Ramblings... an update:

Rain in the city! It has returned today, for a quick hello. To clean the air and cool things down a bit more. I would really never complain about the past month of blue skies and 75 degrees, but I will admit that this morning when I looked out to see the sprinkling of raindrops and that bright light gray sky I smiled. And as I donned my knee high rain boots and my red trench coat that I’ve loved for so many years, I felt this warmth in my heart and I felt like ME. The me I have been for so many years, so many rainy Portland years, and it felt good. I will be happy as pie when that sunny and 75 returns, and it will soon, but for now I’m the opposite of all my coworkers and students, who are gloomy and feeling depressed and openly talking about it (huh!?).

So what has this Portland lady been up to in this big city of Seoul lately? Well, aside from my new awesome gym that is literally one minute away, my work has settled into a busy season, requiring my attention and my mental energy, which is good! I like to grow and become a better teacher, although I still don’t think this is my ultimate calling in life. If it weren’t for the whole office and desk thing I might like it better. So if I could stand at a counter or a bar it would be better? Haha… nevermind.

 Josh made us the most incredible batch of Borscht the other day (will definitely stay in our usual dinner rotation now), what a treat it is to have found beets in this country! It took a few months, and just yesterday we stumbled accidently upon a grocery store a few subway stations away and it felt like Zupans! So nice and big and organized, what the…? And they had limes, oh I was happy as can be so I bought a pack of eight miniature ones, nicely packaged in their plastic case (as with all other produce here… ugh). That evening I made the tastiest gin and tonic I’ve had since I moved here. Yesssss.

I’m still flying through books at a pace I can’t hardly keep up with, good thing there is not a shortage of titles out there to educate and entertain myself. I just finished reading myself through an epic 600 page journey through the Congo in the 60’s and beyond…. I am anxiously awaiting a shipment of books that should have been here um… weeks ago (should I worry yet?). Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, Rachel Carson….. here I come!

Okay all you beautiful people out there, this is me, signing off for the day, and I hope to bring you more photos next time, until then… don’t forget to close your bank account and open a credit union account instead!!

Love love love. Nicole.

PS: after I wrote this, but before I published it I had to teach my last class of the week. A group of thirty-five 16 year olds. They are good kids, really, and they aren’t like some of the really deviant students I have, it’s just Friday afternoon, last class of the day, so it’s no surprise that they are little hellians all the time. It is notoriously my worst class of the whole week and I actually dread it, but for some reason, I don’t know what, it went so well! I kept their attention, they listened and stayed entertained, the activities went well, and somewhere in the middle of it all they likely learned some things too! This feeling is rare, and one of the highs of teaching. 

all photos courtesy we heart it