This is it...

After furiously packing my things into my suitcases, stressing about all of the things I have to do (and may have forgotten to do), taking a car service, checking-in at JFK and 14 hours of flying time, I made it. "Welcome to Korea" the sign read. Yeah yeah, I thought...we'll see. I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel when I walked off the plane and out of the airport. Needless to say, I felt like I anticipated...jet-lagged, excited, a little nervous, entitled (yeah right), and proud. I went into this trip expecting Koreans to be overly "homogenous," a bit rude, pushy and lacking in diversity. In many ways, I was dead wrong. People have been friendly, some immediately spoke English if they did not think I knew the language,and they all looked different. Some darker than others, some who's noses were more dominant (like mine), some had rounder eyes...you get the picture. So, what does this all mean to me? Who knows, it is still too early to tell. I do know two things: (1) I'm jet-lagged and need sleep; (2) the food is AMAZING.

Is Korea ready to embrace me? After a few odd looks in the subway and on the street, I'm not so sure. I realize culture in Korea is based upon being "in or out," so maybe one of my main objectives should be seeking the "in." Although, after spending a lifetime being the "out" in many ways, I've come to truly love my life story, or in some cases, the lack thereof.