SEPTEMBER-- Japan
OCTOBER-- Dad visited for my bday. It was such a great bday to have him th
ere. He got to meet a
ll my co-workers and some of my friends. We had dinner at a BBQ restaurant. It was an amazing trip. He got to visit my school (the picture on the left is of one of my classes. They threw me a bday party. They wrote "happpy birthday. We love you' so cute!!!), meet my kids, and some of my friends during a bday dinner. It was so nice to have him close by. He is one of the major reasons i'm here. He is my biggest supporter when it comes to traveling and exploring the World. His last weekend here, we took a trip to Seoul to meet my grandpa (his Dad). Papa Ralph was in the Korean war so beacuse of that, he got a discounted trip/tour here. I know it was a bit of a rough trip for him but it meant so much to me that he came. Having 3 generations of Riffenburghs 
here
was awesome. We had some good dinners, saw some good sights, etc. It made me realize how much I missed my family. Papa Ralph came back to Busan area with me for a few days and saw my kids, etc. My kids were very impressed. They loved talking to Dad and Papa and asking questions. Now, when I tell them that I am 128 y.o,they're like "no you're not because we know how old your grandpa is" 
lol. Smarty pants.Also in Oct was halloween. I never know what to expect of halloween overseas since I know it's an American thing. But my school held a halloween party and the kids dressed up
and we walked em around, etc. It was pretty cute. Then Saturday night, I went out with some friends. I didn't wanna spend a lot of money and wasn't totally prepared to dress up. I wound up finding a really cute shirt/dress thing that resembled a geisha a little bit. It was actually really cute that I know I can wear again so I used that. Played it off as a geisha lol. Which is coo
l since I had just come back from Japan and dressed as a geisha.Other fun evens in January were PIFF, the Pusan Int
ernational Film Festival. Katie and I went to a Filippino film that was held on the beach that was really nice! I really enjoyed it. Beautiful scenery. Then there was the fireworks festival in Gwangalli Beach. Managed to go to a friends roof and watch from there. The bridge was over the ocean and it was soooo gorgeous! One of the best fireworks show I've ever seen without a doubt. So awesome :) So lots of things happened in October. It was a good month.NOVEMBER-- Patrick visited. Patrick is one of my very close friends from San Diego that I met whil
e working at the Westin. He decided he needed a 
break from reality and came to Korea for some fun. I took him around Busan and did a few things I hadn't done yet (Busan Tower and the Aquarium). Visiting the aquarium, I found out they had a diving with the sharks programs so I will definitely be doing that soon. He had quite an adventure here. He seemed to really enjoy it. He met all my friends (and even some new ones). We went to Seoul again and hung out with a bunch of my other 
friends there who are also here from San Diego.
So we got to talk about home a bit. I got to see my friend Tina. Tina was one of my first friends here, and she quickly became a close friend. She had a rough time in Busan and eventually moved up above Seoul. so I don't see her very often anymore so it was nice to be 
able to hang out.I
was also involved in NanoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month). Similar to Script Frenzy which I did in April, I had to write a 50,000 word novel. It was tough, especially while Patrick here, but with a little push and hard work, I successfully finished it. I'm going to try to edit it a bit and possibly get it in a self bound book too.End of November is... Thanksgiving! Ame
rican Thanksgiving lol... another thing I was missing from back 
home. My friend Stacy and I got together here and made our own Thanksgiving. My parents had sent me some TV dinners that had some turkey and gravy in it. Stacy had turkey burgers, and we made mashed potatos and green beans. Put together with a glass of wine (or in our case a couple), and wha la...Thanksgiving dinner of Champions :)DECEMBER-- was very busy for me. Towards the middle of November, I was working Saturdays which continued a few weeks into December. The extra money was nice but it really kept me busy. Sundays, I had rehearsal for a Musical Revue show that I was involve
d in. A bunch of us theatre nerds in
Busan put up a Musical Revue...different songs from different shows wiht the theme of 'One Moment.' Sundays rehearsals kept me busy too and we performed on Dec. 19th. It was a good show. I had a blast. I hadn't been involved in theatre in 10 years. It was such a great feeling. I definitely know that I need to keep that part of my life active. Hoping to do another one in March, if not the Vagina Monologues sooner.At the end of December, I also took on working mornings for 3 weeks at the local Middle School. My friend works there and she went on vacation so I covered her classes. It was a bit challenging...working from 8:30-12, and then my school from 2-9. I didn't have a book to work with so I literally just had to make my own lesson plans (thank goodness for internet in the classroom and waygook.org... I just used other peoples powerpoint lessons). The classes were small and the kids were good. I am glad it's over but I'll miss them. Again, more money in the bank :) Pretty sure those 3 weeks will finance my Thailand trip in January and Bali in July :)
On top of all the
craziness, I actually started 
dating someone. He was relatively new to Korea (yes, American) and I'd been friends with for a bit. We had a great time together. I forgot what it was like to have someone to snuggle up to at night and look forward to seeing everyday. I forgot wh
at it was like to know someone cares about you...even if it's just a little bit. For Christmas, we took a snowboarding trip together with some friends. I love snowboarding and I'm always amazed how much better I get every time. I even did the black diamond slope (which was NOT very black diamond lol...especially if I could do it... way too easy). We all made dinner together in our pension and had a Secret Santa gift exchange. A lot of fun and a good Christmas. And naturally, just as I started to let my guard down, it fizzled out. I was a bit disappointed. Reminded again why I had been on retirement/sabbitcal from dating for so long. I hadn't dated anyone in over 2 years. We had a good time together but definitely a snap back into reality.JANUARY-- I spent New Years Eve with 'the guy' and some other friends. We layed pretty low. Had dinner together, and then went to a local foreign bar for some drinks. It was so wierd knowing that we were counting the seconds until midnigh
t and it was only 7am Dec. 31 back home. After midnight and some drinks, we went to the casino where the boys won a little bit of money. Kate and I lost $5 (btwn the 2 of us) and we all had a 3am dinner...breakfast?? The next morning, my friend Will, made us a New Years breakfast of champions...eggs, sausage, french toast, coffee/kaluha, juice...it was all very delicous. Through the holidays, I was constantly forgetting that it was Christmas or New Year. They're not very big holidays in Korea so there weren't many decorations, or chocolate, or carolers, or lights. It was very different. Almost like it didn't happen.My very good friend Jennifer Scott, who was my roommate in Italy 5 years ago, moved to Daegu (about 1 1/2 hrs away). I got to meet up with her last weekend and was so happy. I love her to death and just knowing that someone I'm that close with is so nearby makes me so happy. I know there will be great adventures planned together in teh future :)
January 29th, i'm going to Thailand with my friend Katie. I can't wait. We're going to have a blast. It's been so fun planning, etc.
Ok... off to work but at least that's a little bit of an update to work with :) lol
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