I went to the doctor today. It cost $3. Not kidding.

In other news, it's time that I start preparing for Dubai. I'm gonna send my diploma off so that it can get verified by the U.S. State Department, and then it'll go to the UAE Embassy for some kind of stamp or verification. I'll be heading off to Dubai in October, and I think the whole diploma verification process will probably take about 4 months, so it should all work out just fine. I think. Getting papers in order is definitely the worst thing about working abroad. I'm always worried that things are gonna get lost, or that they just won't get returned, or that after all the hoops I jump through I'll end up getting my work visa rejected by some bureaucrat because of some technicality. But, so far, so good.


Song came to visit a couple weeks ago, which was definitely the highlight of the summer. The weather was perfect, so we grilled out on my roof one night. It was a good mix of different foods, and we both pigged out. However, my grill was promptly stolen that night, so I guess that's the last time we'll be doing that. You know, for a country where people are really respectful and your things are usually pretty safe, I've had a lot of bad luck with things getting stolen.


It also happened to be the week that we were having an open class for all the parents, so Song was able to come visit me at the school and check out where I work. That was really cool. I told her that one of these days I'll fly on one of her flights.
Also, I really like this picture. Pretty girlfriend + good camera = nice pic


This is where I do all my work. It's a pretty good desk, and having two monitors is a plus. It's nice to have different programs open side by side.
Some of the things in this picture are really Korean, so I'm gonna point them out.
First off, you'll notice the roll of tp on the desk. My co-worker gave me a tissue box a couple months ago, but that was actually the first tissue box I'd seen since I'd arrived in Korea cause Koreans use tp for everything. I mean, restaurants have napkins, but at both my jobs, I've seen tp used for wiping up counters and cleaning glass and wiping up spills and, well, pretty much everything that we use tissues and paper towels for.
Next, even though it's hard to see, I'm wearing sandals. Koreans are really into the tradition of taking off your shoes, putting them in a little cubby hole, and putting on your inside shoes/slippers. In the morning, right outside the doors of my school, you'll see all the kids standing out front, changing their shoes before they walk inside. Don't ask me why, I just live here.
Lastly, even though you can't see it in action, you'll notice the little mouse-like figure to the right of the monitors. Koreans are obsessed with cuteness and cute things. It's ridiculous. Sometimes I think I'm living in a society of teenage girls. I couldn't find a normal pencil sharpener at the store to save my life. All they had were bugs and mice and toy trains.