leaving the eastern hemisphere

it's been a very busy past few days, trying to visit as many of my friends and relatives as possible (on a f-ed up ankle). i have not had time to write out my reflections. in fact i was realizing tonight that the vast majority of my holiday experience will disappear before i even reach Seattle. like most memories, they fade quickly.

i'm so glad i was able to arrange the few extra days in Seoul. this stopover has been restorative in many ways. aside from super-cheap medical care (if i were a Korean citizen, it would even be cheaper!), this time has been surprisingly healing. i realized that there were things and people i looked forward to seeing. i realized that my Korean language skills are not that bad. i realized that i'm more comfortable with my family here, since we built relationships in 2005-06.

more importantly, i realized that i could've made it here for the entire time had i not faced other challenges in my personal life. i still believe that i'm going to be called to live overseas one day (perhaps in a place much more difficult than Seoul), so i think it was important for me to know that the set of circumstances leading to my departure was less about being in a foreign land and more about a personal and spiritual crisis. it wasn't simply because i didn't have what it took to persevere in a difficult place. Korea is still not a "match" in terms of values, lifestyle, etc. it does however have a lot to offer for a temporary resident. i'm glad i understand that now; it makes me thankful for the five months i was here. this visit is a positive bookend to last year's black spell; this country is no longer in a shadow and i feel remarkably less like a wimpy failure!

i leave for home tomorrow, and return to work in about 48 hours. anyway i need to get back; Annabelle got sick while i was gone. i need to give her a huge hug.