Desperate times

I've come down with a little flu. I call it the 'winter time blues' flu.
It's been lingering around for a bit now; never too bad to keep me in bed, but just enough to make my smile dim a bit.
Symptoms include but are not limited to: fatigue, boredom, increased: annoyance, bickering, complaining, frustration, etc etc etc.
This seasonal bout of blues is brought on by many things, different for each of us. At home I'd say lack of sun is the lead culprit, and being that home is seattle, it's a devilish one. Here in Tongyeong, the sun falls to fifth of sixth on my list.
1) Tongyeong is the smallest city I've ever lived in - equating to little (read: NO) nightlife, excitement, fun. Bowling holds me for a bit, but isn't quite the pique of excitement.
2) It's frigid cold here. Sunny during the day, but cold none the less. To make matters worse, they don't heat the schools but little. The rationale is 2 fold:
- They (heard from one person) believe that sickness is brought on (or sped up)
when the body goes from a hot environment to a cold one. Thus, it is for the health of the students and teachers to be as cold inside as we are outside. (side note: galen told me the other day that a study done on learning environments showed the number one hindrance of learning was .... being cold.)
- The government controlled energy company (the only company) has recently changed their billing system. Now schools must pay a fixed amount every month. However, this amount is equal to the highest usage month of the year, and if you use more than that amount, the new high becomes the new monthly payment. No one seems to think this is unfair. Odd because I smell a monopoly of the worst kind. A government run monopoly. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$
3) Being that I live in a rural town, the closest thing I have here to international cuisine is pizza covered in corn and peas. Man what I would give to have a subway here. There's nothing like a sandwich to curb that hunger for home.
4) Time difference from home is just right that I can't call anyone when I have free time unless it's the weekend.
5) And finally lack of sun.

This build up literally caused me to question being here just days ago. I headed to Seoul for New years and it was like a slap in the face reminding me of what I was going back to. I can't imagine ever getting bored in Seoul. Fantastic clubs, restaurants, shops.. enough foreign people moping around to avoid the 'white girl stare'. I had sharwarma for the lunch. Middle Eastern food. Ahhhh...
So I went through all my options. Leave after 6 months and pay for my own flight home, move up to seoul and get a job up there, look into 3 month gigs in Tokyo, skip out after my 6th month mark and head straight to Spain. The possibilities were both sweet and enticing.

But wait.. There is a light at the end of this long somber winter tunnel. I can hear it on the horizon and feel it on my nose - winter is waning. And with the end of winter comes the beginning of a divine life of beach front living. Tongyeong may suck in the winter, but I've staked out the executive spot for island beach bumming. Soon I will be hard at work laying still and absorbing rays. until then.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm head to Thailand at the end of the month for a 2 week 'relaxation therapy session', meaning, I won't be more than a 2 minute walk from: the beach, the bar, the hammock at all times.

So as all moments of weakness are, this was just a moment. We'll see if I crack under pressure again.

Adios.