Opal

Title: Vermicular Confusion part VI of VII (yes, I was trying to keep it to 6 parts, but...I uh, suck and now it shall be 7)
Previously: part I || part II || part III || part IV || part V
Author: me! the Oparu
Rating: R to be safe, there's some sex...
Pairings:Sheppard/Weir, Crusher(Beverly)/Picard, Riker/Troi
Universes:Season 3 STTNG, Season 2 SGA
Notes: Been forever since I updated, but in my defense, I moved 17 hours worth of timezone. I also decided to go epic and enjoy my own little universe of doom. ;)

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( Transversal Transit (first half) )

and on to the second half

and I'm in South Korea, land of the fantastic internet connections when you can get them.

So I'm 6 min, 36 into episode one of BBCs Merlin and evil-magic-hating Uther Pendragon(Buffy's Giles!!) and it's totally made of win. :)

He looks happy and fulfilled by his job. I was googling today and someone else, in boston - a grad student, calls herself oparu.

I feel odd. There aren't any other Opals. (well, some on the net, but totally none in person...) I suppose it was bound to happen. I just feel somewhat less special than I did. I can't rebuy my paid account (glares at stupid add-bar) or change my journal name until my Korean bank account opens. (It's a silly-protect me from myself measure where the interweb gets upset if I use an american credit card on a Korean connection)

*headdesk*

On the upside, I can (finally!) haz extension cord, so yes, ladies and gentlemen, I can do laundry without moving my fridge into my bedroom. (seriously...it's frakking bizarre over here sometimes)

I've 23 minutes of precious Opal internet time before work starts. If I come in early, work starts at 1300 korean time, which is 17 hours off from good old west coast of the states time. What time is it at home? almost 8pm?

I miss cheese, toast, good coffee, knives being part of cutlery (here they are a strange foreign phenomenon) and butter.

I like odang (pronounced oh-dayng) which are fish cakes on a stick, tasty korean coke (for some reason coke is better anywhere but the US) chocolate biscuits, really cheap food, and coconut pudding.

I've started doing yoga while watching Battlestar Galactica, which distracts me enough that I can stay in my poses way longer than I used too because I need to watch Laura tear up because the frakking Admiral is alive eight times in a row because dear lords of kobol BSG pwns my soul.

I'm downloading all of Merlin (it looks shiny) and all of Star Trek:TNG (nostalgia keeps opal sane) because I'm so lonely for English speaking television. Seriously. I miss people talking to me in an accent I understand. I feel like I'm out of phase. No conversation involves me unless it starts with my name and even then, sometimes it does not...My name is also too hard for koreans. I am 'Oh-pah" (which is slang for brother...and silly) or Oburu because Opal is just too hard to say. I'm thinking of getting a Korean name but I'm not sure *sneaky looks* if I like Korea that much.

*hugs the world*

Yes, the oft mentioned PC rooms that are open 24 hours stocked with energy drinks, VERY shiny computer monitors and FREE (yes world, free) copies of EVERY INTERNET GAME YOU HAVE EVER HEARD OF. Plus some you haven't, and a few that haven't even been made yet. They exist. They are all around me. The chairs are fancy and very comfortable. The energy beverage is quite nice and tastes vaguely of skittles. It would probably cost $3 at home but here it was $.75 centsish. (mmoney is odd)

They also have the BEST COMPUTER CHAIRS EVER, ZOMG.

Also, there's a pizza store called "Mr Pizza" which has the slogan, "Love for women"

I can now speak some, VERY limited korean. For the most part they are kind to be. But (and this is ranty) NO one in Korea speaks anything but Korean. Yes it's their country. Yes, the USA sucks at teaching second languages, but hey in the US if you don't speak English you can learn it for free all over the place.

Here? NOTHING. Not one 'hey come learn korean' program. Nothing. And to be fair to the US it's a damn big country. It's the world language, the english (thanks to the British empire but hey, it works) In contrast, Korea is a tiny country with less than the population of California (50 million people in the whole thing) Cut it in half and make half a super hermit state. Take the non-hermit side and pack them in an area the size of Deleware and you get a tiny, inbred, mono-lingual society who can't speak to anyone else...

And my bosses are stupid. My korean bosses are setting new levels of assholishness. I ask for internet in my house. MY CONTRACT SAYS I GET INTERNET. First I can have it Wednesday, then Saturday and now I have to wait until I get my damn alien registration card before I can have it. WHICH IS NOT TRUE.

In Korea YOU HAVE TO BE KOREAN TO DO ANYTHING THAT INVOLVES SIGNING PAPERWORK. You can't even get a prepaid cell phone unless a Korean activates it FOR YOU. School does not know this apparently, but THEY desperately want to hire foreigners because it makes them look so fantastic.

So the internet I pretty much cannot live without? School says, I have to do it in 20 days. But...in reality, Has to be activated by them, even though they lied (or didn't research) and said I have to do it. Oh, but I could come to work early or stay late to use internet. Yes...because work is where I want to go...

Telephone they are legally obligated to give me and didn't? Has to be activated by them, by law, I can't do it even if I wanted to.

Wash machine? Can't be plugged in without an extension cord. Where can I buy one? Well, no one seems to know. SERIOUSLY. Apparently they are at Lotte Mart (the store where everything seems to live) but it's actually really hard to shop for something you can't draw or pantomine very well if YOU DON'T SPEAK KOREAN.

Fridge? Has to be in my bedroom or it can't be plugged in either. Television? Microwave? HA! Not...

I'm listening to the happiest bollywood I can get my hands on and I'm still annoyed. Oh well. *headdesk*

Dear CNS,

Your people lie a great deal and make americans look direct. You can't lie about something and wait for it to go away. Seriously. I will not work saturdays. I will not stay in the office another hour when I have no work. I will not lie to Korean parents. No love,
Opal

I'm well. The food is spicy. I can't read anything. Grocery stores are odd. No internet in my house yet, but I have hope.

Hope you're all well!!

My uncles think Big Brother is coming for their guns OH MY GOD. According to them, and I used to think they were reasonable, rational individuals, life as they know it has just come to an end.

Dear Uncle J,

No one is going to take your hunting rifles. It's in the constitution. It's safe.
Social policy changes ARE NOT socialism.
Health care, better education, better social programs that are funded by taxes ARE NOT socialist redistribution of the wealth. They're public services. It's a way to help your fellow Americans. (Which is the Christian/Muslim/Jewish/Hindu/Secular Humanist thing to do!)

We're not going to become China, Cuba or North Korea.

If anything, stronger social policy makes us more like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada (*hugs the canada*) Australia, France and the UK. The Scandinavian countries are some of the safest, cleanest, most economically successful (Sweden has one of the strongest, most stable pension plans in the world) countries out there.

Why shouldn't we be like that? Why shouldn't your children go to better schools and universities, drive on better roads and actually be able to afford health care?

Go here read and learn

The key to sustainable foreign relations isn't having better guns. Dictators and terrorists come out of poverty and desperate situations. If you and I live equitable lives, I have very little reason to hate you.

Yes, I'll admit I was depressed when George Bush won. I was worried my tuition would go up. (It did) Gay rights would be damaged and life I as know it would loose something.

Let me enjoy the same legal protection as everyone else when I get married and I'll let you bring a gun to the wedding.

I love you very much, even though I don't understand you.
Opal

[Poll #1334025]

Yes yes, it really is that fabulous.

IN EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO DO. AND I WASN'T SURE I'D GET IN....


ETA: things that make sense.

I've been trying to decide what I want to do with my life since...(ever). I've had TONS of time to think lately.

Going to Korea was going keep me busy doing something interesting until I could figure out a grad school.

BUT IT"S THE GRAD SCHOOL I'VE ALWAYS WANTED AND I HAVE IT. I RULE! (lester birnam is made of win)

In brief: Opal_in_Korea January-September Opal_in_England September 2009-June 2013

Title: Games We Play
Author:Oparu
Rating:PG-13
Pairing: John/Elizabeth (Sparky!)
Notes:I wanted to write fic for the lovely dana_cz on her birthday and I thought of her sims...

( John plays a little game )