Happenings

Dearest peoples,

Life has been so crazy.
Concert week went remarkably well - some small setbacks/speed bumps but nothing to seriously fret over. I loved working with my colleagues Sophie and Melinda on our concert. We had a detailed schedule of who rehearsed in what place on what day with what ensemble - lots of people, places, and equipment to keep track of! The students I teach performed really well - I think some of my high schoolers may have had a legitimate "get the chills" kind of performance! Maybe. Just like teenagers back in the US, they can be slow to show emotion. I had chosen some music that wasn't especially challenging so we got to work on some music theory and understanding the pieces they were playing historically. We had our secondary concert on Wednesday evening and the elementary concert on Thursday morning. I needed so much coffee that week - I set personal records. Friday was a day filled with cookies and Netflix showings of Mickey Mouse's Christmas Carol and Peanuts Christmas cartoons.

I flew from Seoul to Tokyo, Tokyo to Chicago and was picked up by my best friend from high school, Megan, and her mom. When I landed, I spent a hot minute in the bathroom making myself look like a human again and then picked up my bags and went through immigration. When I handed the immigration officer my passport he said "how long have you been away?" to which I quickly replied "5 or 6 months". He said "Welcome back", stamped my passport, and let me back into America. It seems odd, but his welcome was so meaningful to me - one of the first interactions in 'murica and it was surprisingly personal and stuck with me. Next, I had to do something I hadn't done since high school - use a pay phone. Pulled some american money out of the ATM, got some coins at the currency exchange counter, and tried my best. It took a couple tries and a lot of buttons, but it worked!
Once we got connected, Steve, Carol, Megan and I went to see Wicked after some delicious Noodles and Company that I enjoyed with a Goose Island 312 (wheat beer is my jam). It was a great evening and I stayed awake almost the whole time! We woke up, packed the car, grabbed some starbucks, and hit the road. There was a blizzard forming, and yet we got home safely. It was surreal driving into my parents' neighborhood - I couldn't believe I was back on that side of the globe, let alone within 5 miles of my family. I hugged my parents each for 5 minutes... and once we got in touch with my brother we met up with him, his wife, and her brother for Smash burger.

I could recount the details of every day of my vacation in the US, but I think its better I keep those poetic and beautiful times in my head.. and not bore you to death :)

Returned back to Seoul with a couple bumps in the road and made it to my apartment around 2 am. Uff da!
Saw many performances - this varied program by the The Seoul Philharmonic (featuring the Sheng, a chinese mouth organ) and a Beethoven piece at Yeouido Full Gospel Church (the largest pentacostal congregation in the world). I also joined a chamber choir through Camarata Music Company. This company has two main singing groups - I performed this fall with the Chorale, their non-auditioned group. It's been great to meet people and make music together and I'm looking forward to achieving a higher level of artistry with the chamber singers in the next year. We rehearse monday evenings from 7-10, which makes for a long day (returning home around 11pm), but it really is great to get out of Nowon and work with other musicians ... and not be in charge. I spend all day making music and making decisions... it's nice to make music but not have to make the decisions :)

So much more has happened, and I need to write more about news years and other mental shifts, but time is so limited! More to come later!