Honey Citron Tea is delicious. It comes in a jar and looks more like a jam. A few spoonfuls (or just one!) into a cup of boiling water and it is a wonderful little treat.
I've been back to the U.S. for 5 days now and it's been a great transition. Was a part of one of my best friend's weddings this past weekend in greater Philadelphia. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony and amazingly fun reception. The BEST way to get back into the swing of America!
My food situation, however, hasn't been an easy transition. I was so used to my 'go to' Korean dishes that when it came time to figure out meals, I went blank. Made my first trip to Wegman's and drove after a year. In Wegman's, I hightailed it to the Asian foods section. (Sidenote: I had a minor panic attack in the highway rest stop, overwhelmed by all the people and the confusing lay out and then I forgot my debit card pin number.)
For dinner tonight, I found the one Korean restaurant in State College, Pennsylvania!
State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Kimchi Jigae
It was delicious and tasted very similar to kimchi jigae I had in Korea- well done!!!
I originally wrote this during the flight back to the U.S.:
It was emotional leaving my school and the people who became such a huge part of my life for an entire year; practically every day. My coworkers were tough to leave as well as my neighborhood friends.
Ritta, Chris, Grace
Sun, Clown, James, Andy
Kaffe & Wein, the Yeonsu group!
The students wrote wonderful letters and I truly hope they take me up on my offer to email me whenever they want!
Middle School Grade 3
green tea cake from my students
And then the airplane ride began!
quick layover in Japan
Written in the Chicago Airport:
Sitting on U.S. soil for the first time in a year. Well, not technically sitting on dirt, but at a Starbucks booth in the Chicago O’Hare Airport waiting for the final leg of the trip. It's a greenhouse effect with the floor to ceiling windows beating down on my table, I'm sweating out any kimchi remnants.
Pumpkin Spice Latte!!!
It’s a strange feeling looking around and seeing so much English. I notice myself walking around in awe, looking at all the signs and taking pictures. The other truly bizarre thing, is understanding everyone’s conversations around me. I had gotten used to the constant murmur of Hangul.
After a night of packing and cleaning, the owner of my school graciously picked me up at my apartment at 5:45am. The first leg from Incheon (ICN) to Tokyo (NRT) was relatively painless. I was exhausted so slept the entire time. The Tokyo to Chicago 11-hr flight was as good as an 11-hr time period in a confined space can be. I watched two American movies: “Knight and Day” and “Toy Story 3” and one Japanese movie: “Confessions.” “Confessions” was dark and rather graphic at times, but a great film. Kept me intrigued the entire time. The small airplane screens don’t do big action or computer graphic films justice so a film more about plot and suspense worked well.
I’ll be boarding in 20 minutes for the final flight. It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m really home. My daily works around Yeonsu Gu will become a part of my distant memory as the years go on. Thoughts of, “Did I really live in Korea?” will surface.
