30 minute massages

今日は戻ったからちょっと違うの日だった。俺日本から韓国に１２月２８日帰りました。その時から帰ったからちょう嬉しかった、なんか楽だから。家にゴロゴロできるし。でも、今日は日本を出たのことをちょっと気づいてしまいました。銭湯に行ってのんびりしている時看板を読みました。その看板には「マサジ無料」と書いてありました。それを読んで笑っちゃった。笑った理由は日本にいる時日本人の生徒たちとどうやって日本語と韓国語がにいてるか話を何回しました。例えば、一つにいてるのは日本語と韓国語にはマサジ三十分無料が同じこと。

その看板を読んで何回その話をしたか思い出が出ました。三日日本にいないことをあまり関係なかったけど、日本を出たことを気づきました。なんか懐かしいになって心辛くなりました。日本に戻りたいんです。でも、あまり寒くない季節がいいかな。

Today was definitely a change of pace since I returned to Korea. I got back from Japan to Korea on December 28th, 2008. Since then, I've just been very happy to be home, enjoying how everything was so comfortable. It feels great to just relax at home. But today, a little bit of the reality that I just left Japan sunk in. I was in a public bath and I was relaxing and such when I read a sign that said "free massages included". 마사지무료. And I just laughed. I laughed because I had this conversation with Japanese students numerous times about how Japanese and Korean sounds alike in certain ways, one of which is the fact that free 30 minute massage sounds just the same in Japanese and in Korean.

Just reading the sign reminded me of how many times I had that silly conversation with different people. After three days of just not caring I was not in Japan, it finally hit me that I left Japan. It made me slightly reminiscent and panged at my heart. I long to be back in Japan soon. But maybe when it is not so cold.

(I never write notes or a blog except when I have a buttload of free time. Last year, I had my part time job to thank for providing me ample time to write incessant notes and observations. This year, maybe not so much. Except for this week, where I seem to be sending a lot more emails and writing more than I have ever before. While I love my puppy, the excitement does wear off after a while and I can't play with the dog for 14 hours a day. I need other forms of stimulation. Also, Korea is very cold right now, being around -6~-10 degrees Celcius and I hate being out in the cold for too long so I don't feel like goofing off around Seoul by myself, which is what I usually do in the summer. So I decided, what the hell, let's just write some journal entries to keep myself busy. Then I got the bright idea of just translating everything into Japanese or Korean just to keep myself busy. I could definitely use the practice.）

My Dog and I

You know, I never realized how much I missed wireless until today. I woke up and used my laptop in bed and now, I'm using my laptop while watching Starcraft and Korean dramas on the coach with my dog, Bori.

Bori (보리) is Korean for 麦（Barley). When my family and I were discussing names, I felt like drinking some barley tea, then I was like, you know, I love bori-cha （麦茶）, why not just name him Bori. The fact that the dog smells just like barley helped cement the name. So now the dog's name is Bori, but I call him Bori-cha.　I suppose that means his Japanese name is むぎ or 麦茶 haha.

Bori's teeth are just coming in, so he just keeps biting everything. Pillows, curtains, dolls, my hand, they're all targets. But it's just too cute so no one complains.

The puppy is just adorable. He's very smart, is just about house-trained, and very rambunctious.
And as sad as I am to say this, right now, I don't miss Japan at all right now. All I've been doing since I've got back is just taking it easy and it feels great. I already know in about a month I'll be melancholic, especially since I'll be in the States, but right now, my comfort level is too high. I suppose the dog really helps in that aspect.

So I'm Now in Korea

So I got back to Seoul at around 8PM yesterday night. I had a checklist already in my mind of things I needed to do:

1. Eat something spicy
2. Meet my dog

I did those two, now I'm at a loss for what to do. I've been spending most of my time just goofing off with the dog and eating food. That's pretty much it. While I miss a lot of people and things in Japan (For instance, じゃがりこ）there are a few things in Korea that I have missed in Japan, such as:

1. Heated floors. MISH was cold as ice, fuck.
2. A Bed. Sleeping on a futon is great once in a while but I really got sick of it around November.
3. Free refills-- On everything. Japan really needs to get on the ball on this one.
4. Things being cheap. I went to a McDonalds today in Korea where a Sundae was 1000Won. that is 66Yen. In Japan it was like 210Yen for a god damn Chocolate Sundae. I also bought a bottle of water for 400Won, which is like 25Yen. Everything in Japan costs at least 100Yen.
5. Taxi rides. 1900Won for the start and 100Won rate per kilometer. That means I can go for a good fifteen minute taxi ride for about 6000Won, approximately 400Yen. Compare that to Japanese taxis, which is 710Yen to start and climbs by 200Yen or so. I once went for a taxi ride for about 3 minutes and it was already 900Yen. Fuck.
6. People being a lot more forward. Things are a lot more proactive here and not as retentive as in Japan.

Of course, there are things in Japan I miss that Korea lacks. Such as:

1. Jagariko. I love that snack.
2. Friends. So many left behind.
3. Awesome CMs. Korean commercials are years behind the silliness of Japanese ones.
4. People being a lot less aggressive. People never cut in line in Japan. In Korea, it's pretty normal.
5. Lack of freezing weather. I am dying here due to the cold. Japan was pretty cold, but it's starting to SNOW here in Korea. While I love snow, it's just warm enough that the snow won't pack and it melts and everyone just gets drenched in melted snow. It's pissing me off.

I'm not going to lie; while I miss people, I certainly do enjoy the luxuries of home, with heated rooms, a nice bathroom, a bed, and a dog.

Ahahahaha fuck Japan

I was like ho hum, I am going to leave Japan. Then I got news from my sister: WE HAVE A NEW PUPPY. All my melancholy dissolved away in an instant. New puppies tend to do that.

I cried. Then I laughed. Source: http://manga.clone-army.org/

Here it is, last two weeks

I have two weeks left in Japan. I feel pretty melancholic. I finally got around to changing my facebook options, so I won't untag myself I suppose.

I found out that I may not have to go to the Korean military ever. Some new legislation passed allowing people who have lived abroad for a long time to forgo having to participate in active duty. This is, of course, great news.

I plan to return to Japan. Thank god for the internet. With it, I'll be able to find housing and a job pretty easily, or at least I hope so. The only issue now is the visa.

The visa process is making me incredibly sour. My passport expires in July 2009. I need to reapply for a new passport before I do anything. That means I need to return to Korea to do it. Even if I don't come back to Japan, I would need to reapply for a new passport, lest I become some sort of illegal abroad, even in the US. Unfortunately, I can only apply for a new passport 6 months before the expiration. That means I am going to need to apply for it in, get this: February. Also, working holiday visas are available only in certain months of the year. First time I can apply is February. The next time would be May. And I can only do this in Korea. Bureaucracy is fun!

The whole world seems to be against me coming back and taking a quarter off of school. Well, fuck the world, I'm still coming back to Japan.

Japan Last Month Left

I don't want to leave yet.