August 2021 – Continuing my vacay in Busan and moving into a house I could make my own.

VACATION IN BUSAN continued…

And so the week-long holiday in Busan continued.

One thing I didn’t get to vacation from was the weight prejudice that followed me anywhere I went. It hadn’t changed in S Korea but the locals on Jeju had had enough honor and politeness to refrain from acting on it. Expats, however, had been a different story. So were the more westernized folks on the mainland. That was one of the harder things about vacationing in Busan, as was seeing so many fellow foreigners when I had acclimated otherwise on the island.

My month started with a night of no sleep (thanks to a broken aircon) that turned into sunrise at Haedong Yonggung Temple. Being there so early meant that I missed out on the vendors, rooms, events, etc. but it dd mean that I got to make friends with a little kitten. Fitting given how much animals were at the heart of love and spirituality to me.

Going to the SEALIFE Busan Aquarium the next day, I was confused and entertained before even entering from a sexy marketing poster of a blond woman under water. Not sure how high-heeled mermaids were a part of sea life a that point, I would find out once in that it was advertising a cool combo of art and sharks inside. I liked that wonder of not speaking the local language. That wasn’t there otherwise. It also created space to observe and understand things differently. More visually and peacefully.

Haeundae Beach (even if it couldn’t compete with Jeju) and the Haeundae Traditional Market (had grown to love those) were a delightful way to spend the afternoon and evening. Not having to deal with the oppressive cost of California, especially as a teacher, continued to be a therapeutic luxury. Going out to restaurants whenever I wanted, even on vacation, felt financially gluttonous. And then there was cafes, of course. Forever my safe spaces and where I was forever to work on blog posts and the rescue. Even on vacation.

Walking around aimlessly when somewhere unknown was so often how to find the best treasures. Starting the next morning doing so, I was in love with little cultural details such as how it was common to just be able to take a nap on a park bench. Well, for men, of course. Later making it to the Westin in my wandering, I went so far as to splurge on a $250 boho bag that I fell in love with the moment I saw it. Never been a person of possessions, it was a stretch for me. Especially buying one from a chain hotel for a quarter of a G. Continuing my wandering from there, I ran across a small tucked away open studio where an old woman artist showcased a weathered magazine article about her in the front window. It caught my curiosity enough to be a little bummed that I couldn’t skim it but not being able to do so once again made me pay extra attention the the picture of her showing what a big smile and kind eyes she had. Those pictures, something about her would captivate in a way that would have me thinking about her warmly for a long time to come. Going on a boat tour that afternoon was the grand finale of that vacation before my flight out and more of an hour for Koreans to take selfies. From there it was home to a Covid test as soon as I landed on the island. Bye bye Busan. Until we meet again.

Covid tests every so often were par for the course. Especially as a teacher and double that when coming back to the island. Not super fun but I would have opted to do it even if I didn’t have to if it meant keeping my students safe. My students. They continued to light up my life. I couldn’t believe how much I loved being a teacher. And how much my goofy loving creativity seemed to make me good at it. Opening their minds, hearts and laughter to learning shone back at me through their eyes. They paid attention and participated. I showed them what it was like to express themselves for maybe the first time in a culture that typically didn’t do that. It was the most rewarding time in my life and I wanted to do it forever.

As far as my personal life went, it was mostly solo. Cathy and I only got together once or twice that month but I didn’t mind being alone. It worried me how much it was growing on me, actually. Zoom hangs with family and friends were fun but also didn’t happen too much. There was always the special moments, though, like when I got to see the happy to see me look on my mama’s face.

My love life pretty much didn’t exist. Solomon got back from Africa and brought me some bracelets, but as usual his well-intended attempt was a dud. I had specifically asked him to bring me one similar to what he had but instead what he did bring was nothing like it. Before that I had been hoping that we’d be able to get back on track but the bracelets were just another reminder of the reasons it hadn’t been working for me. We had a lovely time hanging out that day, sure, but the feeling of annoyance and loss of attraction had still hit me the moment I saw him. Yeah. It was over.

Back to hiking, fosters and exploring the island. Olle hikes continued to be my favorite hobby. Especially during those special random moments like when I came across the kind of local horses that were part of the reason I had moved to Jeju. I did hashes every so often but preferred hiking alone most of the time. In large part so others couldn’t criticize me with a mental judgment that was so loud I could almost hear it. Hey. I may have been sweaty, slow and breathing hard but it didn’t stop me from being a hiker. One of the times that month proved it when taking a trek with a long and steep trek. The island with its volcanic and uneven terrain had gotten me used to incline to a certain extent but man was that one still a doozy.

Visiting different places found through searches on the internet was fun. So were the unexpected moments like when I came across a shirt in a shop that said San Diego. Sometimes the smallest things continued to mean the most. Living on a vacation island meant having a lot of fun museums and exhibits to explore. Nohyung Immersive Supermarket Media Art Exhibition was one of the places I found through online exploration that was full of amazing visuals transporting me into a world of light and color. Another was the Bluespring Boutique Hotel in Hyeopjae Beach where I spoiled myself once again with a staycation. Checking out Hyeopjae Cave in Hallim Park while there was fun but the best part was to just rest, soak in the biggest tub I had ever been in (more like a hot tub) and enjoy the beautiful view.

Besides hiking, being a foodie continued to be another of my hobbies. While loving some options of S Korean food (and how banchan came with everything), my favorite was still Italian (or anything with cheese) seconded by Mexican. It was a big deal (especially with expats) when a street taco restaurant opened. What I found amusing about it was that the cheapest thing on the menu back home was the most expensive there at about $5 per street taco. Good food was important of course but ambiance was paramount. Warm and cozy was among my favorite vibes and suited place I found that would be one of my favorite restaurants on the island. Deer Lodge served Irish coffees and beef stew, it was definitely unique for an island in S Korea. Back to the random wandering I loved so much (with a little assistance from Google Maps), I was lead me to what would also end up being one of my favorite quaint bohemian cafes on the island. Not one to buy keepsakes too often, I would end up buying a necklace that was to become special to me for a long time.

The end of the month got super busy when it was time to move, As seemed to be the thing in the culture, planning ahead just didn’t happen. No matter how many times I had tried to work on getting ready to move out of my apartment before leaving for Busan, it became an issue when I was there and my bosses wanted to get in there to give access to the owner for inspection since I was about to move out. It was before the repairs had been done so definitely an issue. The apartment was ripped apart in areas thanks to puppies which made for a bit of a panicked situation. Thank god for the awesome guy on the island who contributed to the rescue by doing labor for free if I paid for materials and saved me by repairing everything while I was gone.

As far as my new place went, Eun-Sook’s husband (who worked in real estate) had helped me find the house I was moving into and I loved it. It was the separated second floor with the owner, a slightly crazy high-energy woman from Busan who never stopped talking to me in Korean, who lived on the first floor. Timing for the move wasn’t the best given that Korea was hot and humid as hell during August. There was excessive manual labor as the house was full of old furniture, black mold and cockroaches that I had to take care of. Doing that and getting right to decorating, I would be dizzy by the time I had to get to class. But it came about fast and lovely thanks to Daiso. It was the first time I felt like the decor of my home represented me.

It was actually the location I loved. The neighborhood, possibly the oldest on the island, was right by coastal Yongduam Rock and it’s legend (which Jeju had so much of) of being created by a dragon that was frozen into a lava rock that rock vaguely resembled a dragon head. That wasn’t the biggest visual highlight though. Being able to look out one window at the haenyo diving in the ocean and another at a beautiful river with a traditional small temple-like resting area structure through another was. I could even hear monks chanting from a couple streets over. It was a short drive to work but I had the little car that I had finally given into buying for the sake of the rescue.

I had another first that month with a sentimental moment with my fosters. While it had at first freaked me out when my foster-pups started losing their baby teeth (I had forgotten they do just like us) I soon started collecting them as keepsakes. Hopefully to make into a necklace or in some other kind of special memory. A first in rescue for me was getting my first kitten foster. Maggie had rescued it from the street and it had apparently been very sweet then but was a vicious little thing by the time it got to me. I got scratched up pretty good for a couple weeks before the little boy started to feel safe. One scratch was so bad that it got infected and pussy. Cats seemed a lot easier than dogs but I didn’t have much experience with them. Not only was there a kitten taken in but also a wiener dog since my sister had requested she find one for me. Pup was a handful of a yapper who had heartworms and within days Wendy would bail leaving me to take care of him and only compensate me for half of the dog’s medical bills. Awesome.

It was a special and eventful month in a lot of different ways. Burning Man wasn’t happening in the US thanks to Covid but that wasn’t stopping me from making my own little burn. I had thought about throwing a regional for S Korea but was a little nervous about being held responsible for any repercussions of illegal partying others might do and also too busy with teaching and the rescue to make it happen. Who knows if anyone would have shown though it would have been an easy setup and cheap. Free camping on the coast of the country’s vacation island with an hour-long flight for under $50 (sometimes as low as $8) from the mainland. I’d always regret not throwing a regional but at least I had my own. That would always be important to me.

It was a good month. A transition into finally settling into what had really become my life there. The final life I would have on the island. While always busy I had found a foundation of peace, fulfillment, animals, nature and making a difference for the first time ever. It was the best life I’d ever had.