Signing Off

This is the last post that I'll write on this blog. I feel like a chapter is closing in my life, and with it, I'd like to close this blog as well. After 3 years in Korea, with a lot of travel and adventure squeezed in the middle, I've landed myself back in the homeland, the good ole U S of A.

To sum up the summer: Ali and I spent a couple of weeks in Malaysia after our final farewell from SoKo, after which we headed to England to spend some time with his family. Malaysia was HOT. And I learned a very important lesson about traveling while bouncing from one dirty hostel to another: I don't like dirty hostels anymore. But it was a country with a lot of beauty and culture, and it was also the last time we'll travel in Asia for awhile, so I soaked up every last temple, shrine, and bowl of rice. Oh, we also spotted a shark just a few feet away from our tiny little kayak in the ocean. Man, I'm gonna miss feeling scared for my life. I soaked that up, too.

England was a welcomed change in climate. Who knew that England in the summer is so awesome? It was cool (I was totally under-prepared with my sundresses and flip-flops...), it was light all the time, and Ali's house is not a dirty hostel. In fact, quite the opposite. I spent 2 weeks there, then said farewell to Ali for the time being and headed to Chicago. After 2 weeks in Chicago of apartment hunting, I'm now back in Iowa visiting my parents. I'll go back to Chicago next week, where I'll meet Ali (student visa approved!) and we'll both start grad school at Columbia College Chicago this fall. It's surreal that we're finally entering a new chapter in our lives. It took 3 1/2 years, but we're finally going to be together in the west. (Happy sigh of relief.)

This blog has logged so many memories of travels, adventures, and life abroad. So although this is my final entry, I'd like to keep the blog up for my own keepsake, and also for those who may find my experiences helpful in their own travels.

Thanks for reading. It's been fun. :)

Carolyn