Saying Good-bye, Saying Hello

In 10 days I’ll be leaving Korea and arriving in the US—367 days after arriving in Busan. As I prepare to leave this place, I am experiencing many different thoughts and emotions: sadness to leave many wonderful people, sorrow to leave Justin, confusion about what I exactly did this last year, joy to see many loved ones in the US, excitement to be near Jenni after a year of phone calls and distance, and uncertainty about what exactly I will do this next year.

I also have been thinking back on many of the joys and frustrations of this past year. Living in another culture really is an adventure; but it’s often a jungle of confusion in which you feel lost among the different customs and an unfamiliar language. And believe it or not, contrary to what many people think, living abroad is often boring. It can be difficult to do things, or even find out what there is to do. There aren’t a lot of friends around to call all the time, especially on the weekends in Korea: everyone’s in church! And then living abroad can be lonely.

Justin and I have discovered that we know many people, but other than one friend, no one really knows us. There are many familiar faces and people who are friends, but not many friends whom you can deeply discuss thoughts, confusions, feelings, and ideas with. And then the loneliness can be increased when many of your friends and those whom you love in the US have somewhat disappeared from your life; never calling you and rarely emailing. It can be frustrating to have to always be the one to call. And I know that’s just how life goes; you make friends and then you grow apart. I am extremely thankful that Justin and I were here together, it really made life a lot better.

But enough of the frustrations, there are countless more joys. The main joy, other than Justin, has been Gary. Gary has been a wonderful friend whom I will dearly miss when I return to the United States. We have had many hilarious nights when Gary has slept over at our apartment, or when we were hanging out in the city. One time he was giving directions to some tourists; he was directing them to the beach but was afraid of mispronouncing “beach” as “bitch”. So, instead he said “be-och”, not knowing that it happened to be the “hip” pronunciation of “bitch”. Gary was embarrassed, but us and the tourists had a good laugh. :)

Another joy has been our numerous friends from Cambodia, Kenya, Thailand, the Philippines, and of course Korea. Though the depth of the relationships hasn’t been great, I have learned so much from them about the world and the beautiful variety of cultures and people. Their joy and laughter will remain in my heart and memory for many years.

I also have loved the food in Korea! It’s so good! From rotten cabbage mixed with rice, to dog soup, to seaweed wrapped rice! OK, I know that doesn’t sound good, but it is!!

Traveling has been another huge plus. On top of Korea, seeing Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines was incredible. It was so eye-opening to see the variety of ways of life, so challenging to encounter different life philosophies and cultural differences, so heart-breaking to see the poverty in many of the places, and so incredibly moving to see the beauty of God’s world and the greater beauty of the people he has placed in it. Though from hundreds of countries with thousands of different cultures and subcultures, we are all human and all God’s image bearers. It’s beautiful to see and experience in so many places.

Yeah, this year has been an amazing experience full of both sorrows and joys; and that is what I feel as the end nears: sorrow and joy.