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| 나는 따나게 되서 매우 슬프고 진짜 그리울 거에! |
I have not been very busy this last month. I have spent a lot of time in my room reading and watching movies. School is wrapping up and the last two weeks have been filled with a lot of naps on my desk and watching korean movies with my classmates and teachers. I was able to go into Seoul a few times to do some exploring and had some korean friends show me to some really popular tourist spots. Seoul is a very beautiful city with traditional buildings mixed in with modern architecture, and a TON of people. With the population reaching almost twelve million, streets, buses and trains are always crowded. I have the next two months off of school, which will give me more time to explore and hang out with friends. 
My host parents took me on a trip to Jeju Island (제주도) for Christmas. It is off the southern coast of South Korea and is GORGEOUS. It was snowy and rainy most of the weekend so it was almost impossible to see the volcano/mountain but with a few minutes of sunshine I was able to snap a few shots through the palm trees. We did all of the touristy things you can do on an Island. I ate some great seafood, went to some cool museums and watched dolphins swimming off the coast on Christmas morning. My aunt, and both grandmothers went along as well. I had such an amazing time. It was so great to get away from my daily schedule for a few days. It was chilly all weekend and I almost had a white Christmas but we were too far down the mountain, so the snow melted. I will be going back to Jeju in march on a trip with Rotary. I look forward to spending a few days with some great friends in such a beautiful place.
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| Camellia Hill |
It really did not feel like Christmas at all. Christmas is not celebrated as it is back home. No presents or decorations. No special meals or Santa. Most people celebrate this holiday as couples, and it is said that if you are single, this holiday is one to sit at home and be lonely (sort of like Valentine's day but even less celebrated). Many Koreans are Christian and some celebrate Christmas but New Years is THE holiday to celebrate. I was able to Skype with my family back home when I returned from my trip Christmas day night for me and Christmas morning for them. It was so great to hear everyone's voices and catch up.
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| Sunset on Jeju |
Not having the Christmas I am accustomed to really helped put my exchange year in perspective. Being away from family for so long and in such a different culture is very difficult. Although I have made so many great memories and met so many wonderful people, there are struggles everyday that I have to work through. This Christmas, I spent an amazing three days with my host family and it made me feel so welcome and loved. I realized that this year of exchange is for a limited time only and I really need to embrace every second of it a little bit more. I looked past the material parts of Christmas, all the gifts and food and set my mind to being thankful for the family I have here in Korea and opened my heart a little bit more to the idea that this is my life right now. A year on exchange is about learning a new culture. We all have to remember that not every culture celebrates the same holidays or in the same way and that is what makes the experience so great. It gives us a chance to learn other ways of life and appreciate things that really matter. I can not explain how appreciative I am to be put through these struggles everyday, they are worth it for the reward of each happy, fun and exciting moment of my year.
So to all of the future outbounds in Northfield and around the world who received their letters a few days ago, embrace every second you can while you are away next year and don't allow the struggles to overpower your experience. Enjoy the little things and lock them away in your memory because they will stay with you forever as some of the greatest moments of your life. I know each and every one of you will have an amazing time and I wish you all the luck in the world. It feels like just yesterday that I received my letter, it has already been a full year since that day. Time passes quickly. Get ready outbounds of 2013, the time of your life is just around the Corner!!
새해복 많이 받으세요!
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| In and around Seoul |
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| Street art in Hongdae, Seoul |
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| Brrrrr. Jeju on Christmas morning Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone!! |
