I’ll miss the fashion. I don’t have to wear the high heels to enjoy them and the sound they make. Same with the suits and the skirts and the other stylish clothes.
I’ll miss the public transportation. It’s wonderful to be able to live perfectly well without a car. Maybe I should stay here until I get married and really need a car.
I’ll miss the automatic friendships I can make with anyone from America. I love the closeness that comes from being a foreigner and a minority.
I’ll miss the crowds. For some people, the crowds in Seoul are too crazy. I enjoy them. I enjoy seeing hundreds of people scurrying in the same direction. I enjoy seeing hundreds of people scurrying in opposite directions too.
I’ll miss being able to tune out the conversations around me. It would be awesome to speak Korean, but there are advantages to not knowing the language.
I’ll miss working, as in teaching, only four hours and ten minutes a day. I’m at work longer than that, but the actual class time is short.
I’ll miss not having any serious bills to pay. It’s going to be hard to pay significant amounts of money for stuff like car insurance, gas, rent, even taxes.
I’ll miss the nice, easy, round prices, like ₩10,000 instead of $9.99. And in Korea, tax is already included. And so is the tip. I’ll miss that.
I’ll miss the option to fly somewhere exotic – Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, or somewhere like that – for a weekend adventure. I’ll miss busing across the entire country in half a day.
I’ll miss Korean food, especially the crazy street food. At home, Korean food is more expensive, not as easy to find, and not as good. We don’t use cool, metal chopsticks either.
I’ll miss the constant reminder to learn more Korean. My Korean is horrible and always will be, but I appreciate the opportunity to try it in real life every, single day.
I’ll miss the children who say hello to me on the street. I’ll miss the ladies at the bank who try so hard to help me. I’ll miss the men who offer to buy drinks.
I’ll miss the dongdongju.
I’ll miss the noraebongs and the K-Pop.
I’ll miss IWE, growth groups, and coffee afterward.
I’ll miss my students. I’ll miss my co-workers. I’ll miss my friends.
I’ll miss getting up way too early, staying out way too late, and taking a taxi home from way too far away.
I’ll miss Korea.
