Being in Korea for the last 8 weeks has been rather...interesting...In a fantastic way. I came here as a means of self improvement on many facets, to learn about a culture and people that I was never exposed to and to earn money. Essentially, I was trying to kill 30 birds with 1 stone. Though still early in the contract, there are still uncertainties with my goals but I do know that these last weeks since I've been here has changed something in me. Something that I had not planned on.
The thirteen hour flight to Korea would be the definite starting point for my insights.
My goodbyes to my parents were short and and definitely easier than I anticipated. I was too excited to have any lingering second thoughts and doubts. Except for one.
"Will I be able to make a lot friends and connections?"
I hadn't met any TaLKers aside from chatting through facebook, but I didn't dwell on that. I was trying to take everything at the airport; the people, the smell, the sounds, and the TSA. I couldn't help but recount a story of my good friend Alfonso who always gets pulled in for "random screenings". Accordingly to the TSA guy I was talking to, that's racist and illegal.
Airplane isles are terrible. Hardly anyone can pass through.
I found my seat number and when I looked down I saw a pair of shiny Drew Carey-esque glasses staring back at me from behind the complimentary blanket. Buried beneath that overlapping fabric maze was Jean Moon Lee. My first TaLK friend, of course I didn't know it until we talked(...puns).
It was terrible for me to make new friends when I relocated when I was a kid. I had to over come that and develop new skill sets to be friends with those around me, which I did.
As I look back to the beginning, I realized that I had no trouble meeting people. It was a big concern for me since if I couldn't be social, I would have lost a lot of opportunities to meet different people, do different things, and gain a better experience. Life in Korea would suck if I didn't put in the effort to meet new people and to see so they were like. It was just natural for me and I really had nothing to worry about.
It was and will be a fantastic adventure.
-Mr. Tea.
More to come: friends and cohesion of groups, interactions between people, English camp and forming new groups, foundation of friends, getting pissed, teaching and self realization, traveling, trip to Asan, insights and similarities of cultures...and more when I think of it...
