Time to get mofuggin' serious up in this bizZznatch

Hrrrmm.... loads of thoughts.
It's kind of crazy and strange to think about exactly how fast I've become accustomed to my surroundings. I feel as if I've been here forever as I'm gaining familiarity.. with every day feeling like it's becoming part of the distant past. Some things that only happened a month ago almost feels like they didn't happen.. it just seems SO INCREDIBLY LONG AGO.

I was having a conversation about this exact thing with a friend here.. and he agreed that the transition was surprisingly a lot simpler and smoother than we would have ever anticipated. He also had the same fear that I did.. that maybe BECAUSE the transition was so easy, perhaps it meant that it was time to reevaluate our lives back at home.. maybe we're not heading in the direction that we need to be going in because.. shouldn't there be things that we just can't live without? I don't know.. but the more I think about it, the more I'm confirming the idea in my head that things were pretty great back at home. When people ask me about where I'm from, only good things spring to my mind. Maybe the reason why the transition was so smooth wasn't because things at home weren't great, but maybe it speaks volumes of us as people.. our inner strength and therefore, our ability to adapt to new situations and surroundings.

So, yeh. I have to get serious for a second. I promise this won't happen that often.. since for some of you, it may be out of character for me or whateverrrrs. I honestly feel so proud of myself and for all the numerous amounts of others who are studying abroad/have studied abroad/lived abroad/etc. To step out of your comfort zone and do something that you talked about always wanting to do, really is nothing short of an amazing feat. Most of us didn't come here to escape any horrible atrocities back at home, but rather to gain new perspectives and to ultimately try to better yourself as a person. Upon closer inspection, it seems like most people had it pretty good back at home as well... so to come out to a place where you're experiencing such a culture shock.. where you're facing all sorts of barriers: cultural, language, everything... it's really great to see ..and it creates an almost instant respect from me(which most people who know me know that it isn't easy to come by) So whatever crutch people think they might have come with(having family here, knowing the language, coming with a friend, whatever..), you still put yourself out there to confront who you are as a person and to really take a look at your life. Everyone should feel proud of themselves because hey.. we're freaking warriors. This isn't to say that anyone who hasn't done this is NOT a brave person or a warrior in their own right.

It's funny because some of the things I miss the most are also some of the things that I love the most about being in Korea. IE, familiarity and knowing what to do. It's almost as if every thing you do here, from the most mundane tasks such as ordering in a restauraunt or doing laundry, is an adventure. It's an obstacle to overcome, a mountain to climb, a bear to wrestle.. heh. And every day, things are getting that much easier so it's like instant gratification.

Another strange thing is how I feel as if I can do whatever I want, say whatever I want, wear whatever I want, act however I want... essentially BE whatever I want because no one can really think or say otherwise. O.k. well duh, I know there are certain ethical and moral parameters.. although what are ethics and morals really? (shit, that'll be a topic for later, or maybe on this blog.. never) But it's really weird and kind of fun.. It's refreshing to know that you can tweak your personality to your likings or perhaps even dislikings and nobody will really be able to tell the difference and say "No. This isn't you.. or well, not REALLY you." Insert obligatory friend remarks here, right? "Oh Hannah.. we love who you are.. don't change!", "Gee golly gosh, you sure are neat." But, yeh. I know what my core is like as a person but at the same time, it'll be interesting to see where I am in a year from now... because I truly believe that you learn and grow(or are stunted) by and from experience. Experience is the mother of all knowledge... errrr, forget who says that. O.k. well now it's 4 am and I really ought to get to bed so... take care everybody! E-hugs all around the world.