My Last Day in Seoul, South Korea: A Bittersweet End

As I begin my last post in this blog, I am speechless.  Not in the metaphorical, poetic sense - no, really, I have lost my voice.  After getting back to the dorms on Sunday night from the Mud Festival trip, my throat began to hurt.  Throughout the week it progressively hurt worse and now, my voice is completely gone.  It's strange, though, because I have no other cold-like symptoms - just a sore throat and lost-voice.  I debated going to the health clinic on campus, but I heard it is essentially a waste of time, and I should instead go to the hospital. I don't want to waste my last full day in Seoul at a hospital, so I have decided to drink tea and tough it out.  Hopefully I make it back alive!  Last night, we went out to celebrate Trey's departure to Nebraska.  He leaves today, which is definitely sad, as he has become a good friend to me.  As we walked into Cass Bar for Trey's last time, we spotted my Finnish marketing professor, Dr. Karppinen, drinking at a table with other professors.  She was likely feeling quite well when we ran into her, because she worriedly felt my forehead with her hand, as my mom would do, and said "Abbie, I am worried about you, you need to get some medicine.  It feels like you have a fever."  It was adorable!  I told her that I didn't feel feverish, and that I joked that likely I felt warm to her because she had been drinking.  What a funny, interesting lady she is!


On the morning of my last day in Seoul, I prepare to get pedicures (my last treat to myself before I consider myself broke) and shopping for last minute gifts.  Luckily, I have no class or exams today, so I can relax and perhaps begin to pack (though, I do not know where to start).  Our "graduation" ceremony is at 4:30 p.m., followed by an airing of the film students' documentaries on which they have worked diligently the past four weeks.  After the end of summer school this evening, many of us will go out together for one last night before we likely never see each other again. 


I hate to fall into the stereotypical "reflective last entry" trap for this final post, but as I leafed through my past posts, I noticed some changes between the Abbie who wrote them and the Abbie I am now.  I can't help but think of the quote from The Return of the King, when Frodo wonders, "How do you pick up the threads of an old life?"  Though I have only been gone for one month, it will be difficult to adjust to life in the States after having one of the best experiences of my life. 


As I initially imagined, studying abroad has helped me to become more independent.  Since international study is quite expensive, I'm glad I chose to live in a culture far different from my own.  I had many initial fears about living in Seoul - namely, living near the DMZ, eating the food, and living without a cell phone and constant contact with the people I love.  As I look back on these posts, I can't help but laugh a little, since these issues are now nonexistent.


In "Seoul, Dissected," I introduced the idea of a DMZ tour.  I wrote "while I doubt that I will take this day trip, reading about it raises curiosity about North Korea."  I remember initially reading about the tour in my Seoul City Guide and thinking "this is really interesting, but not for me."  As I felt increasingly more comfortable in Seoul, I realized that I had to live a little while I was here.  I didn't want to get back in the U.S. and wish I had done something that I hadn't done.  Who knows when I would get the chance to visit South Korea again?  Currently, I am working on a long post about my trip to the DMZ.  It should be done when I get back in the States on Saturday.


My Seoul City Guide was both a gift and a curse, but more so a gift.  By curse, I mean that I initially felt repulsed reading about the many strange foods, such as kimchi, beondegi, bulgolgi, etc.  I was sure that I would starve for four weeks.  "I'm sure many of you recall me reading off the list of 'daredevil foods' for the brave to try while in Korea.  You likely also recall my absolute repulsion to words such as 'silkworm larvae' leaving my mouth," I wrote in "The 4th of July in South Korea."  Despite my initial fears, I can proudly say that I have tried many things I never would have tried before this trip - including bugs!  I have come to love Korean food - the spice, the variety in texture, the care with which it is prepared and the tradition through which it is eaten.  I will miss many foods in the U.S., such as sundubu, tteok, bibimbap, gimbap, ramyeon, and ddukbokki.  I will miss the wellness I feel from consuming unusual vegetables (for me) such as bean sprouts and kimchi (the fermented cabbage eaten with every meal).  Eating in Korea is an integral part of the culture, and I will certainly miss it. 


"I think the hardest part of the trip will be missing my core-group of people I love in the U.S. - my family and friends," I estimated in "More Information About My Trip."  "This trip will be the longest period of time I will go without texting since I've had a cell phone.  It'll be such an adjustment, but I think it will be great for me."  Well, I guessed 50% correctly on that prediction:  Sure, the first few days were rough with the thirteen hour time difference and lack of phone, but I forced myself to get off the computer and dig into the city life.  I could not be happier with these efforts.  It was difficult at first, and I had a few moments of homesickness, but primarily, I have had so much fun every day that I've hardly though about missing text messaging and constant communication.  I even sat through six hours of class without a cell phone - something I never, ever, ever thought I could do!  Every time I felt lonely, I forced myself to plan an activity or join an existing one.  Sitting in my room will only prolong sadness.  Being around people always makes me feel better, and I have been blessed to be in Seoul with some of the coolest people I have ever met. 


Tomorrow, my flight leaves at 5:20 p.m.  Jake, Megan, Scott, Sam, and I will be picked up by a van service and taken to Incheon airport at 12:45 p.m.  From there, I will begin my fifteen-hour journey back to Detroit.  Interestingly, I will once again "time travel" - I depart at 5:20 p.m. and arrive a mere fifteen minutes later, at 5:35 p.m.!  I hope to hit the ground running, as I did on my first night here.  Likely, I will take a break from alcohol consumption to give my liver and brain a rest.  However, life is short, I can sleep when I am dead!  Sorry for those cliches, but they are fitting at this juncture in time.  


While I kept this blog for my own records, I also wrote to inform everyone at home about my wanderings in Seoul.  When I get home, I plan to edit my entries and have my blog turned into a physical book.  Such services are quite affordable.  I appreciate everyone who followed my journey and emailed me during my time here - seeing familiar names in my inbox always made me smile.  While I have been as accurate and detailed as possible, I undoubtedly have dozens of stories still to tell, and I am sure at some point, you will hear them.  Although this is my "goodbye" entry, it is not my final.  As I mentioned earlier, I will be adding a lengthy post about my trip to the DMZ when I return to the States.  Be on the look out for details about the coolest part of my trip!


Dr. Karppinen ended our last class yesterday with some poetry that I would love to share:  

Out of nowhere

Joy fluttering past

with butterfly's wings

falls into the nets of

those pure in heart. 

-Riitta Rossilahti

Once again, thanks to my followers!  I look forward to seeing you when I return.  

*Beautiful photos courtesy of my good friend, Rick Punt.