Realizations Over Coffee

It hit me tonight while having coffee with friends that I'll be going home in a few weeks. Sure, I'll only be gone from Korea for three weeks and when I come back I'll be just up the road in Daejeon, but that doesn't mean the thought had any less impact on me.

I have a high respect for positivity and the impact it can have on my own life as well as the lives of others, but I'm not going to lie - sitting at Hans and Bean tonight enjoying my signature banila latte (I've been Koreanized! That's 'vanilla' for all of you not in Korea), I got a little teary when I realized that this weekend is only one of a few weekends I have left as a resident of Gwangju. I've got 2.5 weeks left of teaching until I have my vacation (which can't go by fast enough), and this weekend will be my last 'normal' weekend until I get back in May, which of course will be in Daejeon. Next weekend will be spent packing and moving 90% of my things to Daejeon, and then I'll be living out of a suitcase my last week because I need to vacate my apartment around mid-day on March 31st because my replacement will move into my place that afternoon. On the 31st, I'll head to Daejeon where I'll stay until with my sister until April 3rd when I head up to Incheon to catch my 9am flight to Greece on April 4th. I'll then spend a much-anticipated, and no doubt spectacular, 12 days in Greece. I'm not kidding when I say that I plan to spend 8 of my 12 days on the beach. I'm definitely taking a ferry to Santorini for at least 2 days, and I might head up to Athens for another day, which is about 20 minutes away by public transportation. When I leave Greece on the 16th, I'll be headed home to spend a week with my family and do some much needed shopping before coming back to Korea.

While I still don't have a list of things I want to do in Korea (and believe it's totally okay not to have one), I now have a list of things that I have gained from and done in Korea.

• I found happiness in myself. I believe I've always had it, but somehow it became hidden over the past couple of years and desperately needed to be found again. Here it is, and it stares me in the face every time I look in the mirror. I have every confidence in the world, and I now know what it means to live just for me. I am the most beautiful person in my world (physically, mentally and emotionally), and strongly believe that everyone should think the same thing about themselves.
• I am a stronger person. I know I can do anything. Again, I knew this before, but Korea has amplified my strength.
• I've discovered that, along with my absolute passion for writing, it is wonderful therapy and I am pretty great at it.
• I've made some amazing friends. We're talking about people I am going to remember for the rest of my life and smile every time I think about them.
• I've traveled around Korea, discovered some amazing places in cities large and small, and made stellar memories in each and every location
• Seoul - Second largest city in the world by metro population (first is Tokyo)
• Damyang - Home to an incredibly beautiful bamboo forest and a famous meta-sequoia tree lined street
• Naju - Home to the famous Naju Pear; also the former capital of Baekje, one of the three Kingdoms of Korea 
• Daejeon - The science and technology capitol of Korea
• Namhae Island - Sanju Beach
• Mokpo - A southwestern sea port city
• Haenam - The small town where I was invited to spend a traditional Lunar New Year
• I brought my techie side out of hibernation when I planned and ran audio for the Gwangju Performance Project's The Real Inspector Hound stage performance this past December.
• I've sung my heart out in karyoke rooms and watched as almost an entire bar danced arm in arm to Jakub's and my rendition of Piano Man.
• I've discovered and eaten some of the best food I've ever had in my life.
• I've turned tears into laughter and taught children how to read.
• I've realized my dream of traveling. 

I've done so many things and grown so much as a person during this past year that I can't even begin to put into words the effect that this experience has had on my life. I am looking forward to having the vacation of a lifetime in Greece and going home to visit family and friends, but I look forward to returning to Korea at the end of April with aspirations of adding even more wonderful things to this list in my second year.