I'm on my way...

After waiting for several weeks to hear from the organizers, I finally got the long-awaited email. And now came the part where I had to essentially shut down my life at home and figure out how to pack six months worth of stuff without going over the weight limit imposed by the airlines.

Let me tell you something, putting your life on hold so that you can play at being a student and a scholar for six months is not easy. I had to deal with figuring out how to pay my utilities and other bills, including having to ask for temporary disconnection of my mobile phone services (as it was fairly cheaper and easier to deal with getting a prepaid mobile phone in Seoul than talking with the people from my mobile phone service provider. Yes, I am talking to you Smart Communications, your people suck at customer service.).

Leaving the country in itself was exciting, but a little sad, made worse by the fact that I had to take a taxi and bring myself to the airport alone. In fact, I had a little cry before I boarded the plane.

But once I landed in Incheon and breezed through the immigration section, I was eager for my new albeit temporary life to start. And off to a running start it was. My first day in Seoul was a busy one, and one I spent in a sleep- and food-deprived daze, that is, until they started serving snacks during the orientation. I had arrived on the same day as our welcome reception and orientation, and my coordinator, pressed for time as she was, brought me to my dorm, showed me my tiny dorm room with its teeny tiny kitchen and bathroom, then walked me to the university that would serve as the place where I would learn Hangeul for the next six months. Then it was off to the Seoul Olympic Park for our orientation and reception.

My first impression of Seoul was one of a harried and hurried lady who never loses her poise. She is gracious and well-groomed, though showing some signs of wear and tear. Somehow, through all the Western influences pushed at her, she never loses sight of who she is, and so Western shops comfortably jostle against mom and pop type stores and huge Korean shops.

Life is fast-paced, and a common word you hear, particularly in the subways, is "bpali, bpali" as ajummas urge you to walk faster up that stairs. The subways are a maze, but a well-organized one, and with a map and some planning one can reach the edges of the city comfortably and catch a quieter glimpse of the city. When I first arrived, I was consumed by the idea of living like tourist and visiting the noteable historical places that this country has amazingly preserved. But as I begin to become familiar with the inherent charms of my temporary home, I am becoming more comfortable with the idea of experiencing this city, this country, instead of looking at it from behind the lens of my little camera.

Seoul calling

About two months ago, a call brought an unexpected change in my life. There I was, living my mundane, boring life juggling two jobs, as a public servant and a full-time copy editor, when one of the people I knew through my work encouraged me to apply to a six-month cultural exchange program. Admittedly, I was intrigued. I had been suffering from ennui from my work for a while now and I thought this would be a good change of pace. So I jumped at the opportunity without really pondering on the consequences. Meanwhile in my life, I had other things in the burner, I was planning on following through with my plans for graduate school, save up to complete law school and finally sit for the Bar exams, and the peak season for my copy editing job loomed in the distance. With my application sent, the waiting began. As I waited, I began to consider what arrangements living abroad for six months entailed. And then the doubts began to creep in, and as the weeks passed, my doubts began to grow, to the point that I had in fact written a draft of a letter to the organizers to pull out my application.

And now, after having lived in Seoul for almost four weeks, I am glad that I did not withdraw my application, despite my doubts, despite the issues I have left behind in my government job and despite all my misgivings.  Life in a new country has been a challenge to say the least. Adjusting to the culture, the food, and the language has been difficult. Korean language classes for four hours a day twice a week has been a huge help and I am charmed by the quirks of my temporary home. I am in this program with a bunch of amazing and mind-blowingly talented individuals, and I look forward to the next five months of adventures and friendships. This has definitely been the right thing to do, and I will return home a changed person because of all of this.

I created this blog to try and capture my thoughts and feelings about this chapter in my life, and thus will contain stories about my explorations of Seoul and getting to know myself better.