Leaving "home"

---

So the time finally arrive for me to leave Seoul for my 6 month trip. Wow, after a year and a half of living here, I'm actually really sad... to leave family, DK, friends, good food, stable job, clean toilets, kimchee, familiarity.. Well, I guess that's what it boils down to...familiarity, hence the cry-a-thon with Joanne at the Itaewon subway station... plus the 2+ bottles of wine that added fuel to the fire.

It's been 14 months since I've been back home in LA, so while I was in Seoul, I was too busy being homesick for my life in LA. Now, I'm homesick x2, as Korea has been my home for the past one and a half years. I think my life will always consist of being homesick, since I'm always just wandering around.

Well, I'm fully prepared for my trip this time. My first experience to Southeast Asia was a great learning experience, from which I cursed and vowed not to make the same mistakes. I feel much better prepared now, but of course I'll forget something…

So far, I've spent a copious amount of money on travel vaccinations (Hep A, Hep B, typhoid, chicken pox, malaria, polio, flu, diphtheria & tetanus)... for a total of 12 shots! Anyone who knows my phobia of needles knows what an accomplishment this was. I still need to get two more b/c they don’t have Jap B Encephalitis and meningitis vaccinations in Korea. I've also loaded up on Lonely Planet guidebooks (China, Tibet, Nepal, India and Middle East.. yea I know, a library), and bought medicine for any and all types of scenarios. After my unpleasant experience in Cambodia-- where I asked the pharmacist for mosquito relief medicine and he gave me arthritis foot medicine, causing my foot to look like an elephantitis victim-- I did not want to deal with stomach or intestinal problems on some 30-hour train ride. Also, I got travel insurance this time... got the cheapest kind that'll only cover like a cut on my finger .. because nothing bad will happen to me anyway, knock on wood! And finally, I got my China visa, ISIC (International Student Identification Card.. had to pretend to be a student but whatever, a discount's a discount!) and additional pages added to my passport, so I think I'm ready for round 2!

I don’t know what it is that I’m expecting from this trip or what I want to get out of it. But like my dad said, traveling isn’t just about seeing great sites and experiencing new things... it’s about the journey itself.. of developing myself as a stronger and better person...and just finding my true self. My dad did a trip in the U.S. in his orange and brown Volkswagon van.. back in the days when he first immigrated to America. Remnents left behind through his shirtless photos with long wavy hair and cut off jeans. Haha.. guess I"m sorta following in his footsteps.. people always said we were so alike.

I’m leaving in a couple hours on the Weidong Ferry, rather than flying, from Incheon to Qingdao, China. Decided to start my travels the simple way to prepare for what’s to come! Uhmm... Actually, I found out that my overstayed Korean visa has a price tag of $350. But the kind gentleman behind the counter whispered that if I leave Korea by ferry, I can avoid paying the fine. We'll see what happens!


Ciao, I love you!

---