Day 101: Life in Korea 101

So I've officially passed the 100-day mark! Wow! For some reason it feels like a landmark to me. It's definitely the longest amount of time I've ever spent outside Canada, and by the time my Asian leg of the tour is up, it will have been the longest time spent apart from my family, my Canadian friends, and my Western comfort zone. It feels like it's flown by, yet at the same time I feel like it's been 3 years, just with all the cool stuff I've been up to. I sure have packed a lot of experiences and sights into just 100 days! I can't imagine how it's gonna feel after one full year here - will I be itching to leave, or will it still all feel new and undiscovered?

I'm still very much the foreigner here, but Seoul feels less and less foreign with each passing day. I can get around town without any difficulty. I know where to go for shopping. I have favourite restaurants and coffee houses, favourite streets and neighbourhoods. I know where to go to surround myself in the hustle and bustle of glorious Asian madness. I know where to go to escape to relax and unwind. I know where to take the tourists to show off the city, and I know where the secret hideaways are that only 'locals' know about. I may not speak very much Korean, but I know enough key words to get me by, and more importantly, to get me out of awkward situations! This city and this country and this culture, some days, are still strange and confusing and distressing, but those days are becoming fewer and fewer. I have adjusted and accepted. I have been thrilled and have thrived. I have been corrupted and I have conquered. I have embraced and I have experienced.

And yet there is still so much to see! So much more to learn! So many things left to experience! I don't think anyone could ever complain of boredom here. In a city this big, in a culture this different and foreign, there is *always* something new left to discover. Stones still remain, waiting to be turned over. Streets and alleys still stand, begging to be explored. Entire neighbourhoods remain that I have yet to step foot into. It's all very exciting and inspiring and wondrous.

I'm certainly nowhere near an expert, but again, I feel pretty proud of myself for what I've been able to accomplish so far. I've learned a lot, and feel like I can offer a lot of tips and information to someone who's just arriving here, another foreigner who's 'fresh off the boat.' Maybe I should start offering courses? (Life In Korea 101!)

I have one of my best friends from back home, Henry, coming to visit me this weekend, and I'm looking forward to touring him around Seoul. He'll be my first (and probably only) official guest coming to visit me from back home, and it will be a good test of my knowledge of the city, on what to see, how to get around, etc. It'll be a little strange at the same time though, someone from my life back home coming into contact with my new life here in Korea. Talk about 'Two World Collide!' I'm looking forward to it for sure anyway - it will be a fun and memorable weekend most definitely. :-)