The anniversary of month two has come and gone. I promised a reflection of sorts, and when reading over an e-mail I recently sent to a friend back home, I found a perfect summation of my thoughts.
At first I was confused why I was here, because where I wanted to be was Europe, or some place that puts equally as much emphasis on voluptuous amounts of pleasure. I wanted to take care of myself, indulge, and let architecture and history engulf and cradle me. But what I've noticed is, Korea has oddly yielded the same results. It's taken away my ability to communicate. It's taken away the convenience of drinkable water, the expectation of sanitation, proper lattes, and overall, the comfort I find in all things familiar. And in that, I've realized that I find an exceptional amount of pleasure in putting water on the stove every morning. And that being unable to communicate has only shown me how fulfilling it is to look at someone straight in the eyes, smile and bow.. knowing I don't have a clue what they are saying, but I thank them for trying, for existing, for being patient with me. I have never appreciated so much a shot of jack daniels (whiskey is hard to come by). And when I found an avocado for $6, I was so excited you'd think I won the lottery.
The cities are full of a plethora of grey, rectangular, concrete buildings that rival any tacky, miami beach condo (tiny balcony after tiny balcony, in all), but once you escape, it's untouched, underdeveloped masterpieces ornamented with temples and bamboo forests. Somehow Europe now feels like too much, excessive, unnecessary. I, of course, don't really feel that way about Europe AT ALL, but... I'm enjoying the simplicity and the process of searching for luxury where it is not so overly available. There was a point where I had definitely eaten more pastries than kimchi, but the latter has definitely made headway over the past few weeks.
Comfort is a little inconvenient so you have to work for it, which I like. Never get complacent.
UPDATE:
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