in america

it's hard to wrap my brain around the fact that i've been in america for the past 25 days. so much has happened in that duration and i've had very little time in between the happenings to process much. now that i'm back in my "room" in my parents' house in baltimore, i have some time to unwind and chill. when i reflect and remember all the happy things i've absorbed or witnessed during my sojourn back home, i feel all at once, overwhelmed with joy and love from my family and friends. thank you, thank you, thank you to my dear loved ones. i thank you with all of my heart, and with my heartiest of laughs. even though i am exhausted, i am not depleted of energy. i believe this is because i've felt so rejuvenated and revived from YOUR energy. that and i nap very well on buses, trains and airplanes.

so, where do i begin?
here's a quick overview of my time in the good ole us of a.
i arrived april 29th. played with julia, natalie, jessi, kate, shannon, angie, julia, jen, amy, jessica, betty, lots of babies, ryan, laura, and got the final wedding plans coordinated with my family.
my sister's wedding was may 9th.
i left for dc on may 11th, played gleefully with elsie, annie, kelly, jessie, emma, meaghan, slyvia, brendan, amber, heidi, beth, kristina, steffany, sebastian, katy, andy, wessley, julia, amanda, andrew, and chris.
i stayed in our nation's capital until the 18th.
flew to chicago, met with jennifer--my college roommate of 3 years and amazing friend! my b!--and was very very lucky. (more about that later...)
excellent timing, my brother was also in chicago for work, we ate a lovely homecooked meal together.
i took a bus to madison on the 20th, met with my college bud, lucas and stayed with my kindred spirit friend cassie, (on her farm!!!!!)
on may 21st i took the bus to minneapolis, met with carrie and erin, stayed with jesse, laughed with blythe, riske, benjamin, karl, heidi, dustin and abby.
flew back to bmore on may 23rd.
on may 26th, i will return to korea.
holy. shit. balls.
AWESOME.

the plane ride

my plane ride to america could have been a potential disaster. people, if you are flying from seoul and think that checking in at the city terminal is a good idea, think again. i repeat, THINK AGAIN! it's only good if you are flying either korean or asiana airlines. if you are flying korean airlines that is associated with delta, like i was, this is NOT for you. i found out this vital piece of information at 3:25pm, when i thought i was home-free. i was very far from coasting.

thankfully, by the alignment of good and gracious forces, i boarded a bus that went directly to incheon airport at 3:35pm. we hit traffic. i have never tried so hard not to freak out. it takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes and my plane was scheduled to take-off at 6:20pm. oh sweet jesus. i tried to focus on my breathing. it worked for a little bit, i actually fell asleep! when i woke up, i felt anxious, nervous and irritable. breathing. i reminded myself that these types of things happen. we have misunderstandings and honestly, it's not the end of the world. so while i was freaking out, i told myself, that once we got to the airport i would run and see if that would help. and if it didn't help, then i'd get on another flight. not the one i was hoping for, but a flight nevertheless. luckily i checked in, and made it to my boarding gate, with over 20 minutes to spare, before boarding began. i was so utterly relieved! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!

the plane ride itself was long. 14 hours from incheon to atlanta. 2 hours from atlanta to baltimore. i watched 3 movies: revolutionary road--incredible!, doubt--excellent, and marley and me--so sweet! and ate 3 meals: a dry piece of chicken i didn't finish, yogurt and bread, korean style beef with rice. towards the end of my voyage, my back felt sore, my legs cramped. outside, breathing fresh air was a joy. coming home, much more joyful.

home again, home again

it's been a year and a half since i've been on american soil. when i stepped into bwi airport, it didn't feel remarkably different from any other time i'd returned home. actually, it feels bizarrely normal to be here again. and that's precisely what's so weird about it all! in many ways, it feels like i haven't left. it definitely doesn't feel like i've been gone for over a year. maybe that's what happens when you've flown in too many airplanes. or at least have been in transit for nearly 16 hours. incheon (seoul) to atlanta. atlanta to baltimore.

welcome home! jiggety jig!
i am tired. more internet later, right now, i must sleep.