- I drank a lot of beer
- I teached a lot of Engrish
- I made a few kids cry
- I went to Canada and back in 4 days
and that's about it!
I feel like it's been the same old routine; go to work, go home and mark essays, catch up on my tv shows online, wait for Friday, meet up with friends then go back to work on Monday.
The trip home was amazing! Unfortunately I got bronchitis the Saturday before I left. I haven't been that sick in a long time, and I was so worried and stressed that I was going to be sick for Kell's wedding. Luckily they have a miracle shot here that they give you in the bum... a few hours after you get it all your symptoms are magically gone! It only lasts for about 24 hours, but by then the antibiotics kicked in so the worst of it was over. I read somewhere online that there are no antibiotics for bronchitis, but the doctor still gave me 13 pills a day for 10 days. I have no idea what I was taking, and normally I would have just waited it out, but I really wanted to get better.
So finally after another shot to make the sniffles and coughing go away for the plane ride, I left on Thursday afternoon. I flew Air Canada because it was by far the cheapest, but I have to say I think next time I'd pay the extra for a better airline. When I came here in February on Korean Air the service was amazing, the food was delicious and I had my own little tv with unlimited movies, tv shows and video games. Air Canada.. not so much. First there were no window seats left so I had to sit on the aisle. Then the only tvs they had were the big ones for everyone to watch... and someone's head is always in the way. It wasn't horrible, but it was a LONG flight. 13 hours of sitting in one cramped spot not being able to sleep was not my idea of a fun time.
But as soon as I saw Krinny waiting for me at Pearson it was all worth it! Our first stop was Tim Horton's for tea. We drove right up to Durham, and the ride was great for catching up lots of muffy laughs! We got to Durham around 9pm and after driving around for 15mins Durham (only we could get lost in a town that small) finally found Kell's house. The reunion was great!! So good to have the 3 of us together again, especially since we really only all get together once every 1 or 2 years. The weekend was packed with wedding goodness, and it went by in a flash. I just remember drinking a lot of Tim Horton's. I was pretty out of it the whole time, and super dizzy. I've actually seen a few pictures (thanks to Susa my personal paparazzo for the weekend) that I don't remember being taken, and no I didn't drink a sip of alcohol! I thought it was the jet lag (I didn't really sleep Thursday night and only for a few hours Friday night thanks to the party in the hotel room beside us), and it took me until Sunday to realize it was the medication. Oh Ashley. It was so great to see Mom, dad, Kal and Blaine too.. thanks so much for driving up guys! It made the weekend that much better.
So, Sunday morning the Lyons clan packed up and took me back to Pearson. When I booked my flights I had to make a stop in Vancouver on the way back, so I paid a little extra for a layover for the night. That way I could actually spend time with Matt, Reena and the kids, and see Luke for a night too.
Needless to say I was exhausted by this point (3-4 hours of sleep a night for 3 nights plus jet lag kind of wears on you after a while) and was looking forward to sleeping on the flight to Vancouver. But nooooo, no window seats left. Oh, and I just happened to be in the row in front of the emergency exit so my seat didn't go back either. So... 5 hours of sitting straight up, falling asleep then falling into the aisle or the woman beside me, trying to stay awake and then falling asleep and falling again... I was the person you really don't want sitting beside you.
Finally I made it to Vancouver, and it was so great to see Matt, Reena and the kids!. Caleb is a little man now, and we had some great conversations (while I sipped my Timmy's of course) about the game cube and games Luke left at the house for them. Taya kept talking about 'remember when you were real'... ohhh right, I forgot that I'm not real anymore. They're both so grown up and I can't wait to get back to spend more time with them.
Luke was flying back from Disneyland that day (talk about good timing), so I met him at the airport (Timmy's in hand haha) and I think it was the best hug I've ever had in my life. So great to see him. Hard because I knew I'd have to say goodbye in the morning for another 5 months, but it was better than nothing. We all went for dinner, then I said bye to Matt, Reena and the kids. It was sad to say goodbye, but don't worry I got to see them again! Little did I know when I was waving goodbye to them that I was also waving goodbye to my luggage in the back of their car. Again, oh Ashley.
So, back to Korea on Monday, and this time I got a window seat and slept almost the entire 11 hour flight back, except for the meals. I slept the 1.5 hour bus ride back to my place too, and then 16 hours that night. I was a little tired! I didn't really feel the time change once I was back here, I think my body never adjusted to Canadian time.
So now back to the 'grind'... at work 8 hours a day, teaching 6 hours a day.. life is tough! I have some really great kids in some of my classes, so they days usually go by pretty fast. I have about 3.5 months left here, and I'm a bit torn between trying to enjoy it and feeling ready to come home. I know that I'll miss it once I leave, but I miss Luke a lot and sometimes it feels like February is years away.
So, nothing like a weekend trip to Beijing to make me feel better! There's a group of about 10 of us going this weekend, and I can't wait. Saturday is shopping day (Beijing is famous for its shopping), and Sunday is 'tour' day. We've hired a bus to take us to the Forbidden City in the morning and the Great Wall in the afternoon, and I'm actually looking forward to that more than the shopping. Although I'm told that $300 would buy me a whole new wardrobe, so I can't complain!
I'll update more on school and the trip next week, I promise!!
Miss you all
Love
Ashley
