Monday was a work day. My mom helped me drive all over town and state to get paperwork filled out and ready in case I decide to stay for a second year--a good possibility--and need those papers again. It was better to do this paperwork (including fingerprinting) with me actually in the country at the same time. We almost went to a Korean restaurant in Nashville when we were running errands, but I decided I just couldn't handle that so we had American food. I went to another bookstore that day, McKay's Used Books in Nashville and got a few books to add to my collection. Unfortunately, I had to leave some of these in Tennessee, but still. English bookstores are like food to my soul.
Speaking of food, the visit home was quite a culinary exercise in gluttony. ;) I enjoyed fresh brewed coffee, Arby's roast beef and Jamocha shakes, Barq's root beer, Cheddars restaurant with bourbon-glazed salmon, my sister and brother-in-law's home cooking (they're amazing to watch in the kitchen! I love seeing them cook together and love tasting the results), Wendy's burgers, nachos, desserts, tons of cheese, and lots of hummus. I don't want to think about how many empty calories I scarfed down, but it was worth it. (This was another reason Mr. Kim was afraid I wouldn't come back--he heard that foreigners miss western food so much that we can't bear it). Hehe, I think that was mostly a joke, but he had a point. I loved gorging myself.
Tuesday I got to visit my sister and brother-in-law's family farm where his family lives and works. This was my first time out to the farm since... hm. Maybe since Thanksgiving 2010? So there were numerous changes to building completeness, kinds and numbers of livestock, landscaping, and farm workers. I got to hold baby goats, herd cows, and watch the farm at work. They had just gotten two dairy cows (one pregnant, one recently delivered) a day or two before my arrival, so they were working out the kinks of the routine there. Awesome visit though, and we had great weather. For one of the first times I had been to the farm, it wasn't muddy! Yeah!
Tuesday night deserves its own paragraph. :) I got to meet up with my bunco group! These are ladies from church and other various places who get together one night a month to eat food, play a simple dice game, and talk, talk, talk. I miss my bunco ladies SO much! But they had found out about my trip in enough time to move the meeting time back a week so I could attend, and even a few ladies who had moved to other cities came back for the reunion night. Ahh! We had such a great evening! The game itself, as usual, was a side event. But we had a wonderful time catching up with one another, and passing around lots of hugs. It was especially hard saying goodbye to them that night!
Wednesday I got to a little visiting with some college friends (former teachers and colleagues with me at Tennessee Tech), ate delicious high-end Italian food with them while catching up on all their school and life news, and then the shopping began. Tuesday and Wednesday the jet lag really hit hard, and I felt the bizarre mental and physical heaviness all day long. It was hard to do much else or make any other plans by that point.
Thursday was similar, though I did a little more shopping on my own (finally got the nerve to try driving my car again for the first time that week), and I enjoyed getting to see some of the leaves starting to change color in Tennessee. Fall in Korea is nice, though I miss seeing the multi-colored hills in Tennessee, and the traditional sights, tastes, smells, and decorations that come with the season in America. Cider and pumpkin carving just aren't common sights in Korea. Managed to get in one more visit with some gals from church at a self-serve frozen yogurt store that had opened while I've been in Korea.
Friday was all about packing. It was kind of horrible with stress and frustration. I made the decision not to go over the weight allowance on my luggage. I could have, but I had so many bags (and the footlocker is just NOT easy to carry) that it seemed like it would be better not to cram in the extra 20 lbs. worth. Thinking back about what I had to take out, I sort of regret the decision, but it is what it is... Thinking positively though, I got to bring some books, lots of holiday food, some holiday decorations, additional warm clothing and dress clothes, some gifts for teachers, candy that's impossible to find here, baking good s like shortening and chocolate chips, and a new external HD which was incredibly cheaper than the ones I've seen in Korea.
My parents both drove me to Atlanta late Friday night (the trip there was a little insane since we took a few wrong turns and were all exhausted), and I bid a tearful goodbye to my sister and brother-in-law as we drove by their farm on the way south. Gosh that was a hard goodbye! We stayed at a hotel that offered a free shuttle directly to the Delta check-in area. The flight left bright and early from Atlanta and arrived in Detroit with no problems. Then the troubles began...
But I'll save that for its own story. I'm on a roll today! My biggest regret of the trip home was not getting to see my Browncoat/Whedonite friends, but maybe I can pull that off the next time I'm home since it'll be a bit longer of a trip. Mostly, I was hoping to get to the wedding, and the rest of the visit was like icing on the cake--a lot of icing and a massive, wonderful cake! Huge thanks to friends and family who went out of their way to rearrange their schedules to see me or help me out with things when I was home.
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