Miss. Will and Do.

So, now that the time for me to leave Korea draws near, people here have started asking me that horrible, guiltifying question of, "What will you miss?"


And it's horrible and guiltifying because every time I've been asked, I haven't had an answer. The well-meaning questioner waits, and waits, and waits, and waits some more. All the while I wrack my brain and sputter something about how there's so much I can't really pick something specific or make something up about how life here is so convenient and feel stupid about not being able to give details about what I mean when further prodded.


And so I've decided to ponder this because I KNOW there are things I'll miss. And I know it'll be much easier to make this list from the other side of that ocean, but in the meantime, I feel it's at least being a good sport of me to humor the people who've been so generous and well-meaning towards me these past 10 months. If I had a guest who were leaving my home, I would want to know that there had been some good things to be missed.


Unfortunately, a lot of the things I'll miss in Korea are foods that I can no longer eat (haven't eaten for the past 4 months) so I feel like it's cheating to put them on my list. But I will anyway. (no people on my lists-only things/experiences).



Korean stuff I will miss:
delivery anything. twinberry cheesecake ice cream from baskin robbins. green tea chewisty donuts. green tea lattes. angel-in-us. banana milk. sweet vegemil soymilk. 2,000 won (now 2,300) baskin robbins. 졸졸 hodduk. supersweet lemonade. shoe service. wide shoes. excellent A/S. this yummy fiberlicious apple yogurt. the idea of my students. public transportation. cheap cabs. cheap transportation. super-clean subway. cheap manicures. being a busride away from all my friends. $20 때massage. proliferation of jjimjilbangs. 50 cent or $1 ice cream bars. =)




And to balance out the entry with some Asian-style yin and yang...


American stuff I do miss:

dryers. AC. organic skim milk. BOTTLED WATER. water with lemon at restaurants. granola. any combo of cheese, chicken, and carbs. mexican black beans. ny style thin crust pizza. white wine. pedicures. new yorker magazines. perusing barnes. italian food. chinese take out. mac/apple stores. jcrew stores. trying on shoes. trying on clothes. calling ppl when i feel like it and not worrying about time zones.having a car. (having other people drive me around). personal space. cheesecake factory. non-korean asian food (including fusion).