My first term at Tanbeol has ended and I'm so glad. This term has been so difficult for me and I'm glad it's done with.

Let's see what do I remember...well, again I landed with an obnoxious co-teacher..now nicknamed Tummy. Tummy is annoying she asks me ridiclous questions and her jokes are awkward. She thinks she knows everything and sometimes beats the kids. Everyday my tolerence is tested and thankfully my wit goes over her head. I'll start to note some of the ridiculous things she says. No where near as intrusive as Jang but I think it's because she also has things she wants to hide... I think she may be divoirced...a big taboo in Korea....oooohhh.

New friends.... got some new friends...but I deeply miss my old ones. There are holes in my life that only certain people fill...I really hope I see them again.

Dad! My dad is ok. He's quite amazing overcoming brain surgery in 3 weeks!! My dad's illness took over my life for a month. I cant remember much only that days were blurred and overwhelming feelings of fear and saddness filled my mind.

Whatelse...Students. My students are charming and nice. I've taken a liking to a special needs kid whom Tummy bullies. His name is Hyungun. He lives in world of his own, he likes to fold paper and when he's frustrated he makes lots of passive agressive noise...periodic banging and hums.

Now it's summer camp. I teach alone and I leave early.

I feel the future is bright. Been looking at MA courses in Scriptwriting.. EXCITING!! (Need to write some scripts for my entry application... need to write more!) Looking forward to some travels to Latin America and hopfully having enough cash to do everything I want. My plans change all the time though...

I am not religious and I dont really talk a lot about not being religious.... but let's say when I'm surfing blog websites and I wanna find something fun and interesting and all I get are "I love Jesus and here's my bible group" blogs... fuck it's annoying....

Life in Taejon-dong continues. It’s a drone for sure!

I've just spent the last hour skipping through itunes and watching national geographic. I think the saddest image I saw tonight was a shark sinking to the bottom of the ocean because some people had cut off all it's fins.

I’ve been back in Korea for 2 months and last week I finally got internet! Hence delays in blog updates.

I’m sat watching one of my favourite episodes of Sex and the City (Coulda Woulda Shoulda) and a thought came into my head. I’m moving to the big city...again! Alright alright it’s not New York or London not even close but I think Seoul has plenty to offer.

Lisa was telling me about her first weekend out in Seoul and I was utterly jealous of her shenanigans. My lungs are full of excitement of having my own space and a place to stomp around in. Yeosu is a great little place but I know I’m a big city gal now. I grew up in a small country town where you know everyone and everyone knows you and who you have a crush on, how much your shoes were, if you got on a bus, if you shaved your legs that morning.

As a child it was great to have all your friends around you all the time and it seemed like you’ll be best friends forever. That is until you hit puberty and your best friend is kissing boys and drinking cider and you’re left wondering “when will I get boobs”. Then you get boobs and realise that your best friends are actually kids you just happened to be placed with at the same school. It’s rare to actually grow up with a friend and remain friends for the rest of your life.

So I left little old Tod as soon as I could, and moved to London. Being a poor student in London wasn’t the “big city” experience I had hoped for, although I loved it a million times more than my home town. I was a very poor student and the city… :(
 
Then I moved to Yeosu Yeosu beautiful Yeosu. It was great!... for a year. Once I knew all the best restaurants and quirks it soon became like my other home town… everyone knows you and who you have a crush on, how much your shoes cost, if you got on a bus, if you shaved your legs that morning. This time it was worse, we stood out! Being a foreigner in a small Korean city means nothing is private or personal and be dammed if you have a secret.

So what of Seoul? This time I will have a well paid job, a decent apartment and a few very good friends. Of course my Ste will be there too which means whatever issues may arise I can overcome them, as I did in Tod and London.

I’m excited. The big city again.

I’m fed up of waiting. I’m a very patient person but these days I’m going out of my mind! Over the past 5 months I’ve been waiting for so much; a job, contracts, visas, emails, updates, phone calls. Every night I would stay up till 2 am to check my emails on Korean time. Everyone has to wait for things but I feel that’s all I’m doing. The past month my life has been put on hold just in case I get something in the post, get an email and then it’s the go go go!!!

I’ve been waiting for the go go go for a month. I just wanna go go go. Sitting watching Countdown and Sex and the City re-runs has taken its toll. Pressing F5 on Facebook and Hotmail, just in case I get that all important update, is pure depression.
Being in a “waiting” rut has made me gain weight and I’ve stopped plucking my eyebrows. I need my life back!

The gym! Coffee shops! Boutiques! Bars! Dancing! Weekend trips! Even work, if only so I get paid. Getting Paid!

So what now…I’ve been told to wait till Tuesday. I must get ready to be on the go go go again…I must fill my last few days in the UK.

Steven can never remember his dreams and I can't decide if he's lucky or not. I remember my dreams all the time, and not just in a fleeting way. I tend to remember my dreams in great detail, at least for a day. I mean, yeah sometimes I have those "whoa that was weird, but can't remember now..." moments but in general I remember every one. Some dreams I've had have really affected me. I've had some crazy dreams, as people do, and I've always wondered what they mean?

There have been many dreams that have stayed with me and from time to time I think about them. One of the scariest dreams I've ever had was when I was about 6. I couldn’t shake this dream off and it seems like for months I had this re-occurring dream. So here it is...

Something quite horrifying happened to me in 2009. I feel that everyone should know about this so they can be prepared and be aware that this kind of thing happens.

It's the 5th day of my long awaited 3 week holiday in Thailand. Already I had been robbed, beaten against the coral, and developed the fear of driving a scooter, the holiday was going great. Honestly, I was having far more good times than bad. I was with 3 boys, at first the vulgar talk of shit, piss, wanking, hookers and food was amusing (although by the last week I longed to bitch about that girl who had her tits out on the next sun bed, none of the boys would oblige especially as they were fairly nice tits). Should have brought a girl! Maybe then the most horrifying thing ever would not have happened.

The previous day was the perfect Thai day, scooter to the beach, float in the sea boost the sun tan and eat yummy food with yummy coconut shakes. I think that day was the best day of my life so far. I felt completely in love with my boy who was scooting me around, my tan was just they way i liked it, i was wearing my new Ralph Lauren bikini, the beach was as clear as my aqua quartz pendant that hangs around my neck, the sun was prickly and the beach was dotted with perfect yachts and speed boats. The only thing missing was my million pound bank account, but the prices in Thailand meant you felt like a millionaire.

All the bad things had happened; injury, robbery, and fear. It was time to relax and have the hoiday of a life time!

The fifth day: Brett, the lady chasing sun kissed guy with all the bright ideas, said
“Hey you know that this island has a waterfall”

Ste being the nature type was seriously excited to see a waterfall. Ollie wasn’t bothered either way and I wanted Ste to be happy but being me I asked “Where is the water fall?” Boys: “Arrh doesn’t matter we have scooters.”

I was out numbered, water fall it is. So on the road we go and the road was fine the jungle was a safe distance away and then there at the top of the Mountain the road stopped and the jungle track appeared. That’s it I was ready to turn round and tell the boys “Fuck you I’m not driving down into the jungle!” But they continued. We bumped into a bunch of American lads on scooters, they told us to turn back, we freaking should have but Brett lead the way!

Down the weathered brown jungle track we go and the fear was back “I’m gonna fall, I’m gonna fall!” I could see the locals smiling at us, I knew what they were thinking “Hehe those stupid tourists on scooters!”

Down and down into the jungle we go 40 mins on the track I had conquered the fear somewhat.

Me: “Where is this waterfall? Round the next corner, round the next corner!” then at that moment my instincts kick in “I should get off, let me off Steeeeeeeee!”

Yep, going at 2 miles per hour I fell off and busted up my knee and six months later it still hurts, not lying it really does especially when it’s cold. I fell off the red scooter, blood was trickling down my shin and dust and small rocks were entwined with ripped skin. Ste had a small scratch on his anckle.

The only way was forward turning back meant all that trouble again, plus we had reached that waterfall which turned out to be a minging cesspool of piss. Great!

Further along the track we go and I see the beach there must be a road. No. No road and no easy way back. After asking the one bar man for some first aid and being jealous of Brett who ran straight to the sea not even looking back to see if I hadn’t died of blood loss.

We made our way back up and down the jungle track , me being extra cautious therefore walking up parts of the mountain with a bleeding knee. We finally made it to normal roads and then to a pharmacy where the chemist seemed to have seen this all too regularly. He gave me more first aid stuffs and I went back to the bungalow. I strapped myself up with none stick pads and self stick bandages and went out on the town hobbling behind the boys. I was in pain but the 2 for 1 mojitos made me forget. That night was hot and sticky I wore long jeans to cover my wound.

Getting back to the bungalow was a relief, I was worried that my wound would go funny if I kept the bandage on. So in bed I pealed back my first aid and aired my knee, I figured it would be best to keep it like that over night to allow the scab to form.”Good idea” said Ste.

So I fell asleep. By now your thinking what is the most horrifying thing ever??? Keep reading and you’ll see!

I fell asleep and I had a strange dream. Lisa (my good friend who I left in Korea for two reasons: 1. she had to work. 2: she had to look after the Bo- the needy cocker spaniel who has an eating problem) was talking to me and she was kinda floating towards me. Her face was smiley and as she reached me she pulled out a knitting needle and started to stab my wounded knee. In my dream I knew that Lisa would not do such a hurtful thing in her life, so I woke up.

The pain was still there. The pain of a needle stabbing me in the knee, I woke up Ste.

“It hurts, my knee, it hurts!” I said in the moon lit bungalow.
“Relax, go back to sleep you just caught it on the covers” said Ste
“Owwwww that really hurt something’s not right” I sqwealed
“You want me to put the light on?” he said in a very grumpy tone
“YES!” I grumped back

I sat up and in the moonlight I could see a black blob on my knee. “Shit!” I thought “I’ve got a blood clot”

The light went on. My eyes focused. It wasn’t a clot. COCKRAOCH! It was a black and yellow cockroach munching on my knee!

Scream I did! Ste jumped out of bed, covers went everywhere. Crying and OMGs.
Next thought: Where is he? That bastard!

In the covers!!! Covers went everywhere. Crying and OMGs. Ste spotted that bastard escape down the hole in the floor boards.

“Why would they do that?” I blubbered “Get me the antiseptic!”

Ste stayed awake all night while I slept and recovered from the trauma. The bandage was on my knee for the rest of the holiday. I couldn’t do anything; the fucking thing would not heal! Not even a little!

The scar is pretty bad but the odd thing is that you cant even tell that a cockroach ate me. His cuts were so clean that it hasn’t even left a mark. The only scar is my new founded fear and hatred of cockroaches!

So it's been almost or just over a year since I made my first blog.....don't judge... :[

So since then lots of things have happened!


1. I've left Yeosu - the little Korean city where I had been living for that past two years.
2. I went to Thailand again and Rome!
3. Got a job in "The Other Gwangju" - a city in the province surrounding Seoul in Korea.
4. Started studying Spanish and touch typing...
5. Finished my 100 hours TEFL qualification.
6. Watched a lot of TV - I'm up to date on Dexter, on the last season of The Wire, watch 2 re-runs of Sex and the City, including movie.
7. Took some quality pictures.
8. Working on 3 script ideas, titles unknown as of yet.
9. Become addicted to coffee
10. Survived the worse winter weather I can remember!
11. I relised I love Bilbo the dog.
12. Ste released a CD - Yeosu dangerous.

There are lots of other things but that's the gist.

One of my problems of keeping up with blogs, Deviant art and such websites, is that I need structure and discipline. When it comes to Facebook I want to know the gossip, what are they doing, who said that, where are they? blah blah . But with my blog, I don’t have that same incentive, so I need a routine.

My friends say I have the weirdest dreams, so I'll let you know about them. I also feel the need to rant to myself in my mind. People spot me with an angry face and they think that I'm upset, so when that happens I'll tell you about that. If anything interesting happens, or what I think is interesting happens I'll let you know.

I don’t know how good I'm gonna be at this, but if I don’t blog for another year I can’t help it!