much in my life is changing makes it worse. The terrible symbolism here is that this loss of my childhood comfort came right before I was offered my first Big Girl job. Right as I was applying for a car loan, looking for an apartment, having bills transferred to be paid in my name. This is when I could use a snuggle with my Blankie the most and instead I'm faced with the idea that this is an archetype of my childhood ending and my actual adulthood beginning. I know going into adulthood doesn't make you an adult (*cough cough* Linda and George). And this is clear when I want, more than a lot of other things right now, to have my Blankie back so I can hold it as I fall off to sleep before my first day at my real job.

Hot 'N Cold

• Today was a very stressful day. First, I woke up late. This wasn't a huge deal, as I was close to the place I needed to be and the start time of the event was pretty flexible. But still, no one likes being late. Second, I wasn't informed that the Detroit Public Library (the place for my meeting) would be closed today, nor that the parking lot I was supposed to park in would be labeled "Staff" but that I could park there anyways. So I drove around the block like 5 times and eventually parked in a structure. Then I got out and walked (with both of my laptops) in the steady rain to the front doors of the library - where I was greeted with the stubborn "click" of a locked door. I stood there for a minute before a cleaning lady opened the door, asked if I was here for the training and told me I had to walk around the building to be let in by the security guards. Oy. She was very nice so I thanked her, but then turned around to face the rain again. I got back to the sidewalk, at which point she yelled to me that I was going in the wrong direction, so I turned and walked back to her to get the correct instructions and she then told me that she made a mistake, I was actually going the right way. Oy. But still, I remained cheerful. There was also a man returning books to the drop box who told me that the library was closed until 10 am. I told him that I guess I just get an extra shower today then :) So I walked around and found the right door. Then I had /got to walk through what I assume are the bowels of the library. There were old research volume sets, children's books, files about Detroit, huge books, a card organization system of some kind and a really old locker room/bathroom. It was pretty cool and I doubt I'll get to go down there again. Then began my make-up day of training for WAY. It wasn't terrible, since there were different presenters than my first time and one of them was one of the founders. It was fun to talk to them and the other new staff members. We also got yummy bagels, yogurt, pizza, salad and (most importantly) coffee. However, I had to make tons of phone calls at any break possible (apartment, Cara, BandShoppe, etc.) and was worrying about a lot of different stuff throughout. Plus, it was geared more towards the people who will be working at the WAY Academy, and therefore acting as Mentors, Experts and Lab Monitors, rather than just Mentors (which is what I'll be doing). So, while the content was interesting, it wasn't necessarily relevant to me. Oh well. THEN, on the way to see an apartment, I called the bank to inquire after the "bank speak" in a letter I got and discovered that I am STILL being punished for that stupid stupid stupid mistake someone at the IRS made against me in 2005. And I have to find the time to figure it all out. GAAAAAAH! I can't believe it. So I kind hyperventilated in the car while driving down 94. Then, I met up with Cara and she saw an apartment with me (we liked it and she LOVED the guy who showed it to me/who I've been talking to) and we wandered around the Student Center, chatting/reminiscing. After that, we headed to the Bubble so I could return some silks to Kim and so we could visit our little guard babies who are all grown up and doing college guard. Change of plans meant that practice was actually at the practice field but we popped in to see the Bubble really fast before heading over there (it was neat, but also hot and seems like it costs a lot). At the field, we finally found our girlies! It was great to see Halley and Sara, especially when Sara ran towards me once she saw me :) I can't wait to see them march! We also got to see some other band/guard members who we knew. It was fun :) We finally headed home, where we met up with Melissa to eat dinner/cookies and shop for dresses on ModCloth/in each other's closets (suitcases). It was an up-and-down day, but turned out well over all.

Especially In Michigan (Aug 26)

• As I was driving to Detroit today, I compared it with my mini-road trip down the west coast of Michigan from yesterday. I love the west coast, from south to north, and love that Michigan has woods and beaches right next to each other. I also think it's awesome that I can travel a few hours and be in a thriving metropolis that houses many of my favorite people and many places I haven't yet been able to explore. I think it's fabulous that I get both in one place. Pure Michigan :)
• Hangout time with Krystle :) And watching Friends with Erica :)

High Time For A Detour (Aug 25)

• Band camp was pretty good this year. Our group of girls is fantastic and are really starting to come together, as a team and a performing ensemble. On Monday, I did have to talk to them about sitting out, but after that, we didn't have many problems that weren't actual injuries. Amazing - when you're clear with your expectations, the kids know what they can and can't do. Also, Anna and I were reminded why we spent most of our breaks in the hammocks last year :) On Tuesday, we had a big booboo though - Miss Monica fell during dance work and the evil ground hurt her ankle. Not sure on her prognosis for the season, but it will definitely take a while to heal :( Anna wrote and helped me write some great choreography throughout the week. I can't wait to put our costumes and all of our different equipment on the field, and see the reaction of the audience and judges :) Thursday, everyone was having issues and we had a relatively unproductive sectional - Anna and I were squabbling, the girls were have memorization trouble and I couldn't tell my left hand from my right. Luckily, it quickly turned from stressful to silly and we vowed not to do it again. Maybe we can blame the drumline - they were eating sassafras leaves all day. That night, the staff did a great skit ("The Candy Shop") and we got a standing ovation, lots of shouts and plenty of high-fives. On Friday, we had several breakdowns/almost-breakdowns - you could tell it was the end of the week. And many of Anna's and my frustrations from the week peaked that day. We were definitely ready for staff time at a local restaurant (...and bar) during the Senior Campfire that night. Anna and I (and others) tried some new drinks and everyone had a pretty good time. I think Lauren was excited to see that side of me :P Saturday brought humidity and more frustration but we made it to and through the Parent Performance without any major issues. Overall, it was a good week that went by really fast. I was sad to not feel like I had more time with everyone, but if it had felt any longer I may have tried to run away.
• Anna accidentally forgot to turn onto Russell Rd. when we were leaving camp, so we ended up turning around at the Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery down the road. Only, when we pulled in, we both kinda looked at each other and said we wanted to go canoeing. So we parked, got out, checked the prices, pondered a bit, decided we'd rather float down the river on tubes but didn't want to spend the predicted 3 hours that it would take. As an alternative, we chose to take the scenic route back to Kalamazoo, go through Grand Haven and stop by Lake Michigan. We did just that and it turned into a mini-road trip! We stopped where we wanted to, ate yummy food, walked the pier, waded in the lake, bought fruit from the side of the road and watched the sun set out of our window. And we didn't talk about guard at ALL...well, almost. (Mostly when we mentioned it, it was just to say how we couldn't believe that we weren't talking about it. Which kind of ruins it, but we were proud of ourselves nonetheless.) It was a fabulous way to go home.

Hey Julia (Aug 17)

• Flip phone for the win this week - my battery lasted (with me using it) from Sunday to today, and it wasn't even dead.
• Listening to Katie talk last night and today made me really wonder about language acquisition and it's relation to child development. She's only two and a half and she has an amazing grasp on the syntax and semantics of English, whereas I struggled immensely to get my five-year-old Korean students to a basic understanding of English. I do realize that the environments are totally different. But there are other factors at work and I'm pretty sure age is one of them - which makes this topic even more fascinating. In my next life (or maybe even this life), I'll study it more - along with allergies.
• I spoke with the best loan officer at PNC today. It helped that he knows my dad pretty well, but he also just seems like a genuinely awesome person and it was great to have that interaction with someone when I was doing something that could be really stressful. Between him and the landlord I spoke with the other day, I feel like I can totally conquer adult things, as long as I have some fabulous gay men on my side :)
• On the train ride home, an older (like 30-ish?) guy asked me "College colorguard?" because he saw me board with my flags. I told him yes, but now I also coach in Farmington. He said, "Awesome!"and kept walking. It was a quick, fun, positive interaction - a lot like the ones I had in Korea but did not expect to have upon returning home. Yay!
• I watched Julie & Julia on the train ride home, in honor of what would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday (which was on August 15). I WILL read the book someday soon too.
• Packing for band camp is slightly more challenging this year - it is usually my 4th camp of the summer and I am well-versed in remembering what to bring...but not this year. My weekend-in-a-backpack skills that I acquired in Korea are not as useful in this situation :/ Plus, all of my stuff is in a box or a suitcase right now. Boo.

The Failure Epiphany (Aug 16)

• Eischeids! So so happy that I got to see them tonight/tomorrow, even if it’s only for a little while. Jen and Andrew were so happy to see me and excited to hear about Korea and other things in my life; it was so sweet. And Ella and Katie are ADORABLE! They have grown so much in the last 6 months, especially Katie. Ella almost still looks the same as when she was a baby, which is both cute and interesting. Katie - with her longer hair and extremely expanded vocabulary - seems SO much older. It’s so funny/amazing to listen to them talk, hear their worries, pray with them and see them play together. And, after initially being wary of me, they both warmed right up and wanted me to do everything with them (I’m pretty sure they do this with any visitors at their house but I love it anyways).
• At least 3 people this week have told me that they stalked my pictures from Korea while I was gone - I love this! It’s so cool to have people, even in my Farmington community, that are so interested in my life :)
• Why do I always have my epiphany moments in the shower? I seriously always think of a million things I need to do but, of course, I can’t write them down. But by the time I’m out, I don’t remember what I was thinking! Boo.

Real As Can Be (Aug 15)

• Kayla came over and we hung out for a while, since we can be “real” friends now and she’s headed to Grand Valley soon. We baked, watched a movie and just talked about random stuff. It was great :) Though it did remind me how much I miss the seniors from last year, both in guard and in band.

Perfect Egg Salad Every Time (Aug 14)

• I'm so grateful to Karen and Laura for letting me stay at their house this week :) It is a charming little house and, just like Jen and Andrew's old house, everything has a place. I feel very comfortable here and am very thankful that I am able to stay here - I don't want to leave on Thursday! Plus, Karen told me to eat their produce that was left in the fridge (they aren't here this week), so I made the BEST salad ever. PP (big fan of salad bars) would be proud.

Love Lockdown (Aug 13)

• I got to see Anna today!!! We ran towards each other - she even dropped her stuff on the ground, all dramatic-like. It was fabulous. I don't really think I can survive without her...she keeps me sane and I kind of love all her crazy quirks :)
• We had a lockdown at the school today during rehearsal! A guy (or 2?) with a gun went MIA on school grounds, so we had to stay inside unexpectedly for about an hour. Crazy.
• Rachel informed me today that, at one point, she was in India, I was in Korea, Mike was in England and Elise and Brad were in Farmington. Weird.

More Than A Feeling (Aug 12)

• It's kind of the best feeling ever when your students run at you and attack-hug you because they've missed you in the 8 months since you've seen them. Makes all the problems seem small and reminds me why I love what I do :)
• The next best feeling is when one of your new students says, "Emily, you're nothing like what everyone said! You aren't mean!" I like scaring the newbies a little ;)
• Also, having a Bestest that loves one of the things you love most and will help you write choreography on a Sunday morning is awesome.

How Many Friends (Aug 11)

• Today turned into a fantastic day for seeing friends! I tagged along with Katie to the post-Lake Louise meeting at Matt and Liz's. We got to chat for the whole car ride, which was great. I love that girl. Then we arrived at Matt and Liz's house and, after Liz opened the door, Robert saw me and came running out. It was soooo cute and I LOVE how much he's talking now and his adorable little voice. Then Rachel saw me and ran out too! It was wonderful. I got much needed extra-long hugs from Liz and Phil, plus Amanda, Joe and Sara (and Matt, of course) were there as well and I got awesome hugs from them. Carlee Skyped into the meeting and it was *almost* like hanging out/talking to her in real life. There was lots of good camp talk, a yummy lunch (where Robert volunteered to pray!), and I got to help Rachel get dolled up for Rene's wedding. And then I rode home with Phil :) He insulted my former taste in music and gave me some pretty good advice, regarding my blanket. Shh, don't tell him I said that, I'm not supposed to compliment him.
• After seeing my dad and brothers briefly, I boarded the train to Royal Oak. Not only did I get to see and hug on my Bestest when I got off 3 hours later, but I was happily surprised to know that we would be eating dinner with Charlie and Blair at a good old American diner. It was yummy and we had a fantastic time catching up about camp, Korea, houses and jobs. They came back to Krystle's afterwards and we hung out with the cats, listened to the TV show that is life in Krystle's house, and perused Charlie's new book Awkward Family Photos, which is in fact a collection of very awkward family portraits. It was lovely. And after they left, Krystle and I got more time to talk, about everything. I've missed her a LOT and it's surreal that we've just been able to hang out and catch up tonight :)

A Little Leftover (Aug 9)

• Ben and I made pizza from random things in the fridge for lunch today. It turned out pretty yummy! Then the boys and I played Bananagrams - only we played one board together and had themes...including chemical elements and numbers.
• I started writing guard work :) Too bad the rain made me stop, I was totally on a roll.

Irony In The Shadows

• Today, I picked up my mail (and other things) from my dad. A few months ago, I ordered a necklace on ModCloth and asked for it to be delivered to me in Korea. About 6 days later, I got an email saying my package had been sent back because they couldn't deliver it to my house (Really, ModCloth? The package got to Korea and back to America in less than 6 days?), but they couldn't tell me why. So they sent it to my American address free of charge. When I opened the package today, I found the necklace and an adorable pink striped bow! It was labeled with 2 sticker: "A Free Gift From Us!" and "Made in Korea". That MAY be the most ironic thing I've experience in quite some time.

There's A Fine, Fine Line (Aug 7)

• Well, today I did a whole day of training for my new WAY Mentor Program on no sleep. Yes, after waking up at 8 pm, watching the Olympics with mom and the boys for a while and then visiting with Katie and Carrie until 3 am, I decided not to sleep between then and my 7 am alarm. It wasn’t too bad either, until about 1:30 pm. But by then I was on my 4th cup of coffee and we were doing enough new things to keep my brain mostly occupied. And then I came home, managed to stay awake until Mom got home, and promptly fell asleep at 7 pm (and basically stayed that way until 5 am this morning). 
• I’m surprised, and slightly horrified, at how easy it is to fall back into the routines that I had here before I left. So much has happened to me in the last 6 months but I’m going about everything here as if it hadn’t. It makes me want to cry. I don’t want to forget all of my memories, experiences, and relationships. I can’t, can I? But it’s easier to quickly summarize my 6 months and then get to talking with someone about our task at hand or their lives than to go into detail about mine. And it seems kind of selfish, to only want to talk about my super-exciting life. Especially when I’m met with, “I always wanted to do that, but I got married and had kids instead” (that was literally a response I had yesterday). How rude of me to be parading my world-traveler-ness in these people’s faces when they never got or took the chance to do the same. This is a weird balance that I’m going to have to figure out. I started a little with Kathreen yesterday. I was just telling her random facts - about coffee, food, the lack of sandwiches – about life in Korea throughout the day. She was very appreciative and amused, and I definitely thank her for that. I also spoke with a woman (who, as it turns out, knows Liz Carr from forever ago) about my time in Korea and she was really interested. We compared the schools here and there and it was a nice conversation (especially because I had an interesting first impression of her). I guess I’ll just have to figure out how to be recently back from a completely unique experience and how to do the things I have to here at home at the same time. One of the million reasons I wish being home in the US meant I got to see Carlee.

MCs Come And MCs Go (Aug 1)

• Pastor Richie and his family took me to lunch today :) It was nice to see them one last time and to see them interact as a family. We ate at the food court of a multi-story shopping center on the other side of town – it wasn’t that great, but they paid ;) 
• Tonight I got to host a talent show! Isn’t that the most random thing? Pastor Richie asked me a few weeks ago if I knew anyone who’d want to MC a talent show as part of the Fireworks Festival. They’d have to help recruit English acts but would be rewarded 500K Won (about $500). I was like, “Uh, me!” It was a lot of work to convince people to join and to figure that stuff out, but we made it to today. I brought both of my new dresses – which was good because it was SUPER windy and I had to change right before the performance, to avoid showing my spanks to the crowd :D It was a little bit scary being on stage but I tried to act like I wasn’t nervous and that speaking on stage is just something I do every day (which, I suppose, it kind of is). Turns out I was pretty good – a few people thought that I was translating what the Korean MC was saying, when, in reality, we had agreed on what to say beforehand – COOL! I can handle being taken for a person who is fluent in both Korean and English! We actually had to end the show early because it was so windy and they were afraid of the stage falling down and possibly starting a fire that would spread to POSCO (no joke). So that was lame, because it was just as I was getting into the groove of announcing. And I felt like I had lured the people I’d recruited into something they didn’t really want to do and then they didn’t even get any prizes. They reassured me that it was okay and I ended up helping convince the talent show board to split the prize money evenly between the entrants (instead of large amount to 1st place, middle amount to 2nd place and small amount to 3rd place). Plus, later at Tilt (the foreigner bar), a few of the people who were going to perform did so there. Overall, it was a very cool/random/unique experience :)

Platform Blues (July 31)

• Rachel went out to get donuts for our breakfast :) After that we headed to the train station…slowly, but surely. We got there with plenty of time to spare. We sat on the platform, chatted a little and avoided thinking about how long it would be until we saw each other again. I hugged her extra-long and waved until the train left.

Cake And Eat It Too (July 29)

• At this point it's strange to hear my friends talk about things they'll be doing after I leave :( 
• It was my last Sunday at PICC! I’m so lucky to have found a church that is such an amazing community with active and loving members. It was a huge part of making Pohang feel like home. We celebrated with a cake from Paris Baguette, just like we have with everyone else who has left this summer. 

• I followed up a restful afternoon of packing with an unexpected and fabulous night with Paul and Liz, that included eating intestines, drinking soju, hanging out on the roof of Liz’s building and getting to know each other. Even in my last days here, I’m getting closer to and learning new things about my friends :)

Smells Like Fireworks (July 28)

• Today was Wolpo beach day with Ingrid and Nida! We got started a little later than planned but got on the right bus at least :) And we got dropped off right in front of Ashley’s apartment (and got a tip from the bus driver that we could get picked up there as well – woo less walking!). The original plan was to spend part of the day baking in Ashley’s apartment…but we couldn’t get in! She gave me the wrong pass code :/ But the alternative was laying on the beach all day. And as it was another hot, sunny day, that was not a bad alternative at all. We tried to use our feminie/English wiles to get an umbrella for cheap but no luck. It was a good choice to pay for it though! The sun was pretty wicked – we wore sunscreen and stayed in the shade most of the time but still all got fried! We spent the day talking, swimming, people watching and fully enjoying each other’s company (trying to pay no attention to the fact that I have only days left in Pohang). We snacked on Korean chips and I had a ridiculously spicy seafood dish for lunch (I didn’t expect either spiciness or the seafood-ness). I played in the sand with a couple of Korean kids :) We marveled at the similarity of Korean high school boys to all other high school boys. We saw a man wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a polo t-shirt, shorts, leggings, socks and a sun hat – that’s sunburn prevention dedication right there. And, after today, I have now swum in all of the oceans surrounding Korea! 
• After our beach day, Nida went home and Ingrid and I went to the Fireworks Festival. I don’t usually like fireworks that much – but this show was amazing! It was a competition between different countries and they all did a great job. It went on for at least 2 hours and we had some street food while lounging on our beach blanket. 

• Then I somehow fought my way through the HUGE crowds to find Monique, Richard, Monique’s mom and Kelly (and her boyfriend). We walked a REALLY long way and eventually ended up at a samgyeupsal place that was really yummy. We relaxed, ate, watched some obscure Olympic events that Korea was competing in, and enjoyed our last time hanging out. So glad that I met Monique and Richard during orientation!

An Unconscious Discovery (July 27)

• I made an interesting discovery today. I did my laundry yesterday, not thinking that I’d need some of the laundered items today – like my bra. BUT in the extreme heat we’ve been having a damp bra was a miracle! The leftover water keep me cool for a long time, but wasn’t enough to soak through my clothes – perfect! 
• I had dinner with Winter and Hye Sun tonight. We went to HomePlus and chose a restaurant on the 6th floor. There wasn’t anyone in there so we had a nice time, just by ourselves. The conversation was a mix of Korean, translation by Winter and English. After dinner, we went to this coffee/gelato store across the way and had both :) Hye Sun gave us gifts too! I got a lovely sparkly light purple headband. It was so cute. After that, we did a little shopping and then it was time to say goodbye. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be! I’m friends with Hye Sun on Facebook but, because of her limited English, it won’t be the same as keeping in touch with Jeanette or Liz on Facebook. Hopefully, I’ll get to go back and visit someday. 
• Tonight I decided to stay up WAY too late to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremonies. It started at 9 p.m. London time – so 4 a.m. Korea time! It was worth it though. Although it wasn’t the same type of amazing as the Beijing ceremonies, I really loved it. Some of the highlights included: 
• Patients from the hospital that Barry bequeathed his earnings from Peter Pan to 
• The British anthem sung by an integrated deaf and hearing children’s choir 
• An amazing visual history of Britain, where they tore away the countryside set to reveal one inspired by the Industrial Revolution that then forged the rings of the Olympics and gave way to the stage used for the rest of the show 
• Wonderful accompaniment for the history portion that was drum/percussion-based 
• A modern history of British pop music and culture that included children’s books and Sir Tim Bergers Lee – the inventor of the World Wide Web!