Well, here it is: one year in.
It doesn't seem real. I recently returned to Seoul from a ten-day vacation in Las Vegas and back home in Alberta. Many things took me by surprise: first, how much I missed being here in Korea while I was home, and, in the last few days, how severely I miss being back in Canada. Just a little taste of being home with friends and family made me realize how much I miss them. It sounds silly, but the last couple of days leading up to the start of my second year have been incredibly hard. Knowing that I could have been going home for good, but rather, I'll be spending another year here has hit home in a very real way.
I've met so many amazing people here, and I have many good friends, but I almost feel like I did in the first few weeks after I arrived here a year ago. I'm eager to meet new people and get out and explore. One of the reasons I opted to remain another year here in Korea was to have more opportunities to travel throughout Asia, something I have not done at all yet. I have explored many areas of Korea quite thoroughly, but other destinations in the region such as Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand have all eluded me thus far. I would like to think that I'll have many opportunities to visit them in my second year, but I have a feeling that it will fly by much like the first one has.
I'm sorry that this particular entry has sounded so melancholy. As such, it really matches my mood of late. I will have an opportunity tonight to reconnect with some friends here in Seoul at Dillinger Pub's trivia night, so I'm really looking forward to that. However, I think some Skyping home to friends and family might be in order.
I love you all, and I hope to talk to all of my friends soon.
