I actually came up with a conclusion for this post before I even started my usual writing process, so instead I'll lead with it! It is the culmination of a couple unrelated events (some unexplainable, others I will attempt to explain), and my thoughts behind each. My basic conclusion is that this city is the best place for me at this point in my life. It's a metropolis, a mega city, rivaled by few, and surpassed by others only because of (western) history. How did I come to this conclusion, I'll attempt to explain.
For starters I welcomed my parents to Korea this week. An experience I didn't believe would happen when I first left Canada a year and a half ago. Not that my parents aren't adventurous, my father has lived all over the world, and my mother moved to Canada, and then across the country. I suppose for those reasons I shouldn't be too shocked, but Korea is a lot different than the travels they have been on before. I realize, and understand that I was enough to draw them out here, but it partially made me questions my motives. I am a product of my parents (obviously!), but Korea wasn't a place high on their list, or many people's for that matter. Although after my parents stated to friends that they were coming out, they found that everyone seemed to have known a friend of a friend who once taught here.
I have previously mentioned some of the benefits, and reasons for me to stay in Korea. Hell, you can read my short bio and start to understand. Yet, those alone only address my financial, and rational reasons to be here. They don't represent emotional reasons that dissuade many from attempting adventures like this in the first place. I remain confused and wonder, why I feel so comfortable being away from my friends and family for this greatly extended period of time.
Keeping in touch hasn't been much of an issue. For that I can thank modern technology, email, and most importantly Skype, have allowed me to explore the world and still connect with the ones I love easily. None the less, while technology seems to have lessened the physical distance, a distance has remained. That distance is actually a reason I started writing. To inform people what the deal was, what was happening, and what it was like in Korea. These brief internet fueled encounters with the North American continent seem to be enough for me.
I can't really explain why I am missing more of a drive, but I've come to accept that I don't require it. Even without a more present support network, I've been able to establish myself here. I have created an identity that I'm comfortable with. Importantly I feel that the identity is true to myself. I'm not running from anything in my life, and I'm not using my new existence to attempt to gain something I feel that I lost, or felt robbed of. For whatever reason as well, I feel accepted here, perhaps more than I did in N/A. This is a place where my travel feels insignificant at times, and I'm afforded the opportunity to meet people whose life dwarfs my own.
I am a twenty something (attempt to generalize) single person, with access to a city that can offer whatever I want. I benefit from being able to do rather well on very little, you can also insert any advantage that living in a city has: public transport, 24/7 access to bars and restaurants, the ability to get lost in a crowd of people, even at 4 in the morning. For me all these traits revolve around the simple concept that I can have my cake and eat it too! This is a feeling that I haven't been able to attach to any city I've previously lived in. The option, and ability to do anything anytime, is one that's hard to give up, I'm hooked, I'm addicted.
I had a chat with a co-worker about this exact theme the other day and a couple interesting things arose from the conversation. While we both agreed that Seoul was a great place to be for the time being, but our life situations were quickly differing. For he is in his early thirties, in a stable relationship, and his mind is starting to wander into child territory. We talked, and somewhat agreed that while Seoul is an amazing place, it would be a difficult place to raise a child. It was at this moment that we both said Canada.
My (second) conclusion may come a shock to some, and for others only a matter of time. I can't see myself returning to N/A at any point in the near future. Except for the solitary role as tourist. I have become spoiled, and live, love and thrive in my new way of life. I'm sorry Calgary, I'm sorry Canada, you are both great places, but until I'm ready to accept a North American life, I'm not going to push the issue and leave what I've graciously become accustomed to.
