First Bibimpap!

I've been spending an insane amount of money on cheese and egg bibimpap from this restaurant near the school, and as a result my wallet has thinned out a bit.
Also, my waistline has expanded. Koreans usually eat in groups and food is a shared experience. So one bowl of bibimpap is meant for two or three people! [...]

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Cross and Pots

From the top floor of Wonderland. Sunset.

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One-Handed

We were tumbling in Taekwondo class when my instructor turned to me and said, "Cartwheel, one hand."
And without another thought, I turned to my side, placed my right hand on the knot of my belt, leaned over and executed the perfect one-arm cartwheel. Followed by another.
The room burst into applause, and I raised my arms [...]

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The Hand That Feeds

While getting ready for my Korean language course, I decided to play a little Nine Inch Nails to speed things up.
It’d been a while since I’d played some NIN, but after an entire month of belting Mariah during that god-awful NYer Infatuation aka Period of Shame (“No, no, no no no no noooooo / I need [...]

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The Ax

I finally did it.
They said it may take as long as three months. Which is understandable. We are straddling the DMZ, after all.
I don’t blame them. A lot of mommies would be pissed to have the school’s American puppet accommodating foreign teacher leave a month into the new semester.
Considering the horror stories of directors slapping their staff around, [...]

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Letter from The Instructor

Dear Pia,
You have looked tired and upset for many weeks . . . I feel bad for you.
I wish I could take care of you.
But I don't know English. I'm sorry.
I will study and learn English.
Remember to practice your Korean. I would like you to know more Taekwondo words.
You work very hard in Taekwondo class. Exercise is [...]

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In Two Days . . .

. . . I’m meeting with my supervisor and director to inform them I’m leaving Wonderland. Screw the money.
While talking to my roommate last night, I found out that we don’t have health insurance.
“But they’re supposed to cover 50 percent,” I protested. “I thought that was effective after we got our visas in December.”
(The director, [...]

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All Sweet With No Substance

After work I passed by a vendor selling gigantic red bowls filled to the rim with strawberries for only 5,000 won. Fruit is insanely expensive here, so I forked over the cash and shoved fistfuls into my mouth as I walked back home.
They tasted like the plastic they came in.
“No amount of money is worth [...]

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Muse In Transit

For the first time, I called in sick.
And I wasn’t sick.
I haven’t been happy with this job for a long time. This is the fourth or fifth time I’ve considered quitting, and I can’t do it anymore.
“When will you come back?” my mother asked when I told her the news.
“I’m not going back to California.”
“What? [...]

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Splitsville

After Blogger messed up the order of my past few posts (”Sleepwalker” was written yesterday but for some reason it’s listed under March 12th; “All You Need Is Love” is also posted under the wrong date now), I packed my bags.

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