Letters from Home

Living abroad has been quite a smooth transition.  There are many factors to this, but the internet wins by far.  Between Facebook (which I really don't use much), email, Skype, and blogging, the old adage "it's a small world" rings all too true.  Aside from trying to actually schedule time to catch up with family and friends (or just plain doing the math - what time is it?), I still feel very connected.  

Weeelll, ok, I did hit a [small] wall last week.  Despite meeting a TON of new people and making connections, I began to feel disconnected.  You spend weeks going through the "get to know you" motions and just miss the people that already do.  I built a wonderful life in San Francisco over the last 12 years, which made me sad to think that I chose to leave it.  At the same time, I had to remind myself it took years to form those connections and bonds.  I have to remind myself - I'm doing just fine for one month into a new job, new country, new life.

My friend and 4th grade partner (there are 5 of us), Tiffany, compared this experience to freshman year of high school.  

Great.

High school, while it was not horrible, would not be my selection should time travel become an option.  Freshman year wouldn't even be a consideration.  

But, it's true.  For example, most of the teachers go down to the cafeteria for lunch (side note:  It's surprisingly good food!  Not what you'd expect out of a school cafeteria.  A Korean option, a western option (which I have discovered just means, not Korean - it could be American, Indian, Chinese, Mexican...), a cafe/deli, a teacher's Korean option (sometimes different from the kids' option), and a teacher's salad bar - yum!) and there are times when you find yourself carrying your tray of food and searching for a place to sit - Who do I know?  Who can I talk to for 20 measly minutes?  

Of course, just as I'm hitting my [small] wall, I received a postcard from my friend, Mentha, a card from my Mom, and a card from my brother and (soon-to-be) sister-in-law.

A perfect quote, but the background story of this card brings it all together.

My brother, Mike, and his fiance, Jen, met when they were in college.  In fact, I met her when I went to visit him in 1999.  She was the friend who took me under her wing and made sure I had a blanket, pillow and clean towels while staying with Mike and his two friends.  Seriously.  

After undergrad, she moved to California to get her master's degree and then a few years later randomly decided to move back to the midwest (she's originally from Colorado).  Her brothers moved her halfway across the country.  Much like my brother, Jon, did 12 years ago when he moved my to San Francisco.  Then, again, joined this time by my brother, Andrew,  moved me out of San Francisco.  

She found this card and has kept it since making that "random" decision to uproot her life.  I'd say it worked out quite well.  Although Mike and Jen remained friends over the years, I'm going to take a leap and say they wouldn't have reconnected like they did had she not moved to Missouri.  

For the most part, I have felt very confident with my decision to move to Korea.  But, there are those days when I think... This is crazy.  What am I doing?

I do know that if I didn't do this I would absolutely regret it one day.

So,

What the hell?