Anniversary

One year ago this evening, I stepped off of a plane at Inchon airport, and sans luggage, hopped into a van, hoping very much that it was taking me to the right place.

It's hard to believe that it's been a year. The first nine months just flew by for me. A lot of people are leaving now, and some new people are coming in. In a way, I'm slightly jealous of the folks who are on their way out, though really there's no doubt in my mind that I want to be here, enjoying the many benefits this experience affords, for longer.

I've made myself a monthly budget along with a list restricting the more costly activities I enjoy to a specific number of times I may engage in them per month. I've also included a schedule of free activities like writing and practicing guitar which I must perform a certain number of times per week. I know myself well enough to know that I'm going to have to be strict with me if I want to save money. So here goes, we'll see how well I'm able to become just a bit more reclusive and focused on accomplishing some goals for the next six months.

Yesterday was very sunny and relatively warm. I decided to take a walk and in a very Maria Von Trapp turn of events, ended up hiking on one of the large hills across from the Village. I'd never been on this hill before, and never really realized how big it was. It was a nice hike. My spirits were high and I crossed paths with a few Ajuma and Ajoshi, bowing to them as I went along. I stopped in an area populated by some ubiquitous outdoor exercise equipment and chuckled to myself while I worked my obliques for a minute. When I reached one of the higher "peaks," I stopped to look out at the view: The other surrounding hills, the rice paddies, various industrial complexes and further in the distance, the rows and rows of identical apartment buildings. I was simultaneously inspired and put off. Korea, I feel, is truly a land of extremes and paradoxes. There are such beautiful mountains and nature preserves here, and then there are the horrific seas of ugly apartment complexes that seem to go on forever. The people can be so welcoming, and yet they will never let you forget that you are not one of them. I am simultaneously in awe of the spirit, determination and ingenuity of the Korean people and terrified of their often superficial and conformist values. Korea is at once an incredibly generous host-country and a sometimes hostile environment. Of course these are generalizations, but they are impressions that I can't shake, at least not now.

Still, as I stood at the top of this hill, I couldn't really help but let the inspiration win out. I felt a little nervous about the future, but also so full of hope and determination to accomplish my goals and exorcise some of my demons. I guess having arrived here in March has afforded me another artificial "fresh start" a few months into the new year, the kind that one often feels at the beginning of the school year as a student. Hopefully I can use this to the best of my advantage.

I'm officially heading back to the States for a visit on March 31st. I'll be in Detroit, Ann Arbor and New York and I'm staying until the 14th of April. I can't wait to see what going home does to my psyche and how it will frame what I feel about my experience living here.