We are going to miss Korea. A thousand places in the world to visit, and it’s hard not to want to come back here. There’s so much of the country to see. We are only just getting used to the etiquette, and brave enough to tackle hello, thank you and goodbye all in Korean all in the same interaction.Homesick for Seoul.
I’m going to miss the vibrancy of Seoul, the ease of the metro, the amazing food, the kind and thoughtful people. The blend of modern and traditional, perhaps best symbolized by the women who dress up in traditional hanboks simply to promenade with their besty down busy Insadong street, or along the waters of Cheonggyecheon stream (smart phone always in hand). The free wifi everywhere, how urinals flush when you arrive instead of when you leave. The daredevil motorcycle delivery drivers who don’t let redlights stop them, and are just as likely to use the sidewalks as the roadways. (When everyone drives on the sidewalk it’s just another lane).
The endless winding alleys filled with surprises and unexpected finds, and that necessitate those two/three wheeled delivery vehicles. Bowing. The sense of being safe, except when crossing the road, the endless opportunities for great coffee, just not TOO early on the morning. Palaces. How maps are nearly useless since street names never match from one to the other, or the sign on the road itself. The micro businesses that are no more than a milk crate on a curb, perhaps with an improvised grill smoldering with charcoal. Streetfood, some that gags you, some that is a revelation, all of it worth trying. The kindness of strangers, and as a stranger having to reach out for that kindness and use it as a crutch for my ignorance.
The slightly overwhelming sense that as much as I am a stranger here, this strange and wonderful place feels like home. That I see my grandmother in a thousand faces, and hear her in a thousand voices. That I see my 12-year-old self in my son as he discovers the world and his place in it, with his little sister never far from his side or his mind. That after 20 years of marriage Jenny and I can discover the familiar and the strange like two legs of a hiker along Seoul’s Ancient Wall: A history of strength winding through mountains. Our plane hasn’t yet started boarding at Incheon international Airport, but I already feel homesick for Seoul.
Written by Ano (http://homeontheroam.tumblr.com/)
