My first year in Korea has come and gone and it feels like
it was one of the fastest years I’ve ever had.
Maybe years just get faster as one gets older, but I’d like to think
that this one went by so fast because it was so great.
My first year has given me an innumerable amount of good
memories and experiences. Highlights
include the Chuseok trip to Namhae, our magical “family” vacation to Gyeongju,
New Year’s Eve in Seoul, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Sintanjin, Tony’s
Birthday Weekend, Halloween weekend in Busan, the end-of-the-year teacher booze cruise, my solo trip to
Busan, winter vacation in Vietnam, and the many hikes in the mountains with
co-teachers and friends. That’s just to
name a few.
I have many friends that left the country for good after my
first years. Most of my friends that
left I had known since arriving in Korea.
We had met at our orientation a little over a year ago. Others I had met over the course of the
year.
It’s a very strange feeling because I’ve always been the one, or one
of many, to leave: after four years at
university, after one year in China, after one year in Chile, and every time I
have left Lawrence. It’s odd to be one
of the people staying.
I think in one's own mind, people and places are intrinsically linked. My hometown has these friends
and family members, Chile has these friends, etc. Not only are people of my life linked to
various places, but many of them are linked to certain periods of my personal
history. Now, as more and more of my
friends leave my hometown, the way I view my hometown as an abstract place
changes ever so slightly. It’s still
home, but it’s just not the same home I knew when I was 16.
Now, to tie it all back, this readjustment period in Korea
is just not about friends leaving, but it’s also about how my concept of life
in Korea is experiencing a readjustment period as well, because the people I
have been friends with have contributed quite a lot to my experiences thus far.
I wish all of them the best, but I will miss so much about
my friends that have made Korea “Korea” for me: long talks with Kate, the freedom of Liz, the flamboyant extroversion of Tony, the quiet introversion
of Xavier, the Minnesota motherliness of Rachel, the emotional attentiveness of
J-Rich, the stoic non-stop party of Queenie, etc. I’m lucky to have so many friends that are
staying for another year, but the others will surely be missed!
I’m definitely experiencing what they call “a period of
adjustment” as all of the broken social circles start reforming into new ones. There is a feeling hanging overhead like an
ominous storm cloud that is telling me, “This year is not going to be the
same”. It’s something that I’ve known
for a while, but now that it’s a reality I feel like I wasn’t prepared for it
in some ways. But to look on the bright
side, I have another year of wonderful experiences to look forward to.
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