My winter vacation

It's that time of the year again. The time when I flee the school and stay as far away as possible for 3 weeks. This year, our vacation didn't actually start until Dec. 29th but because my back was so messed up, the school decided that I wasn't going to have to do a winter camp. Thank science for that! It's so much work for such an awkward event.

Every year, this is the time that as soon as school finishes I race home, grab my wife and my suitcase and catch the first bus to the airport. I usually try to get out of the country within 12 hours of walking out of my office. Sooner if I can get a better flight.

This year, however, we are trying something different. I'm taking my vacation in my living room. bah, this sucks. Every year, we get to leave the confines of this xenophobic peninsula where every city looks like every other city and the cultural events and sites are the same from province to province. We escape the 0 degree cold and usually head to the palm trees and beaches of SE asia. This is in Krabi, Thailand, exactly one year ago to the day.


Now, I get to look at this.


But, because its currently -4 degrees outside, I'm spending more time playing stupid facebook games and reading about all the other foreign teachers' SE Asia vacations. Currently, I believe I know 3 people in Singapore, 2 in Malaysia, 6 in Thailand, 1 in Vietnam and then of course I know 3 people who live in Burma (Myanmar) but they don't count. Nick is going to Thailand in a week and a half and Kendall and Leslie are heading there on the 25th.

Now, I'm not saying I'm jealous, but the next time I hear about someone laying on the beach and playing with monkeys or elephants and eating some authentic Thai food I'm probably going to take their papaya salad and shove it in their ears until it comes out their mouths.

Everytime I start thinking, "man, I know I have money in my bank, I know that Yoon mi and I can take a short trip to Vietnam, or maybe Taiwan. . ." I just remind myself that the money it would cost for the two of us to get to the airport, fly, live in a hotel for a week, eat out, fly back, and bus back to town could also go toward living expenses so that the mother of my baby can stay at home that much longer with our child.

So, maybe I really want to go somewhere sunny. Maybe I want to eat something other than Korean food (I think I just thought of a new post). Maybe I want to go somewhere that doesn't have the same thing to see wherever I go. Maybe I need a break from Korea. However, none of that matters when it comes to providing my kid with the love and care that only my wife can provide with the money that we can save.

So, I'm off now to go for a hike in the valley.