Stuck in ATL

Well, not exactly Atlanta, but the outlying areas. I had planned a weekend trip to see some friends right before I left for Korea. I also found out that I would have to go to the Korean consulate in Atlanta to get my visa pasted into my passport. Cool, right?

So Friday afternoon I head up to Rome and spend some time with Carmen (one of my college professors and now a dear friend) and her family. I'm in love with her kids, basically. So we eat pizza and take crazy pictures and have a great time. The next morning I get up and go watch her pitch the first ball of the baseball game at Shorter, see my old friend Ben McFry, and then have lunch with Carmen and the honorable Dr. Bill Rice. It was a refreshing and lovely lunch with the both of them. I'm now seriously considering other options for my PhD rather than just creative writing or American studies. Maybe throwing in some Middle Eastern Studies or Asian Lit kind of stuff to make myself different from every other 20th century Am Lit. applicant in the job market.

After lunch, I headed on down to Covington to see Kerri and Buck and their little girl, Lily Bea. I spent a wonderful three days with them, staying an extra day on Monday. I stayed on Monday because there was the possibility that my confirmation number from Korea would come in and I could get an appointment at the embassy for today, Tuesday. However, I woke up this morning and it was a no-go. No number; no nothing. So I packed up my stuff and vacated Kerri's guest room, saying bye to my wifey for the last time until I return to the States in however many years. I drove to my uncle's house and now I'm just hanging out with my aunt. If I don't have a number by tomorrow morning, I guess I'll drive home and start packing.

But everything is pretty much an unknown. I don't know when I'm getting the confirmation number from Korea. I don't know when my interview at the consulate will be when I do have the confirmation number. I don't know what date the school is going to make my plane ticket for. AAAHHH! So much I just don't know. But I think I'm doing a relatively good job at staying calm and not getting too terribly frustrated. I mean, everything is out of my control, and my worrying for however many hours or days will not make any difference. I will simply get good at waiting. I have been given plenty of opportunities to improve upon this skill. I'm channeling Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. Yup. I will be good at waiting.

On the good news side of things... KENNY FOUND ME AN APARTMENT and it is perfect! It took an entire day of searching, but he and his mom finally found one in a good, safe location that was pretty clean and spacious compared to the other dives they'd checked out. I have a stove! Not just a hotplate! A stove! Woot. And a laundry machine. I'm very lucky. Kenny is buying me a bed- queen size! to go in it. I'm very excited about this. I feel like my quality of life will definitely be bearable, if not fantastic. I am five minutes from his house and about 20 minutes from work on the subway. So, everything is set. Living arrangements: check. Job: check. Boyfriend to take care of me and make me happy: check. Boyfriend's mom to cook me yummy Korean meals: check. Plenty of support from my family and friends: check.

Now I just have to get there!