Like the 1st day of school all over again!

I had no idea my new hair cut and color would be such the talk of the school today... I'm used to changing my color and cut often, so it really didn't phase me, but almost all of the kids at my school were going crazy! They would knock on my office door to see it, and most of them did double takes when I walked by. It was as if they thought I was a stranger that looked awfully familiar. When they would finally realized it was me, and that I wasn't wearing a wig, they would run after me and stop me so they could just stand and stare. It was the funniest experience! It was a little bit like the 1st day of school all over again, when they were intrigued by everything about me, but this time we all knew each other. Since my hair is darker, I said "I'm Korean now" and some of the kids are now calling me by my Korean name, which is Song Ee. I kind of feel like a brand new person... Funny how a new hair style and color can do that!

Can I please go?

So, in August, I'm going to Thailand for summer vacation. Apparently, in Korea, all goverenment employees, including me, have to ask the government for permission to leave the country. So, today, Stella helped me fill out a page of detailed questions about when I would be leaving the country, where exactly I would be traveling to, and how many days I would be at each location. On top of that, I had to write what my expectations are for the trip and what I think I will learn while I'm there. Can you imagine the uproar it would cause if this was the rule in America!?