This past weekend we went out to the countryside, about an hour's drive (3 hours in weekend traffic) west of Seoul. We stayed at a "pension," a type of inn with large rooms that accommodate big groups of people. Ours had a kitchenette and two bathrooms. There were 9 people altogether, including our friend Hyungjin, Gavin's brother Tristan, Su-ja who is visiting from Holland to study Korean, Tae-uk and Bo-ram (Hyungjin's childhood friends) and Bo-ram's boyfriend who I forgot the name of.
We grilled meat, splashed around in the cold stream scaring fish away, swatted mosquitos, played with some neighborhood puppies and all around had a good time (except for the mosquito-swatting part).
A couple staying at the same pension was celebrating their first anniversary, and invited all the pension guests over to celebrate with them. The group was fairly drunk when we arrived, and pretty weird. There was a lot of drunken attempts at English- and Korean-speaking while people tried to not fall off their stools. Pretty funny. The anniversary couple looked very happy; I expect they'll be together for a long time...
In less than a week, I'll be on a plane going back home to New York for a month-long visit! I can't wait to see everyone, especially my favorite mini-people. And, much as I like Korean food, I can't wait to immerse myself in the multicultural panorama that is New York: eating dim sum for breakfast followed by samosas and korma for lunch, maybe a fiery Mexican pancita soup for dinner... mmmm... fresh apple pie a la mode for dessert...
Living abroad has been an utterly new experience for me; one that is taking some time to adjust to. But looking at your own country and your own background from the outside-in allows you to see things differently, perhaps more clearly; and I'm glad to have the new perspective on things. There are a million subtle ways that human beings can be different (or the same), so many more than I originally thought. I hope that later this year or early next year I can travel to Hong Kong and China. I have not been to either place for almost 20 years, and I'd like to see how they have changed. I'm sure that trip will give me yet another perspective on life, on myself and my family.
Click here to view some pictures I took in September...
