And Then "So-And-So" Went Up and Died on Us

Being a young, spry thirty-something with lived-in experiences and currently considering myself to be "pretty good on a micro level," I hardly expected grief to come crashing into my dermatology appointment. There are many factors to the condition of our integumentary system, one of them stress. Without giving away too much HIPAA pertinent information, I found myself losing my voice and the tears welling up when I tried relaying that I thought my issues began around the time my college friend died. Hot damn, it's been ten years. 

It has actually been eight years (I am both terrible at math and remembering how old I am), and this experience came about in the heels of my recent visit to my grandpa who is ninety-two years. While I am thankfully fresh to the funerals and people dying, he has lived years I have not and many more of them. Certain aspects of life you can only experience with said many more years. 

A few times in catching up with my grandpa, he and his wife would be in some story and all of a sudden they would say in unison, "And then So-And-So went up and died on us." It was kind of like an inside joke and a way to acknowledge the normalcy of it all at their age. Perhaps also a tribute to their own lives and the gratitude to the time they have left. As someone the other day said to me and something my grandpa and his wife surely know is, "It won't be long before [they] take a permanent dirt nap." 

Simply the Best

I had known Amelia best through her request off sheets for work and conversations with her mom Maureen. She was outrageously busy with athletics, academic pursuits and clubs, musical engagements (both vocal and instrumental), 4-H competitions, and obligations to her church, community, friends, along with extra tasks taking on at our workplace. She was outstanding and as mentioned at her funeral by her pastor, always running around from one activity to the next. And the thing about Amelia is how she excelled at seemingly every single one of her pursuits. She was an excellent soccer player, skier, student, an award-winning dog trainer, and she played I don't even know how many instruments. One of my favorite moments with her was hearing about a kayaking trip - this trip/route is known to be pretty intense, one that requires kayakers to take a course practicing flipping underwater in order to practice flipping back right-side up because drowning is a risk with the rough waters. When asked how this trip went, Amelia said, "It was fun!" 

After Amelia was diagnosed with cancer, this perseverance and over achievement continued in the most Amelia way - she kept on being herself, graduating high school, completing a semester of college courses from her hospital bed, and living her best life while fighting so hard to beat cancer. She was the most positive person I know, and she always put others first whether she knew you well or just in passing. I still don't know how she did everything she did. As I begin to process her death, I liken her to Alexander Hamilton. The question, "Why do you write like you're running out of time?" reminds me of Amelia's incredible work ethic and talents. What she accomplished in her life is so much. 

The Big Bang Theory & COVID-19

We are living in crazy times. The last time I decided to purchase full seasons of The Big Bang Theory was when I was nine months into my year of teaching English as a Foreign Language (ESL) in a rural city of Icheon-si in South Korea. My apartment wifi or internet connection was not fast enough or was not working, and I remember I had to go to the coffeehouse and take advantage of their free wifi for the download onto my iPad mini. It took forever and I pretended to do work while I browsed Facebook and took selfies in between watching the ticker bar of the download. I do not remember why I opted to get two seasons of the show (maybe I really decided to treat myself) but I do remember the triumphant feeling when the download was complete.

From then on, The Big Bang Theory has played. It helped me get through those last three and half months of Korea, which were trying, wonderful, filled with happy moments as well as deeply sad ones. It has been there in the background ever since, playing in the early morning as I make my coffee and get ready for the various jobs I had had since, including to this day for a job I love. I sometimes fall asleep to the familiar punch lines and canned audience laughter. Familiar, home comfort, television companionship.

When COVID-19 hit, I decided after six years of watching the same two seasons over and over to download the next one. It is interesting to me that now is when I would decide to input a new credit card into my iTunes on that same iPad mini from Korea. I do not attribute all of it to COVID-19 and the horror this infectious disease has brought onto literally everyone in the world or that my experience in South Korea is anything like our lives with COVID-19. It is just interesting because I am a somewhat frugal person - perhaps it simply highlights how life's small pleasures contribute to the ability to stay calm and be pop happy. And is not that how to fuggin adult.

27 Years

I started this post to look back on my 27th year, because it was a year benchmarked with drawled thoughts of, "Gawd, I am such a grown up." Yes, those years right after college, venturing into the workforce and then living and teaching in South Korea for a year gave me newfound perceptive and opportunities to showcase my adult-ness. But far enough past the automatic progression of school years, a 27-year-old is faced with the humdrum of day-in-and-day-out and is forced to make real, solo decisions.

In my 27th year, I became legitimately interested in things I had before only really wanted to like. Life stories from those older than me, politics, and saving for retirement got the blood flowing. I went free market and bought health insurance on my own for the first time, made donations to organizations I started to read and whose work I care about, and bought my first car. This is the age where I started to legitimately forget how old I was.

At 27, I began digging my heels into my grumpy cat ways, really trying to figure out my introversion. I cared slightly less about what I thought people thought about me, and I have come through my 27th year feeling more exhausted with my adult responsibilities. It's like things are easier but harder. I am roller blading down the hill but up the hill. Twenty-seven was a pivotal year in overall awareness.

When my college friend died unexpectedly at 27 just before Thanksgiving, it was hard to think about feeling positive about that 27 personal growth bit. I instantly pulled up Facebook and clicked on her profile. She had just uploaded a new profile picture... I had seen it a couple of days before on my New Feed. She had just texted me a few weeks ago. We had just been to the same party two or three months ago.

Thunderstorms in Santa Monica

Our less than two-hour flight from San Francisco to LAX was delayed more than five hours because of thunderstorms. Thunderstorms in California! All the irritation of boarding and re-boarding three times at least was met with a small chuckle. Thunderstorms in California during a drought and wild fire season!

All that commotion seemed to fit our situation. I was very much looking forward to our visit and being able to see some of the aspects of Grandpa and Cheryl's every day life, yet I also felt guarded about the trip. Calling my grandpa with flight departure time updates is the most we have talked in a long time - it's just one of the realities of our relationship.

Oakland & San Francisco Take-Out

Our two-day stop in the San Francisco area can be summed up in my AirBnb review of our stay with Melissa in Oakland, CA:

We needed a vacation from our vacation (time to relax and slow down), and Melissa's place was perfect. Very clean apartment with lots to look at: artwork, lego-work, cross stitch, books, and more. We ordered in food (via GrubHub) and vegged out on the comfy air mattress in our private room. 

Small bathroom amenities and towels were provided, as well as an apartment key and a wifi password. Cats are very sweet; the cat smell was noticeable when I first walked in, but my nose quickly adjusted. Would definitely stay here again should I ever be back in Oakland.

Amtrak Train Memories & Improvements

The first time I rode the train in the United States, I was with my mom and my pink rabbit blanket. My baby sister was there, too, and we were headed to Denver, Colorado from Nebraska. I was four-and-a-half.

I remember the big, bright window best - looking out while I felt the train chug along beneath me. That memory is a good one, one that I think about once or twice a year. It was exciting to have my rabbit blanket with me, to see the outside zoom past like it does in the car, and to be traveling. I liked that my mom and my sister and I were together with a few select belongings stuffed into a suitcase.

Seattle & Port Townsend & Beautiful People

I am so thankful and grateful to my family in Seattle and Port Townsend, Washington, What a fantastic time in the great northwest with truly amazing people. Dean and Dan are my dad’s cousins, therefore, Samuel and my second cousins.  They are married to Jan and Vicky, respectfully. Dean and Jan live just north of the traffic-crazy city of Seattle, and Dan and Vicky live in the picturesque city of Port Townsend, a half an hour ferry ride away from Dean and Jan.

This trip was the first time any of us have really met — the Owen side of the family has a family reunion every two years, so while we all have technically met, it was a long time ago and not real impressionable. I wasn’t sure how it all was going to work as we walked to meet Jan at the airport, but I was open to many scenarios.

Flight Day is Happy Day

It feels good to be back in the airport with my carry on luggage, ticket, and passport in hand. It feels especially good to be traveling with my brother Samuel for this summer trip. Everything is a little less stressful with him here (mainly not having to go to the bathroom with all my luggage). But seriously, having a travel companion is really nice. I approve!

We are heading to Seattle, Washington, to visit family and to attend my college friend’s wedding. Seattle has been on my list for a while now – I’ve wanted to see the Needle and take in what I imagine to be the salty air. People seem to really love Seattle; several friends and family friends visit Seattle on a regular basis or have recently travelled there and above to Canada. It sounds like a healthy place to be. I’m excited.

Blog Carnival Master: New & Inspired Ideas of Home Comforts

It is my pleasure to be hosting this month's Reach to Teach | Teach Abroad Blog’s monthly "Blog Carnival."

Each month, a blogger-teacher-traveler hosts and asks a question, which is voluntarily answered by interested bloggers. Published by the fifth of each month by the host on their blog, the Blog Carnival focuses on advice and helpful tips for ESL teachers. If you'd like to contribute to next month's Blog Carnival, please do contact Dean at dean@reachtoteachrecruiting.com - it is a very welcoming process.

Here is this month's topic:

How has living in a foreign country changed your idea of home comforts? 

[NOTES: Feel free to talk about what aspects of living in a new place - such as your living quarters, the culture in your city, the food in your city, etc. - you liked the most.]

RTT Teach Abroad Blog Carnival