What happened?

What happened?

Remember when government used to be "for the people?" What happened to the ideals of those who drafted the constitution? Those who thought a "representative" body would consider the needs of their constituency and not the outdated ideas of the party hardliners or the businesses that fuel their re-election campaigns?

What happened to equality? Equality in gender, orientation, marriage, race and beliefs seem to be on constant attack. Believe what you want to believe, but why actively believe in taking away someone else's happiness or options? We have come such a long way with civil rights, why backtrack now? Why do we ignore that the majority of this country supports LGBQT rights but decision makers still think that the Bible trumps all? The Bible also says it is a sin to wear clothes made from two different types of material, but you don't see conservative christian fashion police protesting Macy's new summer catalog.

What happened to personal privacy? What happened to outrage over the Patriot act? If the government wants to facebook stalk me like a jealous ex that's fine, but at least leave me passive aggressive photo comments to show me you still care.

What happened to education? Remember when our parents said we could always fall back on a college degree? You may have forgotten, because that was 80,000 dollars in loans ago. Perhaps we should live within our means, but when our means are barely enough to make ends meet each month, why not try and strive to do better? Why should the government and big banks be making 7% interest on student loans, and then refuse to hire people at entry level wage because the CEOs need a raise?

Why is it that a group of people who are a majority of older white males get to make the decisions that affect the lives of thousands of women (and men) who are convinced they have a say in the matter but when they exercise the right of petition it falls on deaf ears? Why, when a woman does  come into a position of power, the focus is first on her appearance, then on her morals, and finally on her words and ideas.

Why don't people think for themselves? Disagree with me until the cows come home, but don't do it because of something you heard from Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Joe Scarborough or even James Carville. Why don't people take the initiative to check their facts, as opposed to blindly telling everyone the nation made a huge mistake electing a black Kenyan muslim to the white house?

Why is it that I can travel around the world, and meet amazing people of all walks of life, and explore insanely awesome places, but still think that I am from the best country on Earth? Why is it that when I hear about these ridiculous things happening in the USA, whether it be the name of Kim and Kanye's child, Paula Deen's former days as a racist chef, Wendy Davis's struggle to have the State Legislature of Texas listen to what she has to say, or the NSA flagging me as a potential threat for this exact facebook comment, I still think that I wouldn't want my passport to represent any other nation.

What happened? We all stopped caring. We do what I am doing now. We talk shit on our various social media outlets and hope that someone will like our posts and then we can feel better about our opinions at the end of the day. We think that nothing we can do matters. We think that everything is beyond our control...because it is.

But the reason I love being from the US, is because we have proven ourselves before and we can do it again. We can take control back, albeit ever so slightly. We can come together and cheer for 15 minutes to delay a sexist bill in a state legislature. We can lend our ears to protesters in countries like Brazil and Turkey so they know we support their fight for freedom also. We can educate ourselves on the places we find so scary, like why Syria is in ruins and China isn't as much of a threat to our economy as we would like to believe it is. We can shut down a whole city to find a terrorist suspect to make sure they never attack innocent lives again. We can pay less attention to useless celebrities and pay more attention to social issues and how they REALLY affect our lives. We can make it known that things like rape, abuse, violence, murder and terrorism are not tolerable, and focus on the victims of these offenses as opposed to those who just want their 15 minutes of fame or want to use tragedy for personal or political gain. We can pay each other fair wages, not because of any government mandate, but because business owners should recognize that an assistant who works overtime and goes above and beyond the call of duty can be paid more than 30,000 a year, if you cut down on a fraction of the 7 figure income of the CEOs who sit at their desks all day or meet other big wigs for golf meetings. We can rely on government not for handouts, but for help in pursuing greater goals, without having to sell a pound of flesh, or pay insane student loan interest rates, to do so.

Let's all stop trying to take away each other's rights and liberties. Let's stop making this such a game of tug-o-war. Let's re-prioritize the country and where we stand. I love the USA so much, sometimes I wish it would love me back just a little bit more.

What happened? Nothing in response to every... and that's the biggest problem.

:::trips off soapbox:::

An Asshole Abroad

Ok, so before I begin, if you haven't already gathered...I'm kind of an asshole.

If we are to divide my emotional output, I would say I am about 65% Asshole, 20% Wicked nice, and 15% indifferent towards my general interactions. As you can see, being an asshole usually trumps most of my interactions (see previous posts).

Additionally, I have previously noted my irrational pet peeves, however, there is one particular thing that I have experienced specifically in my travels abroad, and in Korea is occurs with an overwhelming frequency.

You see, around the world, everyone wants to learn English. Regardless if they hate the western world or not, English is a desired skill to obtain purely for their own selfish benefits or for the benefit of potential business and income. In a homogeneous culture such as Korea, I am an easily identifiable English Speaker, and thus, people assume that I wish to engage in meaningless conversation with them.

This is not a problem for those I work with or interact with on a daily basis. For example, my pharmacist, "Danny," speaks a bit of English, and I happily speak with him as he gives me drugs. The coffee shop people try their hand at a few comments about the weather and give me a free waffle. Everyone is happy.

Yet, a large segment of the population of randos that I encounter on my daily walkabouts see me and must misread my "headphones on and shut off from the rest of the world" look to mean "Hey, I would love to hear about what you bought at the store the other day stranger!" look.

Let me further explain. Almost every day, people I DON'T know, or BARELY know, try and have full on conversations with me in broken English about things I don't give a flying fuck about.

Mom sorry for saying fuck, but just brace yourself for this post, because I am an asshole.

So say I am in the middle of the desert. In my pocket is a bunch of flying fucks. Don't ask me specifically what these look like, perhaps they are merely 3D words with wings attached...I don't know use your imagination. Anyways, I have these fucks packed to the rim in my pocket-full-o-fucks, and I am happily skipping about the desert with my fucks happy as a clam.

All of a sudden, I reach a Korean stranger. This stranger is starving, perhaps thirsty, in a rough way. The only thing that could feed them and restore their health is a conversation about how Kimchi is the best food in the world, and just one small flying fuck from my cornucopia of fucks. 

Here I am, in the desert, at a crossroads of life, wondering if I should give a fuck to this stranger. I mean, oh well, it's just one right?

Nope, I skip away, cackling my evil cackle, giving from my bag of fucks to puppies and kitties I see along my way, but none to the strangers with nothing to say.

"Annie you are an awful human, it can't be that bad, what is 3 minutes to someone who is just interested about you and your life? You should be nicer, just take some time to talk about the weather or the trees or something and let them enjoy their day."

No.

For those of you with this mentality, you are either in your first 3 months in a foreign land, or you are rolling on happy pills, because that is not the way this works.

Every day I deal with these nonsense conversations, and the Korean language is very different from English, both syntactically and grammatically, so all the while during these conversations I have to puzzle piece together what they are trying to say, and after all that effort of trying to figure out their message, I realize I STILL don't care about whatever it is they are talking about. AND usually these repeat offenders just tell me the same things over and over.

Take for example this nice woman who smiled at me on the street one day. I see her almost daily, because she works near me. Typically she spots me on my morning commute, when I have my headphones on and am still trying to wake up. Most people would be able to gauge that I am in no mood to entertain these pointless talks...but not her. Now don't get me wrong, she is very nice, but she will sit next to me on the bus or train and interrupt my morning song rotation. Here is an example of our daily interaction.

Korean Lady -Herro
Me- Hi
Korean Lady ::::rapid fire korean::::
Me :::blank stare:::
Korean Lady- My english no good.
Me- My Korean is not good either.
Korean Lady :::rapid fire korean and struggling to think of English words::::
Me :::blank stare:::
Korean Lady- Today rain.
Me- Yup, it's definitely raining.
Korean Lady- My english no good,
Me- Mmm hmm.
Korean lady- Yesterday Homeplus.
Me- You went to homeplus yesterday?
Korean lady- yes.
Me- cool
Korean lady- sale on underwear.
Me- cool
Korean lady :::rapid fire korea:::;
Me- Sorry I gotta go...do...something...bye


EVERY DAY. If only they could read my internal dialogue. "Stop speaking to me in Korean, you know I don't speak in Korean. Ya I know it's raining, it sucks because I am going to work in the rain, you don't have to rub it in. Ya I know your English isn't good, trust me, I was able to pick up on that. You went to homeplus to buy underwear? What would make you think that is a conversation I would like to continue with you. Do you want me to ask you what kind of underwear you got? What colors? Because none of these follow up questions I could potentially ask you would help me care about this interaction any more. why can't we just half-heartedly acknowledge each others presence and then let me continue to stare out the window."

The fact of the matter is, the people who typically have these conversations with me don't actually care for me or want to know about me, they just see me as a walking textbook, someone they can just blindly practice their skills with. They think that I enjoy educating people, and will do it freely for anyone. They think if they speak to me for 5 minutes everyday, that they will somehow gain fluency in a language. They look to me as a free on the street tutor.

Sometimes they even try and masquerade as wanting a new friendship to further their skills. One time I was out at a restaurant with Chelsea and a man comes and sits next to us, spouting off the same useless shit about not knowing English etc. Then he says (or tries to) "We can get coffee and you can help me with my English and I will help you with Korean."

They think if they "befriend" us that free English lessons will ensue.

Our response...

"Ok, well we typically charge 30,000 won for half hour lessons, 50,000 for hour long sessions."

Blank stares ensue

"But we are friends, I can help you with Korean and you can help me with English"

"Oh I don't care about learning Korean. We are teachers so ya."

Never heard from again.


It becomes less of a conversation, than someone just talking at me. And at this point, my time is my money, and unless you are going to pay me for this conversation, then stop talking. No principal, I don't the English name for that tree...because I am not a damn botanist. No coteacher, I don't care if you think that mountain looks like a man lying down. No person on the street, I don't give a shit about if your sister's ex neighbor now lives in Alaska. And hey, if you still want to tell me I am a bad person after all this? Ya I don't really care about that either.

LoVe YoU BiAtChEz!!!!!


Annie G

Being Unmarried in Asia

Korean stranger- "You beautiful! Big eyes, small face, high nose. Strong body. Married?"

Me- "Well thank you stranger. No I am not married."

Korean stranger- "WHY NOT? WHY NOT MARRIED"

my mind- "Well, after struggling with the idea of giving up my independence for many years, I entered into a series of disappointing relationships that ended in betrayal, verbal abuse, or all around disaster. This caused not only trust issues with members of the opposite sex, but also a strong fear of commitment. In my later years, I began to question the institution of marriage as a whole, seeing as how divorce rates are high, marriage opportunities are not universally equal, and the historic significance of marriage is typically misogynistic and objectifies women. Not only that, but to have a wedding in this day and age is extremely expensive, and due to the current economy and most people in my age bracket being unemployed or underemployed, it isn't a worthwhile expenditure at the time when most of my income goes towards paying off the crippling debt I incurred whilst earning a Bachelor's degree at one of the top universities in the nation. That degree, which I worked so hard for and will be paying off for at least the next 15 years, will be much better served in my ongoing quest for accomplishing my future career goals, as opposed to settling down with a boyfriend who's motives I doubt due to my aforementioned aversion to commitment, and then struggling to share finances during a time of economic depression. In fact, being only 25 years old, I feel as though I could work hard to ensure I am financially stable and independent before I need to tie the knot with someone."

Me- "Oh, I don't know. Maybe soon!"


DIRECTIONS: Listen and repeat at least 6 times a day.

Walking down the street...

So anyone who knows me personally, knows that I have my...ahem...quirks. Let me give you some examples:

I hate when my ankles are touched without my permission.
If I see spines I get very nauseous and pass out.
I hate saying goodbye to someone and then having to walk in the same direction.
I prefer if people don't rub my skin the "wrong" way.
DON'T point at me if I don't know you and ESPECIALLY don't point your finger in my face.
I am a short person, so if you use me as an armrest prepare to die. It's not cute, it's not original, it's just a blatant display of douchebaggery.
I don't like it when people grab on to me and don't let go.
In general, if people try to pop my personal space bubble I get fairly perturbed.
Face-talkers...are...awful.

As you can gather, many of these quirks are related to my personal space. As my previous posts have discussed, this has been a constant source of trouble in my life here in Korea. Now I won't go into my issues with people pushing or shoving again, but I would like to tell you about the most frustrating and angering thing that has happened to me in the past 3 months...

And it all started while I was walking down the street...

3 of the 5 days of the work week, I walk to and from the train station to get my connecting transportation to my school. This is about a 3km walk each way, and as someone who enjoys the meditative nature of long walks, I look forward to this alone time.

On Monday, May 6th, I was enjoying my daily walk home. The sun was shining, the air was comfortably warm, and I had my ipod pumping through my headphones on shuffle, which is always a fun twist on my daily soundtrack. Now, because I have taken to walking an average of 10km each night (there's not a lot to do in this town) I have mastered the "walk and change music" technique on my ipod.

So there I am, jauntily walking down the street, when I felt the presence of someone walking behind me. This is a fairly common occurrence when strolling in a public place, and also, I understand that people can walk at a variety of paces. During a pass by on a narrow sidewalk, there is usually a few seconds of overlapping awkwardness where two strangers walk side by side and attempt to not acknowledge each other, and then, usually the passer, continues on their slightly faster pace and gains enough ground ahead to no longer be within the same walking realm of discomfort.

This particular pedestrian, knew not of these rules.

He appeared to be in highschool, probably 16 years old (although being Korean he could have likely been 28 or 11) and old enough to know better. I felt him approach me, and while I had my headphones in, I could hear his steps grow faster. His pace would soon overpower mine, and I braced myself for the inevitable takeover. Sure enough, he came up on my left and quickly pulled ahead of me.

Fine, I was prepared to deal with this, but then a most interesting thing happened. When he reached a point about 5 feet ahead of me, he abruptly stopped, appearing to change a song on his MP3 player. As a seasoned music changer, I continued my path, and did the ever-so-rare reclaim of my walking lead.

It was then that a strange thing occurred. This young man, having now assumed a position several feet behind me, briskly walked forward to pass me again. It was at that point, once he passed me for the second time, that he slowed down in pace once more, at one point stopping immediately in front of my path.

Needless to say, I found this mildly irritating, and thus, I continued my constant pace and walked by him once again. Him, upon noticing my lead, repeated his brisk walk to pass me once more, and then repeated his following action of then slowing down once in front of me.

By the 3rd round of this cat and mouse game, I was visibly annoyed. "Move Bitch" by Ludacris conveniently came on my Ipod, which I interpreted as an obvious sign from God. It is at this point that I began to exhibit a behavior common to foreigners in other countries, which is the audible cussing in English that you assume others do not understand.

Not even joking, this continued for 15 minutes, at which point I was now invested, and began to up my pace just so that kid wouldn't try to pass me again. Back and forth we went, silently trying to one-up the other in the sidewalk death match of the ages. Finally, he took his chance, and set off in a full sprint ahead of me.

He had won the battle, but he had not won the war, for in the end, even though he far surpassed me in distance, he will still have to battle with his constant struggle of complete social awkwardness for his remaining teenage years, and likely the rest of his life.

The World is a Dangerous and Beautiful place

Well, as you all know, I am currently residing in (yet another) country technically at war. The Korean War ended in 1953, not in a treaty, but in an armistice, basically saying let's just cut this country in half and try not to screw up either side.

Well, at first the South was all messed up, slipping into a devastating economy and having to rely on foreign forces to pull them up by their bootstraps. As the economy of South Korea grew, the Kim family regime in the North helped to oppress their population into the most isolated and destitute nations in the world. People died by the thousands during a famine in the 1990s, as Kim Jong Il would have lobsters airlifted to him daily. Koreans get shot trying to cross the border into China, where, if they are captured, they are repatriated back to North Korea where they are executed, tortured or forced into hard labor in the many gulags. All the while, the elite stand around, saying they are the best, that the American bastards are the enemy, and that war with the imperialist pigs is imminent (Their words).

So here I am, in a country under threat by a 30 something year old leader in the North is trying to prove to the world that the...ahem...asian stereotypes of size don't apply to him. We have spent the last few months seeing if all of his talk will amount to anything. People here in South Korea don't give him a second thought, as this rhetoric has been commonplace for years. Back home, I have friends and family about to buy me a plane ticket home because they are so worried about what they see in the hyped up media portrayal of the non-threating blob-o-kim jong un-reliable.

So all that is happening, and while most of our foreigners have ignored the warning from the North to evacuate, we have our necessary precautions: copies of our passports, an emergency escape suitcase, a general idea of where we will run to, a solid catch phrase we can shout at the opposing army (which could also be a great title to the inevitable memoir that will be written about our lives).

Many of us our homesick, myself included, especially as the weather warms up and you think about all the fun you have with friends and family at home. In fact, on Monday, April 15th, I fell asleep here in ticking-time-bomb South Korea, reminiscing about the good ol' days in Boston on Patriots Day...Marathon Monday...when we would all get wasted and wander around the city celebrating each other, the spring weather, the marathon runners, and life in general.

Well I woke up in ticking-time-bomb Korea to find that the bomb was detonated. As I was prepared to evacuate a nuclear war, there was danger at home, where we least expected it. Two homemade bombs were detonated near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people, and critically injuring dozens of others. At first I couldn't believe the news updates I was getting in my email. How could that happen? At an international charity event?

I spent the whole day upset, trying to make sure all my friends and family were accounted for, and trying to find out via the many sensationalized news networks what in the hell actually happened.

I watched the gruesome footage of the explosions, and I cried at the people who's lives were forever changed by this incident. I felt angered, that people feel the need to reek havoc on the lives of unexpected bystanders, of innocent children, and of people who are just trying to enjoy the best of life and help others in the process.

I try to promote peace and love. I try and be a good person. I try to treat others the way I would want to be treated.

But people who commit crimes like this are not people. The terrorists who attacked on 9/11 are not people. The gunmen at Newtown, Aurora, Virginia Tech, or the other various shooting locations are not people. The rebels destroying Damascus, or planting bombs in Ireland, Turkey, The United Kingdom, Pakistan or Afghanistan are not people. They are cockroaches, they are pieces of shit, they are heartless and soulless assholes who do not deserve to be treated as people. These people deserve punishment in the harshest of ways, because these are premeditated acts of anger, aggression and murder.

And as I felt this anger, and as I cried watching the people scrambling for their lives, I also felt pride. Pride in my city, pride in my country, and pride in humanity. Because as the attackers likely dropped the bombs and ran for their lives...strangers on the street risked theirs, and ran to the bomb sites to do anything they could to help the victims. Not just one stranger, not just the cops, but dozens of people immediately sprang into action. Marathon runners continued to run down Boylston to get to Mass General Hospital and donate blood. First responders were ready and willing to help in any way. And that, is amazing. That positive energy overcame my vengeful anger, and I remembered that even when people are acting like assholes after a big burrito dinner...there are awesome people all around us. The good far outweigh the bad, and while there is disaster all over the world, the good people in all of us will prevail. This I am sure.

So now, no one cares about Kim Jong Un's fanny wobble. No one cares about the intentions of the bombers. No one cares about the mental stability of the Newtown gunman. We care about each other. We care about the well being of our fellow man. We care about what we can do from here, how we can change and improve, and how we can try and prevent these tragedies in the future.

There will always be danger in the world. Most importantly, there will always be benevolence. This week has proven that. And the future will prove this as well.

I love that dirty water.

Stay safe everyone.

-G.

A life update

Hello everyone.

My sincerest apologies for yet another way overdue post. The thing about it is though, all drunken debauchery aside, life has been fairly boring lately. The winters here are dreary and bitterly cold, and while they don't last as long as a harsh New England winter, they are fairly uneventful. Not that I am using that as an excuse, I had all the time in the world to write something down, but why waste my time when there are so many cute pictures of cats on the internet to distract me!

The fact of the matter is that now the weather is warmer, and all of Korea has brightened spirits, no one more than myself. The new school year began in the beginning of March, where there was a major shift in all other teachers and principals, which was cool to have some fresh faces. Not so cool is the fact that none of my co-teachers now speak English (they are like my lifelines here) but I am making it work nonetheless.

Also strange, no one here seems to be even slightly concerned about North Korea, but I think that is an entirely different post all together.

Last weekend was St. Patrick's Day and my Birthday, which was just another example of starting off the night looking fly as hell, and ending the night looking like a trashy hooker who is addicted to Burger King. But that is also not surprising. And I met some Iraqi guy who claims to be Saddam Hussein's cousin. So ya...

The thing is, now that the weather is warming, a new sense of motivation and accomplishment is beginning to wash over me. I am finding that I am more ambitious (evident by this blog post) and just feel all around better.

What is also crazy is how fast a year can go by. This time in 2012, I was celebrating my birthday with my dear friend Melissa Kane. I was wasted by 11:30, passed out on the porch as my friends sang to me inside. Don't get me wrong, that night was hilarious, but it stuck out like a sore thumb.

A year ago, I was working 4 jobs, usually 80 hours a week and barely making ends meet. After getting laid off from the worst job of my life, I had to find a way to pay my mounting loan bills. I was doing anything I could to make a buck, I was depressed, I was overweight, I was going on dates with guys I didn't care about or even want to talk to. I was in the throws of a recent break up, and I felt like there was literally nothing I could do and no where I could go. I was an abuser, a user and an all around loser.

It's so strange to see pictures of me from 2011-the beginning of 2012. I almost can't recognize myself, and I can't believe I let myself go so much. Don't get me wrong, I still have a long way to go, and I still have my ups and downs, but hands down getting back on the travel wagon is what saved me.

But more so, I was able to realize that people you think you know really well, probably suck. And people you may not know as well, are awesome. In this past year, I have been able to appreciate the great family and friends I have, and how I would not be able to accomplish anything without their support.

So yes, there is no real funny stories or crazy antics I have gotten into as of late, but if you look at the big picture, I have been getting into trouble for 25 years, and the fact that I am still alive and going forward is cool enough :)


Also I think I'm going Bungee Jumping at the DMZ at the end of the month. Updates to come.

Love you all

G.


And here's some madness for you :)

Awkward Conversations

Some of you may be my friend on Facebook. If you are, you probably saw a recent status post regarding a certain Uzbek at my school. It was in the form of a hypothetical letter. For those of you who didn't see it, I shall copy that language here:

Dear Uzbek man who happens to be at my place of work today, 

While I was initially confused at your presence in my school, my confused stare was not an invitation for you to wait outside my classroom door, staring inside the window until you got my attention and I almost peed my pants from fear. Thank you for your attempt to speak Korean and broken English to me, asking how many children I have and when we can go to a restaurant together. While I am mildly intrigued about how you randomly showed up here, my interest is not piqued enough to continue this horrendously awkward conversation where you keep telling me you like my face and spelling out "LOVE" in the air and pointing at me. At this point, I am compelled to make up a "Hey I Just met you, and this is crazy.." joke...but it would surely go over your head, leaving me further disappointed and unwilling to mime my way through explanation of said joke.

Anyways, thanks for the memories. I am sure I will see you on the staircase again soon.

Until We Meet Again,

Annie G.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated occurrence. Time and time again in my travels, I experience similar situations of awkward smiling and nodding and broken pick up lines. Here in Korea, it has been particularly frequent. You see, often times, especially in areas where cultural diversity is severely lacking, people see someone who doesn't look like the rest of the crowd and think it is an open invitation for strained conversation and unwelcome come-ons. It often occurs here with older Korean men, and/or with people who have not-so-subtle ulterior-motives to simply try and learn English. However, it also happens with other foreigners who see a not-so-familiar face in hopes that our unspoken connection as "Waygookins" can bridge the glaring language barrier. 

ABP- it doesn't. 

I wish I could organize a conference with all of these awkward-conversation offenders and explain. Look, I get it. I have big eyes. You are shocked that you find me attractive despite the fact that I am fat. You think my smile is cute, but you hate America. You immediately must ask my marital status and when we can go out. But the thing is, and you may find this shocking, but I do NOT actually want to go on a date with you. This is not me being egotistical, because I am egotistical and I will be the first one to admit when I enjoy basking in the glory of unsolicited compliments. 

You see, I would prefer to not have a meal with a complete stranger who spends the whole time in an elaborate game of "backhanded compliments" charades. The fact of the matter is, by the time you have finished asking when we can go to dinner, we have already completed all of the conversation potential we have. That's it. We are done. It has been fun, but I don't want to willingly enter into a situation that would require at least an hour of uncomfortable giggling, painful silences, and pointing to random objects and saying their names in English. Inevitably I will just end up calling my best friend, Alcohol, and will end up saying horrendously offensive things to your misunderstanding face anyways, and no one really wants that. 

So, people of the world, don't be mistaken by my quizzical stares, my perfect camera ready smile, my laugh-track worthy conversation, and my general kindness...because despite all of this...I am, in fact, a raging bitch and I do not want to spend time with you.

For those of you unsure of where Uzbekistan is, it is a former Soviet Union Nation located in central Asia...also...it's 2013...get a map you pinheads. 

Until we meet again....

Annie G.

Holidays, Home, and a Happy New Year

This past holiday season was particularly exciting, as I made a most glorious, and highly anticipated visit home. I was able to leave Korea early Christmas morning (Koreatime) and touched down in Logan airport...early Christmas morning (EST) completing my first ever, 48 hour Christmas.

It was awesome to see my friends and my family, especially my 96 year old grandmother (shoutout to the original Ruthie O!). Also, it was great to make some solid visits to the Peking Garden... Al definitely missed me.

The best thing about home, was realizing that you can travel around the entire world, and every day you can read about and see first hand that everything is changing drastically. When you get home though, it will always be the same. The same smells, the same sights, the same people, the same bars, the same rituals and traditions, and while some people think that is a bad thing, I beg to differ.

In a world where technology boasts constant change, having a home-constant is a comfort is so important and underrated.

I consider myself really lucky to have that. I am also lucky to have had so many opportunities to travel. But here's the thing, travelling in itself does not make you better. It does not make you smarter, or more cultured, or even wiser. It doesn't necessarily make you more accepting, more open, or more enlightened. You can gain experience from all those things by staying near to home, because being in a different country can't change your mind on anything, you have to be able to change your own mind. Travelling can help you broaden your horizons, but only if you are willing to broaden them on your own. I can't tell you how many idiots I have met in my voyages who are even more racist, close minded, or culturally unaware than people who haven't even left the state, some people who have even traveled more than I have.

That being said, it was a rad visit, and it was great to see everyone.

Also, my plane caught on fire on my way back and I got on the news...so I'm basically famous now.

All in all, I'm a lucky bastard to have all these things in my life..

And here's some drunken New Year's Eve pics!