Seoul-searching

by Matt Dela Peña

[seoulrhythm]

Living abroad can be an overwhelming experience. The influx of new sights, sounds, and smells can really stir the senses into a dizzying spiral of both awe and confusion. Yet somehow I am lovestruck with this feeling; it is my natural high. I'd love nothing more than to grow a pair of wings and take flight, and spend a few days or weeks or even months in a foreign land.

But no matter how much time I aspire to spend offshore, I think I'll always find comfort in knowing that I eventually have a home to return to. A home with the cozy bed, home-cooked meals, and sense of familiarity that any wanderer needs to anchor back to reality.

That's because living abroad is merely a dream state; a break from the tedium of everyday life. And although perpetual travel is what I yearn for, even a car needs to stop and get gas once in a while.

I like to foolishly believe that I'm no stranger when it comes to leaving the nest, though I've only done it a handful of times. Still, the challenge for me goes beyond the shocks of a new culture.

Rather, my struggle concerns the art of assimilation—I want to fit in with a crowd that, up until our first encounter, knows nothing about me; a crowd that has lived on for years before my untimely intrusion; a crowd that I want to accept me.

This task at hand, though easy as it sounds, seems all but daunting, at least for me. As an introvert, interacting with new people comes as a formidable endeavor, even under the most routine of situations. I have this problem domestically as well, so it's hard to imagine having to face it abroad. I think this journey will either make or break me, but I guess only my confidence will tell in due time.

So if there was just one goal I would like to achieve during my stay, it would just be to establish a network of colleagues and friends: colleagues who I can look to for guidance during my stay and friends that I can keep in touch with long after I'm gone. In any case, see you soon, Seoul.