Sunday, May 15, 2011

week 1 in seoul

i felt pretty pathetic as i shed a couple tears this morning, feeling sorry for myself because i've yet again succumbed to nostalgia. i really have to stop doing that. it's annoying.

all is good. yeah so i had my moment, it's what i needed. i chatted with my mom and dad on facebook for the first time ever, something i normally would not have done by choice, but this morning it felt nice. i guess it's true you never appreciate your parents until you feel vulnerable and alone. or maybe that's just me. either way, it's something i feel i need to continuously strive to change. i felt much better after our chat, even though i told them everything was fine and that i'm having a good time. we left the apartment and explored another "zone" as my city tour book calls it, hong-dae, "a creative space for the young and free to express and share their unique culture" this is where i..

-witnessed my first fixed gear hipster biker gang cruisin the streets on some beautiful bicycles
-came across a store that didn't play k-pop or american top-40 but actually played a 90's brit pop blur song (and not that "woohoo" one that everyone knows.)
-saw a group of girls without the same plastic surgery faces and not dressed like they thought they were super models.
-men wearing skinny jeans, ray bans and fedora hats.

i was confused as to how i was supposed to feel about all this. in a country where everything has felt so overwhelmingly unfamiliar, this neighborhood has finally given me a sense of comfort merely because of familiarity. i liked this neighborhood a lot, mostly for its life and youth. however, this is where i soon realized that wherever you are..

hipsters will be hipsters.

1 comment:

  1. hongdae is fun! it's the only part of seoul with any real personality. and it's okay that you felt homesick and missed your parents. you've gotten it out of your system now so you're going to have a blast.

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