I woke today at the early hour of 1:30 p.m. (which is early when you work third shift) to a phone call from James, my caseworker from Gone2Korea. Half asleep still I listened as he told me that he had a school that was interested in interviewing me tomorrow at 10 pm. He informed me that he had sent an email with details and I needed to get back to him by 10 tonight to verify my interest.
All of this seemed a little surreal until I turned on my laptop and opened the email and there in big bold letters (or what I mentally perceived as big, bold, letters) where the dates I would be leaving the US... JULY 26TH!!!!! That is only a few more days than a month before I would ship out, heading for a foreign country to live alone. I freaked.
The school is in a beautiful location, about ten minutes by bus from the ocean and thirty minutes from downtown Seoul. There is a temple, and islands and all sorts of amazing things, and all I can think about is all the piles of stuff I need to do to get ready.
The closer I get to actually leaving the more excited I get and the more common it is for me to feel bile rising in my throat and my legs shaking and my face rapidly loosing blood. If you were to ask how I feel about leaving for Korea and whether I am excited of nervous, I couldn't answer you. The emotion are a lot like waves, the really big ones come from nowhere and knock you flat, and even though it was scary being forced under the water, and uncomfortable getting water up your nose, it was thrilling and exhilarating at the same time.
I am going to spend the rest of the day writing out all my questions, and lists and figuring ou the order of importance for things and getting ready for the interview tomorrow. Part of me is hoping that they don't want me so that I can have a little bit longer to live a life I am used to and part of me wants to know the day I am leaving and get all my crazy out-there questions answered. Tomorrow, I am heading to mil-town to get my uniform for summerfest, maybe I will talk my mom into coming and we can stop at the Asian market and get lunch on the lake. This weekend is the last training session for summerfest and then the fest begins on tuesday next week. At least that will help keep my mind from freaking as much. Oh, and it will keep me from getting anything done!
On a slightly different note, I have been wondering why fate brings people into our lives that seem so sublimely connect to us on a level that others do not reach, only to remove them again in a sudden, and seemingly permanent way? I have made some really good friends working at target, and A lot of them I would enjoy continuing to be friends with even if I was not working there and yet I am leaving for Korea and I will in all likelihood, not speak to many of them again. The few that I am closest with are the ones that it is hardest to say goodbye to. Why did I meet people and become friends and establish relationships, just in time to say goodbye? Now I have more to miss and more reason to be lonely when I arrive at the greatest adventure of my life.
