Orange Face Paint + Racing Speed + Salsa Dancing + Midnight Backrubs= ...

It's funny how when I was away it was so easy to come up with things to write about, nearly every outing was an occasion to express. And yet, despite the moments of glory, wonder, adventure, and excitement, life, on the whole, in Korea was so much less than the life I'm living now. This life of the old and familiar is so much richer in the little ways that really matter. I do believe Lewis' words: "It is not settled happiness, but momentary joy that glorifies the past" are true, but that in no way means settled happiness doesn't have its appeal. And it's amazing how, if you open your eyes to see it, you can find little moments of joy in a life of settled happiness that give just as much, if not more, real joy as reaching the peak of a mountain in Korea, seeing ancient ruins in Rome, or indulging my sight with Impressionist paintings in Paris. The other day I was sitting on my bed, painting my niece's toenails and answering her many questions as best I could - a commonplace moment, but I was blessed with seeing the beauty of it and felt a deepseeded sense of joy that equalled those aforementioned moments. There was no where else in the world I would rather have been.

The past few weeks have been full, but also not so much. I haven't been getting much work, and I've been pretty sick for the last few days (it seems that onslaught of sickness I had in Korea has shot my immune system, I haven't been healthy for more than a week straight since I've been back) but even that has it's pluses. Well, not so much being sick - but not getting work has meant I've been able to spend more time with my visiting family. Days full of - as the title suggests, having fun with face paint, dancing (not only salsa, which was done with my brother and nephew, but also spurts of dancing throughout the day that leave Alysis and me laughing and gasping for breath!), learning how to skate (my niece and mom - I'm a pro of course! ), and racing down the massive hills of Moncton with lightning speed on my old toboggan and GT Racers, and also just laying down and relaxing, rubbing my niece's perpetually itchy limbs and back(and in that action, showing her love). Good times.

Being back in Moncton has also (potentially) changed my future plans considerably. When I was spending those countless hours applying to Grad school in my apartment in Korea I had it in my mind and knew that I wanted to be in either Ontario or Quebec next year. I wanted to go to one of the prestigious schools for English and felt sure that if I were honoured enough to be accepted to U of T, for sure that's where I'd be. (My family being there, my best friend, and it being the place of my upbringing also had a lot to do with that.) Well, the acceptances came, and my amazement and thankfulness was even more intense than I imagined it would be. To have all those hours and hours of reading, studying, writing, and social sacrifices pay off - yeah, incredible. But, things have changed. At the last minute I decided to apply to Dalhousie, a school closer to home and not very well known for English; Medicine, Engineering, etc, being it's greater draw, and, if I get the funding they hope to offer me - that's where I'll be. I'm sure adventures will follow me there as well - even if they're not much more exciting in the world's eyes than moments like painting a little girl's toenails, or playing cards with some old and new friends. But, I also have a feeling more than that will greet me in this next phase. ;)