The Last Goodbye

Greetings from Vancouver.

The last three days have been an emotional rollercoaster that would put any Disney ride to shame. From dozens of last goodbyes, to crying parents, to the sad feelings that come when you leave behind so many wonderful people we have really faced the gauntlet. Right now I am typing this entry four hours before I have to wake up and head for the airport. It’s going to be a bittersweet day. Sweet because I will be leaving North America for the first time and heading to a new country to do a job that I’m really excited about. Bitter because I now realize just how much we will be leaving behind.

They say that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone and it seems that they are right. We have so many great friends and family members in our lives that it was easy to take things for granted. The idea of living in a new country with no one we know around for thousands of miles will definitely put things into perspective for you. Anyway, we want to say our last final goodbye and that we are really going to miss all of you.

I promise that the next entry will be funnier or at least semi interesting. But it’s midnight and a fellow is allowed to be a little emotional on the day he leaves home for the first time (even if he stayed till the ripe old age of 23 and lasted longer at home then any of his friends hehe ). The next time we post we will be doing so from Korea.

Until then, enjoy some pics from today.

Cheers

Shayne

Saying goodbye to the boys (and Kayla)

The Eager little tourists (in Kelowna of all places)

(I only wish that we could have taken him)

The Countdown

Well, we decided that it was about time to post on the site...considering we've been telling people about our new blog, but have yet to put anything remotely interesting on it. So, even though our trip hasn't officially started yet, and there's not a whole lot to report, here's our first post.

It's ten days until lift-off, and we're starting to get a little freaked out about the big move. Not that we're having any serious doubts about the whole moving to Asia, eating pickled cabbage for a year, learning to love karaoke “bangs” thing, but I don’t think anyone would consider this a small step, and we’re finally starting to realize it. Take this morning, for instance. We’re staying at Shayne’s Dad’s place, and his new girlfriend from China has cooked up some “congee” for breakfast (Asia’s version of oatmeal, except made with rice). As I’m contemplating the pot of starchy-smelling, slightly translucent white goop, I wonder if this, or its Korean cousin, is what I’ll be expected to eat over there, and my heart starts to beat a little faster as I wonder if I’m going to be able to find a box of Cheerios in all of Korea. And that’s only breakfast.

Anyway, it’s thoughts like these that have Shayne and I looking at each other regularly like we’re about to bungee-jump off a bridge and we’re not sure if the patchouli-scented surfer dude attendant remembered to attach the cords. We gave each other one of these looks as we realized that it’s June 19^th, and we’re leaving in only ten days. Ten days. Ten days and we still have a to-do list half a page long to complete: embassies to visit, belongings to put into long-term storage, friends to have parting drinks with, clothes to buy, bags to pack, and a million other things. You get the idea.

As for right now, we’re making final visits to Victoria and Vancouver, which are making us realize how much, and how many people, we’re going to miss when we’re gone. But that’s about it for now. There will be more to come soon, with photos of our new pals Kim Il Dung and Sung Yuk Dee, along with many zany anecdotes about those crraazy Koreans. Stay tuned.

J.