Difficult Lessons

Each week I look forward to the weekend knowing some sort of exploring will ensue. I had planned to kick off this weekend by heading down to the river on Friday night for a fireworks show, then spending all day Saturday out and about. These plans quickly changed when I woke up Friday morning to the symptoms of a nasty cold. The morning was rough, but plenty of water and vitamin C seemed to work their magic and by the end of the school day I was tired but felt much better.

Instead of fireworks I opted for a plan of necessity...going to the tailor to get some of my work clothes altered. Since my arrival in Seoul I think I've lost a total of 5 or 6 pounds. Not such a big deal, but add that to the 5 or 6 pounds I shed before the move and you end up with a closet-full of baggy, saggy pants which don't really add to the image of being a professional. Thankfully, my science friend Stephanie had a few items to alter too, so off we went! We took the 03 bus passed Sinchon and ended up near Ehwa Women's University in an area of town called Edae. The streets are lined with fun clothing stores, and after getting fitted at the tailor we walked down a couple of the streets to see if there were any good clothing finds to be had. Neither of us purchased anything but it was a fun outing and I was excited to see a new area in town that is relatively close to SFS. When I got back to the apartment it was all I could do to pull together dinner and head to bed.

I already had a plan in place for Saturday. First stop, Hair & Joy for a much needed haircut. I somehow scored an English speaking taxi driver who delivered me to the doorstep of my destination and Sophia did a great job trimming my hair (although I've never had anyone but Aundrea get the bangs quite right--oh well). I felt like a new woman when I left the shop.

My new, slightly shorter hair--not too different from how I would get it cut at home. Phew!

Now comfortable with the subway, I hopped on and off, landing in Sinchon to meet Tish for a trip to Namdaemun market. I knew the market would be enormous but I underestimated its scale and the variety of items you can purchase there. I was most interested in the flower market and purchasing some paper to make mini scrapbooks with. Tish skillfully led us right to the flower market, which is on the 3rd or 4th floor of a white building attached to an orange building. You can buy fake flowers, real flowers, vases and the like. I settled on a bunch of calla lilies, a tall vase (for the callas of course), and a bunch of orange "brain flowers" as Kristen calls them for my bizen-yaki vase that I brought home as a gift from my hosts in Japan.

One of the many entrances to Namdaemun market. You can find almost anything here!

So many beautiful choices!

I saw this bunch of calla lilies and decided they would be a perfect addition to my dining room table! This is my attempt at sophistication:).

I love this vase with flowers in it!! I see lots of trips to the flower market in my future!

Because the market was so big and overwhelming, I thought it was best to head straight for the Alpha stationary store rather than wander around (you could literally spend days there). We found the store and Tish left me to shop on my own. Alpha certainly has lots of paper choices and TONS of supplies, so I went to work choosing some fun patterns for my projects. By this point, fatigue was setting in so I purchased my paper and caught the first taxi I could find back to SFS rather than proceeding on to Itaewon as I had planned. I spent the remainder of the afternoon learning to cook udon noodles and soup, reading, watching tv (catching up on NCIS reruns), and relaxing before calling it an early night. Here's where the difficult part comes in...

Earlier in the week I had emailed my Japanese friend a link to my blog so she could look at my photos and to ask for help in planning a trip to Kyoto for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I found it odd that I hadn't heard back from her as she is usually very quick about returning my emails and I worried that I had done something to offend her during my trip. This morning I received a reply to my message and was really sad to hear that she had read my blog and thought that she and her family had made my visit to Japan unpleasant. I felt absolutely terrible, in fact I cried..a lot. I quickly re-read my entries about Japan and realized that I messed up...big time. I made the assumption that everyone would understand my experiences in the same way that I did. When people asked about my trip to Japan, I told them it was a really incredible trip but it was challenging. There were a few moments that first day when I felt out of place and lonely, but as I began to get used to my surroundings and learned more about my Japanese friends I found myself having an experience of a lifetime.

Each time I sit down to write an entry for my blog I do it with two things in mind. First, I need a way to express my thoughts and feelings about what is going on in my world. Often I sit down to write when I am in the moment and the memory is fresh. This is my personal journal of my experience abroad and I want to be able to look back at it when my time here is finished and know I have documented my journey honestly. I also want to see how my thoughts, feelings, and opinions have changed...I want to see how I have grown. Second, the blog is one of the primary ways I am able to keep friends and family informed about what I am doing. I want them to see the good times as well as the bad. I want them to hear my voice when they read about my adventures or struggles. I want them to know that I am thinking about them and missing them as I go about life here in Korea and travel beyond.

I think I have written this before, but every day I am learning...sometimes these gains are painful, always these learnings are necessary. Does this mean I will write with less emotion or honesty? Probably not. It does mean, however, that I will take an extra moment to try and be sure I am saying what I mean in a way that translates beyond my American culture. I forget sometimes that I am the foreigner. I forget sometimes that I have so much to learn.