I miss the sights and smells of Korea, like this steaming pot of bundaegi (silk worms). Granted, I don’t miss the taste of that particular delicacy but I’m ready for most other culinary delights you can find on the street.

Well, I’ve been back in the USA for six months now.  I had fully expected to have returned for my semi-annual stint in Korea this month.  Even had a doctor’s appointment scheduled (which Jee Yeun cancelled last night).  So much for optimism, right?  It ain’t happening and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

The hardest part is not being able to make a plan.  Other than cashing my check for $1070.00 and taking Jee Yeun’s fingerprints, the folks at the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) have made no discernible progress in processing Jee Yeun’s permanent residence application (green card).  Under the “rules”, Jee Yeun is not permitted to leave the country while her application is pending.  So we are stuck here for god knows how long.

It’s my own damn fault really.  Like a chump I made the mistake of following the rules.  Wasted 18 months going the fiancee visa route rather than getting married while Jee Yeun was here on a tourist visa.  I foolishly believed that doing the right thing was not only the right thing to do, but that it would ultimately expedite the permanent residency process.  Four months later and not a peep from USCIS.  In fact, the website where I’m supposed to be able to track “progress” of the application has not changed since acknowledging receipt back in April.  The spouses of friends who took the illegal approach had their green cards in hand within six months.  Fuck me.

Which is not to say we haven’t been making the best of things during our U.S. sojourn.  We’ve traveled a lot to exotic locales (Augusta, Virginia Beach, Las Vegas, DC, Maryland, Orlando, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Nashville).  We’ve had some quality time with the kids and grandkids which has been fun.  Also caught up on most of my favorite TV shows, so there’s that.  And truth be told, our American life is actually quite comfortable and stress free.

I’ve been keeping pretty busy with my darts “career” which helps fill the hours.  In fact, after months of complaining about Columbia being virtually a darts desert, I got off my lazy ass and did something about it.  The Columbia Area Darts Association (CADA) has now been established, and our application for sanctioning with the American Darts Organization is pending.  The first order of business for CADA was the formation of the Columbia Singles League, which provides me the opportunity to play darts every Sunday without driving over an hour to Aiken.  Hey, a selfish motivation is still motivation, right?

When I do get back to Korea, I will be in a somewhat diminished capacity.  Regular reader(s) know I’ve been faithfully (for the most part) adhering to the low carbohydrate lifestyle since my return to the states, and I’m now within 20 pounds of attaining my weight loss goal.  So there’s that.

I just want the best of both worlds I suppose.  And the calendar says it’s time to move on to that other one for a few months.  Hopefully, within a very few months.