Girl meets world.

Right after Christmas, I had an all new kind of travel experience: I went to Florida to attend the wedding of one of my best friends, Glori. I'm soo glad that, despite all of my crazy travel plans, I was able to be there. I had a great time!

Probably the most exciting part of the wedding for me was being able to SEE Glori, Toby, and our other close friend, Trisha. I hadn't seen them since before I left for Korea! It was SO great to be with them again.

Reunited!

The wedding was on Marco Island at a huge resort, but the wedding itself was small: just close family and friends. Part of why I felt so lucky to attend. I arrived the night before the wedding, just in time to have dinner with everyone. Afterwards, we got to hang out in a huge suite (with the help of room service, thank you!) with Glori, Trisha, Glor's friend Cait, Toby, Toby's friend Jon and his fiancee Meagan, and Toby's brother, Zach. I really enjoyed getting to know some new friends, as well as catch up with my old friends. What a great time!

Trisha, Cait, me, and Meagan before the wedding.

Wednesday was the big day! I've never been a bridesmaid before or been close to the process at all so I didn't really know what to expect, but this wedding was so fun and easy to be a part of. Glori was a beautiful bride. It was obvious that Glori and Toby were way more happy about the prospect of being married than having a perfect, high-maintenance, and over-the-top wedding. The ceremony was simple and right on the beach at sunset. Glori and Toby looked soo happy and completely relaxed.

After watching the sun set, we all went inside for a beautiful reception. Glori made all the table centerpieces herself, and they looked awesome! In short, it couldn't have been better or more "them". Because of travels and other obligations, I haven't had the chance to attend too many weddings over the past few years. Weddings are a great event for a travel-holic like me, because it's the love between two people that create this great event that brings everyone together. If it weren't for the love between Glori and Toby, none of us would have gotten together for this memorable experience.

So this post is dedicated to Glori and Toby!

In just a short couple of weeks, my whole life has changed [back]. I went from being a school teacher in Asia to spending the Christmas holiday with my wonderful family in Oklahoma City. It's been an amazing whirlwind of activity, so let me give you a little update.

My last week in Korea was an incredibly busy and, of course, bittersweet time. The week was divided pretty evenly between saying goodbye to friends (mostly foreigners outside of work), finishing up my job, and PACKING.

It's so difficult to say goodbye to people that you may very well never see again. Painfully difficult, actually. But in the kind of life that I choose to live, saying goodbye happens with every new experience. When I choose to go somewhere completely alone as I have several times up to this point, I am forced to make new friends at my destination. But even when I go with travel partners, (say, as I did on my adventures in Europe) I've made friends that I will never, ever forget. Either way, it almost always necessitates saying goodbye to them at some point, often for good. On the other hand, one of the greatest pleasures in my travels has been seeing people and places that I never thought I would get the chance to see again. That said, I would be a lucky girl if I got to see at least some of those wonderful people I met in Korea.

Even though I'm a pretty emotional person, I rarely conjure emotion when I say goodbye to friends on the road. This is for two reasons that I can come up with: first, I am really convinced that I will see at least some of these travelers again. Many of the friends I made are American and will be back in the states eventually. And even those who aren't are travelers like myself; it's truly is a small world and you never know where you're going to run into someone again. Alternatively, I am in a deep denial about it all. And secondly, I think I don't let myself get emotional when I say goodbye because I am prone to get so emotional. I'd like to keep that person as a friend and not freak them out too much.

Me, Drew, and my friends Mike and Sean were all leaving Korea within a few days of each other, so we decided to throw ourselves a going away party at the local foreigner bar. Everyone we know and hang out with was going to be there anyway, so we made it a facebook event and pretended that everyone came just to say goodbye to us. :P It turned out to be an awesome party, with everyone we knew and wanted to say farewell to in attendance. While there, I almost couldn't remember why I was leaving so many great friends and a wonderful life. Korea truly was incredible. Some of my friends were just starting their time in Korea! But me and the three guys definitely left with a bang!

Saying goodbye at work was difficult as well. I will really miss Nikki, my American co-worker. We'd been working side-by-side (literally) for 3 semesters. Perhaps we'll meet again in the future! I'd also become so close to my co-teacher, Seong Won. She and I taught together 4 days a week, and we really just GET each other. She is a teacher and a mother in Korea, which I take to mean that unless I visit Korea again, it's not likely we'll meet again. For that reason, saying goodbye to her broke my heart.

My co-teacher, Seong Won. I will miss you!

One of my favorite classes-- 4th graders.

Saying goodbye to students was less difficult for me. That might make me a horrible person, but honestly, I teach about 400 of them. I'll miss their smiling faces though, saying, "HELLO!" to me cheerfully every morning. I will miss teaching them English. The students of the morning show, however, I will miss a lot. I worked closely with these 14 kids every Wednesday, and really got to know them.

My last day of work was on a Wednesday, 4 days before I was flying to America. In those 4 days, I ran around like a mad woman shipping boxes of stuff home, terminating contracts (like my cell phone contract), meeting with my boss to finish up my paperwork, and PACKING and CLEANING my apartment. It's quite a task to decide, out of your whole apartment, what deserves to go in your two suitcases, and what needs to be given or thrown away. I managed, however, and soon was on my way to America!

I did fly to America with my boyfriend Drew, but we parted ways in LAX to go to our respective homes for Christmas. It was a long trip, but when I finally arrived, I was SO excited to see my family!

Me and my brother Calvin at the airport. I hadn't seen him in nearly a year and a half!

Coming home from Korea has been easier than I expected. Except for the jet lag. That's sucked. but other than that, the reverse culture shook has been minimal. For example, I thought for sure that when I got back to America, everyone would think I was talking like a caveman, because speaking English in Korea requires you to talk slowly, and use specific words that you know Korean people are likely to be familiar with. But as it turns out, English is just like riding a bike. Driving is the same way, apparently. Thought for sure I'd have forgotten how to drive in a year and a half, but it was as if I drove just yesterday! All in all, it turns out you never really forget how to be an American, no matter how long you're gone. and for that, I'm very thankful.

Being home just in time for Christmas was an added bonus to seeing my family. In addition to my mom having time off work for the holidays, I got to see my aunt, uncles, and cousins that I haven't seen since before I left. It made me so happy to see them, and it reminded me that, as unforgettable as traveling is, there's still nothing like coming home and being with the people you love. It's greater than seeing the Eiffel Tower, or the Colosseum. It's greater than the sands of Indonesia. There's no place like home. So for the time being, I'm enjoying my latest travel experience, experiencing the place I've been homesick for for months. and I'm loving every minute of it.

With my brother and cousins on Christmas Eve.

With my mom, dad, and brother: where I belong!

I have a cold for about the 6th time since arriving in Korea. I don't think I've had a cold 6 time in the past 6 years previous to coming here. For some reason or another, I'm always sick here.

There are probably a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is the fact that I work in an elementary school. But foreigners here suspect other reasons as well.

Koreans don't stay home from work or school when they are sick. They power through, which means that often my co-workers and students are at school complaining about their cold while they're at school. In Korea, people go to work when they're sick, prolonging their illness, making it difficult to get any work done in the workplace, and spreading their illness so that others are in the same situation. In America, when we're sick, we stay HOME so we don't spread our sickness to those around us, and we get better faster. This means that when we get back to work, we are free of sickness and ready to tackle our work more efficiently, not to mention more enjoyably, than we would if we did so while we were sick. This is the Western philosophy.

Maybe Koreans are immune to more sicknesses and don't get sick at the drop of a hat like I seem to when I'm here. If so, it works for them and their country hasn't been whiped out with plague-like sickness, so it seems not to be a large scale problem. But as for me, I'll be glad to get back to the place my body and immune system is used to, and hopefully spend less time coughing and sneezing very soon.

This concept, of what English must sound like to people who don't speak it or understand it, has been my obsession while I've lived in Korea. What in the world must non English-speaking Koreans hear when me and my friends have conversations? Then, I found this video, and my wondering is over. I love how romantic and glamorous English seems when I can't understand it. (disclaimer: the video contains a brief moment of explicit language.)

Even in my most poor and destitute college semesters when I couldn't even afford laundry detergent, I found a way to afford a regular fix of Starbucks. I know. It seems crazy, but before I committed to coming to Korea, there was one question to which I had to know that answer, and that was, "is there a Starbucks in Cheonan?" When I found out the answer was yes, I was ready to go.

However, Starbucks just isn't the same in Korea. It's not that they don't carry Christmas blend (they do) or that they don't have attractive baristas like in the states (oh, they do). It's that:

1. They don't accept Starbucks cards.

For those unfamiliar with the Starbucks card, it's not a credit card. Neither is it a point card: not really, anyway. Even it's most avid users only slowly accumulate some kind of status graduation. It's kind of a glorified gift card. You put cash on it, use it, reload it, reuse it. That's pretty much it. HOWEVER. There's something about putting a $20 bill on your card, and not having to wince when you spend $4 on a Starbucks drink for the next 5 purchases. It's like pulling off the bandaid, then feeling like your coffee is free for 2 weeks. Plus, my Starbucks card is very special, because it has ME on it. I had it made during Starbucks' brief promotion, "design your own Starbucks card." I'm probably the only person who took advantage of this, because every barista that has ever seen the card does a double take, then asked me what it is and where I got it. It has a cartoon girl with dirty blonde hair, like me, wearing a green scarf and walking down a cartoon city street. On it is a quote from the song "The Rainbow Connection": "...the lovers, the dreamers, and me."

It's not accepted in Korean Starbucks.

2. There's no pumpkin spice latte.

I wrote a letter to Starbucks a couple of months ago, explaining that there are a lot of North Americans living in Cheonan who would appreciate and purchase many a pumpkin spice latte should Starbucks offer them. I also mentioned in the e-mail that Korean people love pumpkin, and that the latte would surely be a hit.

I got an automated response and no pumpkin spice latte.

3. It's hella expensive.

If you think Starbucks is expensive in America, try having your favorite beverage in Korea. To achieve the exact, perfectly American-tasting Starbucks latte apparently requires a lot of importing, which I pay for every time I buy a normal cafe latte for $5.50. Some of you smart asses out there will probably say that a latte from Starbucks is $7 in NYC. But this blog isn't about NYC, now is it? Plus, I wouldn't spend $7 on a latte either. obviously.

4. No customizable drinks.

This my friends, is the real, true reason why Starbucks just isn't the same in Korea. I could deal with the previous 3 reasons if it weren't for this, reason number 4. What can I say? It's the deal breaker. Here's why.

The very, very (almost necessarily) customizable drink at Starbucks is it's hook. People go to Starbucks because it makes them feel like their opinions are respected. Their preferences matter. If you want a double decaf soy sugar-free vanilla latte, it's coming up! If you prefer your venti iced chai with caramel syrup and whipped cream, that's what you get. If you ask me, that's what I'm paying all that money per latte for: to be a totally picky, stuck-up customer. That's my right as a Starbucks customer and that's why I keep going back.

Koreans don't customize their food and beverage. It's well-known around here that if you order your burger without pickles or onions, you're going to be disappointed. Did you ask for extra cheese? Too bad. More than one packet of ketchup? Sorry. In Korea, There's a Korean food called kimbap that, if you didn't know better, you might think is sushi upon first glance. I like to eat it with soy sauce, like sushi. But Koreans do not eat it with soy sauce. That's just not how you eat kimbap. Every time I order it for the first time at a new kimbap restaurant, the server just looks at me like I'm mistaken. It's like they're thinking, "either she didn't mean to say 'kimbap', or she didn't mean to say 'soy sauce.' it can't be that she actually likes her kimbap with soy sauce." Kimbap just isn't eaten with soy sauce. burgers just have pickles and onions on them.

Between that and the language barrier, there's no chance I'll be getting a grande soy decaf no-whip caramel macchiato anytime soon.

What I realized in Korea is that my love for Starbucks doesn't really have that much to do with coffee. well, it does. but it's so much more than that. The ability I have in the states to order the exact drink that I like, in English, to a barista that will make it again for me if it wasn't exactly what I wanted, is wholly American. Americans come from all different places and walks of life, and we like our coffee made differently. Starbucks is the place where someone listens to what I want, and (for about four bucks) gives it to me. He doesn't question why I drink it that way, or why I apparently deem the default caramel macchiato (served with the Starbucks standard of 2% milk, and whipped cream) inferior. He accepts me as an individual. He takes my Starbucks card with the cartoon picture of me on it, swipes it, then writes my name on my cup, as if that specific combination of drink preferences belongs to me. because at Starbucks, it does.