Friday, December 24, 2010

Headed Home for Christmas

Beijing Airport
Originally, I had planned to spend Christmas in Thailand (yes, I have an addiction to Thailand!).  I was about to buy my tickets when a friend suggested I visit Toronto and see what the city was like.  I had been talking about whether to move to Vancouver or Toronto when my contract was up, and it made sense that I could maybe head over and check it out, see if might like to live there!

Beijing Airport
At first I thought it was a dumb idea, but when the ticket became a Christmas present I kinda stopped arguing, haha... me and my big mouth!

So, I went to Toronto.  I am always in awe of Incheon Airport (Korea's airport) when I go there - there is NO other airport in the world that runs as well, I swear!!  My flight took forever.  I flew out on Christmas Eve (boss was nice enough to give us the extra day off so nobody would be flying on Christmas day - How nice was THAT?!). 

Beijing Sunset, Christmas Eve

By mid-afternoon I was in the Beijing airport wandering around aimlessly (beautiful airport, but NO convenience stores so it was a pain in the ass to be there for 3 hours).  When it was approaching sunset I wandered over to a huge bank of windows and camped out on the floor to watch the sun sink below the horizon, it was beautiful. 

When I boarded the plane it was half empty, so the flight attendants moved the person who was to have shared the row with me and I had ALL 3 SEATS to myself!!!!  The flight attendants were great, the food was good, I had pillows and blankets enough to feel like I was in a hotel AND there were good movies - the FIRST time Air Canada scored a perfect 10 from me - wow! 

When we got over Ontario, about a half hour from landing I opened my window shade and the sun was setting.  It occurred to me that it was Christmas Eve, and I was seeing the sun set on BOTH sides of the world because of my lucky timing... for real? 2 Christmas Eve sunsets in one day??  That's magical.

This coming year, something tells me it's going to be a good one... Merry Christmas, everyone!
From the mouth of around
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My to-do List (May it Continue to Grow!)

Take a 'real' Korean class (check!)

Spend a weekend in the country (check!)

Try some kind of art class (maybe painting?)

Take the ferry to a farming island and hang out for a weekend minbak-style in the summer

Check out some kind of art exhibit (check!)

Go to Everland and see the animal safari

Go to Caribbean Bay in the summer

Take a martial art for 6 months consecutively

Cliff dive over near ChiriSan, if I can find the spot

Practice yoga for 3 months (in a class maybe?) (check!)

Take a digital photography course

Spend my weekends doing stuff (check!)

Make Korean friends (check!)

Visit JeJu Island

Do the Vagina Monologues again

Go to the fun concerts that visit (check!)

Work as a counselor in one of the schools

Reconnect with old friends (check!)

Join a hiking/touring group and do stuff (check!)

Let go of my obsessiong w/converting KRW to CAD (check!)

Do a 5km run just for the fun of it

See the Broadway shows that visit

Climb a mountain (check!)

Go to the mud festival in July (check!)

Keep in touch regularly with friends and family back at home

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