Just what I needed… November 30, 2008

This year will be finished in rougly 31 days depending on what time zone you live in.   Right around this time of year is when I look at the past 12 months to see if I was successful at accomplishing any goals set for the year.  However, back in January I didn’t set many new goals to achieve in 2008.  I was unemployed at the beginning of the year so my only concern was to find a job asap.  When I lucked upon the teaching job here in Seoul, I packed my bags and left my life in Los Angeles.

The one year that I didn’t have a laundry list of things to do happened to be the year when I did the most.   Here are a few things that 2008 brought me:

• Moved to a new country
• Taught kindergarten
• Quit smoking
• Lost 20 pounds
• Dated a helluva lot more
• Got closer to God
• Visited Thailand
• Met some new life-long friends
• Wrote on a regular basis
• Discovered I can’t get along with all types of personalities (quite a shocker for me!)

When I look back at 2008, it truly was an awesome year.  I was a little worrisome when I left LA to come here.  Although I was excited about new adventures, I just kept wondering if I made the right decision.  I was really comfortable with my life in LA but at times, I felt like my journey was coming to an end there.  Once I left and came here, I realized how much was missing from my LA life.    Everything that was missing are most of the things that 2008 brought me.    Living here in Seoul has given me a more balanced life which is what I tried so hard to achieve back in the States.  I never would have dreamed that moving almost 7000 miles from home was just what I needed.   As 2009 fastly approaches, I wonder if I should go back to making a list or just see what the new year brings my way….

Channeling an old friend May 7, 2008

Korea is not my first time living abroad.  As most of my friends know, I lived in Spain for 10 months back in college.  It was a pivotal changing point in my life and I was a new person after I went home.  It’s amazing how living in foreign countries can change your entire view on life.  While I was there, I made connections with people I still keep in touch with today. 

Of course, some people I met,  I haven’t seen since we parted ways in Madrid.  There was this one woman I befriended that started college later in life and she was 30 years old at the time while the rest of us were 20-21.   She was so full of life and really enjoyed every moment from what I remember.  For lack of a better term, living in Spain was her last hurrah before she got married.  She was engaged to a man she had been with for 10 years and before they took the plunge, she said she wanted to do one last thing as a single person.  We all really forgot she was 9 yrs our senior but she was definitely a lot wiser than us when it came to certain things. 

So when I got to Seoul and started hanging out with my soon to be good friends here, I realized I was channeling the woman I met in Spain.  I’m 7-8 years older than the girls I hang out with and at times, I feel myself turning into their much older sister and giving them advice about pretty much everything.  You don’t realize how much you know till you take a step back and look back at your life and see what you’ve learned. 

 I also benefit from hanging out with them as well.  It’s nice to feel like I’m reliving my early twenties again; so fanciful and carefree.  We don’t talk about the future too much; we just try and enjoy the present.   Of course, I am not ignoring the future because I am at an age where every decision I make is basically affecting my retirement plans.  But it’s kinda nice to be this space where I feel exempt from all of that, even if it’s just for a little while.

I still wonder how my friend is doing from time to time.  She prolly has kids now and is living a proper surburban life in Southern California.  But I’m sure she thinks back to those days in Spain when her only care in the world was meeting her girls for drinks…

 

Adjusting May 5, 2008

Last month was.. difficult.  I didn’t blog much at all because I had nothing to say.  The “homesickness” feeling took a hold of me and all I could think about was friends and family and how I wanted to be back in my comfort zone.  After the novelty of Seoul wore off, nothing felt exciting anymore. 

I met this girl at a bar when I first arrived and she has been living here for 6 years.  She told me that you have to recreate the life you had in your home country here in Seoul or you will just feel like an outsider with no real ties to this city.   So, my new challenge is to get some new hobbies so I can really soak up this experience.  I’m finally starting Korean classes this month which will make adjusting a whole lot easier I’m sure. 

 Last week, I felt back to my normal self and I was really relieved.  I’m not used to being in a funk for so long because I’ve always been pretty happy go lucky but now I’m back on track.  I just had a great weekend filled with lots of dancing, eating good food and roaming around the city.  I discovered this really cute district thanks to another blogger (http://nearandfar.wordpress.com/) called Samcheong-dong and I felt at home in this area.  Lots of cute cafes, wine bars, boutiques and shops lined the tree laden streets.  Since I live in a grimy area, it was such a welcome change to see greenery and nice architecture.  I’m sure Seoul has many more wonderful areas just waiting to be discovered and I’m looking forward to finding my niche while I’m here.   

Long gone the days… April 6, 2008

Long gone are the days when we were kids fresh out of college with so much time to spare on our hands.   Time to hang out for hours on end and just be.  Time to have weekly dinners and all night partying sessions.  Time to soak up each others presence but not fully appreciate it in the moment.  That’s the thing.  We never realize how different life will be once change occurs.  I always prized myself on being able to be alone and enjoy my own company.  For the most part this is true.  But, here in Korea, the ability to enjoy myself alone is being taken to a whole new level. 

Before, even when I was alone, there was always someone to call on.  With the press of a button, I could get my mother, sister or a friend on the phone instantly.  But not here.  Here, it is different.  There is no one to speed dial, no one to text message, no one to hang out with just for the sake of hanging out.  I have to learn to really enjoy being alone.  And that is hard, even for me.  I am not depressed or anything; I am just in a new stage of having to learn even more about myself.  

Before I left home, my mother said this would be a great opportunity for me to get closer to God.  I wouldn’t have her or my friends to call on for happiness.  I have definitely prayed much more out here and talked to God which is cool.  But sometimes, God is so intangible and I still miss having a physical person in front of me.  I know I will rise to the challenge of being happy with just me but for now, long gone are the days…