May 1, 2013.
This marks two years since I first moved out of the United States.
I’m pausing. I’m pausing and reflecting.
- I remember how I felt that first day in Korea, that first day after landing.
- I remember writing about being halfway finished with living halfway around the world. Only now am I realizing I was only a quarter of that way to where I am now, which still isn’t finished yet.
- I remember friends leaving Korea, and then I remember leaving friends in Korea. Learning how to pull that off was hard. I’m still learning it, but I’m not even sure I want to get good at it.
- I remember Bangkok and Thailand, Vientiane and Laos, Siem Reap and Cambodia, and all the people and friends I met along the way. I’ll remember how settled I felt in some of those moments there. I’ll always look back on those weeks as some of the most adventurous in my life, at least up to that point.
- I remember coming back to Korea for a wedding, coming back and living on roughly 16 hours of sleep total for those last eight days in Asia. What a trip, with so much packed in, so many emotions and experiences.
It felt odd going back to Louisville but not as odd as I thought. It felt scary moving to Saudi Arabia but, also, not as scary as I thought. I completed my Master’s and parlayed that into my position working for McGill in the Kingdom. Getting back helped going again.
I learned a lot that first trip through Asia. I’m learning a lot on the other side as well.
It’s been two years since I first moved abroad.
I’m pausing, reflecting, and continuing forward.
