Okay, okay, it's been a while...

It's been too long since I added an entry here. Sorry! A lot has been happening, and I've got so much to tell! I went to Toronto last week to a) sign my contract and figure out when I am leaving, b) visit my friend Kat and c) shop (Yes, we went to H&M).

I know where and when I'm leaving... sort of.

First off, my contract is now signed and official and all that. I will be living in Suncheon (pronounced Soon-jon), Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Suncheon is a medium-sized city (pop = 270,000) in a mountainous area. Within a few kilometres, you can find mountains, temples, a castle (!), beaches, tea plantations etc. (Also, Suncheon is known as "The City of Beautiful People". How fitting for me to move there! I will finally be among my own kind!)

I'll be at a school with about 1,500 students, with 20 teaching hours per week (no Saturdays) and - get this - there's another Canadian teacher at the school. Most of the ex-pats in Suncheon are in the same apartment complex. I'm pretty psyched about my situation since one of my fears has been being the only foreigner in the whole town. I've also gleaned from various sites that having another foreign English teacher at your school is almost like winning the lottery.

I've got an orientation day in Toronto at the beginning of April. I'll be flying out around April 12 or something with about 30 other teachers who will be teaching in various cities and towns in Jeollanam-do. When we arrive, we will have a one-week orientation session before we actually start.

I visited Kat!

Kat and I were friends way back at WLU where we worked together on the school paper, The Cord. We've always managed to keep in touch by e-mail, which is awesome and proves to me that no matter where I am, I can keep my friendships alive. Yes, that is a big hint for you all.

Anyway, Kat and John live in a gorgeous house with various furry creatures, including some very sweet cats and a couple of singing guinea pigs. Hmmm, come to think of it, I didn't visit the pigs this time!

The last time I saw Kat was over 2 years ago, if not longer..... Wow. Time flies.

We went shopping....

Kat was SOOOOOO sick on Thursday that she couldn't go to work and had to go shopping instead.

Using the gift card from my girls in Montreal, I went to H&M and picked up some "teacher clothes": a brown linen pant, a white blouse and a brown t-shirt. Yes. Brown. I also bought a cute light blue hiking shoe (Merrell) and I finally found a yellow Canada t-shirt (for the Olympics). At Winners, using another gift card, I bought a neat black and white pleather coat. Pictures will be forthcoming, as soon as I get over this bout of laziness.

Kelly was supposed to join me for the trip to Toronto, but was unable to. Still, she made sure that I got to the Canadian Connections office just in time for my appointment to sign my contract and go to the Korean Consulate. I'm so fortunate to have her help these days.... I just can't even put it into words.

Bon voyage wishes to Ina for her upcoming trip to Cuba and to Ellie for her trip to New Zealand.

Everybody: keep in touch!