Here & There

left: pic sent to me by sly

a few small gifts for our nieces and nephew in JP

^^ Sly’s hotel in JP ^^

home alone

Have you ever seen this graphic? I always think of it when I’m home alone. Or when Sly is away.

Sly has been in Japan this week for a business trip. The timing of the trip combined with a bunch of other factors meant that I stayed here to hold down the fort and make sure the kitties had at least one parent around. I had such high hopes for my week alone. Like this would be THE week where I magically learned Korean. Or the week I’d go find a pool to swim in (I found one…it doesn’t open til March. The week I would find the trail from the hotel that led to the top of Apsan. I planned to do yoga every morning, read a book a day, cook healthy meals in my hotel microwave, blog every day, and run 10 miles in my Converse (because I was stupid and didn’t think to bring real running shoes). I was going to fill a little journal** with beautiful sketches and profound thoughts!

Instead, here’s what really happened (apologies in advance for an extra-boring blog post):

Sunday & Monday:
-I ate a bag of jalapeno kettle chips for dinner on Sunday.
-Then I ate a bag of cheese popcorn on Monday.
-Unsurprisingly I woke up on Tuesday feeling gross. Back to eating like a normal adult.
– Stayed up late to watch Walking Dead simultaneously with Sly. Texted each other the entire show.

Tuesday:
-After wasting half the day trying to find a decent yoga app, I decided to just go at it on my own. I attempted some yoga handstands in my hotel bedroom, eyeballing my form in the sliding mirrored closet door.  I sucked. I blamed this on the fact that I didn’t have a yoga mat and proper yoga clothes.
– I learned the Korean characters for yoga (요가) and organic (유기적 인). I also have learned the Korean words for “bad man” and “I would like a hotteok (korean doughnut).”
– I was walking back from visiting the kitties when I received a text from one of our Korean friends. “Hey, where are you? I’m here!” Instantly my mind flipped through my internal calendar — did I have plans to meet up with said friend? I didn’t, but it was a good surprise to have dinner with her, even if I was still dressed in sweats with no makeup.

Wednesday
– Had lunch with the aforementioned friend as well as another Korean friend we have met while here. They took me to a traditional Korean restaurant nearby. I impressed everyone with my grasp of the Korean language by recognizing, pointing to and saying “ORGANIC!” I think I was the only one impressed.
– Spent the rest of the afternoon with my fuzzy babies. Rufus came up to me and curled up for a nap on my stomach and it felt like I was home again.

Thursday
– When Sly is away I usually like to binge-watch crap tv. This time, and maybe because I’m feeling kind of restless, anxious for warmer weather, and the tiniest bit homesick I watched Wild and Mile…Mile and a Half. I think I’m one of the few that wasn’t a huge fan (I know! Sorry!) of the book Wild, so I couldn’t really tell how I felt about the movie on its own, or even if it made much sense without reading the book. I watched it more for the scenery, less for the plot. On the other hand, Mile…Mile and a Half was SO good. HUGH SIGH. While we have hiked sections of the JMT, this move has really inspired me to hike the whole thing. If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime, give it a watch.
– Spent way too much time messing around with lipstick at the nearby store. I don’t even know.
– Video chatted with Sly. The fact that we can communicate like The Jetsons still blows my mind.
– Decided not to visit another apartment — THE ONE where all the expats live in the downtown area. We’re gonna stick with what we got. Finger crossed we sign our lease next week.

Friday (today)
– Chitchatted for a LONG time with another friend here in KR
– Spent a LOT of time with the kitties…almost fell asleep again cuddling with them. It’s getting a bit warmer now and I think the kitties can taste Spring just around the corner. On days like these I open the windows wide and just inhale that fresh, slightly dusty, air.
– Ate another shitty meal. Am I ever going to learn?
– Currently waiting for Sly to call/video chat and then spending the rest of the night reading.

Sly gets back tomorrow. Yay! I always like having alone time though being alone while living in another country is a first for me. I have traveled alone overseas on several occasions but this does not quite feel the same. And I wasn’t married back then either. One thing I’ve realized since being here is that the concept of ‘home’ is no longer tied to a place; it’s tied to the people and loved ones you have in your life. Right now it feels like we are all over the place — Sly in another country, the kitties at our friends’ house, and me in my small hotel room.

**There are SO many cute stationery/journal stores here. My head is exploding. I want to buy EVERYTHING! What usually happens is I’ll agonize over finding the perfect, cutest journal, then never use it because I don’t want to ruin it. Same goes for stationery.