badabing, badaboom!

and just like that, i have a job! this new year (according to both the gregorian and lunar calendars) has brought with her very chaotic, dramatic, uplifting, and celebratory times--LIFE! in the midst of all these swings and shifts, i have wanted to write, to release and process, but, this and then that came up and now here i am. sitting at a cafe, in my neighborhood, breathing, resting and at long last, writing. to be here feels so goooood.

so here i go:
at the end of december, i finished my teaching contract (and gave each one of my students big bear hugs goodbye.) and since my housing was connected with my job, i searched for a sublet to call home for the ambiguous amount of time that i knew i'd be figuring out my agenda, my what to do next and how to make it all happen. one week before i had to move out, i found the best sublet situation, one that was sunny and decently spacious and in a part of seoul that i have explored only minimally. my new (temporary) home is in haebangchon, which is characterized by sizable hills that pose dangerous problems during winter snow storms and icy conditions. however, in the spring, it's also home to one of the nicest parks in the city and all the cherry blossoms burst and bloom with all their warmth and beauty.

in late october, i met an incredible someone. how we met is one of mutual friends spanning time, oceans, and continents.  my friend knows her friend because they live in the same town in colorado. my friend met her friend because my friend's roommate was her friend's best friend. riiiiight?!? a lot of friends of friends and connections and it's a small world afterall.

we communicated via facebook at first and from my initial glimpse of her profile picture i thought she was attractive and had a sense of humor. from what i could tell, it looked like she was in the woods, with her hand shielding the sun, as if she was searching for her destination. i thought her a cosmopolitan and adventurous traveler. these are my gleamings from her 5x5cm square portrait. even though we were introduced by mutual contacts as "friends" i secretly hoped that maybe she and i might have a more flirtatious connection that could potentially lead to...dating!

we met and from the get go, i felt excited and more certain than not (perhaps it was really hope that radiated certainty?) that there was mutual attraction. there was a real naturalness and organic way of interacting. our relationship was and still is, very pure, genuine and authentic. while our first meeting was ambiguously romantic, our second date announced our undeniable shared interest and by date number three, our relationship commenced as we now know it: an openness to being true to ourselves and also, to having a willingness to work out our differences, together.

by the end of march, we're going to move into an apartment together. it will be 8 years since i've had domestic partnership and for her, it will be a first! we're both eager and nervous--we both admitted to needing space (yay for it being a 2 bedroom!) and also perhaps having a few eccentric and quirky home habits.  (i'm the queen of piles!) let me take a moment here to emphasize that it has been 8 years since i've felt this funny little thing called (requited) love and that, in and of itself is an amazing celebration!

the year of the snake has brought wondrous and yet also charged, dynamic, and moody shifts. even though i was not working full time, sorting out potential prospects was my full time job. (and looking for an apartment was also an all consuming task! if anyone wants an exercise in being comfortable with uncertainty, i say go look for apts!) i am now enrolled in a yoga teacher certification course, (it's really intense and rewarding!) and beginning next week, i'll be a part-time afterschool program english teacher to first graders! this coming sunday, i have a meeting with an organic farmer (apparently he grows the best strawberries!) and hope to arrange an internship where i'll work twice a week on his farm. i've worked as a guest chef at a wellness space and am currently awaiting edits on an article to be published online. i've been active and i'm learning (always learning and growing) to strike that hard to achieve balance with activities and down time to recharge.

i sense that this year will be filled with even more opportunities to better direct my energy towards my interests and working towards my goals. there will most certainly be challenging moments and in those exact moments, i will gently remind myself to be mindful, aware, and kind. may you do the same.