Nine Hours in Shanghai

Recently, I came across some interesting information, announcing that China had decided to allow international travels up to 72 hours within Shanghai and/or Beijing absolutely cost and Visa-free.  Thrilled at the prospect of saving $200 on the Visa, I jumped on the bandwagon, booking myself, as I so often do, a long layover in Shanghai.  My anticipation of my time behind the Silk Curtain alternated between excitement and trepidation, as all I had in my head was this very Americanized idea of iron-fisted communism, very wealthy upper classes, very poor lower classes, and a superiority complex.  Despite my efforts to have no opinions on things I've never actually experienced, China and all the stories I've heard about it has grown some ideas for me.  I knew this was just a stereotype, so I tried to put it aside, and succeeded to for the most part.  However, a few things still managed to surprise me.  My friend warned me that Shanghai is rather Westernized, so I'm a bit reluctant to form any opinions (or even completely toss out my stereotypes) about China, but this is what I saw.

The Big Three of the Far East are conveniently now
stamped on adjoining pages in my passport.

Getting through customs was surprisingly easy.  I expected people to know less English than they did and to know less about the 72-hour Visa than they did.  There was a moment when I was pulled off to the side and I worried that I was going to be detailed for questioning of some sort, but it didn't happen.  They just apparently needed a little more time for processing, since the 72-hour Visa isn't approved in advance or anything.  I was incredibly impressed that they had no problem with inspecting my itinerary off of my iPhone (Somehow, my printouts had gotten lost).  Everyone who worked at the airport, from the desk attendants to the security guards were incredibly helpful.  Way to win, Shanghai.

I was amused, I may note that the first thing I saw in China (not counting the airport, of course) was a McDonald's.  My word, they're everywhere.  I technically wasn't even off airport property, yet.  In fact, I was following a very "Secret Garden"-esque path to find the subway (note the green arrows on the road directing me to the line I needed).  I didn't stop because, anymore, even the thought of McDonald's turns my stomach (though I do partake in it occasionally if the right friend asks me to go).  I did notice that their menu seemed incredibly different from the rest of the McDonald'ses that I've seen in other places in the world, but I expected that after doing a case study on the franchise for international marketing.  (Just a tidbit worth noting if you actually do like McDonald's: Every region in the world has a unique McDonald's menu, catering to the specific preferences of the people there.)

I opted to take the subway (line 2) through Shanghai, as both airports are on it, and I needed to make an airport change.  I had read that you could pay a shuttle to take you across in about an hour, but I found the subway first, it was cheaper, and I figured I'd get a feel for the culture better on the subway than in a van.  So I put my Shanghai Subway Map app to work.  Not that I really needed it... like I said, both stops were on the same line.  In fact, everything I wanted to do was on that line.  But it was comforting to have nonetheless.

Things worth knowing if you ever decide to do this on your own: You cannot change from the 10 line to the 2 line at Hongqiao Airport T2 without paying again.  You must go one stop past T2 to do this.  Somewhere in the middle of the Line 2 (I don't remember exactly which stop), I had to change trains.  It wasn't hard at all.  I just got out and hopped on the next one going the same direction.  Everyone has to do it at that point, so just go with the flow.

While I was spending time on the subway (maybe about an hour and a half, give or take 15 minutes), I was surprised to run into a goodly number of German people.  Well... I guess that's relative.  I think I saw maybe 5 non-Asian people the whole day.  I struck up a conversation with one man that was pretty interesting.  He gave me some good tips on what to see.  I kept wanting to use my Korean to talk to people, though I knew it would do me no good, and I only know two words in Mandarin, though I doubt my tonality is correct.  Nevertheless, I used my two words.  For everything else, I smiled and bowed a lot.  This, however, seemed to go over well, and an older couple on the subway adopted me, praising my ability to get a seat in spite of being foreign and lugging some pretty serious luggage with me.  When we switched trains, they took up extra space on the bench to save me a seat.  It blew my mind that they would do that for me.  In my experience, that kind of kindness to a stranger is nearly unheard of in the East.  Let me emphasize nearly unheard of.  It's not that people are being mean or anything... it's just a cultural thing.  The two were so sweet.  We spent a lot of time smiling at each other, and the grandmother (I want to call her 아줌마, or 할머니, though neither of those are really appropriate as, once again, she was not Korean) made sure I saw that there were white people on the TV at one point (They were German, but it's the thought that counts).  Seriously, they just melted my heart and made my day.

Skipping forward, as this is already getting long, and I haven't even begun to talk about my sightseeing yet, I decided to go ahead and check in for my flight as soon as I got to the other airport.  It seemed like the easiest way to ditch most of my luggage, and, since the line was gigantic, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Asia never leaves you room to doubt where you are.  My word, there are PEOPLE in Asia. 

It actually moved faster than I feared it would, so I was able to grab a locker for my carry-on stuff and hit the Mag Lev train within an hour of my arrival.  In case you don't know what the Mag Lev train is, it does this:

Me, super excited about how fast we were traveling.

As a result, I was able to chop about half an hour from my travel time.  Maybe more.  I didn't pay enough attention on the way in.

I had thought about going to see the infamous Bund at E. Nanjing Road, but I wasn't really feeling it by the time Lujiazui Street came up, so I hopped off on a whim and figured I'd look around.  It turned out to be a good choice, because the Oriental Pearl Tower was right outside the exit.  It is my opinion that the Pearl is on of the coolest looking pieces of architecture out there, and it's certainly one of the most distinctive buildings in Shanghai, so I was thrilled with my choice.  I was so thrilled, in fact, that I dropped most of my spending money on a ticket to the very top of the thing.  That turned out to be okay, though, because it was incredibly time-consuming.  I didn't have a chance to go anywhere else, and I somewhat wish I'd had more time to spend within the Pearl.  Nevertheless, I'm very glad that was where I chose to spend my time in Shanghai, mostly because it felt like I could see the whole city from the top, but also because of all the cool things that I kept finding on each level.  I do wish I had realized they were there so I could have paced myself better.  I ended up getting so frustrated as I was having to bypass things on the way out to make it back to the airport on time to catch my flight.  I did make time for a quick peek at the various observation decks, though.  Each one had a different view worth seeing.

I still got to see The Bund... just from a different angle than people had suggested.

The downward-facing observation deck was somewhat panic-inducing, to the point that I saw several people flat out lay down on the glass once they looked down, but I am proud to announce that I stayed upright (though I did walk incredibly slowly and lightly to get my way back to opaque ground).  I'm not sure why people don't really think about how high up they are until you put glass under them, but that seems to be the norm.  I suppose that's why we're always advised to "don't look down"... not that that ever stops anyone, but it at least makes a little more sense now.

I had thought ahead enough to make sure I grabbed a dumpling (For those who know what it is, this was definitely a 왕만두 and not anything remotely resembling what I imagined a Chinese dumpling to be.) and my customary new country Coke (another company that changes its recipe from region to region) to eat as I waited to get into the Pearl.  This turned out to be excellent planning, as I ended up needed to be one of those obnoxious people who asked if they could cut in front of everyone to make it back to the airport.  There was definitely some self-loathing that happened then, but I sucked it up and did what I had to.

Outside the Pearl, there were taxis waiting, just as I'd read there would be.  Even though I was positive (and I'm still pretty sure I was right) that the subway would be faster, my anxiety about the potential to miss my flight had me jump into the nearest mode of transportation I could find.  I was proud of myself for the ease with which I haggled with the driver over the price.  I didn't even stop to think about it.  It's not like I haggle all that much in Korea, but I guess living there has just made me more confident with the idea of doing it.  Once in the cab, I managed to convince myself to relax, and the driver and I had a nice chat about how awesome he thinks President Obama and Americans in general are.  I smiled and thanked him, then spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what America could have possibly done for China to make this man think our country is all that cool, but gave up on it when I realized that I could be taking advantage of the fact that I was now above ground for a part of the city that I'd only seen below ground and film my cab ride.  One incredibly close call between my hand and the front end of a bus later, we got this:

Welcome to China friends.

Getting back on the Mag Lev was amazingly easy, especially since my driver literally pulled up to the station stairs for me, proclaiming his love for Americans the whole time.  Getting through security at the airport was only marginally more difficult.  My customs security man was very chatty and curious about what I was doing in Korea and Thailand, but I just kept on smiling and answering.  I didn't even check my watch once (which, after estimating the time wrong in London and missing out on the London Eye during my first ever long layover, I had set for China time before I ever left Seoul).  Be proud of me.  I ended up having enough time to shop for a couple little people who are in my life before feeling the need to go wait by my gate.  Sadly, you have to have access to texting in China to get the airports free WiFi, but I can survive unplugged (usually), so it wasn't that bad of a wait.

Incidentally, I noticed  a family with what looked like twin young girls on the Mag Lev the second time.  I actually noticed several families throughout the day that were clearly Chinese and clearly had multiple children.  I had been under the impression that Chinese families were only allowed one child, but now I'm starting to wonder if that also was a misconception.

I will say, however, my experience with my airline, China Eastern, was not one that I ever intend on repeating.  A weight debacle that ended up costing me $200 and a lovely reinterpretation of the definition of "special vegetarian meal that you ordered" (confiscation of the main meat dish without replacing it with anything else) was enough to make me add them to my airline blacklist.  (Also on that list are Delta and Virgin, in case you were wondering.  Airports that made the list are Bangor, ME; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Jakarta, Indonesia... not that you can completely vow off an airport, but I'd like to avoid them as much as possible.  Incidentally, Turkish Air and American Airlines have made what I'd call a graylist for various reasons... Just proceed in booking with them with caution.)

All in all, for the traveler with the short attention span like me, I think this 72-hour Visa is definitely worth while.  I fully intend on taking advantage of it to see Beijing when I get the chance, especially now that I know how to anticipate things (though, let me tell you, it may take the full 72-hours just to navigate the Beijing airport, from what I hear...) and feel more confident that I'm not going to get arrested for simply thinking Western thoughts in China.  Hopefully this new Visa policy is going to be around for a good while, because I'm really liking it. 

추석 Traveling: Overall Feelings

Overall, I loved my Bulgaria travels.  I loved seeing Alex and Vera.  I loved the break from continual business.  I loved a visit back to Western culture and the Western idea of the proper way to relate to each other.  I loved the stories of Bulgaria in World War II, how it protected its Jewish people and took advantage of Hitler's blind hate.  I loved the peace between religions and how they existed without fighting between themselves.

On a bit of the negative side, I am sorry to report that my experiences with the airlines left the trip with a bit of discomforted color.  While I've enjoyed my travels with Turkish Airlines, I've learned that that's only if you don't need to talk to any of the people who work for it, whether for compliment or complaint, and Heaven help you if you lose something.  As for the Sofia airport, I think I may like it the least of any airport in which I'd ever spent time.  In fact, I like it even less than I like the Bangor, Maine airport.  If it wasn't for the fact that the Sofia airport is the only way I can see Alex and Vera, I would avoid the country entirely in order to avoid the Sofia airport, which is much the same way I feel about the Bangor airport.  Somehow, it is always the tiny airports that feel the need to have the stringent security.  In Sofia, I was mocked for not having my Korean VISA up to date, even though it was updated electronically, as noted on my green card, which I pointed out to the woman, but she was unable to read the handwriting, I guess.  At any rate, she felt the need to hold up the line and bring others in on the joke, only one of whom managed to point out the legitimacy of my claim.  I could go on about the tardiness of the flight, causing the running of almost every passenger at our layover.  I could go on about the lack of hep within the airport.  I could go on about the lack of employees of the airport and the tardiness of the opening of the gates.  I could.  But I'm not one to write a long post of complaints.  I will merely suggest that you fly Singapore Airlines as much as possible while in Asia, and bring your patience with you when visiting the Sofia airport.

In spite of that, I still thoroughly enjoyed my trip, and I would still visit the country as long as I had a friend there to welcome me.  Without there presences, I don't know if I would return.  There's not much by way of tourism, there, and it's not a country to visit as a single woman traveler, for sure (as it is a major hub for human trafficking), so you see the need for a welcoming party, I trust.  Nonetheless, as long as Alex and Vera are there, I know the country will hold a draw for me, and maybe even after, as my heart is still tied to those little faces and hugging arms.

Soon, I'll start updating you on more recent goings-on.  Be sure to keep me appraised of yours! :)

Banging my head against a wall

I went to Seoul today instead of school so I could apply for my VISA to Bangladesh.

I had worked hard to get a day off and will be making it up tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the Bangladeshi Embassy didn't feel the need to inform me that they would be closed today, celebrating Victory Day.

I really don't know how this one's going to play out, guys.


(I'm banging my head... get it?  Banging?  BANGladesh? hahahha... I'm so ready to embarrass some teenagers some day...)


On the bright side, it was doing this when I got home:

That's snow, in case you can't tell... and a lot of it.

Which put me in the mood to finally buy this:

Which now looks like this:

It's now waiting to be finished, as per tradition, when my brother gets here.  (All in all, it's looking like I'm going to spend about 11 USD total on Project: Christmas tree.  The rest of it, as per my previous commitment, will be homemade ornaments.)

The angel with whom I'm wrestling... (Just call me Israel)

ChristmasChristmasChristmas is ALMOST HERE... which means I'm in the mood to go drop a paycheck, buying gifts for EVERYONE (literally everyone) I know/see on a regular basis/comment on their blogs with any half-consistency.  "But, Anne," you say.  "Didn't you just post this really compelling list telling me to spend less money and more time at Christmas?"  Yes.  Yes I did.  BUT, actually, I wasn't telling you (I'll bet you think this song is about you, don't you? Don't you? - just kidding)... I WAS TELLING MYSELF.

I am a gifting addict.  I will literally be only allowing myself PB&J and water for whatever meals aren't provided and still spend hundreds of dollars on other people.

This is not to be applauded.  Don't do it.  I mean, yes, this is great and all, but it's not really nice to myself, AND, after reading this AMAZING post by Jen Hatmaker, I'm not really sure it's nice to the rest of the world either.

See, she has this quiz that she linked in her blog (which I clearly just linked, too) that tells you how many slaves work for you.  Yes, slavery still exists today, don't be fooled by the message Satan wants you to believe.

This screen shot of Not For Sale's interactive SlaveryMap shows the number of reported slavery cases since 1-Jun-2008.

It's hard to believe, I know; we're so well trained to believe that it ended with Abraham Lincoln.  If you're still having trouble with it, check this out.

So I took the quiz.  I gave it as much detail as I could.  I knew it was going to tell me I had slaves working for me.  That's the reality of this world.  I did not know it was going to tell me I had 39 slaves working for me.   

That's 39 people who, every day, I say that are worthless; 39 people over whom I've decided I'm more important. 

I gagged and swallowed back vomit over those 39 people.


This is the angel with whom I'm wrestling.  The voice in the back of my head saying "..I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me."

But it's more than that. 

I'm taking their food.  I'm stealing their drink.  I'm casting them out of their homes. I'm stripping them of their clothes.  I'm blighting them and locking them up. 

I'm sitting in my wealthy world, worrying about what gift I should give the people that I don't know well enough to decide if they will even miss a gift from me.  Stressing over difficulties with a VISA to take my international, tropical vacation, and I can't do it anymore.


I'm sorry if I didn't buy you a Christmas present yet and you really wanted one, but I'm done.  Unless I'm walking through the store and it's absolutely perfect for you, you won't be getting anything on which I spent money.  You may not be able to understand this.  After all, most of my friends are American and celebrate the Americanized Christmas, but that is no longer going to stop me.  I can't do it anymore.


What it comes down to is this: 
Is that coffee/chocolate/cigar/gold jewelry/cotton blouse that I was going to buy him/her REALLY more important than the LIFE of the person who got it for me?

This is the angel with whom I'm wrestling.

Bright, blaring red tape

Well, after a couple phone calls (and by "a couple" I mean eleven), I finally got through to the Bangladeshi Embassy in Seoul.

Verdict?

Because I'm not Korean, I must appear in person at the Embassy to get my VISA.

*Sigh*  I'm beginning to understand the frustrations of minorities in the States.  (And I do mean beginning.  Under no circumstances do I claim to fully understand what we put those people through.)

I think I need to start carrying a picture of Moumita in front of my face, so I can remember why it is that I want to go.

She's precious, isn't she?  She just turned 8.

In fact, just looking at this picture (it's a new one, by the way; I hadn't seen it yet!) as I'm loading it onto my blog for you to see is calming my spirit.  This is just the first of my struggles with this trip.  As I understand it, the Bangladeshi people are even less amenable to vegetarians than Koreans are.  Soooooo, we're going to have fun on this trip.

MoumitaMoumitaMoumita... I can't wait to meet her. :)

It's that time again...

...the time where I'm dealing with governments and trying to get VISAs in order.  At least this time it's for vacation purposes.  Thankfully, I am well trained to have a short-term memory, or else I would never travel.  Good golly, Moses, you'd think they didn't want me to come to their country and blow a whole paycheck!  My word... I thought it was bad getting my VISA to come to South Korea, but it's even more complicated now that I have a 9-5 (well, 8:30-4:30) job in the mix.

Anne: "Yayyyyy!  Vacation's around the corner!  I think I'll go to Thailand and Bangladesh to see two of my Compassion kids!"

Thailand: "Yayyyyy!  Pay me some money when you land; I'll throw a stamp in your passport."

Compassion: "Yayyyy! Pay us some money when we roll up, and we'll throw in a translator and transportation."

Anne: "Yayyyyyy!  Bangladesh?"

Bangladesh: "Hmmm... well... Pay us considerably more than you'll pay at any one place during the rest of your vacation, and we'll consider giving you a VISA for a certain amount of days at our discretion."

Anne: "Really, Bangladesh?  Okay.  I mean, if that's what it takes.  Compassion?"

Compassion: "Yayyyy! Pay us some money when we roll up, and we'll throw in a translator and transportation."

Anne: "Yayyyy! I love consistency!  Here we go over to the travel agent that should be able to do this..."

Travel Agent: "I'll check on that.  Come back tomorrow."

Anne: "Okay." 

(Tomorrow) Travel Agent: "I'm sorry, the embassy forgot to check.  Come back tomorrow."

Anne: "...Okay.  *At least they give me free hot drinks.*"

(Next day) Travel Agent: "I'm sorry.  We cannot arrange your VISA.  You must go to the embassy in Seoul between the hours of 9 and noon, Monday through Friday to drop it off, between the hours of 4 and 5, four days later, Monday through Friday to pick it up."

Anne: *facedesk*

Luckily, it's looking like I can have my friend who works evenings in the Hagwans help me out with this one.  (Here's hoping.)  From what I've seen online, it shouldn't pose a problem, but hey... it's the government... all sorts of things can go wrong.  Anyone seen any information on whether people can turn in paperwork and stuff for others VISA-wise (specifically for Bangladesh)?

Anyone want to pray that we can make this work???

Done.

All the details are done.

I've filled out the paperwork.
I've sent it all to Korea.
I've gotten my VISA approval.
I've gotten my VISA stamp.
I've bought my plane ticket.
I've made arrangements to be picked up at the airport.

The only thing left is to get myself there.

This is the part that gets hard for me: the part where I'm wrapping everything up and saying goodbye to people. I often find that I come across as cold and uncaring during this time, but please understand that that is not really what is going on. If I were to give in to all the emotion at this time, I would never leave. I know that Korea is where G-d wants me, and so I am going to do what it takes to get there.

However, I never want you to doubt that I love you all.

Bureaucracy is annoying.

Well, on Monday I was able to take my paperwork in to the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. I dressed up in preparation for the interview I was told would occur, but I had enough foresight to wear my flip-flops and pack my beautiful but half-size-too-small pumps in my purse along with an excess of paperwork. I got there and handed over the worksheet I'd printed off from online and dutifully filled out. The girl behind the counter started asking for a plethora of other papers that I was silently thanking G-d for giving me the initiative to copy before leaving Nashville. Then, she asked for the $45 fee, and I pulled out my checkbook.

"No," she said. "We only accept cash or money order."

Great.

So I trekked over to the ATM in the lobby, which was, of course, not working. I smiled at the metal detector guy and went in search of an ATM. Carmen the Garmin was with me and graciously directed me to a nearby Wachovia ATM. I'm sure you've already gotten the flavor of this story enough to know that said ATM was blocked by a big fence announcing the construction of a new building there. I found a gas station, paid the fees for using an ATM not associated with my bank, and withdrew $40 to add to the $20 in my wallet.

Let's see if you see this coming.

I walked the half mile back to the Embassy, all the time the sky growing darker, smiling at the Gandhi statue on the way and hoping that he could help me keep my cool. I murmured a hello part 2 to Metal Detector Guy and went back to the window, where Nice VISA Clerk Girl had been replaced by Personal Call VISA Clerk Guy, and he was not happy to see me. I waited, organizing my papers on the counter. He got off the phone and glared at me, so I took this as a cue to hand him my stuff. He proceeded to find fault with a lot of things that I had filled out according to instructions, the most frustrating of which being that I had to have a Korean phone number already. (I ended up giving him my employer's.) But here was the best part - just wait for it: He looked at me and said, "I don't have change."

I explained what had happened with the cash and how I'd had to walk a mile for a working ATM and that it only gave twenties. He folded his arms across his chest and said nothing. I asked, "Could you help me please?"

"No."

So, after saying goodbye to Metal Detector Guy again, back out into the 100 degree heat I went. Luckily, I found a woman, Scottish I think by her accent, who was willing to break my twenty. We talked for a while about how unkind Americans are to foreigners, and I tried to put on an accent... any accent at all. Then she said,

"It's about to storm."

Of course it was.

Anyway, I returned to Metal Detector Guy, who was steadily growing more and more amused by me. I had everything this time. Personal Call VISA Clerk Guy was back on his personal call, and was even less excited to end it this time, but he was willing to take everything from me this time. He handed me a ticket and said, "Come back on Wednesday," and put my passport on a corner of his desk. I pretty much was panicking as I left, but managed a cheery "See you Wednesday," to Metal Detector Guy, who was no longer able to refrain from laughing and started cracking up. I did too.

Luckily, my friend Cody has moved up here to attend UMCP. We met up for dinner, and he was able to salvage my day.

TODAY, however, was very different. Nice VISA Clerk Girl was back. So, after saying hello to Metal Detector Guy, I went up to the VISA window and was able to get my passport, complete with VISA stamp back in a matter of minutes.

So here's the moral of this very long story:

I HAVE MY VISA STAMP!!!

That is all.

Have a lovely day. :)

This is the best email that I've gotten in a long time.

:)

Guess who's going to Korea...

:)

G-d's just been showing off.

Soooo I've been meaning to post this since Thursday. Sorry. Life's been hectic. I'm sure you can understand.

On Thursday, I decided I was not going to let fear rule me, and I borrowed my friend's car, and went driving by myself to run some errands.I got my papers sent off to Korea, which turned out to be harder than I thought. I got to the UPS store, only to be quoted a price of $50 to send them. $50 is not acceptable. I cannot afford it, so I left and went to the bank. After that, it was time for my check in with the doctor, who said that he was entirely surprised at how well I'm doing physically. He double-checked my head, saying that the bumps are healing nicely. He too was surprised at my lack of injuries. He gave me the appointment for free, because he thought I'd been through enough already. He's so sweet.

Right after that, I went to the post office. I knew that they would not get my papers to Korea as quickly as UPS, but they would be cheaper. After consulting with one of the women who hired me, I knew the most important factor was the ability to track it over the ocean, so I requested that at the counter, only to be told that this was impossible. I debated this point with the man behind the counter, but he insisted, so I reclaimed my papers and went out into the lobby to think. I tried calling a couple of people, but no one picked up. Then this really sweet woman put a hand on my shoulder and asked if I was okay. I told her yes, but then she said (in her English accent),

"You know, honey, I ship things overseas all the time, and I know they can track it...I'm going to sort this out for you. Stay right there."

She then disappeared into the main area, shortly reemerging with two papers. She told me that I needed to request "registered mail" vs. "tracking." She said, "Honey, fill these papers out, and take it all back in. They're just being stupid. If they still say that they can't, take your s*** and go to another post office."

I laughed, and then looked up to thank her, and she was gone. My mom insisted I share this story as proof that G-d is working overtime in taking care of me (Maybe angels aren't quite as straight-laced as we like to think?). I agree; He is, because this woman's option worked just fine. I took a picture on my phone of the intensity of what they did to this envelope, but I'm technology illiterate and couldn't get it to upload, so just picture every opening paper-taped down with date stamps every couple of inches along the tape. It was exciting (and only $15).


After all that excitement, I did something totally for me (which I'm now striving to do every day): I went back to the crash site. A lot of people think I'm insane for doing it, and I will admit that it got my adrenaline pumping, but I really felt that I needed it. The skid marks helped to fill in some of the blanks in my memory, and certainly got me a bit emotional, but I needed this to feel more real. Until then, I hadn't been able to process it; it was like nothing had happened, except that I didn't have a car. After this, I can't feel that way anymore. All in all, it was a good choice.












That being said, I have a request to make: please drive CONSIDERATELY and RESPECTFULLY. Yes, you may be running late to something, even something very important, but, whatever it is, it is not more important than the life of the person in the car next to you (and if it is, you shouldn't be driving, emergency personnel should be). Please, slow down and obey the speed limits; consider the moves you're making and choose what is safest. (Click here for some tips from AAA.)

Love you all.

I promised...

I got my VISA paperwork! It's here! It's here! I will send it off to Korea tomorrow.

My departure date has also been officially pushed back. I will arrive in Korea on August 24.

I am also delaying leaving Nashville. I'm not sure when I will leave, but it will certainly not be this weekend.

Also, I'm not nearly as sore today as I thought I would be, but I did make a doctor's appointment to make sure that everything is going okay with the places where I bumped my head in the accident. I'll post that update either tomorrow or the day after, because my appointment will be calling it awfully close to the HP 7.2 premiere!!! :)

Drive safely, friends!

Let's talk about how good G-d is.

So... Today, I understood a little better as to why everything has been unfolding the way it has.

Today, I got in an accident. I am absolutely fine, so don't worry. I was trying to merge into the right lane, when it turned out that there was another in my blind spot. It sped up and beeped, which startled me. I overcompensated, then overcompensated back. I hit the guard rail and ricocheted back into traffic. I looked up in time to see a semi coming straight for me. He braked in time, though, and then stayed there, preventing other cars from coming back at me. I could not open my car door from the inside, but a woman from two cars behind me came and got me out. As it turns out, she is a doctor, so she took care of me. Right behind her was a TDOT man, who also took care of me. Soon, emergency personnel were there too. They took me to the hospital, where it turned out that I was perfectly fine. I'm barely even bruised. I'm sore and shaken, but I'm fine.

G-d knew this was going to happen, and, although I certainly would have preferred to not wreck, He took care of me through it. He put these people on the road and kept me from extensive injuries. He delayed me getting my VISA paperwork so I would not have to be on an international flight next week.

Quite honestly, I feel like I should have been dead (as did the police officer that I was talking to today), but I was able to walk away with only bruises, not even scratches. G-d is so good.

Finally, I got this in my mailbox today. I'm pretty certain that it's my VISA paperwork. I'll let you know for sure tomorrow. As it turns out, everything really is in G-d's perfect timing.
Please drive safely.

This is that "Come to G-d Moment" that my friends like to talk about.

Okay, so a month or so ago, as some of you may or may not know, my friend Jason was riding his bike and got hit by a car. It was looking really bad for a few days, but through an insane amount of prayer, Jason is steadily recovering. His family started a blog to keep everyone up to date with his progress. Anyway, his latest entry, entitled 2 and 1/2, has really gotten me thinking about life. I'm going to copy it in for you:

2 and 1/2

hey guys this is jason :) To begin i want to thank everyone so much for what they have done for me as i have been healing. Setting me up with awesome dinners, making sure i know that someones there for me. I keep hearing that my parents don't know who caused the accident, but they want to find out. But to be honest i'm not worried about that, I am just happy and thanking god that i have no broken bones, and that i'm alive. This whole month has felt like more time then it seems but to me i haven't really been worrying about it all. This is the time for me to be happy and i'm almost there but in all this thats going on there has been some mesh of emotions some where along the line. It was a feeling i ran into to many times before the accident to be honest this has been beneficial to me. This accident has given me much more appreciation for the little things that happen every day. It has also helped me to realize the importance of life as it is. As before my accident i remember going to school and seeing some people just flipping out for the worst of reasons . "oh im so fat!!," or seeing some kid so desperate for attention that he jumps on a girls back and makes her give him a piggy back ride. I mean seriously she's a girl ok and about to grow into a woman treat her like one you jerk. or "People just dont get me." Really!! I wasn't worrying about that before. Yea i liked a girl and she sort of ignored me whenever i told her but i had school to focus on. I had to take a college math course three times just to pass it!! thank god i did though!! :) As what im trying to say is that people make everything more dramatic then it really is. This accident was dramatic it gave a big scar on my forehead and caused me to be in a 4 day coma which had everyone who knew on edge. But i awoke and every person who knew the news must have been happy to see me open my eyes. To me having people there for me has been a huge part of this whole process. I mean i'm 19 yea i am young but though i'm young this accident has made me feel different then before. I feel like having this brain injury has made me want to be able to relax and not have to make things a bigger deal than they really are. As i have also learned that who ever truely knew about this accident really knew that i needed them more than ever and for all those people i say thank you and god bless.

He's gotten me thinking about myself, and how I've been blowing things way out of proportion with this VISA thing. It will be what G-d wants it to be, and it will be perfect because of that. As for me, I need to wait on the Lord, and renew my strength. It's all going to be okay. As my inspirational figure, Dory says, "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim..." Yes, I think I could use a bit more of Dory's reckless faith, and a lot less of Marlin's strict faith in only himself. (And this isn't only in reference to Korea; I'm seeing this need in all areas of my life.)

L-rd, G-d, teach me to trust. Amen.

This will be quick.

Good news! There's a backup plan in case my VISA doesn't come through in time: If that turns out to be the case, my departure from the U.S. will be pushed back a month. However, I still plan to leave Nashville on July 17, as I have to be moved out then anyway, and my cousin (who just sent me yet another game request on Facebook... too bad I can't access that game unless I'm off campus.) and his fiancée are patiently waiting for me to sell them my car, and I really don't want to keep them waiting. Not to worry, though... my bedroom has yet to fully turn into a storage room at my parents' house. Soooo maybe, just maybe, I won't be in a rush to say goodbye to all my HoCo people... Of course, a month does seem a little more than necessary, but I'm trying to trust in G-d's perfect timing (as I remember that I have yet to check the mail today... I'm going to go do that)!