On Saturday I fly back to Ireland for my summer holidays and I'm bracing myself for a whole heap of emotional and sensory mind f*%#ery to occur.
I've lived away from home for years but before moving to Korea, I was always either a long bus ride or a short hop, skip and a Ryanair jump from home. I was able to head back for a long weekend every 5/6 months or so. I was close enough that Christmas with my family could be taken for granted. Similarily, wherever I was living was within easy visiting distance for my family and friends.
Most of my time abroad was spent living in Scotland, with brief forays into Wales and the south of England. While these countries are of course different from Ireland, by no possible stretch of the imagination could they be called exotic or or even unfamiliar.
So now I find myself wondering: what is going to catch my attention first when I land in Dublin?
I'm also curious to see what my family will notice about me. How have I changed in the 18 months I've been away? Will I transition smoothly from Korea to Ireland or will odd bits of Han detritus pop to the surface unexpectedly?
I do suspect that they will notice quite a few Americanisms in my speech, a natural side effect when 90% of the ex-pats you socialise with are Yanks. I'm ashamed to admit it, but in the previous paragraph I actually typed 'store' before I caught myself and changed it to 'shop'. Sigh.
On the flip side of the coin, will I find myself missing Korea? And if so, what will I miss the most?
See?! I told you there was a lot goin on in this head!
And that's not even counting the whole family kettle of fish - how amazing it will be to see them after a year and a half; how jarring it will feel to be confronted with all that I have missed in that same time; how it's going to hurt like a bitch to leave them again in two weeks.
Aigoo!! I'm typing this up in the transfer lounge of Hong Kong airport, one third of the way home and I'm already too tired to process all of this existential naval gazery.
So I'm going to find a restaurant, fill ma belly and revel in the luxury of just sitting still and being surrounded by conversations going on in Cantonese, Korean, English, French, Dutch and Hindi. And that's all within 6 feet! Bliss!!
Ta ta for now!
I've lived away from home for years but before moving to Korea, I was always either a long bus ride or a short hop, skip and a Ryanair jump from home. I was able to head back for a long weekend every 5/6 months or so. I was close enough that Christmas with my family could be taken for granted. Similarily, wherever I was living was within easy visiting distance for my family and friends.
Most of my time abroad was spent living in Scotland, with brief forays into Wales and the south of England. While these countries are of course different from Ireland, by no possible stretch of the imagination could they be called exotic or or even unfamiliar.
So now I find myself wondering: what is going to catch my attention first when I land in Dublin?
- Seeing white people EVERYWHERE??!!
- Being able to understand every conversation going on around me - that one could become exhausting! In Korea I have become used to living in a little bubble of white noise, only understanding the occasional snippet around me if I consciously tune in to it.
- Going into a shop and being able to read the labels! (heady stuff, I tell ya!)
- Going into a house and leaving my shoes ON!
I'm also curious to see what my family will notice about me. How have I changed in the 18 months I've been away? Will I transition smoothly from Korea to Ireland or will odd bits of Han detritus pop to the surface unexpectedly?
I do suspect that they will notice quite a few Americanisms in my speech, a natural side effect when 90% of the ex-pats you socialise with are Yanks. I'm ashamed to admit it, but in the previous paragraph I actually typed 'store' before I caught myself and changed it to 'shop'. Sigh.
On the flip side of the coin, will I find myself missing Korea? And if so, what will I miss the most?
See?! I told you there was a lot goin on in this head!
And that's not even counting the whole family kettle of fish - how amazing it will be to see them after a year and a half; how jarring it will feel to be confronted with all that I have missed in that same time; how it's going to hurt like a bitch to leave them again in two weeks.
Aigoo!! I'm typing this up in the transfer lounge of Hong Kong airport, one third of the way home and I'm already too tired to process all of this existential naval gazery.
So I'm going to find a restaurant, fill ma belly and revel in the luxury of just sitting still and being surrounded by conversations going on in Cantonese, Korean, English, French, Dutch and Hindi. And that's all within 6 feet! Bliss!!
Ta ta for now!
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