No vlog this week. It feels like a failure because I told myself I'd upload something every week but this past week was a bit uneventful. At first it kind of bummed me out but I'm learning how to deal with it. I was still exhausted from my trip to Japan and Vietnam so the first half of this week felt like a lot of sleeping and doing nothing productive, not even memorizing vocabulary. My friends and I had lunch a few times and went to a few cafes, but besides that, they have all been busy so I've been a bit lonely.
That's when I realized that I need to learn how to have fun by myself. I feel like I am very reliant on the company of others, and it made me think whether I'd appreciate Seoul the same way if I didn't have the friends I have to explore it with. Seoul is a lovely, fun city, but a lot of the things I do are with other people. I have a list of cafes I want to see, places I want to go, but I keep waiting until I find someone to go with. So this past week, though I've watched a lot of TV and felt really sluggish, I ALSO tried doing some things alone. I finally went to a movie theater alone. I also went to a rooftop (I've been wanting to go for the longest time) and met some other foreigners as well as native Koreans. That itself was a huge step and made me realize how social Seoul is.
I was talking to a teacher who lives in Tokyo, and she described how quiet it was. In contrast with my own perception of Tokyo, Seoul is a city that's alive. It's vibrant and loud. People TALK to each other (something I give cafes a lot of credit for). Life can be so picturesque. Often when I'm walking around, I peer into aesthetically pleasing cafes, each with their own character, just like the people inside them. Couples giggling, gal pals gossiping, the quiet bartender perfecting his latte art. It's so dreamy. So this week I've made more plans to go to such cafes with people.
I have two weeks left in Seoul. I think I am ready to say goodbye. That doesn't mean I want to; I'm just not opposed to going back to the States. The Light blog prompt this week asks about what advice I would give Light fellows for next year. There's obviously technical stuff you need to think about, phone plans, housing, etc. I didn't necessarily feel unprepared for anything, though. The biggest advice I can give you is to create your own experience of Seoul. It's great if you read all of the Light blogs and all, but try not to let them bias you. I read every single blog about Korea before coming. Thrice. The problem was that I let other people's experiences influence my perception of the country before even coming. If I hadn't read about the discomfort of being a POC, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. Things like that. Also, even if you read all the good advice possible, chances are you are not going to have a flawless experience. And that's good! You need to make mistakes and face difficulties on trips like this. It's the most rewarding part in my opinion.
The second prompt asks about whether I've gained any insights that will help me become a better student or leader. The answer is yes. The problem is that I can't pinpoint what they are. Because of everything I've experienced this summer, I definitely feel that I've become a more "enhanced" version of myself. Whether it be through conversations I've had with foreign friends or how I've learned to not care that I stick out, my perspective on politics and culture as well as the confidence I carry myself with have changed. The different ways of thinking will definitely help me with my studies, and the new confidence I have will definitely help me with leadership.
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