Saturday, June 11, 2011

Peace and Love from Busan

To my faithful readers:

As you may have noticed, May and June have been rather, err, quiet here on Soju Cocktail. I must first say sorry for all the wasted clicks while you patiently waited for the next dispatch from sunny Busan. Second, let me tell you what's been going on that kept me from sharing all the goodness.

Life has been good for Shane and I in Busan. Summer's in swing and the livin's easy. But despite this, or maybe because of it, I've been battling a serious case of homesickness. I'm pretty tight with my family and with Shane's, and not being with them for the past nine months has worn on me. Each time I packed up my little writer's bag and headed down the street to my favorite coffee shop, I found myself sifting through pictures, answering emails, studying the merits of the barista's fine work on my latte, anything to avoid confronting my sad self. See, for all the great things here in Korea, for all that I've learned and experienced and saw so far, and for how much I am content and happy with life here, this place is not my own. I have not managed to learn much of the language, and so can only speak rudimentarily with my neighbors. I know a lot about the city, but I don't read the daily paper to see about the latests scandals and news. I am a part of this place, but only peripherally so, only temporarily so. 

If this is the Lilliputian cross I must bear from time to time as an expat, well poor me. I wouldn't trade my choices or my deferred reactions to those choices for anything. Life is great. I have nine more months here to soak up all the awesomeness Busan has to offer and I'm going to use every minute of it. The beaches call to me. The mountains beg to be climbed. I'll return home again someday, but today I am present here. Thanks for coming on the journey with me. 

1 comment:

  1. Rosy Rosy! You are loved by many and we greedily await both you and Shane's return; however, I truly hope that you are able to be greedy with your time while in Busan and that you are able to turn your restless heart's angst into something beautiful! Obviously, I am writing this after imbibing too much caffeine. Instead, of writing you a public love letter/pep talk I will turn the force of this caffeine buzz on the dust bunnies collecting in my living room. Our love won't wane in your absence. I look forward to hearing (yes, hearing) your worldly thoughts that have been tempered by time and isolation from familiar surroundings. <3, and <# (I believe that the second emoticon is an ice cream cone from the madison terrace ice creamery) - h

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