Sunday

I wonder if other travelers feel the same way.  It's quite disappointing.  I came to South Korea for one reason.  To teach English?  No.  My job is simply a means to an income.  I came here to have an adventure.  To feel different.  To experience life in a different way.  To see things I've never seen before.  I would be lying if I said Mr. Banaszak's 7th grade English class had nothing to do with the fact that I often wonder what the stars look like from the other side of the world, or what it feels like to breath the air after finding my way out of Mirkwood.  Jessica is a good wife.  She will often go along with my compulsive behavior because I constantly want to take a different route across town to Homeplus.  I have a need to see what else is out there, to have an adventure.  I'm like an addict.  Curse you Bilbo.

Often times Jessica and I will go out for groceries and spot a narrow alleyway winding through cramped houses.  We always take a detour to see what lies at the other end of the path.  It's just so fascinating to us.  And so it is most disappointing when I cannot conjure up the feeling that I really am 12,000 miles from home.  In all honesty, probably 96% of our time here has felt like we are living in any random city in America.  Sure, I've never seen so many Asian people or octopus vendors in my life.  I don't use forks anymore, and it will take some getting used to when we return home and once again understand everything that everyone is saying.  But all this considered, I rarely feel like I'm somewhere different.

Yesterday Jessica and I were exploring Punggi (Poon-gee), the next town over from Yeongju.  We were attempting to go to Sobaek National Park but we did not exit the bus at the right time.  Regardless, the day was not wasted.  We were standing on a hill in front of Dongyang University overlooking the town and the surrounding mountains.  The wind blew across my face and the afternoon sun was in my eyes.  For a moment, probably no more than 3 seconds, I felt it.  We were travelers for that instant.  We were exploring the Orient.  I tried my best to hold on.  But it was gone, escaped from my feeble and disoriented attempt to hold it.

So this is now my aim in this season of life...to get what I came here for.