Goodbye Korea - Feb 27, 2009

The year I spent in Korea was a blessing in many forms. I will never forget the wonderful people I met as well as the breathtaking experiences. Saying goodbye has never been an easy thing for me. I wholeheartedly avoided “goodbye parties” and instead chose to indulge in our normal Gwangju small group outings.

In my opinion, friends are not created equal. Some are great while others are just good. The hardest goodbyes I had to say were to Myungsuk and Hyunju (no surprise there). Myungsuk and I are so similar—about a few weeks ago, she started to distance herself from me. At first, I wondered if she really was that busy at work. And last night, when I went over to her house for a final home cooked meal with her family, she confessed that she really did not wish to meet me! At that, her tears came and we sobbed together before reassuring ourselves that we would see each other again. Goodbyes are sad.

As for Hyunju, Lovely Hyunju (as we call her), that was really hard. We spent the day yesterday going here and there in town doing nothing really but drinking the most watery coffee I’ve ever had and grocery shopping. Then this morning, she drove me to the train station. We sat in a coffee shop sipping stale coffee (yes, I don’t like the coffee in Korea), making small talk while waiting for the train to arrive. Hugging her and her 7-month-old-in-womb daughter just brought forth tears. I will really miss her! She has been a wonderful friend since I moved to Gwangju. She has been a blessing. She and her husband are wonderful people and I do hope to meet her again one day—maybe she’ll bring Beautiful Baby Girl X to Disney!

I feel as if I have been suffering from a split emotional disorder for about a month now. The one who identifies herself as Sophie is thrilled to be returning home, to see her family again and hug them, to love them from up close, to see her dear friends and just really to be home! To be able to eavesdrop on strangers’ conversations, to be able to read everything that meets her eye, to be one among many (not stand out so much). And then there is Suzie, the other part of me. Poor Suzie, I tell ya! She’s been sad and withdrawn for quite a while. Having to part with all the wonderful people she met over this past year was heart wrenching. But Suzie is not distressed! She’s thankful; she’s hopeful and there is where Suzie meets Sophie. Both, regardless of their present situation, feel blessed to have been able to experience life in the East. What a journey this has been and I'm a dork!