Gonna party like it's my birthdaaaaay...

So I am officially 22... which is 23 Korean (they count time spent in the womb in your age). I got e-mails for a day and a half because of the time difference between the US and here. Work was normal: I followed around about 6 classes total. It's typical for the teachers and students to spend 5 minutes asking each other how they are that day, and so any kid who asked found out it was my birthday. So for most the day I got a lot of "Erica teacher! Happy Birthday!! ...Cake?" After work I went out for Thai food in Itaewon with my friends from home, plus our new friend Peter who is from Australia. Afterwards we took the delicious cake that Liz and Kirsten brought me to a Coffee Bean (Yes! They have Coffee Bean in Korea!!) and had dessert. There are a lot of foreigners in Itaewon because it is near the US marine base, so it was nice to see a diverse crowd for the first time in a few weeks.

I wasn't able to get a phone because you need either your passport or your alien card to buy one. I don't have my passport because it is at the immigration office so that I can get my alien card. That's a nice catch-22, isn't it? So - I am phone-less until sometime next week. I have to work on Sunday because my school is having "Mini-Olympics" ... which is basically a field day. It should be fun, and we don't have morning classes the next day so that makes up for it. Plus, I will be sad to see Amy (the teacher I am replacing) go, but I will be SOOOOOOO glad to move into my apartment. At this point, anything is better than the motel. The people there are nice, but my stuff is enveloping me and I'm feeling slightly clostraphobic.

I hope everyone's well at home. California's going through an awful heat wave and here it won't stop raining! It's funny to be in the rain, it makes me feel like it's Christmas. I refuse to ever adapt from my Californian tolerance for weather, ever.


Peace,
Erica


PS- For my birthday, Andrea bought me the best, most tacky "California Girls" trucker hat you've ever seen in you life... hoping to post a picture soon.