Not going to lie- I miss home. I miss my family. I miss Target, Moe’s, and Panera’s. I miss being able to find clothes that half way fit me. Or even shoes for that matter. I wear a 9-9.5. (I know that is quite large even in America, but in Korea, I might as well wear 200s. It is basically all the same.) I literally got laughed at in a shoe store. Seriously, I got laughed at. I tried on one shirt (size 95- Medium-ish), and it totally fit. Well, it fit minus the fact that a long sleeve instantly transformed into a 3/4 length sleeve as soon as I put it on. Oh well, it happens here quite a bit. Another thing I kind of miss is being able to actually understand conversations around me. I’m not saying I listen in on other people’s conversations or anything super creepy like that, but it is kind of comforting sometimes to hear your own language around you. I’m at the point now that when I walk down the street, I am sort of in my own little world. I do realize, however, that I am being stared at by every single person around me. I am not a fan of people looking at me, but it is totally normal now. Since I can’t really understand anything around me that I hear, it gives me an excellent opportunity to take in the visual imagery all around me. The signs, the stores, the food- all completely foreign to me and absolutely amazing. There is so much to see around me at every point in my day that it is never dull to just walk around and soak everything in. I have to pinch myself sometimes to come back to reality- I am not on vacation in Korea. I am actually living here. My ears might be completely confused 99% of the time every single place I go, but my eyes are loving all the amazing (and yummy) sights.
One of the things TJ has been wanting to do since forever and a day is get his pilot’s license. I mean, he has been looking for an “affordable” plane to buy almost every single day. (This matter is still being discussed.) Since moving to Korea, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has come up that is making that dream a reality. Pretty awesome, huh? He has never been a fan of school/studying/tests, but when it comes to ground school, flying, and making that whole dream come true, he is all about it. Every time I turn around, he is looking through his flight manual and studying. So, yesterday was the big day of flying with his awesome instructor for the first time. I have known TJ since we were little, and I have honestly never seen that boy smile more than he did yesterday when he got to fly. Getting to the airbase where he flies is about a three hour train ride. Three hours one way, of course. I don’t think TJ cares a bit about the travel time- he gets to fly when he gets there. He would probably ride the train squished between 100 people for 8 hours if he got to fly at the end of the trip. Top the day off with getting to eat at a real, live, honest-to-goodness Chili’s (complete with real chips/salsa, as opposed to the fake ones, steak fajitas, and chicken quesadillas). We were on a US airbase, so it was a real American Chili’s, complete with a gigantic red chili on top of the building. Oh my goodness. I almost forgot for a second that I was in Korea. Then I walked out the front door and off the base, and I remembered exactly where I was. Hit me like a ton of bricks. I am living in Korea.
iced coffee and cowboy boots 