i love seeing the stars.

i love sunrises over the endless fields and silos.

i love driving.

i love singing along to bad music from the 90's on the radio.

i love watching my lil bro score a touchdown.

i love reunions.

i love having people to say goodnight to.

i love being home.

Iowa oh ooo oh, iowa oh ooooh ooo oh i-iowa

After 13 months of listening to the Dar Williams song, "Iowa" to remember home, I'm finally here, back to my roots. And it feels refreshing.

I was greeted in Chicago by the whole fam (minus Dan) with a big sign and balloons. As it turned out one of my TEFL teacher trainers from the month was on the exact same flights as me. We spent the whole day together from the 6 am bus ride to San Jose to the 11 pm arrival in Chicago...and then she got to meet my whole family. The crazy kooks with the big sign and balloons waiting at the bottom of the escaltors. :)

Monday was Labor Day so the sibs didn't have school. We packed up our bikes, squeezed in dad's truck (all 6 of us!) and drove to Geneseo to ride along a beautiful, prairie bike trail following a canal. The turtles, herons, and toads were all out to greet us on the ride. So lovely. A stop at Pizza Hut for lunch and Dairy Queen for dessert was a must....so good but so ewww. My goal is to gain about 40 pounds during my stay in America...I'm well on my way. :)

Running errands with my mom on Tuesday led us to a Payless Shoes store. I wanted to hug the saleswoman as I gazed down the long aisle of women's shoes in 9's, 10's, 11's, and even 12's! Oooh glorious! I don't know what came over me but I ended up buying a pair of....HEELS! For 10 bucks. I think my missing Korea so much has morphed my mind, enough that I could somehow justify buying a pair of heels...it's bizarre. Then we entered the land of Walmart...dun dun DUN. So many products and labels that I haven't seen in so long, so many unnecessary goods, so much junk food! Argh, it gave me a headache. While pushing the cart out to our van in the HUGE parking lot, it really hit me...I am home.

Each day thus far has included a pleasant jog on my old routes and or long bike rides to Grand Mound and back. I LOVE BEING BACK ON MY SCHWINN!


It is soooo nice to be out and not be starred at (like in Korea) or oggled at (like in Costa Rica).

A good chuck of my days have been spent starring at a computer screen looking for jobs, sending off my resume, creating cover letters, etc. I'm anxious to get back to Korea but am easily overwhelmed by the whole job hunt process. *sigh* I need to be more patient...thankfully I am familiar with the visa process already so I am gathering the needed documents now while I am weeding out job offers and whatnot.

Every night is spent watching Conan (<3) or catching up on a year's worth of movies.

So far I've just spent my days with the fam and their friends. "How was Korea? How was Costa Rica?" Blah, blah, blah, blah. I hate that question. Do you really want to sit and listen to my experiences. Probably not. I answer short but honestly. But I have to be sensitive. Every time I truthfully express my love for Korea and how much I miss it, I watch my mother's face become more and more dejected. So I must follow up with a, "But it's GREAT to be home, really, really great!" And it has been great, that's no lie.

I'm looking forward to reuniting with old friends from high school and university in the next few weeks...I think my soul needs a little refreshing in the form of rekindling old friendships. Time is flying and I know I must treasure this time in Iowa. :)

C da rapids, c da falls, water LOO!

Yeah, yeah I jumped off this! Super scary, super thrilling and super freakin' beautiful.

Also, check out this link if you want to see the cutest thing in the universe:

http://vimeo.com/6245016

that's right, they're my students. awwww....i miss them!