Amanda Takes Off...

I just learned my new form entirely on Monday. Master wants me to test tomorrow and again on the 31st. I don't pretend to understand. Today's class consisted of 30 mins of poomse (forms) followed by watching...soccer. I don't pretend to understand. I do wonder why the US doesn't follow soccer the way the rest of the world does. I don't pretend to understand.

I don't know exactly what's going on Saturday, but Master invited me to something. I think this is the plan: we meet at the studio at 6 am, run for 20 mins, pass a soccer ball around for 20 mins then take a bus trip somewhere else and watch soccer. Or something. I think that's it. It's 5000 won (about $5) so I said I'd come. Why the heck not? It gives me something to do Saturday and he specifically invited me and then took the time to struggle through the conversation with his little English and my very, very little Korean. (I understood most of it, really, but I thought he said we were going to run for an hour.) I asked if I should wear my dobok and he told me to wear traning clothes. I said, in a mix of Korean and English, "two skirts, two jeans." He laughed and said I could wear jeans. Running in jeans...

I got my alien residency card (ARC) today. I'm an alien!

I'm going to Thailand in six days. I finally started looking at my Lonely Planet book today. I'm overwhelmed at all of the possiblities and the distinct lack of time, but I'm not yet excited about it. Overwhelmed, yes. Excited, not exactly.

Which made me pause and wonder. Does this mean that I find travel boring and uninspiring? Does it mean that it's just more of the same? Have I finally "owngrown" the urge to travel, the way everyone seems to think I will? Or does it mean that I'm just used to it? That it's no longer something to worry about? That I'm "seasoned?" That I'm not afraid to be flexible? That I'm spoiled because I don't have to beg for a two week vacation and plan it for twelve months?

Is this a sign that it's time to hang up the carry-on bag and hand in my passport? Or is it a sign that my life is becoming the travel-rich one I've always wanted, where traveling is not a luxury but rather essential and expected and...normal?