A New Year

Wow, the new year feels so long ago now. It's hard to believe it's only been a month since 2011 was ending and we were ringing in 2012 in Daegu. I had a pretty low key new year, just a few friends gathered in Daegu with a few drinks and lots of laughs. I met some a guy and his twin brother from South Africa, the one I met was on vacation and his twin teaches here. So I clicked with their group and spent the rest of the night hanging out in the club with a nice finish at Burger King for some morning ice cream. Unfortunately, the subway doesn't open until 5:30 and it was only 3 so we went to a Lotteria and sat around for a few hours until the subway opened so we could get to our bus terminals. We said our goodbyes, exchanged infos and parted ways.

It's still so uncanny to me that I have met so many people for a day or a weekend, had such a great time with them, and yet will, in all likely hood, never see them again. Back home this was never the case. Except maybe in Orlando. And even there it was unlikely. Usually if you saw someone once, at least if you ever went back to where you met them, you would meet them again. Here I feel like everything is so transient and always changing. Even though people are here on one year contracts, and even those that stay two or three years, it still such a small snippet of their life. Of course there are the people with whom I really connect and so keep in contact with regardless of distance, but those are usually ones I met at orientation or see multiple times because of a common friend or frequenting the same places. I guess I just feel very transient here. I don't feel like Korea is home. Even after six months at the same job, and the same apartment, it just isn't the same. But, I suppose that could be a good thing since it means there's no danger of me loving it so much I would ever be tempted to stay another year, or even another six months. I am enjoying my time here and the great people that I meet along the way, the experiences I get to have and all the awesome stuff I get to see, but it still feels like an extended vacation to me. So while Korea will never be my home, it will at least offer me a place to form unforgettable memories and have what I'm sure will always be some of the most outrageous times of my life.

So here's to the new year and all the surprises and changes it will bring with it. Hope everyone back home is having a great start to their new year!