this is what i'm doing instead of packing and organizing (go figure).

where the wild things are, the movie! yes! the book that originated this film was a well-read part of my childhood. AND arcade fire providing musical accompaniment makes my heart fill with glee (as, they hold a special place in it).

ok, but here comes the mushy part. what also caught my attention were the taglines: "inside all of us is hope.. fear.. adventure." clichéd, yes. makes-me-seem-like-a-cheeseball-of-sentimentality, also yes. because this is how i feel! a strange mess of hopeful, fearful, and.. yearning to feel exhilarated. OHMYGOD, THE LITTLE COSTUMED BOY'S ADVENTURE TO DREAMLAND MYTHICAL CREATURE ISLAND IS SO SO SO PARALLEL TO MOVING TO KOREA TO TEACH ENGLISH FOR A YEAR!!!!!!!! (see, i can make fun of me, too.)

let's continue on that sentimentality train and quote a former co-worker of mine (though, if you knew him, you might not refer to him as wise or thought-provoking) who in a young grasshopper moment once advised: "sometimes you have to take a leap to make a change." it's interesting how a sentence can stick with you, and have such a resounding affect. it keeps running through my head over and over again - it's that unknown part that is so simultaneously scary and exciting. that's the part that's got my realism feeling a little surreal. and a little wild ... thing. what, too much?

two weeks to go - TWO weeks! that's the amount of time since i last updated this blog. wait, no, less than that! how's that for perspective? aside from all these heartfelt emotions and feelings of mine (seriously, i think this could've doubled as a dear diary entry, gush), things are well underway for our departure. all initial paperwork has been completed and mailed, and we're off to the consulate on monday morning to apply for our visas and book interviews. in the meantime, i've called on my most organized besties to come sort out this mess of an apartment of mine over the weekend and help me organize my life pre-departure.

i learned a new korean phrase this week. and by "learned a new korean phrase" i mean, my friend jenn phonetically sounded out one phrase and i memorized it. and have no idea how to read it in korean. however, mok-ju juseyo = more beer please.

a roller coaster of emotions

today begins the month-long countdown to our departure (that is, providing all of our documentation is sent out in time in order to secure our working visas..) and the mix of emotions is mind-boggling. how quickly feeling overwhelmed and terrified can transform into bubbling excitement mixed with impatient energy to go, go, GO!

the decision to partake in this adventure came rather quickly for the two of us. teaching abroad was something i'd always considered post-university. i had even gotten to the initial planning stages shortly after retiring that rented cap n' gown. however, somehow, the adventure got lost and forgotten in the bustle of early alumni life: backpacking europe, securing a successful career with potential growth, and all the other yada yada yada that comes along with that well-trodden path to adulthood. i followed along on my "merry" way, until WHAM, one day reality hits you in the face and.. wait a second.. is this what i want to be doing? is this where i want to be? i'm supposed to be fulfilled and challenged, and yet something is making me restless. it's not time to settle down just yet. everything happens for a reason, and you're handed a big glass of perspective and told to follow your heart. and here's where i am.

my partner-in-crime has a story of his own, but somehow life landed us in similar adventure-seeking, nothing-doing-at-home situations. so here's where our foreign story begins.

i should responsibly relish the next thirty days+ and get myself organized. i've got an apartment to move out of, with an apartment's worth of furniture to find something to do with. i've got a beloved hatchback to find a year-long babysitter for. there are trips to the doctor, the dentist, the eye doctor. appointments at the consulate. canceling cell phone plans. organizing my entire life. visits and goodbyes to family and friends and all who will be missed.

and in the meantime, i keep following/creeping/watching every single instructional video of these two and wriggling in the mix of emotions.

life-180, here we come.