Epilogue: Beyond this Adventure

Almost exactly three years later and I am finally leaving the place I've known as 'home' with very little hesitation. Granted, others have been here for a longer period of time, have families here, and still move forward, they aren't me and those who know me know that me and Korea have a relationship that is different than most foreigners here, even those living here for so long. Going from a small, nowhere town to Atlanta and a reputable university, to Japan, and now to Korea; no sign ever pointed to that progression. I so freely allowed myself to move from place to place, because I believed that no place, no challenge, was ever big enough for me. I never move backwards, only forwards. Though I'm on my way back to Atlanta for school, it is a giant leap forward, one that both scares me and excites me.

Korea has been kind to me, but it has no doubt been difficult. I'm not a 'get used to the temperature and slowly get in' kind of guy; I'm more of a 'cannonball into the deep end' person and Korea was no exception. No one understood why I was going to Korea when I announced more than three years ago my intention. Now they get it, and I think even now I finally understand. The friends I made here are now my family, and I know I will see them because this kind of family never breaks apart. Those who have been with me through thick and thin over here know I love them and cherish them the way they deserve, and the way they should properly be loved and cherished. I've shared parts of me I never knew existed, done things I never thought I could. They know who they are, and they know it is never goodbye but simply see you later.

I leave knowing full-well I'll be back soon enough. Be it a year, two years, or even three, I'll be back. And though things will undoubtably change, Korea will always be Korea and just like home, I will welcome the return. Though at times confusing, difficult, and annoying, Korea is like family and it is simply part of the terrain.

Day 100:Hair, Coffee, and in Between

Well guys and dolls, we've made it! It's been 100 days and, incidentally, today is my birthday. Happy Birthday to ME! This final picture combines perhaps two of my favorite things of Korea: cafes and hair shops. Those who know me know that my favorite place to go is a hair salon; i get my hair did more often than the vast majority of women I meet. In Korea, I've had the best hair-related experiences and have done some of the most outrageous hair-related things with some of the best hair-related stylists. Most of them never have the opportunity to work on a foreigner, at least one that has such awesome dedication to his/her hair as I obviously do. My favorite salon is the Juno Hair around Ehwa Women's University. The best part is that while they do my hair, or while I wait, they offer me free cafe-related beverages. There is no better way to end this 100 Days of Korea than with the thing I'll miss the most about Korea (okay, one of the two things I'll miss most, because we all know what the other one is): my hair salon. Appropriately enough, as it is my birthday, I am off to this very hair salon today to get my hair did for the last time in Korea. This is certainly a sad moment in my life, but will no doubt be a certifiable Martha Stewart Good Thing.

Day 99: Korea's Las Vegas

If you think Las Vegas is a one of a kind place, think again! If you think that getting hitched at some tacky house of love from an Elvis impersonator is something only found in Las Vegas, you'd be wrong! Guys and dolls, Korea has places just as wacky and tacky, if not more so because they consider it totally legitimate and in no way an improper way to tie the knot. We call them 'wedding halls', and if you think weddings are about a union of two people with God, then you've obviously not been to a Korean one. In essence, it's a performance, and a rather expensive one at that. We can't all be Chelsea and spend three million dollars on our wedding, but Koreans sure as hell try! Basically, the ceremony and the reception are merged into one massive party where you eat while they get married, and let me tell you, this is a brilliant idea! But what gets me are these wedding halls, especially how crazy they can get. This picture is just one, and let me say it's quite normal compared to other ones. Castles, palaces, and 'starry night at the prom' are but a few of the thematic wedding halls that exist in Korea. I can see over zealous couples loving this idea, but when the parents are the ones paying for it I find it hard to believe that they are on board with their children getting married in a place that looks like it was taken from the castle at Elsinore. But it happens! Every day at that! I would go on and on about getting married in Korea, but besides the money they spend on it, the lack of 'religion' from the ceremony, the fact that guests have to give them money and they have a table outside the hall where they collect it, and that the 'walking down the aisle' is more like 'posing on the catwalk', it's pretty uneventful.

Day 98: We All Need Some History

This is another one of the few touristy things I've posted: the National Museum of Korea. I'm normally not a fan of museums, especially history-related museums. But this particular one is beautiful to look at and amazing to walk through. First of all, the thing is huge: three FULL floors of some of the most breathtaking artifacts, art, etc. I've seen. One day out of the week the museum is open until 8 or 9pm, and going at night is like going to a completely different museum, not only because of the utter silence, but the dimmed corners and lack of lighting make viewing the collections that much more magical. Perhaps the highlight of this museum, though, is the Buddhist collection, found in the paintings, sculptures, and statues. I went this week simply for that collection, though I've seen it at least twice before, I wanted one last look before heading back to the States. Guys and dolls, that's how good of a thing it is.

Day 97: Timmy Ate Lassie

This one Korean thing I had been putting off for the three years I've been here, but finally grabbed myself by the balls and jumped in. Growing up, kids would always tease me by saying 'where's Lassie, Timmy?' Well, now if someone were to ask me now, I could simply respond: "I ate him". Guys and dolls, that's right, this Timmy ate Lassie, or whatever the Korean equivalent would be. Yesterday, my friend took me to eat dog at a place called 갑부집 in which we had (as pictured above) a delicious soup with dog meat and just steamed dog meat. Was it good? It was certainly quite different, though the taste wasn't that exotic, nor did it look strange. It did smell a bit weird, but that didn't really influence the taste. In Korea, the dogs that we eat are raised on special farms and must be killed in a certain way, and only a certain breed of dog is used for food. When eating dog, we usually don't grill it because of the smell; we rather eat it steamed or broiled and in soup, which is most common. These things, though, are quite expensive, as the two things we ate yesterday added up to more than 40,000 won.

Day 96: Tim's Favorite Pass-Time

That's right guys and dolls, Tim likes himself some 노-래-방 (or karaoke for those out there not in the know). Japan equally enjoys karaoke, but the vast amount of karaoke places (literally 'song room') in Korea is amazing. In addition, karaoke in Korea is significantly cheaper than Japan as you pay by the hour and room rather than the number of people. In addition, most of the self-owned places will offer service, especially if you are a frequent customer (usually in the form of extra time and drinks). So, you could pay around 15,000 won for an hour, but you end up getting two or even three hours out of that 15,000 won. Now that's service! This particular picture is of what we call 'luxury 노래방'. The rooms are much cleaner, smell nice, look nice, have better equipment, nicer staff, and just feel better. The downside? More expensive and usually no service; so that 20,000 only gets you one hour. This particular place is famous, located in 홍대, because the outside looks like a giant mansion, and each window is home to a karaoke room where the people below can see the occupants doing their thang. Some interesting things to watch out for. The standard karaoke room is known as 노래방, but you will often see variations on this, including the following: 노래빵, 노래장, 노래짱, 노래집, and 노래룸. All are, in a sense, karaoke rooms, but will often include at least one of the following things: host/hostesses, alcohol, food, and higher prices. My favorite is the 노래연습, which literally means song practice. I have never ventured into one of those, but I'd be keen on finding out one day.