I've been reflecting a lot upon my time here in Korea. The undeniable fact that I will be returning to The States in less than 90 days is mind-boggling. I mean, in days of yore I would have to start the journey now to set foot back on good ol' jingoist soil by July 4th (yes, I planned accordingly to celebrate my return to the US with the most patriotic day of the year). Anyway, the incessant harking by friends about this or that has made me wonder: What have I gained by being here? Now, I don't mean about language (in)abilities, practice teaching, or massive amounts of crap I deem worthy of lugging back with me. I ask this question about myself as a person. The answer sits in front of me all day long. It's as though I can see it hovering, taunting me to mouth its name, but all that comes out is my usual sputtering and subsequent drooling at the remembrance of candy inside my top drawer of my office desk. I am not going to reveal the long list of personal epiphanies that I have reached here, or even a simple answer to the above question, but I will tell you this:

I am fully proud of my year here. Yes, I have regrets about things that I failed to do or do completely, but I can honestly say that I took great advantage of my opportunities. Whether I will return is an entirely new can of worms that I would like to consider in the future.

There are things that I cannot even fathom have changed in my life back home. Sometimes it's the little things that I forget will be a part of my life again. Just the other day it dawned on me that I will soon be able to read the labels on food packages and know what's in it, if it will kill me via sodium, and how little a portion they expect you to eat(3 Oreos is never enough). I am truly excited to return, but know that once back home, I will miss the little things in Korea.

I love not tipping, I love yelling "over here" at waitresses, and I love being considered a criminal because I'm foreign(I know you're watching my every move lady, and you're right to do so. I WILL steal from you if you take your eyes off me!). I will miss eating with chopsticks(present skills: lethal), and eating from community dishes on the table. I will miss the 70 year old drunk men in the park screaming at each other because that's just how Korean men talk. I will miss DVD Bangs, drinking beer ANYWHERE you want, and hearing whispered voices saying, "foreigner" behind my back in Korean, only to turn around and respond by saying, "Yeeees. I'm from America. Where are you from?" which usually scares the pants off anyone under 4 feet tall. I will miss blatant trademark/copyright infringement, food so hot you might as well snort Tabasco, and effeminate boyfriends forced to wear "couples' tees".

But there is one thing I will not miss: Dried Cuddlefish.