Hey everyone (and by "everyone" I'm pretty sure I mean "mom and dad")!
My friend/roomie/travel buddy, Cadena, also blogs her time in SK. She just posted some fun pics and observations on my last days, so if you'd like to check them out, go take a look at My So Called Life. She has done a ton of stuff on the peninsula, too, so check out her other posts as well. She's a photographer so her pics are awesome! And she's the only person I'll ever willingly let take pics of me with food...mostly bc I didn't have a choice. :)
PS. Apparently, in my last week, I wore that dress OUT!:)
More later on my ever-interesting transition back to A-murr-ica!
Ultimately, this post - and really, these days, my entire life - is full of gratitude. Forgive what snarkiness may come out, as I adjust to jetlag and dive straight into work:)
So, we made it! Furgie and I survived an I-don't-know-how-many-hour-bc-my-mind-can't-wrap-around-the-dateline-issue trip, and arrived into the welcoming arms of Homecoming #1: WNY! Namely, the lovely Kim Atwater...thank you for not only picking us up at the airport, but putting up with my slight slurring of words pre-Starbucks infusion, and my worry over getting my cat out of her carrier. Furgie did beautifully overall, and only cried once during the L-O-N-G descent into ATL.
Speaking of ATL...seriously, folks, I believe this is where flights go to die. EVERY flight appeared delayed to me as I wandered the crowded terminals. Also, there is no Starbucks in Terminal C - beware!!! There IS, however, a spa, and since my layover looked delayed from 3.5 to 5 hours (gah!), I decided to treat myself. A facial and a pedicure later, with added head, neck and arm and shoulders massage, I was pretty happy for the delay! And for this, I thank ATL for forward thinking, know they are the busiest and most delayed airport in the nation. I also thank Cadena, because really, if we hadn't spent that layover in Shanghai, I wouldn't have even thought about doing anything other than sitting at my gate:)
So, now that I'm firmly ensconced on American soil and happily already working at Wellspring, I cannot think of a better place to be "immersed" back into culture - a small community in which the scenery and the people are familiar, the work is enjoyable, the people are all happy to be here and also motivated to do well. Being here, it almost feels like I never left.
I AM seeing/sensing things differently already, even within all the familiar. It's like I'm on high alert, hearing everything, all conversations, all background noise, because my ears have been trained to search it out for the last 8 months. I have the urge to say "thank you" and "hello" in Hangul, and I have found myself pre-sentence stopping and correcting. I have also been automatically trying to convert dollars to dollars, and time zones, and laughing at myself because that makes no sense, in the end. Its really incredible how habits form so quickly, and are sometimes unbreakable even when you change contexts. Another example: I have no idea when I'll stop handing things to people with two hands, or with one hand on my elbow, the other holding the object such as a credit card. That one may be the toughest to break!
And of course I'm missing friends! It's funny, but I didn't realize how many I'd made until I made the effort to get together with each of them my last week! But that's always the way it goes, for me and for anyone. So I am determined to make the effort to spend as much time as possible with friends now that I'm home, to make up for lost time and to not regret missing out in the future:)
I started this blog just 8 months ago, and it seems strange to end it now. I've loved having the outlet for thoughts, feelings, internal and external struggles, and the connection with people - even if it was ever only my family and some friends:) I'll miss it as well as having regular adventures in this crazy country (and I mean that in the best possible way!).
I know I've already waxed thankful for being here (see Okinawa blog), but over the last two weeks I have felt a tremendous amount of gratitude for the people I've met here and as well as this place. Korea allowed me perspective, not only on myself but on the world. It gave me opportunity to explore the literal "other side" of the globe and taste, see, smell (and what a smell!) different things. It introduced me to some exceptional people who dedicate their lives to their country, or to adventure. And I couldn't be happier that I took advantage of this opportunity at this point in my life.
I think transitioning will be a bit difficult or even odd at times. I've been thinking about how my mind is going to handle constant stimulation - just think, it's been free to focus on other things because there isn't the constant hum of a language I can understand in the background, or the ticker of words to read on signs or buildings as I pass. I also think my new perspective on the world might change how I interact with people - not only will I speak slower at first, I think, just to sort out the constant din in my head, I'll talk about the world differently because I've seen it from the other side - and I wonder how that's going to affect me in my everyday. It should be interesting, to say the least, and I hope you all won't mind a few last entries here to tell how my move-back is going!
For now, again, I'm too busy saying goodbye to friends to worry too much about what all is going to happen once I'm back on American soil. And I thank Korea for such an adventure. If I can make it through all of this, I feel like I can really enjoy my new life back home now, without reserve or (too much) worry.
Because everyone needs a daily laugh...I just happen to get mine in my Inbox every day!
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So, the DMZ tours are fully booked the entire month of august, which means, sadly, that that trip will not be my last hoorah in Korea. I will have to settle for Daegu. A daunting a task as that seems, I am not willing to simply sit around my last full weekend on the peninsula! That means Daegu city tour!
A view of downtown Daegu
Not a lot of things to see in this city that seems, increasingly, like the same neighborhood over and over again. But there IS color...
Seoman Market wares: Traditional Korean formal dress. I'm sorry, Katie (my cousin) and other members of my family that requested one after her brilliant (at the time) idea...I can't bring them back! They are custom made, very dainty, and relatively expensive. I will bring you all make-up gifts!
Pretty pillows
...and everyone is getting excited about the upcoming track and field world championships that begin (sadly) shortly after I leave, August 27. The city is peppered with international flags and brightly colored signage like this one:
I have a special place in my heart for this mascot, because he is simply so cute...and who doesn't love runners that are blind? :)
Finally, I did get to take some pictures of my daily walk to work on base. It still surprises me, after 8 months, to walk along barbed wire fencing and Restricted signs, even as overgrown and relatively pretty as they are.
It was another scorcher of a day, hitting an amazing 95% with 75% humidity. Bleck. I can complain only because, in watching the news, I see that most of my own country is suffering a similar heat wave. It's hard to believe it's slated to get even hotter this coming week, my last living here. Wish me luck! I only have about 5 outfits left that weren't carted off by the movers, so here's hoping I left out the coolest ones:)
Large mega-apartment complexes that appear to be cities unto themselves
Seen from the ground or the air, these mega-opolises are ubiquitous and impressive; I once updated my status in astonishment, "helipads atop apartment complexes?" The answer was yes. My only question is, with the amenities posh and rent high, are all of them full??
His & Hers matching underwear sets
Apparently, these are all the rage as wedding gifts!
I have been meaning to write a blog about K-pop, as it's (obvs) all the rage here. I have been toying with the idea of buying some songs, reviewing them, then making CDs for people back home. Now that I'm 10 days from departure, I know that my grand plan will never leave the beginning stages, but here's a taste of what is sweeping the nation...and apparently the world, now!
Korean Wave starts lapping on Europe's shores
AFP/HO/File – This photo released to AFP by SM Entertainment
by Jung Ha-Won August 4
SEOUL (AFP) – South Korea's pop music industry is eyeing Europe after taking East Asia by storm, with promoters using the power of the Internet to lure distant fans.
K-pop over the past decade has established a devoted fan base in China, Japan and Southeast Asia, with heartthrobs like Rain and boy bands like TVXQ packing out concerts and topping charts.
Exports of music products surged from $6 million in 2002 to $31.3 million in 2009 as the phenomenon known as the Korean Wave (hallyu) spread.
K-pop's overseas success was driven partly by a need to go beyond the home market, plagued by plunging CD sales and free music downloads on the Internet in the world's most wired country.
South Korea's recorded music sales shrank from 286.1 billion won ($272 million) in 2002 to about 80 billion won in 2009. Entertainers searched for new ways to survive -- by courting fans abroad via the Internet.
Now South Korea's digital music market -- including legal music downloads on mobile phones or the Internet -- is worth 600 billion won after a series of court rulings against free music-streaming and downloading sites.
SM Entertainment, the country's biggest music talent agency, in 2009 opened its official channel on YouTube to release new music videos and broadcast concerts and other public appearances by stars.
The company also has hired composers and choreographers in Europe and the United States and recruited teenagers from elsewhere in Asia to appeal more to global audiences.
Two sell-out concerts in June in Paris, featuring SM's flagship groups like SHINee, Super Junior and Girls' Generation, together drew 14,000 screaming fans singing along to Korean-language numbers.
"The response from European fans totally stunned us," said Kim Young-Min, CEO of SM Entertainment. "Now we feel more confident that we can take a plunge in the European market, albeit step by step."
Kim told AFP in an interview that major global music labels believed it was too risky to expose too much content on the Internet due to copyright concerns, "but it actually helped us gain a global fan base so quickly".
He said he hopes to release English-language albums of the agency's stars in Europe and to partner with mobile phone makers like Apple or Nokia to boost digital music sales -- already the biggest source of the firm's revenue.
"In this age when people search for and own music on a single device, it's more effective to collaborate with global mobile platform producers than with record labels to expand our market," said Kim.
"Gone are the days when one singer can sell 100 million CDs. Now what's important is having artists notching up 100 million online downloads for their songs."
K-pop has long been led by bubblegum pop stars hand-picked by talent agencies -- often in their early teens -- and intensively trained for years before they hit the stage.
Agents like SM handle everything from recruitment to music production and largely dictate their artists' styles -- mostly dance tunes from hiphop to electronics -- and career moves.
Critics liken the process to an assembly-line of similar, robot-like teen stars with fleeting popularity, whose every word and move is rigorously pre-scheduled by the agents.
Lawsuits are rife among top teenage stars including those from SM, who accuse agents of imposing excruciating work schedules and sharing earnings unequally.
Kim disputed the criticism, saying his firm must recoup an investment of up to 4.5 billion won to develop raw teen talent.
"It's not like the US, where record labels pick up musicians ready to hit the stage," he said, adding the agency's singers collect more than 60 percent of earnings from commercial endorsements.
Kim admitted that K-pop performers "may look all similar and appear to sing all similar music", but said the firm would usher in other South Korean artists.
"We're just beginning to open a new door, offering what we do best. People who've come to like our music will soon want to listen to other genres like rock and so on," he said.
And here's a YouTube page by said SM Entertainment, for your listening pleasure (or not...actually, it's pretty catchy:) ):
I am definitely getting reminiscent in my last days living in Korea. I have really enjoyed living abroad, embracing the craziness that is Asia, Korea, government work OCONUS, etc. Here's some of what I'll miss...tempered by some things I won't miss at all, ever (always the Libra!):
Things I will miss
easy travel to nearby, tiny, often exotic other countries
my 4-bedroom apartment with a great view
living among mountains
working a 40-hour week
being able to walk everywhere
water coolers everywhere
small portions at restaurants
being called beautiful by perfect strangers
Engrish
constantly learning - every moment being an experience
automatically smiling at a person on the street because she looks Western - instant camraderie
posing automatically with the peace sign in pictures
the KTX/speedrail in general
enough closet space to fill my entire wardrobe and linens, with space to add!
saying "hello" and "thank you" in 2 languages, one right after the other
being able to have a conversation and know that about half of it won't be understood
the every day opportunity for shooting photos
cheap cabs
tax free goods at the PX and Commissary
being the mysterious foreigner eavesdropping when I start to hear the one English word in thousands of Hangul
outdoor markets
shopping in categories - all the light stores on one street, all the pet stores on another, food, clothing, cellphones....
car art
shopping at 11pm because everything is still open
Things I won't miss
the smell of methane wafting up from sewers everywhere - quite the way to start a morning
missing my rich social life back home
working in substance abuse
working a 40-hour week...for an asshole
being able to walk everywhere...but not wanting to walk anywhere!
monsoon season (it's a killer!)
it being difficult to be a vegetarian
the staring
not being able to communicate at my education level (to hair stylists, to coworkers, to my cleaning woman, my movers, on public transit, etcetcetc)
constantly learning - it's exhausting!
being yelled at "Hello!!!!" by little kids trying to practice their English (or being asked "Where are you from?" and then having the conversation end right there.)
the military and civil servants
people taking off their shoes in restaurants...having to take my shoes off when I totally forgot to wear socks or easy-off shoes
saying "hello" and "thank you" in 2 languages, one right after the other
the rudeness of the Korean people - they can be so sweet when they know you, but they can be so harsh automatically when they don't
people being afraid of my cat when they see her
bureaucratic nonsense
not being able to order takeout other than pizza or chicken (and only from one restaurant, aptly named BBQ Pizza)
I am sure there's more.
I keep telling people Korea is great, come visit the country, see the beauty, stay in Seoul or at the beach in Busan, and enjoy a tech'd-out country that welcomes foreigners and has big goals to be a player in the big world. It is an amazing place, and I'm so happy to have had the chance to experience it, in spite of the crazy! It was all good crazy, anyway.
...tropical island in the midst of the Sea of China...
...southerly vacation destination of mainland Chinese...
...birthplace of a fantastic person (Ms. Cadena herself!)...
...last hurrah for two travel-crazy friends and my last out-of-country trip before flying home!
I have always had a thing for palm trees
And was it ever some relaxing trip!!! First of all, I want to announce/apologize that this blog post will, in a sense, double as my application for a photography position at Travel + Leisure Magazine. Not that I'm that talented, but it was just TOO EASY to take great pictures of fabulous sights on the island. (Side note: if you think the pics are crap, move on to another blog, please:) ).
Ahhhhh....
Second, I want to admit that this is actually a relatively difficult blog entry to write, simply because the trip was so fabulously relaxing.
An Okinawan beach with concrete "jacks" for typhoons
We drove,
Cadena mans the wheel on the right side...she's the only one with the int'l license...must work on that!
we saw sand and secret beaches (thanks, Martha!) and pokey islands out in the water,
Tide was out
we basked in sunshine, and dipped our toes in bath-like water,
Tide pools
we took photos (obvs!),
Martha taking pictures
we ate sushi (YAY!!!!) (we also ate too many power bars and too much trail mix, but budget-eating is not the stuff of T+L, so I will not go into detail here!),
I didn't take pics of the best sushi ever, so here's the closest thing I "pic'd" of food...an empty crab shell
we read books (I personally started 4 on this trip - Adult ADD?? perhaps...),
We also read lots of Engrish:)
we spent time with good/new friends,
Martha and Cadena over the menu at Jacapo's
we explored the crazy-biggest base I have ever seen (and spent a little money in their BX, not gonna lie),
The sea wall
we drank coffee and walked and explored on our own schedules,
Look at the cream in my coffee!
we visited the end of the island, with all its jutting, rocky cliffs and bellowing surf, at sunset,
At the edge
and I, personally, felt the utmost gratitude for so many things. After a tumultuous year, I was able to stand on the end of a country, look up at the pinky-blue sky and thank God for my life, for its crazy-adventurous tilt-a-whirl of a year, for its opportunity and for its adversity and its pleasure in the little things. It was an epiphany, self-actualization, and the end of a transition all wrapped up in one perfect sunset. And even on the verge of another move and the start of something else, I was able to look back on the last 7.5 months and feel joy in them.
For that, I thank you, Okinawa - a place I may never have visited but for living in South Korea with a good friend who just had to get there this year (Happy Birthday, again:) ), and my healthy sense of adventure, of course.
Life is good at the beach!
Here's the full album - I warn you, lots of sand and water pics!:)
