Coke And The Promise Of Hope

I've been in South Korea now for two weeks. Frankly, it seems like much longer. I have a hard time remembering being home now. If you have never been so completely away from home it's hard to understand. Being on vacation is different, knowing that you will be home in 2 weeks makes all the difference. Being away for one year seems like such a long time to pass, and it's going by oh so slowly.

The strangest thing about being so far away from home and so far removed for me is the language barrier. Maybe it's the sheer amount of new things, but I cannot for the life of me keep any Korean words in my head. The only new word I learned is "bop" which is rice. People tell me new words, and they go in one ear and out the other. It is strange to be somewhere and to not speak your native language. I spend all weekend not speaking English. It's strange to not hear and not speak your own language. Yesterday at the immigration office in Suwon, I saw my first "Europeans" since entering Korea. I was so excited, it was a bit pathetic and rediculous. I didn't know these people but I searched their faces for a clue, anything, that told me they were experiencing the same thing. It was strange.

When you're in such a strange place, anything familiar becomes a life raft, promising hope that things will get better. I had a coke the other day. It was sitting in my fridge, getting good and cold. All day I thought about that coke, and how great it was going to be. I don't especially like coke, but it was something familiar. I've never tasted anything so good in my life. There's a Pizza Hut here in Anseong. That's for next time. I have to see if it's the same, or at least similar enough to give me the same reaction. Anything that is familiar. I've experienced too much new for such a short period of time. It's time for the familiar to give me a sense of security and belonging.