Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Home Again, Home Again

Back in Korea
It sure is good to be home. Weird isn’t it to think of Korea as home? But it is in many ways. I’ve now lived in our building (F Dong we call it) longer than I’ve lived anywhere else in my life. Wow. That is wild.
Each time I come back, I have all kinds of issues. Emotional stuff.
Like:
-Sigh. My own place. My own bed.
-Don’t tell me we just spent nearly 90,000 won (close to $85) on a tank of gas! (we have a tiny car too)
-I miss my family! Sniffles.
-Ah, the fresh kimchi breeze of Seoul. Honest, the air smells like kimchi. Good thing I like to eat kimchi.
- Friends! Hugs and get togethers.
- Air sirens. Today was the training day for the air raids. We don’t do anything at our school but in the city it’s a drill of some sort. Those sirens are loud too! I have to admit it freaks me out every time even though I know it’s safe here.
- Cool military stuff- When the fighter jets flew over today, Luke thought all that noise was thunder. Then he wanted to know if they were the good guys or the bad guys. I just shook my head and thought BOYS!
-Koreans- I love the Korean people!
-Do I really need to recycle EVERYTHING? Okay, so it’s good for the environment. Every time I go back to the States, I cringe at how much waste there is. My only stipulation is that Doug has to do the food recycling. I don’t even want to know what grows and lives in those bins.
-The food is so expensive it forces you to go on a diet. Seriously. It’s bad when we visit Hawaii and are shocked at how cheap the food is there.
-Korean food- yum! And Korean rice too. Missed that.

How about you? What do you miss the most after you go away on a long trip?

15 comments:

Danyelle L. said...

Glad you're home, safe and sound. :) I think I miss my own bed. And my books. Definitely the books. O:)

Tabitha said...

Also glad you're back safe! :)

I know what you mean about being back home. I love to travel, but I love it just as much when I'm back home in my own space.

And I have to agree with Danyelle that I always miss my books. :)

Jen and Steven said...

I always, always miss my big king-size, memory foam bed the most when I'm traveling. Nothing can compare! I also miss my own kitchen and cooking tools. It's just so comforting to come back to familiar territory when you've been away.

Carmella Van Vleet said...

I miss my sheets. (I have nice, super soft bamboo sheets.) I also miss baking. I don't do a lot of baking when I'm traveling. Sometimes, when I visiting family, I'll take my recipe book with me though. But it's not the same...

So glad you're back home. I enjoyed your jet lag ideas.!

Kimbra Kasch said...

Welcome Home!!!

I always miss my garden - watering early in the morning - call me weird.

In the winter, it's my bedroom. I have my own garden retreat in there. My husband is so sweet - he doesn't care what I do as far as decorating. :)

Unknown said...

Wow! I had no idea that Korea was particularly expensive!

(And I'm with Jen--got a memory foam mattress and *adore* it--wouldn't be home without it!)

MG Higgins said...

Yep, it's got to be my bed I miss the most. And my bathroom with its wonderful stall shower that's just the right size, has good water pressure, and I know exactly how to set the temperature.

Welcome home! You make Korea sound very inviting.

C.R. Evers said...

Great list of home-love!

I ditto the bed and pillows. I love my pillows.

Christina Farley said...

Thanks guys! And just reading your posts makes me want to enjoy everything here at home.

Car- I so know what you mean about sheets

Jen, Beth, CR- yes! my own bed is so essential. I've a bad back and at some people's houses this summer I secretly slept on the floor. Shhh, don't tell!
MG Higgins- so true about showers! I'm with you on that one.

Beth- yes, Korea is very expensive. Enjoy the States where life is cheap. Americans I think have no idea how good they have it.

Angela Ackerman said...

Every time I go back to the States, I cringe at how much waste there is.

Oh this really gets me when I vacation there too. It breaks my heart to see the waste. We were in Idaho recently and went to 'Sonics'. They still use Styrofoam for all their drinks! I just can't go there again. How could they not know better?

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

my dog and my computer.

Michelle Schusterman said...

Hey, a fellow expat in Korea! I'm living in Suwon, not too far from Seoul.

Sorry about the gas prices- I actually had no idea they were that high! Overall, though, I've found Korea to be pretty affordable.

I saw your post on Kate Testerman's blog and got all excited- a fellow teacher in Korea who writes for kids! Awesome! :)

Christina Farley said...

Michelle, this is so fun to find each other via blogging. Crazy isn't it?

We have an SCBWI chapter here in Korea. Here's the link: http://www.scbwi.kr/

Also, at my school, Seoul Foreign School, we have a writing group called Inkwells. It's for all genres but I get a lot out of it. We'll be having our first meeting in September.

Email me if you're interested in coming or interested in SCBWI. farley dot christina L at gmail dot com.

Rena Jones said...

My kids (if some of them don't go with us), my cat, and my bed!

I'm glad you made it back safely!

Christina Farley said...

Thanks Rena!