everyone says they are going to save money in a foreign country......typical
everyone says they are going to this country (Japan) and that country (Russia) on weekends......typical
everyone says "you only live once"......typical
.......................................thats what my life had become. Typical foreigner
And then i rebelled, I started saying and doing things to not be your "average foreigner"...............basically I became a hipster on accident......I became the "Ive been here longer than you and am not your average foreigner" average foreigner...
As I go through my suitcase of desperate nostalgic "memories" i saved and shipped all the way up to the burbs of Seoul in my new apt....just to look at and glorify the past.... my 20-20 retrospect realization that I was blind to what I was doing....and what I wasn't doing in the present....(side note: im starting to believe in astrology just because it says 'Cancers collect useless crap just to remember the golden years') hit me hard.
with that said, and true to Cancerian form I felt like i need to write the list of things i found in my cat piss smelling backpack (thanks again Cara for letting me store my shit somewhere) as at least a reminder to myself of the stuff i did and didnt accomplish (or fail) during my first year abroad:
1. a glass coke bottle written in Korean......just because i thought i'd never find another one.....what was i thinking
2. a MANNAM volunteer group button that supposedly ended up being a group to front a religious cult and made me feel like a real foreigner by ignorantly asking "do you know kimbap" every time i met a new member (and that is NO OFFENSE to the amazing people i met through the group)
3. 3 ticket stubs ...one of which is from the Deagu opera festival. All i remember of which is the small car sized Chanel clutch they built as a scene prop for the opera i saw.....maybe La Traviatta??? shout out to Joseph Roberts who might follow this
4. Stamps given to me by students from other countries....seriously i dont throw shit away its a problem
5. A hand fan advertising a dance club in Hongdae, the univ district in Seoul. As if you'd look sexy fanning yourself from sweating like a pyramid slave in the club while dodging korean girls who "just wanna practice English" by saying shit like "I like black............................................."
6. Ginseng gel candy wrappers....because candy can be good for your health
7. Seaweed paper flavored jelly candy wrappers.......what is this Bernie Bots Every Flavor gummies?
8. Three dead glowsticks....I started a collection apparently....enough said
9. A magnet from a Chicken place in town that had an "Oprah" story. Apparently the man who stopped us asked us if we were from the US and NYC because half of his family including his now 50 year old sister moved their after the Korean war and he was desperately trying to contact them again but she learned English and he didnt.....can you imagine not being able to talk to your own siblings because you can't speak their language??? that was the night me and Cara called KARL (see bromance from previous posts) to randomly translate for this guy........we were typical foreigners then now werent we.......and no me and Karl arent still friends. long story. dont ask .................me
10. an ugly picture of me drawn by a student i named Ruby because her spunky attitude reminded me of a friend by the same name and who wanted to be named after 뽀로로 (bo lo lo) a penguin cartoon icon here.....needless to say its been on my fridge like a proud parent
11. a brochure on Korean sign language. Who knew there were signs for each character in the Korean language???
12. a program from the opening ceremony of the Daegu international track and field championships held last year......so cool to see my Korean hometown become so international so fast...see previous posts
13. instructions on how to prepare my 비빔밥 (bee bim bop) in flight meal given to me by a Korean air robotically gorgeous stewardess on the flight over here....wow.....14 months ago. NOW I DONT NEED INSTRUCTIONS ^^
14. A FLYER COMPLETE WITH CARTOON PICTURES OF YOUR LIFE FROM CHILDHOOD TO STUDYING HARD TO GETTING A JOB AT A BIG COMPANY MARRIED CHILDREN TRAVELING WITH YOUR WIFE AND THEN DYING .............all this from a church asking "where are you going after all this"..............Christianity here is a different level of blunt and strict and straightforward......how do you get away with translating your church name to English by saying "Best Church"...........isn't that a little boastful? And what about putting your Pastor's bachelors, masters, and phd information in the bulletin and on banners hanging from the church........is that necessary? anyway....thats a different blog.
how do i end this blog if i dont know if i'll ever post again?? maybe...we'll see....ask for my address...i'd much rather send a good old postcard
...............keep writing world
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