5 weeks... just about up!

Nicholas leaves LATAM tomorrow to come back to Asia and I could not be happier! After spending 3 months apart then just 3 weeks together, it is about time! We will meet at the airport and fly to Tokyo for the long weekend to explore a great new city and see old friends. Could. not. be. happier. :)

This is Water

Amen.



Commencement speeches are awe-inspiring, soar you to the highest heights and create a mystical idea of what "life after" is all about. I just saw this one and it is the greatest. It talks about real, everyday life and the freedom of real education.

Instead of life after (college), it talks about life before death: "It is about the Real value of a real education which has(almost) nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness. Awareness of what is so real and essential,  so hidden in plain site all around us, all the time that we have to remind ourselves, over and over, this is water. This is water."

Cheers!

To the woman who is always up for an adventure.
Who never knew the glass could be half-empty.
Whose temperament is always set to positive.
Who does more before 6am than some people do in their whole day.
To the woman who sets the bar for me, over and over again, redefining what is possible.
Who never lets life decide.
To living in and loving every moment.
To my beautiful mom.
Happy day to you, today and everyday!

Stinky Soup

Tuesday for lunch, David, Aksana and I met up with some of their friends at a restaurant specializing in CheongGukJang 청국장, otherwise introduced to me as stinky soup. The restaurant we went to is a chain of restaurants that specialize in this soup and it is known for it's healthy cuisine. I have not met a Korean dish I didn't enjoy but was sure that I was about to end that record. How could something referred to as stinky be tasty?? 

As we got close to the restaurant, David asked if I could smell it yet. I wasn't sure until right when we got to the door, then the odor hit me. It was a familiar smell that I didn't realize belonged to this soup. I wouldn't say that "stinky" is the first word that comes to mind, but it does have a peculiar scent. We walked in and after a minute, I could no longer smell the soup. We got a semi-private room for our lunch and sat on the floor while the Korean in our group ordered for us. 

Then the show began. Dish after dish after dish started arriving. There was so much food and no soup to be seen. I was curious, and was told that first we start out eating some pork wrapped in different types of lettuce and enjoy the side dishes. Then they will bring out bibimbap and then the soup. Bibimbap and soup?? There was a spread set for a king on our table and the main characters hadn't even made an appearance yet. 

My dining mates, starting the feast

We enjoyed all the kimchis and banchan (side dishes) then the bowls of rice arrived for our bibimbap. Finally, the boiling soup arrived. I was served first since I was the only one who had never had it yet. It looked delicious and I had opened my appetite with all the side dishes. 

Our table with all the items, minus our photographer Shing

Just like every other dish I have had here, this one did not let me down. It was rich and thick and savory. I couldn't believe this was my first time eating it here. Surely, it won't be the last. 

After we finished as much as we could, and peeled ourselves from the floor and walked outside, the scent really hit me! The whole time in the restaurant I hadn't noticed it, but once we were back in the fresh air it was all around me. They told me that for the rest of the day my skin and clothes would smell like the soup. Small price to pay for such an incredible feast. 

Happy and tired

Aksana and David arrived this morning and will grace me with their upbeat presence until Wednesday morning when they leave, for good, for Europe :( Although we are extremely happy for David and his new job opportunity in Geneva, we will definitely miss this lively couple.

Today, Aksana and I visited the jimjilbangs for our last time together. It was bittersweet. Aksana is the one that discovered so many of the great bath houses here in Korea with me.  First, when we traveled last year with our friend's family and then every week until I left for my extended trip abroad. We fumbled through the customs and now could be mistaken for the ajoumas ;) We ended the evening with delicious, cheap Korean food. Now, after a big day of catching up and running around the city, we are ready for a good night's rest.

Living Abroad: Starting Over, Friends edition

In continuation of my last Living Abroad post, I have been thinking about the great parts of living abroad and the challenges. One challening thing that both Nicholas and I agree on is the constant starting over. Not the finding of an apartment and where to buy your food, opening new bank accounts and learning your new home culture, but the struggle of making friends. The starting over with who you will spend your weekends with, who you will go for hikes, bike rides and runs with, who will be the people you try a new restaurant with or share a meal in your home, and eventually will be there to share your deepest secrets, wipe your tears when things are rough and cheer you on when things are well.

Living abroad makes your circle of friends extremely important. They become your family for the holidays and the people you count on when you need an extra hand. Friends are always important, but being away from home, with no immediate family to call on, they are it. 

I love to be around people and I cherish my friends. However, this time coming back to Seoul, I did not want to make friends again. Getting older, I think we get more particular about the people we hang out with. I love meeting people and trying new things, but at the same time, I also just would like to have a solid group of friends who are available and ready to go out at a moment's notice. Although it is incredible the amount of time I can spend with my best friends and family on skype, hangout, phone and whatsapp, I realize that actual human contact is important, too ;)

It is especially difficult this time, because Nicholas is gone. So, instead of hanging out with many of the couples we normally see, I am flying solo. Which in some strange ways, is a blessing in disguise. I am forced to put myself out there and start over. One of my closest friends has moved away and the group of people that we know here is very nomadic. Lots of people moving in and others moving out. So, for the nth time, I am starting over.

One thing I have discovered by doing this, is that I am doing things that I "normally" wouldn't do. "Normally" meaning my life when I was in the States. I would not go to random gatherings solo, I always would invite friends to a museum opening, lecture, cocktails at an embassy or other such event. Here, I have no choice. My closest friend here is a mom and she has a little baby to take care of at night when most of these events take place. So, I walk into a room by myself, take a deep breath and dive in with a smile.

So far, I haven't crashed.

Si puo fare- Italian night in Seoul

Last night, I went to Club Italia for their homemade pizza and movie night. I have been so tempted seeing the invite on FB while I was away for their once a month gathering and I was finally here and able to make it!

I had hoped to meet up with some friends there, but figured worse case, I could meet some new ones and get some delicious food and watch a movie out. None of my friends showed up, besides the one who made the pizzas, but I was so happy to meet a group of students who are here for a semester from Italy, Finland, Germany and France. They were so sweet and genuine. Before I could really speak, they each were hoping I would say I was from their country. The Italians jumped on me first, speaking Italian hellos and introductions. I apologized that although my family has Italian origins, I do not speak it :( Then the German girl got a big smile and shouted that I was German. Nope. Then where? asked the French girl. The US, my family is in Ohio.  Small world. One of the Italian girls has a friend who went to do a semester in Columbus and never left. She loved it that much :) I mean, obviously...

So, we got some fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza and grabbed our seats for the film. Si puo fare. It was great. I highly, highly recommend it. The film is about the social co-operatives in Italy from the 1980s. Where they would help patients transition out of mental institutions or others who were disabled. It was a comedy/feel-good movie and I couldn't help but be the one to start the applause when the credits started to roll. (while some tears rolled down my face).

Sometimes, a film is great because of the people you are with and the atmosphere it creates. I know that definitely played into this one, but I am pretty sure it was a great one, regardless. Just in case, make sure to eat with a pizza and some great company.