Finally, a specific leave date!

Well, I finally know my leave date for South Korea!  I'll be taking off from San Francisco on February 15th!!

Here are the details I know so far:  I need to be in Busan (or Pusan - I still don't really know why it is referred as both spellings) on February 17th.  We'll be having orientation at a Pukyong National University in Busan.  Luckily they are providing transportation from the airport to where we're having orientation so I won't have to worry about figuring out how to get a taxi and then communicate with the taxi driver, so that's a relief!  However, I still have no idea how long orientation is or how I will get to Daegu after orientation or what grade I will be teaching or what my apartment looks like or soooo many other unknowns.  Guess like everything else, I'll just have to wait and see!

Until then, my life is consisting of appointments, Rosetta Stone of Korean, getting my visa and other certs, attempting to pack my life into 2 suitcases for a whole year, and most importantly, spending time with family and friends.  Between my trip this past week to Texas to see my cousin, this coming weekend going to San Luis Obispo to see family and my cousin Sam play basketball, and my going away party, I'm so lucky to get to spend time with most of my close family!! 

As I keep thinking of people that I can't imagine not seeing for a whole year, I'm realizing how blessed I am to have such a large amount of family and friends that I care so much about.  Whether I've said it to you lately or not, I appreciate each and every one of you in very different ways.  I just can't imagine my life without everyone currently in my life!

I've decided that from now until I leave - and probably while I'm there initially too - my brain is working overtime.  Even as I'm trying to write this blog, I've added to my to-do list twice, searched for flights, reread my email about my leave date, and kept reminding myself not to stress about packing tonight...to let that sit for a few days.  So I apologize if the next few posts are rambling or muddled, as they may well be.  Or if you call me and ask me something about my trip and I start rambling.  I'm just so excited.  I'm ready for this adventure.  Still terrified and nervous.  But for now, the excitement is overriding all of that.  And that's how I intend to keep it.