I am coming back to the States on Tuesday. This has been the longest three months (haha) of my life, but I have absolutely no regrets. The Republic of Korea is a stunning, friendly, delicious, confusing, and sometimes frustrating country. It is a weird feeling to leave the place I have called home for the past eight months. It is hard to contain my excitement to get back stateside…but, at the same time I definitely have some sadness about leaving the ROK. I guess you could say I have “gone bamboo” a little. Maybe bamboo is the wrong term, “gone kimchi” or “gone garlic” is probably more applicable. I have made some great friends at both bases and without them my time here would have been a fraction as enjoyable. So with that I would like to say farewell to the ROK. You will be missed, but don’t worry, I will see you next year :)
Some things I will miss:
- soju monster
- one dollar soju
- two litre bottles of beer
- korean food (lets be honest, korean food in the States is good but it can’t touch the real thing)
- konglish
- kunsan and songtan
- my subs and korean family
- panchan and self service
- amazing and efficient public transportation
Some things you may see me doing in the States:
- bowing
- eating communally (more than normal)
- making “x” signs with my fingers or hands
- saying “aahhhh” or grunting in acknowledgement
- using two hands to accept/hand things over
- asking for “changeee”
- speaking in korean accidently
- use of non-proper english (most already know my limited grasp on the american language)
Things I will not miss:
- kimchi blossoms
- wondering what i just ordered
- 83 inches of snow
- working in negative temperatures
- juicies
These lists are not complete at all. I’m sure I could add tons more to all three. The above items are just what came to mind as I typed this post up. I hope you guys have enjoyed my reports on Korea. I still have a couple of ideas up my sleeve and have to fill everyone in on the side trips I took once I moved up north (including a visit to the DMZ).
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