Every night after dinner, if I go outside, I can hear what sounds like Italian opera from my neighbor's backyard. Tonight I was finishing up some landscaping in the yard for my parents, and I felt myself getting lost in it, this strange anti-suburban melody mixing up my after-dinner routines and throwing me headlong into the crescendo of a dramatic movie.  


My emotions have been all over the place these past few days, and I think most of my problem is that in being home, I can't see anything past my own nose. I need something as simple as incomprehensible opera to drag me out of my own head. I've been doing nothing but making packing lists and saying goodbye (annyonghi kyeseyo! ^_^) to everyone, and I don't really stop to realize why I'm doing all of this. I'm going to Korea in 5 days. And when I really think about it, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing, for real. Those words hold a power I've never felt before in my life. I'm doing exactly what I'd like to do, if I could do anything in the world. :) 


I've been drinking a tea called Bija, and I'm too lazy to google it right now, it's almost time for bed. ;) But I'll say this - it's the only tea that I need to take the teabag out after a few minutes. I like my tea strong, and this one's the richest I've ever tasted. Here's to richness! Anyhow, hope you guys like that one of Kristin, the Pink Crusader. That's me and Becca, and Elisabeth (those are prescription, believe it or not!) ... thanks again for an awesome party last weekend, guys :)  

Me and Cait went to the beach yesterday! This was supposed to be a video post, unfortunately I couldn't fool Picasa into posting the .wmv file, and it turned out as an image instead. Still not too bad, and I'm currently looking into getting some video hosting for the blog. Any ideas? :) (EDIT!) Got the video post working!! Just click on the picture for a little video clip. :)  

From a Yogi Tea bag: "Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light." Yeah. :)

two weeks ...

That's right, two weeks from today I'll be sitting on a cramped plane just heading out over LAX airport toward Seoul. I'll be living with a host family somewhere in South Korea on a Fulbright, teaching English and doing a little side research on Buddhist values in Korean sustainable communities. Yeah, I'm a little scared of the culture shock (and the fact that I speak no Korean, shhhhh!), but mostly I'm itching get back on the road again. :)

My friend Jennifer and I had the idea to do some travel writing when she comes out to travel in the winter months, and we decided to center it around the experience of tea - drinking, sharing, smelling, tossing hot cups on would-be thieves, and the like. Offering a cup of tea to a stranger seems to be aquintessential act of hospitality - it's something that takes the focus away from making small talk about the weather, it's a shared sense experience that can bring people together. Plus it's damn tasty. I't similar I guess to sharing a pint, but with alcohol there's sometimes the assumption of sexual interest, where tea is definitely neutral. Neither of us are tea coinosseurs by any means, and I think that will make this project even more interesting. At least we won't be snooty! We did however make a vow to try the most exotic types of tea we can find, starting in our own houses and grocery stores. My current favorite's still Earl Gray (in honor of Capt. Picard) but I'm sure might change.

Anyway, since this blog *is* called the tea diaries, I thought I'd start off the first post with an actual diary entry, about tea. This is from the little black book I carry around with me, from about a week ago. I went to my favorite cafe, The Trident Bookstore, on Newbury Street. Here goes:

"Monday, June 13th
Boston, MA 2:51 PM
Gen Mai Cha (green tea)
I'm trying to place the smell - it's a food small. I want to say faintly of seaweed - sushi seaweed? But subtle, not overpowering. SESAME. that's it. I'm sitting at the 'bar' here at Trident, waiting for Becca and reading Utne Reader. It's a little slow so it's been comfy and I've been talking to the waitress a bit. The customers here never seem rushed, everyone just soaks the feel of the place in. Definitely a great spot to chill out (and they have free WiFi!)."

So that's the general format, though I'm sure I'll deviate quite a bit. I'm planning on throwing as many pictures and movies up here as I can as well, you know ... MULTIMEDIA! Seems like that's what all the cool kids are doing these days ;)

I also learned from the bottom of a Snapple bottle cap that the term "tsiology" means anything written about tea. So I guess this is a tsiology. It's not a very well-known word, in fact it's not in the dictionary but if you google it you'll find something. I didn't make it up, I swear.